Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients articles from January 2002

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients archives from January 2002

Letter from the Publisher.(editorial view on alternative medicine)
January 1, 2002... I have often been asked what changed my path from conventional medicine and led me into holistic and alternative medicine. A number of things come to mind. The lessons in biochemistry seemed a little askew, describing normal and obligatory...

Surgical Mask, Soap and Water Best Prevention for Anthrax.
January 1, 2002... Speaking to a packed, overflowing auditorium of Osteopathic physicians attending their annual meeting at the Convention Center in San Diego in October, Ronald Blanck, DO. Former Surgeon General of the US Army and Captain John Malone, MD of the...

Position Statement from the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists Regarding Anthrax and Anthracinum.
January 1, 2002... The anthrax and related bioterror scares have put a strain on the information resources of the homeopathic industry. This AAHP position statement was developed in conjunction with physicians of the American Institute of Homeopathy, and the...

Bioweapon Defense. (Shorts).
January 1, 2002... Identifying disease outbreaks, quarantining the infected, medicine for treatment, and vaccines for prevention have been the standard public health measures for dealing with major epidemics. With the possibility of biowarfare, researchers are...

Smallpox Vaccine. (Shorts).
January 1, 2002... Because of concerns that smallpox will be used as a bioweapon, the US government is seeking ways to stretch its stockpile of vaccine to cover more people. Routine vaccinations for US civilians ended in 1972, because smallpox had virtually...

Anthrax Vaccine. (Shorts).
January 1, 2002... The Lansing, Michigan, laboratory that manufactures anthrax vaccine for the U.S. has been unable to pass FDA inspection since 1997. According to a Wall Street Journal article, an October 2000, FDA report cited multiple faults, resulting in the...

Breastfeeding. (Shorts).(possible illness transmission through breast milk causes concern)
January 1, 2002... Periodically, concerns are raised about the possible transmission of illness or other health risks, such as breast cancer or hepatitis or toxins like PCBs, from mother to child during breast feeding. Upon examination, researchers find that the...

HIV & Pregnancy. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The US Public Health Service policy for treating HIV-positive, pregnant women includes anti-HIV drugs during pregnancy and intravenous AZT (azidothymidine, aka zidovudine or Retrovir) during labor. Their newborns are given AZT for six weeks,...

Pregnancy & Older Women. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Media stories about fertility technology and access to birth control have encouraged many women to establish a career and economic security before trying to have children. According to a story in Newsweek (August 13, 2001), birth rates among...

Hepatitis B Vaccine. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... According to the American Academy of Pediatrics December 2000 Immunization Schedule, infants born to mothers who are not infected with hepatitis B should receive the first in a series of hepatitis B vaccines by the age of 2 months. Those who...

Long Nails, Bacteria, & Baby Deaths. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... From January 1, 1997 to March 12, 1998, sixteen infants at Oklahoma City's Children's Hospital intensive care unit died from Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Cultures of health care workers' hands and ears obtained Pseudomonas from three...

Labor & Delivery. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... A classic article from the Journal of Nurse-Midwifery (Vol. 26, No.2, March/April 1981) by Elizabeth Noble, RPT, urges a holistic view of labor and delivery that observes and follows the natural process. Attending practitioners too often try to...

Early Puberty in Girls. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... According to a study published in Pediatrics (April 1997), nearly half of black American girls and 15% of white girls begin to develop breasts and/or pubic hair by age 8. "'I don't think parents, teachers or society in general have been really...

Raspberry Leaf in Pregnancy. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Raspberry leaf, taken as an infusion (tea), has been a longtime herbal remedy for maternity care. According to Michael Tierra, CA, ND in his book The Way of Herbs, raspberry leaf is taken throughout pregnancy to tone the uterus, facilitate...

Rubella Vaccine. (Shorts).
January 1, 2002... Contracting rubella during the first trimester of a pregnancy brings a high risk of birth defects, such as deafness, cataracts, and heart disease. Because of this, the CDC recommends that women who are susceptible to contracting rubella receive...

A Medical Nightmare. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In December 1977 Jennifer Lynn Gigliello, who was four months pregnant, experienced severe abdominal pain that "radiated from her front to her back." It subsided, and she dismissed it as a freak event. Six to seven months later, Jenny...

Literature Review & Commentary.
January 1, 2002... Cod liver oil during pregnancy A population-based case control study was performed in Norway that included 85 children with type 1 diabetes and 1,071 randomly selected children without diabetes. When mothers took cod liver oil during...

Homeopathy: The Safest Medicine for Pregnancy and Labor. (Healing with Homeopathy).
January 1, 2002... The Safest Medicine Homeopathy is the safest form of medicine you will ever find, plain and simple. Safe for pregnant moms, for newborn babes, for debilitated, elderly folks at the end of their lives, patients who are hypersensitive to...

