BEAR FooT DOCTOR ® In Step With Nature - Bear Foot Doctor's health blog

CHILEAN NITRATE

12/1/2019

This iconic artistic masterpiece composed of art deco tiles is proudly positioned on the southern wall of the house of the late merchant Guillermo Cabrera Gutiérrez - standing at the entrance to O’Daly Street, Santa Cruz, La Palma in the Canary Islands.

It was created around 1929 by the artist Adolfo López-Durán, who later became a professor at the Madrid School of Architecture. The ceramics were painted and fired at the Valencian tile house of Ramón Costello.

‘Nitrato’ is an important organic fertiliser for assisting the growth of crops. It consists of nitrates from natural rock deposits found in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. The Atacama is extremely dry and is able to readily extract minerals from the air and sea. It is a natural non synthetic plant fertiliser containing 15% nitrate nitrogen and 2% potassium. Chilean Nitrate was imported to Europe in the 19th century, to enrich farm soil that had become nitrogen depleted. Thus it nourished and gave strength to plants, when they faced adverse environmental growing conditions. Which remind us, that healthy plants build healthy people. This statement is as true today, as it was then. So this work of art is not only a beautiful example of artistic advertising, but it also sends out a healthy message.

MEDITATION

10/27/2019

Excessive attachment to the body is a common cause of physical, emotional and spiritual pain. Meditation is good for treating psychological problems. These may range from depression, to extreme anxiety and panic attacks. It can be used to assist insomnia and also severe emotional disturbances such as grief and addiction. Meditation is an ideal treatment for stress on all levels.

It is beneficial in controlling pain and can be used to treat arthritis and joint problems, as well as a host of wide ranging health issues, both acute and chronic.

It can be used as a vital tool in the interview process: by encouraging the patient to adopt certain meditation techniques, we may be able to find out more about what’s troubling them. If the patient is relaxed by meditation, a fuller and deeper picture of their health can emerge.

When we go for a good walk in the fresh air, it is possible to meditate at the same time. Often when we go out for a walk, we are absorbed in our own thoughts and problems. It’s true to say that people sometimes find it easier to shift their fears and worries whilst walking. But if you leave your issues at home and simply walk and mediate, you may feel even better still!

To meditate whilst walking is really simple, you focus your thoughts on how each foot contacts the ground as it is doing so. You concentrate all attention on the experience of walking itself, whilst clearing your mind of all other thoughts. Just focus on the sensations in your feet and legs and nothing else at all. Why not try it for yourself for about 20 minutes a day and see if you feel any different afterwards?

ORGANIC HONEY

10/5/2019

Ayurveda considers that honey is Sattvic in nature and is regarded as the finest sweetener for food. Sattvic foods are foods that are abundant in Prana - the universal life-force that gives life to all sentient beings in both plant and animal kingdoms. They are foods such as fresh organic
untainted fruits, vegetables and honey.

Honey is sweet, astringent and pungent in taste, slightly warm in energy and sweet in post-digestive effect. It takes on the properties of the flowers from which it is made. For instance sage flower honey will have nerve calming properties. Honey tends to balance the three constitutional Doshas, but in excess it can aggravate Pitta, so like everything else, it should be consumed wisely and not excessively.

When it has matured slightly, it is the finest sweetener for a Kapha constitution.
Whereas fresh raw honey is better for both Pitta and Vata constitutions. Internally, honey works as a demulcent, emollient, laxative, nutritive and a tonic. It can help discharge phlegm, dissolves fat and nourishes the mind and senses. It is rejuvenating and is considered good for improving immunity. Royal jelly is considered by some to be superior in this regard. Raw honey can be used for convalescents and to build vigour in children.

Cooking honey is not at all a wise thing to do. This can denature it, resulting in the loss of its medicinal properties. So please only add honey to lukewarm food after it has been cooked and allowed to cool down slightly. Honey is a good Anupana and mixes well with health giving herbs helping to facilitate their penetration into the deeper tissues of the body allowing them to assist us. Externally, one can apply it to wounds and ulcers to utilise its excellent wound healing properties.

The Paradox Of Being Ginger.

