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B1 Deficiency
From Dr. Kim: Those at greatest risk of Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) deficiency include some young children and teenagers, stressed adults, those who exercise very heavily, alcoholics, pregnant women, those on fad diets, and people suffering from malabsorption diseases. Marginal deficiencies without clinical symptoms may be quite common among these groups. Elderly people are also at risk of thiamin deficiency and this may lead to reduced mental functioning, depression, weakness, suppressed immunity, and gastrointestinal problems. 

Early thiamin deficiency may be easily overlooked as the symptoms are generalized and can include fatigue, depression and stress-induced headaches. There is some evidence to suggest that recurring mouth ulcers are due to thiamin deficiency.

Thiamin deficiency affects every cell in the body. Deficiency symptoms may be due to the interference of nerve functions dependent on thiamin and the build-up of toxic compounds as carbohydrates are incompletely metabolized. Factors which increase the demand for the conversion of carbohydrate to energy; for example, exercise, alcohol and sugary foods; may aggravate thiamin deficiency. Severe thiamin deficiency causes Beriberi. Beriberi can affect the cardiovascular system (wet beriberi) and the nervous system (dry beriberi).

One of the earliest signs of thiamin deficiency is reduced stamina. Depression, irritability and reduced ability to concentrate are later followed by fatigue, muscle cramps and various pains. Dry beriberi symptoms include numbness and tingling in the toes and feet, stiffness of the ankles, cramping pains in the legs, difficulty walking, and finally, paralysis of the legs with wasting of the muscles. Permanent damage to the nervous system can occur if the deficiency is not corrected in time. Thiamin deficiency may also be associated with reduced tolerance to pain. 

Baker's Cyst   Walt's Baker's Cyst Summary & Q&A Archive     Diagram of Normal Knee and Knee with Baker's Cyst
Also called Popliteal Cyst. A synovial cyst or pouch that occurs in the popliteal space (the synovial lining of the knee). Typically these cysts are not painful unless swelling is extensive. In the absence of a specific trauma, they are usually caused by chronic bracing. Aspiration of the cyst is therapeutic only temporarily, since recurrence is common. Larger cysts can be removed surgically. In Walt's experience and opinion, any properly surgically-treated Baker's heals by primary intention. That means total healing within a month, and no more drainage after a few days.

A Baker's "Cyst" is a misnomer since it is only a collection of the leaked fluid (from the tear in the joint capsule) into the tissue spaces at that site. As such, it cannot really be removed since the "wall" of the "cyst" is just compressed normal tissue. The true surgical procedure is to locate the tear in the joint capsule and repair it. The only reason for removing the accumulation of fluid is to impress the patient that something was actually done--once the leak was fixed, the fluid inevitably would be absorbed by the body.

Baldness   Walt's Baldness Summary and Q&A Archive
The loss of hair from parts of or from the whole head. The most common cause of baldness in women and a VERY common cause of premature baldness in men is "chronic stress-effect storage in the hypothalamus" with scalp muscle bracing. Walt says that if you get rid of that condition BEFORE the hair follicles die, all of the hair will come back.

BB - Bulletin Board

BCIA - The Biofeedback Certification Institute of America     BCIA web site, searchable to find a practitioner     
Formed in January 1981 to establish and maintain professional standards for the provision of biofeedback services and to certify those who meet these standards.

Bedwetting     Walt's Bedwetting Q/A Archive

Before you ask a question   What to do BEFORE you ask a question in the Ask Dr. Stoll webboard

Berberine
A toxic organic substance which is found in the roots of certain plants such as Barberry and Golden Seal. It kills amoebas (is an amoebacide) and is used to treat cholera.

Also: Berberine is an alkaloid found in Golden Seal, Barberry, and Mountain grape. Berberine is anti-microbial, anti-cancer, and increases blood flow to the spleen.

Beta
A brainwave ranging from 14-20 Hertz. Beta is the state of normal, wakeful consciousness. As we are working, driving, talking, etc., we are most likely in Beta. On the higher extremes, Beta is sometimes associated with anxiety, panic or stress.

