THE MARVELS OF HONEY

Scanning the papers today I was drawn to this and this story does not surprise me. I wrote about a similar post on Honey on here before* and Honey makes an excellent face mask for dry skin. Honey is a natural antibiotic and that's been known for many years. One book well worth reading is this one. "Honey Mud and Maggots".

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Honey, Mud, Maggots and Other Medical Marve... by Robert Scott Root-Bernstein

As for Blepharitis I know how hard it is to get rid of this nasty little infection, I and another colleague picked this up at work a few years ago and it plagued us for a couple of years on an off. How I got rid of mine was washing my eyelashes regularly with baby shampoo and applying Vaseline  to my eyelids, I persevered and it eventually went. As for honey it worked well for the guy in the story here.

The book Honey Mud and Maggots and other Medical Marvels, doesn't just talk about honey but the truth in many old wives tales and how they led to new developments in medicine. Maggots and Leeches are still used to good effect in medicine today particularly in complex micro surgical procedures and plastic surgery and is a good and fascinating read. I have this book on my book shelf.

* http://www.astridestella.info/2011/09/honey-well-known-beauty-secret.html

I don't bee-lieve it! Man, 62, cures painful eye infection with 99p jar of honey

Frank Dougan from Glasgow spent eight years searching for a cure for a chronic eye condition

A man who spent eight years searching for a cure for a chronic eye condition was amazed when he finally found the remedy in a 99p jar of Tesco Value honey.

Frank Dougan, 62, lost his left eye when he was shot with a bow and arrow in a childhood accident and he later developed a painful infection called blepharitis.

He visited doctors and eye specialists and spent a fortune on different drops over the years but nothing worked.

But he was finally cured when he cut his hand while on holiday in Jerusalem and he was advised to put honey on it.

Surprised by the results, when he returned home to Glasgow he bought a jar of Tesco Value Honey and tried it on his eyelid - and within weeks the infection had cleared.

He said yesterday: 'It’s unbelievable. It’s incredibly effective. I have spent a fortune on prescription eye drops over the years, I have a fridge full of them.

'It’s funny that at the end of it all the cure would come in the form of a 99p jar of honey from the supermarket. And it’s not bad on toast either.'

The retired soul DJ, who has played for celebrity fans like Rod Stewart, Shirley Bassey, Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton, lost his left eye as a 12-year-old lad.

He has worn a prosthetic eye ever since, but it caused irritation at the end of the day and he eventually developed the painful infection which blighted him for eight years.

Despite the pain, he kept on working as an international DJ, completing long residencies at top hotels around the world including Hong Kong and D|sseldorf.

Frank spent hours visiting doctors and eye specialists but none could find a long lasting treatment.

Frank suffered blepharitis that caused chronic inflammation of the eyelid

He said: 'I got shot in the eye by a bow and arrow when I was playing with friends as a kid. It was a terrible experience but I got through it and never let it hold me back.

'Sometimes prosthetic eyes can cause irritation, especially at night after you have been wearing them all day.

'Over the years I have learnt to live with it and I get a new eye made every few years.

'But eight years ago I began to get these infections that turned out to be blepharitis.

'Lots of doctors gave me eyes drops, I have a whole fridge full and I have spent a fortune but nothing worked.'

The fed up Scot retired three years ago and has spent his time travelling the world visiting historic monuments, all the while suffering intolerable pain.

But in February, Frank stumbled across the cure while on a trip to Jerusalem, Israel.

He first spread the honey on his eyelid twice a day, including on his tear duct, and after just a few weeks the problem cleared up completely.

He said: 'I was staying at a B&B when I cut my hand. I didn’t have a first aid kit and the owner recommended putting honey on it.

'I did what he said and the cut healed overnight. Then weeks later I was at home and got a terrible inflammation in my eye.

'I thought I would give it a try and I haven’t had any problems since. I have looked it up and honey has anti-bacterial qualities so that must be it.

'Before that the best cure I could find was Johnson’s tear free baby shampoo.

THE BUZZ ON HONEY

Honey has long been known to have antibacterial properties and is sometimes included in licensed wound-care products.
Research has demonstrated that honey can inhibit pathogens normally capable of causing wound infection, including superbugs that are resistant to conventional antibiotics.
While Mr Dougan used supermarket honey, Manuka honey is thought to be particularly potent because it contains high levels of the compound dihydroxyacetone.

