Posted By: Roy Collins
on September 08, 1997 at 12:31:32:
In Reply to: Adrenal
Blowout/Drug toxicity posted by Caroline Letkeman on September 05, 1997 at
02:42:50:
: Hi, : I was put into intensive care a few months ago : As digoxin is a heart medicine which slows the : I am having a really hard time figuring out : I guess my summarized quandary is since one : Thanks for you response.
: Love, Hi Caroline. Thanks for the kind words. Digoxin and other types of digitalis
drugs are *yang* when used in small doses but can change to yin when there is an
overdose or from prolonged use. These drugs initially *activate* the heart
muscle, the thyroid and *increase circulation* (yang actions). Overuse however
will slow the pulse, weaken the endocrine syatem and rob the body of potassium
stores (causing irrgular heartbeat). When adrenals become compromised protein
and sugar metabolism become disturbed and the ability to maintain proper water
balance (sodium/potassium salts) is impaired -- not to mention mood changes, low
blood pressure, dizziness and loss of body heat, which are common side effects.
In general, when the endocrine system is thrown out of balance, both yin and
yang functions of the adrenals need to be be restored. Therefore is is necessary
to eat foods that are the most balanced between yin and yang, which of course
would be cooked whole grains with a pinch of sea-salt, as well as daily
consumption of miso soup with seaweed to neutrailze the toxins. A side dish of
cooked hiziki, carrots and onions (land and sea veggies) will also help at this
time as well and perhaps a small dish of aduki bean/winter squash every other
day. Try to avoid all oils, desserts, white flour products, concentrated sugars,
animal food and raw fruits. Ginger compress to the kidnay area would be helpful.
Licorice root tea is specific for adrenal gland malfunction and contains natural
steroids that are similar to cortisone. It also contains a good balance of both
yin and yang enregetics and is an anti-inflammatory. It can be drunk three times
daily -- 1 hour hebore meals, but too much will cause a laxative effect. For
people with *high* blood pressure licorice is not recommended and with more than
likely cause a heart attack. Chew all your food into liquid before swallowing so
that your system does not have to over work to manufacture available nutrients.
Try not to overactrivate your body at this time -- take walks and short bike
rides when possible. Do not take hot baths as this will draw too much sodium
from your body (cool/warm showers are o.k). Dong Quai root (Angelica sinensis)
can be nibbled on once or twice daily (dry root) to help regulate the female
hormones. Always use whole foods and local herbs -- not concentrated supplements
or tinctures, or patented CHinese herbal formulas (some contain arsnic and other
unregulated poisons used as fillers). Stay away from TV and computer radiation.
ANother beneficial sea vegetable to use is bladderwrack (Fucus sps.) which can
be gathered at this time on the rocky coast, dried and powdered for use as a
condiment to stimulate the thyroid which in turn stimulates the adrenals as
well. I hope this helps. In peace, Roy
: Wanted to first of all thank Roy Collins
for
: his insightful contributions to this forum.
: Much appreciated Roy.
: due to a lethal dose of
digoxin, apparently
: the source of which was some herbal supplements
: I
was taking (supplements are being assayed
: at the moment). Anyway, let's put
it
: this way: now I'm recovering from the
: hospital as well as from the
illness(!), and
: so begins my journey with macrobiotics.
: heart rate it is
extremely yin. The antibody
: I was given is made from the spleen of mice
: (Yikes! In a squeaky voice). So yin/yang,
: body is pretty darned
confused by all this.
: on what basis to adjust
the balance on my diet, cuz I
: have both yin and yang factors going on
:
I.e., since the drug is yin, do I lean toward a
: more yang diet? The
symptoms I experience
: are also apparently yin phenomena (heavy
fatigue,
: low blood pressure and heart rate, hypoglycemic
: phenomena,
etc.) The drug is still trying
: to exit. On the other
: hand, I have a
generally very yang body,
: as I am in basically good condition due to
:
exercise andoverall conscientous diet.
: I don't think I can go too far off
if I
: stay within the general guidelines of the
: macrobiotic diet. The
body is pretty
: darn confused with the drug poisoning (I have
: been
completely drug free, other than this
: incident, for the past 22 years.)
: adjusts and jockeys the
yin/yang factors, when
: one observes both yin and yang in extremes,
:
where do you start, and on what basis do you
: make your choices between
tending more yin or
: more yang?
: Caroline