Herbal Health

There are a number of different brands of insulin that are called Isophane or NPH. NPH stands for Neutral Protamine Hagedorn. It was developed in Dr. Hagedorn’s laboratories in Denmark and the insulin is combined with a substance called protamine which prolongs its effect in the body.

These insulins are a suspension of insulin crystals and so form a cloudy fluid when prepared for injection. This cloudy fluid has to be mixed well before drawing up, as the insulin particles settle to the bottom of the bottle.

Protaphane HM (Isophane insulin NPH)

Protaphane has a moderately slow action.

This is a Human Isophane. Protaphane may start to have its effect within 1 1/2 hours of the injection and has its maximum effect from between four to twelve hours. Activity fades rapidly after twenty hours. For some children on small doses it may provide good coverage of insulin through the whole day, but many children need a small addition of quick acting insulin (Actrapid) to the Protaphane to cover the early part of the day. The proportion of Actrapid to Protaphane will usually be about one to three or four, but this varies according to how a child responds to the insulin. For many children the effect of Protaphane is not strong enough through the night and it may be necessary to give an evening injection as well.

A hypoglycaemic reaction due to Protaphane given before breakfast is likely to occur in the late afternoon, but may occur during the night.

Insulatard (Isophane insulin NPH)

Insulatard has a moderately slow action.

This is Human Isophane insulin. Insulatard may start to have its effect within 1 1/2 hours of the injection (sometimes even before) and has its maximum effect from between four to twelve hours. Activity fades rapidly after twenty hours. For some children on small doses it may provide good coverage of insulin through the whole day, but many children need a small addition of quick acting insulin (Velosulin) to the Insulatard to cover the early part of the day. The proportion of quick acting insulin to Insulatard will usually be about one to three or four, but this varies according to how a child responds to the insulin. For many children the effect of Insulatard is not strong enough through the night and it may be necessary to give an evening injection as well.

A hypoglycemic reaction due to Insulatard given before breakfast is likely to occur in the late afternoon, but may occur during the night.

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•     Buy organic produce whenever possible. (When tested, organic farmers who farmed and ate vegetables without pesticides and chemical fertilisers had almost double the sperm count of men from other professions such as engineers and electricians.)

•     Avoid, as far as possible, food and drinks in plastic containers or wrapped in plastic, especially fatty foods in plastic. This is because xenoestrogens are lipophilic (fat-loving) and will therefore migrate into foods like cheese and crisps. Remove food from plastic packaging as soon as possible. And reduce your own intake of saturated fats.

•     Do not heat food in plastic especially in a microwave oven. (Scientists have discovered that Clingfilm used in the microwave leaches damaging chemicals into the food.)

•     If your vegetables and fruit are not organic, wash them thoroughly. You can buy a wash (like Veggi Wash) from your health food shop which claims to be able to remove farm chemicals, waxes and surface grime. Washing cannot alter the amount of pesticides inherently absorbed into the vegetables. But peeling fruit can lower the pesticide residues by about three-quarters.

•     Increase your intake of fibre – it helps prevent the absorption of oestrogenic chemicals into the bloodstream. Fibre is found in wholegrain, vegetables and fruits (organic ones of course!).

•     Eat more cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower, because they are high in a substance called indole-3-carbinol which reduces the metabolism of oestrogen into a toxic form while speeding up its elimination.

•     Eat phytoestrogens, like soya, which can reduce the toxic forms of oestrogen in the body.

You may be saying to yourself: ‘Why can’t they leave our food alone?’ Unfortunately, the producers’ agenda is never health or safety. It is always financial. But it is important to emphasize that you do have a good deal of control over the food you eat. The British public has been much quicker than the Americans to reject GM foods, forcing the issue out into the open and proving that public pressure does make a difference. For example, in 1989 a chemical called alar that was routinely sprayed on apples was withdrawn after mothers organized a nationwide protest against the suspected cancer-causing chemical. Once you realize what is in the food we eat, you will probably want your family to be protected from the dangers all the time – not just when you are trying to conceive. Get a water filter that can remove a high percentage of oestrogens from the water supply. Some filters can also remove pesticide residues, fluoride and heavy metals like lead.

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•    Any painful condition should be properly treated, and the cause cured if at all possible. If it can’t be adequately treated pain-killers should be taken before retiring, to ensure that you get adequate rest and sleep. All pains seem to be worse if you are tired so getting good sleep helps reduce the pain the following day.

Acute, feverish illnesses can usually be coped with fairly successfully. Drink plenty of fluids and take an aspirin to reduce the fever if it is keeping you awake. This kind of insomnia is usually very short-lived (only a night or two) and does not often cause much of a problem.

•    Never drink tea, coffee, cocoa or cola drinks in the three or four hours before you go to bed.

•     Take 100 mg of vitamin  complex. Some people need extra vitamin B1 to cure their sleeplessness. Taking  vitamins (and especially vitamin B3) too late in the day can have a stimulant effect and keep you awake. Take the  complex at 4.00 p.m. at the latest.

Zinc should be taken at a dose of 25-50 mg daily; and a combination of calcium 1-2000 mg and magnesium 500-1000 mg last thing at night. The essential amino-acid tryptophan 1000 mg can also be a useful dietary supplement, especially if depression is the cause of insomnia.

•     Never go to bed on a full stomach. Allow an hour or two to pass before retiring after a large meal. Wind, nausea and indigestion prevent millions of people from getting off to sleep and only a proportion can be helped with antacids. For many people the combination of alcohol and a large meal is the problem-try leaving out alcohol when you go out late in the evening. On the other side of the coin are those who lay awake hungry with their stomach rumbling. Have a snack of cereal or biscuits, perhaps a hot milk drink, just before retiring.

•     Apart from dietary restrictions on those foods which can be found by trial and error to cause nightmares and night terrors in children, there is little that can be done to prevent these events. Sometimes the child is obviously disturbed when awake and may well benefit from professional psychological help. Many children of troubled (for example, divorcing or separated) families sleep poorly and have frequent dreams and night terrors. Prevention starts with looking carefully at the child’s waking day. A few children are terrified by science-fiction characters and things they have seen on TV-common sense can sort out most of these problems.

•    It is helpful to relax before going to bed rather than expecting to sleep immediately, after a hectic physical, emotional or mental event. A hot bath can stimulate rather than relax-a tepid shower is probably better. Sitting down and listening to the radio, watching TV or reading a book are good ways of switching off from the demands of the day.

I have mentioned that excessive exercise before going to bed is detrimental to sleep, so is exercise a promoter of sleep at all? The answer is definitely yes, but it has to be the right type of exercise and taken at the right time. Regular exercise is essential for vibrant health and most people sleep better if they have had at least some exercise during the day. The best exercise before bed is a brief walk. Certain yoga postures are said to encourage sleep and some people find that a period of relaxation, including deep breathing exercises, helps relax them too.

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