JANUARY 1, 2020 MELATONIN

You know melatonin as a supplement that is used for sleep. It is sold as 1 mg , 2 mg 3mg 6mg and even as high as 20 mg. This is what you didn’t know about melatonin. There are more than 35 in vitro studies conducted on the cytotoxic effects of melatonin against cancer cells. Many of these studies were conducted on breast cancer. In the book, “ Thriving with Cancer,’ high dose melatonin at 20 mg is discussed on the beneficial effects for patients with breast cancer.

There are 28 studies conducted with melatonin alone or in conjunction with the inflammatory marker, interleukin IL-2. These studies suggest melatonin with IL-2 increased the survival of patients with cancer when compared to placebo.

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the human body in the pineal gland. It is secreted in a day night rhythm with the highest being secreted at night. Raw honey increases the natural production of melatonin. I do not use high dose melatonin for all patients with sleep disturbance, but do use high dose if that patient has active cancer.

Until tomorrow…

DECEMBER 31, 2019 QUINONES

Quinones are comprised of more than 1200 naturally occurring compounds, These natural compounds have been reported to be anti bacterial as well as anti fungal. Some of these quinone rich plants are used as laxatives as senna, rhubarb and cascara leaf. Some quinones are used in hair dyes as henna.

There are two anti cancer quinones that have been studied extenivsely. This are emodin and hypericin. Emodin is classified as an anthraquinone. There are FDA approved anthraquinone for chemotherapy . One example is doxorubicin. Herbs containing emodin have been used to treat cancer patients in China. One example is Polygonum cuspidatum.

Hypericin is a photoactive compound that has been studied for its anti cancer effects. Photoactive hypericin has been used and studied in skin cancer

In March 2020 it will be the 10th year I have written a daily blog. It by no means has been to replace the effective therapies in different disciplines of medicines as oncology, infectious disease, endocrinology and much more. The reason for writing this blog which began as a ‘ dare’ that I couldn’t do it- is now a labor of love. It is for educational purposes. It is to educate any individual on other modalities of natural medicine that are available.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020

Until 2020…

DECEMBER 30, 2019 LONG TERM WEIGHT LOSS

Americans have a huge problem. We are overweight. Currently 80 percent of adults and about 40 % of children are overweight or obese.

Believe it or not if your body mass index is between 25 - 29 you qualift as overweight, while a BMI of 30 is classified as obese

A healthy weight for a man who is 5’10 is 132 - 167. You are considered overweight at 174 and obese at 202. Obesity as surpassed or overtaken smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in the USA. How is this happening to this country? We have many to blame- the food industry and the advertising that promotes fast foods or processed foods.

The typical American diet needs to change. Individuals need to seek better alternatives for meals other than quick processed foods as bagels, cereals, and breakfast bars. We know that glass of orange juice if the 1970’s doesn’t suffice anymore. Nor does Carnation Instant Breakfast or Microwave oatmeal.

Obesity kills. It leads to Type 2 diabetes ( non insulin dependent diabetes) It first starts as insulin resistance also known as Syndrome X or Metabolic syndrome. Obesity and Diabetes are the twin epidemics that lead to the number one killer in the United States—Cardiovascular Disease

Learn how to change your dietary lifestyle and save your life. Call Fratellone Medical Associates at 212 421 3202 or Connecticut Integrative Medical Center 203 717 1339 today

Until tomorrow…

DECEMBER 27, 2019 TURKEY TAIL

It is likely that you have eaten Turkey Tail . This mushroom is a well studied medicinal mushroom around the world along with others like Shiitake and Maitake. It has other names as Coriolus versicolor and Trametes versicolor.

Its main constituent ( active ingredient ) is PSP or PSK These are the beta glucans that stimulate the immune response. Due to these beta glucans, it has been shown to induce cell death and reduce cell proliferation in patients with cancer.

You may ask, “ Are there studies about the beneficial effects of Turkey Tail? There are more than 350 studies that have demonstrated these immune modulating properties and anti cancer activities. There are even human studies.

The renowned journal, The Lancet published a study of Turkey Tail and stomach cancer. There are ten year studies on the use of Turkey Tail and colorectal cancer

I would be informed on the many medicinal mushrooms. There are many good books concerning this subject

Until tomorrow…

DECEMBER 26, 2019 GLYCYRRHIZIN

Glycyrrhizin is a portion of the licorice plant which can stimulate or support the body’s own immune system. I have used it for more than 20 years in my intravenous therapies for patients with chronic fatigue, immune and cancer support. It has no known side effects.

It is the chief sweet-tasting constituent of Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice) root.

There have been studies where glycyrrhizin has had beneficial benefits in those patients with prostate cancer In other countries it has other uses. Its aglycone is enoxolone assessed as a prodrug used in Japan to reduce the risk of liver cancer in people with chronic hepatitis C

Upon reading you will see various articles about this plant based therapy

Be informed

Until tomorrow…

DECEMBER 23, 2019 OATSTRAW

Although this herb dates way back to Medieval times it is still used today by many herbalists. Its botanical name is Avena sativa. It is used to feed livestock.

It is used for a sense of well being and relaxation and stress relief. I have combined this herb with skullcap, poppy and lemon balm for soothing the nerves

It is said to be energizing making it an effective aphrodisiac. I have never used it in this way

Until tomorrow…

DECEMBER 21 - 22, 2019 AN APPLE A DAY

The old adage “ An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” may be truer than you think. There are research studies suggesting that apples may well be one of the most healthy foods for you to include in your daily diet. There are many types of apple today due to genetic modification. Some are sweeter than others. I recall a good place to start when reading about apples is in Michael Polllan’s book “ The Botany of Desire ‘ There is a chapter of apples.

Apples are popular the world over, making up 12.5% of all fruits consumed. I do recommend patients to consume an apple a day and mixed berries as both fruits are low glycemic A recent study at the University of Reading consumed two apples a day for 8 weeks. The end results was a 4 % reduction in LDL, the bad cholesterol over control.

This was a small study but worthy. Another study involving 9,208 men and women showed that those who ate the most apples over a 28-year period had the lowest risk for stroke. I always feel that more studies on fruits and vegetables need to done . There are many phytochemicals present in fruits and vegetables that can lower cholesterol as well as important cardiac risk factors.

Until tomorrow…

DECEMBER 20, 2019 LIVING WITH HIV

I have to believe that living with HIV today is better today than when the epidemic started There are more newer drugs available and programs are more numerous.

Sadly, life expectancy in the U.S. is in a decline. This is an amazing statistic given the advances in medicine we have achieved and the abundance of resources in this nation. However, driving the recent downward trend in this indicator of national well-being is not an infectious disease or cancer, but drug overdoses and suicide -- especially among white men and people in rural areas. For people living with HIV infection, the same seems to hold. Data from the large NA-ACCORD cohort show that from 2000 to 2015, rates of suicide were almost always much higher among white men living with HIV than white men in the general population. Not surprisingly, HIV-positive white men who inject drugs had the highest suicide rates. In contrast, HIV-positive black men take their own lives at a similar rate as black men in the general population. Women in the cohort who were living with HIV were found to commit suicide at rates below those in the general population.

The above data is REPRINTED from BodyPro : The AIDS?HIV task force

Until tomorrow