A Reading List

I've was looking at my bookshelf and thought it might be a good idea to share with you some of the books that have provided great information to both myself and my patients.

I put them in this order on purpose:
1. "Pottenger's Cats; A study in Nutrition" by Dr. Frances Pottenger- Part one is enough but the whole read is great and it is a small book.
2. "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Dr. Weston A. Price- Get the one published by the Price-Pottenger Foundation extended edition.
These two books by themselves lay all the groundwork for everything in nutrition.

3. "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon- awesome explanation about fats and good health.
4. "Health and Nutrition Secrets" by Dr. Russell Blaylock- long read but great references so everything you learn you know has research behind it.
5. "Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients" by Dr. Russell Blaylock- again well referenced and practical suggestions.

6. "The Female Hormone Journey" by Pamela Levin- real down to earth, informative, easy read for anyone who cares for, interacts with or is a woman.
7. "Going Back to the Basics of Human Health" by Mary Frost- small, easy to read and practical.
8. "Why Your Doctor Offers Nutritional Supplements" by Stephanie Selene Anderson- small easy to read explanation for the need for supplemental support.

Enjoy and remember as Herbert Spencer said: "The great aim of education is not knowledge but action."

Drug Depletions

With the billions of dollars being spent on drugs every year and the nasty side effects they all have this is a short list of supplements to help alleviate or avoid some of those problems.

If you take:

Oral Contraceptives: If you are a woman taking contraceptives for any reason you should add the following supplements to your diet Calcium, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9 (Folic acid), B12, tyrosine, vitamin C (the whole vit. C not just the ascorbic acid), vitamin E (preferably from wheat germ oil), Magnesium, Selenium, Zinc.

Statins- add CoQ10 this protects against muscle breakdown and heart damage from the drug itself. Remember, when lowering your cholesterol the brain and nervous system are made up largely of Cholesterol.

NSAIDS (aspirin)- add Folic acid because aspirin can increase homocysteine which is a major indicator for an increased risk of Heart Attack & Stroke.

Acetaminophen- add Milk Thistle to protect your liver from damage and Milk Thistle replaces Glutathione which protects antioxidants throughout your body most importantly in your brain and liver.

Ace Inhibitors- add Zinc

Beta blockers- add CoQ10

Calcium channel blockers- add Potassium

Antacids- block acid/HCL production and you need stomach acid to breakdown your food. It may seem counter intuitive but most indigestion is caused by to little stomach acid which allows the food to sit in your stomach to long and ferment with this being the actual reflux and discomfort not excess acid production. Add Apple cider vinegar for acid support, if it burns then heal your stomach damage first using Chlorophyll supplements, then introduce acid/HCL support again when it no longer burns.

Final Facts:

-The statin Lipitor is #1 prescribed drug in the US. Statins require CoQ10 for heart, muscle and liver support, liver support (Milk Thistle) and fat soluble nutrients to protect the brain and decrease the pain caused by statins.CoQ10 also protects the blood vessels.

-The antacid Nexium is the #2 drug prescribed in US, plus all of the OTC antacids that are sold.

Fever: Friend & Foe

  Now that everyone is a proud parent of happy healthy children and all the parents out there are happy and healthy themselves as a result of the "Conception Preparedness" articles here is some information concerning an important aspect of a healthy immune system that is, the fever.

  Fever is a normal adaptive immune response to a pyrogenic (heating) stimulus, such as tissue trauma or more likely infectious organisms.

   It has long been recognized that fever seems to have an empirical upper limit, rarely exceeding105.8˚F. The initial chill phase, 100.0-102.0˚F, causes peripheral vasoconstriction as the body sets a higher temperature to activate the immune response. Phagocytic (killing the invaders) activity increases and pathogens (the bad invaders) are killed. The patient feels hot and the periphery then opens up indicating that the fever has broken and is on the way down.

  If the temperature is 104˚ its significance depends upon the patient feeling hot or cold. If the patient feels hot then the temperature is probably falling. However, if the symptoms or signs indicate cold then the temperature is still rising and the fever needs to be steadied. This can include tepid bathing or herbal peripheral vasodilators, and diaphoretics which can be given in a variety of forms including herbal teas.

  Possibly the best herb for preventing infection is Echinacea, but it must be the roots of E. angustifolia and/or E. purpurea. Echinacea is safe during pregnancy, as demonstrated by a large scale prospective study of the gestational use of Echinacea during organogenesis (organ growth), which found no association with an increased risk of malformation. Echinacea is the key pediatric herb for immune support.

   Sometimes it may be necessary to support or increase a fever as long as there is no underlying contraindication. This can be a successful strategy in chronic low-grade infections and persistent catarrh or mucous producing problems. This can be as simple as using cinnamon, ginger, garlic, and cayenne. 

  This information was taken from one of my favorite herbal therapy resources: "Phytotherapy Essentials: Healthy Children; Optimizing Children’s Health with Herbs." As with other information in this blog I have not sought FDA approval for any of this information.