Frequently Asked Questions

I'd love to hear your questions. Please email a question to me at: joan@medicinehillherbs.com 

Questions & Answers

ANXIETY ATTACKS & RELAXATION ?

STATINS FOR HIGH CHOLESTEROL ?

FATTY LIVER DISCUSSION & SUGGESTIONS ?

Q: What herbs might help with anxiety attacks and relaxation?

A: Relaxant and Anxiety Herbs - here are a few suggestions...

Chamomile Tea, tincture, or capsules – Tension Tamer Tea by Celestial Seasonings is a nice tasty combo with Chamomile, Peppermint and other herbs.  Caution: Some people are allergic to chamomile (symptoms are hives, itching, or tightness in the throat).

Lemon Balm Tea, tincture, or capsules, or may be in formula with other herbs in tinctures, capsules or teas.

Passion Flower in capsules or tea, the tincture alone or in a formula, likely with other relaxing, anti-anxiety herbs.  Passion Flower is a nice, mild relaxing herb, calming anxiety and may lower blood pressure.  It may cause some drowsiness.

Kava Kava Root is a relaxing and uplifting herb, found in capsules, tincture, or tea.  Short term usage only, as over use has caused liver damage.  Many cultures use Kava Kava in ceremony or as the custom of the men getting together after work to socialize.  In excess, it is a slight euphoric and can cause drowsiness.  It is used often for treatment of depression.  Over indulged, like alcohol in our culture, it can cause liver damage.

Celery Seed capsules or make a tea of whole seeds: one teaspoon crushed seeds in hot water, steeped for at least ten minutes, then strain before drinking.  Also good to ease muscle spasms and may lower blood pressure.

Valerian Root:

• Take in capsules or tincture for air travel anxiety or other alarming activities like stressful appointments, impending exams, or other high-stress situations – start with two caps or a milliliter of tincture a few hours in advance and take one capsule or another 1/2-1 milliliter tincture  every hour or two until the situation has passed.

• Valerian is also a great muscle relaxer, say after the strain of lifting or shoveling. 

• Many herbal sleep formulas contain Valerian Root and for some of certain constitutions, it works well if not taken too often for that purpose, as it is best as a short term usage herb (under three weeks or occasionally).  Some people perk up instead of sleep, however.

  •  It is not common knowledge that Valerian Root is also a brain stimulant, so it’s a good relaxant for your body, but won’t give you brain fog.  Consequently, it may defeat the usage in some for use as a sleep aid, especially long-term and especially for those whose insomnia is due to obsessing thoughts, or those who have hot constitutions, are red in the face, have boisterous personalities. It's possible that the fresh root tincture has less of these contraindications.

Skullcap (Scuttelaria laterifolia or S. britonii flowering tops, or stalks, the Western nervines):

 A favorite calming herb (of mine) without side effects, even in the most sensitive person.  Good for a tension headache, obsessive mind thoughts, or to relax enough to sleep before bed or in the middle of the night.

Especially good with physical agitation or over-sensitivity to stimulus.

Q: What do you think about taking Statins for high cholesterol?

A: What I think about Statins is a long answer...

Statins:  I have strong opinions about this subject and am not in agreement with the medical community about them.  I believe the remarkable population being prescribed these drugs is pharmaceutical overreach in the extreme.  I do not believe that health imbalance is due to a lack of sufficient drugs to suppress the symptoms of imbalance.  I do believe some doctors are convinced it should be put in the water so everyone will be treated, yet I do not agree.  I believe the side effects are under-considered.  I believe taking responsibility for reversing the cause is completely lacking in our consciousness as a group.  I believe cholesterol has been wrongly demonized and the general propaganda is that it is “bad”, must be “controlled”.  (Like germs and bacteria, which must be sterilized, killed and controlled, through anti-bacterial wipes, pasteurization, etc.)

Consider the information on the brochure: “Myths & Truths About Cholesterol” from the Weston A. Price Foundation.  This is a sampling from the brochure… “Modern cholesterol-lowering drugs act by inhibiting an enzyme (HMG-GoA reductase) needed for the formation of cholesterol in the liver.  These HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, called statins, are sold as Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravacol, Zocor, etc.”  Side effects: WEAKNESS AND MUSCLE WASTING (most common side effect occurring in as many as one in three users).  Muscle aches and pains, back pain, heel pain, weakness and slurring of speech result from statin interference with the production of Coenzyme Q10 (Co-Q10) needed for the muscles to function.  These side effects are more common in active people and may not show up until three years after commencement of treatment.   HEART FAILURE rates have doubled since the advent of statin drugs.  The heart is a muscle that depends on a plentiful supply of Co-Q10.  POLYNEUROPATHY: Tingling and pain in the hands and feet, difficulty walking.  COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT: memory loss and brain fog.  Can return after months or last as long as two years after quitting statins or some even have permanent damage.  CANCER: all studies with rodents to date show statins have caused cancer.  Most human trials are not carried out long enough to detect any increase in cancer rates, but in one trial, breast cancer rates of those taking a statin were 1500% higher than those of controls.  DEPRESSION: number studies have linked low cholesterol with depression.  Other headings are MYTHS & TRUTHS, IF IT ISN’T CHOLESTEROL, WHAT CAUSES HEART DISEASE?, THE MANY VITAL ROLES OF CHOLESTEROL, & HOW TO AVOID HEART DISEASE.  For more information about this “radical” philosophy, check out the website of www.westonaprice.org.  This is one of many “alternative” concepts about the “disease” of suppressive drugs.  It’s interesting and is not the only source or philosophy, of course.  They do like coconut oil and believe saturated fats, raised and processed right, are good, not bad.

