JUNE 30, 2021 HEARTBURN

Heartburn affects more than 60 million Americans every month. It can be described as a painful, burning sensation that occurs on the lower chest area. There are many causes. There are also many treatment modalities. Some of the conventional treatment modalities have side effects which render it impossible to continue the treatment

The muscle, the lower esophageal sphincter gets weakened with acid reflux and this is why people experience heartburn. We do know that diet plays a pivotal role in this disease. There are foods that relax the lower esophageal sphincter ( LES) allowing food to escape into the esophagus and this cause heartburn

Some of these foods are high fat foods . It is disappointing as some of these foods are beneficial to the body. Some of the high fat foods also stimulate the release of CCK, a hormone called cholecstokinin which relaxes the sphincter causing more reflux.

I used to use a lot of the mint herbs for which there are many. Mints has caused some relief but there is evidence that it can cause heartburn A study found that consuming peppermint tea increased the risk of heartburn by two fold. Other foods that causes heartburn are citrus juices, chocolate, spicy foods, onions and salt. Some of these foods have other health benefits. I fee; getting an allergy or sensitivity test for foods using Ig G testing can be beneficial We offer Ig G allergy testing in both our Connecticut and New York City offices.

Once the test is performed you can start to eliminate these foods and the foods lowering LES and stop heartburn. I use slippery elm, raspberry and meadowsweet teas to ease the bring as well as deglycherrized licorice ( DGL) Aloe vera gel can also help

Until tomorrow…

JUNE 29, 2021 LYME DISEASE

Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing insect borne infections in the United States. More than 450,000 people each are diagnosed with Lyme Disease. For me, personally and professionally this is not a new infection I have been dealing with my son who has had Lyme disease and other tick borne infections since the age 13

I was featured on Remedies - a 9 part series on integrative approaches to various disease. In the part on Lyme I was with Stephen Buehner- author of Healing Lyme. The ‘ out of the box’ approaches to Lyme are not new to me. I have using out of the box treatments for many years. I have been using herbs as Cat’s Claw, Wormwood, Japanese knotweed , Andrographis and many more for years. In a John Hopkins study in 2020 it was found that both Cat’s Claw ( Unicaria tomentrosa) and Wormwood/sweet Annie ( Artemesia annua) were effective in killing Borrelia - and even more effective than the conventional antibiotic , doxycycline.

I have used intravenous treatments, and bee venom therapy to treat my son. Both very very effective. If your health care practitioner doesn’t use or know the other treatments he/ she should refer to a health care practitioner than uses those treatments. I have referred many of my patients to Harold Robbins for ozone therapy. The early detection and treatment of Lyme gives the patient the best chance. Unfortunately many patients have chronic Lyme or chronic persistent Lyme syndrome. More conventional physicians should recognize this and use proper Lyme labs to perform testing

Until tomorrow…

JUNE 28, 2021 INTRAVENOUS VITAMIN C

i have been using intravenous vitamin C in my medical practice for more years than I can recover. We administered IV Vitamin C at the office of the late Richard Ash, MD as well as at the Atkins Center for Complimentary Medicine on East 55th. At the Atkins Center we had a whole floor dedicated to intravenous therapies. Dr Atkins and myself prescribed high dose vitamin C to many patients. So it was not surprising to me when I read about two small studies using Vitamin C in COVID patients.

In both studies it was found that vitamin C decreased the mortality rates in patients with severe respiratory disease due to COVID 19. These were small studies- one being 56 patients and the other 150 patients. There will always be those that are skeptical about the use of Vitamin C for COVID as well as other chronic illnesses .

If given properly there are very few if any drawbacks to IV Vitamin C. The osmolarity must be calculated as well as the health care practitioner knowing the patient’s creatinine as well as cardiac status.

Until tomorrow…

JUNE 25-27, 2021 YUCCA

I have planted a Yucca in my garden Not the easiest plant to grow. It is from the Lily Family. The part of the plant that is used is the root

The medical properties of the plant have been used for cenbturies by different cultures. It has anti inflammatpory and anto rheumatic . Therefore it has been used for arthritis and rheumatic pains.

