This latest edition of our newsletter starts with an update for you on Flu Prevention, given how much attention everyone seems to be giving this topic. I trust you’ll find it of value as you make your way through the fall and winter seasons.

As some of you may already know, there have been changes at the Fourfold Healing Clinic in the last six months. The team at the Clinic has expanded, we are updating the website and adding new features, and continue to improve the Community Supported Health (CSH) plan. I’ve asked Dara Crawford, latest addition to our team, to outline some of these changes for you. I’ve also asked Brooke Moen, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture specialist, to tell you about her philosophy and practice for patients.

In addition to these reports, I want to discuss two very powerful books whose topics I think you will find interesting, some Recommended Reading for you. We’ve also got a delicious Nourishing Recipe from ForageSF, and information for Bay area residents on two exceptional women who are Nutritional Coaches and serve as Personal Chefs on a limited basis.

In the coming months, I will be traveling and speaking on everything from A1/A2 milk to cancer. I hope to have a chance to connect with you, whether it be at the Clinic, by phone or e-mail, at the Weston A. Price conference in Chicago in November, or the Fourfold Healing Conference in NH in January. I’m also quite excited about a series of online lectures I will be doing for the Growing Edge Institute.

Warmest wishes to you as we make our way together along the Fourfold Path to Healing.

Tom

IN THIS ISSUE

• Flu Prevention
• Changes at the Office (Dara Crawford)
• Acupuncture CSH (Brooke Moen)
• Book Reviews: Cancer Is A Fungus and The Vegetarian Myth
• Upcoming Events
• Nourishing Recipe from Forage SF
• Nutritional Coaching in the Bay Area

FLU PREVENTION

Every fall I get lots of questions from patients about what they should do about flu prevention and treatment. Every year around this time there is also building hype about the devastating effects of some particularly virulent flu strain, with major concern about the availability of flu vaccines. And every year, spring arrives and nothing much has happened. Some people got sick, most didn’t, the whole thing is forgotten for a few months, only to start all over in the fall.

This year, because of the swine flu (H1N1), the hype is especially virulent. Predictions of dire consequences and of impending mandatory vaccines with possible criminal charges for negligent naysayers pepper local newspapers and internet sites. People are told to go to their doctors at the first sign of the flu to find out if they in fact have the swine flu. The trouble with this is doctors actually can’t tell if a person has the swine flu or not from a usual history and physical. The only sure thing to come out of all this is that someone – well actually, pharmaceutical companies which are among the largest and most lucrative companies in the world – is making a fortune from these vaccines. I guess I could say, who wouldn’t like to make a product with no competition, no cost containment mechanism, and that the government forces everyone to buy. That’s almost as good a gig as the Federal Reserve bank, which gets to decide how much money to print, how much the government needs to borrow, and the interest rate the government has to pay for the privilege of borrowing this money.

The fact is that neither I nor anyone else can really separate the hype from the facts here. In situations like this, I take the cautious approach: I’ll believe it when I see it. Until then, the well-recognized side effects of vaccines loom large. Our immune system is constructed in a very specific way. It has two “arms”: a humoral arm which makes antibodies and therefore remembers what it has encountered, and a cell-mediated arm which identifies and digests foreign stuff, including micro-organisms and some toxins. Natural infection activates both arms. The cell-mediated arm digests the micro-organisms and clears them through fever, rash, mucus, etc. The humoral arm remembers, so we don’t get sick again from these same organisms. The enemy of this well-functioning system is to be infected but not clear the organisms, which sets up unresolved foreign elements in our blood. Many think these become the later cause of such things as auto-immune illness.

The basic problem with vaccines is that they deliberately bypass the cell-mediated arm (otherwise people would be sick) and activate the humoral arm. A lifetime of this is strongly associated with diseases of lowered cell-mediated immunity, specifically cancer and auto-immune illness. Every culture that has adopted widespread vaccine programs inevitably deals with epidemic-like rates of these two categories of illness. This doesn’t even address the issue of the simple toxicity that comes from injecting thimerosol, formaldehyde, dead viruses, etc., into our blood stream. Many organizations have documented the toxicity of these products and their association with chronic illness. Suffice it to say, the vaccine approach to dealing with illness is a switching-type-of-illness strategy rather than a preventing-illness strategy. Personally, I’m not thrilled by the types of illnesses that are provoked by vaccines.

My prevention strategy for flu is fairly simple, and I have outlined it in newsletters before. First, adequate vitamins A and D have been strongly associated with flu prevention and better outcomes in past studies (see the vitamin D council for further info). A good prevention strategy is 1 tsp of cod liver oil and 2,000 – 5,000 IU per day of vitamin D3, depending on blood tests, throughout the fall and winter. In addition, elderberries are a proven flu prevention remedy, particularly elderberry/thyme syrup at 1 tsp twice per day in the flu season. Congaplex from Standard Process can also help with prevention and treatment, with a dose of 3 to 9 capsules per day depending on the patient’s age.

People still will get sick no matter what we do, but hopefully by using these strategies and avoiding vaccines, we can manage acute illness in the way our bodies were designed to do, without either great debility from the flu or having our prevention strategy actually foster worse illnesses for us in the future.

FOURFOLD CLINIC UPDATE by Dara Crawford

Since May of this year, working with the fantastic team at the Fourfold Clinic, I have spent many hours talking with patients and getting to know them and their families. Feedback has been incredibly important in helping us to formulate new strategies to provide better patient care. In addition to working at the front desk, as part of our commitment to continuing this dialogue, I will be updating the website and managing Dr. Cowan’s web presence. I look forward to your suggestions on how to continually improve the Clinic.

CSH and Fee Changes:
The Community Supported Healthcare (CSH) plan has been an incredible experiment in providing affordable healthcare for everyone, regardless of income. As an ongoing project, we have had to make changes along the way, and we will be making more changes beginning in November. First, we will be raising the minimum monthly payment to $25. If you are currently paying less than $25 per month for the CSH, we will be contacting you sometime in October to make sure that you are aware of the change and to ensure that you would still like to participate. At the minimum, this means that after the first appointment, you will be paying $125 for six months of unlimited access to Dr. Cowan. This continues to be a bargain and far below what any local private practice physicians charge.

We will also be raising the rates for all first-time appointments by $25. So, a first time phone appointment under the CSH plan will now be $200. A first time office appointment (not CSH) will be $300. A first time phone appointment (not CSH) will be $275. All of this information can be found under the “Community Supported Healthcare” tab on the Fourfold Healing website.

The Community Supported Healthcare plan has been expanded to include acupuncture as well. For those of you who live or work in the San Francisco Bay, this is exciting news. Brooke Moen, the Fourfold Healing Clinic’s acupuncturist, has become quite busy since she began offering her services as part of the Community Supported Healthcare plan. The CSH rates for acupuncture range from $100-$200 a month for unlimited acupuncture treatments. If you sign up for the CSH acupuncture plan, there is no additional cost for the first appointment, and just like the CSH plan for Dr. Cowan, you decide what you can afford to pay per month. If you’re interested in acupuncture treatments, call or e-mail Brooke soon because her availability will surely become more limited once the word gets out. (brooke@brookemoen.com or www.brookemoen.com)

Fourfold Healing Website and New Media:
We’ve been listening to your questions and feedback and are working to make the website easier to navigate and to make our office more web-friendly. So far we have created a page that explains the Community Supported Healthcare (CSH) program and the various payment options and rates. We also know that many of you appreciate the fact that you can e-mail Dr. Cowan directly (drcowansoffice@yahoo.com) with brief questions and updates. We’ve built upon that idea and added have added an e-mail address (frontdesk@fourfoldhealing.com) that you can use to contact the front desk directly. Karen, Sabine, and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have via this e-mail address.

We’ve also added three new web-based features to www.fourfoldhealing.com, under the Contact tab. First, you can now request an appointment online. Just fill out the form and press submit and we will either e-mail or call you with some potential dates and times. Secondly, you can request supplement and prescription medication refills online – in fact, this is the simplest and quickest way to request a refill. Just fill in the name of the medication, dosage and quantity you need refilled and we will get right to it. Often patients leave voicemail messages requesting refills, which can lead to days of phone tag and confusion for everyone. We’re hoping to make the whole process quicker and easier for everyone with the new online option. Finally, if you have a health question for Dr. Cowan that doesn’t require an appointment, you can ask him using the “Ask Dr. Cowan a Question” link, which will email your question directly to Dr. Cowan. All of these new features are under the Contact tab on the home page at www.fourfoldhealing.com. We hope you’ll visit the site and give them a try.

We’re also pleased to announce that you can keep updated on the latest information related to Dr. Cowan and his work on Twitter at 4foldhealing. We will be posting information about relevant articles and research, current events, and upcoming appearances, so if you’re already “tweeting”, start following 4foldhealing to receive our updates.

TCM AND ACUPUNCTURE AT THE FOURFOLD CLINIC by Brooke Moen

At the Fourfold Clinic, we are experimenting with the best way to take care of patients. One attempt is to add my services to the Community Supported Healthcare Plan. With this, we’ve been talking about community health and what that means. To me, it is the idea that illness is not an isolated incident, nor does it happen in a vacuum. Rather, it is part of a larger context of cause and effect patterns. As we have seen in the world particularly as of late, symptoms — cultural, economic, or physiological — are part of a larger system. Nature provides the best teacher of such symbiosis; it is the ultimate example of community.

This is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which I’d like to share with you. For thousands of years, practitioners have been looking to nature to learn how elements and systems function. Without modern distractions such as media, or the advantage of current medical tools (such as imaging or blood tests), the Chinese utilized our most powerful human tools of observation and analysis. Acting as the first scientists, they felt the pulse, looked at the tongue, and developed a sophisticated system of diagnosis, using metaphors based in nature to describe patterns of health and illness. They took hundreds of herbs over hundreds of years and noticed the specific effects. They developed Acupuncture; the insertion of fine needles at various points on the body, which are part of a specific point prescription, to treat an organism’s carefully diagnosed imbalance. And lucky for us, they wrote it all down.

As a lifetime student of this complex medicine and its wise worldview, I feel honored to utilize its tools of Acupuncture and herbal medicine to help patients feel better. However, a major part of community health that I’m learning from Chinese Medicine’s Taoist roots is that the practitioner’s job is not to “bestow health” upon a patient. Rather, I am a partner in the patient’s journey of “unlearning.” Together, we peel back layers of conditioning (physical, mental, and/or emotional), to facilitate a person’s intelligence coming forward. By intelligence, I mean an innate knowing; the body and soul understand how to be healthy.

As an example of how this works, I’ll explain what one of my teachers means when he says “Give them feet.” All traditional healing systems emphasize digestion; help the patient digest and you improve assimilation. Many of you have experienced this with efforts to heal your gut with GAPS, among other things. But assimilation means more than just digesting food and processing nutrients. Its how life is taken in, processed, and transformed into energy. So if I can help a patient digest, assimilate life, I help to put his feet on the ground. I help him strengthen his ability to discriminate, trust his inner logic, and make decisions based on his natural “appetite,” rather than logic outside himself.

Another story shows how healing is community by nature, and is related to the idea of “nailing one foot to the ground.” We all have a sense of the importance of routine, particularly if we spend any time with the elderly or infants. And as part of the Fourfold Principles, Dr. Cowan has taught us much about rhythm and regularity. I often instruct patients to start by eating the same breakfast around the same time every morning, or in some cases, just eating breakfast. This may sound simplistic, but a survey conducted at a school of Chinese Medicine illustrates the power of this concept. Essentially, Hispanic patients who ate a daily staple of beans, rice and corn were compared to Euro-American patients who did not have a daily staple, and the Hispanic patients responded to Acupuncture and herbal medicine much more quickly and successfully.

Guided by this philosophy of creating stability and facilitating trust in a person’s innate wisdom, my treatments consist of three basic elements. The first is talking with a patient about her life. I listen to her experience, and encourage her to help me understand what she most needs. We talk about how the little things we do every day are powerful in the long run; like drops in a bucket, what we add slowly but surely over a lifetime will determine the bucket of health we carry around. Along these lines, recommendations such as drinking bone broth, doing abdominal massage, resting in the afternoon, and abiding by the seasons are discussed. How to nourish one self is a guiding principle. And since healing through food is a cornerstone of treatment at our clinic, I help patients understand how to do this.

The second element of treatment is Acupuncture. From a Western Medical viewpoint, it encourages the release of endorphins, which supports the all-important immune system. The Chinese Medical perspective can also put it simply; Acupuncture either moves what’s stuck, slows down hyper-function, fires up hypo-function, or in most cases, a bit of each. For the patient, this means lying down, having 3-8 fine needles inserted, resting (often sleeping) for 30-40 minutes, then waking feeling very relaxed. Many patients describe the post-acupuncture feeling as calm, yet energized.

The third element of treatment is herbal prescription. The Chinese Medical Pharmacopoeia consists of around 400 herbs, which are combined specifically for the patient’s constitution, symptoms, and how each herb compliments another. I use Spring Wind Dispensary, an herbal pharmacy where I once worked, because I trust the safety and sustainability of their products.

Treatment might consist of any or all of these three elements, depending on the patient. The idea is always to be assisting you with calibrating to the seasons (meaning rhythm of time cycles more than weather) through eating, resting, and taking herbs, so imbalance or disease will pass through, rather than becoming chronic. In some cases, regular Acupuncture sets up the body to better accept Dr. Cowan’s treatment protocols. In others, well-timed treatments address specific pathologies such as menstrual difficulties or an injury. Some focus on the counseling aspect, while others work on a deeper level, helping the body let go of past or current issues that are difficult to access mentally or emotionally.

I hope this glimpse into community medicine has been interesting and useful. I’d like to think I’m addressing a good question I often get, “does Acupuncture work?” My answer is that it’s not magic, its medicine. This is the spirit of community health; rather than isolating a person and her symptom, instead let’s consider a broader picture of health. In China, when someone was sick, everyone in the family would take herbs and drink rice porridge, even when the ill person could not. This is the spirit I hope to foster at Fourfold, and I welcome you to take a seat at the table. Please call me at 415.420.3447 to learn more.

RECOMMENDED READING from Dr. Cowan

I don’t usually review two books in the same newsletter but there are some hidden but compelling similarities in these two books, The Vegetarian Myth and Cancer is a Fungus, that made me feel like I should. In many ways, it is the link between these two books that is the probably the most fascinating story.

The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith
Very occasionally powerful, life-changing books are written that give one the palpable sense that “if people would only listen” the world might be a different place. The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith is one such book. In this book Lierre essentially tells two intertwined stories. One is the story of the deterioration of her own health as a direct result of adopting a vegan diet. The second is the related tale of the destruction of our planet essentially as a result of the widespread adoption of agriculture, specifically agriculture based on the growing of grains. Her central premise is that, unlike what we are all led to believe, the absolute worst thing that could ever befall humans or the earth is if we all adopted a vegetarian or, worse yet, a vegan diet. To many, this is such an unbelievable head spinner that they simply will not even be able to entertain the ideas that are presented by Lierre. The ideas, the argument she presents to make her case are powerful, coherent and irrefutable – grains and in fact a grain-based (i.e. vegetarian) diet are literally killing us all.

First, the ecological argument. We are told that the biggest users of fresh water and the most wasteful, ecologically speaking, food we can eat is meat. We are told that if instead of feeding grains to cows to get meat, which is anyway poison for us to eat, we should feed that grain to people thereby feeding at least 30 people with a grain-based diet for every one person we can feed on a meat-based diet. We are told to eat low on the food chain to conserve resources and be ecologically friendly. And, finally and crucially we hear people proudly announce they don’t eat anything with faces as a sign that they are living out their deeply held convictions about social justice. The facts actually tell a completely different story.

