Traditional thinking: The physics model. It has always been thought that the main causes of excess body fat are simply too little exercise and/or too much food. The traditional model for defining this has been encompassed by the formula:

Change in energy stores = Energy intake (EI) – Energy Expenditure (EE)

Where EI = calories from food, EE = resting metabolic rate (MR) + thermogenesis + daily physicalactivity.

There are now a number of reports that have established this is clearly inadequate for describing weight gains and losses in living organisms. According to the above calculation, for example, it has been estimated that a 75kg man who is in energy balance and who then adds an extra slice of toast and butter (100kcal) a day to his diet for 40 years would gain around 189kg over that time—a prediction which is clearly not sensible. The discrepancy results because energy is more closely balanced in free living organisms than was once thought. This comes about because there are changes in EE and EI with changing weight (e.g. changes in metabolic rate and the energy cost of activity, or changes in food intake with changes in physical activity). The above formula then needs to be modified to reflect rates of change, thereby allowing for the effects of changing energy stores on energy expenditure. It is now clear that initial differences between EI and EE (such as a modest increase in total calorie intake) do not lead to unbounded changes in body mass, hence the insufficiency of the physics approach.

*75\186\4*

A laparotomy is a major operation involving a cut in the abdomen. Both conservative laparotomy and hysterectomy are performed as part of a laparotomy. This section describes what will happen before, during and after a laparotomy.

Conservative laparotomy and hysterectomy for endometriosis are described in detail later in this chapter.

Things to think about before a laparotomy

Before your operation it is important that you make sure that you and your gynaecologist agree on the purpose and nature of your surgery and that you have resolved any questions or concerns that you may have. If necessary you should make a special visit to discuss these issues. Ideally, the preparation for your surgery should involve preparing yourself physically and emotionally for the operation itself as well as planning for your recuperation period afterwards.

The healthier you are before surgery the more quickly you are likely to recover afterwards. It might be worthwhile taking a few steps to improve your general health if necessary.

Measures that might be worth considering include eating a nutritious diet, taking vitamin and mineral supplements, particularly vitamins B, E and C, and exercising regularly.

If you are a smoker it would be advisable for you to quit smoking at least one to two days before your operation to reduce the likelihood of anaesthetic complications. If you are taking the oral contraceptive pill it may be best to stop taking it for a month or so before your surgery to reduce the risk of complications, particularly thrombosis. If you are overweight, losing some weight will help reduce the risk of complications.

You should also make sure that you are completely happy with your decision to have the surgery. Do not hesitate to seek the advice and support of others if necessary.

Before you go into hospital you should arrange to have some help with household tasks such as cooking, laundry and cleaning when you return home.

What happens with a laparotomy

Precisely what will happen when you have your laparotomy will depend to some degree on what sort of surgery you are having, the practices of your gynaecologist and the practices of the hospital. What follows should only be used as a guide.

You will probably be in hospital for about five to seven days if you are having a conservative laparotomy, or seven to ten days if you are having a hysterectomy.

You will usually be admitted to the hospital the day before the operation. After you have gone through the formalities of being admitted to the ward someone will probably take your medical history. A nurse will take and record your temperature, pulse, breathing rate and blood pressure. An electrocardiogram and blood and urine tests may be taken, particularly if you are having a hysterectomy. Your pubic hair and the lower part of your abdomen will usually be shaved and you may be given a suppository if you have not opened your bowels that day.

A physiotherapist may visit you and teach you some breathing and foot and leg exercises to do after the operation, especially if you are a smoker, an asthmatic or prone to chest infections.

The anaesthetist will visit you to discuss the operation and ask you about any allergies and previous problems that you may have had with a general anaesthetic, such as nausea.

Some time before your operation you will be given a consent form to sign so that you can give your permission to undergoing the operation. You may have previously signed the consent form when you discussed the operation with your gynaecologist during an earlier visit.

At bedtime you may be offered a sleeping tablet to help you sleep in the unfamiliar hospital ward. It is important to have a good night’s sleep before your operation so it is advisable to take the sleeping tablet if it is offered.

You will not be allowed to have any food or drink for at least six hours before the operation. Shortly before the operation you will be asked to shower and put on a gown and you will be asked to empty your bladder. About an hour before you are due to go to the operating theatre you will probably be given an injection, known as a pre-med or a premedication, which will probably make you feel relaxed and sleepy and make your mouth dry.