It has long history as a food for Southwest desert natives. It has been used as a purgitive and good for digestive problems. I have seen it comboined with prickly askh and giner for some conditions. The problem is that ;long term use can block absorption of fat soluble vitamins

Consult your naturopathic doctor at all times

Until tomorrow…

JUNE 24, 2021 PETROSELINUM SATIVUM

This is Parseley Every part of this plant is used- leaves, seed, fruit and toot. The root is sweet and the leaves are spicy. It is a common herb used in the culinary field

I find it difficult to grow in the herb garden There are many biochemical constituents of this plant. The seeds are stronger in an essential oil. There is a volatile oil to the plant.

I commonly use this herb for its diuretic propewrties. I usually combine it with the herb Dandelion and the amino acid , L taurine. It has antiseptic properties that is why I use the root and leaf for urinary tract infections in males and females. I feel the whole plant can be used for digestive properties . I combine it with slippery elm, raspberry and meadowsweet

It can be used to dissolve stones. I would use with caution here as if the herb breaks up stones then smaller stones can cause obstruction.

Until tomorrow…

JUNE 23, 2021 BEE BALM

Bee Balm ( Monarda fistulosa) is one of my favorite plants/flowers to grow. I planted many along my back fence when I moved to Connecticut. It returns every year. It is also known as Horsemint or Wild Bergamot. It is a member of the mint family like Lemon Balm, Motherwort and Bugleweed. It does have a soft mint scent.

The leaves and flowers can be eaten and most likely used for a garnish

Honeybees love Bee Balm ( hence the name ) I have used it for use in individuals with coughs or throat infections. I have seen it added to a balm for skin infections due to its antiseptic properties.

Until tomorrow…

JUNE 22, 2021 CROWBERRY

Since moving to Connecticut and planting in my own yard I have been fascinated by the different edible berries other than the common blueberry or strawberry. I have planted and written about gooseberry, chokeberry and other berries.

Crowberry ( Empertrum nigrum )is a creeping dwarf shrub growing in New York and Vermont. The name empertrum literally means "growing on rocks". It grows in bogs and thrives in acidic soil

It flowers in May or June and are minute tiny pink or purple in color. The berries ripen in July through November. he harvesting or picking has a long season. Some plants yield a small harvest and some are abundant in its berries. I find the berries to be tasty and juicy.

The taste of crowberries are somewhat acrid and are generally used for making pies, wine, jams, jellies, etc. They are an excellent source of fibre and antioxidants - even better than blueberries. They are high in vitamins C and K. Crowberry is used for smoking fish in some northern cultures.

The berry fruit is said to have anti inflammatory, anti bacterial and even anti fungal properties

Until tomorrow…

JUNE 21, 2021 BLACK CHOKEBERRY

Aronia melanocarpa, called the black chokeberry, is a species of shrubs in the rose family native to eastern North America

There are medicinal benefits to Aronia or black chokeberry. Both the aronia and bilberry extracts helped to relax the tissue, which would allow for improved blood flow. Aronia berries may reduce cancer cell growth in people with certain types of cancer. It also has been shown tomprove insulin sensitivity.

A recent study was published in the HerbalGram of the American Botanical Council . The paper was entitled “ The effect of long-term Aronia melanocarpa extract supplementation on cognitive performance, mood, and vascular function: A randomized controlled trial in healthy, middle-aged individuals. “ Nutrients. August 2020;12(8):2475. doi: 10.3390/nu12082475.

It was a small study population The AME extract (Brainberry®; BioActor BV; Maastricht, The Netherlands) was used as the intervention.

The authors conclude "AME could have a protective effect on cognition and blood pressure in healthy, middle-aged, overweight adults." The authors recommend future studies aim to isolate the mechanisms associated with the effect of black chokeberry on cognition. Additional studies should include participants experiencing advanced cognitive decline.

I encourage you to join the American Botanical Council in order to receive their HerbalGram Thrpoughout my career I have used HerbalGram articles to further enhance my knowledge of herbs and potential plants as medicine

Until tomorrow…