'I would wash my eye out with it and the pain would go away, but it was only a temporary fix and the pain would always come back.

'But I went to the opticians a few weeks ago after using the honey and she said she couldn’t find any trace of blepharitis.

'I have been all over the world and seen terrible illnesses in places where people can’t afford to go to the doctor. So to find a cure that’s so cheap could help so many people.

'It’s fantastic. My life has improved so much and for 99p I get a massive 340 gram tub which last for months.'

A Tesco spokesman said: 'While we can’t attest to its healing powers, we can say for sure that Everyday Value Honey is great quality at a fantastic price and we’re delighted that it has helped one of our customers.'

Consultant dermatologist Dr Sasi Attili, from www.onlineskinspecialist.com, based in Dundee, said: 'Honey does have anti-bacterial qualities and is used in medicine for wound healing and conditions such as leg ulcers.
'It’s hard to say whether a particular treatment will or won’t work because everyone is different, but honey has obviously worked well for this particular patient.'

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THE LINK BETWEEN SALT AND STOMACH CANCER

Most people know the link between a high salt diet and high blood pressure but salt is in the news again this time its a link between a high consumption and stomach cancer. This has been known for a few years but most people are unaware of this link.

Stomach cancer has a poor prognosis, it is a nasty disease from having nursed patients with it to watching my own father die with this condition. From the time the disease was diagnosed till his death he managed to live for 12 months and it was so sad to watch my handsome and muscular dad wither away in front of my eyes. Stomach cancer is often not diagnosed until its well established and in my own father's case it was inoperable and had spread to his liver, the only symptoms he had was tiredness and loss of weight and what he described  a bit of heartburn periodically.

I don't aim to cause alarm here but if you have indigestion, lack of appetite, a feeling of fullness, bleeding, partially digested in your stools, vomit and vomiting quite regularly have it checked out by your doctor, it may well not be stomach cancer and something innocuous but better to be safe.

It's good to be armed with information so we can all take steps to maintain good health and that includes dietary information. The main culprits are processed foods get into the routine of reading labels. We do need a little salt for good health but salt in present naturally in food you don't need to add it and by and large and I have seen this many times, people sprinkling salt onto their food before they have even tasted it. After a while your taste buds will get used to it and you will find you will be more aware of the other flavours in food.

Studies have shown that a chronic H. pylori infection is closely associated with salt intake as salt has been found to increase the grown and action of this bacteria, thus increasing the risk of cancer. It is also thought salt can act as an irritant and can inflame the stomach lining which makes it susceptible to causing cancer. Statistically  deaths from stomach cancer are higher in countries where people have a preference for salty food and salt preserved meat and fish. A reduction therefore in salt may reduce H. pylori infection and so reduce the incidence of this distressing cancer.

Adults are advised to consume no more than 6g salt per day (about one teaspoon). Current intake is about 9g per day - thats 50 per cent higher than is recommended for good health. Babies and children should have less salt than adults. High salt intake in babies can be especially dangerous, as their kidneys cannot cope with large amounts.

ARTICLE FROM THE DAILY MAIL BELOW

Traffic light labelling on foods 'could help cut stomach cancers linked to salt'

• Charity calls for green labels on foods low in salt, amber for medium content and red for salty products
• One in seven cases of stomach cancer could be avoided by cutting salt intake

Food labelling must be improved to cut the number of stomach cancers linked to salt, experts have warned.

One in seven cases of stomach cancer in the UK could be avoided by reducing salt intake to recommended levels, research suggests.

Too much salt can promote cancer by damaging the stomach lining, and Britons consume an average of 8.6 grams each a day - 43 per cent higher than the maximum recommended amount.

The World Cancer Research Fund is calling for a standardised form of colour-coded 'traffic light' labelling on foods, which it says would help consumers to better control the amount of salt, sugar and fat they take.

Excess: Too much salt can promote stomach cancer, researchers have found

The charity is recommending green labels for foods low in salt (less than 0.3g per 100g), amber for medium content (between 0.3g and 1.5g per 100g), and red for high salt levels (more than 1.5g per 100g).

Kate Mendoza, head of information at the charity, said: 'Stomach cancer is difficult to treat successfully because most cases are not caught until the disease is well established.

