Covid-19 Your Questions answered

As the world is in shut down mode over this 'pandemic', we received many (valid) questions. Here I have answered a few in a short video.

I trust this will help.

Here are some links you may want to look at:

Covid-19 — Navigating the Uncharted click here (look at the 3rd paragraph)

Pasteur vs Bechamp click here

World numbers on death rates click here

Dr. Peter D’Adamo on Corona click here

Smoke inhalation, what to do…

By Christo Lues

Owner Eirene Health Shop

As I am writing this short article, the beautiful Cape Town and surroundings are on fire. With hundreds of fire fighters working uninterrupted with great dedication and great personal sacrifice, putting their lives in danger to save citizens and property, many, many people will inhale huge amounts of smoke. For some it’s too smokey to stay in their houses, and need to find a place at friends further away to alleviate the symptoms of the smoke, dust from ashes etc.

Here are some pictures of the disaster as it currently stands...

Picture by the Tattoo Lounge

Picture by Goldfish

Photo by Andy Nix's Pic of the Week

What do you do, naturally?

For Fire Fighters:

The biggest danger for our brave men and women directly in contact with the fires are dehydration and exhaustion.

Huge amounts of water is a life saver, not only to put out the fires, but to relieve some of the effects of smoke and heat inhalation.

The big issue is that the mucus membranes of the nasal passages gets overly dry, causing great discomfort, burning and pain. In order for the body to make enough mucus to keep the mucus membranes moist, WATER is needed. 

If these fire fighters drink huge amounts of water that is low in mineral content, they run the risk of upsetting their electrolyte balance. This in turn leads to whole lot of secondary problems.

So if you drink huge amounts of water make sure to put Concentrace minerals in the water or buy Still Nestle bottled water. The reason being that Nestle water has a very high mineral content and a pH of above 7, making it easier to absorb the minerals from the water.

Another great drink  (while fighting fires) is to drink milk. Now I am generally against consuming milk, reason being that it creates a lot of mucus that usually leads to respiratory and sinus infections. In this instance however, I do recommend drinking milk. It has both an alkaline pH, making it soothing on the membranes, and it causes the formation of mucus in the nasal passages. So the reason we usually avoid consuming dairy, becomes the reason we want it for dried out passages  - to produce more mucus.

Fruit is great as a snack and to help with quick energy. Bananas are of particular benefit because it helps with energy, contains vital minerals and has a mild mucus stimulating effect on the membranes.

Picture by Nicola Williams

For the people who suffer from smoke inhalation:

As mentioned above, water is of great help, in any situation. If you inhale a lot of smoke, taking in copious amounts of mineralised water with a pH above 7 (Nestle still water) is particularly beneficial. For an adult, make sure you drink at least 3L of water in 24hours. This helps the body to get rid of toxins that was inhaled.

Picture by Marilyn Coldrey

Helpful supplements for all

Rinse eyes with milk or Silvermax. This helps the irritation. Similasan makes a range of natural eye drops and nasal sprays that helps relieve symptoms of the nasal passages and the eyes.

You would need to help the body detox from all the smoke (actually burnt matter) and here I would suggest the following

A strong anti-oxidant and cleanser like Vitamin C it also helps the body recover and strengthen the immune system, you may also try Activ 8.

A mineral and enzyme complex designed to aid in elimination of toxins -  I like Assimil 8;

Water to help the body correct an acidic pH and thus speed up toxin elimination, if possible add Coral Calcium Sachets.

For stress, anxiousness and sleep problems, try Rescue, Neurexan, Mindset and Omega SLO

Vitamin C - helps the body recover and strengthen the immune system. 

There is a whole lot of homeopathic remedies that will aid in a situation like this. Homeopathic remedies can be quite specific to your symptoms, so see what will suit you best.

Arsenicum - For smoke exposure with anxiety. Eyes burn and stream. Nose burns and streams. Cough is dry and worse at night. Tremendous anxiety especially about what is going to happen—and restlessness.

