Valerian Root – Natural Antianxiety and Insomnia Treatment – or Just a Big Stink Bomb

 

 

So, since I am perimenopausal (I like to continue to claim that, so I can avoid saying I am actually menopausal), I am having a lot of anxiety – and insomnia.  I am currently trying an herbal regimen including: Valerian, 5-HTP and sometimes Melatonin. 

The problem with this particular regimen is that you have to take Melatonin several hours before bedtime in order for the Melatonin level to be high enough when you want to sleep.  Melatonin is good for jet lag and shift work.  I am not currently experiencing jet lag – as I refuse to fly over the ocean – and I am not a shift worker as I found out years ago that working nights will actually drive me insane-r than I already am – but it is also reported to be a natural sleep aid if taken appropriately.  The problem with this is two-fold.  The fact that you have to take it at the same time as your kids are going insane and tearing $hit up – AND that the instructions for taking it are very blurry.  Most recommendations are taking it at 3-5mg but some people recommend up to 60mg.  Anyway, I have a bottle of 3 mg which is actually not open yet.

The 5-HT is a precursor of tryptophan (you know the natural stuff that was banned several years ago) that is contained in high levels in turkey and warm milk – which is supposedly why those foods make you sleepy.  I am not sure of the effectiveness of either of these treatments as I think the post-thanksgiving nap is usually due to overeating and laziness – and warm milk makes you sleepy because it is already night time and you should be sleepy.  I digress and am trying it anyway.

The other thing I am taking (more often than the recommended dose of 1 capsule daily – usually two) for anxiety and sleep.  Valerian root supposedly works on the GABA receptors, the same receptors that benzodiazepines such as Valium, Ativan, Xanax – etc. work on.  It seems to be working .  I have been faithfully taking the Valerian – yes, without a consultation with a physician.  The problem with Valerian – is that it stinks – and I don’t mean just smells kind of bad – it STINKS – kind of like toe cheese, smelly feet or really bad stinky cheese that is actually a food product.  BTW – do you know what cheese actually is?  It is moldy milk.  Kind of gross.  But I digress again.

Valerian capsules are so stinky that the offensive odor lingers in the air, on your hands (even after you wash them) and causes your daughter to exclaim – JAS, wash your feet!  Seems to work though – or maybe it is the 2 to 4 or possibly 6 Benadryl (diphenhydramine – also now in Sominex – and in Nytol), an antihistamine that has high sedating effects that I end up taking.

Either one of these treatments  - Valerian at the near intended level can actually exacerbate migraines – which I don’t want because I had them during puberty and beyond but they finally went away when I broke ddown and started taking medicine for my blood pressure – which brings up another story which I will get to in a minute but don’t want to get side tracked.  On to the story – Benadryl, though sedating and very useful for giving kids at night – doctors used to recommend it for long car rides, plane trips or if you just really needed the kid to go right to sleep at bedtime – plus it is the best antihistamine, anyway – Benadryl can cause – a disturbance in REM sleep – which means your sleep is not “quality” sleep.  It can also cause tinnitus – or ringing of the ears.  I experience this as feeling like I am in a tunnel made of aluminum foil. 

I rationalize continuing to take these medications – natural or otherwise as I am experiencing extreme insomnia – developed over a period of years.  Since the late stages of pregnancy with twins (where I was only able to get 30 minutes of sleep at a time after my belly swelled to the point of two watermelons) to the birth of said twins – where I was able to get about 2 hours of sleep – ending every morning at 4:30 am since the boy was an “early” riser – meaning the crack of o’dark thirty – to the birth of the 3^rd kid – and then I was way too busy to sleep with 3 kids under the age of two.  Through the toddler, beginning school, I gotta catch the bus but refuse to do anything to help and later I don’t wanna go to bed days – to the now hormonal, I can’t sleep through the hot flashes, night sweats, severe anxiety, anxiety related eczema which actually wakes me up and I have to slather on a steroid cream which oddly causes insomnia – not to mention the same kids who get up on the weekend to watch cartoons.  These are the same kids who won’t get up during the week.

In any case – I have been sleep deprived for now – about 13 years, give or take.

It turns out, no matter what the side effects or how much the medicine smells like dirty feet – I will continue to try anything – including Kudzu root – you know the voracious vine of the south which will even grow over a small moving cow?  Well I tried that anyway – didn’t work.  So I stay with the Valerian root and Benadryl regimen for now – until I find something that lets me sleep (I am now up to about 4 hours).

Kids with allergies…medicine unsafe….give me a break!

