Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients articles from February 2004

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients archives from February 2004

Some 230 years ago a transplanted British citizen sold a half-million copies of his wildly popular Common Sense.(Letter from the Publisher)
February 1, 2004... Some 230 years ago a transplanted British citizen sold a half-million copies of his wildly popular Common Sense. From a publisher's perspective that was no mean feat--the population of the colonies in 1774 was only 2.5 million. Thomas Paine...

In the past several weeks the public has been given very shocking and frightening news to worry about--Mad Cow disease.(Letter from the Publisher)
February 1, 2004... In the past several weeks the public has been given very shocking and frightening news to worry about--Mad Cow disease. The media has enhanced the story with photos of cows in the midst of neurologic disruption, dancing hideously before...

Our writers this issue focus on chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.(Letter from the Publisher)
February 1, 2004... Our writers this issue focus on chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. While the conventional medical position on chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia remains largely palliative, it is striking that alternative medicine docs have made great headway in...

Commemorating Patrick M. McGrady, Jr.
February 1, 2004... Patrick Michael McGrady, Jr., director of CANHELP, an information service for cancer patients operating out of Port Ludlow, Washington died last December 12th. He collapsed during rehabilitation after knee replacement surgery and quickly...

ConsumerLab.com finds many cholesterol-lowering supplements poorly made.
February 1, 2004... ConsumerLab.com reported recently that more than half of the cholesterol-lowering supplements that it recently purchased failed to contain their listed ingredients and/or could not adequately break apart to release their contents. One product,...

Healthy foods chef Christina Pirello comes to the aid of parents who are battling a pesticide-laden food chain.
February 1, 2004... The hills are alive with the aid of pesticides, and, although it's officially used in "levels that are not known to harm humans," no one can say with any certainty what those levels truly are. So, healthy foods chef, author and host of the...

Biophotonic Therapy.(Shorts)
February 1, 2004... In Close-to-Nature Medicine, Kenneth J. Dillon discusses the origins, research, and effects of Biophotonic Therapy (BT), also known as Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation Therapy. Scientists began investigating the electromagnetic spectrum and its...

New autoimmune drugs.(Shorts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... New bioengineered drugs that target individual immune-related proteins are now available to people with autoimmune diseases. Unlike older drugs such as cortisone, the new ones do not suppress the entire immune system. Unfortunately, the...

Health care for cash.(Shorts)
February 1, 2004... Doctors across the US are finding that they can cut costs--and the price of their services--by taking cash instead of insurance for payment. Seeing insurance as a contributor to rising health care costs, "some maverick doctors have cut out the...

Jiaogulan.(Shorts)
February 1, 2004... The botanical Gynostemma pentaphyllum, known as Jiaogulan (pronounced jee-ow-goo-lahn), is a powerful adaptogen and antioxidant. Like ginseng and other adaptogenic herbs, jiaogulan encourages body functions to normalize, strengthens the immune...

Modified citrus pectin.(Shorts)
February 1, 2004... Nan Kathryn Fuchs, PhD, has written a Basic Health Guide on modified citrus pectin (MCP). This nutraceutical prevents heart disease and cancer progression, removes heavy metals, and may protect against Alzheimer's disease. Citrus pectin, a...

Immune factors in MCS.(Shorts)
February 1, 2004... In 1992, G. Heuser, A. Wojdani, and S. Heuser published the article "Diagnostic Markers of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity" (National Academy Press, Washington DC). The researchers evaluated 135 patients (75% female) who complained of often...

Reiki study for fibromyalgia pain.(Shorts)
February 1, 2004... A National Institutes of Health-funded study, being conducted at Harborview Medical Center (Seattle, Washington), will look at the effect of Reiki therapy on fibromyalgia, a chronic muscle pain condition. In addition to muscle pain,...

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.(Shorts)
February 1, 2004... People with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), also called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, live with constant and severe burning and/or deep aching pain. Although it may develop after an injury, in many cases RSD arises for no apparent reason....

Texas hospital restricts service.(Shorts)
February 1, 2004... In an effort to curtail a deficit nearing $80 million, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), a state-supported hospital, has instituted stringent new guidelines for allocating health care. The "Demand & Access Management Program" (DAMP),...

