Michael Thomsen Blog

Fasting for Weight Loss

  Low Carb versus Balanced Carbs: Same effect Debates on effective and safe diets for managing obesity and type 2 diabetes in adults are ongoing. Low-carbs diets are widely promoted as being more effective for weight loss than other diets. A Cochrane Systemic Review of 61 RCTs (n= 6925) concluded that there is little to no difference in weight...

Fasting for long COVID?

Undertaking the ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) during COVID has not been tested so we have no data and can therefore not recommend ProLon during an active case of COVID. Likewise, we have no data guiding a decision to abort the FMD if the user develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID while on the FMD programme. The user should seek advice...

Free Webinar Tomorrow Night 7 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time The Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) has been shown in a clinical trial to reduce risk factors for metabolic syndrome and other age-related diseases. There are over 20 trials on FMD underway or completed for diabetes, metabolic syndrome, PCOS, infertility, depression, ulcerative colitis,...

Sinclair Podcast

Australian born, Harvard Professor and sirtuin, resveratrol and longevity researcher, Sinclair is a person to follow. Just listened to episode 2 and really enjoyed it. I am very familiar with the research and even though this is aimed at the general public, the research is not dumbed-down and I encourage all health practitioners to listen to these ...

Animal studies have shown that ovariectomy is associated with weight gain and fatty liver. During the reproductive years, high plasma content of oestrogens is associated with the blockade of de novo lipid synthesis and changes in lipid transport, with increased clearance of LDL (low-density lipoproteins) and VLDL (very low-density lipoproteins), sy...

In conclusion, perhaps it isn't the research that is lacking but that scientifically researched products are difficult to identify in the marketplace. And why not adopt a global standard for consumers and health professionals to inform choice and help people find Natural Health Products with specific evidence?Read the full article#herbalmedicine #p...

Astragalus membranaceus and cancer treatmentBy Michael Thomsenwww.michaelthomsen.com.au #HerbalMedicineWeek #NHAA #Naturopathy #WesternHerbalMedicine #PhytotherapyDeskReferenceInteraction Astragalus may be used to assist in the detoxification of anticancer drugs, and in the restoration of immunity following chemotherapy. Astragalus has been shown t...

We used to add sprigs of rosemary to our roast vegetables. However, the sprigs are quite woody and you either have to remove the sprigs or, if you want to eat the rosemary, remove the leaves from the woody bits. A few years ago we started to use a spice grinder to grind our own rosemary. I don't know why we didn't do it earlier because the quality ...

Once a year, in the last week of October, we celebrate all things herbal with National Herbal Medicine Week.#HerbalMedicineWeek #NHAA #Naturopathy #WesternHerbalMedicine #PhytotherapyDeskreference Herbal Medicine Week - Naturopaths & Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA) The aim of this week is to promote herbal medicine to the public, edu...

You are invited to join a case-based educational meeting series, with the first month at no charge. This independent education is being hosted by the Natural Health Science Foundation (NHSF), a non-commercial New York based not for profit organisation. The NHSF Grand Rounds meeting entitled "Integrative Cancer Care – Challenges and Possibilities" i...

Curcumin. One of the great extracts with enhanced bioavailability is Longvida from Verdue Sciences. It has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier so it may be the extract of choice for anything brain related. Interesting interview by Nigel Pollard from the Natural Health Science Foundation and Grand Rounds with the CEO of Verdue Sciences.

When I was a scout in Denmark, it was an accepted idea that we would probably eat 7 pounds of dirt each year and that it was somehow good for us. We now know it is may improve our microbiome: "New indicate that new parents shouldn't be afraid of a little dirt — or fur. After monitoring a cohort of nearly 1,200 infants, Lynch and her colleagues foun...

A little while ago, I read about a woman who had been told for 3 years that her chest tightness was anxiety only to be diagnosed with Three Vessel Disease (3VD: the left anterior descending, right coronary and circumflex arteries). And the other day I heard of a woman diagnosed with asthma while she was actually having a heart attack. Did you know ...

Withania somnifera Overview - May 2021 By Michael Thomsen, MSc, ND Michael Thomsen is herbalist and naturopath. Originally from Denmark, he completed studies in Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine in Sydney, graduating in 1986. Michael specialises in integrative oncology supporting patients with lifestyle and dietary advice, nutritional and herbal...

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is used in Ayurvedic medicine to promote youthful vigour, enhance muscle strength and endurance, and improve overall health. Introduced to Australian practitioners of Western Herbal Medicine in the mid-90s, withania rapidly became a much-loved herb and is now one of the top selling herb in Australia and even in the ...

Cyclic mastalgia is premenstrual bilateral and diffuse breast pain that presents cyclically and affects up to 80% of women in their reproductive years. It usually presents mid to late in the luteal phase and is associated with latent hyperprolactinemia due to the insufficient inhibitory effect of dopamine on the pituitary gland. The hypersecretion ...

Nigella seed is such an important traditional herbal medicine in the Middle East, and in Europe, yet I don't think it is highly enough appreciated in Australia. It is a brilliant herb with so many actions and indications.Nigella seeds have long been used in folk medicine in the Arabian Gulf region, Far East Asia, and Europe. According to common Isl...

Drinking green tea has been described as being beneficial for reducing the risk of diabetes type 2.A retrospective cohort study performed in Japan, found a 33% risk reduction of developing type 2 diabetes was found in subjects consuming six or more cups of green tea daily compared to those consuming less than 1 cup per week https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih...

M. spicata contains about 0.21–2.1% volatile oil, 29–74% carvone, 4–24% limonene and 3–18% cireole. Carvone is the most important constituents of M. spicata.(Akdogan et al. 2007) Carvone has some endocrine function but it is not well studied.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17310494/Clinicians have investigated whether the men who live in Yeniarbade...

In 2008, a spike in anaphylactic and allergic adverse drug reations (ADRs) was observed for products including on the ARTG that contained the ingredient Andrographis paniculata. Nyal cold and flu products were associated with 22 anaphylactic/ allergic-type reactions in 2008. These products also contained Sambucus nigra (Elderberry) and Salix alba (...