'This places even greater emphasis on making lifestyle choices to prevent the disease occurring in the first place - such as cutting down on salt intake and eating more fruit and vegetables.'


Ms Mendoza added: 'Because around three-quarters of the salt we consume is already in processed food when we buy it, WCRF would like to see traffic light labelling on the front of food and drink packaging to give clear guidance on the levels of salt as well as sugar, fat and saturated fat.

'Standardised labelling among retailers and manufacturers - rather than the different voluntary systems currently in place - would help consumers make better informed and healthy choices.'

Better: Cases of stomach cancer could be cut if food labelling were improved, the World Cancer Research Fund claims. (Picture posed by model)

Each year in the UK around 7,500 new cases of stomach cancer are diagnosed and almost 5,000 people die from the disease.

Cutting salt intake to six grams a day could prevent 1,050 of these cases, according to the WCRF.

Excess salt is also linked to high blood pressure, the main cause of strokes and a significant cause of heart disease, as well as osteoporosis and kidney disease.

A Department of Health spokesman said: 'We already know too much salt can lead to conditions such as heart disease and stroke.

'That is why we are taking action through the Responsibility Deal to help reduce the salt in peoples' diets.

'And we are looking at clearer salt labelling on foods as part of our consultation on front of pack labelling.

'We keep these findings under review alongside other emerging research in the field.'

Good example: Some foods already have traffic light labels, but campaigners want to see the system standardised

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Extended description

This collection of poetry contains 100 poems expressing all the facets of love, some are romantic, some erotic and others inspire hope from the sadness at the end of the affair. All were written from the soul.

Poetry means different things to different people, in this collection, I've taken the title from the love poem below, but my aim is to allow the reader to use their imagination in the hope that the poems will inspire, become lost in the emotions and that some will resonate with the soul. This collection is mainly love poems but there are some here that contain spiritual philosophy, the philosophical poetry is designed to make the reader think about what is important in life and although the philosophical poems are deep they are uplifting.

Most of the poetry I write I channel from spirit in what is often referred to automatic writing, where I just allow my fingers to either tap the keys or pick up a pen and go into a trance like state the result is what you see in my books. 

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HOW WRINKLES FORM

Wrinkles are formed when collagen and elastin fibres, which are produced by the specialised cells in the dermis called fibroblasts, bunch together or when fibroblasts are damaged. This damage can be due to UVA light i.e. sunlight or to stress hormones such as cortisol. When we are younger collagen and elastin fibres lie neatly as we age they start to bunch up through the effects of movement and gravity, aided by changes in weight and loss of muscle tone.  Stress due to the effects of adrenalin will decrease blood supply thus nourishment to the skin and smoking too causes a decrease in oxygen to the skin so that it suffers. Purse lines form around the mouth through puffing on cigarettes and continually pursing the lips and crows feet around the eyes through irritating smoke

In the diagram below you can see how a wrinkle is formed. Collagen and elastin have diminished thus allowing the epidermis to drop due to lack of support from collagen and skin becomes less elastic due to loss of elastin so it no longer snaps back into shape. See it as akin to an old mattress, the mattress gets lumpy and bumpy due to the stuffing bunching together and the springs wearing out.

DIAGRAM OF A WRINKLE

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FIBROMYALGIA IS THIS WORTH TRYING?

I know many of my readers suffer from Fibromyalgia and I came across this interesting article this morning I thought might be worthwhile considering. 

Fibromyalgia is a fairly common long-term (chronic) condition that causes widespread muscular pain. It’s not inflammatory or degenerative so it won’t cause permanent damage to your muscles, bones or joints. It can have a major impact on your quality of life, but it’s not life threatening or progressive.

The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are:

• widespread pain in your muscles
• tiredness (fatigue)
• sleep disturbance

The severity of symptoms varies from person to person and from day to day. Many people have flare-ups from time to time when their symptoms become suddenly worse.

Fibromyalgia doesn’t usually have any outward signs, so you may look well even when you’re in a lot of pain. As a result, other people may not appreciate the pain and tiredness you’re feeling.

The pain may feel as though it affects your whole body, or it may be particularly bad in just a few areas. Some people find that their pain feels worse in very hot, cold or damp weather.

People with fibromyalgia often say that the fatigue is the worst aspect of the condition.

