Kwashiorkor is a sever malnutrition disease caused by a diet which supplies adequate calories through its carbohydrate content but which is seriously lacking protein.  Kwashiorkor commonly developes in children who are between the ages of one and five and who are weaned from milk to a diet of primarily starches and sugars.

Symptoms of kwashiorkor include changes in the skin and hair, retarded growth, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nervous irratability and edema.  Sever infections and many vitamin deficiencies often accompany kwashiorkor.

The initial treatment for the disease is aimed at correction the protein deficiency.  Because of the patient’s poor ability to tolerate fat, a skim-milk formula is often used in treatment.  Gradually, additional foods are added until the patient progresses to a well-balanced diet.  Vitamin deficiencies, if they exist, must be corrected.

Nutrients that may be beneficial in the treatment of kwashiorkor:  Vitamins A, C, D, E, Folic Acid, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Selenium and Protein.

Information obtained from the Nutrition Almanac, Third Edition, Lavon J. Dunne

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Tics, tremors and twitches are often caused by an imbalance of minerals, an excess of lead in the body, an allergic reaction to food or chemicals, or by drugs and medication.  The most common cause is a deficiency of potassium and/or magnesium.  These minerals are essential for the conduction of nerve impulses that pass to a muscle and control its movement.  Sometimes the B complex vitamins, necessary for the health of the nervous system, are found to be deficient, and when B complex is taken, symptoms disappear.  If an excess of lead is found, calcium or zinc can effective leach the toxic metal out of the body.

Information obtained from the Nutrition Almanac, Third Edition, Lavon J. Dunne

For nutritional support, visit Natural Health Products

Meniere’s syndrome is a disease of the inner ear characterized by recurrent attacks of deafness, tinnitus, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, sound distortion, and a feeling of pressure in the inner ear.

Conditions in the inner ear that my cause the disease are hemorrhage, fluid imbalance, or a spasm of a blood vessel subsequently leading to vasodilation and an increased flow of blood.  Allergies, eye or mental strain, stress, alcohol, tobacco, or an inadequate diet especially a deficiency of the B vitamins can precipitate Meniere attacks.  Meniere patients have been found to be chronically deficient of the B vitamins, possibly due to defective utilization of the vitamin.  Gallbladder disease occurs in these patients at twice the rate of the general population.

Nicotinic acid, or niacin, because of its vasodilator action, has been shown to be effective in controlling Meniere’s syndrome that is caused by vasodilation.

Because attacks often follow an illness in which antibiotics are given, adequate intake of all nutrients is recommended; acidophilus acids in the restoration of beneficial intestinal bacteria and also in the manufacture of the B vitamins.  Reducing dietary salt may be helpful

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Information obtained from Nutrition Almanac, Third Edition, Lavon J. Dunne

Venereal disease is usually acquired through intimate contact with the sexual organs of an afflicted individual.  The most frequent vehicle of the disease is the act of sexual intercourse or intimacy associated with sexual intercourse.  Gonorrhea and syphilis are the two most common types of venereal disease.

Gonorrhea is transmitted through sexual intimacy or from the mother to the newborn infant as it passes through an infected birth canal.  Within 3 to 14 days after contact, males experience burning, pain, and discharge of pus upon urination.  Complications of gonorrhea in males may include prostatitis and testes infection.  Females may have increased urinary frequency and a yellowish discharge from the vagina, but there are usually no immediate symptoms until the infection has included all of the reproductive organs of the pelvic region.  Complications of gonorrhea may result in sterility in both sexes.

Syphilis is most commonly spread through sexual intimacy, but it may also be received through a break in the skin that has come in contact with a chancre, or open sore, fresh blood, semen or a vaginal discharge from an infected individual.  Syphilis can also be transmitted from the mother to the fetus via the bloodstream during pregnancy.

There are three distinct stages of syphilis.  First, a chancre appears 10 to 28 days after contact at the point where the infecting organism entered the body, but it disappears in 2 to 5 weeks.  Other possible symptoms of this stage include fever, weight loss, and anemia.

Six weeks to six months after appearance of the chancre, the second stage begins.  It is characterized by skin rashes, hair loss, warts near the mouth or anus, fever, headache, sore throat, and possibly bone pain.  The next one to several years my be without symptoms.