Bryonia - Soreness in larynx and trachea. Hoarseness, Worse in open air. Dry, hacking cough from irritation in upper trachea. Cough, dry at night, must sit up. Worse after eating or drinking. Frequent desire to take long breath; must expand lungs. Difficult, quick respiration. Heaviness beneath the sternum extending towards the right shoulder. Worse going into warm room.

Carbo Vegetabilis-Wheezing, cough with burning in chest. Short of breath. Oxygen starvation. Must be fanned. Hoarseness. Cough with itching in larynx. Sore and raw chest. Rattling of mucus in chest. Exhausted, weak. Cold clammy skin, cold breath. Better: cool air. Worse: evenings, open air, warm damp weather.

Euphorbium officinarium - Breathing oppressed, as if chest were not wide enough. Spasmodic dry cough, day and night, with asthma. Violent, fluent coryza, with burning cough. Constant cough, with stitches from pit of stomach to sides of chest. Dry, hollow cough. Warm feeling in chest.

Euphrasia - For simple smoke exposure with irritation to eyes and possibly nose and no other symptoms. Eyes stream and burn—lids are red, swollen, and sensitive. Nose streams but doesn’t burn. There may be a little daytime cough. The eyes stream on coughing.

Kali bichromicum - For more serious smoke exposure with irritated sinuses and/or lungs. Nose is blocked—nasal discharge is dry or comes out in sticky or stringy “plugs.” Sinuses are sore, raw, irritated, and painful. Cough is painful, and chest is sore. Mucus is coughed up with difficulty and is scanty, sticky, or stringy.

Silica - To help the body eject inhaled particles. Nose dry and blocked—no sense of smell or taste. Sinuses stuffed up and painful. Dry, irritating cough from inhaled particles. With lumpy, yellow mucus.

For bruises, apply Arnica ointment or Traumeel S ointment

For burns apply bum cream or Squaline to the areas, this aids in the repair and prevents scarring

For cuts and wounds, clean with colloidal silver to prevent infection before covering up - I like to use Silvermax

Once you are at the end of the day and put your little aspiring fire fighters to bed, make sure to take a bath with 2 cups of Epsom salt. Soak in the bath and relax while the epsom salt gently detoxes your tired body.

I salute all that are doing something to help in this terrible disaster.

Lets pray the fires are brought under control soon!

There is something about boys and splinters...

by Christo Lues

Being a parent brings many, sometimes unexpected, challenges your way. If you don’t know what to do in a crisis situation, you can end up spending mega money, and putting yourself through a LOT of pain, and drama.

There is something about boys and splinters.

A week or so ago my 4yr old came crying into the house, he had a splinter in his foot. We have been through the drill many times before. Linnie sprayed Silvermax to clean the area, brothers and sisters gave some Rescue and Injura to calm their little brother down. One fetched a bright torch and a needle. In seconds the splinter would be removed by mother’s trained hand. Only this time it was not so simple. Linnie tried and tried, Danny cried and eventually Linnie had to give up. The splinter was too deep, and getting it out was just hurting too much!

What’s next? Well wait till dad gets home, maybe he has a better plan? Or take him to the Emergency room?

We are all for natural, so when I arrived home I took one look at it, and with the cheeks still red from crying I did not even touch the area. I put some Traumeel S ointment on a band-aid and left it. I stared giving Tissue Salt #12 (Silica) immediately, and added Traumeel S pills as it was very sore on the little foot.

We kept giving the Silica every hour when he was awake, and I thought it would take about 5 days for the splinter to pop out, but I was wrong...! 

Three days after he got the splinter he complained that the band aid kept popping off. When Linnie had a look, this was what she found.

The Silica had literally expelled the splinter and half of it was sticking out, with minimal inflammation. All that remained was to pull it out and put some Traumeel S on to heal the wound a little faster. Danny was healed!

Silica is a remarkable substance.

