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Dear Adam,
I have 4 males, under 35 who have had ED, incredibly low Testosterone and free Test, and remarkable inability to build muscle mass post CV. I have been using a variety of treatments according to the terrain and it is slow going but fruitful. I am certain that CV and possibly even CV vacs are truly aggressive to the male and female reproductive biology. I also believe that some of the young men who are suffering incredible depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors may be having a crash in testosterone but they are never tested.
Congrats on your first case, well done. Regarding your second case, this could likely be a case of “implantation failure” where the endometrium is in a hyper immune state and is not allowing implantation. I believe this can be to an over-use and domination of immune pathways due to CV, but this also can occur in some “secondary infertility” cases and is traditionally due to high NK cells, often related to an active or latent infection. Traditionally this is treated by steroids and or IVIG and or Intralipid infusion (Cheaper than IVIG). Doctors such as Carolyn Coulam in Chicago, and Dr Jonthan Scherr in NY pioneered these treatments, which are able to suppress the hyperactivity and allow implantation and prevent miscarriage, but do not really resolve the terrain. I believe and have seen the terrain reverse, but it takes time (or has in my cases) which many people are not willing to give. I believe that with CV, considering the havoc it has been for the endometrium in women we may be seeing more of this pattern.
All the best, RachelI am not a big fan of milk due to the high lactose and casein. That said, Goat milk has been studied to be far better absorbed (ie for Osteoporosis treatment) than cow milk as its calcium phosphorous ratio is more suited to human physiology. If you were to recommend Goat Milk I would say fermented products such as yoghurt and kefir (and raw when access is possible to safe and healthy sources) would be more nutritious. Bone broth is also excellent for some patients. Black Sesame seeds are very high in Ca. If it has to be cow then full cream is usually more digestible than milk. Raw pastured butter is also high in co-factors that help calcium absorb in the right way.
I agree with everything Adam has outlined. And I have often seen 2ml per dose but at 3-4 times daily more effective at regulation than 2 times daily (of the same total amount per day).
I would also add that the nature of some plants has been traditionally observed to work in small doses, so to be aware of traditional use. Additionally I often am thinking about how many essential oils are in the blend, and as well if I am using Gemmotherapy vs Mother Tincture, or a single plant vs a complex blend. Finally, from a Chinese Herbal perspective, sometimes we are using herbs as synergies to other herbs or other adjunctive treatments, so that, too I bear in mind.
Finally, there are some situations that are are about “taking the reins” with a controlling dose. And yet sometimes, whether conventional meds or natural substances, a patient’s field or terrain will not respond well to extremely controlling doses and you will get a real “Yo-Yo” effect when you “take the reins” where even very well prescribed herbs behave in that particular patient in a contrary fashion. So I find the best is like Adam to start gently, and really have frequent check ins. And sometimes it is helpful to keep the more controlling plant(s) on the side so that you can change dosage along the way as a person regulates. Great Question!Also I find that when the Crocus is in tincture form, it is very efficient at the doses you outline, but when it is in over the counter dry extracts (of which there are many at the moment ranging from 15mg-30mg per capsule commonly) a dose of 15mg one to two times daily works similarly. I believe this is because the dry extract is not as subtle. But for some patients who travel it is a good option. I also encourage my patients to cook with some saffron, as it would be received in a different way. Traditional uses in rice, porridge and puddings (often with rosewater) are wonderful and nourishing, if the person’s terrain can handle the carbohydrate.
Thank you Adam. Your responses are reassuring and I have the same parameters for the dosing and indices I look to in prescribing a plant like Crocus. As I learned the Crocus prescribing pearls you have so eloquently described from Dr Hedayat, I assume he would evaluate in a similar fashion. As an Acupuncturist and Herbalist it is outside of my scope of practice to wean patients off their meds, but I have found that once they are feeling better on plants, they get the energy to find someone who will. I completely agree with the benefit of weaning slowly. It seems to improve the patient’s chances of staying off the medications. Additionally, I find that some patients do very well on Crocus through Late Fall, Winter, and early Spring, and then are just fine from Summer to Fall Equinox without it. I have evidence of this in their indices. And I believe to relates the teachings we have received from Dr Hedayat on Chronobiology, and on the shift of the microbiome at the seasons.
Regarding Paxlovid I am very grateful for your insights, and for the forum. We are in unusual times as prescribers and it is extremely practical to share in this way.
Once again, thank you for your time and consideration of my post. Sincerely, RachelBelow find a flow chart utilized for assessing a patient for Paxlovid. When one studies the astonishing list of possible pharmaceutical interactions to this drug which is being offered widely I wonder how we should counsel our patients regarding their current constitutional Endobiogenic protocols, should they decide to take this drug. My thought was to cease herbs and supplements for the course of the Paxlovid and for several subsequent weeks. Thank you for your consideration and for any experience you may have to share that is relevant to this question.
When a plant is well indicated from an Endobiogenic perspective, and the patient is on pharmaceuticals, how can we assess whether the plant may override or augment the pharmaceutical drug’s alleged scope of action? A plant may instead, and often does, in clinical observation, alleviate symptoms that should have been covered by a patient’s medications, but are not.
For example, with our present mental health crisis, and in an epic of Covid, many of my patients are on several drugs, and yet our indexes, and more important, the patient’s narrative, reveal that their medications are not actually providing relief. Let us take out of the discussion a plant like St Johnswort, which although a brilliant plant for post-viral malaise and associated neurological inflammation, is widely assumed to be incompatible with most anti-depressants, such as SSRIs.
Let us rather consider Saffron (Crocus Sativa), as an example. From an Endobiogenic perspective, Crocus is efficient for a patient presenting with clinical depression, and it is equally efficient at resolving oxidative stress, and can contribute to the relief of respiratory ailments such as asthma and COPD. Saffron can also manage pain, migraine, brain fog, and neuralgia. However, there has been some research that demonstrates that the active compounds in Saffron (safronal and crocins) inhibit the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Saffron may also modulate serotonin and dopamine neurotransmission. In a patient with indices pointing to the need to augment endorphins, as we can interpret from a high Beta/Alpha msh, who additionally has symptoms and confirming indices of oxidative stress and inflammation, who also suffers from depression, anxiety and exhaustion despite years of Wellbutrin and Duloxetine, Saffron would seem efficient and well-indicated. How might we evaluate whether Saffron may be wisely administered?
