Section 15
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VENEREAL DISEASES (STD)
SYMPTOMS—Blisters around the vagina, burning when urinating, anal pain, itching, pelvic inflammation, penile discharge, sore throat, flu-like symptoms, and more.
Chlamydia does not always have warning symptoms.
Here is a brief comparative analysis of the symptoms of nine of these STDs:
Chlamydia: In women—a burning sensation when urinating. A white vaginal discharge resembling cottage cheese. Itching, painful intercourse. In men—a clear, watery, urethral discharge. But often no symptoms at all.
Genital Herpes: Itching and burning in the genital area. Discomfort when urinating. A watery vaginal or urethral discharge. Fluid-filled, weeping, eruptions in the vagina or on the penis.
Genital Warts: Single or clustered, soft, cauliflower-like growths in and around the vagina, anus, penis, groin, and/or scrotal area.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): Fever and lower abdominal pain. A pus-filled vaginal discharge.
Trichomoniasis: In women—a foamy, greenish or yellow, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, vaginal itching, and pain. In men—a clear urethral discharge.
Syphilis: a sore on the genitals; accompanied by rash, fever, patches of flaking tissue; sore throat; and sores in the mouth or anus.
Gonorrhea: In women—a cloudy vaginal discharge, frequent and painful urination, vaginal itching. Inflammation of the pelvic area, rectal discharge, and abnormal uterine bleeding. In men—a pus-filled, yellowish, discharge. Often there are no symptoms for months. In women there may never be symptoms, yet all the while they are infecting men.
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome): Aids has many symptoms; see "AIDS."
CAUSES—Venereal diseases are transmitted by intimate contact, when at least one has had more than one partner. STDs can cause urinary tract problems, sterility in women, and prostatic inflammation in men.
At the present time, one teenage girl in four has a STD. Some of these diseases can kill newborn babies.
Chlamydia, which often shows little or no symptoms, can cause urinary tract infections and adhesions which can result in sterility.
TREATMENT—
• The only genuine protection is abstinence. Marry a person who never has, and never will have, sex with another during your lifetime. Then both of you remain faithful to each other to the end.
• As for condoms, a University of Texas research study proved that 30% of the time they do not protect against AIDS.
• If you have one of these diseases, see your physician and/or follow the directions for "Cancer" in this book.
ENCOURAGEMENT—When all seems dark and unexplainable, we are to trust in God's love. You need His help. In His strength, you can stand for the right and come off more than conqueror in the battle against temptation.
GONORRHEA
SYMPTOMS—In women, no symptoms may ever appear. When they do, it may include vaginal discharge, frequent and painful urination, abnormal menstrual bleeding, acute inflammation in the pelvic area, and rectal itching. Symptoms generally appear 7-14 days after sexual contact. In men, symptoms are generally present, including difficult and painful urination, a yellow discharge of pus, and mucous from the penis. Symptoms appear 2-14 days after contact. The discharge continues 6-8 weeks.
CAUSES—As with syphilis (which see), the effects of gonorrhea keep getting worse. The secondary stage is difficult to detect and so is often misdiagnosed as arthritis. The gonorrhea is entering the bones, joints, tendons, and other tissues, causing mild fever, aches, inflamed joints, and sometimes skin lesions. In men, the outcome can be sterility.
As long as 10 years later, the urethra may narrow or stricture, making urination difficult and at times impossible. This produces serious inflammation of the bladder. This occurs more often in men than in women.
Women, who unknowingly contract gonorrhea from their husbands, generally do not know they have the disease until it is far advanced. The infection can travel up the uterus, into the Fallopian tubes, and out into the abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis and possibly death. If that does not occur, then the tubes may eventually seal off due to the infection, causing sterility and pus pockets which cause pain and infection.
TREATMENT—
• See your physician. Go on a cleansing program. Drink lots of lemon juice. A entire changeover to a good diet and way of life is required. Follow the program outlined under "Cancer."