Imagine the Middle East 10,000 years ago when the only people living in what we now call Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, etc., were nomadic hunter-gatherer types. This area was referred to as a paradise; it was lush, fecund; Lebanon was the land of the cedar forests. The area between the Tigris and Euphrates was literally paradise on earth. Then came agriculture, specifically the growing of grains. As happens where grains are grown and irrigation is used, the soil began to lose its vitality, the humous layer was lost. The irrigation and the converting of perennial grasses and the animals that live on these grasses to annual crops is akin to mining the nutrients and the fertility out of the soil. Without sufficient animal manure and animal bodies to put nutrients back into the soil, without the annual flooding of the plains that is stopped when irrigation systems are used, the land loses its nutrients, the soil becomes more salty and, as evidenced in the Middle East, eventually, inevitably the land becomes a desert. Lierre describes this process in intimate detail so the reader is left with no doubt that in human history, whenever the transition from perennial grass-based land – alongside naturally flowing lakes and rivers, co-existing with verdant forests – is converted into grain based agriculture, the inevitable result is everything dies. Everything – the plants, the insects, the wild animals and eventually the people.

Think of our own Great Plains. A brief 300 years ago this was a vast territory of perennial grass-based prairie, supporting millions of diverse forms of animals, plants and people for thousands of years. In fact over those thousands of years, the soil, the land that is our only home, was getting healthier and healthier. Estimates show that the topsoil layer of the unspoiled Great Plains was in some places more than 12 feet deep, a vast reservoir of fertility, of health of possibility for seemingly endless life on earth for a multitude of plants and animal beings. Along came grains and their “evil” cousin soya beans (the vegan diet and food processors’ darling). By this time agriculture had become more sophisticated, no more planting grains with sticks and burying fish in the soil, the green revolution. A blink of an eye later in terms of earth time, the Great Plains have become a literal wasteland. The only tall grass prairie left is confined to a few museums, the topsoil is in many places just a few inches thick; the animal and plant species extinctions are estimated between 20 to 40 percent. The human community is impoverished, the rivers are poisoned and the food is not worth eating. A few years of drought and we have a literal dustbowl as the few inches of topsoil left blows out towards California. Some would say this unspeakable tragedy is a result of commercial (chemical) agriculture and that what we need is a return to organics. They are wrong. In fact the first great dustbowl on the plains happened before there even was such a thing as chemical agriculture. No, as Lierre shows, this is the inevitable result of grain-based agriculture. It happens in every circumstance, at different speeds for sure, but in every instance where perennial grasses are converted to annual food crops, particularly grains.

If this wasn’t reason enough for conscientious people to shun a grain-based diet, Lierre spends the second half of the book detailing the negative health repercussions from adopting a grain-based, vegetarian or vegan diet. For those familiar with the work of the Weston A. Price foundation or The Four Fold Path to Healing, this will come as no surprise. What will be eye-opening for many is a detailed chart that compares the physiology of meat eaters with that of herbivores. If you still have any doubts that humans are literally physiologically required to live on mostly an animal food diet, I recommend checking out this enlightening chart. Lierre has done her homework. She references many studies that have been done in the last 100 years documenting the superior health outcomes, the absence of chronic disease, and the total absence of cancer and heart disease in people who eat the food that comes naturally out of a perennially based grass and forest system. What do these people eat? What is the “human” diet, the diet that works back to heal the land? Conveniently it is one diet, called the GAPS diet. As probably more than a hundred of my patients can attest, those who have literally regained their health as a result of the GAPS diet, it is no surprise that the very diet that can heal so many sick people is the very diet that,when applied to agriculture, can heal a “sick” earth.

Get this book, read it, pass it to your friends, especially your vegetarian friends, for as Lierre often says in our current situation, it is not enough any more to just have good intentions. You also have to be informed about what it is you are fighting for.

Cancer is a Fungus by Tulio Simoncini
In the last year, Cancer is a Fungus has become the hot new story in cancer. That alone made it worth exploring for me. The book is written by Italian oncologist Tulio Simoncini, who after his medical and oncology training, began to see conventional oncology treatment as basically a house of cards. As he explored deeper, he began to question not only the success of conventional oncology treatments, especially chemotherapy and radiation, but the entire scientific basis of our current view of cancer. An unquestioned “truth” in conventional oncology theory is that cancer is a genetic defect that arises as a mutation in a single cell and then grows from this single cell stock to first form the primary tumor and then metastasize to the other organs in the body.

This understanding of cancer in conventional oncology is the philosophical basis for all of our current therapies. That is, if we catch the cancer early, when it is still just a primary tumor, we remove this mutated cell mass and cure the cancer. If the cancer has spread we try to kill it with poison (chemotherapy), radiation, hormones or more lately specialized genetic products (i.e. Herceptin). After investigating the history of this theory and the dismal success rate for this type of therapy, Dr. Simoncini came to the startling conclusion that this whole genetic mutation theory is totally incorrect. This apparently rocked his life. His initial response to this revelation was to go back to university to study philosophy, apparently with the question of how is it that we as a “culture” decide that certain things are true. The first part of Cancer is a Fungus is the exploration of why we think certain things and in certain ways.

The second section of the book is the exploration of the history of how oncologists came to believe in the genetic defect/errant cell theory and the evidence that it is incorrect. Dr. Simoncini quotes from current oncology texts such as “the mechanism through which chromosomal alterations occur is to date unknown” to try to demonstrate that the proof that cancer is a genetic defect is simply unproven hypothesis. He then turns to current therapies in oncology and, using actual numbers from conventional literature, shows that the success rate for treating cancer is somewhere in the 2-5% range – in other words about the same as random events mixed with a strong placebo response. His conclusion is that the basic theories of our current approach to oncology and the treatments that have resulted from these theories are a dismal failure and should be abandoned.

Dr. Simoncini then turns to discuss his “revolutionary” theory in oncology which is that the vast percentage of cancers are actually nothing more than infections with the fungus we call candida albicans. This same fungus that causes vaginal infections in women, opportunistic infections in AIDS patients and skin rashes in many people is fingered by Dr. Simonicini as the sole cause of the vast majority of cancers. As evidence, he explains in detail the life cycle of candida and how it actually causes disease in humans. He points to research in various oncology journals suggesting that when pathologists look for candida in human tumors they find it in anywhere from 79% to 97% of the cases. And, finally he points out that in nature, especially plants, almost all tumors (e.g. of trees) are known to be caused by a variety of fungal infections. Fungal masses become tumors; when the host defenses slip, they spread; they are almost impossible to get rid of by the organism without some sort of intervention, and they are remarkably pleomorphic in their appearance. Dr. Simoncini makes a solid case that cancer is not some big scary multi-factorial mystery. Rather it is simply a combination of a weakened host and its subsequent invasion with candida albicans.

Finally, we get to the part of the book that makes the rest relevant. This is the section, backed up by written histories, pathology reports and in some cases actual CT scans or other x-rays (some are on his website www.cancerfungus.com) where Dr. Simoncini relates how when he treats his cancer patients with the appropriate anti-fungal therapy somewhere around 90% of his patients will be “cured” of their cancer. Among the cases he presents include cancer of the pancreas, melanomas, lung cancer and a variety of the cancers known to have particularly poor prognoses. The surprising part of the therapy, well actually shocking part, is that the treatment he uses is high dose of a concentrated baking soda solution injected via intra-arterial catheter directly into the tumor/fungal mass. This means in the case of a cancer of the pancreas you must instill the baking soda directly into the pancreatic artery. This is, of course, a fairly complex procedure requiring the skills of surgeons and radiologist trained in this technique. Currently, as far as I know, the only place this therapy is available is with Dr. Simoncini’s group in Italy but his intention is to make his case and literally revolutionize the treatment of oncology patients around the world with his simple and straightforward approach.

Two questions arise at this point. First, is it true that you can cure most cancer patients with this baking soda approach which, as he points out, literally proves that cancer is either a fungus (baking soda is a good anti-fungal defect) or maybe a baking soda deficiency (unlikely)? And second, what does this have to do with The Vegetarian Myth? Tackling the second question, what is striking about this is that when you put together GAPS theory, low-dose naltrexone theory, and the basic story of The Vegetarian Myth, what emerges is that pre-civilized humans simply never got cancer. Civilization is essentially the process of turning complex and stable diverse ecologies into large fields of grain. Another way of saying this is we convert the diverse nutrients from the soil into carbohydrate and opiate-producing factories. This degrades the ecology of the earth and turns us into weakened (from the opiates), obese (from the excess sugars), poisoned (form the modern agriculture techniques) beings. Our strong susceptibility to chronic yeast infections is a result of the above three factors. Put this all together and cancer does start to look like a fungal infection. Unfortunately, I can’t confirm the baking soda treatment from personal experience; if anyone has a personal experience, I would love to hear about it. What I do know is that the more determined I get to restore the ecology of my patients, including getting rid of candida, the better the results overall. Dr. Simoncini makes a strong case that baking soda is the most direct way. I use and have used other ways of improving host defenses and affecting candida besides baking soda. Regardless, Cancer is a Fungus has piqued my interest and helped me see that fundamentally we in the GAPS and WAPF movement are on the right track.

NOURISHING RECIPE from Iso Rabins of forageSF

Heirloom Tomato Ragu with Wild Boar over Fresh Pasta
We cooked this dish at our underground Wild Boar Dinner in San Francisco in September. Thanks to Ellen Roggerman for input on the sauce. For this dish we used orange and red heirloom tomatoes from Balakian Farms near San Francisco, and wild boar from…well that’s a bit of a secret. The first thing you want to do is start the wild boar cooking. That’s what is going to take most of your time in this dish.
We used several shoulders of boar in this instance (because that’s what we had), but other cuts that respond well to slow cooking, or even ground meat, could work.
Ingredients:
1 10-lb boar shoulder (or several smaller ones)
garlic
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1 C red wine
2 white onions
5 lb heirloom tomatoes of different colors (hint: if you want to get heirlooms cheap, go just as the farmers market is closing, we got these for $1/lb)
coriander, herb salt
Sucanat to taste

Wild game has a tendency to dry out more than cultivated meat, so slow braising is key. Preheat oven to 300 degrees, then coat the meat in a rub of garlic, thyme, and olive oil. Place in large stew-pot or baking dish, cover well, and cook…for 4 hours. Check on the meat every hour or so, to see how it’s looking. The meat is done when it is falling apart. Take the pan out of the oven, and remove meat to separate plate to rest. Pour off all but 2 Tbsp of liquid from pan, add wine and cook over high heat, scraping bottom of pan to remove cracklings, cook down for three minutes. This can be used to add an intensity of flavor to the pasta sauce, or saved in the fridge (keeps about a week) to flavor another dish.

For the Sauce:
First I cut the heirlooms into segments using a 3:1 ratio of orange to red heirlooms. The orange heirlooms taste amazingly bright and sweet so I use some red heirlooms to give the flavor more backbone or base. Heat a good amount of olive oil in a pan. Brown chopped garlic and add onions and salt. Allow onions to get soft and translucent. Add almost all of your orange tomato segments and then slowly add in red tomatoes in stages. Turn burner down to medium. As the tomatoes release their juices, watch the color. If it starts turning too brown, add more orange tomatoes.

Add coriander, herb salt, and kosher salt to taste. Cook for 30-40 minutes until tomatoes are very soft and lots of juice has come out. Let cool and then blend with an immersion blender (if you don’t have one, using a blender in batches works too). Keep the ragu somewhat chunky: you don’t need to blend it very thin but also don’t want big pieces of skin. Return to pot and heat. Add more coriander and salt if desired. If flavors aren’t coming together well, try adding a bit of sucanat, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Take the wild boar that has been resting, and pull apart as you would pulled pork. Add to sauce, and cook a further 10 minutes to blend flavors. Serve over fresh whole grain pasta or brown rice.

Iso Rabins is the founder of forageSF, a wild foods business/community in San Francisco that provides a monthly box of all local, sustainably foraged wild foods to its Bay Area members. In addition to the CSF (Community Supported Forage), forageSF leads guided edible plant walks to teach people about the abundance of wild edibles just beyond their yards. You can find Iso and forageSF at www.forageSF.com

FOR BAY AREA RESIDENTS

A Note from Personal Chefs and Nutritional Coaches Anna Mollow and Jane Hyman-Herman

We are personal chefs and nutritional coaches in Sonoma County, California. Our delicious, nutrient-dense foods are made using locally grown organic or “beyond organic” ingredients and traditional food-preparation methods. We will personally prepare for you just about any traditional food you may request: stews, casseroles, soups, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, bone broth, yogurt, kombucha, liver pate, mayonnaise, and lacto-fermented tonics. We specialize in creating entrees and baked goods to be eaten on the GAPS diet.

In addition to food preparation, we offer nutritional coaching. Our approach differs from that of most nutritional consultants: rather than advocating weight loss or restrictions on calories, carbohydrates, or fat, we help you incorporate more satisfying, nourishing foods into your diet.
For more information, please call us at 707.528.4554 (11am- 11pm PST) or write to us at uncommonculturesfoods@gmail.com.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

The Weston A. Price Foundation’s Wise Traditions Conference, “Honoring the Sacred Foods”, is coming up in just a few weeks, November 13th through November 16th just outside Chicago in Schaumberg, Illinois. Dr. Cowan will be discussing cancer from the perspective of the work of Weston A. Price, including a description of the “true” cause of cancer and exploring the shortfalls of conventional diagnosis (including biopsy) and treatment. He will also provide a review of holistic treatments for cancer including diet, supplements and herbs, with an in-depth look at the use of Iscador (mistletoe extract) in successful European treatment protocols. For more information and to register, go to www.westonaprice.org and click on the link to “Conferences” under Get Involved.

Dr. Cowan will also be speaking at The Fourfold Healing Conference in Nashua, New
Hampshire, from January 29-31, 2010 alongside Sally Fallon and Jaimen McMillan. This is
an incredible opportunity to spend time with the authors of The Fourfold Path to
Healing and to learn more about their unique viewpoints on nutrition, movement, and
health. Health professionals, dietitians, nutritionists, and anyone else with an interest
in the health and well-being of their friends and family should attend this conference.
More information about the Fourfold Path to Healing Conference can be found
on the Fourfold Healing website. If you’re interested in helping spread the
word about the conference, we’ve also set up a Facebook page for the conference
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nashua-NH/The-Fourfold-Path-to-Healing-
Conference/145047436751). If you’re on Facebook, “Become a Fan” and suggest that
your friends do the same so we can spread the word about this exciting weekend of
education and discussions.

This spring Dr. Cowan and The Growing Edge Institute will team up to present a six-week, internet-based series of lectures entitled “Healing From the Inside Out”. The Growing Edge Institute is an innovative online learning institution and community. Past speakers have included Eckhart Tolle and Starhawk. This spring Dr. Cowan will discuss a variety of topics including the causes and treatments of gut disorders, heart disease, cancer, and much more. Each week he will spend one to two hours discussing these topics, after which he will be available to answer your e-mail and online questions. We are very excited about the opportunity to work with the Growing Edge Institute and we will post more information as we determine the exact dates and time for the course.