9/24/2019

The Ayurvedic phrase “prabhava”, refers to the potential for medicinal plants and herbs to have special effects that are not necessarily just confined to their taste or energy. These can be physical such as cathartic or antitussive, or act on the mental emotional level, or indeed both. Sometimes prabhava is an unexplainable action that cannot be traced back to any logical reasoning;
it can be quite paradoxical in its nature.

For example, if we look at the properties of Zingiber officinale or ginger, we see its Taste/Rasa is pungent and sweet and its Potency/Virya is heating. These pungent and heating properties are useful for using in cases of digestive and respiratory problems as they promote good digestion and help rid the gut of toxicity. Ginger is also very rejuvenating and its pungent, sweet and heating qualities are good for the heart and circulation. It is also used for helping coughs and assisting breathing problems.

On the other hand however, ginger is also an excellent anti-inflammatory employed in cases of pain and arthritis; it also reduces oedema and swelling in the limbs, but because it is heating rather than cooling in its nature, as is normally the case with anti-inflammatory, herbs, one can become somewhat perplexed. But Ayurveda does not see this as being paradoxical or contradictory at all, as this is regarded as a special potential or “prabhava”.

It is interesting to be aware that sometimes the surface properties of a plant do not immediately reveal the complexities of all of the medicinal actions that it possesses underneath. We need to look much closer and deeper to see matters in their entirety.

BORAGE

7/25/2019

Borage (Borago officinalis) is part of the Boraginaceae family, it is very common in Britain. It is possible to make a tincture from the leaves and flowers. Its distinctive blue star shaped flowers (see photograph above) are part of the British summertime and are used to garnish the traditional English recreational beverage known as Pimm’s.

Constituents:

The flowers and leaves contain mucilage, tannin, saponins, essential oil, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, potassium, calcium, Vitamin C, volatile oil.

Properties:

Quality – Guna – Light, unctuous
Taste – Rasa – Astringent, sweet, salty, bitter
Post digestive effect – Vipak – Sweet
Potency – Virya – Cooling
Doshic signature – Reduces Pitta & Kapha. Increases Vata
Channels – Srotas – Rakta (circulatory), shukra (reproductive), mutra (urinary), prana (respiratory), majja (nervous), stanya (lactation).

Actions:

Artavashamana – regulates menstruation
Brmhana – nourishing tonic, anabolic
Jivaniya – promotes energy
Jwaraghna – relieves fevers
Kasavasahara – relieves coughs & breathing problems
Medya – brain tonic, nervine
Medohara – regulates fat metabolism
Mutrala - diuretic
Rasayana - rejuvenative
Stanya – increases breast milk

Indications for internal use:

Tension, anxiety, convalescence, exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, depression, bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma, emphysema, catarrh, sore throat, dry cough, pleurisy, fevers, obesity, inflammatory skin problems, eczema, psoriasis, poor milk production, boils, skin rashes including chicken pox & measles, inflammatory arthritis, dysuria, urinary infections, oedema and hypertension.

Indications for external use:

Soothes irritated skin conditions, itching, bruising, sores, ulcers and wounds, insect bites, soothes inflamed, painful arthritic joints and tissues, gargle and cleansing mouthwash.

Dose for internal consumption: Tincture 2-4ml tds.
Precaution: None.
Safety: No known relevant herb/drug interactions.

PLANTAIN

7/8/2019

Plantain basking in the sun

PLANTAIN

Plantain comes from the family of Plantaginaceae and Plantago lanceolata is common to British countryside and gardens.

Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) leaf, is the seen in the illustration above, it can be easily distinguished by its distinctive lance like leaves. Its cousin Plantago major has broader leaves that are less pointed, but the actions of both plants are similar.

Constituents:
The leaves contain iridoids (aucubin, catapol), mucilage, phenols, flavonoids (apigenin, scutellarin, baicalein, nepetin, plantagoside), glycosides, tannins, silica, coumarins, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, saponins.