 “The FDA has added two new warnings for cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, taken by more than twenty million American and grossing over one hundred thirty billion dollars for Pfizer over the years.  The agency now requires warning labels saying that statins can increase the risk for diabetes and memory loss.  Steven Nissen, chief of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic says, “These are nuances, tiny little tweaks to the label, and the bigger picture doesn’t change.”  According to Nissan, “There are few drugs that have saved as many lives as statins…” (www.reuters.com), February 28, 2012).  Reference, please?  Try as researchers may, they have not shown that statins save lives, they just lower cholesterol, with consequences ranging from crippling back pain to cancer.  Diabetes is not a “tiny little tweak,” but a serious disease.  As for cognitive impairment and memory loss, former astronaut Duane Gravelin, MD, MPH, describes this little tweak as follows: “The most important cognitive dysfunction mentioned (by the FDA) is transient global amnesia, followed by severe memory lapses, disorientation, confusion and increased forgetfulness… (Transient global amnesia) occurs without the slightest warning.  Abruptly, within a matter of seconds, you lose completely the ability to formulate new memory and become completely non-functional.” From Caustic Commentary by Sally Fallon Morell in “Wise Traditions” Summer 2012.

Another reason to avoid statins: According to recent studies on statins from researchers at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, found that its use increased the risk of developing cataracts.  Further a person with type 2 diabetes on statins has an 82% chance of developing cataracts.  The statin user's risk is increased by 57%, yet when the study adjusted for other factors like sex, smoking, high blood pressure, etc. the risk for developing cataracts was the same for statin users as for someone with type 2 diabetes. (Optom Vis Sci 12:89(8):1165-1171)   

The more important issue at stake here is your willingness to do the work yourself instead of using a drug that gives you a reading that makes it seem you are OK, even a false reading that satisfies the current philosophy.  Eating processed foods and sugar makes your liver make more cholesterol.  Eating apples, which have pectin, help move cholesterol out of the body.  Eating egg yolks, which have been vilified because they are high in cholesterol, also contain lecithin, which naturally processes cholesterol in a way that precludes the build-up of cholesterol in your body/blood.  Cholesterol repairs our veins and arteries cracked and damaged by inflammation.  The inflammation needs to be treated so the extra cholesterol is not required for constant repair. 

Niacin is a common and inexpensive B-vitamin supplement that treats inflammation and lowers cholesterol. Your doctor can prescribe a stronger version of niacin, as well, if the over the counter supplement doesn't work for you.

If you want to take a statin, a natural one is Red Yeast Rice.  You will need to take it at night and supplement with CoQ10 since statins of any form deplete that hormone that protects your heart. Some Red Yeast Rice products have been taken off the shelves by the FDA, who considered them to be unregulated drugs:

August 9, 2007 FDA website: "The potentially harmful products are: Red Yeast Rice and Red Yeast Rice/Policosonal Complex, sold by Swanson Healthcare Products, Inc. and manufactured by Nature’s Value Inc. and Kabco Inc., respectively; and Cholestrix, sold by Sunburst Biorganics. FDA testing revealed the products contain lovastatin, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Mevacor, a prescription drug approved for marketing in the United States as a treatment for high cholesterol.

“This risk is even more serious because consumers may not know the side effects associated with lovastatin and the fact that it can adversely interact with other medications," said Steven Galson, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

These red yeast rice products are a threat to health because the possibility exists that lovastatin can cause severe muscle problems leading to kidney impairment. This risk is greater in patients who take higher doses of lovastatin or who take lovastatin and other medicines that increase the risk of muscle adverse reactions. These medicines include the antidepressant nefazodone, certain antibiotics, drugs used to treat fungal infections and HIV infections, and other cholesterol-lowering medications.

FDA has issued warning letters advising Swanson and Sunburst Biorganics to stop promoting and selling the products. Companies that do not resolve violations in FDA warning letters risk enforcement actions, such as an injunction against continuing violations and a seizure of illegal products."