Tom Cowan

The Devil in the Milk

I have been involved in thinking about the medicinal aspects of cow’s milk virtually my entire career. As one four-year-old child pointed out to me many years ago, “Mommy, I know why he always talks about milk, his name is Cow—an.” So, I guess this milk “obsession” is no surprise.
The obsession started in earnest about 25 years ago when I read the book The Milk of Human Kindness Is Not Pasteurized by maverick physician William Campbell Douglass, MD. This was one of the most influential books I have ever read. I became convinced that a large part of the disease in this country is related to the way we handle, or rather mishandle, milk and milk products. Raw and cultured dairy products from healthy grass-fed cows are one of the healthiest foods people have ever eaten. It is the very foundation of western civilization (not that this is necessarily so good). On the other hand, pasteurized, particularly low-fat, milk products have caused more disease than perhaps any other substance people are generally in contact with. This view was re- enforced when I met and joined up with Sally Fallon and learned the principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation. End of story, I thought – I could stop thinking about milk.
Over the years, every once in a while Sally would say to me, “You know we have the wrong cows here.” I had also heard this from assorted bio-dynamic farmers but didn’t really know what to make of this or whether this was a medical issue I should be tackling. All along, though, something was not quite right. It remained unmistakably true that many of my patients, in spite of eating only the proper dairy products, still had illness and still seemed not to tolerate milk. Truth be told, for most of my adult life I myself couldn’t drink any kind of raw milk without feeling a bit sick and congested. Somehow my story with milk wasn’t quite finished.
Along came the GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) and the use of low dose naltrexone, both of which I have described in previous Fourfold newsletters, but the relevance here is that many patients only improved and recovered when they eliminated milk (but not other dairy products) from their diets and took a medicine that stimulated endogenous (one’s own) endorphin production. Then, a further nudge on this topic showed up about a month ago. I was asked to consider writing the foreword to a book called The Devil in the Milk, written by agribusiness professor and farm-management consultant Keith Woodford. In this book Dr. Woodford lays out the theory that there is a devil in some of our milk, and this is something we need to come to grips with. Here is a brief synopsis of the main thesis of his book.
Milk consists of three parts: 1) fat or cream, 2) whey, and 3) milk solids. For this story we are only concerned about the milk solid part, as the fat and whey don’t have this “devil”. The milk solid part is composed of many different proteins which have their own names, lactose, and other sugars. It is the protein part of the solid we’re interested in. One of these proteins is called casein, of which there are many different types, but the one casein we are interested is the predominant protein called beta- casein.
As you may or may not know, all proteins are long chains of amino acids that have many “branches” coming off different parts of the main chain. Beta casein is a 229 chain of amino acids with a proline at number 67 – at least the proline is there in “old- fashioned” cows. These cows with proline at number 67 are called A2 cows and are the older breeds of cows (e.g. Jerseys, Asian and African cows). Some five thousand years ago, a mutation occurred in this proline amino acid, converting it to histidine. Cows that have this mutated beta casein are called A1 cows, and include breeds like Holstein.
The side chain that comes off this amino acid is called BCM 7. BCM 7 is a small protein (called a peptide) that is a very powerful opiate and has some undesirable effects on animals and humans. What’s important here is that proline has a strong bond to BCM 7 which helps keep it from getting into the milk, so that essentially no BCM 7 is found in the urine, blood or GI tract of old-fashioned A2 cows. On the other hand, histidine, the mutated protein, only weakly holds on to BCM 7, so it is liberated in the GI tract of animals and humans who drink A1 cow milk, and it is found in significant quantity in the blood and urine of these animals.

This opiate BCM 7 has been shown in the research outlined in the book to cause neurological impairment in animals and people exposed to it, especially autistic and schizophrenic changes. BCM 7 interferes with the immune response, and injecting BCM 7 in animal models has been shown to provoke Type 1 diabetes. Dr. Woodford presents research showing a direct correlation between a population’s exposure to A1 cow’s milk and incidence of auto-immune disease, heart disease (BCM 7 has a pro-inflammatory effect on the blood vessels), type 1 diabetes, autism, and schizophrenia. What really caught my eye is that BCM 7 selectively binds to the epithelial cells in the mucus membranes (i.e. the nose) and stimulates mucus secretion.
For reasons which are unclear historically, once this mutation occurred many thousand years ago, the A1 beta casein gene spread rapidly in many countries in the western world. Some have speculated that the reason for this wide spread of A1 cows is that the calves drinking A1 cows milk and exposed to the opiate BCM7 are more docile than their traditional brethren (in effect, they were stoned). This is only speculation, of course. But what is true is that basically all American dairy cows have this mutated beta-casein and are predominantly A1 cows.
The amazing thing for me is that all these years Sally was right: it’s not the fat, it’s not the whey, and it’s not raw milk. Consider French cheese – mostly due to culinary snobbery, the French never accepted these A1 breeds of cow, claiming they have lousy milk. Voila, they have good milk and cheese. Our issue in America is that we have the wrong cows. When you take A1 cow milk away, and stimulate our own endorphins instead of the toxic opiate of BCM 7, some amazing health benefits ensue.
So what are we all to do with this? Does this mean no one should drink US raw cow’s milk? One saving grace, as expressed in The Devil in the Milk, is that the absorption of BCM 7 is much less in people with a healthy GI tract. This also parallels the ideas of GAPS theory which talks a lot about this. BCM 7 is also not found in goat’s or sheep’s milk, so these types of milk might be better tolerated.
One final point: we now have one more thing to put on our activism to-do list. Dr. Woodford explains that it is fairly straightforward to switch a herd to become an all A2 herd. No genetic engineering is needed, no fancy tests, just one simple test of the Beta-casein and it can be done. Hopefully, when this becomes widespread we will end up with a truly safe and healthy milk supply. Then maybe I should just change my name.

Connecting Super-Slow, NLP, Golf and Fourfold Healing

As mentioned above, this newsletter is meant to introduce a few ideas and people I have been working with over the past year, in particular those whose ideas have helped bring major improvements in my life and in the lives of many of my patients. The first concept is super slow weight training. Pete Kinkead, with whom I have worked for over a year, explains the history and theory of super-slow training in article below, and I would like to make a few medical remarks about this method.
The idea that high intensity weight training has profound physiological effects is very well established in the medical literature. The changes that occur seem all to be the result of the body’s mobilization in response to injury that occurs with high intensity training. Perhaps this mobilization response’s greatest effect is that, in order to repair the self-induced damage, a whole cascade of repair hormones, particularly growth hormone, are increased as a result of each workout. Growth hormone works to build up muscle and bone, lowers blood sugar, reduces chronic inflammation, and is as close to an anti-aging tonic as there is. Giving someone growth hormone is possible, but the risk in that is provoking excessive growth, i.e. cancer. There is no such risk when the growth hormone is stimulated by the high intensity activity of super slow weight training where it is made by our own glands.

Super slow training is also helpful for injured joints, as the inevitable muscle strengthening that results is often helpful in relieving pain and disability in the corresponding joint. The bone activation effect make super slow a good treatment for osteoporosis, which actually was one of its original indications. Super slow weight training may not be for the faint of heart but for those willing to put forth the effort, there are huge and varied benefits to be gained.
Terry Rowles, my golf coach who hails originally from England, is also a practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and one of the lead students of the founder of NLP. While I’m no expert on the history of NLP, I do know the surprising effect it has had on my playing golf. Using unusual exercises, Terry identifies areas in my game that cause me emotional and then physiological stress. All golfers, in fact all people in stressful situations, go through a host of strong physiological responses that, at the least, make it impossible to perform to one’s best. The key here is to try to break the chain of those responses.
Stress, of course, happens regularly in the game of life, and is in many people’s minds one of the root causes of illness. We get stuck in stress responses, triggered by a myriad of events, people, thoughts, etc.; these responses become habitual, and then our bodies and minds under-perform. Try as we might to “relax”, we become even more tense, more convinced that we can’t do whatever the task is in front of us. Working with Terry and his NLP-based exercises helps break this whole chain of events. The task that has been troubling can be seen in a new light, and we can then perform to our best capacity. This pattern is a crucial aspect of healing – stepping out of the way and letting the wisdom of our body shine through – and is a much more fun and invigorating way to go through life.
We’re pleased to hear from both Pete Kinkead and Terry Rowles about how these concepts work. Read on…

Introducing Slow Cadence Strength Training

The fast track to fitness is to go slow! If you are seeking to achieve and maintain an optimal level of physical fitness in the most efficient and effective manner possible (and who isn’t?), I urge you to discover the secret that I and many athletes and fitness professionals have recently found: the fastest way to get fit is to go slow. Very slow.
What I’m referring to is called slow motion or slow cadence strength training, and not only is it remarkably effective, but it offers convenience to those who are serious about their health but unwilling or unable to devote large amounts of time to fitness activity. This method of training requires commitment and hard work, but at the same time is intuitive and uncomplicated. It was the discovery of this methodology that led me to leave my corporate career and enter the fitness industry, and I greatly enjoy watching our clients experience unprecedented results with just one 20-minute training session per week.
Obtaining and maintaining our optimal fitness takes time and patience and comes down to two simple requirements: good nutrition and proper exercise. The body was designed or has evolved to get everything it needs from food and exercise, yet most of us continually try to shortcut what nature has already perfected. Huge industries have been created to sell us the latest innovation in fitness shortcuts, be it pharmaceutical, mechanical, or electronic.

I don’t mean to spoil the party, but no shortcut exists. Innovation has its place, and modern exercise equipment helps us exercise in a safer and more efficient manner. Furthermore, healthy food is more easily accessible than ever before and in wide varieties to those who seek it. But no gizmo, machine, supplement, or überfood will compensate for an unhealthy diet or a lack of proper exercise. I’ll leave nutrition education to respected authorities like Dr. Tom Cowan, but will address instead what it means to exercise.
Most exercise falls into one of two categories: steady- state or “cardio” exercise, and resistance or strength training. The former refers to low or medium intensity activity performed for extended periods of time and is considered beneficial for fat reduction, cardiovascular and respiratory health, and overall endurance. Resistance or strength training is associated with using weight or other resistive force against the movement of skeletal muscles in order to develop strength through muscular hypertrophy: the increase in cross-sectional area of muscle fibers.
I don’t dispute the benefits of steady-state exercise, but it does not appreciably stimulate muscular strength and the repetitive movements and inertial forces common to many such activities can be conducive to joint and connective tissue injuries.
It’s my contention that strength training is the most critical component of any serious fitness program. In addition to the obvious advantages of looking and feeling stronger, strength training also provides the following short- and long-term benefits:

- injury prevention and rehabilitation
- prevention of muscle and bone loss due to aging
- prevention of diseases such as adult onset diabetes, colon cancer, and osteoporosis
- lowered resting blood pressure
- reduction in body fat through increased resting metabolism
- relief of chronic back pain and arthritis pain
- and yes, cardiovascular fitness!
Simply lifting weight until we are tired or have performed some prescribed number of exercise repetitions does not constitute strength training, yet that is precisely how many people conduct their workouts. Since muscle tissue consumes calories even while at rest, the body will not build nor maintain any more muscle than it believes is required for survival, preferring instead to store unused energy as fat. If we want to build more muscle and strength than our daily routines require, we must make the body believe it’s not strong enough. To accomplish this, we must fatigue each muscle group to the point where it can no longer perform the work asked of it. We refer to this fatigue threshold as muscle failure, and it is the objective of each and every exercise.
Muscles create movement through the contraction of muscle fibers. There are several types of muscle fibers with varying characteristics, but what’s important to know is that some of them may recover and contract again in a matter of seconds if allowed to rest, and that the number of fibers activated is limited to what is required to perform the work at hand. The more quickly we can fatigue all available muscle fibers, the more efficient an exercise is in terms of time and work required.

The two factors that will defeat or unnecessarily extend an exercise are rest and momentum. Resting or pausing during an exercise will allow partial recovery and re-recruitment of muscle fibers, leaving others unused during the movement. Momentum is the tendency of a body in motion to stay in motion, and is a function of velocity. The faster we move in an exercise, the less force our muscles have to produce and the longer we have to work to reach failure. To eliminate or minimize rest and momentum in an exercise, we must perform it very slowly and continuously until failure is achieved. This is the key distinction between slow cadence strength training and other methods.
In addition there are two other primary reasons for moving slowly during strength building exercise:

1. Reducing acceleration greatly minimizes the risk of injury
2. Moving slowly increases the number of muscle fibers activated and the frequency that motor impulses are fired, thereby increasing muscle tension and subsequent growth stimulus
Just how slow you should move will depend on your physiology and the type of exercise equipment you’re using, but roughly we’re talking about 15-25 seconds for each complete repetition. This is about one-tenth to one-fifth the speed employed in most traditional training programs. Furthermore, there are no periods of rest within a given set of exercise. The muscles should be under load and working continuously until they can no longer continue. The weight or resistance setting should be adjusted such that failure is achieved within 90-120 seconds. With the exercise time held somewhat constant by adjusting the resistance, the amount of resistance then becomes the primary indicator of strength, and you’ll be pleased to see it increase steadily between workouts. At this pace, a full body workout consisting of 5-7 exercises can be completed in less than 20 minutes. Working a muscle group to failure is a challenging and intense effort, but without the intensity there can be no growth.
Once muscle failure is achieved, the stimulus for growth has been established and the body will respond without further incentive. Our job at this point is to let the body recover from the exercise and develop stronger muscle tissue in anticipation of further stress. For this reason, we perform just one set of exercise for each major muscle group at each workout, and then let the body recover before training again.
Muscle fatigue represents a mild physiological trauma which simply requires time to heal, just as a laceration or any other mild injury. The practice of training at a frequency greater than an individual’s recovery time is known as overtraining and can severely impede progress. Generally speaking, recovery time is approximately 2-3 days for people new to strength training and increases over time as workout intensity and neuromuscular efficiency are improved. Most of our clients train just once each week with significant results. While we strongly encourage clients to participate in other physical activity throughout the rest of the week, it is best to minimize very strenuous activity or at least space it several days away from scheduled training sessions so as not to impede proper recovery.
A viable slow cadence training program ought to include:

1. A distraction-free environment with consistent lighting, human occupancy, and cool temperature to prevent overheating
2. A consistent routine encompassing one set of exercise for each major muscle group, performed in the same order during each workout and with minimal rest in between sets
3. Each exercise is performed slowly through a full range of motion without rest according to established protocol and with proper form until muscle failure is achieved
4. Accurate and consistent tracking of all weights lifted and the amount of time before failure is reached
5. Sessions must be brief and infrequent, ranging from 20-40 minutes in duration and allowing ample recovery time of 3-7 days between workouts, depending on workout intensity and individual progress
A slow cadence workout is best performed on high quality, friction-free exercise equipment, but the methodology can be applied effectively to almost any apparatus or with no equipment at all. The workout can be performed without supervision, but a qualified trainer is strongly recommended if feasible. A skilled trainer provides guidance, education, safety, progress tracking, and accountability, all of which are crucial to a successful strength training program. However, it’s vital that the commitment to fitness be internally motivated and that we take personal responsibility for the work we are performing and the ensuing results.
Health, vitality, and time are our most precious resources, and an efficient fitness regimen is vital to preserving all three. The method I’ve described is neither new nor revolutionary and is rapidly growing in popularity, but is still relatively obscure among vast choices in fitness programs and facilities. I strongly encourage you to seek out and explore this training method for yourself, and am confident you will find it rewarding and effective regardless of your fitness goals. There are many excellent books on the subject, and we are more than happy to help you source trainers and facilities in your area or provide guidance for a personalized workout that you can perform at home.
Pete Kinkead is the owner/operator of Body Mastery Strength Training in San Francisco. He is SuperSlow Trained & Tested, a member of the IDEA Health & Fitness Association, and is Reality Therapy Certified. You can reach him at 415.265.6070 or info@bodymastery.net.