Silica is reputed to remove splinters and foreign objects – literally any foreign body from anywhere in the body may be expelled. Silica is a slow-acting yet profound remedy in that it’s key functions are as a toxin eliminator and cell cleanser - it is known as the homeopathic surgeon.

Silica may also open up old wounds if there is scarring or embedded foreign objects, so new healing can occur after the foreign body has been expelled. This may also be old infection which has not quite cured. Silica must be used with care in cases of silicosis where old miners or stonemasons may have dust or bits of debris locked into their lungs. Also beware of pacemakers – it may be safer not to use this remedy as it may expel the object. Also beware of contraceptive coils, dental fillings and artificial hips etc!

It is common place in homeopathy for the body to eject unwanted or foreign parts!

Silica is renowned for helping in situations that have never been well since vaccinations, as these represent a foreign body, especially vaccinations of protein substances. This remedy is also a specific for people who have never been well since the suppression of sweat, especially breast cancers where underarm antiperspirant has been used extensively or where cold water or cooling the body is used to stop sweat.

But be careful, it will even expel breast implants, if used continuously.

This remedy is used to treat abscesses, especially recurrent abscesses, boils, carbuncles, wounds that are infected or won’t heal, lumps, nodules, cysts, fibroids, warty growths, moist eruptions, pimples and pustules. 

One last story.

CJ my oldest son, once rode a horse for someone else. The horse poked it’s one eye when it ate from a hay-net, injuring the eye terribly. I immediately offered help to get the eye better by giving the horse silica and Silvermax to stop infection. The owner of the horse deemed the vets advice better and gave the horse various shots of antibiotics. After two weeks the eye was not getting better and the horse could not see anything out the eye.

Finally they decided to try the remedies I suggested. Within 2 days, the eye started going clear, and on the 4^th day the horse could see and be worked as normal.

You may wonder how much you need to give a horse, as it is such a huge animal. Well thats the wonder of homeopathic medicine, you can give the same dose as you would for humans. Its not the amount you give, its how often you give it that makes it really potent. So if it’s an acute condition, give the medicine often, like every 30 mins or every hour, but as the symptoms lift, give it less often, maybe 4 times a day.

Till next time.

Nose, eyes and ears itching and sneezing? Summer is here!

By Christo Lues

Many of us could not wait for the summer to arrive, but with it also comes the change in season. With the wettest winter in many decades almost something of the past, we can be sure that the we will have lots of fynbos and other plants blooming soon, if not already!

Add to this the unfortunate neighbours we have to live with in the Cape, the crop-spraying-farmers, we are in for a pollen and pollution loaded season.

This will bring great discomfort to many that suffer from allergies, asthma and hay fever related symptoms.

For the people that want the easy (risky) way out this means it’s time for your next cortisone shot. For others its stocking up on those wonderful anti-histamines.

For those of you that want a more natural approach, the following will be meaningful.

When we are dehydrated, our body starts making more thick mucus to prevent the mucus membranes from drying out. To make the mucus, the body produces more histamine. The body follows this as a normal self preservation cause of action. If the mucus membranes were left to dehydrate, they will become permanently damaged, leaving our bodies open to disease causing pathogens!

Simply by increasing your water intake, the body will be able to naturally lower its histamine production. You drink lots of water, I heard… Well how much is too much or too little? Everyone seems to have an opinion based on what someone else said or what they think is enough. There seems to be great confusion. 

Your body is 70% water. The question is, how long can you leave water before it starts going off or turn murky, generally not longer than 14 days. So a scientific guideline is to take 70% of your ideal body weight and divide that by 14 days. This will give you the best estimate of how much water you should drink per day. 

Example: 60Kg x 70% = 42L water in the body / 14 days = 3L water per day. Sounds like a lot? Not really. 3L / 250ml glasses = 12 glasses per 24 hours.

