FEBRUARY 29 - MARCH 1, 2020 APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Have you ever tried taking apple cider vinegar ? Apple cider vinegar is a tangy, light brown vinegar made from fermented apples.  Apple cider vinegar has many potential health benefits. Vinegar has bene used for years as a “ treatment for many things. “ My father used to use it for everything. It reminds me of the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the father used “ Windex “ as a treatment for everything

The best advantages and health benefits of Apple cider vinegar are:

1. Apple cider vinegar can kill disease-causing bacteria and fungi

2. The high content of acetic acid in this vinegar gives its anti bacterial, anti viral and anti oxidant benefits

3. Can lower and maintain a lower blood sugar

4. Vinegar can reduce appetite making it easier to lose weight when ingesting

5. Apple cider vinegar is also a potent antioxidant, meaning it can prevent and reverse the damage caused by free radicals

Start by taking one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in 3-4 oz. of temperature water every morning. It will change your life

Until tomorrow…

FEBRUARY 28, 2020 HAZELNUTS

Hazelnuts are not consumed as often as almond or peanuts. It has not been a favorite of mine. The hazelnut is the nut of the hazel and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus Corylus, especially the nuts of the species Corylus avellana. It also is known as cobnut or filbert nut according to species. One year ago, the American Botanical Council’s HerbalGram had a feature on Hazelnuts. I love history of plants so when reading about hazelnuts I became intrigued with its possible mythical and magical powers. The god, Mercury is said to have carried a winged wand made from hazelnut branches

There have been two randomized studies with hazelnuts for its benefit on reducing glucose levels and increasing HDL or good cholesterol levels. One study looked at the benefits of the cacao powder and hazelnuts on metabolic profile and blood pressure

Hazelnuts also contain decent amounts of vitamin B6, folate, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Additionally, they are a rich source of mono- and polyunsaturated fats and contain a good amount of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, such as oleic acid Furthermore, a one-ounce serving provides 11.2 grams of dietary fiber, which accounts for about 11% of the RDI

I would start eating Hazelnuts and adding them to your dietary regimen

Until tomorrow…

FEBRUARY 27, 2020 DODDER

Dodder is an annual seed-bearing parasitic vine in the dodder family (formerly placed in the morning-glory family). Its thin, thread-like, yellow or orange stems grow rapidly entwining and covering their host plants

Dodder can be a nuisance but does this mean that some states have prohibited it and make it illegal. It acts as a parasite on its host plant. It does not kill the host plant

.Although it rarely kills its host plant, dodder can reduce the yield of crops such as alfalfa.

Even so, dodder could have some benefits for human health. Its seeds are a popular ingredient in Chinese medicine, which uses it to nourish the liver, kidneys, and spleen. Modern research has found that dodder could have anti-hypertensive properties, reducing both blood pressure and heart rate. I want to see some studies done with this plant.

Until tomorrow….

FEBRUARY 26, 2020 ST JOHN'S WORT

There are many herbs that are better than conventional drugs. Some of the herbs have gotten a bad rap- examples are Kratom and Comphrey. One herb that falls into this category is St John’s Wort.

St. John’s wort is a common herb that many people may be surprised to find in our list of forbidden remedies. Its Latin name is Hypericum perforatum and it is a small, shrubby plant with yellow flowers.

It is one of the most famous herbal remedies for depression, with several studies backing up its use. However, experts have urged caution when using St. John’s wort as it can interact with many other medications. I have never had a bad reaction with this herb and medications . I just don’t see it. It is also possible to use the herb as a topical preparation to aid wound healing.

Other uses include sunburn, nerve trauma, sore muscles, bruising, burns, and varicose veins. I use it for the neuropathy after shingles, or Bell’s Palsy. It is a very helpful herb

Until tomorrow…

FEBRUARY 25, 2020 PROGESTERONE

The use of natural or bioidentical hormones or synthetic hormones are very controversial. This months Townsend Letter had a great article on the Use of Progesterone. It explained the physiology, use and myths of the hormone progesterone.

The article demonstrated the following:

1. The most efficacious and safest way to protect the endometrium is with topical progesterone

2. Topical progesterone has been shown to effectively reduce estrogen’s mitogenic influence on the endometrium

3. Topical progesterone achieves higher cellular and blood levels of progesterone than oral progesterone

4. Progestins did not perform better than progesterone and carry far too much overall health risk to be considered for use in long term therapies

5. Progestins differ greatly from progesterone in form and function

   Until tomorrow…

FEBRUARY 24, 2020 LOW DOSE NALTREXONE

 I have been a proponent for low dose naltrexone for more than 15 years. You should know that naltrexone is an opiate receptor antagonist. This is not a new drug It was approved at 50 mg by the FDA in 1984.

The off label use of low dose naltrexone is a drug shown in many trials to have therapeutic benefit in modulating the immune system. A physician in 1985 in New York discovered the effects of low dose naltrexone. He reduced the drug from 50mg to as low as 0.5 mg and as high as 9.0 mg

This lower dose can modulate the immune system and may provide relief to those patients suffering from autoimmune diseases. There are more than 100 autoimmune diseases. We only have blood tests for about 36 of these diseases. Some of the autoimmune diseases that I have used LDN in are systemic lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjorgen’s syndrome and many more. There is a web based Home Page for Low Dose Naltrexone

I have used LDN in patients with cancer and with Lyme Disease as well as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It can only be prescribed by a medical doctor. The key to success in using LDN is understanding that there is no set protocol. It is patient specific. Ask your physician for LDN if you or a loved one has an autoimmune disease

Until tomorrow..

FEBRUARY 22-23, 2012 MUSHROOMS AND CANCER

Japanese researches published a study in September 2019 on the effectiveness of eating mushrooms and reduced risk of prostate cancer. In 2019 there were 175,000 new cases of prostate cancer. The treatment for this type of cancer has improved over the last 20 years. The study which started in 2012 stated that certain mushrooms have anticancer, antibacterial and antidiabetic properties.

It also found that extracts of certain mushrooms can slow tumor growth.

The study specifically looked at mushrooms reducing the biomarker for prostate cancer, the PSA ( prostatic specific antigen) It was a large population studied - 36,499 Japanese men from two Japanese cohort studies.

Those participants who ate mushrooms one or two times a week had an 8 % lower relative risk of prostate cancer. Those who ate mushrooms three to four times a week had a 17 %^ lower relative risk. This is a great study. More studies need to be done

Until tomorrow…

FEBRUARY 21, 2020 YOGA AND PD

Parkinson's Disease is devastating for both the individual and the family. There is always associated depression and anxiety with PD. There was a single blind randomized study done to look at the effects on yoga on these psychological factors.

At baseline measures of mobility, severity of motor symptoms, symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed and at 20 weeks

Participants in the mindfulness of yoga program arm of the study had signi9ficant improvement in anxiety and depression compared to participants who did not do yoga

However motor functioning and mobility was improved in both groups.

More studies on the effectiveness of yoga need to be done

Until tomorrow…