JUNE 8, 2011 DO YOU REMEMBER VICKS VAPORUB?

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone."- Bill Cosby

I am not sure that I know the key to success, but I do know you must be happy if you want any success in life. I used to be one of those individuals who tried to please everyone. I realize now that this is not possible. Now it is a good reality check for me. There will be some individuals who will not be pleased if I change a policy in the office, or change my office hours. I cannot do it all. I am just one person. I am human. Did you ever feel that sometimes others think you are superman? There is only so much one individual can do. As long as you try to the best of your ability then everything is fine.

I wanted to talk about honeybee again, but I have to discuss an herb. So I decided that I can discuss honeybee as the primary pollinator of Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). I know many herbalists who use this herb in cough syrups as an expectorant. It is even sold in some mouthwashes. I do not think it is as popular as thyme is in mouthwashes (it is in Listerine). It has been sold as a product known as Viadent.

It is specifically used in respiratory disorders. When discussing the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, the herb Bloodroot always enters the conversation. Of course you must understand this conversation would not take place between me and an Allopathic (conventional physician), but instead with me and an herbalist (RH) or possibly another open minded 'eclectic' version of a physician. One RH compared its action to that of Lobelia. Only recently have I used Lobelia as a remedy for respiratory (lung) ailments.

The eclectic physicians of yesteryear sometimes used Bloodroot in combination with Eucalyptus after clearing of the infection when the patient still had a wrenching cough. I like this use after pneumonia when so many patients have difficulty clearing the secretions. This reminds me of the vaporizer and rubbing Vick's on my chest. I couldn't sit still when my mom did this. I wiggled and had a uncontrollable laugh when she attempted to rub my chest.

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 7, 2011 YOUR ROBBED SEX LIFE

"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”
Sven Goran Eriksson

“The only real failure in life is the failure to try."

“Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something."

Throughout my childhood right to my medical school years, I had a fear of failure. I am an over achiever. To this day I cannot understand why I am an over achiever. Perhaps I am making up for early disgrace I felt about being gay. At this time I am so comfortable with me that I do not have to over achieve. But I still do. I do not have the fear of failure I once had. I do not need the validation of others but it does help me. I used to strive for perfection. Now I know there is no perfection, but only progress. In the process of my progress I am always trying something new-- especially with my various hobbies.

There are many plants that are high in flavinoids. In the integrative medicine field these flavinoids are strong antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. There is no reported toxicity. As a whole these flavinoids are very nutritive.

I want to stay young and healthy. I do not want to get heart disease. Studies report that low free testosterone is a risk factor for heart disease. Only 2 years ago it was stated that the low total testosterone was the risk factor for heart disease. Today we know it is the low free testosterone. As we get older there is an increase in the aromatase enzyme which will convert both men and women's testosterone to estrogen and progesterone.

The flavinoid molecules have been shown to be aromatase inhibitors. I use chrysin, quercitin and red wine pigments.

As I read more and more about bees and honey, I have found out that honey contains chrysin.

If you like to read biographies, I recommend Holley Bishop's A Biography of Honey: Robbing the Bees. It is a biography of chocolate, ginseng, milk and honey!

The three herbs that inhibit aromatase are grape seed, hollyhock and pomegranate.

Whether you are on testosterone by capsules, gel, cream or injection always check your levels. If your total and free testosterone are not increasing, ask your doctor to do estrone, LH, and progesterone levels. If these are high then your aromatase enzyme is in higher gear converting the testosterone to other hormones.

You need chrysin or the above herbs.

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 6, 2011 FEELING A BIT BLUE

"THE BEST ANTIDOTE TO MELANCHOLY IS UNSELFISH DEVOTION TO OTHERS."

- Sir William Osler

Many have read, heard and repeated this noble physician's words. "Let us bury the worries of yesterday in the work of to-day. Sorrow and sadness must come to each one-it is our lot; We can best oppose the tendency to melancholy by an active life of unselfish devotion to others." Robert Burton wrote these words when discussing Osler in The Man, His Books and His Library.

I have not yet met an individual who has not come upon some sorrow and sadness. Whether it is the loss of a child, a partner, a parent, a pet, a decision et al, we all have had some loss in our lives. I have even unfortunately witnessed the stress and worries of business, misguided or misprized love, and the anguish of religious despair drive an individual to choose suicide over life. It is natural that sorrow and grief sooner or later come into our lives.

I am sensitive to death even if I do not outwardly show emotion. I used to take this sorrow within. Today I actively seek to help others unselfishly, outside my chosen profession. I have found it to be a meaningful way to ward off melancholy. It could be starting a knitting club, volunteering in a nursing home, or even helping the elderly cross the street. When was the last time you helped someone cross the street? Do something unselfish today!

IT IS NO COINCIDENCE THAT WE CRAVE SWEETS WHEN WE ARE DOWN.

