JULY 14, 2020 TEAS

Teas are the gentle, natural and most beneficial way to absorb the healing properties of teas. I think it is economical and easy. I prescribe many tea concoctions to my patient. Most of the tea blends I make in the office after seeing the patient

Whether you ingest our GUTSY, CALMY, ACHEY or the popular SICKLY during this pandemic — it is a simple . A cup of tea has the power to soothe and relax the individual but also deliver healing agents to the bloodstream more quickly than capsules, or even tinctures. They actually taste better than most tinctures.

Who doesn’t like a cup of ginger/lemon tea to boost your energy and healing those aching joints ( especially after I work in the garden) Hot or room temperature, these are pure and simple.

Visit our apothecary at www.botanicalbounty.org for our most cmmon blends or let us make you a blend.

Until tomorrow….

JULY 13, 2020 ANXIETY

Even though stay-at-home orders are easing, and many counties and states are re-opening for business, a number of people are still feeling anxious about leaving home. Are you one of these individuals ? Being a native New Yorker I find this understanding. NYC has not been the same since COVID 19 started. In addition we had riots, and vandalism but we also had peaceful demonstrations.

Many of my patients feel this is another trauma not unlike 9/11. Many with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders are feeling overwhelmed , anxious and fearful . I feel this is a time if off or working from home to have a ZOOM visit with your therapist/psychiatrist. I have done more ZOOM AA meetings over the last 4 months than when the meetings were in person

Another disorder which has risen is Agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by an overwhelming and irrational fear of specific places, situations, or spaces. I have many patients feeling this way due to the circumstances of the COVID pandemic. People who experience the condition often feel trapped or think they won’t be able to escape from places. Can you imagine feeling trapped in an elevator with 2 other people who are wearing masks ?

In addition to seeing your mental health care practitioner or therapist there some good herbs called Nervines that can help. I utilize a custom made organic fair trade tea called CALMY

CALMY contains one of my favorite herbs called Skullcap in addition to California Poppy.

It can be obtained at Botanical Bounty in NYC at 115 East 57th Street Suite 1510 or www.botanicalbounty.org

Until tomorrow

JULY 9-10, 2020 FROZEN VEGGIES

During this pandemic , we all have been trying to cook and eat better. I was raised on a mixture of frozen and fresh vegetables. There were always fresh garden grown vegetable sin the summer. My Poppy had a fantastic garden. I do remember my mother cooking some frozen veggie s- this was the 1960s and 1970s. I wonder if they were nutritious.

Vegetables are frozen as soon as they are harvested—they do retain nutrients. Studies have shown this to be true. Another study reviewed that freezing may affect the nutritional value of certain vegetables.

You must check do make sure there are no additives or preservatives. Most do not have them, but I still check when purchasing . As a cardiologist I always ask my patients to check frozen vegetables for content of sodium ( salt). Sometimes frozen veggies are mixed with sauces that might have a lot of sodium.

So what are the benefits to frozen ? Well it is quicker and it is cheaper. This is important at this time during COVID epidemic and some are out of work. I feel you can get frozen veggies year round and enjoy your vegetable out of season . I like this idea !

Regardless frozen or fresh please increase your intake because it lowers risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic conditions

Until tomorrow

JULY 8, 2020 LITTLE FREE LIBRARY- BEE WELL READ

We all have had time in the last 3-4 months to do something new or something old that I wanted to refresh. I have used the Corona Pandemic as a time to ‘ reset’ my life. First of all - I temporarily closed my medical practices in New York City and in Fairfield Connecticut. I decided to volunteer at the hospital and be useful in any capacity. It was a tough time. I decided to relocate to my home in Connecticut This has been a good decision. On my days off I had time to devote to planting my gardens and keeping my honeybees. I had to time to devote to my dog, Chaplin as well as inhabitants of my pond. It has been a reset

During a walk in my neighborhood I noticed a little box attached to a wooden fence. As I went up to it—I was surprised it was full of books. It is called the Little Free Library. Their web site is www.littlefreelibrary.org.

As I read about this non for profit group I became inspired to set up a library . It is a great way to share books, give a book or borrow a book. I enjoy reading a book in my hands. I am not fond of reading on a device. I love the feel of a book. I had another reason- it was my 60th birthday and I became a grandfather ( a Poppy) in late 2019. I can share children’s books with my community and my grandson.

I put 5 books in my new library. The next day I looked in my box and it now had 11 books. I smiled with delight. To be honest, I even shed a tear. I registered my library today with LittleFreeLibrary.org map and location

Our library is appropriately called BEE WELL READ

Until tomorrow

JULY 7, 2020 BEE VENOM AND CORONA VIRUS

Most of my readers know that I am beekeeper and an apitherapist. I am the Vice president of the American Apitherapy Society. My colleague and friend, Dr Gary Ostrow sent me this article about bee venom and corona virus

This is written by a physician who participated in the prevention and control of coronavirus in China.