BFE - Biofeedback Foundation of Europe BFE Web site
Founded to promote a greater awareness of biofeedback among European health professionals and, through training workshops, to educate clinicians in the use of biofeedback techniques and technology. BFE, P.O. Box 75416, 1070 AK Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

BioBalance   Walt's Biobalancing Q&A Archive   Amazon.com link
A book by Rudolph Wiley, published by Essential Science Publishing 680 S. 400 W. Box 124-6 Hurricane, UT 84737 The price is $15.95 ($12.95 + $3.00 shipping and handling), and their phone number is (435) 635-9798. We humans are genetically engineered to metabolize foods in radically different fashion. Hence while some people (AGs) will thrive on a vegetarian diet, and on one and only one subset of supplemental vitamins and minerals (I refer to these individuals as alkaline metabolizers), this very same diet and set of supplements will worsen the health of other individuals (acid [H/Gs] and mixed-mode [Mixed] metabolizers) who will need to eat (much maligned) red meat, and must take another subset of vitamin and mineral supplements. Some individuals (typically some women) must eat in one fashion during one period of time, and switch to a complementary nutritional regimen during another period in order to achieve ongoing, uninterrupted, optimal metabolic performance which characterizes peak physical and mental health.

Biofeedback   Walt's Biofeedback Summary and Q&A Archive    Conscious Living Foundation - source for simpler, inexpensive thermal biofeedback equipment, biodots, etc.      BFE Web Page    AAPB Web Site      EEG Spectrum site     The Biofeedback Certification Institute of America (BCIA)     Great ADD/ADHD site on using biofeedback instead of drugs     Biofeedback: The Process - Great Article!
One form of Skilled Relaxation. A process in which a person learns to influence reliably physiologic responses of two kinds: those that are not ordinarily under voluntary control; or those that ordinarily are easily regulated, but for which regulation has broken down because of trauma or dis-ease. Examples: breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature. Biofeedback is also called neurofeedback.

A western, technological development that allows us to do--within a few hours--what Eastern practitioners of mind body control took a lifetime to do. Thousands of years of empirical knowledge can now be duplicated quickly by combining Eastern Wisdom with Western technology.

BHAC - Bodies, Health, and Consciousness: A guide to Living Successfully in Your Body Through Rolfing and Yoga   Amazon.com link
A Rolfing book by Rosie Speigel. This is a user-friendly guide to integrating Rolfing and Yoga as a multi-disciplinary approach to body balancing. Through stories, illustrations, and photos, the reader is lead through a deepening of her or his understanding of structure, function, and somatic awakening. The tools, Rolfing and yoga, are presented as a seamless blend as two systems that enhance the benefit of each other.

Blood pH
Blood pH is affected by many things. (Robert McFerran)

Dr. Watson and Wiley found that blood PLASMA pH seems to be a barometer of metabolic health. They found that blood plasma pH for EVERYONE seems to be optimized at or around 7.46

They realized that the RATE of metabolic action (the creation of energy by burning food) resulted in changes in blood gases (like CO2). Whenever you burn ANYTHING in the presence of oxygen, you get water and carbon dioxide (CO2) and of course a release of energy.

A specialized pH meter (that costs about $500) is needed to accurately measure blood PLASMA pH. The measurement must be taken within a few minutes of the blood draw to get an accurate result. This precludes sending the sample out. I've never seen a physician's office with the right equipment.

If you wish to learn more, get BIOBALANCE by Dr. Rudolph Wiley.

Blowing one's Nose
Walt says: Blowing noses is NEVER recommended, medically, only by "Miss Manners" (sigh).

How much volume do you think one could get out even if people blew their noses every 15 minutes 24 hours a day? Considering that the average person drinks about a quart and a half of drainage every 24 hours, the amount is infinitesimal. When one considers what blowing does to the sinus drainage and ear tubes, the amount swallowed is actually increased by those who blow in relationship to those who do not.

People just do not like to think about "drinking snot" all day and night----SO, they like to think they are preventing that by blowing. After all, what would the handkerchief companies do? What would Miss Manners have to write about? What would "poor" doctors do when their patient visits dropped off because the complications of blowing no longer happened?"

BodyMind (also called MindBody)     Article on Mind-Body and Meditation
All research in the past 50 years has shown that there is no separation between body and mind. SO, to get people thinking about that, Walt tries not to separate them in anything he writes (at least not consciously).  It may well be even more accurate to say "BodyMindSpirit", although it IS a little awkward. See also Era III.

We've all heard that the mind leads the body. (See Era II) This is an important realization: that by changing what you believe, you can actually change what your body is capable of doing. But to bring things around full circle, it's critical to understand that the body leads the mind, too. Stand up straight, walk tall, and you will actually think and feel better.

Boils
Hot, moist compresses (a folded hot wet wash cloth with a trace of antibacterial soap on it -- Phase III, Safeguard, Dial, P-300, etc.) applied for 5 minutes every hour -- at the first sign of a new boil -- will usually reverse the process within a day or so and avoid most of the problem. You need to keep the heat at the point of its being uncomfortable (not enough to burn yourself) to get the job done in the 5 minutes. Every hour is best if you can do it. Do it at least 4 times a day for sufficient results.