Ayurvedic Properties:
Quality – Guna – light, unctuous & soft
Taste – Rasa – Bitter and astringent
Post digestive effect – Vipak – Pungent
Potency – Virya – Cooling
Doshic signature – Reduces Pitta & Kapha. Increases Vata
Tissue affinity – Rakta (blood) & Rasa (plasma)
Channels – Srotas – Anna (digestive), Prana (respiratory), Mutra (urinary), Rakta (circulatory)

Ayurvedic Actions:
Jawaraghna – reduces fevers
Kasavasahara – relieves coughs and breathing problems
Kustthagna - alleviates skin conditions
Mutrala - diuretic
Raktapitta - curbs bleeding from excess Pitta
Raktashodana – purifies the blood
Ropana – heals wounds
Shirovirechana – clears congestion from the head
Stamphana – dries excessive secretions
Udaraprasamana – relieves allergies

Indications for internal use:
Diarrhoea, gastritis, colitis, GI infections, toxicity, fever, infections, colds, catarrh, allergies, hay fever, insect bites, coughs, bronchitis, chest infections, asthma, tonsillitis, sore throats, glue ear, ear infections, urinary tract infections, prostatitis, menorrhagia, wounds, inflammatory skin problems including acne and roseacea.

Indications for external use:
Astringent to stop bleeding, nosebleeds, anti-inflammatory for stings and insect bites, drawing remedy for infections such as boils and abscesses, infections in teeth and gums.

Dose orally: Tincture 2-4ml tds.
Precautions: Avoid in gastro-oesophageal reflux.
Safety: May decrease levels of Lithium and Carbamezepine. Avoid with Warfarin and other anticoagulants.

Preparing plaintain to make a tincture

SOME CANARY ISLAND MAGIC

3/27/2019

Astydamia latifolia is an endemic Canary Island plant that has been used in folk medicine over the ages. It has been utilised as a carminative to facilitate good digestion and expel intestinal gas, as a emmenagogue to increase menstrual flow, as a sedative to help sleep and also as a diuretic to assist oedema. Its tasty leaves can also be used as food in salads.

The Canary Island people have a long history of using medicinal flora to treat diseases, the effectiveness of which can often be supported by modern scientific research.

For example in 1996, at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Perez M et al researched several local plants to see if any had a diuretic action. Out of all the plants examined in the study, Astydamia latifolia showed considerable diuretic potential. They eventually concluded that infusions made from this particular plant was similar in action to the drug Furosemide thus reducing excess fluid in the body. Oedema can result from conditions such as heart failure, liver disease and kidney problems. Furosemide is also used to treat high blood pressure. As it is a loop diuretic, it works in the loop of Henle, facilitating the reabsorption of the electrolytes sodium and chloride from the urine. This action increases the amount of urine and also causes a reduction in blood pressure.

Under experimentation it was infusions of the whole plant that showed the diuretic effects rather than extractions, which suggests that this effect is mediated by the presence of salts, since, logically, these are found in larger amounts in infusion than in other extracts. Astydamia latifolia is a plant with high potassium content, useful in reducing the risk of hypokalaemia that can often be associated with the usage of loop diuretics, such as Furosemide.

Some of the common side effects of Furosemide include: nausea or vomiting, diarrhorea, constipation, stomach cramping, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision and itching rashes.

The future usage of Astydamia latifolia infusions in mainstream medicine may, therefore, be of great benefit, as it is an effective diuretic avoiding the side effects associated with Furosemide. After all, anything that has the potential to do us good without causing harm can only be a good idea.

FEELING FRUITY?

1/5/2019

Fruit has many health giving properties and should play a central role in our diet. In general, it is very Sattvic and spiritual in its nature. We can use it to aid meditation and for establishing mental harmony and intelligence. It is light and cooling, but like all things must be eaten in correct proportion; an excess of fruit can lead us to become oversensitive, this can result in us feeling spaced out and unable to concentrate properly, fruit is after all associated with the ether element.

A diet composed of fruit alone is not enough to build and fortify us in our busy modern life styles. Ayurveda teaches us that living well is a question of achieving balance in all things. Too much fruit without other dietary ingredients can weaken our digestive fire that Ayurveda calls Agni.

Fruit is sweet, sour and sometimes astringent in taste. It is cool in energy and has a sweet post digestive effect. This increases our saliva and stomach secretions. Fruit tends to be thirst relieving, refrigerant, alterative (nourishing and improving health) and laxative. It contains lots of water. It cleans the blood and eaten in correct proportions, it has a reducing effect on the tissues. Fruit can create a lightness of mind and spirit and it can help to purify the body.