Other recommendations to lower cholesterol are Cod Liver Oil.  I take Fish Oil capsules 1000 mg/day.  I have high cholesterol and have tried all sorts of things with supplements and foods.  I tried niacin which give the flushes and didn’t like it.  Probably I was having hot flashes at the time as well and didn’t need more heat. The best luck I had lowering my cholesterol was when I cut back on starchy carbs and sugar.  It was like magic.  I kept a food journal to see what I was doing, since it's almost impossible to realize what you put in your mouth unless you write it down.  It is enlightening, really, and this was several years ago, and I should do it occasionally in tandem with the cholesterol testing. The food journal would be different now and I’m still continually experimenting. 

One year I took Red Yeast Rice for a whole year and supplemented with CoQ10.  I think my cholesterol went down to 217.  I quit this year, but still take the CoQ10 to protect my heart.  I’ll get another blood test soon to check how this year without the Red Yeast Rice worked.  Plus, I had to quit my cracker addiction and have quit alcohol for months now, which can also affect these things.  As for arterial clogging and plaque, I take the supplement Nattokinase to dissolve the fibrin.  The danger of clogged arteries is real, but the calcium deposits in the “clog” are more a problem than the cholesterol or saturated fats, especially compared to unsaturated or processed hydrogenated oils which do not dissolve in our bodies like the more natural saturated fats. 

And then, of course, there’s that “move the body” thing called exercise, which we ALL know we need to incorporate more.

So, there you go.  My opinion and quotes from others who have opinions differing from today’s use of statins for the masses.  Medications have saved many, many lives.  Antibiotics are incredible life-savers, yet we over used them, too, to the point of danger with the development of superbugs that developed an immunity to the drugs.  I was one of the first patients to experience this phenomenon in the early 1950's when penicillin was the new miracle drug.  I developed an immunity to Penicillin before I was seven years old, since it was given to me over and over for ear infections caused by an undiscovered milk allergy.  So, perhaps I am especially sensitive to the overuse of so-called "miracle drugs". 

Always, we must choose to take responsibility for ourselves or give over responsibility to the authorities of our current medical philosophy about how to treat chronic disease.  I believe the Western medical treatment of “heroic” and emergency medicine is awesome.  I do not agree with the pharmaceutical industry’s control of the treatment of chronic disease, however, and I believe many drugs cause the problem for which other drugs are prescribed in a horror merry-go-round story.  Clearly it’s a difficult question today and one you will hopefully choose with your eyes open, after considering all options and available information.

Q: What do you suggest for treatment of a Fatty Liver?

A: Fatty Liver discussion and suggestions...

Fatty liver is becoming more common as obesity has exploded.  It’s a big question in a lot of ways, because of the prevalence and causes that may have contributed.  If it’s caused by too much alcohol, stopping the intake would be helpful.  If it’s metabolic syndrome or syndrome X: insulin resistance, obesity, especially abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, high blood pressure or low HDL cholesterol – it could be non-alcohol fatty liver disease and then there are all the things to do to deal with that: no refined carbohydrates or sugar, low glycemic foods, etc.  Use Cinnamon to reduce blood sugar levels; cayenne, too, and grapefruit is good (so are lemon and lime) to clear the liver.  Even modest weight loss has significant benefits by reducing liver inflammation.

For reversing fatty liver disease, there are the dietary considerations that caused it, of course, and addressing these are what would be most healing.  More folks are likely to want a pill to fix it instead, so try choline.  Daily choline intake should be increased as a second line of defense (first being diet): choline is found is beef liver, eggs, cod, cauliflower, peanut butter.  Take 825 mg CHOLINE daily in supplement form.

Also helpful:

Antioxidants: C, E, CoQ10, Lycopene and Lutein.

Nattokinase or Lumbrokinase (stronger) to break down the fibrin of liver scar tissue to help it rebuild itself. 

Liver Support: N-acetylcysteine (NAC) 500 mg or more daily; milk thistle 500 mg daily; amino acids L-cysteine and L-methionine 500 mg each; alpha lipoic acid 100 mg daily.

Trace minerals, especially selenium.

My favorite liver cleansing information is "Summary of Common Liver Syndromes" in the book Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford. The dietary information is excellent reference for serious inquirers.  Also, here are some easier liver cleanses, some as simple as the good ol’ master cleanse drink:

Master Cleanse Drink

8-oz. warm purified water

1 lemon, squeezed

1-2 dashes cayenne

1/2 to 1 tsp. maple syrup

This is an excellent beverage first thing in the morning, before breakfast.

The lemon stimulates bile release and has a cleansing effect on the digestive tract.  The cayenne pepper stimulates circulation both in the digestive tract and throughout the body.  The maple syrup provides a rapidly absorbed source of energy.

During purification diets, drink Master Cleanse up to six times a day: it sustains energy and aids the detoxification process.  Drink it on an empty stomach or after eating only fruits or vegetables, or nuts and seeds

Easy Liver and Gallbladder Cleansing Flushes

Juice of 2 grapefruit

½ teas. pressed garlic

1 teas. Olive Oil

½ teas. Ground fresh ginger

Every two weeks

or this one...

6 oz unsweetened Grapefruit Juice or unsalted tomato juice

1 whole clove of garlic

2 sprigs parsley

Blend together

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