• Go to bed as soon as you know you have this disease. Go on a cleansing program of fruit juices. Take 2 high enemas a day,
• Here is a tea with which you can wash the sores: myrrh, goldenseal root, witch hazel, chickweed, and sorrel.
• Drink 3 cups of this tea daily: skullcap, hops, white oak bark, uva ursi, sage, poplar, red root, and juniper; take 2 high enemas each day.
• A tea of red raspberry leaves and witch hazel leaves can be used as a douche for women, including after each urination.
• A tea of aloes, goldenseal, and myrrh can be washed on sores and ulcers.
• But keep in mind that all this work will be a waste of time if certain other lifestyle changes are not made.
ENCOURAGEMENT—There is hope for everyone who will seek God's face. He alone can provide for our needs; He alone can give us the solutions we need.
SYPHILIS
SYMPTOMS—A chancre appears on the skin, either on the mouth, in the mouth, or on the genitals. It is also called a hard chancre or Hunterian sore. This is a red, painless, raised ulcer with hard, well-defined edges, and appears 10 days to 3 weeks after exposure, and lasts from a few days to several weeks. In women, it sometimes develops on the cervix and so is not recognized.
Later, a rash and patches of flaking tissue appear in the mouth or genital area. This skin eruption consists of either a few red, pimply, blemishes or a profuse crop of various types of blotches. By this time, the disease is well-established throughout the system.
Later stages occur, as the disease worsens. Paralysis, insanity, and death are the final outcome.
CAUSES—Syphilis is caused by the germ, treponema pallidum, which is corkscrew in shape and much larger than most bacteria. Drying quickly kills the germs, so they must remain wet; they generally enter the body through a living source—another person (acquired syphilis) or through the placenta to the unborn child (congenital syphilis). But, in some instances, it has been transmitted to the dentist during dental work.
TREATMENT—
• See your physician. Go on the treatment outlined under "Cancer" in this book.
• Helpful herbs include goldenseal, pau d'arco, echinacea, and suma. But a thorough cleansing and building program, such as is explained under "Cancer," is needed.
ENCOURAGEMENT—Determine that you will study God's Word every day and obey everything you read. Let every day begin a new page in your life. Pray earnestly and take every step in the Lord.
CHLAMYDIA
SYMPTOMS—Vaginal or urethral discharge, genital inflammation, difficulty in urinating, itching around the inflamed area, and painful intercourse.
CAUSES—According to the CDC, more people in America contract Chlamydia than any other sexually transmitted disease. Over 4 million new cases are diagnosed yearly. Nearly 20% of teenagers in the United States are known to have contracted it. But these figures do not include the large number that are not reported. Nearly 10% of men and 70% of women who have chlamydia—have no symptoms. So one can expect that the total number having, and sharing, this highly contagious disease is vast indeed.
But, whether recognized or not, the effects of chlamydia are serious. About 30% of the women become sterile and pelvic inflammatory disease and other reproductive problems can, and do, result. In young women, the disease can also produce a form of arthritis.
In men, prostate infection and seminal vesicle inflammation may occur later. (Symptoms of prostatitis include pain when urinating and a watery mucous urethral discharge.)
The disease is transmitted through the discharge produced by both men and women. If one spouse is treated for this, the other one must be also.
To delay treatment is to intensify the effects of the disease.
TREATMENT—
• This is a complicated disease; see your physician.
• If you wish to supplement such care with natural remedies, you will need to undergo a thorough natural healing program, such as is detailed in the article on "Cancer."
ENCOURAGEMENT—How can we solve the problems we have? Only in Christ can they be resolved. He can do for you those things you could never do for yourself.
GENITAL HERPES (Herpes Type II)
SYMPTOMS—Recurrent fluid-filled blisters on the genitals that rupture, leaving red, inflamed, painful lesions. These are preceded by a slightly irritating tingling. When the lesion appears, it is accompanied by a sharp pain.