There are some studies to suggest that sweet foods like carbohydrates help the production of serotonin which is said to lift the spirits. We know that binging on carbohydrates might give you the high which is followed by a deep low.

I have a recipe if feeling a bit blue. One involves eating and the other involves an herbal compress. The amino acid tryptophan converts to serotonin. It is found in soy beans, eggs, legumes, broccoli, bananas and even watercress.

So if you are feeling a bit blue, chop up a banana and Brazil nuts and mix in sheep or goat yogurt. The brazil nuts give you extra selenium. Selenium is a great mood enhancer.

Personally I would rather use an herbal compress of chamomile. A compress is a length of fabric that is applied to the skin. First place fresh or dried chamomile into a clean bowl. Pour over boiling water. Let stand for one hour. Strain the liquid and allow to cool. You might add one or two drops of an essential oil. Soak the fabric in this mixture. Wring out lightly.

Lay down on the couch or bed. Put on some soft music or sounds. Place compress on your head and you will relax.

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 5, 2011 NOCTURNAL POLLINATORS

"The inhumanity of man to man is the greatest atrocity."

What one human being does to another human being is sometimes beyond words. In 1915, Paul Hoeber stated in the introduction to William Osler's book Man's Redemption of Man:

"The history of man is a story of great martyrdom---plague, pestilence and famine, battle and murder, crimes unspeakable, tortures inconceivable, and the inhumanity of man to man has even outdone what appears to be atrocities in nature."

Today these words still send an errie feeling throughout my bones. You read these atrocities in the paper on a daily basis, and even watch the television to view these crimes. Why do we treat each other so poorly? This is good cause for me not to read the papers, nor view the news. I want to surround myself with love, happiness, peace and serenity. I do not want to be stressed and disturbed by listening to the news. At least listening to the radio in past years did not conjure up such disturbing images. The news can be an addiction. One in which anger, resentment and rage swell inside us.

I am always trying to stay within my comfort zone. I struggle as you do on a daily basis to keep people, places and things in an order that supports my perfect model. However today at least I know there is no perfection, only progress. When someone in my life starts behaving in a way that is outside my expectations, my mind starts saying, What should I do about this? How can I fix the problem? I try to get back into my comfort zone. My comfort zone used to be so important. Yes I try to stay in my comfort zone but it is limited. I WANT TO BE LIMITLE$SS. Today I am devoting time to freeing myself from the limits of this imperfect model. I am working on freedom and letting go of my inner cage.

Sitting at my bedside is a new book, Natural Pollinators. I always discuss the honeybees and the need to protect them as honeybees pollinate most of our crops. After dark, the moths and bats take over the pollinating night shift. So think twice when you crush a moth. Do not kill a moth or a bat. The New York brown bat population is steadily declining as quickly as the honeybee population. Pale or white flowers heavy with fragrance and copious nectar attract these moths and bats. Moths will not hurt you. The Hawkmoth and Noctuid moths are the main nocturnal pollinators. The flowers they pollinate reflect the moonlight. These flowers have a sweet perfume scent like the night blooming cactus or yucca species.

I have not specifically studied moths, but during my time in Tucson studying at the Integrative Fellowship I visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum more than once. This is where I first earned about moths. There was a video there of a large Hawkmoth unfurling its 4 inch proboscis to drink from a trumpet shaped flower. I was in awe. These moths are seen throughout the Southwest and are the best pollinators of the sacred Datura, sweet four o'clocks and even evening primrose. The Yucca species are also pollinated by small satin white yucca moths. I do not know the moths of the Northeast. Learning about them is on my to do list.

Since I have planted various flowers/herbs for bees, songbirds, and humming birds, it is my preoccupation to now plant a variety of night blooming flowers and fragrant plants for my new friends--the moths.

I was inspired to write about moths today after viewing 7song's photographs of what I assume are Northeast Moths from Ithaca, New York.

Photograph credit: 7song, RH, Ithaca, NY

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 4, 2011 RUE ALWAYS ME

"LAUGH AS MUCH AS YOU BREATHE AND LOVE AS LONG AS YOU LIVE"

The life quote images above are two of my favorite quotes. I know the first quote is from Eleanor Roosevelt. After doing a paper on Eleanor in high school for Ms. Tom I became enthralled with this courageous woman. Since then I have read many biographies about her and her relationship with FDR.

The second quote helps me deal with my upcoming birthday. Life should not be measured in years (love that!) but in the love and blessings I continue to give and receive. It comes down to this. I love myself. Do I love myself every day? The answer is NO, but I can say on most days, I do. I probably do not laugh as much as I could. Do you laugh a lot? It has been said that 'Laughter is the best medicine'.

