Hypertension :
The word ‘Hypertension’ signifies excess of tension in mind but tension is one of the major symptoms of high blood pressure. High pulsation rate and pressure of blood against walls of blood vessels and arteries pushes up blood pressure level. If the cause has not been ascertained and deduced, it is called ‘Essential hypertension’ but when its cause has been ascertained, it is called ‘Primary hypertension’ but both of such forms are known as ‘high blood pressure’.
Emotional upsets, family and professional problems, sudden and frequent tense moments, sudden losses, deaths, mental broodings and mortifications, overuse of fats, tobacco, drugs, intoxicants, heredity factor, kidney infections, irritability, mood changes are some of the known causes which trigger and push up blood pressure. Further, endocrine gland malfunctioning or over functioning of such glandular secretions is liable to bring many chemical changes in blood chemistry.
Raised level of blood pressure may cause acute and severe headache, dizziness, vertigo, darkness before eyes, blurred vision, palpitation, redness of face, throbbing of blood vessels, throbbing in temples, fatigued body and exhaustion. Absolute rest and elimination of real and basic cause(s) are necessary to get long term relief. But, if blood pressure remains unmanaged, it may cause even heart attack, angina pectoris, blindness, damage to kidneys, nasal bleeding or bleeding from any orifice (opening) t of body. Overweight, sedentary habits, gouty diathesis, liver problems, dietary indiscretions may also cause blood pressure to rise.
It affects people at all ages, classes, sexes, temperaments, professions and thus all are prone to it. Self-management and self-discipline, self control can help to contain the malady. Further, it may be borne in mind that, if and when one has developed blood pressure, he can not get rid of it. By regular management it can be controlled (as is the case in diabetes also) but it can never be cured. Thick ending of blood vessels, high cholesterol in blood are not only responsible for high blood pressure, but also for coronary heart disease and thrombosis. All the factors, combined together, give rise to heart attack (angina pectoris).
Animal fats (mutton, beaf, hog, chicken, shrimp lobster etc.) are also responsible for rise of cholesterol. All saturated fats, like clarified butter, cream, cheese, coconut oil also help rise in blood cholesterol level. But unsaturated fats, viz. soyabean oil, sun-flower oil, til oil alongwith vegetable and fruits help to reduce incidence of heart attacks, hypertension, coronary thrombosis and sudden rise and fall in blood pressure. It is a myth to assert that those persons who remain mentally overloaded with heavy workload or who have to put in long and continuous working spells are more prone to hypertension.
In his book ‘Your heart and how to live with it’. Dr. Laurance E. Lamb has concurred with the above referred view. Dr. T.L. Cleave has opined that ‘The great increase in the incidence of coronary disease in civilized countries during recent times, has led to worldwide investigation which has largely resulted in blaming the increase of overuse of saturated fats. The first is the individuals, having a congenital difficulty in metabolising fat which results not only in liigh blood cholesterol but also invisible deposits of cholesterol in tendons and elsewhere. They have a very high incidence of coronary atheroma and a very liigh mortality from coronary thrombosis.’ (Quoted from author’s book ‘Fat consumption and coronary disease’)
These are not off-track remarks but deserve highest attention in view of the fact arterio sclerosis and high serum cholesterol levels are two sides of the same coin one giving rise and support to another. First of all, bring down the cholesterol level in blood and if this is attained, the blood vessels will not impede free flow of blood, thickening of walls will be reduced, blood vessels will become more flexible, thus facilitating proper and requisite supply of blood to heart and then to rest of the body. Thus entire circulator)’ system gets normalized.
Heart Attack:
Now we come to heart attack which takes toll of many human lives. Pain in chest (left side), failure of pumping action of heart, lack of oxygen supply, lack of respiration and congestion of lungs, asthmatic bouts paroxysms, poor quality of blood, thickening of blood vessels, high cholesterol level, gout and rheumatism, presence of embolus or thrombus are the usual and well known factors which precipitate or cause a heart attack.