NLP and Golf

Although this is an article written by a golf coach about a golf theme, my studies and experience of what makes a golfer perform well have taken me into fields which have more to do with human beings and human performance generally, rather than golf specifically. So if you find that you are challenged in an area of your life, or that you would like to perform better in a certain context, then substitute the word golf for that area of your life where you would like an improved level of performance, and you can use the information in this article to throw some light onto that area of your life.
Before I start, it is interesting to set the context. I learned about the field of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) from my friend and mentor, Dr. John Grinder, the co-founder of NLP. One of the most memorable lessons that I learned from him, and that he learned from renowned cultural anthropologist Gregory Bateson, was this:

Case 1: If you have two billiard balls on a billiard table, and Ball 1 travels towards Ball 2 at a given speed, it is possible using a scientific equation to predict where the Ball 2 will end up.

Case 2: If, in the second case, you imagine (don’t try this at home) you have a person and a dog or cat, and the person were to kick the cat or dog, then would it be possible to predict the landing area of the animal?
While this is a light-hearted example, it is important to remember anything that requires us to work with living systems (human beings) is operating in the world of cats and dogs. The Newtonian approach to predicting billiard balls does not respect the cybernetic systems that regulate our very existence. Cats and dogs as well as human beings operate in a world where there are many variables that affect our behavior at any point in time.
Golf is a complex sport. Tiger Woods’ driver is moving at around 125mph when it strikes the ball, and this will send the ball to a distance of over 300 yards. As you can imagine, if the face of the club is pointing a few degrees away from the target at this speed, then the ball will travel off line by a significant amount, costing the golfer extra shots and lots of money! Imagine trying to consciously control the swing at this speed and at these fine tolerances. In fact due to the time that the signals from our senses actually take to reach our awareness, the club and our body are no longer where we think they are – the club may be up to 6 feet away from where we think it is.
As I write this article, I think back to this week to illustrate how I use NLP to coach golf. I was coaching a client on the PGA tour at the LA Open. He was having some putting problems. There were a number of possible interventions at different levels that I could have made to assist him in putting better. In order to be precise and to make the largest change with the smallest intervention, I listened to his story. He had a number of problems:

1. His wrist was breaking down (leading to off line putts).
2. This would normally occur when he would “freeze” over the ball.
3. Freezing would occur when he was not confident that he had made a good decision prior to putting his ball.
I could have chosen to fix his wrist movement, but as any good doctor knows, this would be fixing the symptom. Remembering that we are cats and dogs, not billiard balls, choosing the line of the putt is best done with the help of the subconscious rather than by more conscious interventions. The cause in the case he presented was “lack of confidence.” If we could fix that then he would be confident, would not freeze and his wrist would not break down.
The system that I use is known in New Code NLP as the Chain of Excellence. It presupposes that the mind and body are linked (sorry, Descartes).

The Chain of Excellence looks like this:

Breathing (shallow upper chest breathing)
Physiology (freezing/stiff)
State (lack of confidence)
Performance (missed putts through wrist breakdown)

Performance (in this case putting) is affected by the state of the client; the state is affected by the physiology of the client, and the physiology is affected by his breathing.
As a coach I use exercises which enable a client to optimize his or her breathing, physiology, and state in order to affect performance. I can then associate and anchor this state back into his or her context (in this case my client’s putting) so that he can perform more effectively. In this client’s case, this exercise normalized his breathing pattern, freed up his physiology, which improved his confidence and his swing.
In order to make these changes quickly and effectively, the games are best performed with a coach. However, the principle behind this change is that we can use optimum states to make changes in problem contexts. For example, if you are a runner, then think about your challenges while running to maximize the personal resources available to you. If you are not a runner, taking a walk or doing something in your life that makes you feel great prior to resolving a problem is an easy way to make a positive change.
Here is a drill that you can do to change a problem state associated with a context in your life.

Breath of Life

1. Imagine two circles on the ground, Circle 1 and Circle 2

2. Step into Circle 1 and imagine a context where you would like to improve your performance. See what you see in that situation, hear what you hear, and feel the sensations attached to that context.

3. Step out of Circle 1 and shake off any sensations attached to that context (small hops or spinning around will help here).

4. Step into Circle 2 and do the following breathing cycle for about 10 cycles.
Breathe in for 5 seconds duration
Hold for 5 seconds
Breathe out for 5 seconds
Hold for 5 seconds
Repeat 10 times

5. Without hesitation, step back into Circle 1 and into the original imagined context, then take a moment to sense how the pictures, sounds and internal sensations have changed. Imagining this context in this state will have an effect of “bridging” or connecting your optimized physiology to the future context.
Terry Rowles is a holistic golf coach and NLP Master Practitioner who adopts an integrated approach to golf improvement to make minimal change for maximum results. At his indoor golf studio in San Francisco’s financial district, he offers programs to all levels of golfers. Contact him at info@terryrowles.com.

References:
Chain of Excellence excerpted from Whisp ering in the Wind by Dr. John Grinder and Carmen Bostic St Clair. The Breath of Life drill was developed by John Grinder.

New and Ancient Wisdom – Fourfold Healing Conference

On the weekend of January 30, 2009, more than 200 mothers, fathers, educators, health care practitioners and students gathered at the beautiful Westford Regency Hotel and Conference Center in the small New England town of Westford, MA for the 5th Annual Fourfold Healing Conference sponsored by New Trends, the publisher of The Fourfold Path to Healing and Nourishing Traditions.
Tom Cowan, principal author, and co-authors Sally Fallon and Jaimen McMillan are each stellar educators and practitioners, but when they come together, the synergy invites us to embrace an understanding of health and wellness as individuals and as a community of fellow beings that transcends what each does alone and goes beyond what we could have imagined. This is the Fourfold Path: nutrition, therapeutics, movement and meditation.
Tom offers us a way of understanding the physical body and hence the natural remedies that will help us re-member when we experience dis-ease. Sally with her incredible power point presentation teaches the brilliant work of Dr. Weston A. Price, helping us to understand how to feed ourselves and our families in the way that nourishes and satisfies the physical, mental and emotional body, allowing for manifestation of the true potential of the human being. Jaimen introduces us to his work, Spacial Dynamics, the interplay of the human being in space, the medium we live in like a fish lives in water. Through working with the space we inhabit, we can heal our physical and emotional bodies and learn to interact with fellow human beings in a harmonious way. Meditation follows and is the “space” we are invited to embrace and engage in as we continue on the path to healing so skillfully and compassionately revealed to us by this dynamic trio.
The weekend began Friday at 6pm with registration expertly carried out by Paul Frank, who also organizes the Wise Traditions Conferences. An opening reception welcomed us and gave us an opportunity to meet and mingle with old and new friends. This reception featured Nourishing Traditions appetizers: shrimp, salmon ceviche, Braunsweiger atop sourdough bread with crème fraiche and traditional pickles, roasted vegetables, local raw milk cheeses, delicious locally made ginger devotion Kombucha, and a special cheese cake offered by Chef Jim Glen. Introduction and presentations by Tom, Sally and Jaimen followed, giving us a glimpse into what the next two days would be bringing. Jaimen’s leaping down the aisle and onto the stage truly set the tone for this uplifting weekend.
While we were gathering, the generous sponsors Grainfi elds Australia, U.S. Wellness Meats, Green Pastures, New Trends Publishing and Radiant Life, along with exhibitors Weston A. Price Foundation, Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Holistic Dynamics, Dr. Rodd Stockwell’s Holistic Medical Practice, Miller’s Organic Farm, Pure Indian Foods, Groton Wellness, Zukay Live Foods and Katalyst Kombucha/Real Pickles were setting up their tables in the hall. The information and products these remarkable businesses and farms bring make it easier for us to embrace the practices introduced to us. Plus, the samples and good nature of all the exhibitors created a very festive atmosphere.
Saturday and Sunday both began with a gathering before group and individual sessions. The first session on Saturday was the group session with Jaimen introducing us to Spacial Dynamics. All 200 of us filled the room which made moving about in the “library”, the “workshop” and especially in the “bedroom” interesting and helped us awaken to the concept that we are both our physical bodies as well as the space around us. The next session had us choosing lectures with Tom or Sally or continuing with Jaimen’s movement exercises. After the delicious beef stew and apple crisp lunch (if you didn’t feel the need to take a long nap!), we gathered for the group session with Tom who, as only Tom does, presented a fantastic talk about something new to us, “the Devil in the Milk”. The last session of the day once again allowed us to follow our interest in diet, therapeutics or movement.
Sunday began with the group session featuring Sally’s amazing introduction of Dr. Price and her in- depth research and knowledge of the food industry. One can never go “back” after this! The remaining two sessions on either side of the incredible salmon and pumpkin pie lunch allowed us to be with Jaimen, Sally or Tom, either to follow one track the entire time or to experience each of them. Seems that one needs to attend Fourfold at least three times to begin to be satisfied!

The closing hour found us gathered together once again as Tom invited us to share personal stories of how we have been touched by this information while he, Sally and Jaimen respectfully listened. Tears flowed from many who shared how their lives and the lives of their loved ones have been enriched and healed.
One of the truly wonderful aspects of the weekend was the food. From the first meeting with Chef Jim Glen and the hotel’s program director, Mia Green, we were welcomed to help them understand our dietary requests. Sally laid out a delicious menu and sent the chef a copy of Nourishing Traditions. He started reading it and shared that the information was certainly different but that he was very open to trying it.

U.S. Wellness Meats generously donated the Braunsweiger and beef stew meat and Vital Choice Seafoods offered the salmon for both the ceviche and Sunday’s lunch. We received many outside donations of cheese, breads, vegetables, Kombucha, sauerkraut, butter, cream and fruit. Chef Jim was happy to use these contributions, and he even researched and obtained products from his distributors that met our needs. He began emailing questions: “Is cornstarch okay?” or “I couldn’t find coconut oil from the distributor. Can you get me some?” He was pleased to use arrowroot powder and Groton Wellness sent over a bottle of Radiant Life’s Coconut oil! He was especially interested in Real Pickles’ sauerkraut which didn’t need to be heated. And when the Kombucha arrived, he took a few bottles to the kitchen to share with his staff as they were really curious about it! He also was open to preparing soaked oatmeal, Nourishing Traditions pancakes, using organic eggs, and serving real maple syrup, cultured butter and sourdough breads at the regular hotel breakfast buffet. He was in awe at the oatmeal consumption!
Because of both his interest and his skills, Chef Jim and his wonderful staff created some of the most delicious and satisfying meals ever enjoyed at a conference. And, most amazingly, after the conference, we received a thank you from him sharing that in all his years as a chef, he had never written a thank you to a guest. He said he was “enlightened and educated by the experience” and that he found “staff and guests to be some of the nicest down to earth people I have dealt with.” Perhaps this says it all.

The Fourfold Healing Conference is unique and reaches out to not only those who attend it but to all who come in touch with this invitation to examine and embrace our lives with what may initially seem like new information but is really ancient wisdom.

Next year’s conference will be in southern New Hampshire. Hope to see you there!
Beth Ingham is an organic farmer, Whole Health Educator and Certified Nutritionist who lives in northern Massachusetts. She has been learning from Tom Cowan since 1993 and embracing Nourishing Traditions since 1997.

email: newsletter@fourfoldhealing.com
web: http://www.fourfoldhealing.com

Many months have passed since our last newsletter was sent to you. Our sincerest apologies for the delay (and we hope you missed us at least a little). We plan to be more active in coming months in sharing insights and practical information with you about the Fourfold Path to Healing.

This edition pays special attention to GAPS challenges, and includes one patient’s very compelling story of his serious bout with gastrointestinal issues and how things have turned around for him.

We start this issue by sharing with you tips and insights on how to stay healthy during this winter season. As well, we have an update on our Community Supported Healthcare Plan (CSH), available to all my patients. And of course, no newsletter is complete with a nourishing and delicious recipe.

Do you have a story about how you have been helped by any of our therapies or diets? Would you like to share that story with others? We’re looking for brief patient stories (approximately 750 words) to use in upcoming newsletters, with your permisssion of course. We’re also looking for people willing to share their email address for us to provide to future patients who would like to communicate with a patient who has experienced a similar situation. Please send your story, your email and your thoughts directly to me at drcowansoffice@yahoo.com.

I also want to personally invite you to join us at the next Fourfold Healing Conference in Westford, Massachusetts on Jan 30-Feb 1, 2009 – coming right up! Sally Fallon, Jaimen McMillan and I will be hosting this incredible weekend of dynamic discussions, presentations and lectures. It’s not too late to register. I hope to see you there.

We appreciate receiving your comments about our newsletter and our efforts, and hope you’ll continue to share with us as we continue along the Fourfold Path to Healing.

Warmly,
Tom Cowan

	Staying Healthy in Winter

	FOCUS: GAPS Diet

	One Patient’s Experience With Ulcerative Colitis and the Gaps Diet

	Nourishing Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

	CSH Update

	Fourfold Healing Conference in Westwood MA

I currently have four cancer patients whose cancers seem to be resolving, that is either the tumors have shrunk or the tumor markers (e.g., PSA or Thyroglobulin) have significantly decreased or gone down to normal. In three of these cases, adding CoQ10 in therapeutic doses to the regimen seemed to be the turning point. I have also seen good results with patients with a variety of ailments of the heart and/or circulation who have had positive responses to proper doses of CoQ10. And, as you can see from the studies, CoQ10 has shown promise in the treatment of a variety of neurological diseases including Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, migraine headaches, and others. So what is this magic substance?

CoQ10, also known as Ubiquinone, so named because it is ubiquitous in our cells, is a fat soluble (meaning found in fat, absorbed in fat, and utilized in fat metabolism) “nutrient” that is a catalyst for the production of energy from the mitochondria. This, of course, opens up whole vistas of insights and questions. Is there a special reason for these mitochondria that “produce” our energy? The best guess as to the origin of mitochondria which are found in most cells (but not all) is that they originally were free-living bacteria that parasitized our cells, somehow got “stuck” in there and eventually made us their home. That is, they embedded themselves in our individual (and other mammalian) cells so that, presumably, we would provide them with food and shelter. In return, they use our food and turn it into energy we need to carry out our lives. CoQ10 seems to be the prime catalyst or stimulant to this mitochondrial production of energy and probably its rate-limiting step. Therefore it affects all health processes because one cannot heal, white blood cells cannot migrate to the site of the infection or tumor, and circulation cannot flow properly without adequate energy being generated by our cells. This is the role of CoQ10.

CoQ10 is called an anti-oxidant in the literature, probably for this reason: With a lack of energy, tissues are left unprotected and become more subject to oxidative damage and, as one study shows, to the effects of agricultural chemicals. Therefore, CoQ10 is needed in every detoxification process in the same way that any process needs energy in order to run. One of the continual tragedies of current medical practice is the well known side effect of statin drugs. These drugs (Lipitor, Zocor, etc.) deplete the body of its CoQ10 stores, probably because being a toxin, it shifts the energy needs of the body in the direction of detoxing the drug, leaving the patient exposed to fatigue, congestive heart failure, and a host of neurological illnesses.

