Issue 348
Dear Colleagues;
We hope you all are doing well. We haven’t scheduled any dates for seminars yet due to covid rules for travel and hotel rules on restrictions. Once these ease up, we will schedule at least a west coast class. We do plan to attend the ICAK annual meeting (open to all physicians) in July and present a 4 hour class on testing for and treating microbial issues. We hope you all plan to attend.
Also for those of you who want to get out of the winter or off the mainland for a while, we are teaching our private seminars here on Maui. Cost is $400 for the day and includes treatment. Contact Noah or myself if interested.
NEW PRODUCT
1) Chaste Tree Supreme (Supreme Nutrition Products 800-922-1744). Due to the demand we have had from a number of physicians, we were able to source a high quality supply of this product that passed both gov’t regulations and more importantly our AK quality control. Here is the info:
Chaste tree (vitex agnus-castus), or chasteberry, is a plant native to Asia and the Mediterranean and has been used for centuries in herbal medicine for a variety of hormonal-related and gynecological conditions. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it to promote spleen health. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses it to support joint heath, eye health and to relieve headaches. Homeopaths use it for spleen health, dental health and to promote male sexual functioning. Turkish medicine uses it for an antifungal/digestive aid, and German physicians use it for encouraging lactation. Widely accepted as the gold standard herb for female health conditions in Western herbalism, its active constituents consist of flavonoids (castican, orientin and isovitexin), iridoid glycosides (aucubin and agnoside), essential oils (limonene, cineole and sabinene) and essential fatty acids (oleic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid).
The following are the most well known uses and medicinal properties of chaste tree:
1. The management of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is the most common use. In one study consisting of 1634 patients, 93% of participants reported a decrease in PMS symptoms or complete resolution after a 3 month treatment period. (1) In another study, women were given chaste tree for 3 menstrual cycles and twice as many women in the experimental group reported decrease in symptoms compared to placebo. (2) These consisted of mood swings, irritability, headache, bloating, cramps and breast tenderness. The main mechanism of this is chaste tress ability to reduce prolactin, which can rebalance hormones, thus reducing PMS. Another mechanism studied for this action is chaste trees modulation of dopamine and its ability of its essential oils to bind to opioid receptors and modulate the opioidergic system that deals with pain, anxiety, depression and mood swings.
2. Studies show that chaste tree increases luteinizing hormone, which triggers ovulation in the body. This results in INCREASED PROGESTERONE and a more efficient luteal phase. This boosted luteal phase is the mechanism behind why chaste tree is used to increase fertility and prevent miscarriages.
3. Regulation of the menstrual cycle from amenorrhea to heavy bleeding and everything in between. This property is also largely due to the increase of progesterone that chaste tree induces. This has also helped with hormonal acne as well.
4. Chaste tree improves fertility, contrary to its historic use of chastity. It is exceptionally useful when hyperprolactinemia is an underlying etiology. This is because high levels of prolactin can inhibit ovulation and interrupt the menstrual cycle leading to infertility. In a study of 40 women, chaste tree was as effective at lowering prolactin as the pharmaceutical drug used.(3) Another study used 93 women who had difficult conceiving within a 6-36 month span. The group given chaste tree experienced improved hormones after 3 months and 26% of them became pregnant compared to 10% in the placebo group. (4)
5. Cyclic mastalgia is another common hormonal-related issue that chaste tree has shown promising results helping (5). The dopaminergic effect and reduction of prolactin is thought to play a significant role in reducing mastalgia. Since estrogenic activity in the body triggers mastalgia, the property of boosting progesterone in the body and having anti-estrogenic activity makes chaste tree a wonderful option for this condition.
6. Reduces menopausal symptoms thanks to its hormone balancing effects. Women reported having better sleep, mood and reduction in night sweats and hot flashes. Some even regained their menstrual cycles. (6)
Some of the lesser-known uses of Chaste tree are as follows:
1. Helps prevent insect bites and head lice for about 6 and 7 hours respectively (7)(8)
2. Antimicrobial effects. The essential oils of the plant in vitro have demonstrated antimicrobial effects against Salmonella, E.Coli, Candida Albicans, Strep. faecalis, and Staph. aureus among other species of microbes (9)
3. Can help prevent epilepsy as demonstrated in animal studies (10 )
4. Helps heal bones and reduce inflammation as shown in a study where women were given Chaste tree and magnesium. These participants showed an elevation of markers for bone repair compared to placebo (11)
5. Helps increase urine flow in men by helping with Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
In conclusion, Chaste tree should be considered in any patient with hormonal imbalances or where hormonal causes are suspected. These consist of but are not limited to PMS, menstrual irregularities, PCOS, polycystic breasts, migraines, joint pain, infertility, menopause, endometriosis and breast tenderness. Although usually thought of for solely female purposes, males have used this herb for centuries and it is safe for them to take. In studies, chaste tree tends to show that patients must be on it for a minimum of 3 months for many of its benefits to be experienced with 4-8 months being the most common length to notice full symptomatic help.