The patient turns pale, holds his chest with his hands, has unbearable and excruciating pain wliich radiates, quite often, from below the chest of left nipple of ami and even finger-ends. There is breathlessness, patient gets bathed in cold perspiration and the patient, sometimes, becomes cyanotic (blue) also. Immediate management of heart attack is of prime importance. Try to have the high blood pressure controlled, regulate breathing process, do not scare or frighten the patient, instead try to encourage him and, if necessary, have resort to artificial breathing method; radiation may also be resorted to. Do not delay at all. Do not panic or get out of nerves. Try to keep up high spirits of the patient.
As already indicated, coronary thrombosis is the main cause for heart failures and is better known as ‘coronary heart disease’ followed by heart attack (sudden), abrupt rise in blood pressure. Of the total number of deaths that occur (other than due to trainees and accidents) coronary thrombosis is the first claimant of deaths, followed closely by cancer and diabetes (in descending order). Causes for heart attacks are the same which have been detailed under ‘hypertension’, in foregoing pages, such as frayed tempers, mental agitation, sudden shock, asthma, low quality and content of blood, eating of fats (saturated), obesity, mental anxiety. It would be futile to dwell upon various factors anymore because these days, people are well aware of ‘Do’s and Don’ts of high about blood pressure and heart-attacks.
As for treatment, through fruit and vegetable juices, use plenty of juice of citrus fruits, like lime, orange, which are rich in vitamin ‘C. This vitamin is lost to our body during cooking. Taking 4-5 cloves of garlic in the morning if you want to get rid of blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart attack. Keep away from fatty, rich and spicy diet. Take cow’s skimmed milk and curd only. Take carrot, tomato, onion, turnip, garlic, seeds of water-melon, musk-melon and cucumber levied with honey and garlic juice.
Taking raw onion will also# offset possibility of heart attacks. Reduce weight, take to physical exercise (without getting exhausted) to the extent of tolerance only, inhale fresh air and take plenty of fresh water. I was once told that to pre-empt possibility of heart attacks, Germans use sun-flower oil. Put in 10 ml of sunflower oil in your mouth, as first thing in the morning. Rinse and revolve the oil within your mouth for ten minutes. After ten months the liquid will turn into milk)’ wliite which should be discharged and mouth washed with tepid or luke-warm water after the liquid has been disposed of.
In addition, it also relieves in tonsillitis, Avoid hurry, worry and scurry, as far as possible, sore throat, expulsion of sputum, renders grey hair black. Though not tried, it deserves to be given a fair trial. The process has to be continued for quite a long period. On the analogy of the above mentioned formula one can infer that use of sun-flower oil as a cooking medium may outclass other cooking oils. For all disorders do not forget the golden rule that ‘Prevention is better than cure.’
Diabetes Mellitus:
High rise of sugar level in blood is, in fact, a disorder of fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. An endocrine gland, called pancreas, and the secretion from it (called insulin’), helps the body to utilize sugar. If pancreas fails to secrete insulin, the sugar which is meant for giving energy to the body, is not properly utilized, and thus it spills over into the blood stream and then, if the sugar content be higher, secretes into urinary stream. Diabetes is of two kinds viz. Diabetes insipidus when there is profuse urination but, in diabetes mellitus, not only urine but blood is also overloaded with sugar. Excessive urination is not a true and established form of diabetes. But diabetes melilus is true diabetes. It may be borne is mind that urine will be loaded with sugar, only when blood sugar level is higher.
No age or sex is immune from diabetes but it is more rampant in persons above 40 or young children. Since, children cannot be bound down with dietary regimen and other restrictions, so they are normally given insulin. The reason being that their growth will be retarded if too many restrictions are placed on dietary intake. Moreover, too much compliance should not be expected from kids. Elders, whose blood sugar level is high and uncontrolled, are also put on Insulin therapy. All other persons who have diabetes have to resort to oral medication. But dietary regimen is applicable in all the cases. So, there are two kinds of diabetes. Insulin dependent Diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and (2) Non-Insulin Dependent diabetes (NIDDM)
We can sub-divide diabetes into three types viz
(1) The patients who can control diabetes, by merely having resort to strict dietary regimen or by modification and proper substitution by alternate food-items which have minimum content of sugar.