Vitamin D deficiency as a cause of fibromyalgia.(Literature Review & Commentary)
February 1, 2004... Twenty-five women (mean age, 44.5 years) with fibromyalgia, all living in Ontario, were studied between January and March, 2000. Twelve of the women (48%) had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L, a level that is considered the...

Food additives trigger fibromyalgia symptoms.(Literature Review & Commentary)
February 1, 2004... Four women with fibromyalgia (duration of illness, 2-17 years), who had previously received multiple treatments with limited success, experienced complete or nearly complete resolution of their symptoms within months after eliminating...

Raw food, vegan diet effective against fibromyalgia.(Literature Review & Commentary)
February 1, 2004... Eighteen patients with fibromyalgia consumed a low-salt, uncooked vegan diet for 3 months, consisting of fruits, berries, vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, legumes, and cereals. Since the diet contained little or no vitamin B12, a supplement...

Effective magnesium regimens for fatigue/fibromyalgia ...(Literature Review & Commentary)
February 1, 2004... Eighty-six patients with chronic muscular complaints including myofascial pain, relapsing soft tissue injuries and fibromyalgia were treated with intramuscular or intravenous magnesium (Mg) in doses of 500-1,600 mg (Note: Presumably, this dose...

... and one ineffective magnesium regimen.(Literature Review & Commentary)
February 1, 2004... Twenty-four patients with primary fibromyalgia were randomly assigned to receive oral magnesium malate (Super Malic[R], 3 tablets twice a day) or a placebo, each for 4 weeks with a 2-week washout period, in a double-blind cross-over trial. Each...

Vitamin B12 injections for tiredness.(Literature Review & Commentary)
February 1, 2004... Twenty-eight individuals complaining of fatigue completed a double-blind crossover trial of vitamin B12 injections. Prior to the study, all subjects had normal levels of hemoglobin and vitamin B12. Hydroxocobalamin (5 mg intramuscularly, twice...

Tired but not anemic: iron still may help.(Literature Review & Commentary)
February 1, 2004... One hundred forty-four women (aged 18-55 years) with unexplained fatigue were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 80 mg/day of elemental iron (from ferrous sulfate) or placebo for 4 weeks. Prior to treatment, 51% of the women...

Vitamin C for luteal phase defect.(Literature Review & Commentary)
February 1, 2004... One hundred-fifty infertile women (mean age, 35 years) with luteal phase defect were randomly assigned to a control group or to receive 750 mg/day of ascorbic acid, beginning on the first day of a menstrual cycle and continuing until pregnancy...

Cosmetic chemicals and safer alternatives.(Health Risks and Environmental Issues)
February 1, 2004... The cosmetic business is one of the nation's largest and most profitable industries. Cosmetic companies spend more on TV advertising than any other group. Consumers and health care providers should be aware that many toxic synthetic chemicals...

Treating fibromyalgia with acumoxa therapy.(Acupuncture and Moxibustion)
February 1, 2004... What is fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome or FMS, is a condition mostly affecting women between 20-50 years of age. It is characterized by chronic, widespread, severe muscular aching, pain, and stiffness...

Femara takes the cancer world by storm--part 2.(The War on Cancer)
February 1, 2004... In last month's column I began a discussion of a major clinical trial of the new drug Femara. This showed that although Femara did have a positive impact on recurrences in early-stage breast cancer in postmenopausal women, it did not have a...

CHRF News File: reprinted from File #56.
February 1, 2004... The CHRF News Files, a product of the Collaboration for Healthcare Renewal Foundation (CHRF), reports on collaborative initiatives and business developments of relevance to the emerging integrative medicine industry. Your receipt of the News...

Web page potpourri: a column devoted to informative alternative health resources on the internet.
February 1, 2004... This month I focus on a selection of visual resources on the web. My brain seems to be calling for a change from the constant flow of informative words (which are usually my passion). Apparently this change in focus is reflected by changes in...

How do you treat shingles and psoriasis?(Ask the Herbalist)
February 1, 2004... Shingles Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus can remain dormant in nerve cells for many years after the onset of chickenpox. The first symptom of a herpes zoster attack is usually pain or tingling over...

Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
February 1, 2004... Immunity, compassion, anger In 30 healthy volunteers, salivary IgA, heart rate and mood were measured before and after experiencing loving care or anger. Emotional states were induced in two ways: by self-induction and by viewing video...

A phytotherapeutic protocol for fibromyalgia.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
February 1, 2004... Fibromyalgia is a disorder of unknown cause characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain and symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal complaints and psychological problems. (1) A key diagnostic condition is the...

Speaking directly from source: a revolutionary new method of homeopathic casetaking and prescribing.(Healing with Homeopathy)
February 1, 2004... If You Want "Modern Homeopathy," Here It Is As classical homeopaths, we tend to hang out with colleagues of our own kind. Yet, over the years, as we read this publication, we notice there are those practitioners using combination remedies,...

Chronic fatigue syndrome: treatment from an adaptogenic perspective.
February 1, 2004... Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a relatively common medical condition that affects approximately 500,000 Americans at any given time, or approximately 1 in 544 or 0.18% of the US population. (1) It appears to affect nearly twice as many women...

Chronic fatigue syndrome.
February 1, 2004... Introduction Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disease characterized by symptoms of extreme, long lasting fatigue, loss of memory [Marcel], impaired sleep, sore throat, muscle and joint aches, headache, cough, photophobia, night sweats...

Antiviral intervention for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
February 1, 2004... Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) has a long history in medical literature. In the past it has been referred to as chronic Epstein-Barr virus syndrome (EBV), chronic mononucleosis syndrome, postviral fatigue syndrome, epidemic myalgic...

Lithium, part 1: protect and renew your brain.
February 1, 2004... Like you, I want to keep my mind functioning well for as long as possible, so (among other things) I've been taking a lithium supplement every day for several years. No, I've never suffered from "manic-depressive illness" ("bipolar disorder"),...

Integrative Orthopedics and Pain Management part 2.
February 1, 2004... Introduction In the November edition of the Townsend Letter I discussed the diagnosis and treatment of Scar Dysfunction in relation to pain and musculoskeletal problems. This was one significant factor that may influence pain perception...

A novel way to do an Anti-Candida formulation.
February 1, 2004... Purpose Create an enzyme formula to destroy Candida. The idea being that one needs to either digest it and/or push it out of the body. We attempt to do both and digest it with various enzymes starting with a Chitinase, and cellulase (with...

The case for whole food nutritional supplements.
February 1, 2004... As with any area of health and wellness, there are differing schools of thought and philosophies; nutritional supplementation is no different. Historically, the older school of thought on nutritional supplementations dates back to the 1930s,...

Integrative medicine in colon cancer.
February 1, 2004... Standard Cancer Treatment Conventional Cancer Care Overview: The World Health Organization has estimated there will be more than ten million documented new cases of cancer next year. Since 1971 according to official figures, over $1...

An innovative cancer therapy that saves animals can it help humans as well?(Cortisol Imbalances)
February 1, 2004... Introduction Cancer is not just a people killer. Dogs develop the disease at about the same rate as humans and it accounts for almost half of canine deaths over the age of ten years. Felines have a lower incidence but tumors tend to be...

Chelation accepted in Warsaw, Poland.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: I did not expect such a modern environment. Even by American standards, this treatment center is a pleasant surprise, not just because it is set in the midst of the modern indoor Promenade shopping center. All glass, lots of...

Multiple sclerosis and dental amalgams.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: I was disappointed and surprised to read through the November Townsend Letter that featured MS, and found no reference to the even remote possibility that mercury from dental amalgam could be a factor. However, there is more than...

Nutrition and immune activation.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: The immune system accounts for approximately 1% of the body's 100 trillion cells. The defending cells that comprise the immune system originally arise in the bone marrow and mature in the thymus, spleen and lymph glands. The...

Cancer therapy by vitamins C and E.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: Recent study indicates that vitamins C and E succinate together might control many types of cancers. This letter augments and simplifies my article "Two Anticancer Mechanisms of Vitamins in Humans--A Review." (1) Of the hundreds of...

Hair trace elements and hypothyroidism.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: As a Clinical Psychologist and Licensed Nutritional Consultant, Dr. Malter has a unique and keen insight into the psychophysiology of stress and its reflection in hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) patterns. His experience of...

