Dramatic Rise in Dengue Fever, worldwide!

Figures emerging from the Thai Ministry of Public Health indicate that the number of instances of Dengue fever in the country has tripled since the beginning of the year .According to the “Nation” newspaper there are 49,000 reported cases with 59 deaths as of June 21^st 2013. The highest mortality rate appears to be among young people.

Dengue is transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. The black and white spotted insect is usually busy during the day; the mosquitoes pick up the so called virus from infected persons and pass it on to others when they bite.

Symptoms of Dengue are high fever, usually over 40 C, headaches extreme weakness  severe muscle and joint pain; it’s not called “breakbone” fever for nothing!, In some cases a rash  appears. As the disease progresses, platelet counts begin to drop (thrombocytopenia). Platelets are tiny cells that circulate in the blood; their function is to enhance the clotting process. Without adequate platelets, hemorrhages can occur and these are life threatening. A normal platelet count  ranges between 150 and 400 million per milliliter of blood. The danger of Dengue fever is that the platelet count can drop significantly below 100 million with the ensuing risk of life threatening internal bleeding. If this were to happen the condition becomes re-classified as HDF or Hemaroghic Dengue Fever, a condition that is always a medical emergency

If you display any of the symptoms, go at once to the hospital and get checked out. Pharmaceutical based western medicine has no specific treatment for the disease. If the platelet count is too low, you will be hospitalized. If not you will be sent home with a supply of “Acetaminophen”. This is paracetamol, which has many trade names including Tylenol, Anacin or Panadol. In Thailand one variant is Paracap, and another is Sara. This is an analgesic designed to reduce the body temperature, or fever. The doctors will also advise drinking lots of water to prevent dehydration. Drinking electrolyte salts is also useful as is bed rest. Avoid aspirin, Ibuprofen and Naproxen, because these can thin the blood and trigger hemorrhage.

American homeopath William Boericke mentions Dengue Fever on page 924 of his “Materia Medica” that appeared in 1927. Surely it is a mistake to call this a new phenomenon? He tested 12 homeopathic remedies that helped symptoms disappear. For those who don’t know homeopathy is based on the belief that the body understands how to heal itself. A further assumption is “like cures like”; meaning if a substance causes a symptom in a healthy person; giving a miniscule amount to a sick individual promotes healing. Incidentally, this was the preferred medical treatment until the mid-nineteenth century when western based pharmaceutical medication moved to the fore. Homeopathy still has a huge following all over the world and its successes can be testified by millions. Advocates of homeopathic treatment include the British Royal Family., David Beckham and Jennifer Anniston.

There have been several studies using homeopathy in the treatment of Dengue fever, particularly in South America. The results have been very favorable. The Thai Health Ministry has approved  one of the remedies recommended by Boericke; that is Eupatorium Perfollatum 200 c.

This also goes under the name of “boneset”. This is derived from a plant, native to North America but known as Feverwort elsewhere.  It seems native North Americans have used the herb in the treatment of Dengue and malaria for hundreds of years .Further evidence attesting to the long history of the illness. The homeopathic remedy contains the tiniest trace of the original plant. This can also be used as a preventative; the recommended dose is two pills twice per week with water. Again the results have been encouraging. However, there are another 11 remedies in Boericke’s list: these include Aconite, Gelsenium, Arsenicum Album and Belladonna. It would always be best to consult a professional to advise you on the remedy best suited for you and your individual list of symptoms.

Using the juice from papaya leaves has shown to help elevate a declining platelet count. It is quite difficult to juice these large leaves; so many people feeling unwell choose instead to use fresh apple juice, with the juice of half a lemon included. Packaged and other synthetic variants bought from a grocery shop will simply not do!  It has to come from the fruit itself and preferably drunk soon after juicing. Ideally three of four apples yield sufficient liquid to make the drink.

If you are unfortunate enough to come down with Dengue, the Health Ambit Consultancy is only too happy to provide you with advice and help at no cost. Please phone 084 7814718, contact via website http://www.healthambit.com or message via Facebook.

Alister Bredee

Are" you drinking too much. Check up here. If the answer is "yes". Take action now!

It’s easy to slip into the alcohol habit; alcohol abuse causes several problems that get in the way of health and well-being.

A simple rule of thumb is to answer these two questions;
• Do you drink alcohol every day?
• Do you remember the last day you did not have a drink?
If the answers are “yes” to the first question and “no” to the second, you need to be aware you have a potential problem. There are other symptoms, too, but we’ll come to those in a moment.
In all honesty, at the outset, addictions are not caused by the substances or things we are supposedly addicted, but to a need to mask, or get rid of some uncomfortable feelings and thoughts that are hovering at the brink of consciousness.
For example your relationship with the man of your dreams is not going as well as you would like. He doesn’t come around to visit as frequently as before and a little nagging voice at the back of your head is saying “something is wrong!” But, you don’t want to believe your thoughts. You start by having a glass or two of wine before and with dinner. This perks you up. It does this in two ways. First it increases your blood sugar levels and this gives you an extra spurt of energy; secondly it enhances dopamine levels. Dopamine is the “feel good chemical” in the brain All this dulls the pain of the relationship complications
Sadly, neither of these affects is long lasting. You feel better and then you inevitably crash as both dopamine and blood sugar levels drop. When sugar drops to a certain dangerously low level it must be increased or else the body is under threat. This turnaround is done by the adrenal glands secreting the hormones epinephrine and nor epinephrine. Rescue operations of this type begin to tax the adrenals if activated too often.
Alcohol also interrupts good sleeping patterns. We have already mentioned low blood sugar. Sometimes after drinking people have to make themselves something to eat before they can sleep or can even be awakened to eat, this is usually  a carbohydrate, snack. This shows the results of low blood sugar. Next, alcohol dehydrates, so there is a tendency of having a dry mouth which wakes you up to drink water. But most important of all alcohol interferes with “REM” or rapid eye movement sleep. This is the time of dreaming. Studies on rats show it is essential for continuing good health. In extreme cases “REM” deprivation can even lead to death! This deprivation leads to irritability in the morning, often a lack of concentration, where details are overlooked and mistakes made. Things are easily forgotten meaning that overall optimum functioning is often downgraded. Tendencies to be overwhelmed by reasonably small events and further studies have shown that the sleep deprived are more likely to be involved in accidents than others. It is also a major cause of depression. If you are experiencing any of these , be on your guard as something is definitely wrong.
Drinking alone and shunning the company of friends is not going to solve the underlying cause. The first thing to do is to stop drinking, even if it is only for a few days. Much better to keep the drinks for week-ends when you go out with your friends!

This article originally appeared in "Your Tango".