Coffee With Kate

The mountain is abuzz with life and colour.  This is thanks to the generous rains that we have received in the Cape.  The spring flowers are out as well as every kind of beautiful insect you can imagine.  It really is such a gorgeous time of the year.

This is also the time of the year when the whales hug our shores with their brand new calves. Sometimes they come so close in shore that I can see the barnacles on their bodies from my vantage point on my deck here at House Clifton, perched up against the mountain slopes of Lions Head with a sweeping view of the sea below.

Last evening while wandering around the garden enjoying the evening fragrance of the flowers in bloom, I saw one of the three clicking stream frogs that grace my garden, this one looking decidedly fat which makes me wonder if it is about to produce some offspring. Well it is spring!

And now I’m planning another trip, this time to Mozambique. I have on previous occasions had some amazing intrepid excursions to this part of the country; it will be interesting to see what this one brings.

I must look through my files for the written record of one particular trip. Returning after a scuba diving trip from Mozambique to Durban in a light aircraft, where soon after departing the airport we were engulfed in an unprecedented, tumultuous storm. Not being an instrument rated aircraft we were largely dependent on visual navigation.....there was virtually no visibility for the storm had closed in on all sides.

Skimming precariously over tree tops, trying to look for roads to guide us, we suddenly found ourselves over a large lake and then equally suddenly there was this large mass directly in front of us. The pilot’s good reactions and flying skills got us over the top of a huge range of high dunes where we picked up the coast line. We continued flying precariously low, following the shoreline as this provided the best visibility and if we were going to, possibly also the safest place to crash.

The plane was being tossed and buffeted all over the show, up down and sideways, and my body along with it. The pilot sitting next to me began to smell, it was the smell of fear, I realized then that we were in deep trouble.

We repeatedly sent out calls that we were in trouble, our signal eventually got picked up by a Boeing ‘The Springbok” flying directly overhead, they relayed our distress message and location to Virginia airport in Durban, gave our estimated time of arrival, so that if we did not arrive in or around that time, a search party would be despatched.

There were many times that I felt sure we would ditch the plane, but we made it, thanks to the pilot Peter who is one of my dearest and closest friends. There were 4 of us on the flight. Three people being qualified pilots.

I should write about the time Peter and I flew across Africa in this same small aircraft, but that’s another story.

Peter and I on our diving trip off Margaruque one of the Mozambican Islands

Ginger

Herbalists say when it comes to quelling the queasiness of motion sickness, ginger has no equal. In fact, research demonstrates that ginger beats dimenhydrinate, the main ingredient in motion sickness drugs such as Dramamine, for controlling symptoms of seasickness and motion sickness. Ginger stimulates saliva flow and digestive activity, settles the stomach, relieves vomiting, eases pain from gas and diarrhoea, and is effective as an anti-nausea remedy. This aromatic herb also helps lower cholesterol. Herbalists have also found it to be useful as a pain reliever.

Mint

Herbalists use mint, the premier stomach tonic, to counteract nausea and vomiting, promote digestion, calm stomach muscle spasms, relieve flatulence, and ease hiccups. Menthol, the aromatic oil in peppermint, also relaxes the airways and fights bacteria and viruses. Menthol interferes with the sensation of pain, short circuiting the nerve transmission from pain receptors. Thus it may be useful in reducing headache pain. Scientific evidence suggests that peppermint can kill many kinds of micro organisms and may boost mental alertness. In one study, people who inhaled menthol said they felt as if it relieved their nasal congestion, although it did not increase their measurable airflow.

Oregano

Oregano contains at least four compounds that soothe coughs and nineteen chemicals with antibacterial action that may help reduce body odour.   The ingredients in oregano that soothe coughs may also help unknot muscles in the digestive tract, making oregano a digestive aid. This familiar spice also contains compounds that can lower blood pressure.