Bowel Tolerance (here typically of Vitamin C)
Actually it is bowel "INtolerance". It is when one exceeds the bowel's ability to absorb the dose that the left over vitamin C causes loose stools.

Walt says, actually it is not necessary to wait for diarrhea to know that you have reached your tolerable dose: just softer stools is the first indication and it is THEN that it is a good idea to cut the dose slightly to avoid the looser stools.

Bracing   Walt's Article which talks a lot about Bracing    Walt's Bracing Q/A Archive
Constant, chronic, muscle tension that is usually below the level of conscious awareness, limiting blood supply to important parts of the body. 

A condition of unconscious muscle tension caused by severe, and overwhelming, stress-effect storage in the hypothalamus (the part of the brain where the interface between the environment, and body/mind function, is located)--commonly called the "fight or flight" effect.

Dr. Kim's version of Bracing:
Real or perceived trauma usually induces a fight/flight response in the body. The coccyx turns in to pull on the spinal cord to center it within the spinal canal for protection. The lateral pterygoid muscles tighten to help stabilize the cranial vault to protect the brain. Blood supply is diverted from the intestines to the muscles to prepare for battle. Upper trapezius muscles tighten to protect the neck, and so forth and so on. 
The end result with most people is that they get "stuck" in this survival mode. Dr. Stoll calls this Bracing.

Bracing and the effect on joints: When any muscle contracts, the opposing muscle for that joint is supposed to relax completely by reflex action. If it does not (the definition of "bracing": when all muscles stay contracted to a certain extent 24 hours a day, even when asleep) the muscles work against each other and grind the joint surfaces together harder than normal and aggravate the wear and tear of the joint surfaces. At the same time, the pressure in the Synovial fluid is greatly increased, leading to arthritis and Baker's Cysts.

Attempts to define bracing: Imagine that you are watching a Stephen King movie, riding the scariest roller coaster in the world, a phone call in the middle of the night, an intruder breaking into your home. OK, so what is your physical response to those events? How does your body feel? Your heart starts beating faster than normal, your breathing might become more rapid, your palms might sweat, your muscles tense - to name a few of the things that might happen to your body. Now imagine that you spend your days and nights in that constant state of "uptightness". That would be chronic bracing.

On bracing and shoulders: So many people seem to be having so much trouble connecting to what is meant by "bracing" I thought, perhaps a personal experience might do the trick. If you CAN "drop your shoulders", to the extent that you can, you are "holding them up". Why are you doing that? This is a direct measurement of how much fight or flight readiness you are holding in your hypothalamus. Your shoulders are designed to hang from your shoulder girdle and they should not be "hiked up" at all. NOW, a second measure of how "ready" you are is how long it takes for you to "rehike" your shoulders. Can you drop your shoulders now? It Didn't take very long for that shoulder tension to return, did it? This chronic muscle tension is "bracing" and the majority of people in this country do it 24 hours a day. This changes  completely, how the hypothalamus runs the entire bodymind and is a major cause of many of the chronic conditions in this country today.

Yet another description of Bracing: When danger threatens, the body produces chemical substances called "hormones" that prepare people for action. These hormones, such as adrenaline, are released into the bloodstream and are pumped throughout the entire body. They increase the tone in the muscles, preparing a person to jump into motion. They raise the heart rate, so that blood flows more rapidly throughout the tissues. They signal respiration to become more rapid, so that an ample amount of oxygen is available to supply the entire body in a crisis. They even increase the speed of thoughts, helping individuals to plan and to think their way out of trouble. These physical and psychological changes are helpful when people are actually threatened by danger. They are not so helpful if people experience them all day, every day. It is difficult for the body to remain in a state of "red alert" all of the time. If this occurs, people become tired, anxious and/or depressed.

Bracing and Muscle Glycogen:
Bracing depletes muscle glycogen, which is the second most important buffering factor in blood sugar maintenance.

There are 2 major buffering systems for maintaining blood sugar levels within a tolerance needed for survival. They are liver glycogen and muscle glycogen. Glycogen is just 2 glucose molecules tied together and is the storage form of glucose. This is convenient, because it takes only one enzyme to split the molecule for raising the blood glucose level when it is too low.

The first place where the body stores glucose is in the muscles. When THAT supply is low, the system switches to liver glycogen (when the person's blood glucose is even lower). When one is bracing, they do not have any muscle glycogen in reserve (one of the causes of CFS). This makes it easier for the blood sugar to go down to levels needed for liver glycogen to be liberated. When one has been doing bracing for a long time, even the liver glycogen becomes depleted, and hypoglycemic symptoms are more severe and common.

