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 Holistic Health Encyclopedia
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Obesity
Abdominal fat or a “beer belly,” versus fat that accumulates on the hips, is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack.7 Overweight individuals are more likely to have additional risk factors related to heart disease, specifically hypertension, high blood sugar levels, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and diabetes.
Olestra
Olestra, marketed under the trade name Olean at first look, is a dieter's
dream come true. It tastes like fat, but it differs from real fat
in several ways. First, it is a man made synthetic fat substitute.
Olestra molecules, though they taste like fat are too large for the
body to digest, unlike real fat. This means that they pass through
the digestive tract without being digested, thus leaving no calories
behind.
Read Dr. Lucas Kyle's OLESTRA (Olean): Wow or Woe?
Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins
Chemicals found in pine bark and grape seed extracts, may be as much as 50 times more potent than vitamin E and twenty times more potent than
vitamin C in antioxidant activity.
Olive Leaf Extract
Olive trees have been cultivated for many years. Recently the benefits of Olive Leaf Extract have become know as one of a handful of botanicals that naturally support the circulatory and immune systems.
During the cold and flu season, Olive Leaf Extract makes an excellent companion to herbs such as elderberry, VS-C, echinacea and golden seal.
Omni Perio-Med
See fluoride topical
Omni-Med
See fluoride topical
Opium
Dried milky juice of unripe seedpods of the opium poppy (Papavera somniferum). The chief constituents of opium are the alkaloids codeine, papaverine, noscapine, and morphine, from which heroin is synthesized. Opium is grown worldwide; despite international laws and agreements to control its use, an illicit opium traffic persists.
Or-Phen-Ade
See chlorpheniramine and phenylpropanolamine
Oral B Anti-Cavity
See fluoride topical
Oral Chelation
If ALL the amino acids are present at the same time (proper balance), then the amino acids are all used for building structure
(or are expelled as undigested proteins). Only when an amino acid is "out of balance" does it get used for some special use. Thus, cysteine,
taken in an "out of balance" amount (1,000 mg of cysteine, daily, not balanced by other amino acids, is an "out of balance amount"), helps the
body get rid of toxic metals.
It happens that when cysteine is "unbalanced" in the body it performs an extremely powerful function -- it "chelates" toxic metals. That means
that it "grabs" tiny particles of heavy elements such as mercury, iron, lead, etc. It is the nature of the "chelation" process that the cysteine
goes after the heaviest particles first, and when it has gotten all of those it can find, it goes after the next heaviest particle.
Now, cysteine does NOT know the difference between toxic and non-toxic metals, but it also happens that virtually ALL of these heavy metals are,
indeed, toxic in your body.
So, when you take this unbalanced amount of cysteine it helps the body get rid of those toxic metals.
Orange
Ordrine
See chlorpheniramine and phenylpropanolamine
Oregon Grape
Oregon grape is a relative of the barberry plant. Oregon grape has been used for hundreds of years to treat infections because of its powerful antibiotic properties. In fact, Oregon grape may be substituted for golden seal since they have similar properties.
Oregon grape enhances the glandular system, focusing its action on the thyroid and liver, detoxifying and cleansing both the lymphatic system and liver. Oregon grape improves circulation and provides the body additional nourishment.
Oregon grape contains alkaloids that are beneficial for fighting infection, strengthening the immune system, purifying the blood and treating a variety of skin problems. In addition, Oregon grape may be used to improve digestion, stimulate the appetite and lower blood pressure.
Organ
a somewhat independent part of the body that performs a special function or functions.
Organelles
a specialized cellular part (as a mitochondrion, lysosome, or ribosome) that is analogous to an organ.
Organic
- 1. pertaining to or arising from an body organ or the organs.
- 2. having an organized structure.
- 3. arising from an organism.
- 4. Pertaining to substances derived from living organisms.
- 5. Denoting chemical substances containing carbon.
- 6. Pertaining to or cultivated by the use of animal or vegetable fertilizers, rather than synthetic chemicals.
Organic Foods
Organic foods are those grown without the use
of chemical pesticides or artificial fertilizers.
Non-organic foods, referred to here as "commercial,"
are grown with a variety of toxic or unbalancing
chemicals, many of which are known or suspected
carcinogens (cancer causers) and which damage the
environment and wildlife.
Organism
Any individual living thing, whether animal or plant.
Ormade Spansules
See chlorpheniramine and phenylpropanolamine
Ornex Maximum Strength
See acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine
Ortho-Bionomy
Homeopathic system that uses gentle, non-invasive touch, dialogue and movement education in such common activities as sitting, standing and walking. Pioneered in the 1970s by Arthur Lincoln Pauls, D.O., a British osteopath, ortho-bionomy loosely translates from the Greek as the "correct application of the laws of life." It has been used to treat arthritis, whiplash, muscle pain and spasms, and imbalanced posture.
Ortho-phospho-tyrosine
A growth factor chemical created by Flukes (parasites) that Dr. Clark uses as a marker for cancer (malignancy).
Osho Rebalancing
See rebalancing
Osmium
A trace mineral
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a common disease that develops when linings of joints fail to maintain normal structure, leading to pain and decreased mobility. It is associated with aging and injury (it used to be called “wear-and-tear” arthritis), and can occur secondary to many other conditions. However, in most cases its true cause remains unknown.
The arthritis archives from the 'Ask Dr. Stoll' website are here .
Osteoblasts
Bone cells
Osteomalacia
Osteomyelitis
Bone infection
Osteomyelitis is very difficult to treat.