Fruit is best eaten by itself and not combined with other foods. Eating fruit along with other types of food can lead to an aggravation of Kapha which can hinder good digestion. If you have a juicer at home, you can make a fresh juice of mixed fruits and water to drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. After this it is best to wait a while for it to settle, then you may eat your porridge or equivalent. For this reason, I usually recommend that people should leave about an hour between eating or drinking fruit and then eating other types of food.

The Cleansing Rod Of Gold

12/14/2018

Looking out the window at the cold grey December sky makes us dream of those warm summer days soon to come. If you wished to find a single plant that captures the very essence of the sun’s warming rays, you would be hard pressed to find a better example than that of Goldenrod, known also by the latin name Solidago vigaurea. Herbalists have discovered that this plant has many medicinal uses.

Just one of its numerous attributes is to try clear the body of toxins. Its action is both soothing and healing - although caution should always be taken when there is oedema from heart or kidney problems.

One can visualise this plant as acting like a warm running stream dancing with light, as it flows through the body purifying and cleansing toxicity.

It can lower blood pressure and is diuretic. Also very useful to clean the throat and respiratory organs of infectious and allergic toxins, it acts in a similar way in cases of middle ear inflammations. As a detoxifying cleaner, it can be used for flushing out the kidneys and the whole of the urinary tract. It eases inflamed arthritic joints by assisting lymphatic drainage and promoting the circulation of blood that carries with it life giving oxygen. As an Ama pachana, Ayurveda employs its ability to soothe and detoxify inflammation in cases of gut infection. It has also been used to treat benign prostate enlargement and menstrual cramping and heavy or irregular periods. Also it is good for a sluggish liver or congested sinuses.

So whenever someone has a case of toxic build up with stagnant congestion, the tincture of this plant may be a good one to reach out for.

KEEP YOUR FINGER ON THE PULSE!

12/7/2018

Practicing Ayurvedic Pulse Diagnosis - Dr. Abhijit Jinde's Clinic - Pune, India.

Nowadays we seem to rely on sophisticated machines and blood tests to diagnose health problems, but there are more ancient ways of doing this that can be just as effective. Ayurvedic Sparsha, or the use of touch during Nadi Vijñan or pulse examination is a brilliant example!

Pulse diagnosis is an ancient Ayurvedic method of detecting the existing status of a person’s health and vitality. If you learn how to do it, you may be able detect the early stages of disease and sometimes nip it in the bud before it gets worse.

Although it can take years to perfect, the basic technique is really simple. The first position of the pulse is nearest to the wrist crease below the thumb and is taken with the index finger, it relates to Vata. The middle finger is placed next to the index finger further down the wrist, it relates to Pitta. The third finger is placed next to the middle finger, the pulse at this point relates to Kapha.

Vata has a slithering irregular pulse rather like the movement of a snake moving over the ground. It can be narrow or thread like, particularly in females. Sometimes it can be difficult to find and even if it is easy to locate, there can be a distinctive irregular quality. Like the element of wind, it is changeable.

Pitta pulses are bounding like an invigorated frog. They are tight, firm and distinct, rising and falling suddenly. Like flickering flames of fire, they dance.

Kapha pulses move gracefully like a swan, they are even and wavy. Broad and wide, they have a flowing quality. Their volume and rhythm display harmony and balance. Like the element of water they move as a river does, in women they can be harder to find than in men.

Sudden changes rather than gradual onset of disease or weather is likely to bring radical and quick changes to the pulse. Climatic conditions, diet and also emotion flux can influence the pulse. For instance if there is fear, worry or stress, this can stimulate the Vata pulse. A sudden increase in air temperature can add Pitta attributes to the pulse, whereas a sweet meal will reflect in the Kapha pulse. Exercise and life-style can also influence the quality and rate of the pulse, so these factors must always be considered when examining a patient. If one goes from rest to activity rapidly, the pulse rates will suddenly shoot up.

Acute inflammatory diseases, especially fevers due to infections, or acute illnesses of the organs, bring a dramatic increase to the pulse. Slow onset diseases and conditions of chronicity show a weakened strength to the pulse, the changes in these cases are usually slow rather than radical or quick.

By becoming more familiar with the subtleties of the pulse we can increase our depth of understanding subtle changes in people's health. It takes much practice and concentration, but can be most useful and rewarding!