APRIL 7, 2022 SEEDS
When I think of spring, I ponder how many different seeds I will plant this year in my garden. When you approach my house, I replaced the lawn on the right of the house with a stone pathway and a variety of plants. There are different Roses which will eventually climb up an arch intertwined with different species of Clematis . This year the left lawn will be replaced with a fountain encircled with blue slate with a variety of new plants grown from seeds in my small greenhouse. So lets talk about the book, The Triumph of Seeds.
The Triumph of Seeds by Thor Hanson was written 7 years ago. Why talk about it today. I had to if I was describing the gardens and my own seeds. It is not a regular botany book. It is a truly engaging book which integrates the discussion of seeds in discussing the ways in which human and plants interact. It doesn’t discuss the way plants grow from seeds but instead discusses the seeds themselves. I have turned to this book for inspiration. The chapters are named appropriately . In some chapters he opens with a story from a novel.
You must read this enchanting , informative and educational book
Until tomorrow…
APRIL 6, 2022 INFLAMMATORY FOODS
Inflammation is the major can of chronic disease. Many foods that you eat in your diet can cause inflammation. Inflammation can be good or bad. You might think of it as bad, yet inflammation can help the body defend itself disease and stimulate healing.
There are some foods that must be avoided. You must avoid white sugar and high fructose corn syrup. These are two sugars that are added into the Western Diet. It is in a majority of foods. It is all over the food stores. Sugar is 50 % glucose and 50 % fructose whereas high fructose corn syrup is 45 % glucose and 55 % fructose
There are many studies that have shown that high sugar diet can cause disease One of the studies showed that sugar ( sucrose ) diet developed breast cancer in mice. In another study the anti inflammatory effects of omega 3 fatty acids were impaired in mice fed a high sucrose diet We know that ingestion of regular soda can increase uric acid which drives inflammation
SUGAR IS BAD NEWS
Until tomorrow…
APRIL 5, 2022 FOODS THAT INCREASE BLOOD PRESSURE
Hypertension (high blood pressure ) affects 3 million people every year. As the Joint Commision decreases the diastolic blood pressure number every 2-3 years, the more individuals are diagnosed with high blood pressure. As there are many foods that can decrease blood pressure, there are many foods that can increase blood pressure.
The following increase blood pressure
1.Packaged Poultry
2. Canned Soup
3. Packaged Chese
4. Cold cuts
5. Cured meats
6. Hot Dogs
Basically try to avoid excessive sodium. I would look at nutrition labels . You should eat less than 1500 milligrams/day. One of the diets promoted by the National Heart and Lung Institute to lower blood pressure is the DASH diet. It emphasizes fruits, and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low fat dairy to lower blood pressure. I feel a dietary change should be individualized based on food allergies ( Ig G )as well as other blood tests
Until tomorrow…
APRIL 4, 2022 BLOOD PRESSURE
Hypertension ( high blood pressure ) is a condition in which the force of the blood against the arterial walls is too high. There are more than 3 million cases per year. It usually is defined as blood pressure above 140/90 and considered dangerous is blood pressure is above 180/120. In recent years the numbers considered being hypertensive has been lowered to a diastolic number ( bottom number) at 85.
There are many conventional medications that lower blood pressure. All medications although very beneficial and effective can have side effects. To lower blood pressure I educate the patient on changing their dietary habits, losing weight and start an exercise regimen.
There are many supplements and herbs that can also lower your blood pressure. Some of the supplements are magnesium, citrulline, arginine and CoEnzyme Q10. Some of the herbs that lower blood pressure are garlic, ginkgo, artichoke and hawthorn.
There are certain foods that have been shown to lower blood pressure, while other foods can elevate blood pressure. The foods that lower blood pressure are the following:
Spinach and other greens
Dark chocolate
Beets
Berries
Fatty Fish
Watermelon ( has lycopene )
Flaxseed
Pomegranate
Until tomorrow
MARCH 31, 2022 AYAHUASCA
Taken from the ABC HerbalGram HC# 082135-685
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive plant brew, is used in traditional ceremonies by indigenous people in the Western Amazon basin. The brew is prepared by boiling stems of the caapi (yage; Banisteriopsis caapi, Malpighiaceae) vine with chacruna (Psychotria viridis, Rubiaceae) or chaliponga (Diplopterys cabrerana, Malpighiaceae) leaves. The effects of ayahuasca have been linked to transcendental and mystical experiences characterized by alterations in an individual's sense of self and reality, emotional and cognitive processing, and spatiotemporal orientation. In this prospective, observational, naturalistic study, the authors sought to determine whether ceremonial ayahuasca use is associated with positive effects on mental health.
The study was conducted at the Ayahuasca Foundation, a retreat and research center in the Amazon rainforest near Iquitos, Peru. Ayahuasca was given to participants who signed up for a retreat in a traditional Shipibo setting adapted for tourists. The retreats were offered in 8-day (4 ayahuasca ceremonies) 2-week (6 ceremonies), 3-week (9 ceremonies), and 1-month (11 ceremonies) sessions.
The ceremonies lasted about five hours and were led by a local curandero with help from trained Ayahuasca Foundation facilitators. The participants consumed about 150 mL of the ayahuasca brew at the beginning of a ceremony. Each participant was instructed to determine what he or she hoped to achieve before the ceremonies.
