NOVEMBER 18, 2020 APPLES

Have you ever thought about an apple. You know the saying “ An apple a Day keeps the doctor away. “ While lying on his death bed from tuberculosis in 1862 , well known writer Henry David Thoreau wrote an essay about apples which was published after his death, It was entitled ‘Wild Apples’- a must read on the ode to the apple through its history. In Michael Pollan’s book, “ Botany of Desire,” the first part of the book discusses the apple and its history. I urge you to read this book.

Perhaps being a doctor has intrigued my interest in Apples. I enjoy apples as part of my dietary regimen consuming at least 3 - 5 apples a week. This began my search for a book of Apples. Apples you think are truly American but they are not. The only apple trees in America were wild small bitter crab apples when first settled. The Europeans were smart enough to bring apple seedlings to be planted.

The book that drew my attention to this and much more is the Reaktion Botanical Series book on Apples by Marcia Reiss. There are 11 delicious chapters to read and digest ( no pun intended) with some called The Searching for Sweetness, Bad Apples, Good Apples and even Misplaced Apples.

You will come away after reading this book with a refreshness towards this fruit and more knowledge than ever thought possible.

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 17, 2020 MORE ABOUT HONEY

I can resist writing about honey. For one I harvested my honey from my own beehives about 3 weeks ago. The other reason is an article I read in our the Journal from the Apitherapy Society for which I am Vice President. By joining the AAS at www.apitherapy.org you can get this Journal in your mailbox. It is published quarterly. Our editor/friend/colleague/beekeeper , Deborah Klughers does an excellent job.

There was an article discussing the evaluation of antibacterial activity in 36 commercial honeys and 3 medical grade honeys. In the end the antibacterial activity of commercial honey revealed that 44 % of them had low antibacterial activity. There were some samples that exhibited high antibacterial activity while generating low H2O2 levels. It did reveal honey samples from local beekeepers showed superior antibacterial activity compared to medical grade honey.s

I urge you to join the American Apitherapy Society Check out our website www.apitherapy.org

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 16, 2020 TWO QUESTIONS IN OLD AGE

I recall the dialogue between two older characters in the movie ‘ For The Boys “ The Bette Midler character and the James Caan character meet after many years not seeing each other. The exchange between the two were “ How they have been sleeping” and I think “ their individual bowel habits.” The question I have been asking myself is “ Am I getting a good nights sleep in recent weeks or rather months ? “ I owuld have to say with the current health crisis ( the corona pandemic), and life on life’s terms — I have not. In my case it is the waking up to urinate 3- 4 times a night. It is not like I drink water after 7 pm. It is that I have an enlarged prostate. This is a common problem for men as they get older.

The causes of a non cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland are uncertain. There is a hypothesis that this benign enlargement may be related to the balancing of sex hormones as we get older. Yet 8 % of men in their 30’s have an enlarged prostate.

As the prostate enlarges it presses on the urethra interfering with the flow of urine. I know and have read that prostate size doesn’t necessarily predict symptom occurrence. The usual signs of symptoms of this benign enlargement could be a 1. a weaker urine stream; 2. difficulty starting urinary flow; 3. stopping and starting while urinating; 4. urinating frequently during the night called nocturia'; 5. straining during urination.

If you have any of these symptoms you need to see your doctor. Your healthy care provider will probably refer you to a urologist. There are medications that can used as alpha blockers such as uroxiatral, Flomax or Rapaflo. There are also 5 alpha reuctase inhibitors as Proscar or Avodart. There are surgical procedures.

There are also many vita nutrients that can help like lycopene ( from tomato paste) , a herb, Saw palmetto, pumpkin seeds and another herb, Nettle Root

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 12, 2020 MAGIC MUSHROOMS

Mushrooms have bene used to treat medical diseases much longer than it has been written about. There are many different types of mushrooms. Some are edible and some are not. Some are medicinal and some are not.

Psilocybin mushrooms provide fast-acting, long-lasting relief from major depression, a new major study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds.

Also known as magic mushrooms, just two doses of the humble fungi eliminated symptoms of depression faster and kept them away longer than typical pharmaceutical antidepressants, a team of psychiatrists and neurologists from Johns Hopkins University found. These mushrooms were four times more effective than conventional medications. Although this was a small study I was happy to see it being published.