The "unrevealed" conspiracy against hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: My name is Daniel Page and I live in Quebec City, Canada. I have researched and promoted, for the last 12 years, several advanced alternative bioenergetic technologies (Rife, Lakhowsky, Beck, Drown, Skilling, Reich, EAV, etc.) as...

I.V. hydrogen peroxide for shingles.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: The November 2003 article on shingles treatment by Brother/Doctor Bernard Seif really upset me. This poor fellow described 14 fairly miserable weeks with shingles wherein he tried some 30-40 remedies, none of which were highly...

Unrefined salt vs. industrial grade sodium chloride.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: Most people understand salt to mean sodium chloride. This is only true in part. Salt is understood in terms of preserving or seasoning. The Bible describes followers of Christ as the 'salt of the earth' and those 'worthy of their...

A miracle of the heart.(Patient Report)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: In the wee hours of the morning of November 7, 2001, my wife and I were awakened by a strange, eerie, unearthly melody. You can imagine my shock and amazement when I discovered that this shrill unearthly tune was emanating from me....

Correction notice.(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2004... In my submission "In Memoriam: Jack M. Blount, MD" I made a strange error at the beginning of the article. Instead of "July 21, 1910 - September 11, 2003," The sub-heading should have been, "August 28, 1921 - September 11, 2003."

Four Eclectic cough syrup remedies.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: A good cough syrup is a valuable asset in the clinic. The Eclectics developed quite a number of these syrups (and never included opiates in any of them); following are four such syrups, each to be individualized for the acute (or...

Dietary approach to renal stones.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: Today I want to write about renal stones. As with myocardial infarction, renal stones are a new disease of the 20th Century afflicting only the major nations such as the USA. But first I want to have an aside for the moment....

A message to the many disciples and friends of Theron G. Randolph, MD.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: Harvard University's Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine has accepted the invaluable archives of Theron G. Randolph, MD consisting of his correspondence with colleagues; professional organizations and patients; his writings,...

Vaccines cause Cancer.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Editor: An Indiana physician, Dr. W.B. Clarke, made an astute observation about vaccines in the early 1900s. Dr. Clarke stated that "Cancer was practically unknown until compulsory vaccination with cowpox vaccine began to be introduced. I...

Will statin drugs bankrupt the universe?(Editorial)
February 1, 2004... While a growing body of evidence is showing that tens of millions of people around the world could benefit from taking statin drugs, economic factors are limiting the number of people who are actually receiving these drugs. And, though the...

The story of Mr. Allergyhead.
February 1, 2004... A mother's success story, a practical guide, and a cartoon to help those who suffer from food and chemical sensitivity by Mimi Borger Published by Mimi Bee Publications, P.O. Box 188, Accord, New York 12404 USA; 845-687-4671;...

Post Trauma and Chronic Emotional Fatigue.
February 1, 2004... Post Trauma and Chronic Emotional Fatigue by Billie J. Sahley, PhD, CNC Pain & Stress Publications, 5282 Medical Drive, Suite 160; San Antonio, Texas 78229-6023 USA; 800-669-2256; www.painstresscenter.com; 1889391212; $9.95 With...

Controversial data.
February 1, 2004... The Concise Encyclopedia of Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain by Roberto Patarca-Montero, MD, PhD 2002, The Haworth Medical Press[R], 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, New York 13904 USA, Softbound, 200 pp., $24.95 Fibromyalgia and...

A spiritual journey.
February 1, 2004... Profound Healing: The Power of Acceptance on the Path to Wellness by Cheryl Canfield; Foreword by Joseph Chilton Pearce Healing Arts Press, One Park St., Rochester, Vermont 05767 USA; www.InnerTraditions.com Quality paperback, 2003,...

A teaching model.
February 1, 2004... The Body Heals by William Ferril, MD The Bridge Medical Publisher, P.O. Box 324, Whitefish, Montana 59937 USA; 406-863-9088; www.thebodyheals.com In the summer of 2002, the Curriculum Committee at the Institute for Functional...

A new vital statistic.
February 1, 2004... The H Factor Solution by James Braly, MD & Patrick Holford Basic Health Publications, Inc., 8200 Boulevard East, North Bergen, New Jersey 07047 USA; 201-868-8336 Softcover, 2003, $14.95 US/$23.95 CAN, 242pp. Back in 1968, Dr....