Parsley

Diuretic herbs such as parsley prevent problems such as kidney stones and bladder infections and keep our body’s plumbing running smoothly by causing it to produce more urine. Parsley also relieves bloating during menstruation. Parsley is an effective breath freshener because it contains high levels of chlorophyll.

Clove

Oil of clove is 60 to 90 percent eugenol, a potent pain deadening antimicrobial. Clove has earned the official endorsement of the FDA as an effective stopgap measure for tooth pain. Clove is also among the spices that can help the body use insulin more efficiently, thus lowering blood sugar somewhat. In one lab study, clove was also found to speed healing of cold sores.

Dill

Dill has been used to soothe the digestive tract and treat heartburn, colic, and gas for thousands of years. In fact, the word dill comes from the Old Norse word dilla, meaning to lull or soothe. Like parsley, dill is rich in chlorophyll, which also makes it useful in treating bad breath.

Fennel

Rich in volatile oils, fennel is what is known as a carminative herb, it can ease bloating, gas pains, and digestive spasms in the small and large intestines. Fennel can also reduce bad breath and body odour that originates in the intestines. Women who are breast feeding may find that fennel, which works in a way similar to the body’s hormones, increases milk flow.

Garlic

Intact garlic cloves contain an odourless, sulphur-containing amino acid called alliin. When the garlic is crushed, alliin becomes allicin. Research shows that allicin helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure and helps prevent blood clots. Garlic can also reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Compounds in this familiar bulb kill many organisms including bacteria and viruses that can cause earaches, flu and colds. Research indicates that garlic is also effective against digestive ailments and diarrhoea. What’s more, studies suggest that this familiar herb may even help prevent cancer.

Sixty million years of evolution says vitamin D may save your life from swine flu – say No to vaccines

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, Natural News Editor

(Natural News) People still don't get it: Vitamin D is the "miracle nutrient" that activates your immune system to defend you against invading microorganisms -- including seasonal flu and swine flu. Two months ago, an important study was published by researchers at Oregon State University. This study reveals something startling: Vitamin D is so crucial to the functioning of your immune system that the ability of vitamin D to boost immune function and destroy invading microorganisms has been conserved in the genome for over 60 million years of evolution.
As this press release from Oregon State University (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...) explains:
The fact that this vitamin-D mediated immune response has been retained through millions of years of evolutionary selection, and is still found in species ranging from squirrel monkeys to baboons and humans, suggests that it must be critical to their survival, researchers say.
"The existence and importance of this part of our immune response makes it clear that humans and other primates need to maintain sufficient levels of vitamin D," said Adrian Gombart, an associate professor of biochemistry and a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
The announcement goes on to explain:
In primates, this action of "turning on" an optimal response to microbial attack only works properly in the presence of adequate vitamin D, which is actually a type of hormone that circulates in the blood and signals to cells through a receptor. Vitamin D is produced in large amounts as a result of sun exposure, and is available in much smaller amounts from dietary sources.
Vitamin D prevents the "adaptive" immune response from over-reacting and reduces inflammation, and appears to suppress the immune response. However, the function of the new genetic element this research explored allows vitamin D to boost the innate immune response by turning on an antimicrobial protein. The overall effect may help to prevent the immune system from overreacting.

Without vitamin D, you're a sitting duck

What this study reveals is that without sufficient levels of vitamin D circulating in your blood, you're a ripe, juicy target for influenza (H1N1 or otherwise). If you lack vitamin D, your immune system can't "activate" to do its job. That's why people who are deficient in vitamin D so frequently get winter colds.
But people who are high in vitamin D have the nutritional power to activate their immune system so that it can respond to invading pathogens. Crucially, vitamin D also manages to balance immune response and prevent inflammation -- the leading cause of death in the 1918 influenza pandemic.
So not only does vitamin D protect you from the initial infection; it also prevents your body from over-reacting and killing you with inflammation (which typically gets expressed as bacterial pneumonia, an infection of the lungs).
Smart people today are doing two things:
1) Saying NO to vaccines.

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com