Less frequent symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

• poor circulation – tingling, numbness or swelling in your hands and feet
• headaches
• irritability or feeling a bit down
• forgetfulness or poor concentration
• feeling an urgent need to urinate, especially at night
• irritable or uncomfortable bowels (diarrhoea or constipation and abdominal pain)

It's not yet known exactly what causes fibromyalgia, but research suggests that there’s an interaction between physical, mental and psychological factors.

The pain we feel is often affected by our emotions and moods – depression or anxiety can make the pain seem worse. At the same time, being in pain can lead to stress and anxiety.

Many people with fibromyalgia report that their symptoms started after a viral infection, a physical or mental trauma (like a car accident or bereavement) or following a period of stress and anxiety, for example in a relationship. The pain doesn’t have a physical cause but is something to do with the way your brain processes pain. This doesn’t mean that the feeling of pain is any less real, but because there’s no physical reason, fibromyalgia doesn’t cause any permanent damage to your joints.

People with fibromyalgia are more sensitive to physical pressure. This means that what would be a relatively minor knock for most people could be extremely painful for someone with fibromyalgia. It’s thought that this increased sensitivity could be related to chemical changes in the pain pathways in your body.

Sleep disturbance may also contribute to this increased sensitivity. Brainwave studies show that people with fibromyalgia often lose deep sleep. A number of things may lead to sleep disturbance, such as:

• pain from an injury or another condition such as arthritis
• stress at work or strain in personal relationships
• depression brought on by illness or unhappy events

In an experiment where healthy volunteers were woken during each period of deep sleep, a number of them developed the typical signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia. Not surprisingly, a combination of pain, sleep disturbance and anxiety or depression can turn into a vicious cycle. A poor sleep pattern will contribute to the severe tiredness that often goes with fibromyalgia.

As I see it anything is worth trying to see if it helps this distressing condition 

Information by way of  Arthritis Research UK Org.

The GP who gave up fruit and veg to cure her aches and pains

By Dr Clare E. Morrison

New thinking: Clare Morrison noticed her muscle pains depended on her diet

A few years ago I started to feel unwell. My legs ached and tingled, I felt tired and my mood was flat. I slept badly — I suffered from restless legs and my muscles kept twitching — and couldn’t concentrate during the day.
My work as a GP involved having to learn how to use some different software and I just couldn’t get to grips with it at all — my mind was so befuddled. Although only in my early 40s, I stopped enjoying going out and couldn’t get enthused about seeing friends.
Initially, I put this down to depression, but then over the past two years or so I developed muscle pain and stiffness in my legs. In December 2010, I had great trouble climbing into the loft to get the Christmas tree, having neither the strength nor the enthusiasm for it.
Blood tests taken by a colleague were normal. But I worried about how I would cope with my work if things deteriorated any further. Having abandoned all unnecessary commitments, I longed to retire early, so I could stay in bed all day.
I diagnosed myself with fibromyalgia, a chronic, unexplained condition that can affect anyone, but is particularly common in women. It causes a range of symptoms, most notably disabling muscle pains.
It is generally incurable, and frequently causes a profound loss of function, with many sufferers having to give up work and normal activities.
Treatment includes painkillers, antidepressants, anti-epilepsy drugs, and cognitive behavioural therapy, although these rarely do more than improve the symptoms. Many doctors consider fibromyalgia a ‘heartsink’ condition — their heart sinks when a patient has it because it’s so hard to cure — so I didn’t consult my own GP.
Yet I did notice the muscle pains were worse after eating carrots, potatoes and parsnips. My son’s girlfriend made a delicious parsnip soup for a dinner party last year, and I enjoyed a big bowlful. The following day my legs were aching worse than ever, and I felt terrible.
So I decided to keep a food diary (something I sometimes suggest to patients) and worked out that I was also badly affected by potatoes, green beans, carrots, almonds and tomatoes. I searched the internet and found that, among many different theories, some suggested a link between fibromyalgia and dietary oxalate, though this isn’t recognised by the medical profession.


