Information on popular complementary and alternative medical topics

Fear and anxiety for another person without any self interest—fear lest the child of the neighbor may be over-run by a passing vehicle when crossing the street, or the anxiety of the mother if her son returns late from office, or an apprehension that the plane in which his father is coming may not be destroyed in the way, are a few examples of the negative Red Chestnut state that one comes across in everyday life. Mostly such a state is temporary and a few doses of Red Chestnut are capable of neutralising the ill-effects of the negative Red Chestnut state.
But in the case of out and out Red Chestnut types, which are very few, a prolonged treatment with the same remedy may be necessary to root out negativism from his constitution.
Few people realise the damage done by negative Red Chestnut state to all concerned—the person who is overanxious and fearsome for some one else or the sufferer himself.
If he is ill, he becomes worse; if he has some trouble, it aggravates and if he is convalescing, he retrogresses and if he is healthy, the worry and fear make him prone to disease.
But what happens to the person for whom anxiety and fear was expressed? He does not gain anything. Rather, his suffering is enhanced. If he is in pain, the anxiety and fear of his well-wishers will increase his pain. Similarly the progress in his convalescence is slowed, if his visitors wear a gloomy look when they go to see him. In fact the face of the visitor is the mirror in which the patient sees his own condition. If you meet the patient with a smiling face he thinks that there is nothing serious about him and he is on the road to recovery. But if you wear a gloomy and sad look when you visit a patient, the latter thinks that his condition is serious and his recovery becomes difficult. The human mind is capable of sending thought waves which can traverse any distance to reach another person where as the hopeful and encouraging thought waves of a positive Red Chestnut person affect the mental condition of the sick person in a positive way bringing hope and reassurance to him, the fear and anxiety of negative Red Chestnut type relative transmits only the anxiety and hopelessness to the afflicted person which makes his recovery very difficult.
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Negative Ions
Negative ions have a tonic effect on the nervous system and reduce histamine levels in the blood. As any allergy sufferer knows, histamine is strongly associated with unpleasant feelings. The benefits of negative ionization are becoming widely known, not only for cleaning the air, killing bacteria and viruses, but also as a treatment for asthma, bronchitis, migraine, burns, scalds and wounds. Sufferers from the Irritable Bowel Syndrome could also benefit from negatively charged air. An interesting book called The Ion Effect (Fred Soyka, Bantam, 1978) describes the effect of positive ions on the bowel.
Sunlight
While it is foolish to risk skin cancer or ageing the skin prematurely by baking in the sun for hours, it is equally foolish to be always covered in sun block and never allow the sun to reach the skin. Frequent exposure for short periods has many beneficial effects, including the production of Vitamin D. We look healthier after a little sun and this increases feelings of well-being, and sunlight also kills bacteria and fungus.
Fresh Air
Unless they actually have chest problems, it is often difficult to convince people of the benefits of good breathing habits, and even harder to impress upon them the dangers of continually filling the lungs with stale air. Air that is contaminated by smoke and fumes is recognized as being harmful; but there can be other causes of stale air that are not so well known.
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Terry was seven when she had her first grand mal seizure. The best way I can describe what it was like is to say, how would you feel if you could see your child dying in front of your eyes? I know now that she wasn’t in any danger, but that’s not what it seemed like at the time. Then, when the doctor told us she had epilepsy, I thought, how could this happen to us? We’ve never been a family to worry much about our health, but then you don’t appreciate it till you have to face the fact that someone’s ill. I thought, she’s going to have this for the rest of her life. She’s never going to be able to live a normal life, like other children. And me, I’m going to have to look after her. What’s it going to do to me?’

How do you feel when you discover that your child has epilepsy? Most parents are overwhelmed by all kinds of feelings: grief for their child, fears for his or her safety and doubts about their own ability to cope. It may feel as though the high hopes that you, like every parent, have for your child have been dashed. Anger is a common reaction: why did this have to happen to our family, to our child? You may even feel resentful at the disruptive effect the discovery has made on your own life and your own plans. And however irrational it is, you are very likely to feel guilty, as though the whole thing is somehow your fault, something that you should have been able to prevent.
These initial feelings are normal and natural, and you are likely to have them however much you love your child. Eventually they will lessen, especially if you have a doctor who is willing to answer your questions and give you the information and reassurance you need, and if as a couple you and your partner can help each other through this stage, sharing the worry and the responsibility.
It often helps to talk to other parents who have experienced what you are going through. Joining a support group can be very comforting and also a helpful and important source of information. The British Epilepsy Association (see Appendix) will be able to tell you if there is an epilepsy support group in your area.
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