FEBRUARY 7-9, 2020 MURDER, MAGIC AND MYSTERY
I consider my books to be my worldly possessions. I am constantly reading. On the shelves at work sits “ Murder, Magic and Mystery” by John Mann. In the introduction is the verse from Macbeth IV - “ Double double toil and trouble” Any book that begins with Shakespeare cannot be all that bad,
When you get to read the evolution of medicine from folklore medicine you begin to understand the true meaning of healing through plants. It mesmerizes you. The use and abuse of natural medicines through the ages has led to the development of many commonly used drugs. There is still so much to discover in the natural world that could save our planet. The destruction of many of the earth’s wild places like the fires in Australia could destroy some plants yet to be discovered.
Although the book is 28 years old its stories are still relevant today. It will make you ponder how you can get involved. Be proactive Take up a cause. I advocate to Save Our Bees. You do something….
Until tomorrow….
FEBRUARY 6, 2020 APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Have you ever tried apple cider vinegar? I have. I alternative between room temperature water and lemon and water and apple cider vinegar every other day It is the way I start my morning. Of course that is after my meditation and Chaplin’s walk . There are many touted benefits of using apple cider vinegar.
Additionally, apple cider vinegar has many potential health benefits, such as being antibacterial, antifungal and helping manage blood sugar levels. Apple cider vinegar is also a potent antioxidant, meaning it can prevent and reverse the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals cause much harm to the body.
When it comes to heart disease… apple cider vinegar can improve cholesterol levels. Apple cider vinegar can lower cholesterol levels, potentially decreasing heart disease risk. In animal studies, it can decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels, while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol.
Although there are many benefits of apple cider , most of the research and published data is done in the animal model. There needs to be more human studies
Until tomorrow…
FEBRUARY 5, 2020 TOMATOE AND BLOOD PRESSURE
Did the Italians have it right with putting tomato sauce on every food ? Wed do know that oxidative stress and inflammation play a role in the development of hypertension. Current drugs used to treat hypertension have been associated with some adverse effects. Alternative and complementary treatments for blood pressure control include lifestyle and dietary modifications, especially inclusion of additional fruits and vegetable. This has been well studied with the Mediterranean dietary lifestyle.
Tomatoes contain lycopene which has been written about for its use for prostate disease. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, Solanaceae) carotenoids such as lycopene, phytoene, and phytofluene promote the antioxidant defense mechanism. This has been well understood and documented. A Tomatoe Nutrient Complex ( TNC) was prepared and given to patients in a study. This study was published in the American Botanical Council HerbalGram. There was a reduction in blood pressure
Patients in the 15 and 30 mg TNC groups had significant reductions in SBP from weeks 2 to 8 . It was concluded that there are variations in lycopene levels and more studies need to be done. I feel this is a great beginning and more studies using fruits and vegetables to treat hypertension should be done
Until tomorrow…
FEBRUARY 4, 2020 MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS and YARROW
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive disease with motor and cognitive complications. There is no cure for MS. Although there are disease-modifying drugs that may slow the progression of the disease, there is a need for safe therapies that can also control the relapse rate and reduce the incidence of disability.
I use a different approach to MS and other autoimmune disease. I usually recommend a patient to have a gluten free lifestyle and avoid simple sugars ( or carbohydrates) I check for heavy metal intoxication either by provocative urine or hair analysis. I do a comprehensive autoimmune testing for other autoimmune diseases. In most cases if not all, I prescribe LDN , low dose naltrexone from 1- 4.5 mg /day
Recently the American Botanical Council had an article about the use of the herb Yarrow (Achillea millefolium,) as an add on therapy for patients with MS. The study was published in the HerbalGram . In conclusion ,the authors state that one year of supplementation with yarrow extract improved MS-related measures and relapse-related clinical outcomes in patients with relapsing-remitting MS. Disease progression appeared to be delayed, based on EDSS scores and MRI imaging. The authors explain that there were no major differences between the effects of the 250 mg and 500 mg daily doses;
Until tomorrow…
Re: Yarrow May Delay Disease Progression in Patients with Early Stage Multiple Sclerosis
Ayoobi F, Moghadam-Ahmadi A, Amiri H, et al. Achillea millefolium is beneficial as an add-on therapy in patients with multiple sclerosis: A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytomedicine. January 2019;52:89-97. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2018.06.017.