The cold, damp and cloudy weather brings with it ailments typical of this time of year.
In many cases there are natural treatments that are able to help, starting with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition only recently discovered.
There are many symptoms attributed to SAD, including depression, headaches and lethargy.
To help you overcome SAD-related symptoms, it is necessary to increase the amount of full spectrum light you are exposed to.
Whether you’re at work or at home, you are inside most of the time. Therefore, you can easily introduce and adapt to this new lighting system, which should have the desired effect on your pineal gland, keeping you acceptably cheerful throughout the winter (Am. J. Psychiatry, 1985).
Another alternative is to have an alarm clock linked up to one of these special lights, which will begin to illuminate your bedroom before the alarm goes off, and have the effect of a sunrise in your bedroom. The Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (www.sada.org.uk) can recommend a properly manufactured light box which you can sit in front of as therapy.
Rheumatic aches and pains always get worse in cold and damp weather
Having chilblains, a condition that can arise due to exposure to both cold and damp conditions, can cause damage to the capillary beds within and under the skin. Presenting itself as ruddiness, itching and inflammation, it should not be confused with frostbite or trench foot (not something we should suffer from in Malta).
A history of recurring chilblains may be indicative of connective tissue disorder such as lupus erythematosus. Chilblains can be prevented by keeping hands and feet warm in cold weather.
In addition, the only use to which homeopaths put Tamus communis (in a remedy using the root of Black Bryony, the only part of the plant that isn’t toxic) is as a mother tincture or a low-potency cream to treat chilblains. This would be available through a good homeopath.
The remedy has been found to be extremely effective against chilblains in homeopathic proving trials. Raynaud’s phenomenon describes the capillary, arteriolar and arterial constriction brought about by cold, which is then followed by cyanosis (a dark, purplish-blue skin discolouration), indicating insufficient oxygenation of the blood and/or poor circulation.
Extracts of Ginkgo biloba have improved blood flow in studies of sufferers of Raynaud’s. These investigations followed a strict protocol and included sufficient patients to allow reliable evaluation. There is also evidence from these and other studies that Ginkgo biloba extract is beneficial for other peripheral vascular disorders, such as diabetes, acrocyanosis (slow circulation in the hands and feet) and post-phlebitis syndrome (chronic venous insufficiency following deep vein thrombosis or clots, Arzneimittelforschung, 1984).
Evening primrose oil was also tested for eight weeks in a study comparing two matching groups of Raynaud’s sufferers: one group received EPO, the other a placebo.
In the latter group, no one experienced any benefit, whereas in those who took EPO, 55 per cent reported significant benefits, 18 per cent claimed moderate improvement and 27 per cent reported no benefit at all (Thromb. Haemost., 1985). However, the total number of study participants was very small.
There are very few things more annoying than a cold that quickly turns into bronchitis, which then appears to take up permanent residence in your chest and simply will not leave. You are then stuck with an interminable irritating cough. But there is a naturopathic answer.
In a recent double blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study of 242 bronchitis patients taking 200 mg of cineole (the main constituent in eucalyptus) as a capsule orally (three times a day) for 10 days, symptom improvement was notable after just four days (Cough, 2013). Several types of products containing cineole are available online.
Rheumatic aches and pains always get worse in cold and damp weather. Turmeric, one of the main ingredients in curry powder, and some prepared mustards, have long been used in traditional ayurvedic medicine, both topically, as turmeric poultices, and internally, for the treatment of sprains and inflammation.
In a variety of experimental studies, the volatile oil found in turmeric has been shown to have anti-inflammatory actions comparable to the effects of cortisone and phenylbutazone (Indian J. Med. Res., 1972).
Even more potent for acute inflammation is the turmeric constituent curcumin. This compound displays no such toxicity like the common medication normally taken for these problems does. Because the absorption of orally consumed curcumin is very limited, it’s often formulated together with bromelain (a natural enzyme derived from pineapple and also an anti-inflammatory) to enhance its uptake and effectiveness. Supplements of the two agents as a combination are readily available online.
kathryn@maltanet.net