Does tea, coffee and cool drinks contribute to your fluid intake? Yes it does. The questions is, would you do your laundry in this ‘fluid’? NO! Or would you top up your swimming pool fluid level with water from the bath or kitchen sink? NO!

Then why on earth would you want to do that with your body? Water is water and tea, coffee or (colourless water)  ‘contaminated’ water is not pure water. 

Use clean water if you want the health benefit from it.

Natural Remedies that may help for the worst of symptoms can be taken and won’t put an extra tax on your over taxed body:

Liver Detox

The liver is one of the greatest pieces of engineering ever designed. It filters all the blood that the body contains every 10 minutes. So when you take an anti-histamine or a Coke, or a cup of tea, the residues that end up in the blood gets filtered by the liver, and kidneys of coarse. The liver is the main detoxifying organ in the body. So when you inhale polluted air the liver eventually takes care of it. This is the reason why taking Liver Detox by Sevenpointfive helps greatly to rid the body of toxic build up of any kind.

Assimil 8

When we eat stuff that is altered genetically, sprayed with pesticides or irradiated, our bodies struggle to ‘digest’ these properly. When we do not break down these ‘foods’ correctly, some improperly digested food particles may end up in the blood causing allergic responses by the immune system cells. When Assimil 8 is taken before these foods are consumed, it lessens the effect on the body.

SBO

Even when the foods are digested properly but the gut lining is damaged, we may find food particles crossing the gut lining at the wrong place or wrong time during digestion. These end up in the blood and cause allergic responses by the immune system cells. SBO is a super strong natural probiotic that helps the body repair the gut lining so that only the correct particles end up crossing over from the gut into the blood.

Vitamin C is a great immune modulator and helps reduce the effect of toxins in the system. It is also vital in the repair and maintenance of daily cellular repair, especially in the respiratory tract.

Quercetin is of great value in helping to reduce the bodies over reaction to toxins. The plant chemicals in the quercetin, has a natural antihistamine action in the body. It is also an antioxidant that helps to minimize the effect a toxin can possibly have in the body.

Elderberry

Studies demonstrate that elderberry may have a measurable effect in treating the flu, alleviating allergies, and boosting overall respiratory health. I find it especially helpful to relieve the itchy feeling in the eyes and nose. It’s of great help with a runny nose.

MSM

The natural anti-histamine.

Msm offers fast relief from pollen allergies, commonly known as hay fever, a major allergic reaction.   MSM can be as effective as any anti-histamine available on the market. 

MSM does not act as an anti-histamine substance, that inhibits histamine production. It's effectiveness is due to it's ability to block the receptivity of histamine in the sensitive tissue of the mucus membranes of nasal passages. This process is believed to prevent the histamine from creating the inflammation, swelling, and fluid build-up that can come with allergies. MSM does not produce any unpleasant side effects, unlike prescription medications and over-the-counter pain killers, and there are no known drug interactions.

MSM does not produce the drowsiness, slowed reaction effects that come with the conventional anti-histamines. Patients that have taken MSM have reported back to their physicians that their pain levels were 50 percent less, or better, after taking the supplement. Most of the patients reported improvement and a drop in pain and allergy symptom levels within a weeks time.

Olive Leaf the Allergy Buster

Allergies are often manifestations of the immune system being overloaded by the constant assault of pollution associated with modern life. 

The olive leaf spray (containing oleuropein) by Sevenpointfive, is an immune system booster known to help control and eliminate various allergies. The antioxidants of olive leaf act directly to eliminate free radicals from the body, as well as aiding with digestion. The less energy that your immune system uses acting as a “cleanup crew” for the body, the more of it's resources are available for combating environmental allergens such as Pollen, Dust and Mold. The key to utilizing olive leaf as consistency as possible so that the immune system may permanently shift it's focus to environmental allergens, and away from internal toxins, leaving you happier, healthier and more able to enjoy life.