(2) Second type of category belongs to those patients who do not have their diabetes controlled by merely controlling their diet. Such patients have to take oral anti-diabetes drugs (not Insulin), in addition to dietary control and restrictions,
(3) third category of patients belongs to such persons on whom dietary control measure and oral medicines fail to exert any effect. Such patients are placed under Insulin (IDDM)
At the outset, let us expressly point out that diabetes cannot be cured but can, definitely be controlled (as in the case of hyper-tension) but the pre-condition is that the patient must not seek indiscreet measures and thus, run away or disregard his doctor’s advice. But diabetics, unless there are serious complications, do enjoy fairly, lengthy span of life. But, in case of sudden fall of sugar level, the patient may meet his end, if immediate steps are not taken to replenish liis low-sugar content in the body—orally or through infections.
It has often been observed that diabetes is delected per chance only. There is hardly any patient who approaches his doctor straightway for being treated for diabetes. His symptoms, both subjective and objective, coupled with revelation of symptoms by the patient himself, a case may be made out that the patient may be having diabetes. Urine and blood sugar clinical tests will confirm or controvert the presence of sugar in blood or urine, or both.
Excessive and frequent urination, thirst and desire for large quantities of water, canine hunger, eating too often and too much, pruritis on and around male genitals, pain in calves, fatigue, other skin infections like boils, late healing of wounds, blurred vision, dryness of skin, dyspnoea, general malaise and drooping of spirits, disorientation, forgetfulness or short-term memory failure etc. are a few of the host of symptoms which portend presence of sugar in blood/urine. In a rare case, there may not be any sugar in blood of the patient, as per clinical tests. In such cases, it is advisable to have 2-3 clinical tests. In case of further doubt or if state of confusion still persists, go in for G.T.T. (Glucose Tolerance Test) which will depict a true and factual picture of the disorder.
In their eagerness to show belter results, some of the doctors show utmost haste in culling down sugar intake and other fonns of food-items from routine diet of the patient, that the patient finds his glucose level much lower than the permissible limits, thus paving the way for hypoglycaemia which is far more risky and hazardous than diabetes itself. Do not stretch your starvation process loo far. Occasional fasting is all right, but to keep without food, for longer periods than one can actually sustain and tolerate, is replete with serious consequences. Not the doctor always, but it is often the patient who is to blame. There should be a complete rapport between the doctor and his patient, thus leaving no room for confusion.
Cut down carbohydrates from diet and replace them with proteins. Carbohydrates intake should be restricted to a reasonable extent only; but total elimination is not desired. Consumption of alcohol, saturated fats, sweets, chocolates, beverages, tea, coffee is harmful for the diabetics.
Daily exercise, physical mobility shedding of extra fat, are equally important. The diabetics should never eat stomacliful, rather they may eat even 6-8 times but only in divided and limited quantities only. Have your sugar tested (in urine and blood) periodically and the modify/adjust your diet according to status of presence of sugar level. It is height of imprudence to attribute every fall or rise in sugar level, to dietary mode and regimen or to squarely lay the blame on the doctor. It is the patient himself who has to own the entire responsibility for such variations, especially if they occur so soon and quite often.
Plenty of raw foods and vegetable juices should be taken quite often, but in moderate quantity only. Raw juice of vegetables can go a long way in treating diabetes (not curing) and is an able substitute for certain food items which the patient has to work out and adhere to. Avoid fruit juices which have fructose. Never take sugar cane juice, juice of turnip greens, green pepper, broccoli, parsley, kale, carrot spinach, garlic, ginger root, beet greens (Not Beet itself) are all useful for diabetics.
Keep your bowels free from constipation, to digest properly what you eat or drink. Avoid potatoes or juice thereof, as also crystal sugar and wheat. Do not lead a sedentary and inert life. Avoid extreme postures with regard to approach in life, food, habits, temperaments, working place and near and dear ones. Try to be moderate, clam, composed, cool and receptive.
Disclaimer: All information, data and material has been sourced from multiple authors and is for general information and educational purposes only and are not intended to replace the advice of your treating doctor.
The views and nutritional advice expressed are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician.
