Asthma
Asthma is a disease in which inflammation of the airways restricts airflow in and out of the lungs. The word asthma comes from the Greek word for "panting." The panting and wheezing sound characteristic of asthma occur because of the restricted flow of air. Normally, when you breathe in an irritant or are subjected to a stressor such as exercise, your airways relax and open, allowing...
Autoimmune Conditions
Examples of autoimmune conditions include the following: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Type 1 diabetes Crohn's Disease Hashimoto's thyroiditis Neurological diseases Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Glomerulanephritis Pernicious Anaemia Goodpasture's syndrome Scleroderma Raynaud's Phenomenon Lupus (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE]) Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)...
Detoxification
Low-level, long-term exposure to toxins such as heavy metals (e.g. lead, mercury, PSP, and cadmium), pesticides, industrial compounds, and pollutants is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), fibromyalgia (FM), neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and atherosclerosis as well as many types of cancers. Common signs and...
Ear Dysfunction - Infection (Otitis Media)
Acute otitis media is a viral or bacterial infection of the middle ear, usually secondary to a URI. It is most common in children six to 36 months old and then again at 4-7 years old. It is the most frequent diagnosis of children in a clinical setting, and it is estimated that about 2 billion dollars spent each year for conventional medical and surgical treatment of the condition.
Female Conditions
Amenorrhea Absence of menstruation. Amenorrhea may be primary (the girl has never begun her periods) or secondary (the woman had her periods once and then stopped having them). Physiologic amenorrhea is the lack of menses before menarche, during pregnancy and early lactation, and after menopause (all considered normal). All other causes of amenorrhea are pathologic. Causes of Primary...
Liver / Gallbladder
Hepatopathy: any disease of the liver. Hepatotoxin: a toxin that destroys liver cells. Cholestasis: stoppage or suppression of bile flow, due to factors within (intrahepatic cholestasis) or outside the liver (extrahepatic cholestasis). Cirrhosis: a liver disease characterized pathologically by the loss of the normal microscopic lobular architecture and regenerative...
Lupus (Erythematosus)
This is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune (the body is attacking itself) disease that affects connective tissue (tissue that binds and supports various structures of the body and also includes the blood). Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a less serious type, affecting exposed areas of the skin and sometimes the joints. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is more serious,...
Rheumatoid Arthritis
The Natural Approach Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the entire body but especially the synovial membranes of the joints. It is a classic example of an "autoimmune disease," a condition in which the body's immune system attacks the body's own tissue. Although rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease, it affects primarily the joints. The...
Skin Conditions
Acne Vulgaris An inflammatory disease most commonly seen in teenagers. It affects areas where sebaceous glands are largest, most numerous, and most active. Mild cases consisting of few residual signs except possibly dilated pores, and the development of the comedo, or blackhead, may progress through more pathological stages of ruptured sebaceous ducts, pustule formation,...