Also of note, the literature consistently suggests the use of high doses of CoQ10 in the treatment of the various illnesses, at least 200 mg per day in circulatory disorders and cancer and up to 2400 mg per day in neurological illnesses. As followers of the Nourishing Traditions dietary approach, we can probably do with less because the main dietary sources of CoQ10 are the animal fats and liver which we value so much in this regime. This is yet one more example of how the dietary wisdom of our forefathers is being vindicated in modern medical studies.

I have included below a selection of papers, studies and trials that have been conducted using CoQ10. Click on the link at Abstract to read the full abstract at the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s National Library of Medicine website, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

Please note that this is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a doctor.

*

Selected Papers Abstracts link to NCBI’s National Library of Medicine PubMed site

Coenzyme Q10 affects expression of genes involved in cell signalling, metabolism and transport in human CaCo-2 cells.

Groneberg DA, Kindermann B, Althammer M, Klapper M, Vormann J, Littarru GP, Doring F. Biomedical Research Institute, Otto-Heubner-Centre, Charite School of Medicine, Free University and Humboldt-University, D-13353 Berlin, Germany. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2005 Jun;37(6):1208-18. Epub 2005 Jan 19. Abstract: Coenzyme Q10 is an essential cofactor in the electron transport chain and serves as an important antioxidant in both mitochondria and lipid membranes. These findings indicate a prominent role of CoQ10 as a potent gene regulator. The presently identified comprehensive list of genes regulated by CoQ10 may be used for further studies to identify the molecular mechanism of CoQ10 on gene expression. PMID: 15778085

Antioxidant treatment of patients with Friedreich ataxia: four-year follow-up. Hart PE, Lodi R, Rajagopalan B, Bradley JL, Crilley JG, Turner C, Blamire AM, Manners D, Styles P, Schapira AH, Cooper JM. University Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, England. Arch Neurol. 2005 Apr;62(4):621-6. Abstract: This study is intended to evaluate the long-term efficacy of a combined antioxidant and mitochondrial enhancement therapy on the bioenergetics and clinical course of FRDA. Publication Types: Clinical Trial PMID: 15824263

Role of mitochondria in neuronal cell death induced by oxidative stress; neuroprotection by Coenzyme Q10. Somayajulu M, McCarthy S, Hung M, Sikorska M, Borowy-Borowski H, Pandey S. Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, 277-1 Essex Hall, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON, Canada N9B 3P4. Neurobiol Dis. 2005 Apr;18(3):618-27. Abstract: Our study suggests that water-soluble Coenzyme Q10 acts by stabilizing the mitochondrial membrane when neuronal cells are subjected to oxidative stress. Therefore, Coenzyme Q10 has the potential to be used as a therapeutic intervention for neurodegenerative diseases. PMID: 15755687

Efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial. Sandor PS, Di Clemente L, Coppola G, Saenger U, Fumal A, Magis D, Seidel L, Agosti RM, Schoenen J. Headache and Pain Unit, Neurology Department, University Hospital Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 26, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland. Neurology. 2005 Feb 22;64(4):713-5 Abstract: We compared CoQ10 (3 x 100 mg/day) and placebo in 42 migraine patients in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. CoQ10 was superior to placebo for attack-frequency, headache-days and days-with-nausea in the third treatment month and well tolerated; CoQ10 is efficacious and well tolerated. PMID: 15728298

Bovine cartilage, coenzyme Q10, and wheat grass therapy for primary peritoneal cancer. Forgionne GA. University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Catonsville, MD 21250, USA. J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Feb;11(1):161-5. Abstract: The accepted postsurgical first-line therapy for primary peritoneal cancer has been a regime of chemotherapy. This paper reports the case of an 89-year-old female who refused chemotherapy but accepted a nutritional alternative. Results after more than 4 years of the nutritional regime have been encouraging with regards to objective and subjective measures. Publication Types: Case Reports PMID: 15750376

Integrated treatment approach improves cognitive function in demented and clinically depressed patients. Bragin V, Chemodanova M, Dzhafarova N, Bragin I, Czerniawski JL, Aliev G. Stress Relief and Memory Training Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2005 Jan-Feb;20(1):21-6. Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an integrative treatment approach on cognitive performance. PMID: 15751450

[Coenzyme Q10: biochemistry, pathophysiology of its deficiency and potential benefit of an increased intake] [Article in French] Malchair P, Van Overmeire L, Boland A, Salmon E, Pierard L, Seutin V. Service de Pharmacologie et CNCM, Universite de Liege. Rev Med Liege. 2005 Jan;60(1):45-51. Abstract: After a brief reminding of the synthesis and function of coenzyme Q10, this article tries to summarise the current state of knowledge about the consequences of its deficiency and about the potential benefits of an increased intake of this coenzyme. We then describe the arguments in favour of such an increase in cardiac diseases and in Parkinson’s disease. PMID: 15771317

Paraquat induces oxidative stress and neuronal cell death; neuroprotection by water-soluble Coenzyme Q10. McCarthy S, Somayajulu M, Sikorska M, Borowy-Borowski H, Pandey S. Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2004 Nov 15;201(1):21-31. Abstract: Neuronal cell death induced by oxidative stress is correlated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and stroke. Pretreatment with CoQ10 was able to inhibit ROS generation from isolated mitochondria as well as the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential. Our results indicate that water-soluble CoQ10 can prevent oxidative stress and neuronal damage induced by paraquat and therefore, can be used for the prevention and therapy of neurodegenerative diseases caused by environmental toxins. PMID: 15519605

Pilot trial of high dosages of coenzyme Q10 in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Shults CW, Flint Beal M, Song D, Fontaine D. Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0662, USA. Exp Neurol. 2004 Aug;188(2):491-4. Abstract: The safety and tolerability of high dosages of coenzyme Q10 were studied in 17 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in an open label study. Publication Types: Clinical Trial; Clinical Trial, Phase II PMID: 15246848

Coenzyme Q10 in patients with end-stage heart failure awaiting cardiac transplantation: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Berman M, Erman A, Ben-Gal T, Dvir D, Georghiou GP, Stamler A, Vered Y, Vidne BA, Aravot D.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart-Lung Transplant Unit, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Potah Tikva, Israel.

Clin Cardiol. 2004 May;27(5):295-9.

Abstract:
The purpose of the present double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study was to assess the effect of CoQ10 on patients with end-stage heart failure and to determine if CoQ10 can improve the pharmacological bridge to heart transplantation. The administration of CoQ10 to heart transplant candidates led to a significant improvement in functional status, clinical symptoms, and quality of life.

Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial
PMID: 15188947

Boswellia, also known as Frankincense, is a large shrub that particularly likes the hot, dry climates of the Near Eastern lands. It is primarily associated with ancient Persia, in the place we now call Iran, but it grows in many other places in the world. Boswellia’s religious significance is best represented by its use as one of the gifts of the Magi to the Christ child. It is also the incense used in the Roman Catholic Mass and other religious events as a way to call people to worship, to focus their attention on the spiritual matters at hand. Its primary medical use has been as a medicine to “warm the joints”, to relieve stiffness, and to, in general, reduce inflammation. Our question is, what do these phenomena have in common, how do they interrelate?

In Anthroposophical literature, the “Christ event” was associated with the birth of the ego in the world of humans. In more general terms, I would interpret this time as a turning point, maybe represented by that event, when humans became able to be more self-conscious than they had previously. People began to identify less with a tribe or group and more as individuals standing apart from others. The history of the past two thousand years reflects this individuation as the theme of humanity as we struggle to know ourselves and define ourselves more and more as individuals, apart even from our immediate families. In other words, unlike in former times, we no longer have to have the same profession or even speak the same language as our tribe or even our families. As those who have read The Fourfold Path to Healing know, this ego is the seat of our warmth body, the element in us that regulates and guards or protects our ability to generate warmth.

In medicine, the warmth body is considered the captain of the ship in the sense that an inflammation without a fever (hence the increased involvement of the warmth body) can easily become the setting for the inflammation becoming the type of chronic condition that is at the root of so many of our chronic ailments. Asthma is a chronic inflammation in the lungs, colitis in the intestines, eczema of the skin, etc. Even coronary artery disease is now considered to arise from chronic inflammation in the coronary arteries. In all these cases, increasing the warmth principle will help guide the inflammation to its conclusion, much as the fever guides the inflammation to its ultimate healing. For all these conditions, Boswellia as a medicine has been shown in the medical literature to provide relief. In essence, Boswellia guides us in this process of individuation, or self-awareness, that is so intimately wrapped up with the task of humanity in our current age. It does this by increasing our warmth, exactly that part of us that makes us human. It warms our hearts (the organ of the warmth body), increases our circulation, and works towards bringing to a healthy conclusion the unresolved aspects (i.e. inflammations) in our lives.

Because I use boswellia in my practice, I share with you below several research papers and studies on this therapeutic treatment.

I have included below a selection of papers, studies and trials that have been conducted using boswellia. Click on the link at Abstract to read the full abstract at the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s National Library of Medicine website, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

Please note that this is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a doctor.

Selected Papers Abstracts link to NCBI’s National Library of Medicine PubMed site

Human genome screen to identify the genetic basis of the anti-inflammatory effects of Boswellia in microvascular endothelial cells.

Roy S, Khanna S, Shah H, Rink C, Phillips C, Preuss H, Subbaraju GV, Trimurtulu G, Krishnaraju AV, Bagchi M, Bagchi D, Sen CK.
Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.

DNA Cell Biol. 2005 Apr;24(4):244-55.
Abstract:
Inflammatory disorders represent a substantial health problem. Medicinal plants belonging to the Burseraceae family, including Boswellia, are especially known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Realtime PCR studies showed that while TNF alpha potently induced VCAM-1 gene expression, BE completely prevented it. This result confirmed our microarray findings and built a compelling case for the anti-inflammatory property of BE. In an in vivo model of carrageenan-induced rat paw inflammation, we observed a significant antiinflammatory property of BE consistent with our in vitro findings. These findings warrant further research aimed at identifying the signaling mechanisms by which BE exerts its anti-inflammatory effects.

PMID: 15812241

Effects of Boswellia serrata in mouse models of chemically induced colitis.
Kiela PR, Midura AJ, Kuscuoglu N, Jolad SD, Solyom AM, Besselsen DG, Timmermann BN, Ghishan FK.
Dept. of Pediatrics, Children’s Research Center, Univ. of Arizona, 1501 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ 85724, USA. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2005 Apr;288(4):G798-808. Epub 2004 Nov 11.

Abstract:
The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of boswellia extracts in controlled settings of dextran sulfate- or trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis in mice.

PMID: 15539433

Boswellic acid acetate induces apoptosis through caspase-mediated pathways in myeloid leukemia cells.
Xia L, Chen D, Han R, Fang Q, Waxman S, Jing Y. Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Box 1178, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6547.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2005 Mar;4(3):381-8.

Abstract:
The mechanism of the cytotoxic effect of boswellic acid acetate, a 1:1 mixture of alpha-boswellic acid acetate and beta-boswellic acid acetate, isolated from Boswellia carterri Birdw on myeloid leukemia cells was investigated in six human myeloid leukemia cell lines (NB4, SKNO-1, K562, U937, ML-1, and HL-60 cells). Data taken together suggest that boswellic acid acetate induces myeloid leukemia cell apoptosis through activation of caspase-8 by induced expression of DR4 and DR5.PMID: 15767547

Efficacy and tolerability of Boswellia serrata extract in treatment of osteoarthritis of knee–a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial.
Kimmatkar N, Thawani V, Hingorani L, Khiyani R.
MS Orthopedics, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Nagpur, India. Phytomedicine. 2003 Jan;10(1):3-7.
Abstract:
A randomized double blind placebo controlled crossover study was conducted to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Boswellia serrata Extract (BSE) in 30 patients of osteoarthritis of knee, 15 each receiving active drug or placebo for eight weeks. BSE is recommended in the patients of osteoarthritis of the knee with possible therapeutic use in other arthritis.

Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 12622457

Therapy of active Crohn disease with Boswellia serrata extract H 15 [Article in German]
Gerhardt H, Seifert F, Buvari P, Vogelsang H, Repges R.
Colitis-Crohn-Ambulanz, I. Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum Mannheim der Universitat Heidelberg. Z Gastroenterol. 2001 Jan;39(1):11-7.
Abstract:
The purpose of this clinical trial was to compare efficacy and safety of the Boswellia serrata extract H15 with mesalazine for the treatment of active Crohn’s disease. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms that therapy with H15 is not inferior to mesalazine, which can be interpreted as evidence for the efficacy of H15 according to the state of art in the treatment of active Crohn’s disease with Boswellia serrata extract, since the efficacy of mesalazine for this indication has been approved by the health authorities. Considering both safety and efficacy of Boswellia serrata extract H15 it appears to be superior over mesalazine in terms of a benefit-risk-evaluation.

Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 11215357

Effects of gum resin of Boswellia serrata in patients with chronic colitis.
Gupta I, Parihar A, Malhotra P, Gupta S, Ludtke R, Safayhi H, Ammon HP.
Department of Medicine, Medical College Jammu, J&K, India.

Planta Med. 2001 Jul;67(5):391-5.
Abstract:
Patients studied here suffered from chronic colitis characterized by vague lower abdominal pain, bleeding per rectum with diarrhoea and palpable tender descending and sigmoid colon. This study shows that a gum resin preparation from Boswellia serrata could be effective in the treatment of chronic colitis with minimal side effects.

Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 11488449

Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with bronchial asthma: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week clinical study.
Gupta I, Gupta V, Parihar A, Gupta S, Ludtke R, Safayhi H, Ammon HP.
Pharmakologie fur Naturwissenschaftler, Pharmazeutisches Institut der Universitat Tubingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, D-72076 Tubingen, Germany. Eur J Med Res. 1998 Nov 17;3(11):511-4.

Abstract:
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study forty patients, the data show a definite role of gum resin of Boswellia serrata in the treatment of bronchial asthma.

Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 9810030

Is H15 (resin extract of Boswellia serrata, “incense”) a useful supplement to established drug therapy of chronic polyarthritis? Results of a double-blind pilot study [Article in German]
Sander O, Herborn G, Rau R.
Rheumatologische Klinik, Evangelisches Fachkrankenhaus Ratingen. Z Rheumatol. 1998 Feb;57(1):11-6
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Leukotrienes and prostaglandines are important mediators of inflammation. Resinous extracts of Boswellia serrata (H15, indish incense), known from traditional ayurvedic medicine, decrease leukotriene synthesis in vitro. Case reports suggest a clinical role for that drug. Controlled studies including a greater patient population are necessary to confirm or reject our results.

Publication Types: Clinical Trial , Controlled Clinical Trial, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 9566100

Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with ulcerative colitis.
Gupta I, Parihar A, Malhotra P, Singh GB, Ludtke R, Safayhi H, Ammon HP.
Department of Medicine, Govt. Medical College, Jammu, J&K, India. Eur J Med Res. 1997 Jan;2(1):37-43.
Abstract:
In patients suffering from ulcerative colitis grade II and III the effect of Boswellia serrata gum resin preparation (350 mg thrice daily for 6 weeks) on stool properties, histolopathology and scan microscopy of rectal biopsies, blood parameters including Hb, serum iron, calcium, phosphorus, proteins, total leukocytes and eosinophils was studied. All parameters tested improved after treatment with Boswellia serrata gum resin, the results being similar compared to controls: 82% out of treated patients went into remission; in case of sulfasalazine remission rate was 75%.

Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Controlled Clinical Trial PMID: 9049593

Treatment of osteoarthritis with a herbomineral formulation: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.
Kulkarni RR, Patki PS, Jog VP, Gandage SG, Patwardhan B.
Bryamjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College, University of Poona, Pune, India. J Ethnopharmacol. 1991 May-Jun;33(1-2):91-5.
Abstract:
The clinical efficacy of a herbomineral formulation containing roots of Withania somnifera, the stem of Boswellia serrata, rhizomes of Curcuma longa and a zinc complex (Articulin-F), was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, cross-over study in patients with osteoarthritis.

PMID: 1943180

We do not know the exact reasons why bee venom therapy works, or which specific components of bee venom have a healing effect. Consider, however, the fact that conditions like osteoarthritis, bursitis and tendonitis are due to a gradual process of sclerosis or mineralization. The body attempts to bring balance in these situations by creating an inflammation, but in many cases the body’s attempt to heal through inflammation is too weak.

Stinging the sore joint with a honey bee dramatically increases inflammation and brings more blood to the area. Bee venom has a component that relieves pain, by bringing bringing warmth to the affected area. The warmth and inflammation from the bee sting also increases the body’s ability to dissolve excessive mineralizations. As a potent local stimulator of inflammation, bee venom thus fulfills exactly the healing requirements for osteoarthritis. It increases the heat or warmth in the joint, and it increases the ability of the body to dissolve the excessive mineral deposits that are the hallmark of arthritis.

Because I use bee venom therapy in my practice, I share with you below several research papers and studies on this therapeutic treatment.

I have included below a selection of papers, studies and trials that have been conducted using bee venom therapy. Click on the link at Abstract to read the full abstract at the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s National Library of Medicine website, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

Please note that this is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a doctor.

Selected Papers Abstracts link to NCBI’s National Library of Medicine PubMed site

Antiarthritic effect of bee venom: inhibition of inflammation mediator generation by suppression of NF-kappaB through interaction with the p50 subunit. Park HJ, Lee SH, Son DJ, Oh KW, Kim KH, Song HS, Kim GJ, Oh GT, Yoon do Y, Hong JT.
College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 48 Gaesin-dong, Heungduk-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk 361-763, South Korea. Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Nov;50(11):3504-15. Abstract
To investigate the molecular mechanisms of the anti-arthritic effects of bee venom and melittin, a major component of bee venom, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID: 15529353

Anti-inflammatory effect of bee venom on type II collagen-induced arthritis. Lee JD, Kim SY, Kim TW, Lee SH, Yang HI, Lee DI, Lee YH.
Research Group of Pain and Neuroscience in Vision 2000 Project East-West Medical Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.Am J Chin Med. 2004;32(3):361-7. Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-cytokine effect of bee venom on a murine type-II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. PMID: 15344419
Inhibition of COX-2 activity and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha and IL-1beta) production by water-soluble sub-fractionated parts from bee (Apis mellifera) venom. Nam KW, Je KH, Lee JH, Han HJ, Lee HJ, Kang SK, Mar W.
Natural Products Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul 110-460, Korea. Arch Pharm Res. 2003 May;26(5):383-8. Abstract
A study of the anti-inflammatory activity of the n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and aqueous partitions from bee venom (Apis mellifera).PMID: 12785734
The effect of whole bee venom on arthritis. Kang SS, Pak SC, Choi SH.
College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea. Am J Chin Med. 2002;30(1):73-80. Abstract
This study was performed to assess the clinicotherapeutic effect of whole venom of honeybee (Apis mellifera) in adjuvant-induced arthritic rat.PMID: 12067099
The analgesic efficacy of bee venom acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: a comparative study with needle acupuncture. Kwon YB, Kim JH, Yoon JH, Lee JD, Han HJ, Mar WC, Beitz AJ, Lee JH.
Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Suwon, Korea. Am J Chin Med. 2001;29(2):187-99. Abstract
A study to determine whether bee venom (BV) administered directly into an acupoint was a clinically effective and safe method for relieving the pain of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) as compared to traditional needle acupuncture.Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 11527062

As the following research articles show, there is just such a medicine. And rather than being discovered by the drug industry, it has been one of the main medicines and culinary items used throughout the world for literally thousands of years. The amazing medicine is turmeric, otherwise known as the coloring agent in Indian curry powder. I use turmeric probably more than any other medicine in my practice. In fact I take a teaspoon or a few capsules per day myself. I am happy to share with you some of what I have learned about this amazing plant.

You might also like to read Koohan Paik’s piece about Turmeric (with a couple of recipes) in the quarterly journal, slow: the international herald of taste (issue n° 21, april – june 2000) in which he says: “…all plants have some relationship with the human body, and…in the shaman’s world, no plant is useless. But if there was any single piece of knowledge that Mr. Ohai made sure each student came away with, it was the importance of turmeric, the basis of all Hawaiian healing.”

I have included below a selection of papers, studies and trials that have been conducted using curcumin, the pigment from turmeric. Click on the link at Abstract to read the full abstract at the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s National Library of Medicine website, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

I have had numerous requests from patients who are undergoing treatment for cancer, particularly Iscador therapy, who would like to talk with other patients about their experiences. We want to act as a conduit to put people in touch with one another so they can get more information and share stories. The focus of this cancer discussion forum is on patients and their experiences. It will be wholly the effort of those who have an interest. I will not be involved in any way except as the initial facilitator for putting people together through a confidential email exchange. Click here for more information…

Please note that this is intended for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a doctor.

Selected Papers Abstracts link to NCBI’s National Library of Medicine PubMed site

Astrocyte production of the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-2 is inhibited by the spice principle curcumin at the level of gene transcription. Tomita M, Holman BJ, Santoro CP, Santoro TJ. Department of Medicine, University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 501 North Columbia Road, Grand Forks, ND 58201, USA. mtomita@medicine.nodak.edu. J Neuroinflammation. 2005 Feb 25;2(1): 8. Abstract Curcumin’s immunomodulating and antioxidant activities suggest that it might be a useful adjunct in the treatment of neurodegenerative illnesses characterized by inflammation. Relatively unexplored, but relevant to its potential therapeutic efficacy in neuroinflammatory syndromes is the effect of curcumin on chemokine production. Results offer further support for its potential use in the treatment of inflammatory conditions of the CNS.PMID: 15733321

Antiangiogenic agents: studies on fumagillin and curcumin analogs. Furness MS, Robinson TP, Ehlers T, Hubbard RB 4th, Arbiser JL, Goldsmith DJ, Bowen JP. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 435 New Science Building, PO Box 26170, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA. Curr Pharm Des. 2005;11(3): 357-73. Abstract This paper describes efforts to design and prepare fumagillin and curcumin analogs and evaluate their corresponding antiangiogenic activities.PMID: 15723631

Curcumin induces glutathione biosynthesis and inhibits NF-kappa B activation and interleukin-8 release in alveolar epithelial cells: mechanism of free radical scavenging activity. Biswas SK, McClure D, Jimenez LA, Megson IL, Rahman I. Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, School of Biomedical and Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Edinburgh, UK. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2005 Jan-Feb;7(1-2):32-41. Abstract This study suggests that curcumin has multiple properties: as an oxygen radical scavenger, antioxidant through modulation of glutathione levels, and anti-inflammatory agent through inhibition of IL-8 release in lung cells.PMID: 15650394

Curcumin blocks homocysteine-induced endothelial dysfunction in porcine coronary arteries. Ramaswami G, Chai H, Yao Q, Lin PH, Lumsden AB, Chen C. Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. J Vasc Surg. 2004 Dec;40(6):1216-22. Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the effect of curcumin on homocysteine-induced endothelial dysfunction in a porcine coronary artery model. Results suggest a therapeutic role for dietary curcumin in patients with homocysteinemia, thereby reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Thus curcumin could be used in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia, and to prevent cardiovascular diseases.PMID: 15622377

In vitro and in vivo anti-tumoral effect of curcumin against melanoma cells. Odot J, Albert P, Carlier A, Tarpin M, Devy J, Madoulet C. Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moleculaire, EA 3306 U.F.R Sciences, Reims, France. Int J Cancer. 2004 Sep 1;111(3):381-7. Abstract In the current study, curcumin may provide a valuable tool for the development of a therapeutic combination against the melanoma.PMID: 15221965

Curcumin inhibits telomerase activity through human telomerase reverse transcritpase in MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Ramachandran C, Fonseca HB, Jhabvala P, Escalon EA, Melnick SJ. Department of Pathology, Miami Children’s Hospital, 3100 SW 62nd Avenue, FL 33155, USA.Cancer Lett. 2002 Oct 8;184(1):1-6. Abstract The inhibitory effect of curcumin, the yellow-colored pigment from turmeric, on telomerase activity was analyzed in human mammary epithelial and breast cancer cells.PMID: 12104041

Through metal binding, curcumin protects against lead- and cadmium-induced lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenates and against lead-induced tissue damage in rat brain.Daniel S, Limson JL, Dairam A, Watkins GM, Daya S Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology and Faculty of Pharmacy, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown, South AfricaJ Inorg Biochem. 2004 Feb;98(2):266-75. Abstract This study examines the ability of curcumin (tumeric) to protect against lead-induced damage to hippocampal cells of male Wistar rats, as well as lipid peroxidation induced by lead and cadmium in rat brain homogenate. PMID: 14729307

Protective effect of curcumin against lead neurotoxicity in rats.Shukla PK, Khanna VK, Khan MY, Srimal RC. Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, PO Box 80, MG Marg, Lucknow 226001, India. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2003 Dec;22(12):653-8. Abstract Study to investigate the protective effect of curcumin against lead-induced neurotoxicity in rats. PMID: 14992327

Chemotherapeutic potential of curcumin for colorectal cancer.Chauhan DP. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, The University of California, San Diego, CA 92093-0688, USACurr Pharm Des. 2002;8(19):1695-706. Abstract Epidemiological data also suggest that curcumin may be responsible for the lower rate of colorectal cancer in some countries and is a naturally occurring powerful anti-inflammatory medicine.Publication Types: Review, Tutorial PMID: 12171541

The inhibition of the estrogenic effects of pesticides and environmental chemicals by curcumin and isoflavonoids. Verma SP, Goldin BR, Lin PS. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111 USA. Environ Health Perspect. 1998 Dec;106(12):807-12. Abstract A study looking at the development of dietary strategies to prevent the stimulated growth of breast tumors by environmental estrogens.PMID: 9831541

Curcumin inhibits interleukin 8 production and enhances interleukin 8 receptor expression on the cell surface:impact on human pancreatic carcinoma cell growth by autocrine regulation. Hidaka H, Ishiko T, Furuhashi T, Kamohara H, Suzuki S, Miyazaki M, Ikeda O, Mita S, Setoguchi T, Ogawa M. Department of Surgery I, Miyazaki Medical College, Japan.Cancer. 2002 Sep 15;95(6):1206-14. Abstract Study of the effect of curcumin on human carcinoma cell lines to determine whether constitutive interleukin-8 (IL-8) production of tumor cells was correlated with nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation and cell growth activity.PMID: 12216086

Therapeutic potential of curcumin in human prostate cancer-I. curcumin induces apoptosis in both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. Dorai T, Gehani N, Katz A. Department of Urology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2000 Aug;3(2):84-93. Abstract Study of curcumin as alternative nontoxic means of inducing the apoptosis potential in both androgen-dependent and hormone refractory prostate cancer cells.PMID: 12497104

Antiproliferative effect of curcumin (diferuloylmethane) against human breast tumor cell lines. Mehta K, Pantazis P, McQueen T, Aggarwal BB. Department of Bioimmunotherapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.Anticancer Drugs. 1997 Jun;8(5):470-81. Abstract Curcumin is a potent antiproliferative agent for breast tumor cells and may have potential as an anticancer agent. PMID: 9215611

Effect of bioflavonoids quercetin and curcumin on ischemic renal injury: a new class of renoprotective agents. Shoskes DA. Department of Surgery, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, UCLA School of Medicine, Torrance, California 90509, USA.Transplantation. 1998 Jul 27;66(2):147-52. Abstract Study of the effects of quercetin and curcumin, two bioflavonoids, on ischemia-reperfusion in the rat.PMID: 9701255

Effect of dietary curcumin and ascorbyl palmitate on azoxymethanol-induced colonic epithelial cell proliferation and focal areas of dysplasia.Huang MT, Deschner EE, Newmark HL, Wang ZY, Ferraro TA, Conney AH. Department of Chemical Biology and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08855-0789. Cancer Lett. 1992 Jun 15;64(2):117-21. Abstract Study of curcumin and ascorbyl palmitate as antioxidants and as potent inhibitors of tumor promotion in mouse skin.PMID: 1611594

Curcumin as an inhibitor of cancer. Nagabhushan M, Bhide SV. Carcinogenesis Division, Cancer Research Institute, Bombay, India.J Am Coll Nutr. 1992 Apr;11(2):192-8. Abstract Study of the effect of curcumins on different stages of development of cancer.PMID: 1578097

Curcumin attenuation of acute adriamycin myocardial toxicity in rats.Venkatesan N. Department of Biochemistry, Central Leather Research Institute, Madras, India.Br J Pharmacol. 1998 Jun;124(3):425-7. Abstract The protective effect of curcumin on acute adriamycin (ADR) myocardial toxicity in rats.PMID: 9647462

]]> http://fourfoldhealing.com/2007/12/30/turmeric/feed/ 0 http://fourfoldhealing.com/2007/12/30/digitalis/ http://fourfoldhealing.com/2007/12/30/digitalis/#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2007 06:01:19 +0000 Sabine http://fourfoldhealing.com/?p=51 Digitalis, otherwise known as foxglove, is one of the most famous medicinal plants in human history. In the late 1700s it was identified as a medicine for what was then called dropsy, and which is now referred to as congestive heart failure. It was a medicine that allegedly made the heart glad. In the next two centuries, it became one of the most widely used plants for all manner of heart illnesses. The beautiful foxglove healed the failing heart; it resolved hearts that were beating too fast or too irregularly. Its effects were rapid, and in those with failing or irregular hearts, the effects were almost miraculous.

Digitalis has also been known as a potentially dangerous plant in that taking too much leaves the patient with nausea, anorexia (no appetite), visual disturbances (especially seeing blue halos around lights) and eventually even heart arrythmias and death. Digitalis leaves contain a wide array of constituents, including the main alkaloids digoxin and digitoxin. Currently it is thought that the main effect of digitalis on the heart is from digoxin, which is now prescribed in the semi-synthetic form of Lanoxin.

Some years ago many physicians noticed that their patients on digitalis preparations, especially those made from whole-leaf preparations which contain both digoxin and digitoxin, suffered from much less cancer, or recurrences of pre-existing cancers, than other patients. I share with you below some of the studies that confirm these observations, and some of the biochemical reasons why this effect may occur. For example, one study found that the recurrence rate of women with breast cancer on digitalis was less than 5% compared to about 30% of those not on digitalis. Other studies have confirmed this same result. Since the cancer therapy effect of digitalis is not thought to be found in the digoxin, but rather in the whole-leaf extract, that is the form that I use.

Please follow the directions for the use of digitalis carefully, as this is a plant that needs our utmost respect and care.

Following is information for those who wish to read further on the uses of digitalis, including selected papers from the National Library of Medicine and other sources, and several websites that might be of interest.

FYI, I have had numerous requests from patients who are undergoing treatment for cancer, particularly Iscador therapy, who would like to talk with other patients about their experiences. We want to act as a conduit to put people in touch with one another so they can get more information and share stories. The focus of this cancer discussion forum is on patients and their experiences. It will be wholly the effort of those who have an interest. I will not be involved in any way except as the initial facilitator for putting people together through a confidential email exchange. Click here for more information…

Please note that this material is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a doctor.