CAUSES—Of the 90 varieties of animal herpes, only four affect humans. Herpes is a virus that causes recurrent blisters and ulcers (cold sores, also called fever blisters on the lips [Type I] and on the genitals [Type II]). (See "Cold Sores" for information on Type I.) A third type is herpes zoster, which causes chicken pox and, as a secondary infection, shingles. (See "Chicken pox" and "Shingles.") Type II can produce blisters either on the genitals or on, or around, the mouth.
We will here deal only with Type II, which is also called herpes genitalis, venereal herpes, and genital herpes. It is the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in the United States. One-sixth of all Americans (about 30 million) have the disease, although about half never develop serious symptoms. A half million new cases are reported yearly, and 80% are 20 to 39 years of age. The first attack generally occurs about 4-8 days after initial exposure to a sexual partner. Each occurrence is quite painful and lasts up to three weeks; but, once a person is infected, the disease can be transmitted at any time. Symptoms reoccur from every few weeks to once a year or less. Scarring does not usually occur, but can. Outbreaks rarely occur after the age of 50.
Herpes is a virus which enters the body thorough the skin and travels into nerve groups at the base of the spine. It remains with you the rest of your lifetime. But it can be dormant for years and then appear again when the immune system is lowered by poor diet, stress, illness, too much sunlight, or harmful chemicals.
Type II reoccurs when sexual intercourse takes place, as a result of irritation to the skin. It is not a newly invaded infection, but one which was received from a sexual partner at an earlier time.
This viral infection can range from a symptomless infection in the nerves to a major inflammation of the liver, accompanied by fever. In women, it can lead to cervical cancer.
There seems to be a link between having Type II and later developing atherosclerosis.
As a baby passes through an infected birth canal, it can get Type II and possibly have brain damage, blindness, or death as a result. If an attack occurs late in the pregnancy, the baby should be delivered by cesarean section. If no lesions are present, the baby is far less likely to become infected as it passes through the birth canal.
TREATMENT—
• The diet should be alkaline in reaction. Foods to avoid are sweets; refined and processed foods; alcohol; and, for some people, citrus. Eat only nutritious food.
• The virus lives in red meat and fat, and you do well to stop eating meat products. There are substances in meat which encourage the growth of Type II.
• DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide), a by-product of wood processing, is a liquid which can be placed on the affected area to relieve pain and promote healing. Only use the type sold in health food stores.
• Some physicians prescribe BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) for this disease, but it is known to cause perforated stomachs.
• Apply black walnut or goldenseal extract to the area. Also useful is cayenne and red clover, both externally and internally.
• Other helpful herbs include goldenseal, echinacea, myrrh, aloe vera, and burdock.
• Lightly dab tea tree oil on the affected area several times a day, either full strength or slightly diluted. It is a powerful antiseptic. Do not get it near your eyes.
• Drink only distilled water and get plenty of rest.
ENCOURAGEMENT—Jesus draws near to everyone who is hurting, who needs His help. He can forgive and fulfill our deepest needs. In Him we can find strength, and peace, and power to overcome.
AIDS (HIV)
SYMPTOMS—Loss of appetite, weight loss, candida, fatigue, various infections, intestinal problems, skin diseases, immune system disorders, fevers, brain and neurological disorders, and many other symptoms.
CAUSES—AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a disease that does not need to happen. If people controlled themselves, it would never have gotten started, and would eventually die out. But, instead, it is an exploding epidemic.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) invades special immune cells in the body, which are called T lymphocytes, and then slowly multiplies over a long period of time. As it does so, the body's immune system gradually crumbles. All this time, the disease appears to lay dormant (and only an HIV test will reveal that a person even has the disease). But, after three to ten years, enough of the body's defenses are broken down that full-blown AIDS develops. Suddenly, very pronounced symptoms appear, which are called "AIDS-related diseases." These include pneumo-cystis carinii pneumonia (PCP, found in 60% of those with AIDS), Karposi's sarcoma (a rare type of skin cancer), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV; which see), cytomegalovirus (CMV), toxoplasmosis, and tuberculosis.
