Dear Colleagues;
Hope you are doing well. I have been asked to be a speaker at Navigating Chronic Complex Illness Complex in San Diego March 3-5. I am scheduled to give a three hour preconference workshop (Thursday) on utilizing muscle testing in treatment of these patients (this will be mainly to MD’s and ND’s with a wide range of muscle testing skills from zero to expert) and then a one hour talk during the main conference. It is an honor to have been invited. To see the event schedule you can go to http://forumforintegrativemedicine.org/. It would be nice to have some of the DC/AK community there to schmooze, learn and make connections. I am too, looking forward to learning from some of the expert presenters in Lyme and other issues.
New product
Macuna Supreme (Supreme Nutrition 1-800-922-1744) Over the last few years we have had requests to make macuna into a product but as often happens it took a while to find a source that passed our kinesiological examination. For some herbs we have been unsuccessful and thus not come out with a specific product, for others it has taken a few years to find a source we had confidence in. Write up is as follows (for references go to supremenutritionproducts.com website).
Mucuna Supreme is made from the seeds of the velvet-bean, Mucuna pruriens, which is native to tropical and subtropical regions. It has been used as a green cover-crop and livestock forage due to the high protein content of its seeds (1).
Mucuna’s use as a medicinal plant dates back thousands of years. It been used to treat a wide variety of conditions including high blood pressure, low sperm count, low libido, male infertility, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease, and has been shown to have marked antioxidant activity (2).
Mucuna has marked ACE inhibiting properties, making its action similar to some pharmaceutical drugs designed to lower blood pressure (3).
There are many studies showing the positive effects of Mucuna on increasing sperm count and sperm motility (4, 5), as well as helping normalize healthy libido (6, 7) and helping treat male infertility (8, 9, 10, 11). Mucuna also has some promising research in treating erectile dysfunction in men (12).
Some of Mucuna’s most well known effects are on the dopaminergic centers of the brain.
Mucuna contains 4-7% L-Dopa which is the immediate precursor to Dopamine (13).
Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that helps people to feel a sense of satiety and contentment. When people feel a greater sense of contentment and connectedness, they tend to have less anxiety and can side-step stress more effectively. Mucuna has been shown in countless studies to raise dopamine levels in the brain. Parkinson’s disease is a condition where the dopamine producing centers of the brain are damaged and not enough dopamine is produced. These patients are often treated with dopamine-enhancing drugs like Levodopa, often with difficult side effects. Patients who take Mucuna, however, get the benefit of the dopamine producing effects of Mucuna but without many of the difficult side effects of these pharmaceuticals (14, 15). ). The L-Dopa content may also be helpful to those suffering with depression (16).
The L-Dopa found in mucuna can also be converted into epinephrine, helping those suffering from fatigue.
In addition to Parkinson’s disease, Mucuna has been studied for other movement disorders like Epilepsy, and initial research has shown positive benefits (17).
Mucuna has been shown to have anti-parasitic activity (18) as well as anti-neoplastic activities against liver cancer (19).
Additionally there have been several studies showing that Mucuna has the ability to lower blood sugar and so its use has been proposed to helping treat diabetes and insulin resistance (20, 21, 22, 23, 24).
Safety
Caution in patients with a personal or family history of melanoma and patients with a personal history of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) or diabetes. Also, Mucuna helps lower blood pressure, so it is not recommended in patients with low blood pressure. Patients with peptic ulcers should also not take Macuna. Contraindicated when on MAO inhibitors or prescription anticoagulants.
Additionally there is minimal safety data on Pregnancy and Lactation so Mucuna is best avoided during these times.
Dosage
One cap on awakening, at least 30 minutes before food. Two caps may be needed but ask your physician before increasing. Do not go off your prescribed Parkinson's drugs and replace them with Macuna. There have not been enough studies to support this. Always work with your physician to utilize their expertise.
Tidbit
Those of you that have been to my seminars know this but in cases of chronic infection it is often important to add blood thinning herbs to the protocol. It will help the antimicrobials penetrate deeper as well as help prescribed nutrients work more effectively. When muscle testing sometimes the blood thinning herbs (Hemoguard Supreme, Dan Shen Supreme) sometimes will test in the clear. Other times they will make the antimicrobials test more effective when testing them together (distance test of
other testing method) but won’t test without the antimicrobial. Either way they will be an effective addition while treating the chronic infection.
Interesting articles
1. Interesting connection between fungal issues and Alzheimer- something most of us knew for a while but “science” is catching up http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24614898/
2. Absorption of nail polish chemicals http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/10/19/study-finds-toxic-nail-polish-chemicals-in-womens-bodies/?intcmp=hphz02
3. Tick borne illness migration http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151002144906.htm
Nice unsolicited letters
Dear Dr. Lebowitz...
A few years back God used you to literally save my life....!!!
You did a phone consult with me...and your advice was to start taking the Melia Supreme, Morinda Supreme and Golden Thread Supreme...caps you sell...as well as the Takesumi Supreme...and the candida diet...
I went from being flat out on oxygen and being carried around, EVERY six weeks...using every herbal treatment in the book...to being able to go without a relapse for a year and a half.
Susan
Dear Dr. Lebowitz
I have been using your products with clients for the past 2 months and so far have been more than impressed. They do test better then products from other companies and are broad spectrum in application, so it has made my job much easier.
I got your DVD on treating complex pt not that long ago. It's truly excellent. I've been to several different seminars teaching practitioners how to use muscle testing. Too often systems are taught that are so dumbed down - I can't imagine it working in real life except with simple patients. What you teach is much more advanced and practical for the type of person who will actually walk into my office.
Saul Marcus ND
MATERIALS AVAILABLE FROM DR. MICHAEL LEBOWITZ
1. DVD: Treating the Complex Patient 2014: This online seminar, approximately 4 1/2 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 advanced notes accompanies the DVD. To order go to www.michaellebowitzdc.com
2. Personal Seminars with Dr. Lebowitz: Dr. Lebowitz teaches seminars to one or two doctors at a time at his offices in Honolulu, HI and Scottsdale, AZ. This is probably the best way to learn our protocols with a personalized, hands on experience. Cost is $400 per physician. For more info or to schedule call us at 970-623-9565. Presently in HI till early March.
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.
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 http://www.amazon.com/Body-Restoration-Owners-Manual-ebook/dp/B0050653C4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353354004&sr=1-1 or in paperback http://www.amazon.com/body-restoration-Dr-Michael-Lebowitz/dp/146100294X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1432251114&sr=8-2&keywords=michael+lebowitz+kapadia
5. 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. http://www.bodyrestorationanownersmanual.com/html/Cookbook.html
6. God’s Preventative Medicine- my latest book is now available in paperback. 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 http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Preventative-Medicine-Discoveries-Instructions/dp/150892824X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432251151&sr=1-2
7. Phone consultations - Dr. Lebowitz is happy to consult with you about protocol questions or difficult patients. Please take into account that we are on Hawaiian (or Arizonan) time and only call between 7AM-5PM M-F 970-623-9565. There is no charge for short consults if you are a fellow physician.