I was born in Oklahoma – the land of all flowering trees, grasses and all known allergens. I had allergies that were severe enough that my mother thought I would die….seriously. I had ear infections every 6 weeks and regularly visited a “pediatric allergist” who refused to take out my tonsils or put ear tubes in because he was not sure I would survive the surgery….seriously. I had full allergy testing performed and was taking allergy shots by the time I was four. Let me tell you this was over 35 years ago and they did not have “scratch” testing for allergies. They used to fill little cups with allergen solution and set them on 4 needles imbedded in your arm or back and wait for 15 minutes or so for a reaction. I don’t remember much about it but it must have been torture for my mother. By the time I was four, I was also taking adult strength allergy pills – not kids allergy liquid but adult tablets. I know this because my mom used to put one under my tongue as she dropped me off at day care and say “run in and get a drink of water to swallow it.” At the time – this was not considered dangerous and this way she knew that I got my medicine on time and it would last the rest of the day.

Fast forward many years. I now have 3 children – 6 and under. They all have allergies. Fortunately, we don’t live in Oklahoma so they are not quite as severe but as we do live in Central Texas – they are certainly noticeable and bothersome. Consequently, I have had to give them allergy medicine almost every day since they were infants.

A couple of years ago, the American Pediatric Association in conjunction with drug manufacturers came out with a statement that medications given for colds and allergies to children under two years of age are ineffective and could be unsafe. Because of this, all over the counter cold/allergy medication formulated for infants and toddlers were removed from the shelves of your local drugstores and grocery stores. All children’s cold/allergy medicine had to be relabeled to eliminate dosing instructions for children under 2. Cases and cases of cold medication were actually thrown away. A year or so later – this was repeated for children under 6. Now there is news that the same situation may be repeated for children under 12…..What is next….18? 21? 30? All cold medicine for all ages?

The medical establishment says that cold and allergy products do NOT work for children and that they may be unsafe. This is an outright lie.

The real problem is twofold. The first is that the medical community thinks the average American is too stupid to take medicine properly and especially that American parents are too stupid to know when children need medication and too stupid to give it properly. They claim that “hundreds” of children are seen each year in emergency rooms due to overdosing. Since we have become a litiginous society, the pharmaceutical industry and their insurance companies are unwilling to take the risk that some kid might get overdosed by his dumb parents….huh? I worked in hospitals and emergency medicine for many years and I don’t know of any cases that a child was harmed from an accidental overdose of allergy medicine. It would take way more than mom giving 1 teaspoons instead of 2…

The second reason is this: allergy and cold medication is still available in pediatric formulation for children – you just can’t buy it unless you visit a doctor. In fact, the last 3 times I have taken my kids to the doctor for a respiratory infection, I have been given a prescription for exactly the same medication I would have purchased over the counter. So the statement….these medications do not work is a LIE. If they didn’t work – why would the doctor prescribe it? The truth is they just want you to be required to see a doctor…..This in a time where many, many Americans including hundreds of thousands of children are not covered by health insurance –you have to see a doctor to get a prescription for medicine that was available 40 years ago…..sounds fair….(NOT).

In defense of the pharmacist

In case you didn’t know, your health insurance company doesn’t really want to pay for your treatment – of any type. One of the easiest ways for them to save money is to reject coverage for your prescription. Most often this is due to a “Non-formulary” medication.

A “Formulary” is a list of drugs which are approved for use in an insurance plan. These are medications they will pay for with no questions asked. There are also “prior authorization required” lists which they will pay for ONLY if your physician completes some certification documents that state that the medication in question is required. The problem comes in that the rules for why they might authorize payment vary widely from plan to plan….Sometimes they require documentation that you have “failed” on other therapies….Sometimes they require a letter from the physician…Sometimes they require the physician’s office to complete a specific form…Sometimes they require a medical review by their case manager…Sometimes they refuse to pay at all. In any case it is quite frustrating for both you and the pharmacist.

Essentially – they hope you will give up and go away or at least pay for it yourself.

Be assured - the pharmacist does not want to tell you that your prescription will not be covered. The pharmacist does not want to have to notify your physician or spend hours on the phone with the insurance company trying to find out exactly what information they need. The pharmacist does not want to make you wait for any of this. The truth is that a single pharmacist can and usually will spend hours each and every day negotiating the maze of insurance requirements to help you get your prescription paid for by your insurance company. The pharmacist is not getting paid for all of this extra effort. Most pharmacists are employees of a large chain and get paid a salary – no profit is included. The pharmacist who works for himself in an independent drugstore only gets paid what the insurance company will pay him – no matter what. Sometimes this means that the $250.00 prescription that you just received netted the pharmacy a whopping $8.00.
You might make it easier on yourself by contacting the physician’s office yourself – to help expedite the process. Occasionally, physician’s offices are slow in “getting back to” the pharmacy. When necessary you can also contact your benefits manager. It is actually their job to help you.

