Chromium is a trace mineral increasingly thought to be vital in the production of diabetes, but

so far the work has mostly been done on Type 2 diabetes. Early research in rats found that

abnormal glucose metabolism could be corrected by adding chromium (as brewer's yeast) to the

diet.

The biological significance of this trace element has only recently been recognized, but now that it has been there are signs that many people are short of it. Chromium is physiologically active in the body in only one inorganic form (the trivalent form). This inorganic (non-living) type of chromium is very inactive in the body compared with another chromium-containing compound-the organic complex called the glucose tolerance factor (GTF). It is not known exactly what this is but it appears that animals have only a limited ability to produce it themselves and so need external sources. GFT is the only known form in which chromium can cross the placenta. When trivalent chromium is given orally less than 1 per cent is absorbed.

Chromium's main function is to help insulin control the body's sugar levels. Experiments with

animals have found that glucose (sugar) metabolism is quickly impaired if the animals are fed

diets poor in chromium and that giving the element soon returns the situation to normal.

Because animal work has found that chromium-deficient animals develop diabetes-like

symptoms, it was natural to ask whether a similar mechanism could be at fault in human

diabetics. Several reports have suggested that giving chromium has had beneficial effects on

diabetics and in one study four out of six maturity -onset diabetics improved with a dose of 250 micrograms of chromium a day. Other studies have found that diabetics put out more chromium in their urine than do non-diabetics. Studies of poorly-nourished children in Jordan, Turkey and Nigeria found that they grew faster when given extra chromium. In spite of this circumstantial evidence there are no definite indications that diabetes is caused by a deficiency of chromium, and it is certain that many diabetics will not be improved simply by taking chromium.

Unfortunately, the refining of foods removes a very substantial part of their chromium. Blackstrap molasses, honey and raw sugar are rich in chromium but white sugar has almost none. This is especially unfortunate since chromium is needed if the body is to handle sugar effectively, as we have seen. White bread contains only one third of the chromium of the original whole wheat and this, of course, goes for anything made from white flour.

The food richest in chromium is brewer's yeast but whole-grain bread, nuts, shellfish, liver, kidneys, grape juice, beef and beer are also rich sources.

As with many other trace elements, absorption is very poor, especially from tablets. Overall, only about 3 per cent of the chromium in our food is absorbed, so with our relatively chromium-deficient diet there is not much of a safety margin.

The recommended daily intake of chromium varies from 5 to 100 micrograms a day. Given that the body needs to absorb about 10 micrograms a day and that only 3 per cent is absorbed, perhaps the amount we consume should be even higher than 100 micrograms.

*3/72/5*

If you have a specific ailment, like polycystic ovaries or endometriosis, you should consult a good herbalist or health professional with experience in using herbs so that the remedy can be tailored to your individual needs.

If you have been told that you have a hormone imbalance or your cycles are irregular then it is worth taking the herb agnus castus over a few months, as this is a good balancing herb. It is an adaptogen which means that, whether you suffer from a low level of one hormone or an excess of a different one, you can take agnus castus and achieve normal levels. Buy an organic tincture of agnus castus and take 1 teaspoon three times a day for three or four months or until you conceive.

Warning

Herbs have to be used with caution once you are pregnant. There are some that are especially useful in the late stages of pregnancy (raspberry leaf, for example). But, once you are pregnant, it is important only to take herbs with professional advice. If you are actually having medical hormonal treatment for fertility you should stop taking herbs but keep taking the nutritional supplements.

Case History

Susan and her partner were 30 and 31 and had been trying to have a baby for four years before they came to see me. They had been told they had unexplained fertility and had four unsuccessful attempts at IUI. Susan had a lot of problems with her periods. She had a regular cycle but had heavy bleeding with spotting and headaches before her period and at ovulation her abdomen would swell up and she would feel sick.

I asked them to be screened for any infections and the test came back positive to one infection so they both took antibiotics and were then re-tested to make sure they were all clear. Susan was deficient in a number of nutrients, including zinc, selenium, calcium and magnesium, and her partner had low zinc and high aluminum levels. I therefore recommended that he cut out canned drinks and switch to an aluminum-free deodorant. I also used a combination of balancing herbs such as agnus castus to alleviate Susan's spotting and heavy bleedings, as I was concerned that the imbalance causing the problem with Susan's cycle was also a factor in her inability to conceive. Susan and her partner followed the Four-Month Plan and waited until their mineral levels were back to normal. Nine months from their first appointment they conceived.

*56/73/5*

Indigestion is a vague term used to describe pains or discomfort in the abdomen after eating or drinking. Dyspepsia is a discomfort in the uppermost part of the abdomen after food. Some people's indigestion is caused by a peptic ulcer.

What causes it?

• Peptic ulcer.

• Smoking.

• Alcohol, tea and coffee.

• Specific foods (often spicy ones or sugar).

• Fatty foods.

• Stress.

• Too little gastric acid.

• Hypoglycemia.

• Thrush.

• Reflux oesophagitis or hiatus hernia.

• Irritable bowel syndrome.

• Gall-bladder problems.

• Angina.

Prevention

• Smoking stimulates the production of gastric acid and can cause quite severe indigestion in some people. Smoking also reduces the efficiency of the valve of the top of the stomach, so allowing acid stomach contents to flow into the lower end of the gullet (oesophagus) and cause pain there. Other substances that do this are chocolate, alcohol, spearmint, and peppermint. Stopping smoking brings relief in days to many people with indigestion. Any treatment being given for indigestion is made less effective in someone who continues to smoke.

• Alcohol, tea and coffee stimulate gastric-acid production. Experiment with leaving out all of these for a few days and see the results. If the indigestion goes completely reintroduce one drink at a time (weak if it is tea or coffee, and infrequently in the case of alcohol) and stop as soon as you get indigestion again. It may be that there is one (or more) of them that you will never be able to drink without feeling ill.