The War on Cancer.
January 1, 2002... Does Screening Mammography Work? The American Cancer Society (ACS) urges women 40 and older to have annual mammograms. "Mammography is especially valuable as an early detection tool because it can identify breast abnormalities that maybe...

Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary.
January 1, 2002... Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology is the term describing the unity of mental, neurological, hormonal and immune functions with its many potential applications. PNIE addresses the influence of the cognitive images of the mind (whatever its elusive...

Blue Poppy Press Launches Hematology Site.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Bob Flaws, editor-in-chief, announced that Blue Poppy Press has launched a new, stand-alone website devoted to Chinese medical hematology. Features of this site include a number of articles on Chinese medicine and various hematological...

Anthrax & Co.: Some Alternative Treatments. (G-Jo Acupressure).
January 1, 2002... As I write this, it has begun to dawn on most of us that the horror of the World Trade Center tragedy can be exceeded. For now, even those who have steadfastly denied this nation's vulnerability have started to realize that a variety of plagues...

"The Tooth Fairy Project". (Health Risks and Environmental Issues).
January 1, 2002... The "Tooth Fairy Project" may bring up childhood memories of receiving a quarter for each baby tooth placed under a pillow, but this project has a lot more at stake. Also known as the "Baby Teeth Study," it is sponsored by the Radiation and...

Minor Bupleurum and The Prevention of Recurrent Infections in Children. (Chinese Medicine Update).
January 1, 2002... In Chapter Two of the Nei Jing Su Wen (Inner Classic, Simple Questions), the "bible" of Chinese medicine, the Yellow Emperor says, "The superior doctor treats [when there is] not [yet] disease." This oft-quoted line underscores the importance...

Safe Use of Herbs in Pregnancy. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
January 1, 2002... The safe use of herbal medicines during pregancy is becoming an increasingly contentious issue. On the one hand, regulatory authorities appear to be adopting the policy that if there is no clear evidence of safety from controlled clinical...

Chlorophyll-Rich Foods and Wheat Germ: Preventing Neonatal Intracranial Hemorrhage, Spontaneous Abortion and Miscarriage in At-Risk Women. (Medicinal Properties in Whole Foods).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... "Functional foods," "nutraceuticals," "designer foods" and "medical foods" are terms that describe foods, and key ingredients isolated from foods, that have non-nutritive or tertiary functional properties. Researchers, healthcare...

A Natural Approach to Diabetes.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Diabetes is defined as a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by absence or deficiency of insulin, insulin resistance, or both, ultimately leading to hyperglycemia. People with diabetes cannot properly process glucose, a sugar the body...

Autism, MMR Vaccine, HIV Similarities and Growth Factor Cell Signaling.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Autism Autism spectrum disorder is an exponentially rising epidemic with an incidence as high as 1:139. (1,2) In Scotland, there was an 18% increase in year 2000 primary school children diagnosed with autism once vaccination policies were...

Therapy: Recent Progress in Clinical Applications and Research in Fibromyalgia -- Part 3.
January 1, 2002... Broad-Base Antimicrobial Infusion The broad-spectrum anti-microbial protocol developed by the Bradford Research Institute is presented. This ongoing, investigative protocol consists of three sequential intravenous infusions designed for...

Women's Health Risks Associated with Orthodox Medicine -- Part 1.
January 1, 2002... During the past century, a medical establishment has evolved that has positioned itself as the exclusive provider of so-called scientific, evidence-based therapies. For the first 70 years of the 20th century, little effort was made to challenge...

Botanical Solutions for Effective Patient Care. (Medical Journalist Report of Innovative Biologics).
January 1, 2002... Human physiology responds to plant molecules. Physicians using botanical medicine know that plants add vitality to their treatment program that drugs, vitamins, minerals and nutrients do not possess. Liquid herbal extracts generally are more...

Infant Feeding.
January 1, 2002... It is true that infants survive despite a great deal of unintended abuse. It is not true that this survival is without penalty. Our precious children are ours for a short span to nurture and prepare for life on their own. Love is the greatest...

Who Cares about Copyright? A Few Reasons Why Maybe You Should.
January 1, 2002... The subject of copyright law, usually a fairly arcane matter, has been in the news quite a bit lately, because of precedent-setting action at the Supreme Court level, and also the music industry's furor over the implications of the online...

Correction Notice: Anti-inflammatory Effects of a Stabilized Lipid Extract of Perna Canaliculus (Lyprinol[R]). (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... by Georges M. Halpern, MD, PhD, DSc, TLfD'P, May, 2000 #202 Editor: Please be kind enough to bring to the attention of your readers the following information: Figures 3-6 and the text from paragraph 17 to 24 published in the Townsend...