Dosage: 1-2 pills. 3x per day
Contraindications: Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Counteracts birth control. Patients on Parkinson drugs and psychosis drugs. Caution with hormone related cancers
Cited references can be found on supremenutritionproducts.com. Shatavari supreme is also a wonderful hormone modulating herb. There is some overlap between the two products though Shatavari is often more indicated post menopause and appears to effect testosterone more. Read the write up to compare https://supremenutritionproducts.com/ShatavariSupreme/index.html
CASE HISTORY By Dr. GABE ARICIU- Fayetteville, Arkansas
27 y.o. Male with possible Lyme issues. Has not felt good in over a year. Major gut issues, anxiety, frequent urination, headaches, fatigue, brain fog.
First visit: Positive vial findings (AK Test Kits Lebowitz protocol Kit 970-201-7406) Microbes: bartonella, fungus 3, parasite 2 internal
Toxins: environmental 3, environmental 4, glyphosate, histamine, pesticide 1, pesticide 2
Supreme Nutrition Products Prescribed: Artemisia, Morinda, Mucuna
Took care of some structural issues. He has back pain from landscaping, owns and operates a company. Recommended getting better shoes and transitioning to minimalist footwear. He wears big boots with thick heels.
Second visit: Gut feels better, but still tired
Microbes: babesia, bacteria 2, bartonella
Biofilm: bacillus subtilis, dental plaque w/fungi and bacteria, serratia marcescens (LWP Biofilm Kit from ergopathics)
Supreme Nutrition products added: golden thread
Third visit: Still tired, no change. His work schedule is tough.
Microbes: SIBO
Metals: cadmium, gold, mercury
Supreme Nutrition products added: Morinda
Fourth visit: 100% improvement. He said he felt completely better.
Dr L’s comments: Typically in metal findings we find takesumi supreme and with biofilms BFB1 and or BFB2. In this case they were not needed which is atypical
MATERIALS AVAILABLE FROM DR. MICHAEL LEBOWITZ
1.Vimeo: Treating the Complex Patient 2020: This seminar, approximately 4 hours long will teach the physician a simple to apply, effective protocol to treat patients with chronic fatigue, allergies, chemical sensitivities, intestinal dysbiosis, (fungal, bacterial, parasitic, spirochete, and viral infections), food sensitivities, food toxin intolerance, hypercoagulation problems, toxic metal issues, endocrine dysfunction, nutritional imbalances, chronic pain and subluxations, fibromyalgia, etc. The seminar is suited for both the novice and the advanced practitioners in our work and is much updated from our last one. A complete set of notes accompanies class. https://michaellebowitzdc.com/html/seminar.html
2. Personal Seminars with Dr. Lebowitz: Dr. Lebowitz teaches seminars to one or two doctors at a time at his office on Maui and also in Honolulu. This is probably the best way to learn our protocols with a personalized, hands on experience. Cost is $400 per physician and the class runs 9AM-4PM. For more info or to schedule call us at 970-623-9565. Noah Lebowitz DC is also available to teach the class (and sometimes you get us both).
3. Test Kits for Dr. Lebowitz protocol – Call Cynthia at AK Test Kits 970 201-7406 or see our website http://www.michaellebowitzdc.com for more details. These kits will greatly simplify and speed up your testing making you more efficient and accurate in patient assessment. These are “diagnostic kits”. Supplement kits are ordered directly from Supreme Nutrition 1-800-922-1744. In our protocol we typically use the protocol kit, biofilm kit, mycotoxin kit, and food kit A. Other kits as needed. The biofilm, mycotoxin and food kits are sold by Ergopathics in Canada (ask for the LWP version). AK terst kits sells the Lebowitz Protocol Kit
4. Body Restoration An Owners Manual – An updated and expanded version of my first book Body Mechanics published almost 30 years ago. Part 1 has a chapter on each organ/gland. Each chapter teaches basic anatomy and physiology, causes and symptoms of dysfunction, as well as simple treatments your patient can do at home to complement your treatment. Part 2 explains the role of dysbiosis, food intolerances, toxic metals, nutritional deficiencies and neurotransmitter imbalances in health. The book is a great review for the doctor, but better yet it is a great tool to recommend to your patient. It will give them a better understanding of how their body works and the causes of health and disease, as well as the rationale of why you treat the way you do. It is very pro chiropractic. It is available for $1.99 on kindle at https://www.amazon.com/Body-Restoration-Owners-Manual-ebook/dp/B0050653C4/
5. Body Restoration Cookbook – This companion volume to the above book was written by Cynthia Lebowitz and is now available free online (donations accepted). A wonderful tool for your patients as it contains almost 100 recipes- most without gluten, dairy, nightshades, etc. Body Restoration Cookbook
6. God’s Preventative Medicine- It explains how the Levitical Priests dealt with fungal dysbiosis both preventatively and treatment wise as well as the reasons behind some of the other health laws of the Torah. It is a short easy to understand book and fascinating for the student of health and the Bible God’s Preventative Medicine