• Research has found that certain individuals improve when they go on to a low-carbohydrate diet. Sucrose increases pepsin secretion by the stomach by 200 per cent. The same study found that eight out of nine people with hiatus hernia did better when they went on a similar diet, low in refined carbohydrates. Five out of eight people with duodenal ulcer also improved.

• Fatty foods often produce pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen (if the individual's gall-bladder is not working well) partly because of gall-stones. If fatty foods regularly bring on your indigestion, see your doctor.

• Stress is a potent stimulant to gastric acid, and many people complain of odd discomforts and uneasiness in the stomach when they are stressed. Stress also affects the rate at which the stomach digests food and passes it on to the intestine, and this can cause indigestion as well.

• Although many people with indigestion have too much gastric acid and improve when taking antacids, some do not. These people have too little acid in their stomachs and the antacids òàê them worse. Prevention here involves taking pepsin and hydrochloric acid supplements regularly. A good way to take hydrochloric acid is in the form of 1-3 tablets of betaine hydrochloride before each meal

• The yeast Candida albicans, which causes thrush, can infect the stomach and produce a sense î burning after the ingestion of food. This type of indigestion can only be cleared up by treating the infection.

• In the irritable bowel syndrome the colon (large bowel) goes into spasm after food. The middle part of the colon lies in the upper abdomen very near the stomach and this pain can be mistaken for indigestion.

• Angina pectoris can often mimic indigestion. If you have any history of heart disease in your family or have any of the risk factors known to be important in heart disease always take 'indigestion' seriously. The prevention of indigestion in your case might be to treat your angina.

• If you have indigestion don't take a sloppy diet or drink lots of milk as neither have been proven to reduce indigestion, except temporarily. Unfortunately, they often worsen it because milk produces a rebound overproduction of acid once its initial buffering effect has passed.

*178/72/5*

Role of the family

What if they gave a family session and nobody came? A therapist might be the most learned and caring person in the world, but if the family won't exert honest effort, if members can't support each other in their struggle, then things will be very difficult indeed.

Parents and siblings, and sometimes the extended family as well, need to learn about the illness and understand what the patient is experiencing so that they can better support her treatment. While it may help to learn from the family how the patient arrived at the faulty assumptions that underlie her illness, the focus also should be on her current beliefs and how they affect her immediate behavior.

There are lots of reasons families members refuse to get involved. Of course, they must wrestle with their own feelings of shame or guilt or pain. They may feel they can handle things just fine "in-house," not realizing that "in-house" is where the problem sprang up. Sometimes siblings resist because they gain from the illness by earning special favors or freedoms because they don't cause their parents any grief.

The therapist's attitude toward the family has a lot to do with its willingness to take part in treatment. Some caregivers think of parents as meddlers or adversaries and cut them out of the treatment loop. Others see them as "disturbed" and shuttle them off to a course of couples's therapy.

No go. Families have to be actively involved as co-therapists.

Role of the therapist

Therapists sometimes seem to become "temporary parents" of the families they treat. As in a corporate takeover, they step in and shake up the old organization, pointing out problems and suggesting new solutions.

They encourage families to temporarily set aside differences and unite to solve problems. They shore up the parents' authority to make rules to control their child's behavior, but insist that they treat the child with respect and give her as much autonomy as her age and maturity warrant.

Often therapists work with parents to hammer out a plan specifying how much weight their daughter must gain or how they will react to bingeing and purging. The therapist then supports the family in working through the difficulties that arise when the plan is put into practice.

I find it effective to be directly involved in all aspects of the patient's therapy - individual, group, and family. If this is impossible, I work closely with the other caregivers to make sure we're all rowing in the same direction.

*100/35/5*

The regular addition of juices to a natural, wholesome cancer-fighting diet is a great way to strengthen body functions, prevent illness, maintain healthy skin, digestion and elimination, and enhance longevity. Juices can still be drunk up to six times per day while you are eating other nutritious wholesome foods.

Remember that all juices should be diluted with water. Try to drink more vegetable juices than fruit juices, as too much fruit sugar can rob the body of  vitamins and cause an imbalance in blood sugar levels. Juices do not contain much fibre. If you require a diet rich in fibre, simply add beneficial juices to your normal wholesome diet or add a fibre supplement such as psyllium husk, oatbran or rice-bran to your juices.

Nut Milk

Nut milk is delicious on a hot summer's day. Simply blend 10 to 15 almonds, cashews or another type of nut, with 1 cup of purified water in a blender or food processor. Drink immediately or keep refrigerated.

Protein Energy Drink

1 cup nut milk, soy milk or skim milk

2 tablespoons LSA mix (crushed linseed, sunflower seeds, almonds) or 1 handful almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon lecithin granules

2 to 4 tablespoons flaxseed oil

1 teaspoon glutamine powder

2 to 4 teaspoons of slippery elm powder

1 banana or 1/4 paw paw, 3 to 4 dried apricots or berries

1 teaspoon spirulina, chlorella or barley grass powder or another type of high protein, nutrient packed powder

1 teaspoon of brown rice syrup or honey or 3 drops of stevia to flavour.

Simply place all the ingredients into a blender, blend together and serve.

Cancer-Clear Tea

1 part dandelion root

1/4 part nettle

1 part horsetail

1 part pau d'arco

1/2 part licorice root

1 part burdock root

2 parts red clover

Mix herbs together and keep in a glass jar. To make the tea, use 1 heaped teaspoon, pour 1 cup of boiling water over the top and let sit for 10 minutes. Sip slowly.

Herbs can be adjusted according to the specific type of cancer you are fighting. This is also a fantastic cancer-preventative tea.

*219/34/5*