Powdered Sulphur for Anthrax. (Letters to the Editor).
January 1, 2002... Editor: My friend here just called me to have me pass on a home remedy which Bolivians still use here in cattle country Dr. Carlos Flores is married to a cattle rancher's daughter, and you can check it out for what it is worth, but cattle...

Beef Bashing is Inappropriate. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: Some comments are in order in reference to the two "beef-bashing" columns you ran in your October, 2001, issue. Williams' column "What's in the Beef?" relied largely on Mr. Lyman's biased vegan views propounded in his book Mad...

The Dangers of Soy Advocacy. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor, I would like to address some issues raised in two pieces about soy in the October issue of the Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients. One is an article by Tori Hudson -- "Soy Isoflavones in the Management of Breast Cancer...

Soy Formula Bad for Infants. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: You can go on Medline and find differing "proof" about soy safety or toxicity so one must conclude that some of it is dead wrong. Using some common sense and an open mind you can figure out the truth. When my grandchildren were...

Mycoplasma Contaminated Vaccines. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: Viral vaccines maybe contaminated with mycoplasmas causing adverse reactions in sensitized hosts. In 1956 our research laboratory, working with a virologist at Johns Hopkins Medical School, first reported finding mycoplasmas...

Postpartum Psychosis. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: Last June 20, 2001, the world was reminded of the term "postpartum psychosis" via five children having been killed by their mother. This took place near Houston, Texas. Immediately the media and talk shows were all over the...

Was the Baby Shaken? (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: Child abuse laws have given rise to many accusations of "Shaken Baby Syndrome," which has become a popular diagnosis to explain infant deaths, and even for living infants who are brought to an emergency room following a fall. Much...

Vaccines -- What's in the Next Cauldron? (Letters to the Editors).(upcoming vaccines)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: Thank you for printing the insightful and succinct June 2001 article "Vaccine Scene 2000" by Harold E. Buttram, MD. After reading this power piece concerning vaccine history and the current state of affairs, I thought that your...

Toxorthodoxy. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: During the last two days of President George Washington's life he went for a horseback ride and caught a cold. As his fever rose he went to bed and a series of the best physicians were called. Firmly following conventional...

Crohn's Disease. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: Researchers: Dr. Ba X. Hoang, MD, PhD, Cuong Hoang, MD, Graeme Shaw, MD: Abstract: We have identified seven herbs and created specific formula ratio and concentration that have been shown to have great success in helping people...

Search for Medical Applications of Qigong with the Qigong Database[TM]. (Leters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: Qigong is the ancient art of health maintenance and healing that originated several thousand years ago in China. Qigong (pronounced chee gong) embodies two principles, Qi -- the vital energy of the body -- and gong the practice and...

History-Taking More Important Than Ever. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: Chronically ill people often go to doctor after doctor seeking the truth about, and relief from, their symptoms. Their blood tests are most often normal, and remedies and medications may temporarily help but, after awhile, they may...

Fatal Reaction: The Horror of Stevens Johnson Syndrome. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... Editor: Jean Farrell knew something was wrong. The Denver travel agent had left for work in the morning and noticed that her 11 month-old daughter, Julie, had a swollen eye. Julie, an epileptic, had been placed on phenobarbitol, a widely...

Taking Advantage of a Terrorized Public. (Editorials).(Editorial)
January 1, 2002... As if it were not enough to have to worry that opening our mail can kill us, now we have to deal with a deluge of claims that anthrax may be preventable or treatable with various nutrients, herbs, and other natural substances. As loath as I am...

Barefoot Doctors Spreading Hepatitis in China with Reused Needles. (Editorials).(Editorial)
January 1, 2002... In a story which seems more fitting for the National Enquirer than the New York Times (8/20/01), we are told of rural doctors injecting children for upper respiratory infections using dirty needles. We expect this sort of thing in the Third...

Women and Homeopathy. (BookCorners).(Whole Woman Homeopathy: The Comprehensive Guide to Treating PMS, Menopause, Cystitis, and Other Problems -- Naturally and Effectively)
January 1, 2002... Whole Woman Homeopathy: The Comprehensive Guide to Treating PMS, Menopause, Cystitis, and Other Problems -- Naturally and Effectively by Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, ND, MSW Prima Health Softbound ISBN: 0-7615-2411-8, 2000, $18,...

Week--by--Week Pregnancy Guide. (BookCorners).(Your Over-35 Week-by-Week Pregnancy Guide)(book review)
January 1, 2002... Your Over-35 Week-by-Week Pregnancy Guide by M. Kelly Shanahan, MD Prima Publishing, 3000 Lava Ridge Court, Roseville, California 95661 USA 800-632-8676; www.primalifestyles.com Softbound, ISBN 0-7615-2698-6, 2000, 418 pp,...

