FEBRUARY 4-5, 2012 BERBERINE

"Life's too short. Don't waste it being angry. Live in JOY"- Karen Miletic

How true! Why live in anger? Actually the anger is really fear. Who wants to be fearful? Not I.

Anger and resentment will only lead to disease. There have been studies linking anger/resentments to a variety of cancers and even heart disease. I truly believe that. I see patients every day. Those who are angry and cannot let it go often develop a disease. Why do we hold on to anger? There are some that love the drama connected to some of their anger. Some cannot let go of the past. You must who in the moment. Not in the past nor in the future. Learn to meditate to let go of the anger and resentment.

One of the best plant alkaloids is berberine. I have been using berberine for many health conditions for years. You might have encountered berberine in the wild. I remember building a fort with my brother and friends in "the Lot". The lot was an empty area at the end of our street. There were many weeds in this area. One day I broke off a stem of a plant and there was a yellow liquid. This was berberine. I used it on a cut/laceration. I intuitively knew it would work. It did!

There are three well known herbs that contain berberine. These are Oregon grape, Barberry and Goldenseal. In addition to fighting infection and boosting immune health, there are studies that have used berberine for heart disease and diabetes. I love the herbs I use for diabetes. These are Rosemary, Cinnamon, Bitter Melon, and Fenugreek. Now I add Berberine. It acts like the well known conventional drug, Metformin (also known as glucophage).

You want to find out the source of the berberine. It should be organic. Which plant/herb is it derived from? What country is it coming from? I recommend the following herbal sources: http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/, http://www.frontierherbs.com/ and http://www.gaiaherbs.com/

Berberine found in goldenseal is sometimes used for prophylaxis for malaria. I recently saw a patient who had to take anti malarial drugs as he was going to South Africa. He did not tolerate the malarone well. Malarone is a combination of two drugs which must be taken 2 days before the trip, during the trip and 7 days after returning. Next time we will use goldenseal as the berberine can be used as a prophylaxis against malaria. The side effects of malarone can ruin your trip!

Until tomorrow...