The state of Oregon just legalized these magic mushrooms, authorizing them for therapeutic use and decriminalizing possession, so it looks like Oregonians will be the first to enjoy the seemingly “magic” medicinal mushroom.

More studies need to be done

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 11, 2020 CORONA UPDATE

When is a disease free day in sight ? I think that is a day that is long off. There are 600,000 deaths world wide with 14 million cases. The numbers are beginning to be staggering again as if it was March 2020. The United States reported more than 128,000 new coronavirus cases on November 5th as the number of fatalities nationwide exceeded 1,000 for the fourth consecutive day.

There will be a Corona task force set up per #46 ( President Elect Biden) This is my dilema—what do we do now ? A vaccine? Let’s not hope that one comes out soon as there are 5 in Phase 3 trials, yet none are near completion. Let us not forget if any of these vaccines have neurological effects. I have many of my patients on 4-5 key supplements: 1. Vitamin C, 2. zinc; 3. N acetyl cysteine; 4. Vitamin D; and 5. methylated B complex; Many are also on low dose naltrexone ranging from 1 to 4 mg. This is a prescription.

This next statement by the Center of Disease Control worried me.—

“Adults testing positive for the coronavirus were almost twice as likely to report having gone into workplaces in person or into a school in the previous two weeks than those who tested negative, according to a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control “

You MUST wear a mask. You MUST social distance. You MUST use your common sense when traveling to and from work. Eat healthier, exercise at least three times a week and STAY CALM

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 10, 2020 THE WORTS

There are lots of plants with the word ‘ wort’ in its name. There is Lungwort, and Mugwort and of course Motherwort. I have used the first and the last in many herbal formulas. For those that love magic and plants you must read about Moonwort. Its botanical name is Botrychium lunmaria. I love the mystery behind this herb . It is said to bring light to who we are.

It is truly a magical herb. Witches have used it to bring the moon energy into their spell work. I would bet that the Sanderson Sisters used Moonwort. We all have an intuitive side. Some use it more than others. Most witches are female and this plant is great for the feminine energy.

It is used medicinally to help wound healing. It can speed up the healing process when used on a fresh wound.

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 9, 2020 DRAGON'S BLOOD

I feel I must have written about Dragon’s Blood at one point in the last ten years. It is a resoin rather than a specific plant. Most of the resin comes from the genus Daemonorops. It is hard to find a good source of Dragon’s blood.

There is not a lot written about this resin Medicinally it has ant viral properties as well as wound healing effects. It also has anti inflammatory properties.

It has been used as an ink in ancient times. I sure used to write love letters. I have read that it is a good healer.

My intent is to find a good source of dragon’s blood to use it to seal my Christmas envelopes ( wax and dragon’s blood )

Until tomorrow…

NOVEMBER 6-8, 2020 FENGREEK

Fenugreek is not a common herb that you may know about. Its botanical name is Trigonella foenum-graecum . Fenugreek is a clover-like herb native to the Mediterranean region, southern Europe, and western Asia. Its seeds, which smell and taste like maple syrup, have been used in cooking and as medicine. Fenugreek is used as an ingredient in spice blends and a flavoring agent in foods, beverages, and tobacco. I feel most individuals have heard of fenugreek due to its effect on boosting testosterone and increasing milk production during lactation.

In the herbal world it has many medical benefits. I use it to lower blood sugar when combined with other herbs as bitter melon, and cinnamon , It useful when combined with chromium , vanadium and alpha lipoic acid.

A recent study used fenugreek as a lipid lowering herb in patients with Type II diabetes. These authors conducted a randomized, controlled trial to investigate the effects of a fenugreek seed powder solution on the lipid profile of patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This study was published in the HerbalGram of the American Botanical Council in July 2020. There were significant improvements seen in total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, and HDL-C levels (P < 0.001 for all). There are many herbs that should also be studied along with fenugreek.

The authors conclude that the fenugreek seed powder solution "had pronounced effects in improving lipid metabolism in type II diabetic patients with no adverse effects" and "may provide new alternatives for the clinical management of type II diabetes."

Until tomorrow…