There is one discovery we would like to report here. It reminds us the story of the discovery of cowpox and the eventual victory of humans over this disease (Bennett and Baxby, 1996).

Apitherapy means making use of bee venom from the honeybee's sting to treat or prevent certain diseases. There is evidence apitherapy may prevent COVID-19.

In Hubei province, the epicentre of COVID-19 in China, the local beekeepers association conducted a survey of beekeepers (Fig. 1 ). A total of 5115 beekeepers were surveyed from February 23 to March 8, including 723 in Wuhan, the outbreak epicentre of Hubei. None of these beekeepers developed symptoms associated with COVID-19, and their health was totally normal.

After that, we interviewed five apitherapists in Wuhan and followed 121 patients of their apitherapy clinic. These patients had received apitherapy from October 2019 to December 2019, and all the five bee apitherapists have the habit of self-apitherapy for their own health care.

Without any protective measures, two of the five apitherapists were exposed to suspected COVID-19 cases and others were exposed to confirmed COVID-19 cases, but none of them were infected eventually.

None of the 121 patients were infected by SARS-CoV-2, and three of them had close contact with immediate family members who were confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection cases.

It might be supposed that beekeepers are less likely to be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 because they live in less densely populated rural areas. But the five apitherapists and their patients are from densely populated areas in Wuhan. These people have one thing in common: they develop a tolerance to bee sting.

Until tomorrow

JULY 6, 2020 EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

I have made a habit of always learning something new. I want to continue to learn everyday of my life. It has taken me to wonderful places, but more importantly it has healed my soul. One of my readings include the publication by Edible Communities. I read their newsletter in print and on line. There might be an Edible newsletter where you live.

In Connecticut I became familiar to Edible Nutmeg . I found it in the waiting room of the Naturopathic Clinic at the University of Bridgeport 5 years ago. Over the last five years in between clinic shifts I began to read this magazine. There are Edible newsletters in Seattle, Nashville, Orange County, Madison, Tulsa, Tampa Bay , Columbus and countless more.

I guarantee you will learn something NEW. I try to make to the best of my ability to make each day a new experience. Yes, we have have routines. Make Edible part of your routine. They have compelling storytelling and fresh seasonal recipes in every issue. Explore how healthy you can eat and drink. You will not be disappointed and you might learn something NEW

Check out www.ediblecommunities.com

Until tomorrow…

JULY 3-5 , 2020 HOMEFRONT FARMERS

Summer is here. It is not the summer we had hoped for. It is not what we expected. We have to continue to social distance and wear masks. There is a lot of discussions about all of this For weeks I have written about the Corona Pandemic . I have tried to educate, teach and hope some of my readers have listened. I will continue to write about the Corona Virus.

For this 4th of July I want you to love the taste of summer from your own garden. Last week I have crisp lettuce and deep green spinach from my Connecticut neighbors garden I even picked fresh strawberries from my own garden . This year I planted many berry bushes. I have planted 2 elderberry bushes, one Bing cherry tree, one mulberry tree, one Turkey Fig tree, and one gooseberry bush. I planted 3 tomatoe plants and 4 pepper plants.

You might not have time to grow your own vegetables. And if you do you might need help to maintain. I have a great suggestion You can educate yourselves with the assistance on Homefront Farmers. They are the leading experts in producing homegrown organic food They have organic gardeners who can help, assist and make visits. They will keep your garden bountiful. They still have seedlings in their greenhouses. There is still time to maybe grow on your windowsill.

Check out www.homefrontfarmers.com Get involved

Until tomorrow…

JULY 2, 2020 SAVE OUR POLLINATORS

In 2014, Science found that were a 45 % global mean abundance decline in insect populations and last year another report stated that 40 % of insect species are threatened with extinction. In Europe the reports are more alarming. If you live in a city you probably do not hear about this nor do you concentrate on the insects in your neighborhood. I have been a beekeeper for more than 10 years . I started this ‘ hobby’ to Save Our Honeybees. What started as a hobby is my passion. I have kept bees in NYC on my terrace and now in Connecticut. If we lose the bee population you will not have a third of your fruits and vegetables at your dinner table. This year I raised $4500 in donations for my 60th birthday for the American Apitherapy Society for which I am Vice President.

Living in Connecticut I get to witness the decline. I plant insect friendly flowers for our pollinators — bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other insect pollinators. Get involved.

The Pollinator Pathway Project covers parts of Connecticut and New York. It has been establishing pollinator friendly habitats and food sources for all insect pollinators. The ‘ pathway’ is formed through the establishment of pesticide free , semi contiguous corridor of public and private properties that provide plant habitat and nutrition for pollinators. This is a worth while cause that is needed. This corridor operates as a sanctuary for native pollinators. This approach is working and spreading throughout Connecticut. Like every organization there are hurdles. The best plants are those native to the Northeast. These stand the best chance to provide what is needed.

Get involved. Read about this Project . www.pollinator-pathway.org

Until tomorrow….