I guess the point is that the pharmacist really just wants to fill your prescription and give it to you. Try to take it easy on the poor guy (or girl). It is a really hard job – dealing with sick people and sick insurance companies all day.

Hippie medicine to the rescue

Just a few short years ago, if you believed that yogurt could cure what ails you, people considered you a hippie nutcase. Ok, well maybe it was more than a few short years. In any case, it wasn’t that long ago that physicians and the “legitimate” medical community did not believe in any type of “nutraceutical” medicine. That is to say that whatever you ate had no bearing on your general state of health. Vitamins were unimportant and people who claimed that natural bacteria – such as is found in yogurt – was helping them were dismissed.

Recently, the commercial medical community has latched onto the advantages of lactobacillius bacteria and its ability to correct digestive issues and restore balance to entire physiologic systems. We now have “Activia”, “Danactive”, “Fem-dophilius” and even “Phillips” probiotic capsules. In case you didn’t know, “Phillips” is the maker of “Phillips Milk of Magnesia” long known for treatment of diarrhea.

It amazes me that things that the “hippie-freaks” have known for years finally make it into the mainstream only when big companies can make money from it and now it is the biggest news in digestive and immune health. DUH.

I personally have been a big proponent of probiotics for many years. Doesn’t really matter if you eat natural yogurt with live cultures or take refrigerated lactobacillus capsules from your health food store….the stuff works. I recognized this when, as a young college student, I had a series of vaginal yeast infections. I treated them several times with over the counter antifungal vaginal products but they kept coming back. This particular ailment is one of the most agitating situations a woman can experience – not dangerous just really irritating. I came to a conclusion one day…..if the natural bacteria is gone, and now there is an overgrowth of yeast which causes irritation and itching…..and I kill the yeast off…..what grows next? So I went to the health food store and purchased some lactobacillus capsules to insert vaginally. Seemed kind of gross, but so was the yeast infection. After about 2 days – I was much, much better. Way better than the week it took the antifungal to work. Over the years I have continued to use and recommend this treatment. It always works.

That being said, I guess I am dumb – or stubborn and don’t always follow my own advice. I have told people for years – if you have diarrhea, try eating some yogurt or taking lactobacillus. Then a year or so ago I developed chronic diarrhea. I guess I figured that it was my due time – since I am over 40 and my grandmother had Irritable Bowel Syndrome for years and my grandfather had a colostomy at 35 or so due to Ulcerative Colitis. I just endured.

My husband, who is older than me has Diverticulitis (I call it an old man’s disease – which is very mean) and has bouts of severe abdominal pain which must be treated with 2 different types of antibiotics which leaves him with diarrhea so each time, I dutifully treat him afterwards with yogurt. Always helps.

Then I got really busy – didn’t have time for breakfast most days and started making myself a breakfast drink from fruit juice and….yogurt – because we already had it in our refrigerator. After a few days – damned if my “IBS” didn’t clear up. Actual formed poop…..! And as much as I hate commercialism in medicine….it was actually Activia yogurt that did it. That irritated me more than the fact that I had diarrhea for an entire year out of stupidity. I actually inadvertently took the “Activia Challenge” and it worked. No doubt, any live yogurt or lactobacillus capsules would have worked but apparently I am a slow learner when it comes to my own health.

Treating Hepatitis Naturally – (and other liver damage)

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver – usually caused by a viral infection. Symptoms include – lethargy and fatigue, abdominal pain and/or tenderness, abdominal swelling, jaundice (yellowing of the skin) and elevated liver enzymes.

Common types are Hepatitis A – an acute condition – which is spread through contamination of the food supply such as raw oysters or contact with an infected patient. Hepatitis B – an acute or chronic condition – spread through IV or sexual contact. Some people infected with “Hep B” may never know they have been infected but become carriers. Hepatitis C is a generally a chronic viral infection of the liver though there may be a mild acute illness which generally passes unnoticed. People with “Hep C” may not notice that they are infected for months or even years after the initial infection meanwhile liver damage has continued to progress. There are other types of Hepatitis (D, E, and Non A-Non B) which are not common in North America but are generally similar to A, B, or C.

Medical Treatment of Hepatitis A is generally not necessary. The patient will be very ill for several weeks and may require the same type of care that a person with the flu would require but this will usually be accomplished by bed rest at home. If a person has been exposed to Hepatitis A, an intramuscular injection of Gamma Globulin may be given to help prevent infection.
Traditional medical treatment of acute Hepatitis B generally will be the same as Hepatitis A. Chronic infection of Hepatitis B may develop and will be treated similarly to Hepatitis C listed below though the antiviral portion may be different. An exposure to Hepatitis B may be treated with Hepatitis B Immune Globulin, but must be given within 24 hours of exposure. A vaccine against Hepatitis B is widely available and required for children in most areas.

