Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients articles from January 2005

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients archives from January 2005

Letter from the publisher.
January 1, 2005... We thought we would start the New Year with an examination of pain and pain management. Not that this is an irrelevant issue: pain is probably the primary symptom bringing the patient into the doctor's office. Acute pain following an injury is...

Michael L. Culbert, ScD, fighter for Health Freedom (1937-2004).(Obituary)(Obituary)
January 1, 2005... Michael Culbert, founder and president of the International Council for Health Freedom (ICHF), and the editor-in-chief of the ICHF's magazine, died unexpectedly on September 11, 2004. He was 67, and had recently been admitted to the...

The 5th International Conference of Integrative and Longevity Medicine Taipei, Taiwan, Sept. 18-19, 2004.(Bradford Integrative Medicine Academic Alliance)
January 1, 2005... The main topics of this 5th conference organized by the Bradford Integrative Medicine Academic Alliance focused on Integrative Treatment of Vascular and Degenerative Diseases. The event was held in conjunction with the International Board of...

Number of women afflicted by vulvar pain underestimated.
January 1, 2005... The number of women suffering from vulvodynia, an incapacitating and chronic vulvovaginal pain disorder, has been drastically underestimated according to research from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass. Roughly 16% of the women aged...

Royal College of Alternative Medicine (RCAM) currently seeks one million interdisciplinary fellows in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
January 1, 2005... Royal College of Alternative Medicine (RCAM) currently has International Vacancies for One Million 'Foundation Fellows' ('Movers and Shakers'), who will independently play a highly pivotal role in diligently mentoring (and regulating) its...

Chronic pain management.(Keynote Article by the Pioneer of Alternative Pain Treatment)
January 1, 2005... During my neurosurgical residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital, I was convinced that the neurosurgical approach to many chronic pain problems was unacceptable. At that time, Massachusetts General had a reputation as the center for...

Natural pain modulation.(Naturopathic Perspectives)
January 1, 2005... Pain, in all of its forms, (mental, emotional and physical) is one of medicine's greatest challenges. Rarely is pain the actual disease process; rather it is almost always a symptom of imbalance in the body. Pain in all of its presentations is...

Bowen Technique.(Shorts)
January 1, 2005... The Bowen Technique, developed by Australian Tom Bowen in the 1950s, is a gentle, hands-on therapy that addresses all types of musculoskeletal pains, including fibromyalgia and TMJ. The technique uses precise, light-pressured, rolling moves on...

Cancer pain management.(Shorts)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Cancer pain management requires a dual approach, according to an article by Pam Kedziera, RN, MSN, clinical manager of the pain management center at Philadelphia's Fox Chase Cancer Center. People with severe pain, including those with cancer,...

Ergonomics and pain.(Shorts)
January 1, 2005... Many times, the structural aches and pains that people experience are caused by lifestyle habits and poor ergonomics. Inadequate arch supports or unevenly-worn shoes can lead to an aching back or painful knees. Sleeping on an old, flimsy...

Ice therapy.(Shorts)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... For people who do not have cold sensitivity, ice therapy is a simple at-home remedy for reducing pain caused by muscle strain. Whether in the form of an ice pack wrapped in a towel to prevent ice burn or in the form of an ice massage, ice...

Magnetic pain relief device.(Shorts)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute (London, Ontario) have invented a small device that uses a specific, pulsed, extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic field to reduce pain perception. They began their research in 1995, by placing...

Mind-body pain management.(Shorts)
January 1, 2005... Biofeedback teaches people to consciously alter bodily functions that are usually involuntarily controlled, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and brain activity. It can also help people reduce their perception of pain. An important part of...

Pain assessment.(Shorts)
January 1, 2005... Frequent pain assessment is a necessary part of any pain management program. Because of the subjective nature of pain and the varied responses that sufferers have to it, pain assessment takes skill. Some patients respond to pain overtly with...

Pain management.(Shorts)
January 1, 2005... In its 2000-2001 standards manual for accredited healthcare facilities and agencies, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO) included pain control requirements. In order to receive accreditation, facilities must...

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS).(Shorts)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) originated under the guidance of Dr. Norm Shealy in 1967. It involves sending electrical impulses through electrodes placed on or near a painful area. Although it does not address the...

New York passes bills to limit due process abuse by the OPMC.(Townsend's New York Observer)(Office of Professional Medical Conduct)
January 1, 2005... Last summer, the New York Assembly and Senate passed bills that would safeguard the due process rights of physicians targeted by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC), the agency in the New York State Health Department that...

Minnesota offers holistic CAM education.(Pathways to Healing)
January 1, 2005... Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, an associate professor of nursing at the University of Minnesota, started out as a pediatric nurse practitioner. "During that period I became aware that the children and parents I saw were using a number of...

