Cenacle Treatment Centre

Herbs that help hypertension

The standard blood pressure from a medical point of view is 120/80. Although low blood pressure is sometimes a problem it is high pressure, or hypertension, that is the more common problem. Anything over 140/100 is considered high and many factors such as stress, smoking, weight problems, excess coffee and alcohol and high cholesterol are all considered to affect blood pressure.

Any programme to reduce blood pressure will always look at lifestyle and diet factors. However, a number of herbs can help with general cardiac health as well as specifically hypertension, and is one of the most common reasons people seek the help of the herbalist.

Beneficial seaweed

More and more experts are agreeing that seaweed can be categorized as a superfood. That claim is being supported by investigations that reveal that seaweed, which is a variety of algae, contains more calcium than cheese, more fibre than you will find in prunes and more iron than a sirloin steak. All these comparisons are weight for weight.

Other important vitamins and minerals contained in seaweed are potassium and iodine and it is the sole plant that is a source of vitamin B12. The most recent studies on seaweed revealed that its bioactive substances aid in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, plus its ability to deal with free radicals that are the cause of cancer.
The American Association for Cancer Research has recently published their initial research that revealed how extracts of seaweed was able to inhibit cancer cell growth that would otherwise lead to lymphoma.

What is candida?

Candida is natural yeast that lives in the body in small harmless amounts. It is found in the creases and crevices of the digestive tract and in the vaginal tract in women.
Many factors can contribute, but a disturbance in the yeast/ bacteria balance , change in the pH (acidity/ alkalinity), drugs such as antibiotics, or a suppression of the immune system can allow the candida to proliferate and grow out of control.

What are the symptoms?

A candida overgrowth in the vagina is termed thrush and the symptoms are an intense genital itching, inflammation and redness in the external genital area, and sometimes a thick vaginal discharge.

Candidiasis or candida overgrowth in the intestine can produce a wide range of symptoms and questionnaire by your practitioner will determine the likelihood of the yeast being responsible, but can include fatigue, allergies, immune system malfunction, digestive disturbances and chemical sensitivities are some prominent ones.

Immunise your children? what are the alternatives?

Swine flu is high on the media agenda and in peoples thoughts. With the growing occurrence of reported side effects to Tamiflu and not every one wanting the upcoming flu jab what are the natural alternatives.

First to say is that the better your general health is with a good diet, the better chance of avoiding a serious dose. If there are underlying respiratory or immune problems it would be advisable to have a consultation over these as soon as possible.

There are two herbs that are sited for flu prevention, Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) and Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum).

Healing Herbs

These are the herbal remedies you simply must know about. They are treid and tested by practitioners and clients, some for hundreds of yeas, and backed by scientific research as well. Here's our pick of the power plants.

Echinacea
Number one remedy for helping the immune system and fighting infections (it is an anti-viral).

St John's wort
A natural mood-enhancer widely accepted to be effective in mild to moderate depression. Research suggests that it can work as well as some pharmaceutical drugs, but it is far less likely to cause side effects.

Natural help for the menapause

Women can now live thirty to fifty years past the menopause and they want to live those years in good health and free from symptoms. Natural approaches can help.

Te average age for the menopause in the UK is Fifty one; it happens because a women literally runs out of eggs. In the run up to the menopause (the peri-menopause), the number of cycles in which eggs are not released increases. Oestrogen begins to decline and ovulation becomes less likely.

Flu prevention, using herbs

Swine flu is high on the media agenda and in peoples thoughts. With the growing occurrence of reported side effects to Tamiflu and not every one wanting the upcoming flu jab what are the natural alternatives.

First to say is that the better your general health with a good diet the better chance of avoiding a serious dose. If there are underlying respiratory or immune problems it would be advisable to have a consultation over these as soon as possible.

There are two herbs that are sited for flu prevention, Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) and Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum).

Echinacea boosts the immune system and is my favourite standby for a short  large dose program when the person is in contact with potential infection or are feeling the first signs of infection.

Anti-inflammatory propities of ginseng

Experiments using the herb ginseng has demonstrated that the immunological effects can act as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Herbs that help

There are literally hundreds of herbs with medicinal properties from the commonplace such as nettle and dandelion to the exotic such as saffron and myrhh. Where possible I tend to use herbs that are native to Europe and North America as I feel they suit our western constitution. Many I gather and grow myself and make many of my own tinctures and oils.

Kelp

Kelp( fucus vesiculosus) is a seaweed also known as bladderwrack,  with immune system boosting and thyroid-stimulating properties kelp is rich in iodine.
Some people believe that kelp will aid weight loss and so it is sometimes sold as a slimming aid, though taking kelp in excess should be avoided, particularly if you have an over active thyroid.