Traditional medical treatment of Hepatitis C will generally take months or years and includes a strong antiviral medications such as Ribavirin along with an immune activator such as injections of Alpha Interferon (Intron-A or Pegintron) administered 3 times weekly. Interferon treatment is particularly unpleasant as it induces a flu-like state for 24 to 36 hours after the injection meaning that the patient will feel like they have a severe case of the flu for at least 3 days each week. It also may cause hair loss, chronic fatigue, insomnia, headache, joint and muscle aches, depression and extreme loss of appetite leading to significant weight loss. Most interferon users will have to supplement their diet with Ensure or other nutritional beverages because they cannot force themselves to eat and lose weight and muscle mass. In short, traditional treatment is extremely unpleasant and not entirely effective. Traditional treatment is very expensive and many insurance policies will not cover or only provide partial coverage leaving the patient unable to pay the balance. Other patients simply cannot tolerate the side effects and will choose to go untreated. Untreated Hepatitis C can progress to cirrhosis, fatty liver, liver failure and death. Untreated Hepatitis C patients also have a much higher incidence of development of Liver Cancer which is quite often fatal.

There is an alternative to traditional treatment which works very well for Acute and Chronic Hepatitis including “Hep C” and chronic liver damage caused by other conditions such as excessive alcohol consumption or liver damage caused by drugs of various types and other previous liver infections such as acute hepatitis (Hep A or Hep B).

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY
The alternative treatment involves a daily dose of natural supplements including herbs and amino acids which are protective and healing to the liver and dietary restrictions some of which may be temporary. Many patients find that the natural treatment will return their liver enzymes to normal or near normal levels even without traditional medical treatment. In essence – they will be cured, where traditional treatment failed. There are few, if any side effects to these therapies. One thing is certain however, a traditional physician – an MD treating liver conditions will most likely NOT sanction this therapy and the patient is on his own for research and treatment. In addition, insurance will NOT cover the supplements but the results are worth the money – both in savings over traditional medical costs and increased quality and length of life allowing the patient to return to normal activities – including work.

I am an advocate of this method simply because I have seen it work. I have seen it work when interferon was too painful, when interferon was too expensive and when interferon did not work.

The supplements absolutely necessary are:

• Milk Thistle Extract (Silymarin) – 200-400mg three times daily aids in healing and rebuilding the liver – has been shown to cure liver cancer in rats
• Glutathione 500mg twice daily – liver protectant to avoid additional damage while repair is conducted
• N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) – precursor to glutathione – immune enhancer – eliminates free radicals, helps the body neutralize and eliminate heavy metals and other toxins by chelation – should be taken with Vitamin C
• Vitamin C – eliminates free radicals, aids in removal of chelated metals and toxins shown above
• L-Methionine 500mg twice daily – detoxifies liver – prevents breakdown of glutathione
• L-Cysteine 500mg twice daily – detoxifies liver – prevents breakdown of glutathione
• Coenzyme Q – 60mg daily – eliminates free radicals, enhances immune function and tissue oxygenation

Also helpful particularly in first weeks of treatment –

• Free Form Amino Acid Complex – supplies necessary protein in immediately usable components to take strain off the liver while repair is conducted
• Raw Liver Extract or Dessicated Liver – promotes liver function by providing liver tissue constituents through diet to help rebuild liver
• Essential Fatty Acids from sources such as Fish, Omega 3 type supplements, primrose oil, shark liver oil – combats inflammation of the liver and lowers serum cholesterol which can be damaging to liver
• Lecithin – protects liver and mobilizes fat – aiding in preventing fatty liver
• Multivitamin complex
• B Complex (do not take more than 100mg niacin – B3 daily) – essential for liver functioning
• Calcium and Magnesium – essential for blood clotting factors which may be depleted in liver disease
• Maitake, shiitake, reishi mushrooms – antiviral effect
• Green and Black teas may decrease bilirubin levels – lowering jaundice effect

other recommendations for initial treatment – particularly in first weeks of treatment

• Eat raw vegetable and fruit diet when possible
• Consume no alcohol, acetominophen or other medications/drugs that affect the liver 
• Avoid fats, sugar, highly processed foods, raw fish, raw shell fish, animal protein (especially red meats)
• Drink plenty of water
• Spend some time in the sun (helps eliminate yellow skin which is caused by excess bilirubin, a by product of the liver)

After the first weeks of treatment – the patient will likely feel significantly better and modifications can be made such as decreasing supplements to once daily and slowly adding other foods into diet.

There are no guarantees that this will work and the patient will likely have to be on some supplementation forever but I personally have seen this essentially cure patients who were severely debilitated by either the disease or the treatment or both. Several patients were given terminal prognoses and have basically cured themselves….