Scott's Diary: “I have HEP C, HERPES and ARTHRITIS can Chinese Medicine explain?

Question

“I’m a 57 year old woman with HSV2 Hep c and arthritis.
The herpes is virulent and attacks can be almost continuous despite doctors telling me that it can’t be so. I’m suffering fatigue and one of my fingers is severely inflamed at the moment. Also some blurring in the eyes, I’m wondering about an article on foods suitable for HSV2 . My body seems very acidic at the moment. I have just formed a relationship with a man I care for after many celibate years so the distress I have grown accustomed to is more pronounced with someone in me life and bed and heart. I saw your article on acidic body and wonder if you could write something for those of us battling some of these long term diseases. They seem to be trying to eat my body”

Thank you for the questions.

Whenever I inspect someone’s health and history, first of all I consider the fundamental principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). So to analyse what you have described above, it would appear you have and access of heat in the body (inflammation, inflamed) you also have blurring of the eyes which would most likely be related to the liver. (The liver controls the eyes in TCM).

You have also stated that your situation has been quite stressful and again this will be producing more heat in the body. Now arthritis can be caused by wind, dampness, cold or a combination of the above. Even though you experience pain and inflammation TCM will treat the condition with warming treatments. We do this because warmth will move stagnant blood and energy that has ceased moving freely due to the wind, cold or dampness. An analogy would be frost bite, this is an extreme case but the same rules apply, stagnation becomes so intense it burns.

Stagnation is also caused by, you guessed it the liver! The liver’s job is to smooth the flow of energy and blood around the body. If you have or are currently living a stressful life, eating badly, not sleeping well, bombarded by pollutants you have consciously or unconsciously been abusing your liver this can create stagnation and pain leading to arthritis.

Over working body parts and working in cold environments will also do this.

· So to relieve your pain we need to clean up your diet, eat and drink complimentary warming foods and beverages and take up some useful Qi Gong, Tai Chi or Yoga exercises They are all gentle but strong enough to make your body strong and free up all your stagnation.

Hepatitis C Virus is toxic heat in the blood which the liver again plays a significant roll in. You may also experience jaundice, itching, sweating, brittle nails, irritability and tiredness all of which are related in someway with the liver. The liver will attack the digestive system causing digestive problems, jaundice, bloating plus other discomforting problems. Finger nails become brittle because the nails are ruled by the liver.

Herpes is another form of toxic heat in the body as well as weakening of the digestive system / immune system. To treat this symptom we need to target the liver first followed by the spleen.

In summary, dampness and heat toxins are a spleen and liver problem. Problems with your bones will be due to dampness, wind or cold and to treat all of the above we need to calm the liver, cool the blood, warm the kidneys and dry the dampness.

Diet

Green vegetables and juices will help detoxify the blood and calm the liver. Drink hot water as this will strengthen the bones and kidneys. Add ginger when steaming vegetables as this will warm the digestive system to remove the dampness.

Drink fresh papaya juice and leave 10 of the papaya seeds in the juice when blending it. They are high in vitamin C and will help with Hep C. Also look to for anti-oxidants from the health food store. I would highly suggest Professor Masquelier’s Pycnogenol OPC’S. Make sure his picture is on the box.

· Get your self a copy of The Jook Book or recipes on congee. And look for a recipe that uses “chen pi” which is dried mandarin skin, this helps with dampness.

· Wheat grass juice you will also find beneficial, it’s very high in nutrients and great for de-toxing the liver naturally. You can get shots of wheat grass from boost juice bars and other fresh juice shops. Or if you’re keen get your self a Champion Juicer and make your own. It’s not difficult to grow and you can purchase small kits. Almonds are very good because they will alkaline and clean the blood.

Others – millet, Udos oil, avocado, sunflower sprouts, raw almonds, carrots, dates, coconuts, celery, cucumbers, lemons, limes, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, green leafy vegetables, soy beans, walnuts, wheat grass, tofu, lima beans, turnip tops, peppers, beet tops.

The fact you suffer toxic heat would indicate that you are most likely acidic so all alkaline foods and drinks would be very good for you.

Do not drink any liquid for 30 minutes before or after taking food.
Ensure that 75% of each meal is fruit and vegetables high in water content.
Chew well and allow time for digestion and rest for 15-30 minutes after food.

The following foods should be taken in limited amounts, but preferably not at all: fried and oily food, hot and spicy food, dairy products, sugar, eggs, coffee, tea and alcohol. All of these will heat up the liver, weaken your immune system and make you more acidic. Also limit your meat intake and consider white meat as it’s less heating. Beef can actually make you more toxic and so can duck. Stay away from all shell fish because it will flare up your skin (cold sores etc).

Shopping List

· The Jook Book

· Healing with Whole Foods

· The Tao Of Balanced Diet

· Champion Juicer

· Qi Gong

· Yoga exercises

· Tai Chi

I hope this information has helped!

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Take care,