If you are apprehensive about your surgery you may like to ask if you can have your partner or a friend or a close relative come to stay with you for the hour or two before you go into theatre.

Immediately before the operation you will be taken to the operating theatre. In the operating theatre an intravenous drip will be inserted into your arm and you will be given the general anaesthetic. After you have lost consciousness a tube will be placed in your throat and connected to a machine that breathes for you.

A tube known as a catheter may be inserted into your bladder to drain the urine.

A horizontal cut about ten centimetres in length will usually be made across the abdomen along the pubic hairline. Sometimes the cut will be made vertically between the middle of the pubic hairline and the navel, particularly if you have previously had a vertical cut or if bowel surgery is likely.

The gynaecologist will then thoroughly inspect the pelvic cavity for any signs of endometriosis, adhesions and other damage so that she or he can plan the operation and decide which procedures need to be carried out.

When the surgery has been completed the gynaecologist will stitch up the wound and the tube in your throat will be removed. You will then be taken to the recovery room for about half an hour before being taken back to your bed in the ward.

After a laparotomy

After your operation you will have an intravenous drip in your arm to provide you with fluids so that you do not become dehydrated as you will not be allowed to drink. You will usually have a catheter draining your bladder for the first day or two if you have had a hysterectomy. You may also have a tube coming out of the surgical wound to drain any excess fluid and debris from the area of the operation.

For the first twenty four hours after your operation the nurses will observe you closely. They will chart your pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and temperature frequently and check your wound and record any vaginal bleeding. During this time your gynaecologist will come and discuss the operation with you.

The physiotherapist may visit you again to help you with your breathing and foot and leg exercises.

You may experience some nausea and/or vomiting immediately after the operation. To help relieve this you may require an injection.

You will usually feel drowsy and experience pain for the first few days following your surgery, particularly from your wound. The tube that was placed in your throat may give you a sore throat for the first day or so. Two to four days after your operation you will probably experience wind pain which can be very unpleasant and uncomfortable.

For the first day or two you will either be given painkilling drugs continuously through your intravenous drip or you will be given painkilling injections every four to six hours. You will then progress to painkilling tablets.

When you first start to drink again you will be allowed only to suck ice and sip small quantities of fluid. Once you are able to cope with fluids and any nausea and vomiting has ceased your intravenous drip will be removed. When you have passed wind you will be able to progress onto a light diet of semi-solids and then onto a normal diet if you have no problems. You will probably not open your bowels for the first two to four days after your operation but if constipation becomes a problem you may be offered suppositories.

You will sit out of bed for a short time on the day after your operation and you will be encouraged to move around a little more each day as your condition improves.

When you return home you will then require another three to five weeks of recuperation if you have had a conservative laparotomy, or another three to seven weeks if you have had a hysterectomy. It is important that you do not just rest in bed but that you move and walk around each day and gradually increase your activity level as you recover and feel better.

You may tire quickly for the first week or two, so you will need some help with household tasks for the first one to three weeks, especially if you have children. When you start to do the household jobs again you should do a little at a time and still have plenty of rest. Do not try to be a superwoman as it will only slow down your recovery in the long-term.

For the first week or two after you return home you may still have some discomfort or pain so a mild painkiller such as Panadeine or Panadol may be necessary. The vaginal discharge, if you have had it, usually persists for about two weeks after surgery but it may last for up to six or eight weeks following a hysterectomy.

Most of the healing of the wound occurs in the first two weeks after surgery. After that you can lift light loads but it is probably best to avoid lifting heavy loads if possible for the first month or so. You can drive the car again when you are fit enough to do light gardening and walk up stairs quickly, generally about three to six weeks after surgery. You can have sexual intercourse again when your doctor has examined you about six weeks after your operation.

You should notify your gynaecologist immediately if you develop any of the following symptoms:

A fever

Your wound becomes tender, swollen and red

A discharge appears from your wound

Severe abdominal pain or cramps

Urinary frequency and scalding when passing urine

Pain or bleeding when using your bowels

Your vaginal discharge develops an unpleasant odour

Your vaginal discharge persists beyond six to eight weeks

Tenderness and/or swelling in your calf muscles

Increasing soreness of the calf muscles when walking

Shortness of breath, chest pain or pain when breathing.