The less deadly AIDS-related diseases are often the first to appear. The first sign is often the tongue coated with white bumps. This is oral thrush, a type of candida (candidiasis; which see). Intestinal parasites (which see) and herpes simplex virus (herpes type I) are two other relatively simple infections which can occur. All indicate that the body's immune system is damaged, although candida, parasites, herpes simplex, Epstein-Barr virus, and tuberculosis can occur in those who do not have AIDS.
Most of those who are HIV-positive eventually develop full-blown AIDS. Once that occurs, they generally live only a few years. The median survival time, after full-blown AIDS appears, is 26 months.
Researchers are searching for an "AIDS cure"; but the HIV virus changes form so fast, it is unlikely a cure will ever be found.
Some say the origin of AIDS is unknown, and that the earliest documented case of it appeared in 1981 in San Francisco. But there may be undocumented cases of it in the 1970s.
Others say that there is a different origin of AIDS. Dr. Eva Snead feels that the virus was created in the laboratories. She insists that, if you have been vaccinated, you have the virus.
Then there is Dr. William Campbell Douglass, M.D., who, in his book, AIDS the End of Civilization, maintains that the vaccines were made from the kidney of the green African monkeys, and that the disease was purposely invented to eliminate certain people.
The disease is transmitted by oral, vaginal, and anal sex; common needles for IV drugs; contaminated hospital and dental equipment; commercially prepared blood products; and immunotoxic lubricants. In other words, HIV is transmitted by sex, street drug IVs, blood transfusions, and getting someone else's blood into your eyes or into cuts on your skin. It is not possible to contract HIV by giving blood.
TREATMENT—
• There are definite indications that those who test positive for HIV, yet who take good care of their immune systems, are less likely to develop full-blown AIDS. Those most often in this category are individuals who contracted HIV by accident (such as hemophiliacs) and normally lived healthful, clean, lives. Many of them never develop AIDS.
• Conduct yourself properly, so you are not likely to contract HIV in the first place. Maintain an excellent immune system through proper diet, rest, exercise, etc.
• But if you contract HIV, then you need to think through what you need to change in your life. And then set to work to rebuild your immune system.
• Raw foods, such as fruits and vegetables, especially those high in vitamins A, B complex, C, and E are very important. Take vitamin C to bowel tolerance. Selenium and zinc, along with potassium, calcium, and magnesium are also important.
• Garlic, cabbage, kelp, and lots of fresh and cooked greens are important. Eat whole-grain products.
• Limit your intake of soy products, without fully dropping them.
• Stop eating meat, processed food, and junk food. Banish tobacco, alcohol, and coffee. Avoid those who smoke.
• Here are herbs which will help rebuild the immune system: echinacea, burdock, garlic, goldenseal, pau d'arco, psyllium, suma, and ginkgo.
• Also important is black radish, dandelion root, and silymarin (milk thistle extract), to strengthen the liver. Aloe vera inhibits the growth and spread of HIV. St. John's wort tends to inhibit retroviral infections.
Certain activities tend to tear down the immune system faster than anything else. Everyone should be aware of what those activities are:
• Using any form of nicotine.
• Drinking alcohol.
• Using street drugs.
• Taking medicinal drugs.
• Eating primarily junk food.
• Sexual excess, especially non-monogamous sex.
• Overeating and getting little exercise.
• Eating lots of pork, shellfish, and animal fat.
• See your physician and/or follow the instructions for "Cancer" in this book.
ENCOURAGEMENT—You have a bright future, if you will give your earthly life to Jesus, just now. He can forgive your past and empower you, by His grace, to obey His Ten Commandment law. Everyone in the world needs Him. You can be one of those who find Him.
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