Oxalate can be thought of as a ‘natural pesticide’, an integral constituent of many plants, including root vegetables, stems, leaves, nuts and fruit. In fact, in some plants it forms the bulk of their dry weight.
Oxalate is very effective at deterring small insects and pests from damaging the plant, but even in large animals such as cows, horses and sheep it can cause problems if they ingest high-oxalate plants such as sorrel. Farmers and vets have noted that if animals are put in high-oxalate pasture, they can develop staggering, stiff legs, weakness, depression and diarrhoea. If they eat very large quantities, they can even die of kidney failure.
Oxalate poisoning is more likely if the diet is also deficient in calcium, as calcium binds with oxalate in the bowel, preventing it from being absorbed. It is known to be fatal in humans if you eat enough of it — 11 lb of rhubarb would kill you if you could stomach it.
More in desperation than expectation, I tried a low oxalate diet, cutting out virtually all ‘healthy’ food — I avoided most fruits and vegetables, salads, beans, nuts, wheatgerm, soya —  as well as tea, coffee and chocolate.

Mind strain: Clare struggled to get to grips with new computer software needed for her job as a GP (posed by model)

I could eat meat, fish, dairy, cheese, white rice, white pasta and only low-oxalate fruit and vegetables, such as bananas, peas, mushrooms, onions and cauliflower.  Within a few days the symptoms were totally gone; I could walk without pain and sleep normally. My motivation came back — in the eight months since starting the diet I’ve painted the house, landscaped the garden and booked a holiday.
Having suffered from the need to pass water frequently, my nocturnal trips to the bathroom have ceased. And, bizarrely, my teeth have felt clean all day long. I now realise that calcium oxalate (found in foods such as rhubarb and tea) leaves a recognisable grainy texture that stays until you brush your teeth.
Meanwhile, I’ve found eating any high-oxalate food results in tingling legs and muscle pains within a matter of hours. I’ve become so adept at noticing the signs I can tell what foods and drinks have oxalates in a short time after ingesting them.
I’m not an attention-seeking person — in fact, I am embarrassed by my dietary foibles; and I’m not looking for an excuse to avoid fruit and veg, as I’ve always enjoyed eating them. But cutting back hugely on my fruit and veg intake, and only eating from a small selection, has made me feel so well that I am determined to stick with my unusual diet.
Why did my apparent oxalate intolerance start in mid-life? Indeed, why is fibromyalgia so common in middle-aged women?
In truth, I’m not sure. In most people dietary oxalate passes through the bowel without being absorbed. Perhaps the bowel changes under the influence of falling oestrogen, allowing more oxalate to pass into the body. There it forms crystals, which are deposited in the muscles, brain and urinary system, to cause widespread symptoms.
It may also be that certain bacteria in the bowel normally break down the oxalate, but that these bacteria may disappear, perhaps after a course of antibiotics. There must be genetic factors, too, as fibromylagia is more common among families of those affected.
In my role as a GP, I have since seen several female patients in their 40s and 50s with similar complaints. Buoyed by my own response, I recruited five such patients to an unofficial ‘trial’ of a low oxalate diet.

Relief: Cutting fruit and vegetables from her diet has calmed Clare's symptoms

They had all presented with at least four of the following symptoms: muscle pain, tingly legs, fatigue, irritable mood, bladder irritation, poor concentration, restless legs and poor sleep.
I asked them to score the severity of these symptoms before and after changing to a low oxalate diet. They duly followed the complete opposite of all accepted dietary wisdom.
Out with bran-based cereals, nuts, spinach and smoothies, and in with Rice Krispies, sausages, shortbread and cola! I felt a bit of a quack for suggesting such an outrageous diet, but, after all, it had worked on me, so maybe . . .
To my delight, all the patients improved significantly — on average their symptom score halved after three weeks of the ‘unhealthy’ diet. Some may argue that this could be the placebo effect but, in my opinion, the results were too impressive and sustained for this to be the case.
As a GP of 17 years I’ve come across many patients convinced their alternative approach is beneficial — whether it’s homeopathy or herbal supplements — and my attitude has always been sceptical.
But ‘you are what you eat’, and we are increasingly finding associations between various foods and diseases, which were scoffed at in the past — a fact with which many of my medical colleagues would agree.
The fact that the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown and untreatable makes it imperative that we look at diet as a possible cause.
It is known that dietary oxalate can cause kidney stones.
As well as fibromyalgia, could dietary oxalates be responsible for other unexplained conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome (the symptoms of which overlap a good deal with fibromyalgia), irritable bowel syndrome, or restless leg syndrome?
I’m making no pretence of my ‘trial’ being any more than an unofficial (some might say anecdotal) analysis, but I’m really pleased that it helped my patients. The reason I’m writing this now is that I’m hoping it may help others, too.
Look up fibromyalgia on the Arthritis Research UK website and  when it comes to diet, it says: ‘No particular diet has been proven to help fibromyalgia, but we recommend keeping to a healthy weight by eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables.’
I would question the last sentence. Do we really need ‘five a day’? Do we dare challenge the sacred cow that fruit and veg are the panacea for all ills?
At the very least, if you are a rather fed-up middle-aged woman with a range of unexplained symptoms that seem to baffle your doctor, you might want to avoid following the usual advice to eat more fruit and veg.