Standardized questionnaires were given to the participants before their first ceremony (baseline), the day after their last ceremony (post-retreat), and six months after their final ceremony. Saliva samples were gathered for epigenetic analyses. The following assessments were used: the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Self-Compassion Scale, Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Mystical Experience Questionnaire, Sentence Completion for Events from the Past Test (SCEPT), and SCEPT Inter-rater Reliability.
Sixty-three self-selected participants aged 19-63 years were included in the study. Of those, 48 reported no physical health problems; 3 reported hypertension, 1 reported irritable bowel syndrome, 1 reported seizures, and 11 reported other conditions. Forty-two participants had not been diagnosed with any psychiatric disorders, 15 reported depression, 15 reported anxiety, 5 reported attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and 5 had post-traumatic stress disorder. Twenty-seven participants had experienced problems with substance use. Thirty-seven participants had not used ayahuasca. The participants took part in the following retreat durations: 18 in the 8-day, 12 in the 2-week, 12 in the 3-week, and 19 in the 1-month retreats.
Significant decreases occurred in BDI-II, STAI-T, and CORE-OM scores at post-retreat compared with baseline (P < 0.001 for all). At the six-month follow-up, those scores were lower compared with baseline scores (P < 0.001) but not compared with post-retreat scores. Compared with baseline scores, the self-compassion scores were higher at post-retreat (P < 0.001) but not at the six-month follow-up. Memory specificity scores on the SCEPT did not change; however, significant reductions in negative valance memory scores from baseline to the six-month follow-up were observed (P = 0.004).
At baseline, 31 participants were depressed as indicated by BDI-II scores. Of those participants, 24 were no longer depressed at post-retreat and at the six-month follow-up. At post-retreat, depression was mild in four participants, moderate in one, and severe in two. After six months, two of those participants had mild depression, and one was severely depressed. The changes in depression severity were significant (P < 0.001).
In the epigenetic analysis, an error prevented the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene analysis. Sigma non-opoid intracellular receptor 1 (SIGMAR-1) DNA methylation increased across the five analyzed CpG sites within the gene (P = 0.001); FK506-binding protein 5 DNA methylation did not change significantly (P = 0.13).
This study has some limitations, including the absence of a control group and the possibility of self-selection bias. Factors other than the ayahuasca, such as being in a retreat setting in the Amazon, with a group, and without internet access, could have affected the results and caused a significant placebo effect. Controlling the effects of maturation and life events between the post-retreat and follow-up assessments was difficult. Some patients had used ayahuasca before. The medical histories of the participants could not be adequately confirmed, and the amounts of ayahuasca given to the participants were not standardized. Because the epigenetic analyses were conducted using samples from peripheral cells (that is, saliva samples), the results may not represent epigenetic changes in the central nervous system.
"The findings of this study suggest ayahuasca use in a traditional Amazonia setting is associated with significant improvements in a number of mental health outcomes" and "support hypotheses that SIGMAR-1 may be involved mechanistically in the positive outcomes of ayahuasca use," conclude the authors.
This study was funded by the Medical Research Council, United Kingdom, and by King's College London and GCRF: Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences Springboard; the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre in South London: and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
—Shari Henson
Until tomorrow
MARCH 30, 2022 RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
When you think of rheumatoid arthritis you probably think of a crippled old man or woman with deformed fingers. You also find think of steroids. I think of the book Rheumatoid Arthritis: he Infection Connection: Targeting and Treating the Cause of Chronic Illness by Katherine Poehlmann, Ph D. The book was given to me by a dear patient.
I started to read the book which fascinates. It is written in language that you can easily understand. I found the book thorough and informative. It contains some of the best nutritional information that I ever read . It focuses on chronic illness for which rheumatoid arthritis is one of them.
After I read two to three chapters I pondered what would the allopathic or conventional community think of this book. Without double blind studies comparing herbs/supplements to medication, the physicians would not look at the study.
The Natural Methods to Revitalize the Immune System was a very interesting topic. I would encourage anyone with an autoimmune disorder to read this book.
Until tomorrow…
MARCH 29, 2022 OXYMEL
An oxymel is really easy to make. The blend of a oxymel using honey and vinegar has been used for centuries. It is a better way to ingest some herbs that many find have unpleasant tastes. The word oxymel comes from Latin ‘ oxymeli’ meaning acid and honey. I make my own oxymels using apple cidar vinegar but there is room to try your own mixtures especially kombucha
Let’s start
Start with 1/2 cup of your favorite herbal infused honey
Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
Stir and a bit of sparkling water- add 1/4 cup of oxymel to 1/2 cup of sparkling water.
Now sit down and enjoy your oxymel
The aboive is the fast way to make an oxymel You may want to be more creative and use fresh ingredients. If you do use dry ingredients it will not taste as delicious. I have made my own oxymels using fresh.
Cut up small pieces of fresh ingredients- i used cucumber, carrot. rosemary, thyme and placed in a quart jar
I warmed my apple cider vinegar and add it to a quart jar where my fresh ingredients were placed inside
Shake up the quart jar and let it sit for 2 weeks. Make sure out of direct sunlight I placed in a dark corner of the pantry closet
After two weeks i strained the solid fresh ingredients out of the vinegar
Those herbs can be blended together for a sauce or added to your salad dressing I don’t like to waste
For every cup of vinegar I added 1/2 - 1 cup of honey
Rebottled in a 1 quart mason jar for storage
Now you can put your fresh oxymel over ice in sparkling water
See you did it
Until tomorrow…