Townsend's New York observer.(New Column)
February 1, 2004... The Curious Case of Dr. Jennifer Daniels Jennifer Daniels grew up on the south side of Syracuse in a low-income, predominantly Afro-American community. Intent upon becoming a physician from elementary school on, she earned a scholarship to...

Eight wellness trends that might change your life; tips from television consumer wellness expert.
February 1, 2004... 1. Focus on Stress Reduction: After yoga, what will be the next trend? Some say stress reduction. Dr. Richard Weinstein has written a new book called The Stress Effect. He says that there is an effective way to reduce stress through exercise,...

Cannabis sativa and the anthropology of pain.(Medical Anthropology)
February 1, 2004... Cannabis sativa is a plant with a long and controversial history of use in food and medicine around the world. In this column I will examine this plant in cross cultural perspective as well as recent findings from clinical studies on its...

Histidine-GLA-zinc complex to block pain & inflammation in treatment-resistant syndromes.(Quantum Medicine Update)
February 1, 2004... Millions rely on painkillers in order to mute the agony of slipped discs, deteriorating joints and prolonged inflammation. Cox-2 inhibitors and pain relievers (including the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory OTC medications) are consistently top...

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) & Chinese herbal medicine.(Chinese Medicine Update)
February 1, 2004... The following article is based on The Treatment of Modern Western Medical Diseases coauthored by Bob Flaws and Philippe Sionneau and published by Blue Poppy Press. Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome or FMS, is a condition...

Whole foods that significantly reduce fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.(Medicinal Properties in Whole Foods)
February 1, 2004... Those individuals facing the health-related challenges associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and fibromyalgia have much to be thankful for--research is clearly demonstrating that they can reduce their level of pain and suffering and enhance...

An overview of CFS/Fibromyalgia, and effective therapies.(Highly Effective Treatments for Pain and Fatigue)
February 1, 2004... For years, patients have dreamt of the day when they would see the headline "Effective Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (CFS/FMS) Developed!" Using integrative Medicine approaches, it is time to let patients know that...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 1, 2004... FEBRUARY 9-16: HOLISTIC WEIGHT LOSS COURSE SEMINAR @ The Siam Residence Deluxe on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand. A course that addresses many of the biological and socio/emotional reasons for gaining weight. Classes include What is Holistic...

Research news.(Women's Health Update)
February 1, 2004... WHI Report on Gynecologic Cancers Anderson G, Judd H, Kaunitz A, et al. Effects of estrogen plus progestin on gynecologic cancers and associated diagnostic procedures. JAMA 2003;290(13):1739-1748. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

Research news.(Women's Health Update)(impact of exercise on breast carcinoma)
February 1, 2004... Exercise and Risk of Breast Carcinoma in situ Patel A, Press M, Meeske K, et al. Lifetime recreational exercise activity and risk of breast carcinoma in situ. Cancer 2003;98:2161-9. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Over the last 20 years,...

Research news.(Women's Health Update)(brisk walking-risk of breast cancer)
February 1, 2004... Exercise and Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women McTiernan A, Kooperberg C, White E, et al. Recreational physical activity and the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women; The Women's Health Initiative Cohort Study. JAMA...

Research news.(Women's Health Update)
February 1, 2004... Prenatal Mercury Exposure From Fish Myers G, Davidson P, Cox C, et al. Prenatal methylmercury exposure from ocean fish consumption in the Seychelles child development study. Lancet 2003;361:1686-92. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 779...

Research news.(Women's Health Update)(women-cervical cytology tests)
February 1, 2004... New Pap Smear Screening Guidelines An annual pap smear is no longer recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for all women. The new guidelines are now directed more by risk and instead, will begin later...

Treating chronic fatigue syndrome by repleting mineral deficiencies.(Nutritional Influences on Illness)
February 1, 2004... Magnesium Deficiency Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are usually stressed, and stress hormones can promote a reduction in tissue magnesium levels. Moreover, CFS has much in common with magnesium deficiency (1): 1....

Mycology news.
February 1, 2004... Volume 1, Edition 7 Welcome to the seventh issue of Mycology News, a newsletter for health care professionals dedicated to the dissemination of information on the clinical use of mushroom-nutrition. In this edition, we present the results...