Alternative Health Care for Women. (BookCorners).(Women's Health, 2 vols.)(book review)
January 1, 2002... Women's Health (2-volume set) by Burton Goldberg and the Editors of Alternative Medicine Future Medicine Publishing, Inc. 1640 Tiburon Blvd., Suite 2, Tiburon, California 94920 USA 800-333-HEAL; www.alternativemedicine.com ...

Reclaiming the Power of Giving Birth. (BookCorners).(Choosing Waterbirth)(book review)
January 1, 2002... Choosing Waterbirth by Lakshmi Bertram Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc. 1125 Stoney Ridge Road Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 USA Phone 894-296-2772 Fax 804-296-5096 www.hrpub.com Softbound ISBN...

Reclaiming our Healing Power. (BookCorners).(Intuitive Healing: Five Steps to Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Wellness)(book review)
January 1, 2002... Intuitive Healing: Five Steps to Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Wellness Judith Orloff, MD Times Books, a division of Random House, Inc. New York, New York 10022 USA www.randomhouse.com 2000, ISBN 0-8129-3097-5; 325 pp....

Alternatives to Pesticide Use in schools. (BookCorners).(Pesticides: Use, Effects, and Alternatives to Pesticides in Schools)(book review)
January 1, 2002... Pesticides: Use, Effects, and Alternatives to Pesticides in Schools GAO/RCED-00-17, Single copy, gratis; additional copies $2 each. Order free copy from US General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 6015, Gaithersburg, MD 20884-6015. Order paid...

Cleaning Up Our Personal Environment. (BookCorners).(Healthy Living Space: 70 Practical Ways to Detoxify the Body and Home)(book review)
January 1, 2002... Healthy Living Space: 70 Practical Ways to Detoxify the Body and Home by Richard Leviton Hampton Roads Publishing Co., Inc. 1125 Stoney Ridge Road Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 USA Softbound 620 pp., 2001, $21.95...

Healthy Parents -- Healthy Kids. (BookCorners).(Holistic Parenting)(book review)
January 1, 2002... Holistic Parenting by Lynn Wiese Sneyd Keats Publishing, 4255 West Touhy Avenue, Lincolnwood, Illinois 60712 USA Softcover 2000, US $17.95/Can $25.95, 313 pp. I wasn't quite sure, at first glance, what...

A Cornucopia of Therapies. (BookCorners).(Ayurveda Encyclopedia)(book review)
January 1, 2002... Ayurveda Encyclopedia by Swami Sada Shiva Tirtha Ayurveda Holistic Center Press, 1998, $32, 686 pp. As a physician dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of disease, I am constantly searching for effective, safe and inexpensive...

Nutrition-Focused Book offers Help to children with Illnesses. (Book Notices).(Smart Food, Smart Families)(book review)
January 1, 2002... Smart Food, Smart Families, a new book by noted nutritionist Laura Thompson, PhD, may have the answers to childhood obesity and other childhood illnesses prevalent in the United States today. "About 25% of all American children and...

A Kid's Herb Book: For Children of all Ages. (Book Notices).(book review)
January 1, 2002... by Lesley Tierra, LAc, AHG (Licensed Acupuncturist), Foreword and Songs by Michael Tierra, LAc, OMD Illustrations by Susie Wilson Robert D. Reed Publishers, 750 La Playa Street, Suite 647, San Francisco, California 94121 USA; 650-994-6570...

Female Reproductive Health: An Anthropological Perspective. (Medical Anthropology).
January 1, 2002... Reproduction follows many patterns in different societies with varying consequences for health. In this column I'll explore some of the recent anthropological research on optimal reproductive strategies from this cross cultural and evolutionary...

Calendar.(upcoming alternative medicine events)
January 1, 2002... JANUARY 4-8: AMERICAN ORGANIZATION FOR BODYWORK THERAPIES OF ASIA 10TH CONVENTION @ the DoubleTree French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. CONTACT: 856-782-1616; fax 856-782-1653; aobta@prodigy.neg; http://www.aobta.org JANUARY 10-19:...

Pregnancy and the Use of Nutritional Supplements. (Women's Health Update).
January 1, 2002... Pregnancy and birthing are normal physiological processes that can be positively supported through adequate rest, preventive nutrition, and the avoidance of harmful substances. Minimizing stress, getting plenty of low-impact exercise and fresh...

A Diet for a Healthy Pregnancy. (Nutritional Influences on Illness).
January 1, 2002... All pregnant women should be on a nutritious, well-balanced diet which includes between 70 and 90 gm of protein and between 2,300 and 2,800 kcal per day. Too high a carbohydrate intake in early pregnancy, especially if combined with a low dairy...