One thousand Americans stop smoking every day – by dying.  ~Author Unknown.

 Introduction:

Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics.  ~Author Unknown.

Did you know that the smoking related diseases claim about 438,000 American lives every year. Smoking costs the United States over $167 billion each year in health-care costs including $92 billion in mortality-related productivity loses and $75 billion in direct medical expenditures or an average of $3,702 per adult smoker.

Worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that currently there are 3.5 million deaths a year from tobacco. That figure is expected to rise to about 10 million by 2030. 70% of tobacco related deaths will occur in developing countries.

The tobacco industry is worth US $400 billion and it is difficult to stop their aggressive promotion.

Among children the facts are startling:

• 36% of high school students smoke.
• 25% of high school males use smokeless tobacco
• Every day 6,000+ kids have their first cigarettes; 3,000 of them will become regular smokers
• 500 million packs of cigarettes are sold illegally to kids every year.
• 15.5 million kids are exposed to secondhand smoke at home.
• Today 3,000,000+ kids smoke almost one billion packs of cigarettes a year.
• Over 5,000,000 kids under 18 alive today will ultimately die from tobacco use
• Kids are three times as sensitive to tobacco advertising as adults
• 86% of kids buy one of the three most heavily advertised brands (Marlboro, Camel or Newport)
• Kids are more likely to be influenced by tobacco advertising than by peer pressure (the tobacco industry spends $5.2 billion every year in the US on advertising and promotion)

The dangers of this addiction are:

• Addictiveness.
• Back Pain.
• It is the major cause of cancers such as; Lung cancer, mouth, laryngeal, esophageal cancer, breast cancer in women, gastrointestinal cancer, cervical cancer, blood cancer, kidney and bladder Cancer.
• Childhood Respiratory Ailments and Ear Infections are commoner in children whose parents smoke.
• Diabetes.
• Emphysema. Smoking causes about 85% of all deaths from emphysema.
• Heart Disease. Smokers have about 4 times more risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those who don’t smoke.
• Infertility. Couples in which at least one member smokes are more than 3 times more likely to have trouble getting pregnant.
• Low Birth Weight — Women who smoke as few as 5 cigarettes per day during pregnancy have a significantly greater risk of giving birth to a small, and underweight baby.
• Nutrition.  Smoking causes lower levels of HDL, the “good” cholesterol.
• Osteoporosis. Women smokers tend to have menopause 5 to 10 years earlier than expected, causing increased bone thinning at an earlier age.
• Premature Aging. Constant exposure to tobacco smoke prematurely wrinkles facial skin and yellows teeth and fingernails.
• Recovery From Injury Or Surgery.  People who smoke have delayed healing of wounds and bones.
• Stroke risk increases manifold with smokers.
• Tooth Loss.  Use of snuff or chewing tobacco causes gum recession and tooth loss. .
• Fires.  Smoking is the leading cause of fire in homes, hotels, and hospitals.

Some Complementary therapies for nicotine:

• AROMATHERAPY.  Essential oils, which help make the nicotine withdrawal easier, are with specific oils aimed at calming the nervous system. Such oils are basil, cypress, marjoram, neroli, patchouli, rose, sandalwood and tangerine.
• Mood swings and over-sensitivity occur in a person trying to quit tobacco. In these conditions, chamomile, cypress, geranium and lavender essential oils are useful. For lack of concentration, essential oils such as basil, peppermint and rosemary are useful.  Anger is eased by chamomile and ylang ylang, while panic and hysteria are calmed by chamomile, clary sage, neroli and lavender. In tobacco addicts with shortness of breath will benefit from fennel, frankincense and lavender.

• 
• ACUPUNCTURE has helped many people to give up smoking. Within 3 to four weeks. The body points are chosen to target symptoms of dizziness, restlessness, insomnia, indigestion, nausea, cough and a tight chest.
  
• REFLEXOLOGY would target the lungs to eliminate toxins and give general stress relief.
• COLOUR THERAPY: The blue color has been recommended for relaxation and relief from irritability.

