Keep this herb on hand for dry coughs; Patterns in your lab work can reveal a great deal; How nutrition can help someone with mental health struggles when the cause has nothing to do with nutrition
An herbs many uses from weight loss to coughs from viral infections; these lab patterns may go unnoticed by your doctor
A Lung Supportive Herb for Dry Coughs
Since we are entering the time of year when we spend more time indoors, leading to a greater spread of viral infections, I wanted to share information about another useful herb (a previous post discussed a different lung-supportive herb).
Fenugreek is better known for its uses for blood sugar balance and stimulating breast milk production, but like all other herbs, the benefits and uses are often wide-ranging.
Fenugreek can stimulate the appetite after one is sick with a virus and has lost weight. Interestingly, for one who needs to lose weight, it can have an appetite-reducing effect and support weight loss and healthy cholesterol levels.
However, Fenugreek can also moisten the lungs when someone has a dry, non-producing, annoying cough. Fenugreek can clear out sinus congestion, reduce painful sinus headaches, and loosen the mucus to allow it to drain properly.
Consume Fenugreek as a tea by simmering 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of the seeds in water for about 10 minutes. Consume up to three times daily. Another way to use this herb is to soak one tablespoon of the seeds overnight to soften them and eat them in the morning or add them to a breakfast smoothie. As a capsule, take Fenugreek up to three times daily. Capsules range from 380 to 500 mg, and most bottles suggest a dose of 1 g. one to three times daily. As a tincture, take 30 to 40 drops mixed in water.
Contraindications: Since Fenugreek can lower blood sugar, if you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar levels and speak with your prescribing doctor first. Fenugreek may impair the absorption of some drugs, so take it at least two hours away from your medications. Avoid during pregnancy as it can be a uterine stimulant.
Clinical data is lacking on Fenugreek’s effectiveness for dry coughs. This does not mean it does not work; it just means, like many other herbs, we lack the research because herbs are not as profitable as drugs are, and conducting research is expensive.
Sources
Hoffman, D. (2003). Medical Herbalism. Healing Arts Press
Mars, B. (2007). The desktop guide to herbal medicine. Basic Health Publications
Skenderi, G. (2003). Herbal Vade Mecum. Herbacy Press
https://naturalmedicines-therapeuticresearch-com.tcsedsystem.idm.oclc.org/databases/food,-herbs-supplements/professional.aspx?productid=733
Lab Analysis: How Patterns Can Point a Functional Practitioner to What is Really Going on in Your Body
If you saw my recent post,
Blood Chemistry Panel-easy to understand, interpret and apply; Health from a needle
Customized Blood Chemistry Analysis I have always enjoyed reviewing labs and identifying underlying issues that allopathic professionals may miss. However, I have been disorganized in presenting the findings to my clients and have finally created a concise, straightforward, and easy-to-understand report.
I have created a detailed method to identify what is happening with your health outside of the red-flagged lab markers on your lab work.
It is concerning when a doctor tells you everything on your labs looks excellent, but you do not feel great.
Another scenario is when your doctor tells you your labs are terrific, but the next time you run labs, your doctor wants you on a statin and another medication for type 2 diabetes. What happened in one year? Shouldn’t there have been indications that your numbers were headed in this direction and thus mentioned to you so that you could prevent these issues?
What about patterns? For instance, what if your total cholesterol and triglycerides are elevated, and your serum potassium is low? From a nutrition perspective, this pattern would guide the health professional to give you different dietary recommendations than if just your triglycerides were elevated.
Or this pattern for another example: your total cholesterol and triglycerides are low, but conventional medicine considers this healthy. Suppose both are low, and you are not on a strict, healthy vegan or vegetarian diet or cholesterol-lowering medications. Other lab markers and patient history should be examined to rule out another commonly missed health condition.
Examining every biomarker and the relationships between them can help guide you to health versus only looking at what is outside of conventional ranges.
If you are interested in a lab analysis from a functional and nutritional approach, go to this post for the details.
Does Mental Health Benefit From Dietary Interventions?
Recently, someone said to me (paraphrasing), “Not all mental health issues would benefit from a nutritionist; if a person has depression because they experienced severe trauma, they would not see a nutritionist.”
Trauma is a stressor to the body. The body responds to stress by increasing our desire for carbs and sugar (energy to run from the tiger). Chronic, ongoing, unresolved stress could disrupt stress hormones and lead to nutrient deficiencies since a stressed body requires more nutrients.
Nutrition intervention can help the body adapt to stress and restore nutrients and balance. It would not be the only therapy the person would need, but it should not be dismissed.
It doesn’t mean this rule applies to everyone with trauma. Years ago, I had a depressed client struggling with a significant and traumatic loss. However, by the time I had seen them, they had been changing their diet and honestly did not need my intervention. I let them know and instead referred them to someone who could be of more use.