Risks and complications of a laparotomy

The risks associated with a laparotomy are greater than those associated with a laparoscopy but they are still fairly low. Most of the complications are relatively minor and they usually resolve themselves fairly quickly.

The complications which may occur at the time of surgery include an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic, uncontrolled bleeding and accidental damage to internal organs such as the bowel or bladder.

Complications which may develop after the operation while you are still in hospital include constipation, bleeding at the wound site, urinary infection, wound infection, chest infection, heavy vaginal bleeding, difficulty emptying the bladder, and thrombosis (when a blood clot forms in a vein, usually in the pelvis or a leg) and embolism (when a blood clot lodges in the lung).

Complications which may develop after you return home include wound infection, bleeding from the wound, urinary infection, a vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odour and a change in bladder and/or bowel function which may persist for one to two months.

*65\83\2*

The menstrual cycle involves a series of hormonal events which occur at fairly regular intervals. The average menstrual cycle is approximately 28 days, although this may vary considerably between women. The menstrual cycle involves four distinct phases:

Day 1-5: menstruation (the menstrual period);

Day 3-13: the proliferative or follicular phase;

Day 14: ovulation;

Day 15-28: the luteal or secretory phase.

Although the first day of menstruation is usually referred to as the start of the menstrual cycle, the menstrual period (days 1-5) is actually the culmination of the hormonal changes which make up the menstrual cycle.

Ovulation-On about day 14 the oestrogen levels in the bloodstream reach a peak which causes the pituitary gland to release a surge of luteinising hormone (LH). This surge of LH causes the mature ovarian follicle in the ovary to rupture and release its ovum. This process is known as ovulation.

*6\83\2*

Linolenic acid, one of the fatty acids most abundant in linseed oil and soy oil, has been found effective in preventing blood clotting. Norwegian medical researcher, Dr. Paul A. Owren, has demonstrated that one tablespoonful of purified linseed oil a day can prevent heart attacks caused by blood clots. Dr. Owren says that linseed oil is rich in the blood platelet anti-adhesiveness agent known as linolenic acid. Most vegetable oils are largely deficient in this fatty acid. Tests with corn or safflower oil, rich in linoleic acid (not linolenic) showed that they had little or no effect.

Deficiencies in minerals and trace elements have also been shown to play an important role in heart disease. A significant decrease in heart disease mortality could be achieved by an increased dietary intake of calcium, reported several researchers in a British medical journal. Other studies have shown that the geographical incidence of cardiovascular disease is higher in soft water areas and lower in hard water areas. Hard water is rich in minerals, including calcium and magnesium, and trace elements.

A new concept of heart attack has been advanced by a Canadian doctor, P. Prioreschi. On the basis of many experiments from all over the world, he concluded that myocardial infarction is not due to coronary thrombosis, but rather to a metabolic derangement in the tissue. He cites specifically a mineral imbalance as a major contributing cause of heart disease. He names sodium chloride (common table salt) as one of the most dangerous cardio-toxic agents. Potassium has been found capable of counteracting the heart-damaging effect of cardio-toxic agents and thus preventing heart attacks. A diet containing large quantities of raw fruits and vegetables will provide an adequate dietary intake of potassium.

Deficiency in another nutritive element, lecithin, is indicated in heart disease. Lecithin is a fatty substance, mostly abundant in soybeans. It has an emulsifying effect on fats, including cholesterol. It has been demonstrated in numerous tests that persons who suffer from coronary thrombosis almost always have a low blood lecithin level. Lecithin prevents clot formation, and thus diminishes the risk of a heart attack.20 Lecithin supplement to the diets of those who are heavy meat eaters should be of a special importance. Meats are the main sources of cholesterol.

*86\58\2*

Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. It is reported that well over ten million Americans are afflicted with heart disease. Over 50 percent of all deaths in the United States result from heart disease, which is a much higher percentage than in most other civilized nations. If the term epidemic was not limited to infectious diseases, this would be called the most dreadful epidemic in man’s history!