• HOMEOPATHY.
• Several medications used synergistically are useful in conferring relief from headaches and irritability that can be caused by nicotine withdrawal. Prominent among those remedies are Lobelia inflata, Nux vomica, Ignatia, Caladium, Avena Sativa and Passiflora.
•  Plantago is another useful remedy for smoking withdrawal by stopping the craving for tobacco. It also relieves the withdrawal symptoms and helps the addict to sleep well and prevents depression.

Conclusion:

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to man. When quitting smoking it is important to realize that we are not trying to break a bad habit but we are overcoming an addiction that is controlling our lives. You may try nicotine patches, complementary therapies and even counseling.  But at the end of the day it is only your will power and your awareness of the dangers of tobacco will help you overcome this deadly addiction.

Reference:

 www.cancer.org.

www.aafp.org.

www.cdc.gov.

www.who.int.

www.tobacco-facts.info.

RUTA GRAVEOLENS.

This remedy is derived from a common European plant called as “Rue”.

This remedy is useful because it acts on the periosteum, cartilages, eyes and uterus.  It is useful whenever there is a tendency to formation of deposits in the periosteum, tendons, and joints and around the joints especially around the wrist.  It suits subjects, where all the parts of the body appear bruised.

It is a useful remedy for the over-strain of the ocular muscles.  It is useful to combat eyestrain followed by a headache, where the eyes are red, hot or painful, worse after reading or sewing.  It suits subjects who have disturbances of accommodation of vision.

This remedy suits subjects, who have INTENSE LASSITUDE, WITH WEAKNESS AND DESPAIR.

It is useful whenever the bone is bruised or injured.

It is useful whenever there is a headache where the head feels as if a nail is bored in.

It is useful to combat alcoholic hangover.

It suits subjects who have a bruised feeling on their tarsal cartilage.

It is useful whenever the subject feels a pressure over the eyebrows.

This remedy is also indicated in Warts, Cancer of the rectum, in patients with hives after eating meat and also in cases of Ganglion of the wrist.

TIPS FROM THE MASTERS…

 RUTA GRAVEOLENS has a marked action on the rectum and should be remembered in cases of inoperable cancer of that region.

Dr. Ruddock, M.D.

I have used RUTA generally in the 50M potency in GANGLION. It will remove it almost without fail.

Dr. Woodbury, M.D.

 After manipulating subluxations of the pelvis, it seems to be good practice to give a dose or two of RUTA.  So far as one has observed the pain sometimes felt for a day or two after such manipulations, may be this lessened or obviated.

Dr. M.L. Tyler, M.D.

 Immediately bathing with water as hot as can be borne for a length of time, followed by a compress of ARNICA, ACONITE, RHUS TOX or RUTA.  This treatment employed promptly generally cures at once.

Dr. Ruddock, M.D.

 For Tennis elbow: RUTA GRAVEOLENS.

Dr. Kent.

 RUTA ointment used in conjunction with infrared radiation is useful in Teno-synovitis.

Pilgrim.

RUTA is a useful remedy for complaints arising out of straining flexor tendons.

Dr. C.C. Boericke, M.D.

“If life isn’t about human beings and living in harmony, then I don’t know what it’s about.”

 Orlando Bloom (English actor).

Introduction:

One-third of the food we eat comes from crops that need animal pollinators. Without bees, billions of dollars’ worth of crops across the United States would fail. The importance of bees as pollinating insects has increased all over the world. It is estimated that a quarter of human food depends on bee pollination.

Since 15,000 years, man has been using honey.  This has been possible because bees have been visiting flowers by the millions.  It .is estimated that that one kilo of honey is produced after bees visit 5-7 million flowers.   Bees utilize their glands to produce enzymes, which convert nectar into honey. The end result is a well-preserved, bacteria-destroying, easily digestible, readily energized food.

It is also known that bees can sting badly.  The much feared bee sting has a lot of therapeutic value. Bee venom therapy is also called as APITHERAPY.  Man has known the medicinal use of honeybee products since ancient times.  This is a very remarkable experimental therapy that is useful for humans and does not cause cruelty or death to these precious insects.

