Dear Colleagues
I hope you all are well. I just got back from AZ, meeting with doctors, ballplayers and taking a needed break. Just a last minute reminder for our March 15th Scottsdale seminar. We have some openings left so call (970-257-0311 or register online at www.michaellebowitzdc.com) ASAP if you plan to attend. We try to keep these small and intimate (limiting attendance to a maximum of 30), so we can make sure you all understand what is taught. We hope to have a DVD available soon. I will be presenting my new work on solanine sensitivity that has had a major impact in some of my patients including myself as well as our whole protocol.
NEW PRODUCT
Alaria Supreme™ (Supreme Nutrition 1-800-922-1744) Alaria Supreme™ is a wonderful complement to the rest of the Supreme Nutrition line. Alaria is certified organic, wild crafted seaweed that tests free of both mercury and cadmium. I have known about the benefits of eating sea vegetables for at least 3 decades and used to eat it regularly. Once I became mercury toxic, I was unable to find a seaweed I could ingest without suffering from mercury symptoms. I had pretty much given up hope until finding a supplier for this alaria product.
Alaria has a great nutrient profile. Two capsules will give you your RDA of organic iodine as well as smaller but significant amounts of most vitamins and minerals. It has the most significant amounts of calcium, magnesium and B-vitamins of any edible seaweed. Being a whole food ground into a powder it has all the co-factors, phyto-nutrients, etc., that you would expect to find in a “superfood”.
Coming from the sea, Alaria is a rich source of organic trace minerals in a form that is very easily assimilated. No land plant can compare. Iodine deficiency is commonplace and land plants typically do not supply the amount of iodine needed to meet our needs. Inorganic iodine added to table salt is not an ideal form.
Alaria, as do most seaweeds, inhibit cancer cell growth in animal studies. They are considered anti-mutagenic, and anti-tumor. It is postulated that the low rate of breast and lung cancer in Japan (despite the high rate of smoking) is due to seaweed consumption. Seaweeds can lower serum cholesterol levels as well as blood pressure and help remove arterial plaque as well as decrease platelet stickiness. Alaria and certain other seaweeds can also lower raised uric acid levels and can be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral.
Alaria can be very effective in preventing damage due to radiation exposure from power plants, nuclear tests etc. (This radiation can virtually travel around the globe in small amounts and effect our health.) Nuclear facilities release radioactive Iodine 131 into the atmosphere. Iodine 131 (which can be inhaled) is heavier than natural iodine 127 and is implicated in the increasing rates we see today of thyroid cancer and other thyroid disorders. The only thing that protects our bodies from this radioactive isotope (Iodine 131) is having adequate amounts of iodine 127 (as exists in seaweed, etc.) Besides protecting against radioactive iodine, testing has shown that seaweeds also help remove radioactive strontium from the body. Following this line of thinking, it can be very valuable in people taking radiation therapy as it may decrease side effects and speed recovery.
Let’s look at two very important components of alaria: algin and fucoidan.
Algin is a great remover of heavy metals from the GI tract. We don’t find it as effective as Takesumi Supreme™ as an all round detoxification agent (except for radiation for which it is superior) but it can complement Takesumi in removing toxic metals and chemicals (those of you well versed in applied kinesiology can use it to determine which product is a priority). It does though have a higher nutrient profile than Takesumi and many patients will benefit from taking both.
Fucoidan is an anti-inflammatory component of alaria. It is an immune stimulant but more important is great to use after physical traumas (and surgery) to speed the healing response. Fucoidan breaks down into fucose, a natural sugar that they have found receptor sites for on human cells suggesting it is an essential nutrient.
Brown seaweeds such as alaria also have been shown in studies in Japan to help us excrete dioxins and PCB’s more effectively. Alaria can help prevent reabsorption of toxins (metal and chemical) in patients with “leaky guts”.
To summarize: Alaria is a superb source of nutrients, especially organic iodine and trace minerals, but other nutrients as well. It is moderately anti-microbial, an excellent protector against subclinical (as well as acute) radiation poisoning, as well as metal and chemical toxicity. It has some anti-cancer properties as well as being anti-inflammatory. I test it on each patient and feel it should be an essential part of most people’s diet. Being a “superfood” there are many more intangible benefits that may be realized beyond the scope of this short article.
Recommended dose is one cap 3x/day as a trace mineral source. For detoxification, metal and chemical chelation, radiation protection, 4-6 caps daily are recommended. It is well tolerated by sensitive patients, and is (in my opinion) the best source of micro minerals for these type patients.
CASE HISTORY
I've been having trouble with cardiac arrhythmias for several years. A number of things seem to correlate such as hiatal hernia/reflux, low HCL, belching. Over the years I've tried a number of things that worked for awhile for getting rid of the arrhythmias once
they've started. Nothing ever seemed to work for long except for
vigorous exercise, which, thankfully has always stopped them.
Lately, I've been doing more work with neurotransmitter balance. After
doing some research, I suspected that a GABA deficiency may be playing a role in my arrhythmias. Just about that time I got your monograph on Supreme Nutrition products (1-800-922-1744) where you said Ashwaganda Supreme™ has GABA like properties. This is something I was unaware of despite using ashwaganda for many years.
I started taking Ashwaganda Supreme™, 2 caps TID and have seen very good improvement in my arrhythmias! Usually what happens is that they will build until I have to do vigorous exercise (doesn’t seem to work as prevention, just treatment to reset once I'm having an episode.) to reset my heart beat. Things quiet down for a week or 4 after that but, usually starting in the first or second week, I start having missing beats, then some short arrhythmia episodes building in frequency and duration until I have to reset with exercise.
I was in the building phase, getting short 30-60 second arrhythmia
episodes when I started taking Ashwaganda Supreme™. Since then I have had no arrhythmia episodes and missed beats have been fewer. This despite having taught AK last weekend which often will be a trigger as is anything that leaves me over-tired.
Thanks for all your great work!
Jim Hogg DC
Available Info/Products, etc.
1.DVD- Treating The Complex Patient 2009: Coming soon.
2. Clinical Indications of Thorne Research Products: This handout has both academic and clinical observations on well over 100 products I use in my office. Approximately 65% of the products I use are by Thorne Research. Reasons are given. This handout is free and is available in written form or on CD-Rom. You may wither call our office for a copy or download it from our website: www.michaellebowitzdc.com as you can download it.
3. Clinical Indications of Supreme Nutrition Products: This handout contains detailed information for doctors on all products produced by Supreme Nutrition Products. This handout is free and available as a hard copy by calling our office: 970 257-0311 or as a downloaded at: www.supremenutritionproducts.com/DoctorSite/ClinicalIndicOfSuprmeNut.pdf
4. Personal Seminars with Dr. Lebowitz: Dr. Lebowitz teaches seminars to one or two doctors at a time in his home/office in Grand Junction, CO. These classes are tailored to meet your individual needs and can be as basic or advanced as you would like. Treatment for you and/or your family can be included in the teaching. Colorado continuing education hours can be provided. Best days are Sundays or Mondays. Call to schedule exact dates. Cost is $300 for one physician or $500 for 2 physicians coming together.
5. Test Kits for Dr. Lebowitz protocol. Call AK Test Kits at 1-888-323-0625 or see our website http://www.michaellebowitzdc.com for more details. Info is also available on CD-Rom. These new kits will greatly simplify and speed up your testing making you more efficient and accurate in patient assessment.
6. Lasers we use in our protocol (rectangular beam output 635nm 5mw) Laseronix 1-808- 879-9391. The one we use is called “the Desensitizer”