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STRESS CAN AND WILL AGE YOU

Now I came across this article from the Daily Mail and it does not surprise me in the slightest. I have been explaining for years (see my articles on stress on this site) how anxiety damages our health, our skin, our immune system and makes us therefore less resilient to cancers for years and it's pretty common knowledge. personally in my opinion I feel (reading the article below) "However, this type of study design cannot prove cause-and-effect or which problem came first - the anxiety or shorter telomeres.'

The findings pave the way for further prospective investigations relating anxiety to telomere length change." From my experience of clients if you can establish a regular course of therapy, whether it's Reiki, Reflexology or Aromatherapy you will see a transformation, in that client's health, it is possible through Holistic Therapies to reverse the detrimental effects of stress and case studies prove this so I have no doubt it is stress and anxiety that comes first and NOT the shorter telomeres. There's no need to do further research all they need do is ask to see the case studies of Holistic Therapists

Story from the Daily Mail

Why it pays to stay calm: Anxiety may age you by SIX YEARS

• Women with phobias were found to have more cellular damage associated with ageing

It will do nothing to calm a fearful person, but a new study has found that anxiety could make you grow old more quickly.

Researchers found that a common form of the condition, known as phobic anxiety, could trigger cellular damage leading to premature ageing.

Older women with an unreasonable fear of situations such as crowds or heights had shorter telomeres than their calmer peers. Telomeres are the caps on the ends of chromosomes that protect our genetic material from damage.

Women with a phobia such as a fear of crowds, were found to be ageing more quickly

They are considered markers of biological or cellular ageing. Shortened telomeres have been linked to increased risk of cancers, heart disease, dementia and mortality.

A team from Brigham and Women's Hospital from Boston took blood samples from more than 5,000 women aged 42 to 69 years old. They also asked them to fill out a questionnaire about any phobic symptoms that they sufferers. 

The team found having a high phobic anxiety level was associated with significantly shorter telomere lengths. 

The difference in telomere lengths for women who were highly phobic vs. not was similar to what was seen for an additional six years of age.

Study author Dr Olivia Okereke: 'Many people wonder about whether - and how - stress can make us age faster.'

'So, this study is notable for showing a connection between a common form of psychological stress - phobic anxiety - and a plausible mechanism for premature aging. 

'However, this type of study design cannot prove cause-and-effect or which problem came first - the anxiety or shorter telomeres.'

The findings pave the way for further prospective investigations relating anxiety to telomere length change.

The study was published online in PLoS ONE.

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WARNING! IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN WHEN COMMUNICATION BECOMES DIFFICULT (ASTROLOGY MERCURY RETROGRADE)

This time Mercury enters retrograde from Sunday 15th July until Wednesday 8th August.

When Mercury goes into retrograde all communication is affected one way or another, not just between people in relationships, but mail, transport, computers, phones, you name it, things can become difficult, delayed, mail gets lost. So if you have anything that needs signing do it now or delay things until after August 8th. This is generally a busy time for me with clients with relationship problems. if you find yourself in this scenario, DON'T overreact, hang fire and count to ten, the difficulties will pass at least this time it's just around three weeks.

For those who don't understand what Mercury Retrograde is:

An apparent backward motion of the planets is called a "retrograde" motion. It occurs in several stages. At first the planet seems to stand still, then it backs up through the signs, stands still again, and then resumes its forward motion. The amount of time that a planet spends in retrograde motion depends on the planet's orbit, varying from about twenty-two days for nearby Mercury to about 160 days for distant Pluto.

When Mercury is retrograde, it is considered to be a time of problems with interaction, travel and even the simple basic workings of things. It is also thought that the general averse aspects of a retrograde planetary motion carry over into the lives of the people born under them as a part of their lifetime astrological chart.

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