The Chemical Ingredients in Bee venom:

Honeybee venom contains at least 18 active substances.

• Melittin is an anti-inflammatory agent, which is 100 times more potent than Hydrocortisol.
• Adolapin is another strong anti-inflammatory substance, which inhibits Cyclooxygenase activity and thus exhibits an analgesic effect.
• Other substances include, hyaluronidase, Compound X, Phospholipase, A2, Histamine and Mast Cell Degranulating Protein, Neurotransmitter like Dopamine, Nor adrenaline and Serotinin.

 Research using Bee venom:

 Patients suffering from phlebitis and thrombophlebitis improved in terms of increased skin temperature and better blood circulation in their limbs.

• Good results were shown in all the sciatica cases.
• When combined with an oral therapy, such as vitamin therapy, good analgesic effects were obtained in cortisone-dependent patients suffering from rheumatoid, polyarthritis. The bee venom is applied for 4 –5 days, followed by a 2 – 3 day break. Treatment is then re-commenced again. Using this method no adverse effects were reported.
• Applying the venom as an ointment topically provided a long-lasting effect and offers significant benefits in arthritic and rheumatic conditions.

• Bee venom therapy was found to be useful in acute and chronic injuries, bursitis, tendonitis and chronic neck pains
• It is useful in dissolving scar tissues and keloids.
• It is useful in Multiple Sclerosis, where its mechanism of action is poorly understood.

How is Bee venom therapy performed?

Bee venom therapy can be performed by a beekeeper and the patient can be taught to use the bees. The bee is taken out of a hive and the number of sites, where the patient is to be stung is determined beforehand and it depends on the condition that the patient is suffering from. A simple tendonitis may respond with a few stings. A chronic arthritis may require 2 to 3 stings for about 3 months, before a favorable result is obtained.  Patients with Multiple Sclerosis take many months before they respond.  Bee venom is also extracted in sterilized vials and doctors mix anesthetic agents and to prevent the pain of the sting.

The Side effects of the treatment are:

• Inflammation
• Itching
• Rarely a severe life threatening choking may result because of an anaphylactic reaction.

Conclusion:

Bee venom therapy is an interesting alternative therapy, which has important uses. It has generated a lot of interest among medical researchers because it shows promise in refractory disease.  This therapy is an example of man using nature’s resources for his benefit, without exhibiting cruelty to the bees.

References and links:

 Abstracts from The XXIXth International Congress of Apiculture of Apimondia, Bucharest, 1983.

Elena Palos and Filofteia Popescu; Use of Bee Venom in Anti-rheumatic Drugs. (Romania).

www.beevenom.com.

www.gilbertsville.com.

www.ahealthyme.com.

RUMEX CRISPUS.

 This remedy is derived from the Yellow Dock, which is a common British weed.

This remedy is useful for wandering pains, which are neither fixed nor constant.

This remedy is useful for cough caused by incessant tickling of the throat pit. The cough is fatiguing and worse from the change of air or the room and is associated with hoarseness and involuntary passage of urine and stool with the cough.  This remedy is useful whenever the subject has cough with tickling in the pit of the throat, preventing sleep.

This remedy is useful in enlarged lymph glands with coughing.

This remedy is useful in chronic gastritis, with nausea, flatulence and eructation.

It is also useful whenever there is a copious mucous discharge from the nose and the trachea.  It is useful in thin watery frothy expectoration with rawness of the larynx and the trachea.

It is useful whenever there is intense itching of the skin especially of the lower extremities, which is worse with exposure to the cold air and while undressing.

This remedy is useful in advanced cases of Tuberculosis, when the cough is worse from talking, lying down on the left side and after inspiring cold air.  It also suits T.B. patients who get asthma at 2 a.m.

This remedy is also useful in urticaria.

This remedy suits subjects who are worse from cold air and better from wrapping up, in the evening, on the left side of the chest and from uncovering.