Luffeel Tablets and Nasal spray

The homeopathic constituents of Luffeel are coordinated in such a way that it offers a comprehensive treatment for allergies. The nasal spray works locally on the respiratory mucosa, whilst the tablets works on allergy everywhere. It includes the treatment of hay fever, allergies of the skin and mucus membranes, chronic inflammation and glandular swelling.

I hope this helps you to have a better season this year. If you feel that your specific allergies are more severe, you are welcome to book a Live Blood Analysis consultation with me or any other Sevenpointfive consultant to delve deeper to find the problem. You may also want to read my article on wheat, dairy and sugar.

Happy spring

How to have a healthy and natural pregnancy in spite of your gynaecologist . (Part 5c)

Remedies AFTER labour

by Christo Lues

Once it’s all over, the pain from a normal delivery disappears almost immediately when the mother holds the little bundle of joy, at least so I am told and also observed in the eight deliveries of my own children.

The body however now starts a repairing process, and this is what we will focus on in this section. The body is a living organism and has a self healing process built into every cell. Inside each cell is the original building plan (the DNA) of what the fully built cell should look like. The cell is able to replicate or heal perfectly, provided it has the required building material for building a healthy cell.

If we think that we are able to get everything our body needs from food, what we are saying is that the mass produced, genetically modified, artificially fertilized, pesticide sprayed, cold stored for months, radiated and microwaved fresh fruit and vegetables contains all your body needs… a no brainer if you think about it.

You should keep taking all the vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids that you were taking before and during pregnancy, because your body still needs all that to function optimally.

Having delivered your baby your body went through a natural, though extremely strenuous experience, so some internal and external bruising will occur. Although your body will repair this in time, given the nutrients like Omega SLO, there is great benefit in taking some homeopathic remedies aid the healing process. 

Traumeel S is one of the top remedies available. It comes in pill, drops, Ampules, Ointment and Gell forms. For fast recovery start using just after delivery. Take 10 drops or 1 pill every hour for about two days then as the body starts recovering, reduce the dose to about 3 x per day, till completely healed.

If you had a cesarean section, the same procedure can be followed and after the wound dressing is removed you can apply the Ointment to the scar.

Squaline can be applied to reduce scarring and stretch marks. Apply twice a day. Squaline can also be massaged into tender nipples. If you want to strengthen the nipples, massage the squaline into the nipples for about 3 weeks before delivery.

Something most first time mothers are not aware of is the contractions that follow the delivery. These are required to let the womb contract back to it’s original size. The womb needs to get back to size asap, as this reduces the chance for post partum hemorrhage.

Taking raspberry leaf tea, will serve as a tonic for the uterus, aiding in the contractions. When these contractions become very strong after the birth, it can be quite painful. To help reduce some of these overly intense and painful contractions, taking Spascupreel homeopathic tablets, is extremely effective.

If you had an episiotomy (cut or tear) Applying Silvermax afterwards will help reduce the chance of infection and speed up healing greatly. Taking a bath with sea salt in the bath will also help heal and protect the episiotomy against infection.

If you received pain medication, antibiotics, anesthetic or any chemicals before, during or after the delivery, you would want to get these out of your system as fast as possible. Taking Liver Detox spray help rejuvenate and clean the liver fast and effectively. Generally taking 5 sprays 2 x per day is adequate.

Weccesin Powder is wonderful using on baby’s umbilical. Simply sprinkle the powder on the umbilical with the change of every nappy. The remaining piece of the umbilical cord should fall off within three days after delivery. If you see infection (redness) or a little pus, spray the area with Silvermax with every nappy change then apply some Weccesin powder. Make sure to spray some Silvermax in baby’s mouth as often as possible.

In general the white on your baby’s tongue is NOT candida, but some residue from drinking breast milk. No action is required.