Brain Allergies: The Psychonutrient Connection Including Brain Allergies Today : An Update    Amazon.com link
A book by William Philpott, MD. Keats 1980

Brain Fatigue
Resetting Your Brains Sodium/Potassium Ratio In Theta. Your brain cells reset their sodium and potassium ratios when the brain is in Theta state. The sodium and potassium levels are involved in osmosis which is the chemical process that transports chemicals into and out of your brain cells. After an extended period in the Beta state, the ratio between potassium and sodium is out of balance. This the main cause of what is known as "mental fatigue". A brief period in Theta (about 5 - 15 min) can restore the ratio to normal,  resulting in mental refreshment.

Brain Fog     
Brain fog is often due to chemical reactions in the brain chemistry due to LGS peptides triggering immunological reactions. In addition, bracing of head and neck muscles may be reducing the oxygen & nutrients supply to one's brain through locking of the natural skull bone pumping movements. 75% of all nutrients to the hypothalamus get there via the cerebrospinal fluid which ONLY moves by this pumping movement.

Breathing Techniques
See The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook. As you learn to be aware of your breathing and to practice slowing and normalizing your breaths, your mind will quiet and your body will relax.

Bright's Disease (acute glomerulonephritis)   Walt's MVP Article
An affection of the kidneys, usually inflammatory in character, and distinguished by the occurrence of albumin and renal casts in the urine. Several varieties of Bright's disease are now recognized, differing in the part of the kidney involved, and in the intensity and course of the morbid process.

Broken Bones   Walt's Bumps, Bruises, Strains and Fractures Q&A Archive

Bruising, excessive, what to do to stop it
Take 3 grams of pure bioflavinoids every day. Within a few weeks you should see results, with complete clearing in a few months. Once you are clear for a month or so, you can cut the dose in half. If no more bruising occurs in a few months, cut the dose in half again. You will eventually find a dose that is not enough to prevent this bruising, and you will have to go back to the last dose that WAS. THAT is YOUR maintenance dose forever.

Remember, these same bruises are happening in every organ of your body. The skin is just a convenient place where you can see it.

The only reason to cut the dose is for expense. These bioflavinoids cannot hurt you.

Bruises from injuries tend to last about 6 weeks from reddish for 24 hours, to bluish for a week or so, to green and finally fading for the last few weeks.

Dr. Kim's suggestions for bad bruises: Get some homeopathic Arnica and Ledum Pelustre. I would recommend 30C potency. Take 4 or 5 pellets 3 or 4 times a day for 2 or 3 days. You'll be amazed at how quickly the bruises go away.

Bruxism
Compulsive grinding or clenching of the teeth, especially at night. See also TMJ.

BTVC - Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet (formerly "Food and the Gut Reaction")     Amazon.com link     
A book by Elaine Gloria Gottschall, a biochemist and cell biologist. It got its start when her daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease at a young age. She developed the "Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)" a strict grain-free, lactose-free, and sucrose-free regimen, as an alternative to medication and surgery. The diet is intended to starve anaerobic bacteria in the intestinal tract.

Bulimia     Walt's Bulimia and Anorexia Q/A Archive
An eating disorder involving overeating and forcing oneself to vomit. Profound intracellular zinc deficiency is the most common known cause. See also Zinc Talley Test.

Bursitis   Walt's Tendonitis and Bursitis Summary & Q&A Archive
Inflammation of a bursa, occasionally accompanied by a calcific deposit in the underlying supraspinatus tendon, the most common site is the subdeltoid bursa. Walt recommends rest and gentle stretching exercises, plus EFA. 

Buteyko Method  The most informative Buteyko site I'm aware of     Buteyko breathing techniques in asthma: a blinded randomized controlled trial      Buteyko FAQ     Buteyko Space - very informative site  Buteyko Center in England
A controversial breathing technique for "curing" Asthma. The Buteyko technique represents a development of the hyperventilation syndrome theory. This theory is based on the contemporary understanding of the immense biological role of carbon dioxide gas in the human organism. The human metabolism developed in the ancient geological eras when carbon dioxide in the air and water measured in tens of percent. It is probably due to this factor that a definite concentration of carbon dioxide gas (approximately 7%) is an absolutely essential condition of each human cell in order for it to sustain all the normal pathways of the biochemical processes.  Buteyko addresses "hidden hyperventilation", that is long term over-breathing that is not clearly visible in the patient, but which he claims leads to imbalance in the body and general deterioration of health.

Buteyko Method may also be useful for SR.

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Last Updated on 2/5/2001