SEPTEMBER 29-30, 2018 AYAHUASCA
Ayahuasca is made from two plants native to the Amazon jungle. It has been used for centuries by native peoples for healing and religious ceremonies, and has been gaining more attention from the rest of the world in recent years. Many more people have been trying this plant in ceremony with shamans on trips to Peru, Costa Rica and other places.
What we have known for years is the positive benefits from those using ayahuasca. Those who ritually take the brew have lower levels of depression, anxiety, hostility, paranoid ideation, phobias, worry, shyness, fatigability and weakness. Subjects who use ayahuasca also scored better on self-transcendence, spiritual orientation, transpersonal identification, self-forgetfulness, sacredness of life, altruism, subjective well-being and mission in life. This was compared to the control group that did not use ayahuasca.
Ayahuasca is NOT for everyone. I believe you should discuss its use and possibility of doling it with others who have used it and be open with your health care practitioner. No judgement should be placed on anyone who uses this plant for a variety of reasons. I believe more research needs to be done with this plant and other psychedelic plants
Until tomorrow…
SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 CBD
I have been a proponent of CBD oil since I first read about it. I utilize it for our patient’s health in a variety of ways
Take a look at all of the ailments that CBD oil can treat
Anxiety disorders (anxiety associated with travel, vet visits, separation anxiety, etc.)
Pain (chronic and acute)
Epilepsy and seizure disorders
Chronic inflammation & autoimmune disease
Supports heart health
Reduces the formation and spreading of cancer cells
Reduces nausea and side effects of conventional medications
Boosts the immune system and supports overall wellness
Reduces environmental and seasonal allergies
I even have used CBD oil to treat my dog, Chaplin heart problem and my dog, Spencer arthritis . Both dogs are fine I am NOT getting my dogs high as there is less than .3 % of THC.
I utilize Canbiola brand. See www.canbiola.com CBD is available at Botanical Bounty at 646 723-1823
Until tomorrow…
SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 – SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Cocaine is a well recognized drug and a risk factor for heart attacks (myocardial infarction). Do we know about other drugs? With the ever growing popularity of marijuana, do we know its long term effects and the risk of heart attacks?
We do know that among 2,097 yong patients with heart attacks, about 11% used cocaine or marijuana and 33% used both drugs.
Substance abuse is associated with a high cardiovascular mortality. So is substance abuse a risk factor for developing or having a heart attack? Is it the physicians job to counsel a patient who has a heart attack due to a substance? You bet it is.
More studies need to be done to correlate drugs with cardiovascular heart attack deaths.
Until tomorrow…
SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 – CISPLATIN
Platinum compounds – especially cisplatin – have many side effects. One of those side effects is peripheral neuropathy. I use B6, lipoic acid, and hypericum to counteract this toxicity.
There are damaging side effects of cisplatin to the liver, brain, heart, and bone marrow. Cisplatin also damages the cranial nerves especially CN B for hearing.
There are many natural supplements and herbs that can be used to counteract these deleterious effects.
Some are Boswellia, curcumin, and a bioflavinoid called quercitin. There are studies to show that CoEnzyme Q10 allows cancer patients to live 40% longer than those who did not take this supplement. We do know that cancer patients have a lower CoEnzyme Q10 level than healthy subjects.
Until tomorrow…
SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 – BUILDING IMMUNITY
We must rebuild and boost cellular immunIty, especially in cancer patients. When a cancer develops, it shifts the immune environment around the tumor towards a state of immune suppression
As an integrative physician, I must not allow this to happen. It has been shown that many adaptogens can shift the focus or immune system to cancer killing mode. One of these herbs is Withania (ashwagandha). I try to focus on adaptogens being more than stress reducing herbs Donnie Yance in his book, “ Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism’ discusses this in detail
There are other natural supplements and herbs that can do this. Some of these are beta glucan, maitake mushrooms, lactoferrin, olive leaf extract, astragalus, inositoil and panax gunseng.
Until tomorrow…
SEPTEMBER 24, 2018 – MELATONIN
Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle and other hormones in the body. It is made of the amino acid tryptophan.
Due to the research in the 1970s and 1980s, melatonin was used more than it is used today. However, it has been shown that 20mg melatonin are useful in patients with cancer.
The uses for melatonin are insomnia, jet lag, sleep disorders due to shift hour work, to reduce side effects of quitting smoking, insomnia due to some medications as beta blockers, and insomnia due to disorders as ADHD.
A lot of my patients use melatonin, but I do not think we know the long term effects or safety. We do know that melatonin have an inhibitory effect on ovulation.
Until tomorrow…
SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2018 – MANAGING STRESS
Today, stress management is a focus of many discussions and the focus of doctor - patient intervention. There are many signs of stress that are common. The ones that are not so obvious are blood pressure rises leading to mini strokes, and increases in sugar levels in a diabetic.
I find that a patient who is stressed always states one thing, " I never feel rested no matter how much I sleep." Another one is feeling fatigued even after exercising.
Laboratory testing needs to be done especially cortisol and DHEA. I utilize a DHEA and cortisol salivary testing. I feel it is important for me to ask about the stress of my patient. I have to ask about and manage stress in my patients in a manner that restores health to their body. I also must allow these changes to be maintained in some way. Not everyone can manage and maintain a level of well being.
Most of my patients know they should be getting a better nights sleep, should be eating less refined sugars and manage their stress with yoga and meditation. I go beyond this asking about hobbies they might do in the future. I often ask about their childhood and repeated a memory that made them happy.
It is much more than asking a patient to take a pill.
Until tomorrow...