If however you start experiencing itchy nipples, chances of a yeast infestation (like Candida) is possible. This is also called thrush by some. In this case make sure to use nipple guards and cleaning them with GSE after each use. Also make sure that breast pads do NOT contain any plastic layers. Use cotton breast pads instead. If you do have a possible yeast infection, make sure to spray the GSE on the breast pads, your bra or any clothing coming into contact with your breasts. It may speed the healing process by walking topless for a few days (indoors…)

If baby does have thrush, you can clean her mouth with a very weak solution of Bicarb dissolved into water. Dissolve one teaspoon to a liter of boiled, water. Keep the cold bicarb solution handy when feeding, cleaning baby’s mouth with a cotton swab soaked in the solution.

Tips on breastfeeding for mothers can be found here… (Linnie’s Blog)

Make sure you also read parts  1, 2, 3 and 4, 5a and 5b

How to have a healthy and natural pregnancy in spite of your gynaecologist . (Part 5b)

Remedies DURING labour

by Christo Lues

It is very important to realize when you are in labour, and what false labour looks like. If you don’t know, you might end up in medical hands forcing you into real labour.

Many women arrive at their chosen maternity home, convinced that their very tight uncomfortable bellies herald that most important of days, the birth of their child, only to be told that they are not in labour. Or worse, the staff can't tell the difference between real and false labour and take charge of your labour by inducing labour or any of the procedures I mentioned previously. 

Signs of false labor;

There will be no blood-tinged show off mucus.

False labor pains usually;

• Do not become closer
• disappear on rest or when taking a warm bath
• the time between contractions are irregular and longer than real ones, often lasting anything from 1 to 15 minutes.
• Can be quite painful, but not increasingly so.

Recognizing labor

The following checklist will help you decide if you are in labor

• A greatly increased (but otherwise normal looking and smelling) mucousy vaginal discharge.
• A heavy sensation in the pelvis
• Very uncomfortable back and groin pain
• An increase in the frequency and strength of practice pains
• The slight slowing down in your baby’s movements

A day or two before labour you may find these signs;

• A few episodes of loose stools but not diarrhea, which is the bowels natural evacuation instinct or nature’s enema
• A slight bloody show of mucus expelled from the cervix - this can start from even 10 days before real labor.
• The cervix often dilates a few centimeters
• Many women experienced a surge of energy commonly wishing to clean up cupboards
• Increased irritability

Definite signs of labor;

These things must all occur for your baby to be born, although the sequence and variations of patterns my differ greatly.

• A show of mucus, as described above, must occur and will be ongoing while in labour. It is not necessarily the first sign but does often precede the next three signs.
• Contractions must occur even in so-called painless birth to expel the baby from the uterus and through the birth canal. Labour contractions typically have these characteristics; irregular initially… becoming more regular;   far apart (20-40 minutes)… closer together (1 or 2 minute intervals just before birth);   less strong... becoming more strong;   shorter (20-30 seconds) … longer (60 to 70 seconds at the end of the first stage).
• On internal examination, increased cervix dilation will be felt
• Breaking of the amniotic waters must occur, although this frequently happens later in labour. It might only be a trickle of water, often mistaken for leaking bladder, or it may come out in a gush. Slight tears of the membranes often spontaneously reseal and this may be completely without danger to the mother or child. In the event of great amniotic fluid loss, labour usually speeds up considerably due to the direct pressure of the babies head on the mouth all the uterus. Labour should follow within a few hours (up to 12) of this greater amniotic fluid loss and the baby’s movements and heartbeat should be carefully monitored.

Once the above occur it may be a good idea to get your midwife close by…

Homeopathy for the first stage of labour

The remedy Caulophyllum will help relax an overly tight cervix mouth where slowed dilation leads to great distress and prostration in the labouring woman. It often also restores contractions that will have ceased and can, in so doing, avoid steps of intervention like booster induction or cesarean section. 

Most practitioners use it in a 7CH or and 9CH potency and either from a few days before the woman’s due date or starting at the moment she is in labour. Use every 30 minutes or every hour during labour.