During the third stage, the disease is no longer contagious.  In this stage the organisms settle in specific body organs and destroy them.  Commonly, the circulatory system and nervous system are attacked, often resulting in death.

Treatment for venereal disease includes massive injections of antibiotics usually penicillin, to rid the body of the venereal organism.  Early treatment is essential to prevent complicating tissue damage.  To prevent the spread of venereal disease, an afflicted person should abstain from sexual intercourse and intimacy until the disease has been cured.  In addition to obtaining medical treatment, an afflicted person should maintain a well-balanced diet high in protein to help repair the tissue damage that has occurred.

NUTRIENTS THAT MAY BE BENEFICIAL IN TREATMENT OF VENEREAL DISEASE:

Vitamin B Complex, Protein and Acidophilus

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Information obtained from Nutrition Almanac, Third Edition, Lavon J. Dunne

Alcoholism is a dependence on or addiction to alcohol.  The body’s outward reaction to alcohol suggests that it acts as a stimulant by producing aggressive social behavior such as loss of inhibitions, increased boldness and sociability associated with drinking.  In fact, alcohol is a depressant that acts to decrease the basic speed of all bodily functions, including muscle contractions.

Prolonged dependence upon this drug may result in severe problems in the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract as well as the emotional and mental problems associated with alcoholism.  Severe deficiencies of many nutrients occur because the alcohol itself satisfies the body’s caloric needs.  (Alcohol contains about 70 calories per ounce.)  Alcohol is a carbohydrate but contains no vitamins or minerals, which are needed for carbohydrate metabolism.  The vitamins and minerals are then taken from other parts of the body, eventually leading to tissue depletion.

As the alcohol enters the bloodstream directly throughout the walls of the stomach, it begins to act upon the central nervous system by changing the most basic mental functions and by destroying brain cells.  Cells are destroyed by the withdrawal of necessary water from the tissues and cells.  The liver works to neutralize the effects of alcohol upon the body by breaking down the composition of the alcohol.  Under normal circumstances, especially if there is food in the stomach, the liver can effectively perform the function of breaking down the alcohol if not more than one drink per hour is consumed.  However, when the liver is overworked, it must compensate by creating an increased tolerance for alcohol.  After a time, the liver compensates less rapidly, becomes fatty and is less able to decompose the alcohol.  As a result, the alcoholic develops a decreased tolerance for alcohol and less is needed to product intoxication.  As drinking continues over a period of time, the liver cells die and are replaced with scar tissue.  This condition is known as cirrhosis of the liver.

Diet and nutrient supplements are very important in the treatment of alcoholism.  Because of biochemical individuality, different nutritional approaches will be needed for different alcoholics.

Refined carbohydrates need to be eliminated from the diet.  Rats placed on the typical American high-refined-carbohydrate diet eventually avoid the water bowl in favor of the bowl of whiskey.

In some cases, a strict diet adequate in calories and high in protein, which contains all the vitamins and minerals and especially high in B vitamins, reduced the alcoholic’s desire to drink.  Protein is necessary for tissue regeneration, particularly when cirrhosis of the liver occurs.  Vitamin A is an anti-infective agent for upper respiratory infections such as tuberculosis and pneumonia which are common in alcoholics.  The vitamin B complex is essential for the prevention and treatment of alcoholic neuritis, pellagra, and delirium tremens.  Niacin and the amino acid glutamine have been shown to help to prevent the craving for alcohol.  Vitamin C, which is often deficient in alcoholics, is needed to prevent scurvy.  A zinc deficiency may occur, making the alcoholic more prone to cirrhosis of the liver and preventing vitamin K from being absorbed into the body.  Iron is needed to correct the anemia that often develops.  A magnesium deficiency can contribute to the occurrence of delirium tremens.  A deficiency of potassium may also occur in alcoholics, and supplements may be necessary.  Choline acids in the decomposition of fat in the liver and helps maintain healthy kidneys jeopardized by heaving drinking.

Complications that can interfere with recovery are concurrent drug use, hypoglycemia, and perceptual distortions similar to those experienced by schizophrenics.  Food allergy additions may also be a factor.  Permanent brain damage may not respond to nutrient therapy.

Information obtained from the Nutrition Almanac, Third Edition, Lavon J. Dunne

For nutritional support visit Natural Health Products