JANUARY 10, 2019 FIBROMYALGIA

The diagnosis of fibromyalgia has been given to a number of my patients throughout the years. Is the cause viral? Is the cause bacterial? or Is the cause due to toxic metals? It has been postulated to be caused by the Epstein Barr virus ( EBV) as well as various metal and environmental toxicities. It has been associated with severe fatigue, aches and pains, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Fibromyalgia is classified as a chronic pain disorder affecting 2- 8 % of the general population More women than men are affected, Common symptoms include fatigue, sleep disturbance, gut issues, memory problems and depression. A number of conventional drugs as anti depressants, anti pain medication and even anti epileptic drugs Some of the common ones are Savella, cymnbalta and gabapentum.

I utilize supplements and herbs to repair and restore the gut. These involve glutamine, probiotics and our GUTSY tea. I want the patient to try an anti candida diet . I recommend a Bowen technique practitioner. The Bowen technique is a form of physical manipulation that involves gentle rolling along muscles, tendons and fascia. I perform toxic metal analysis and detoxify the body if appropriate. Acupuncture has been useful in some cases as well as gentle Qigong.

Until tomorrow…

JANUARY 9, 2019 SKIN HEALING HERBS

There are many herbs that have been used in skin products in the recent years. Some of these are alteratives and some are vulnerary herbs. Some of the common herbs used in skin products are calendula, green tea, plantain and yarrow. The most popular skin herb known for healing is arnica.

I utilize many of these herbs in lip balms, and herbal salves. One company does an excellent job with skin products. It is called Bath and Unwind. ( www.bathandunwind.com ) I have utilized their MOA : The Green Balm with yarrow and tea tree oil.

With a beautiful blend of essential oils including sweet almond, Somerset yarrow and tea tree, it effectively soothes dry, itchy skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, treats chapped lips, soothes sore red skin, combats athletes foot, calms inflamed skin after shaving, helps to fade scarring and stretchmarks, softens cuticles and can even remove eye makeup.

The other product is Arnica Balm with calendula and eucalyptus. This is called Milk + Honey.

Until tomorrow…

JANUARY 8, 2019 ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND PREGNANCY

Many pregnant women in the 1990’s were told that antidepressants did not affect their unborn child. Some of these antidepressants were Prozac, Celexa and Lexapro. Since 2017, the British Medical Journal and other journals have published data to the contrary. The first study to look at the adverse effects of these drugs in the first trimester was done in 2017 with greater than 18,000 participants.

The study revealed that those women who took antidepressants in the first trimester have risk of having children with cardiac, musculoskeletal,, craniofacial and digestive problems, A uncommon syndrome craniosyntosis- where the skull does not properly form was found.

It has been recommended that if a women discovers she is pregnant and on an anti depressant, consult your physician immediately. Do not abruptly stop this class of medications.

There are natural ways to combat depression

Until tomorrow…

JANUARY 7, 2019 ENZYMES

Our body contains 3,000 different enzymes. These are involved in a number of metabolic processes and functions. Some of these actions include helping you digest food, repairing the digestive system and increasing the immune support of your body. These are many digestive enzymes on the market. As we age, digestive enzyme levels start to decrease.

If you do not want to take enzymes, you can some from food. These are present in raw or fermented foods . These enzymes are destroyed by cooking. Due to the American diet being very processed— most of the food we eat has no enzymes.

In some individuals I recommend raw unpasteurized milk from other States ( as it is illegal in NYS ) Raw milk has digestive enzymes which homogenized / pasteurized milk does not have . There are 3 main classes of digestive enzymes in the body: amylase, lipase and protease.

Ask your naturopathic or functional medicine physician if you need digestive enzymes

Until tomorrow…

JANUARY 5-6, 2019 CONNECTICUT INTEGRATIVE MEDICAL CENTER

Connecticut Integrative Medical Center located in Fairfield, CT offers integrative care from our diverse team of practitioners With combined care of medical doctor, licensed naturopathic physicians, nutritionists, and acupuncturists we will help you achieve your health goals.