Cimicifuga is a remedy that acts strongly on the central nervous system including the impulses to muscular organs like the uterus, improving its function. Women who are very agitated during labour and who have a particularly low pain threshold profit greatly from its regular use during labour.

Rescue, in drop (preferred) or tablet form is a Bach Flower remedy that will help you to cope if you feel that you are losing control during labour. 

If you experience terrible anxiety of sudden onset just as labour begins used Aconite to release. 

If your labour is very slow to get under way, use Pulsatilla to speed it up without stress.

Other remedies during labour.

Coral 8 is great for helping along the contractions. When a muscle contracts it uses calcium and to relax it needs magnesium. If these minerals are depleted or in low supply labour will be more challenging, Coral 8 supplies the body with highly absorbable ionic calcium, magnesium and all 72 trace minerals that makes the body work correctly. Let your partner open these in your mouth or simply chew the capsule. Then slowly let it dissolve in the mouth. You can use this remedy as often as is needed during labour.

Cell Food™ is great for when it feels like you have no energy left or become extremely out of breath. Taking Cell Food™ will supply a bolus of energy and oxygen into your system if put in a little water. In a situation, usually just before delivery, a woman may become oxygen depleted, possibly resulting in spasms of the hands or other muscles. In this instance place 3-5 drops directly under the tongue - warning, it has a strong taste, but works instantly!

Arnica oil for massaging the back is extremely helpful when baby moves down and the mother experiences some pain. Massage in one direction, i.e. not up and down.

Chamomile oil can also be used for massaging and will have a calming effect on the mother without stopping labour.

In the final post (5c), I will look at remedies to be used after delivery.

Also have a look at Part (Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 and 5a)

How to have a healthy and natural pregnancy in spite of your gynaecologist . (Part 5a)

by Christo Lues

How to avoid an un-natural pregnancy

In the previous articles (Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4) we have talked about how to have a natural pregnancy in spite of your gynecologist. I want to end off this final part (divided into 3 subsections before - during and after birth) by giving a few guidelines on what you can do to help yourself in an emergency situation or when you do not go into labour spontaneously. 

So how do we avoid an unnatural pregnancy?

The best way is to listen to your own body, to know what your body is like and how your body responds, in other words, read the signs of labour early.

This cannot be done if you do not know your own body. The first step would be to get in touch with your own body. So how do you do that? This is not something that happens overnight it takes practice, it requires trust and it takes time.

Having said that, there are certain general signs that you can look out for. 

The main thing is you must trust that God built your body in such a way that it can do its own thing and thus have a natural pregnancy.

This means that very few women will be too small to bare a baby. God made you the right size and will not make you bear an elephant!

Secondly, baby will be born when he/she is ready. You will NOT be pregnant forever :-)

Thirdly you will be able to bear the pain, it’s not unbearable and your body is designed to handle this kind of thing through secreting certain hormones  during the labour.

Remedies BEFORE labour

One of the best ways to have a healthy pregnancy is to be healthy - before you start. This really means that you start at your own birth! Living a healthy life from childhood will certainly make your eggs (and sperm) healthier than someone that starts a month before they decide to fall pregnant.

But this may only be for a few ‘lucky’ individuals who’s parents had that foresight… as for the rest of us we have to start as soon as we realize wanting a healthy pregnancy, means that we have to start living healthy asap!

DETOX (for Both…)

It’s fascinating to see emphasis what everybody places on the woman who is going to have a baby, and how the problem is always first investigated with the woman. Although the female reproductive system is infinitely complicated and important, as far as genetic composition on contribution to the conception process, the male health is at least equally important. 

So when we talk about detoxing for the purpose of preparing for a healthy pregnancy we are referring to the couple.

Detox is not simply cleaning your colon, as many may think. I recommend a detox of every cell of the human body. The only proper, and therefore effective, detox I know is that of Sevenpointfive. The reason for this is that the Sevenpointfive philosophy helps the body Cleanse, Nourish and Balance every cell in the body. One of the most important factors about this detox is that it strives to correct the pH of the bodily fluids to the ideal pH of 7.5. This is much like a swimming pool. Once you have the correct pH of the water in the swimming pool, maintaining the pool takes very little maintenance. 