The most tragic aspect of heart disease is that many Americans suffer and die from it in the prime of their lives. Men and women in their best years, on the pinnacle of their professional success, just when they should be harvesting the fruits of their labors, succumb to premature death in increased numbers. Recent tests have shown that 70 percent of our young people between the ages of 20 and 25 suffer from various degrees of arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which often leads to heart failure.

One of the reasons why we lead the world in heart disease is our failure to develop an effective program of preventive medicine in respect to heart disease. Much research money is wasted on trying to find a cure, a drug or a surgical procedure, which will solve the mounting problem of this mass-killer. The plain fact is, however, that the mystery of heart disease was solved long ago. The causes, as well as the means of preventing heart disease, have been known for a long time. Many European countries have used this knowledge launch massive programs directed at preventing heart disease.

*79\58\2*

Biological clinics attach great importance to alternating hot and cold showers, particularly for patients with arthritis. These showers are always taken in the morning.

The procedure is as follows: First, a warm shower for about five to ten minutes, to warm up the body. This is followed by a cold shower for half a minute to a minute. The water should be as cold as the patient can stand. Following the shower, the patient receives a vigorous dry brushing with a stiff brush and is rubbed with a coarse towel until he is completely warm.

The importance of the alternating hot and cold shower lies in the fact that it stimulates the adrenal and other endocrine glands and reactivates their functions. Some practitioners call it “a cortisone injection, without cortisone’s undesirable side effects.”

Therapeutic baths

Therapeutic baths play a very important role in the overall biological therapeutic program. In addition to alternating hot and cold showers, mentioned above, the following baths are employed: whirlpool massage, sitzbath, Kuhne-bath, steam bath, sauna, overheating baths, warm sand baths (Bircher-Benner Clinic), Schlenz-bath, etc.

*71\58\2*

The human body is the most complex and most perfectly designed construction in creation. Its ingeniously designed system has been perfecting itself for thousands of years. Forced to fight rugged conditions of nature and a hostile environment, the body has developed an effective defensive mechanism to meet the “demands of stress.” It has, among other things, its own healing capacity which is greater than the medical sciences can ever hope to achieve. The human body is equipped with the most intricate defensive, healing and restorative system capable of facing all kinds of infections, health-abusing practices, and physical and mental stresses which may threaten its health or life. A complex glandular system—particularly the lymphatic glands, tonsils and endocrine glands—forms a defensive line against hostile invaders and other factors which pose a threat to the organism. If this Maginot Line is broken, there are other forces on the second line of defense ready for action. Fever is one of these second-line defensive and healing forces.

When the first line of defense is broken and the infection is taking hold, the body initiates a new drastic emergency measure in the form of a raised temperature. The high temperature speeds up metabolism, inhibits the growth of the invading virus or bacteria, and literally burns the enemy with heat. This is not wishful thinking but a scientific fact, proven by Dr. Lwoff in many experiments. Many biological doctors, who use fever as their ally, can testify that fever, indeed, is a “great medicine.”

Fever is an effective protective and healing measure not only against cold and simple infections, but against such serious diseases as polio1 and even cancer.2 In biological clinics in Europe, overheating therapies have been effectively used also in the treatment of rheumatic diseases, skin disorders, insomnia, and muscular pains.

How malaria prevents and cures cancer

About twenty years ago the great Pontine swamps, not far from Rome, Italy, presented a constant source of malarial infections. Then the swamps were dried out and malaria disappeared. But a remarkably strange observation was made recently. While earlier the whole malaria-infected area was free from cancer, now, twenty years later, the population there shows the same incidence of cancer as the rest of Italy. This shows that the frequent fever attacks, common in malaria patients, stimulated the body’s own defenses so that cancer could not develop. This incident was reported by the famous German cancer specialist Medical Professor Werner Zabel.

Too weak to have fever

Those who do not understand the nature and purpose of fever are often puzzled by the fact that some elderly patients do not get fever, even when they are suffering from severe infectious disease. Post-mortem examination may show that they have died of a severe infection, yet their temperature never went up; sometimes it even remained slightly subnormal. The biological doctor, who sees fever as the body’s own healing measure, puts the pieces of the puzzle together easily: The patient was too weak and debilitated, and simply didn’t have the strength to mobilize the body’s defensive forces. He was, in other words, too weak to get fever!