Selected Papers Click on Abstracts to read more via links.

Involvement of Cdk5/p25 in digoxin-triggered prostate cancer cell apoptosis. Lin H, Juang JL, Wang PS. Division of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Taipei 115, Taiwan, Republic of China.J Biol Chem. 2004 Jul 9;279(28):29302-7. Epub 2004 Apr 30. Abstract This study’s results suggest that Cdk5/p35 and p25 are novel players in digoxin-triggered prostate cancer cell apoptosis and, therefore, become potential therapeutic targets. PMID: 15123618

Anti-tumour activity of Digitalis purpurea L. subsp. heywoodii. Lopez-Lazaro M, Palma De La Pena N, Pastor N, Martin-Cordero C, Navarro E, Cortes F, Ayuso MJ, Toro MV. Departamento de Farmacologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain. Planta Med. 2003 Aug;69(8):701-4. Abstract Four extracts obtained from the leaves of Digitalis purpurea subsp. heywoodii have been assessed for cytotoxic activity against three human cancer cell lines. PMID: 14531018

The dynamics of cell proliferation. John F. Moxnes, Johan Haux and Kjell Hausken Received 7 Mar 2003; accepted 23 Dec 2003. Available online 27 Feb 2004. Abstract (from sciencedirect.com) The article provides a mathematical description based on the theory of differential equations, for the proliferation of malignant cells (cancer).

Digitalis; impinges on more than just the (ion-) pump.Haux J Department of Oncology, St Olav’s University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.Medical Hypotheses, Volume 59, Issue 6 , 12 November 2002, Pages 781-782 Abstract Digitalis has complex dose-dependent mechanisms of action involving many signaling systems and the relevance of this for the anticancer effects are discussed. PMID: 12445525

Digitoxin medication and cancer; case control and internal dose-response studiesHaux J, Klepp O, Spigset O, Tretli S. Department of Oncology, University Hospital, N-7006, Trondheim, Norway.BMC Cancer. 2001;1(1):11. Epub 2001 Aug 10. Abstract This paper investigates if patients taking digitoxin for cardiac disease have a different cancer incidence compared to the general population. PMID: 11532201

Digitoxin decreases cell growth and may work as radiosensitizer in glioblastoma cell lines ABL Marthinsen PhD, T Strickert MSc, KM Jensen MSc, J Haux MDCancer Detection and Prevention 2000; 24(Supplement 1). Abstract Paper presented at the International Symposium on Impact of Biotechnology on Cancer Diagnostic & Prognostic Indicators; Geneva, Switzerland; October 28 – 31, 2000; in the section on synergistic therapies.

Digitoxin is a potential anticancer agent for several types of cancerJ. Haux Institute of Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway Institute of Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.Med Hypotheses. 1999 Dec;53(6):543-8. Abstract This article studies features of the cardiac glycosides which make them interesting to evaluate further as potential anticancer drugs are discussed. Some new data concerning inhibition and apoptosis in three human glioblastoma cell lines by digitoxin are also presented. Publication Types: Review, Tutorial PMID: 10687899

Digitoxin, in non-toxic concentrations, inhibits proliferation and induces cell death in prostate cancer cell lines Haux J, Solheim O, Isaksen T, Angelsen A.Z-ONKOL. Zeitschrift für Onkologie. 2000; 32/1 (11-16)Abstract: In an earlier study we found apoptosis induction in human leukemia cell lines by digitoxin. The main known pharmacological effect of digitoxin is Na+/K+ATPase inhibition. In fact, the Na+/K+ATPase has been proposed to be the actual androgen receptor of the prostate. Hence, it is of interest to examine the effects of the clinically used cardiac glycosides digoxin and digitoxin on human prostate cancer cell lines. In the present study we assessed the cancer prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP, PC-3, TSU-pr1 and DU-145 for susceptibility to digoxin and digitoxin. Digoxin, in clinically relevant concentrations, induced minor inhibition of viability, whereas digitoxin potently inhibited all 4 cell lines. DNA histogram analysis revealed an accumulation of the digitoxin treated cells in the G2M phase of the cell cycle as well as DNA fragmentation. Proliferation data, MTT data and DNA histograms together with phase contrast light microscopy indicated cell death induced through apoptosis. These results imply a possible role for cardiac glycosides in the management of prostate cancer.

Digitoxin, in non toxic concentrations, induces apoptotic cell death in Jurkat T cells in vitro. Haux J, Lam M, Marthinsen ABL, Strickert T, Lundgren S.Z-ONKOL. Zeitschrift für Onkologie. 1999; 31/1 (14-20).Abstract: Reports concerning the anti-cancer effects of digitalis interested us in performing an in vitro study of digitoxin and digoxin on 5 different malignant cell lines. Two breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 (receptor negative), T47D (receptor positive) and three malignant hematological cell lines, Jurkat, Daudi and K562, were tested for sensitivity for digitoxin and digoxin. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and natural killer cells (NK), both non stimulated and interleukin 2 (IL-2) stimulated, were used as control cells. Digitoxin has growth inhibitory effects on both breast cancer cell lines and inhibited proliferation and decreased viability of two of the three malignant hematological cell lines tested. Digitoxin exerted these effects in therapeutic concentrations for treating cardiac congestion. In the hematological cell lines Jurkat and Daudi digitoxin induced apoptotic cell death. PBMC and NK cells, both non-stimulated and IL-2 stimulated, were not affected by the same concentrations of digitoxin. Digoxin also showed inhibiting properties on the malignant cell lines, but the effects were less pronounced and not dose dependent. Digitoxin may be a prototype anticancer drug exerting its effect through a mechanism other than cytotoxicity.

Digitoxin sensitizes malignant breast cancer cells for radiation in vitro.Haux J, Marthinsen ABL, Gulbrandsen M, Alfredsen AS, Johansen H, Strickert T, Lundgren S.Z-ONKOL. Zeitschrift für Onkologie. 1999; 31/3 (61-65).Abstract: The malignant breast cancer cell lines T47D and MDA-MB-231 were examined for altered radiosensitivity during treatment with the cardiac glycosides digoxin and digitoxin. The effects were assessed with a clonogenic assay and DNA histograms. Digitoxin sensitized both cell lines for radiation when applied at least 3 days before radiation. Digoxin also induced changes in radiosensitivity, but not to the same extent. Digitoxin seem to halt T47D and MDA-MB-231 in the G2M phase of the cell cycle and this may be one explanation for the increased radiosensitivity.

The role of interleukin-2 in regulating the sensitivity of natural killer cells for Fas-mediated apoptosis.Haux J, Johnsen AC, Steinkjer B, Egeberg K, Sundan A, Espevik T Institute of Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.Cancer Immunol Immunother 1999 May-Jun;48(2-3):139-46 Abstract Study of the role that Fas/Fas-ligand (FasL) system seems to play a key role in regulating immunoresponses. PMID: 10414468

Regulation of APO-2 ligand/trail expression in NK cells-involvement in NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Johnsen AC, Haux J, Steinkjer B, Nonstad U, Egeberg K, Sundan A, Ashkenazi A, Espevik T. Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.Cytokine. 1999 Sep;11(9):664-72. Related Articles, Links Abstract A study that shows that Apo-2L is expressed and utilized by human Natural Killer (NK) cells. PMID: 10479402

Regulation of Fas and Fas-ligand expression in NK cells by cytokines and the involvement of Fas-ligand in NK/LAK cell-mediated cytotoxicity.Medvedev AE, Johnsen AC, Haux J, Steinkjer B, Egeberg K, Lynch DH, Sundan A, Espevik T. Institute of Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. Cytokine. 1997 Jun;9(6):394-404. Abstract This study demonstrates cytokine-mediated regulation of Fas and Fas-ligand (Fas-L) expression in human NK cells and the involvement of the Fas-L pathway in NK/LAK cytotoxicity. PMID: 9199873

Inhibitory effects of digitalis on the proliferation of androgen dependent and independent prostate cancer cells. Yeh JY, Huang WJ, Kan SF, Wang PS. Department and Graduate Institute of Physiology, School of Life Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. J Urol. 2001 Nov;166(5):1937-42. Abstract Study evaluating the effects and underlying mechanisms of cardiac glycosides, including digoxin, digitoxin and ouabain, on the proliferation of hormone dependent and independent prostate cancer cell lines. PMID: 11586264

Is digitalis a therapy for breast carcinoma? Stenkvist B. Institute of Pathology, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden. Oncol Rep. 1999 May-Jun;6(3):493-6. Abstract Long-term follow-up (22.3 years) of 175 patients with breast carcinoma, of which 32 were on digitalis treatment, when they acquired their breast carcinoma. PMID: 10203580

Evidence of a modifying influence of heart glucosides on the development of breast cancer. Stenkvist B, Bengtsson E, Eklund G, Eriksson O, Holmquist J, Nordin B, Westman-Naeser S.Anal Quant Cytol. 1980 Mar-Apr;2(1):49-54. Abstract Patients on digitalis medication at the time of diagnosis of breast cancer seem to develop tumors that have a lower growth potential than do patients not on such medication. These tumors are photometrically characterized by small nuclei with lower DNA-RNA content and less variation in morphometric characteristics. PMID: 7377665

Several websites provide additional information on the therapeutic use of digitalis. www.cancerwire.com

Johan Haux, MD, PhD, has conducted many studies and projects. His website keeps up with the latest in digitalis research.

www.annieappleseedproject.org/digitoxin.html

The Annie Appleseed Project includes a page on digitoxins.

http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/heart_drugs.html

In his paper Heart Drugs, Barry Groves talks about heart drugs and digitalis, leading with this quote: “Digitalis is the right drug being used to treat the wrong disease.”

Because I like to provide information to people to help them better understand their conditions and their options, I have included below a selection of papers, studies and trials that have been conducted using mistletoe extract therapy. Click on the link at Abstract to read the full abstract at the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s National Library of Medicine website, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. At the bottom of this page, I also include several other websites with additional information and links on Iscador and cancer therapy.

I have had numerous requests from patients who are undergoing treatment for cancer, particularly Iscador therapy, who would like to talk with other patients about their experiences. We want to act as a conduit to put people in touch with one another so they can get more information and share stories. The focus of this cancer discussion forum is on patients and their experiences. It will be wholly the effort of those who have an interest. I will not be involved in any way except as the initial facilitator for putting people together through a confidential email exchange. Click here for more information…

Please note that this material is intended for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a doctor.

Selected Papers Abstracts link to NCBI’s National Library of Medicine PubMed site

[Safety and efficacy of the long-term adjuvant treatment of primary intermediate- to high-risk malignant melanoma (UICC/AJCC stage II and III) with a standardized fermented European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) extract. Results from a multicenter, comparative, epidemiological cohort study in Germany and Switzerland.]Augustin M, Bock PR, Hanisch J, Karasmann M, Schneider B Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, University of Freiburg, Freiburg/Brsg (Germany) Arzneimittelforschung. 2005;55(1):38-49. Abstract Booklet(PDF format) The objective of the study was to evaluate the safety and therapeutic efficacy of a long-term mistletoe therapy with Iscador within the scope of post-operative treatment in patients with mean- to high-risk primary malignant melanoma by comparison with a untreated parallel control group. Conclusion: a long-term Iscador treatment in patients with mean- to high-risk primary malignant melanoma appears to be safe. PMID: 15727163

[Efficacy and safety of long-term complementary treatment with standardized European mistletoe extract (Viscum album L.) in addition to the conventional adjuvant oncologic therapy in patients with primary non-metastasized mammary carcinoma. Results of a multi-center, comparative, epidemiological cohort study in Germany and Switzerland] [Article in German]Bock PR, Friedel WE, Hanisch J, Karasmann M, Schneider B. Institut fur Angewandte Gesundheitsforschung, IFAG Basel AG, Basel, Schweiz.Arzneimittelforschung. 2004;54(8):456-66. Abstract Booklet (PDF format) A study to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of long-term complementary therapy in primary, non-metastatic mammary carcinoma patients in UICC stage I-III with a standardized European mistletoe extract given in addition to conventional adjuvant oncologic therapy. Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 15460213

Impact of complementary mistletoe extract treatment on quality of life in breast, ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer patients. A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.Piao BK, Wang YX, Xie GR, Mansmann U, Matthes H, Beuth J, Lin HS. Guang An Men Hospital, Beijing, China. Anticancer Res. 2004 Jan-Feb;24(1):303-9. Abstract This study showed that complementary treatment with sME can beneficially reduce the side-effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients and thus improve quality of life. Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 15015612

Differential effects of Viscum album extract Iscador(R)Qu on cell cycle progression and apoptosis in cancer cells.Harmsma M, Gromme M, Ummelen M, Dignef W, Tusenius KJ, Ramaekers FC. Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of Maastricht, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. Int J Oncol. 2004 Dec;25(6):1521-9. Abstract This study tested the hypothesis that Iscador(R)Qu, an aqueous fermented extract from the European mistletoe grown on oaks, induces tumor regression by cell cycle inhibition and/or interference with apoptotic signaling pathways in cancer cells. PMID: 15547686

Critical role of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential in korean mistletoe lectin-induced apoptosis in human hepatocarcinoma cells.Kim WH, Park WB, Gao B, Jung MH. Division of Metabolic Disease, Department of Biomedical Science, National Institutes of Health, #5 Nokbun-dong, Eunpyung-gu, Seoul 122-701, South Korea. Mol Pharmacol. 2004 Dec;66(6):1383-96. Epub 2004 Aug 31. Abstract Viscum album L. coloratum agglutinin (VCA), isolated from Korean mistletoe, is a strong inducer of apoptosis in a variety of tumor cells; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible are not clear. This study shows that VCA induces apoptotic killing. PMID: 15340045

Influence of postoperative complementary treatment with lectin-standardized mistletoe extract on breast cancer patients. A controlled epidemiological multicentric retrolective cohort study. Schumacher K, Schneider B, Reich G, Stiefel T, Stoll G, Bock PR, Hanisch J, Beuth J. Institut fuer Biometrie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Konstanty-Gutschow-Str. 8, 30625 Hannover, Germany. Anticancer Res. 2003 Nov-Dec;23(6D):5081-7. Abstract This epidemiological study was performed to evaluate the influence of postoperative complementary treatment with lectin-standardized mistletoe extract (sME) on breast cancer patients. Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 14981970

Mistletoe and gemcitabine in patients with advanced cancer: a model for the phase I study of botanicals and botanical-drug interactions in cancer therapy. Mansky PJ, Grem J, Wallerstedt DB, Monahan BP, Blackman MR. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2669, USA Integr Cancer Ther. 2003 Dec;2(4):345-52. Abstract While the clinical efficacy of mistletoe in cancer is being investigated, toxicity and potential interactions of mistletoe with standard chemotherapeutic agents are unknown. PMID: 14713326

Phase II study of viscum fraxini-2 in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.Mabed M, El-Helw L, Shamaa S. Hematology and Medical Oncology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt Br J Cancer. 2004 Jan 12;90(1):65-9. Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of viscum fraxini-2 in patients with chemotherapy-naive, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Publication Types: Clinical Trial; Clinical Trial, Phase II PMID: 14710208

The influence of isorel on the advanced colorectal cancer.Cazacu M, Oniu T, Lungoci C, Mihailov A, Cipak A, Klinger R, Weiss T, Zarkovic N. The 4th Surgical Clinic–University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, Romania. Cancer Biother Radiopharm. 2003 Feb;18(1):27-34. Abstract A study of a therapeutical approach of surgery and chemotherapy combined with biotherapy by Viscum album extract Isorel, aiming to improve the patients’ resistance to the disease and to render the treatment’s side effects more tolerable. Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 12667306