After the Sevenpointfive detox, you are put onto a maintenance program (much like maintaining your pool) to keep you healthy. This includes a good and healthy diet and some supplements to help maintain your body.

It’s very important to remember that in order to produce healthy eggs (and sperm) you need to start at least 4 months before conception, six months is more desirable. Having said that, if you are pregnant already, its never too late to start. Find a Sevenpointfive consultant close to you.

In general, I recommend that the expecting or soon to be expecting mothers take at least the following supplements - note, I use mostly the Sevenpointfive range, because in 15yrs of clinical practice I have not found any product that comes close as far as efficacy, potency, value for money, purity and integrity goes.

Antioxidants - in the modern age we are swamped with toxins from the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the ‘food’ we eat. If you want to protect yourself and your baby against the effects of these and other toxins including electro-pollution, then you need a potent and wide spectrum antioxidant - I recommend Activ 8.

Vitamins - are the building blocks of every living cell in the body. If your gynaecologist thinks differently he must have flunked biochemistry. If he reasons that you get everything from your diet, well what he really means is that the mass produced, genetically modified, artificially fertilized, pesticide sprayed, cold stored for months, radiated and microwaved fresh fruit and vegetables has all that your body needs… a no brainer if you think about it. I recommend a high quality product like Viridian High Five multi-vitamin. If the mother has some stress or struggle to sleep I recommend Mindset instead of the multivitamin.

Essential fatty acids, are as the name suggests are ESSENTIAL. This means that the body cannot produce it, even if we lived 100% healthy and organic. You NEED to take it in, much like water. These build the ‘skin’ of every one of the cells in your body and that of your baby. When the skin of every cell is healthy then the body is more healthy. It also forms the building blocks of your much needed hormones before, during and after pregnancy. Studies have shown that babies of whom the mothers supplemented with omega 3 oils during pregnancy, are born with more brain folds - they are more intelligent than babies of whom the mothers did not. Omega oils are also essential in maintaining a healthy immune system. I do not recommend so called purified or concentrated oils - as much of the natural essential ingredients are removed, making these less effective than natural pure fish oils, although they are marketed as the real thing. I also do not recommend plant based omega 3 oils,(ALA and LA) as these cannot be utilised effectively by the body, unless the body converts it to usable (EPA and DHA). This process is often quite ineffective and not enough omega 3 oils is absorbed in this way. I recommend the use of Omega SLO, because it is certified 100% pure, it contains EPA and DHA as well as Squaline and Alkoxyglycerol that is needed for every function in the body. These substances are also essential for healthy lactation.

Minerals forms the frame for the rest of the body. Think of the baby forming bones, blood and organs by using the available calcium, magnesium and other minerals in your body. If you do not supplement with the correct absorbable minerals, your body will simply loose minerals to the developing fetus, leaving you depleted and vulnerable to disease.

I recommend the use of ionic coral calcium sachets in your purified drinking water to correct the pH of the body so that proper absorption can take place of all nutrients. These sachets however does not supply enough physical minerals to build the body, for that we need to add minerals in ionic form. I recommend Coral 8 capsules which contains the correct balance of calcium, magnesium, vit D and all of the essential 72 trace minerals we need for a healthy body.

Other remedies can be used to prepare your body for labour.

Raspberry leaf tea is a tonic for the uterus and helps tone the uterus so that it can contract and relax resulting in healthy contractions for natural delivery. 

If you are afraid of tearing during labour, you can massage your perineum with Squaline to make it softer and stretch easier. Do this 2 x per day - if it becomes difficult, your husband will be happy to help out…

Something that you may not have considered is a water birth. Read more about water birth here...

In part b I will talk about what remedies can be used during labour.