Osteopathic
Osteopathy began in the USA with the work of
Andrew Taylor Still, a registered physician, who founded the first osteopathic school in 1892. He
was especially concerned with the epidemic diseases of the late 19th century and the severe side
effects of the drugs used then (and now) for such problems. Like chiropractic, osteopathy addresses
musculoskeletal conditions, using joint manipulation, physical therapy, postural reeducat ion, etc. In
addition, soft tissue manipulation is used, as well as placing the patient in specific positions to relax
and release muscle spasms. Cranial manipulation done by a good osteopath is very gentle and subtle,
and I usually prefer it to most chiropractic cranial technique when I need such professional help.
Osteopathy
See Osteopathic
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is accelerated bone loss. Normally, there is loss of bone mass with aging, perhaps 0.7% per year in adults. However, bone loss is greater in women past menopause than in men of the same age. The process of bone remodelling from resorption to matrix synthesis to mineralization normally takes about 8 months--a slow but constant process. Bone in older persons just isn't as efficient as bone in younger persons at maintaining itself--there is decreased activity of osteoblasts and decreased production of growth factors and bone matrix.
People with osteoporosis have brittle bones, which increases the risk of bone fracture, particularly in the hip, spine, and wrist. Although the risk of becoming osteoporotic is tied to many dietary and lifestyle issues, the true cause of this condition remains somewhat unclear. Osteoporosis is most common in postmenopausal Oriental and white women. Premenopausal women are partially protected against bone loss by the hormone estrogen. Black women often have slightly greater bone mass in early adulthood compared with other women, which helps protect against bone fractures even though postmenopausal black women lose bone mass just as other women do. In men, testosterone partially protects against bone loss even after middle age. Beyond issues of race, age and gender, incidence varies widely from society to society, suggesting that osteoporosis is largely preventable.
Osteoporosis can be classified as primary or secondary. Primary osteoporosis is simply the form seen in older persons and women past menopause in which bone loss is accelerated over that predicted for age and sex. Secondary osteoporosis results from a variety of identifiable conditions that may include:
- Metabolic bone disease, such as hyperparathyroidism
- Neoplasia, as with multiple myeloma or metastatic carcinoma
- Malnutrition
- Drug therapy, as with corticosteroids
- Prolonged immobilization
- Weightlessness with space travel
[Dr. Schulze]
I have a report in front of me I pulled that says, "Studies from the Medical Tribune and The Journal of Clinical Nutrition conclusively show that by age 65 meat eaters have double the bone loss and bone deterioration of vegetarians."
Read Strong bones - without milk by Dr. Schulze.
The National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center is here.
Osteosarcoma
Tumor of the bone.
Ovary
The female gonad: one of the two sexual glands in which the ova are formed. It is a flat oval body along the lateral wall of the pelvic cavity, attached to the posterior surface of the broad ligament. It consists of stroma and ovarian follicles in various stages of maturation, and is covered by a modified peritoneum.
Ovum
- 1. an egg; the female reproductive cell which, after fertilization, becomes a zygote that develops into a new member of the same species.
- 2. the human ovum: a round cell about 0.1 mm. in diameter, produced in the ovary, where there is deposited around it a noncellular covering. It consists of protoplasm which contains some yolk, enclosed by a thin cell wall. There is a large nucleus, within which is a nucleolus. By extension, the word is also used to designate any early stage of the conceptus, when the embryo itself constitutes a tiny and insignificant part of the whole.
Oxidation
oxidation means the removal of an electron.
The removal of an electron, oxidation, liberates energy from the oxidized compound. Whenever one substance is reduced, another is oxidized.
Oxidation, like that of the browning of a cut apple left out, or a lettuce leaf - goes on in our bodies all the time. The oxidation produces free
radicals which are byproducts of metabolism. Free radicals also result from alcohol, cigarettes, air pollution, strenuous exercise, stress, & normal
body processes.
Free radicals are associated with both the initiation & promotion of cancer, all types of inflammation, arthritis, circulatory disorders,
Parkinson's disease & many other health problems.
Many researchers believe free radicals are the primary factor in the aging process.
There are substances in our food which are also available as supplements in more sufficient doses that "quench" or neutralize free radicals.
These are called antioxidants.
Oxygen
An element that is found free as a colorless tasteless odorless gas in the atmosphere of which it forms about 21 percent or combined in water, in most rocks and minerals, and in numerous organic compounds, that is capable of combining with all elements except the inert gases, is active in physiological processes, and is involved especially in combustion processes.
Oxygen contains 8 protons in its nucleus with 8 electrons revolving around it. This is often shown in chemical notation as the letter O surrounded
by eight dots representing 4 sets of paired electrons.
Oxygen is essential to survival. It is relatively stable in the air, but when too much is absorbed into the body it can become active and unstable and
has a tendency to attach itself to any biological molecule, including molecules of healthy cells. The chemical activity of these free radicals is due
to one or more pairs of unpaired electrons.
About 2% of the oxygen we normally breathe becomes active oxygen, and this amount increases to approximately 20% with aerobic exercise.
Such free radicals with unpaired electrons are unstable and have a high oxidation potential, which means they are capable of stealing electrons
from other cells. This chemical mechanism is very useful in disinfectants such as hydrogen peroxide and ozone which can be used to sterilize wounds
or medical instruments. Inside the body these free radicals are of great benefit due to their abiility to attack and eliminate bacteria,
viruses and other waste products.
Problems arise, however, when too many of these free radicals are turned loose in the body where they can also damage normal tissue.
Oxygen Therapy
Oxygen Therapy. First used in 1879 by French physician Dr. J.A. Fontain, Oxygen Therapy covers a wide range of practices, all of which include administering oxygen as a gas or in water to promote healing and destroy pathogens in the body. It is believed to alter the body’s chemistry and thereby help cells and tissues function efficiently. Sometimes referred to as ozone therapy, it has been used to treat strokes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, infections, circulatory problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, allergies and cancer.
Ozone Therapy
See Oxygen Therapy
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