[Blood and tissue eosinophilia, mistletoe lectin antibodies and quality of life in a breast cancer patient undergoing intratumoral and subcutaneous mistletoe therapy] [Article in German]Kroz M, Schad F, Matthes B, Pickartz H, Girke M. Forschungsinstitut Havelhohe am Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Havelhohe, Germany. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2002 Jun;9(3):160-7. Abstract Study of Mistletoe therapy (MT) as a method of complementary medicine, using high-dose intratumoral application. Publication Types: Case Reports PMID: 12119512

Mistletoe viscotoxins increase natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Tabiasco J, Pont F, Fournie JJ, Vercellone A. Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale U563 and Service de spectrometrie de masse de l’ IFR 30, CHU Purpan, BP3028, Toulouse, France. Eur J Biochem. 2002 May;269(10):2591-600. Abstract Study to show that nontoxic concentrations of Viscum album extracts increase natural killer (NK) cell-mediated killing of tumor cells but spare nontarget cells from NK lysis. PMID: 12027898

Induction of apoptosis of endothelial cells by Viscum album: a role for anti-tumoral properties of mistletoe lectins.Van Huyen JP, Bayry J, Delignat S, Gaston AT, Michel O, Bruneval P, Kazatchkine MD, Nicoletti A, Kaveri SV. INSERM U430, Hopital Broussais, Paris, France. Mol Med. 2002 Oct;8(10):600-6. Abstract Study that tests the hypothesis that VA extracts induce endothelial cell death and apoptosis. PMID: 12477970

[Frequency of the common cold in healthy subjects during exposure to a lectin-rich and a lectin-poor mistletoe preparation in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study] [Article in German]Huber R, Klein R, Ludtke R, Werner M. Ambulanz fur Naturheilverfahren/Abteilung Innere Medizin II, Universitatsklinikum Freiburg i.Br. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2001 Dec;8(6):354-8. Abstract Mistletoe preparations have immunomodulatory properties in vitro and in vivo. This study investigates whether or not these properties have an effect on the frequency of the common cold in healthy subjects. Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 11799303

Use of Iscador, an extract of European mistletoe (Viscum album), in cancer treatment: prospective nonrandomized and randomized matched-pair studies nested within a cohort study.Grossarth-Maticek R, Kiene H, Baumgartner SM, Ziegler R. Institute for Preventive Medicine, European Center for Peace and Development, United Nations, Heidelberg, Germany. Altern Ther Health Med. 2001 May-Jun;7(3):57-66, 68-72, 74-6 passim. Abstract Study to determine whether Iscador treatment prolongs survival time of patients with carcinomas and to explore synergies between Iscador treatment and psychosomatic self-regulation. Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial PMID: 11347286

Potentiation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced apoptosis by mistletoe lectin.Pae HO, Seo WG, Oh GS, Shin MK, Lee HS, Lee HS, Kim SB, Chung HT. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2000 Nov;22(4):697-709. Abstract Mistletoe lectins (MLs) constitute the active principle in extract preparations from mistletoe, commonly used as immunomodulator in adjuvant tumor therapy. PMID: 11105782

[Mistletoe extracts in the therapy of malignant, hematological and lymphatic diseases--a monocentric, retrospective analysis over 16 years] [Article in German] Stumpf C, Rosenberger A, Rieger S, Troger W, Schietzel M. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. Krebsforschung Herdecke e.V., Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke. 2000 Jun;7(3):139-46. Abstract A study to investigate potentials risks of treatment with mistletoe extracts in patients with malignant haematological and lymphatic diseases. PMID: 10899748

Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) in mistletoe lectin II-induced apoptosis of human myeloleukemic U937 cells. Park R, Kim MS, So HS, Jung BH, Moon SR, Chung SY, Ko CB, Kim BR, Chung HT. Department of Microbiology, Professional Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, 570-749, Iksan Chonbuk, South Korea. Biochem Pharmacol. 2000 Dec 1;60(11):1685-91. Abstract Study of extracts of mistletoe (Viscum album var. coloratum) and the mechanism by which the plant extracts kill tumor cells has remained elusive. PMID: 11077051

Biological effects of natural and recombinant mistletoe lectin and an aqueous mistletoe extract on human monocytes and lymphocytes in vitro. Elsasser-Beile U, Voss M, Schuhle R, Wetterauer U. Department of Urology, University of Freiburg, Germany.Clin Lab Anal. 2000;14(6):255-9. Abstract A study to compares the immunological potency of different well-defined mistletoe lectin preparations on human immune cells. PMID: 11138605

Hypereosinophilia induced by high-dose intratumoral and peritumoral mistletoe application to a patient with pancreatic carcinoma. Huber R, Barth H, Schmitt-Graff A, Klein R. Center for Complementary Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Freiburg, Germany.J Altern Complement Med. 2000 Aug;6(4):305-10. Abstract Study of a patient with inoperable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas treated with intraperitumoral and peritumoral injections of a mistletoe extract. Publication Types: Case Reports PMID: 10976976

Antitumoral effects of an intravesically applied aqueous mistletoe extract on urinary bladder carcinoma MB49 in mice. Mengs U, Schwarz T, Bulitta M, Weber K. Madaus AG, Ostmerheimer Strasse 198, D-51109 Koln, Germany.Anticancer Res. 2000 Sep- Oct;20(5B):3565-8. Abstract Study to investigate the effects of a locally applied aqueous mistletoe extract on the growth of urinary bladder carcinoma. PMID: 11131663

Tolerability of an extract of European mistletoe among immunocompromised and healthy individuals. Gorter RW, van Wely M, Reif M, Stoss M. University of California, San Francisco, USA. Altern Ther Health Med. 1999 Nov;5(6):37-44, 47-8. Abstract Study to determine the toxicity profile and biochemical effects of a Viscum album extract. Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Review, Tutorial PMID: 10550904

Insulin-secreting activity of the traditional antidiabetic plant Viscum album (mistletoe). Gray AM, Flatt PR. School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA, UK. J Endocrinol. 1999 Mar;160(3):409-14. Abstract Study of effects and presence of insulin-releasing natural product(s) in Viscum album which may contribute to the reported antidiabetic property of the plant. PMID: 10076186

[Mistletoe therapy from the pharmacologic perspective] [Article in German] Hajto T, Hostanska K, Saller R. Abteilung Naturheilkunde, Departement Innere Medizin, Universitatsspital Zurich, Schweiz. Forsch Komplementarmed. 1999 Aug;6(4):186-94. Abstract Study of experimental data that suggest that the mistletoe lectins Viscum album agglutinin (VAA)-I and -II are play an important role in the efficacy of mistletoe therapy. Publication Types: Review, Academic Review PMID: 10529578

[Iscador QuS and human recombinant interferon alpha (Intron A) in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)] [Article in Polish] Jach R, Basta A. Katedry i Kliniki Ginekologii i Onkologii Collegium Medicum Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego w Krakowie. Przegl Lek. 1999;56(1):86-8 Abstract The aim of this work was the evaluation of the Iscador QuS and Intron A role in the management of HPV associated CIN. Publication Types: Clinical Trial, Controlled Clinical Trial PMID: 10375935

Direct and rapid induction of migration in human CD4+ T lymphocytes within three-dimensional collagen matrices mediated by signalling via CD3 and/or CD2. Nikolai G, Niggemann B, Werner M, Zanker KS, Friedl P. Institute of Immunology, University of Witten/Herdecke, D-58448 Witten, Germany. Immunology. 1998 Sep;95(1):62-8. Abstract Study of specific activation of T cells which require stable cell-cell interaction; however, little is known how the transition from a previously motile state into a sessile state following activation is achieved. PMID: 9767458

[What prospects of success does Iscador therapy offer in advanced ovarian cancer?] [Article in German] Hassauer W, Gutsch J, Burkhardt R. Onkologie. 1979 Feb;2(1):28-36. Abstract A study of the carcinostatic effect of Iscador in the treatment of carcinoma of the ovary. Publication Types: Clinical Trial PMID: 392367

[Investigation to improve the survival of patients with bronchial carcinomas "radically operated" (author's transl)] [Article in German] Salzer G.Z Erkr Atmungsorgane. 1975 Feb;142(2):127-31. Abstract Postoperative treatment (using Iscador) of patients with successfully resected bronchial carcinoma is described. PMID: 1226878

Weleda’s website has useful information on their product, Iscador, including information on published data and articles.

The Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients (October 2002)

Article on Mistletoe Extracts & Cancer Therapy

My Therapeutic Strategy
Generally, after I see a patient, listen to his or her story, and do whatever exams and tests are necessary, I then prescribe a course of treatment. It is important to know that I am not so much trying to fix what is wrong, but rather to strengthen patients so that out of their own forces they can begin to overcome whatever medical problems they came to see me about. I strive to do this without resorting to synthetic medicines if at all possible. The course of the treatment is usually as follows.

• A diet is suggested.
  

• Standard process medicines are given to supplement the whole food nutrients that I think will increase the patient’s ability to heal.
  

• I often will prescribe a Standard Process glandular medicine to augment the function of the gland I think is in need of support.
  

• Finally, I use Mediherb herbal extracts (the bottle of liquid) for their specific medicinal actions. For example, in a patient with repeated infections I may give Echinacea and Goldenseal. For a patient with anxiety, I may add Kava extract to the liquid. Finally, I often will supplement this liquid herbal extract with one of Mediherb’s herbal extract tablets to enhance the effect of the herbal treatment. Most often with the herbal treatment I prescribe medicines in three week intervals.

Medicines should be taken as directed as closely as possible. Just before the three weeks are up, the patient should call to discuss his or her progress. Often I will slightly tweak the formula to make it more effective. Treatments generally last between two to 12 months, depending on the condition and the patient’s response to treatment. Patients should expect to see some definite improvement in their condition within the first six weeks.

Now on to the supplements and medicines that I use in my treatments.

Weleda, Wala and Uriel medicines
Weleda, Wala, and now Uriel are the major anthroposophical medicine companies in the world today. These firms make a wide variety of natural medicines, skin care products and products for personal use. Both Weleda and Wala have been in existence for more than 50 years and employ some of the most enlightened and rigorous quality-control standards possible. As an example, Wala workers handpick all of the plants they use and perform all the homeopathic dilutions by hand, instead of using the big mechanical shakers employed by most homeopathic manufacturers. The plants used by all three of these companies are either picked in the wild under strict environmental guidelines, or are grown in a biodynamic way.
There are no better quality natural medicines available. I typically use medicines from these companies to treat a wide variety of acute problems (pneumodorons for coughs), to support organ function (hepatodoron for liver support), or for treating cancer (Iscador). These medicines are generally available by prescription only through physicians well-versed in the methods of anthroposophical medicine.

Note: WALA has recently stopped supplying medicines in the U.S.

Standard Process
I often ask my patients to stop all their usual vitamins and supplements, and to replace them with carefully chosen products from Standard Process. Why? Let me use the example of vitamin C to illustrate my reasoning. Many take some form of vitamin C supplementation, either all the time or when they feel ill. These people are often surprised to hear me say that, not only are they not doing themselves any good, they may actually be causing harm by taking the usual forms of vitamin C. Ascorbic acid, often erroneously called vitamin C, is a potent natural preservative found in small amounts in plants and in some animal tissues. It is an essential nutrient for humans, as we are unable to synthesize vitamin C on our own. Ascorbic acid is always found in nature as an organic mixture, which includes such things as magnesium, manganese, bioflavonoid, rutin and many other organic compounds. In order to be effective in us it must have all these other cofactors present, not just the ascorbic acid. Most vitamin C products, with very few exceptions, strip the ascorbic acid part of the complex and call this vitamin C. It is not; it is only ascorbic acid, actually the preservative part of the vitamin C complex. This ascorbic acid is then given in enormous quantities, far more than is ever found in natural food, and far more than our bodies can safely use. Not only can we not use these huge quantities of ascorbic acid, but our bodies also are forced to call on its own reserves to join with this ascorbic acid. This draws upon and eventually depletes our bodies of these other vital nutrients that make up the vitamin C complex.
Standard Process is one of only two companies that I know of that doesn’t make this mistake. When Standard Process puts vitamin C in their products, it is always the whole plant or animal extract dehydrated at low heat to preserve the integrity of the complex. Starting with vitamin C-rich sources such as rose hips, acerola berries, buckwheat shoots and animal adrenal glands, each tablet will contain only about 2-10 mg of ascorbic acid, which by federal decree is labeled as the vitamin C content. In fact, one cannot get more than about 15 mg of vitamin C into a normal-sized tablet. All the pills with more than this are nothing more than chemical ascorbic acid which, as I said, is a chemical preservative that we have no business ingesting in such huge amounts.
The same argument holds for all the other vitamins and all the other Standard Process products. This company is the only one I know of that grows much of its own source material on its organic farm in Wisconsin, processes the whole mineral, plant, and animal extracts at low heat, and puts them into appropriate supplement form. In addition, Standard Process has innovative products not found anywhere else. Two examples are the Wulzen anti-stiffness factor, isolated in the 1950s as the factor that prevents osteoarthritis, and a variety of whole organ extracts, used for centuries to combat various illnesses. It has been rare in my experience for patients not to notice improvements in their health when placed on the appropriate Standard Process supplements. Like other anthroposophical medicines, Standard Process products are available only through a health care provider.

Mediherb
With herbal medicines so commonly available in health food stores and even pharmacies, why choose a particular line of herbal products? Mediherb, an Australian company founded by Kerry Bone and distributed in the U.S. by Standard Process, is the most reliable producer of high quality herbal extracts that I know of.
The difference between Mediherb and all other herbal products lies in two particular areas. First, Mediherb guarantees that the material in your bottle is not only from the herb it says it is from but contains at minimum the amount of active ingredients listed on the bottle. It is the only herbal company that guarantees that it uses the whole herb or herb part and provides a known quantity of active ingredient. No other company combines this commitment to both wholeness and attention to active ingredients.
Second, Mediherb provides extracts, unlike most other herbal companies which use tinctures. Extracts are at least five times more concentrated than tinctures and are much more in line with the doses used both by traditional herbalists and in modern pharmacological studies. Often people who say they had no results using other herbs find that getting the right quality and quantity of the proper herb makes all the difference.

Women’s International Pharmacy and Carlson’s
Two companies I routinely work with are for very specific items only. I prescribe hormones from Women’s International Pharmacy, a reliable supplier of natural hormone products. In particular, I prescribe tri-est, a mixture of three estrogens that mimic the normal female estrogens, and progesterone cream. It also has testosterone and many other hormonal products.
I use the Carlson’s for its vitamin D capsules. Vitamin D is a nutrient often deficient in American diets, a deficiency which leads to a myriad of problems. Vitamin D is critical for calcium absorption from the GI tract, and calcium is needed for many processes in our bodies, including the regulation of the pH or acid-base balance of the body. If the pH is off, all of our biological functions are impaired. For this reason I give many patients extra vitamin D and calcium. As I described with vitamin C, we should use only vitamin D that is a whole-food extract. The most concentrated source of vitamin D is fish liver oil, and I often recommend that people use cod liver oil. In situations where more vitamin D is needed, I prescribe Carlson’s vitamin D.

I hope this information helps to answer any questions about the types of medicines and the therapeutic strategy that I use. If anyone has any other questions about the supplements I give or any other medicines being taken, please contact me by phone or email. For links and phone numbers for these companies, go to our Resources page.