The newer and richer experiences for me always involve learning. So at the beginning of this month I decided to take another New York Botanical Garden (http://www.nybg.org/) course. It was called Weekend Warriors. It sounds like a course on karate or judo, but instead it was a medicinal herbal course. The course objective was to produce ointments, liniments and herbal baths. It was a hands-on experience. The teacher was Leda Meredith. This is my first course with Leda. I highly recommend not only her courses but her first book, Botany, Ballet and Dinner from Scratch: A Memoir with Recipes which I purchased last night. I was comfortable and knowledgeable about most herbal sports remedies with the exception of one herb, Rue (Ruta graveolens)

Ruta is a genus of strongly scented evergreen subshrubs 20–60 cm tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to the Mediterranean region.There are perhaps 8 to 40 species in the genus. A well-known species is the Common Rue. The flowers are yellow with 4-5 petals.

According to The Oxford Book of Health Foods, extracts from rue have been used to treat eyestrain and sore eyes and as an insect repellent. Rue has been used internally as an antispasmodic, as a treatment for menstrual problems, and as a sedative. In this class we learned about making a salve with Rue for tendonitis. I labeled my beautiful greenish salve, Knitter's Tendonitis Salve (Rue with essential oil of Chamomille) which I have acquired from knitting for long hours. Let you not forget the Beeswax.

Caution should be taken with using rue topically. Applied to the skin with sun exposure, the oil and leaves can cause blistering.

I love herbs that are mentioned in James Duke's Medicinal Plants of Bible.

Rue is mentioned in the Bible, Luke 11.42: "But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herb."

Rue is well known for its symbolic meaning of regret and it is sometimes been called "herb-of-grace" in literary works. It is one of the flowers distributed by the mad Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

"There's fennel for you, and columbines:
there's rue for you; and here's some for me:
we may call it herb-grace o' Sundays:
O you must wear your rue with a difference..."

It was also planted by the gardener in Shakespeare's Richard II to mark the spot where the Queen wept upon hearing news of Richard's capture (III.4.104-105):

"Here did she fall a tear, here in this place
I'll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace."

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 3, 2011 MY OWN POTAGER

What is a potager? The word potager in French means kitchen garden. Over the years the word has changed to mean a kitchen or herb garden. I am sure Julia Child had her own potager in the 1960's. This garden is laid out in a geometrical shape. It sounds so French, and I love it. The shapes of the beds should either be circular, square or rectangular. The divisions can be made with hedges or different paths. The inspiration for a potager comes from the time of Louis XIV, and the famous gardens of Versailles. I would suggest a visit to the outskirts of Paris, or watch the film, Midnight in Paris. You will fall in love all over again.

If you want an herbal potager it doesn't have to be a large space. You can reserve a small part of your flower beds for a small potager. You must know the shapes and sizes of the herbs so one herb does not overgrow another. For example if you planted rosemary next to Angelica--you may never see the rosemary as it is a shrub and angelica is a very tall stately plant. Try to research your herbs to achieve an overall balance. If you do not prop up the taller herbs with stakes, they will flop over and the whole concept of peaceful, serene potager is lost.

A friend of mine has made a potager of culinary herbs. It was exquisite with exact 8 by 8 squares of different culinary herbs. He had thyme, rosemary, basil, spearmint, verbena and hyssop in his culinary potager.

Here is a list of my favorite culinary herbs for your new potager.

1. Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)

2. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

3. Spearmint (Mentha spicata)

4. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilcum)

5. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

6. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

7. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

8. Myrtle (Myrtus communis)

One plant I love in the garden which is not a culinary herb is Foxglove.

Top photograph: Bobeli Gardens in Florence, Italy

Bottom two photographs: Gardens of Versailles, France

Until tomorrow...

JUNE 2, 2011 WE'VE COME A LONG WAY..BABY

"Be a friend to yourself, and others will be so too." - Thomas Fuller

You must be your best friend. Sure we all have best friends, but consider yourself to be the best friend you have. No one will care about you more than yourself.

More than 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS. There are 33 million living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. Most of these 33 million do not have access to anti retro viral drugs. The statistic that bothers me the most is the 56,000 new cases each year in the United States. The number of infections among gay and bisexual men continues to rise. Is this because of lack of education? Is it the lack of commonsense safe sexual practices?

So in the fourth decade of HIV/AIDS, is there hope? Of course there is hope. I lived through the early years and lost many friends. Today it is not a death sentence but a chronic condition that you can live with. This is quite a change from the 1980's and 1990's.

Since HIV infected men and woman can live to a ripe old ages, we need more research. Thank goodness Anthony Fauci, MD is funding research in the area of HIV and aging. We also need studies on long term use of anti viral therapies as well as studies on herbs against HIV. Studies on HIV and other age related conditions (for example, HIV and arthritis) are needed too.

As the Virginia Slims Ad once stated, "We've come a long way baby."

The need for education is just as appropriate today as it was 30 years ago. People of all ages need reminders about safe sex. Not only the young 20 year olds, but the young at heart 50 year olds. There is no excuse in my opinion for not practicing safe sex. Anyone living with or without HIV/AIDS must read the following book: HIV and Aging: Growing Older with the Epidemic. I found the book very insightful as a physician.


Until tomorrow....