I know each of these licensed naturopathic physicians very well. I was one of their professors at the UB College of naturopathic Medicine. Not only did I teach them various courses didactically, but had each of them on a clinic rotation with patients at the UB Clinic

We are unique to the State of Connecticut- we offer a variety of services as above, but also offer intravenous medically supervised drips for a variety of conditions. We specialize in Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes,Lyme, Cancer support, Autoimmune Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Obesity, Thyroid Disease, Metal Detoxification, Male and Female Conditions and much more. I have been practicing for 25 years in the field of Integrative Medicine ( formerly known as holistic or complimentary medicine)

Our team:

1. Ryan Attar, ND MS Nutrition

2. Emma Cooke, ND MS Nutrition

3. Patrick Fratellone MD RH

4. Jenny Goto, ND , MS Acupuncture

5. Hannibal Miles, ND MS Nutrition

6. Katie Zinn, ND MS Acupuncture

Call for an appointment today 203 -717 1339

We are open six days per week, Monday through Saturday.

Until tomorrow…

JANUARY 4, 2019 FIGS

I love figs ! Figs have been part of my Italian heritage for a long time. Certain family members had fig trees in their yards. I was always curious to how these delicate trees were wrapped in the winter months. If you want to learn about FIGS read The Edible Series of Books- Figs: A Global History by David Sutton.

A recent article published by the American Botanical Council HerbalGram ( Pourmasoumi M, Ghiasvand R, Darvishi L, Hadi A, Bahreini N, Keshavarzpour Z. Comparison and assessment of flixweed and fig effects on irritable bowel syndrome with predominant constipation: A single-blind randomized clinical trial. [published September 11, 2018]. Explore. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2018.09.003. )discussed the use of figs in IBS related constipation.

Flixweed (Descurainia sophia, Brassicaceae) and fig (Ficus carica, Moraceae) are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. These authors conducted a single-blind, randomized, clinical trial to examine the effects of flixweed and fig on the symptoms of IBS-C and on the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP). We do know that constipation and abdominal pain are associated symptoms of IBS

The authors conclude that these study results "suggested that consumption of flixweed and fig among IBS-C patients may have positive effects on IBS-C symptoms, and that these natural products could be considered as a safe therapy for this syndrome."

This study had limitations: 1. a focus on the fiber content of figs ; 2. no placebo group in the study and 3. only one marker of inflammation ) CRP) was studied More studies need to be done

Until tomorrow…

JANUARY 3, 2019 HOMOCYSTEINE

Homocysteine is a bad amino acid associated with heart disease. It is lowered by B12 ( methylated and non methylated depending on MTHFR gene status), B6 and folic acid. High levels are associated with patients who have high creatinine ( impaired renal status) It is seen in patients with depression as well as atherosclerotic heart disease

There is a hypothesis that depression is associated with an imbalance in homocysteine metabolism. Studies show that high levels of homocysteine may be involved in the pathogenesis of depression. Further, approximately 20-50% of patients with severe depression also have elevated plasma levels of homocysteine. Three clinical trials have found that saffron (Crocus sativus, Iridaceae) dried stigmata improves symptoms of mild-to-moderate depression, but the mechanism of action is unknown

Jelodar G, Javid Z, Sahraian A, Jelodar S. Saffron improved depression and reduced homocysteine level in patients with major depression: a randomized, double-blind study. Avicenna J Phytomed. January-February 2018;8(1):43-50. This article was published in the American Botanical Council HerbalGram

The authors conclude that saffron significantly improves homocysteine levels and "has beneficial effects on depression" More needs to be studied on this. The study was a small number of patients.

Until tomorrow…

JANUARY 2, 2019 MARSHMALLOW

I consider this herb to be used for gastrointestinal problems especially irritable bowel disease or inflammatory bowel disease. I usually combine it with meadowsweet, raspberry and slipper elm.

It has been used since the time of the Pharaohs and fed the gods for centuries. It has used extensively in the kitchen It is the root that is used and only a little.

When you need a good gastrointestinal tea , try GUTSY sold exclusively by Botanical Bounty in New York City. You can buy it on line or stop by 115 East 57th street 16th floor NYC

www.botanicalbounty.org

646-723 1823

Until tomorrow…