*62\58\2*

The high natural carbohydrate—low animal protein diet that is the diet most conducive to optimum health, maximum vitality, and long life.

To be sure, you need good proteins in your diet. Proteins are essential for the proper functioning of all your vital organs and for the rebuilding and repair of your cells. But you must see that your diet does not contain too much animal protein. A high animal protein diet may cause such disturbances as overacidity, intestinal putrefaction, constipation, uric acid accumulation in the blood and tissues, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol level, obesity, etc.; and it may be a major predisposing factor in the development of such diseases as arthritis and heart disease. Studies have shown that a low protein vegetarian diet can prevent 97 percent of coronary occlusions. Other tests have shown that the amount of the essential amino acids cystine and tyrosine in the diets of vegetarians exceeded twice their minimum requirement and compared favorably to non-vegetarians.

A diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, beans, raw unpasteurized milk and milk products such as cheese, yogurt and dry milk powder, and fortified with wheat germ, brewer’s yeast and cold-pressed vegetable oils, will supply you not only with all the essential vitamins, minerals, enzymes, trace elements, and other vital substances, but with all the necessary proteins as well.

High natural carbohydrate—low animal protein diet holds the greatest potential for optimum health, vitality and extended longevity.

This is not a theory, hypothesis or wishful thinking. This is an established scientific fact. The Scientific Council of the International Society for Research on Nutrition and Vital Substances—the most objective, independent and qualified scientific authority on nutrition today—made the following recommendation for a completely balanced diet of optimum nutrition for optimum health: “A human being needs:

for the undisturbed physiological functioning of his organism,

for sufficient vitality and energy to carry out his daily responsibilities,

and for building up of optimum health and prevention of diseases of old age,

a complete diet of whole foods with the following characteristics:

natural foods, free from harmful additives,

an adequate supply of vital substances (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, fatty acids, trace elements, etc.),

a moderate supply of calories and energy-producing foods such as refined carbohydrates,

a lacto-vegetarian diet of fresh foods (diet of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and milk and milk products).”

*53\58\2*

The Waerland system is basically a preventive health system. Waerland lectured and taught his health program to millions of healthy people with the purpose of improving their eating and living habits, preventing disease and achieving over-all better public health. But because of the fact that people generally are not interested in health until it starts to evade them, most people who listened to Waerland and adopted his ideas and his diet were sick people, in most cases incurably sick, given up by conventional medicine as hopeless cases. Thus the Waerland system became more a therapeutic than a prophylactic method, for which it was originally intended. Fortunately, a health system capable of protecting one’s health and preventing disease is also generally capable of correcting disease and restoring health. Waerland’s thereapeutic methods have now been applied in the treatment of many diseases in dozens of clinics and sanatoria in Europe and have proven to be very effective. Many remarkable cures are reported from time to time in various types of health literature from Europe.

*45\58\2*

In European clinics and kurorts sitz baths have a specially preferred position. There are three forms of sitz baths: warm, cold, and alternate hot and cold sitz baths.

The hot sitz bath is beneficial for relieving pain and inflammation in the reproductive organs and other organs of the pelvic region. The water should be as hot as Can be borne comfortably and the duration of the bath from 10 to 15 minutes.

The cold sitz bath has a stimulating and invigorating effect on the reproductive organs and the spine. It is popularly called a “youth bath,” because it has a rejuvenating effect as the result of increasing blood circulation to the vital centers. Many men have found that cold sitz baths have banished their “bedroom fatigue” and increased their libido. The temperature of the water should be 50-65 degrees and the duration of the bath from three to five minutes. After the bath rub yourself dry and warm with a coarse bath towel.

The alternate hot and cold sitz bath is best for patients with lowered vitality. This bath requires two tubs: one containing hot and the other cold water. The patient first sits in the hot water for 10 to 15 minutes, then changes to the cold for half a minute. Make three to four changes, always finishing with the cold water.

Here’s how you can take a do-it-yourself sitz bath in your own home without a special tub:

Fill your bathtub with water about eight inches high, or a little less than half-full. Sit in the tub with your knees drawn up so that only the “sitz” and the feet are covered by the water. For patients in a weak condition, it is advisable to place their feet in a small tub or pan filled with warm water.

A sitz bath can be taken two or three times a week.

*37\58\2*