New England Journal of Drugs stays true to form.(Literature Review & Commentary)
January 1, 2005... In a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (2004;351:1323-1331), there was a review article on the diagnosis and management of Bell's palsy. In keeping with the tradition of certain major medical journals of either ignoring or...

Food additives cause hyperactive behavior.(Literature Review & Commentary)
January 1, 2005... Two hundred seventy-seven children (aged 3 years) living on the Isle of Wight, UK, consumed a diet for four weeks that eliminated artificial colorings and benzoate preservatives. During the second week of the diet, the children were randomly...

Azelaic acid for rosacea.(Literature Review & Commentary)
January 1, 2005... Two hundred fifty-one patients with papulopustular rosacea with persistent erythema and telangiectasia were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, a 15% azelaic acid gel or 0.75% metronidazole gel. The respective treatments were...

Maternal smoking, iodine, and infant brain development.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... One hundred-forty healthy pregnant women hospitalized for delivery and their newborn infants were studied. The presence of cotinine in urine and serum was used to classify mothers as smokers (n = 50) or nonsmokers (n = 90). Smoking and...

Soy-derived phosphatidylserine ineffective.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... One hundred-twenty men and women (mean age, 65 years) with age-associated memory impairment were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, either 1) placebo, 2) 300 mg/day of soy-derived phosphatidylserine, or 3) 600 mg/day of...

Selenium prevents chemotherapy side effects.(Literature Review & Commentary)
January 1, 2005... Thirty-one patients with ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy (cisplatin plus cyclophosphamide) received 2 capsules 4 times a day of a nutritional supplement that provided daily 60 mg of beta-carotene, 800 mg of vitamin C, 144 mg of vitamin...

Soy isoflavones may cause endometrial hyperplasia.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Two hundred ninety-eight healthy postmenopausal women (mean age, 50 years) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, tablets providing 150 mg/day of soy isoflavones or placebo for 5 years. Endometrial biopsies were performed...

Case of the month: the hypertension that was not.(Literature Review & Commentary)
January 1, 2005... A 54-year-old man presented for his first office visit looking for an alternative to prescription medications to treat his newly diagnosed hypertension. His blood pressure had always been normal in the past, but on a routine annual check-up...

A Comprehensive Medicine approach to migraines.(Highly Effective Treatments for Pain and Fatigue)
January 1, 2005... For this pain issue, I have excerpted part of the section on the treatment of migraines from my new book Pain Free 1-2-3!-A Proven Program to Get You Pain Free (the book and info on our Hawaii February 4-6, 2005 pain management conference are...

MTBE heroes.(Health Risks and Environmental Issues)(Methyl tertiary-butyl ether)
January 1, 2005... What is MTBE? MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) is a chemical compound manufactured by the chemical reaction of methanol (derived from natural gas) and isobutylene (a by-product of petroleum refining). It is one of a group of chemicals...

The oxygen view of pain: every chronic pain represents cells' cries for oxygen.(Oxygen Homeostasis)
January 1, 2005... Oxygen is the organizing influence of human biology and governs the aging process. In 2000, I began Oxygen and Aging with those words. Oxygen is a masterwork of nature--an enduring tribute to Nature's preoccupation with complementarity and...

The treatment of migraine headaches with Chinese medicine.(Chinese Medicine Update)
January 1, 2005... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, headache, migraine ********** When it comes to pain and Chinese medicine, most Westerners immediately think of acupuncture, and there is no doubt that acupuncture can be a very...

Phytotherapy for pain management in dysmenorrhea.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
January 1, 2005... Dysmenorrhea or painful menstruation can be either primary, where there is no observable organic causes, or secondary to a specific pelvic pathology such as endometriosis, ovarian cysts or pelvic infection. The pain of dysmenorrhea is due to...

Pain, analgesia and placebo.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
January 1, 2005... Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology describes the unity of mental, neurological, hormonal and immunological functions, addressing the impact of cognitive images of the mind (whatever its elusive definition) on the central nervous, endocrine and...

Osteoarthritis of the knee and the placebo effect.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... After 10 subjects with knee osteoarthritis gave full informed consent including full knowledge of the possibility and nature of a placebo surgery, three were randomized to a placebo arthroscopy group, three to arthroscopic lavage, and three to...

Arthroscopic surgery and placebo.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
January 1, 2005... One hundred eighty patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly assigned to receive arthroscopic debridement, arthroscopic lavage, or placebo surgery. Patients in the placebo group received skin incisions and underwent a simulated...

Therapeutic effect of placebo.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Placebos can be physical (e.g., a manipulation), pharmacological (e.g., a pill) or psychological (e.g., a conversation). Thirty-two trials were reviewed, involving results of no treatment versus pharmacological, manipulative or psychological...

Pain and meditation.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
January 1, 2005... Ninety chronic pain patients were assigned in an open trial to either routine traditional care or a 10-week relaxation and stress reduction program. The McGill-Melzack Pain Rating Index, Body Parts Problem Assessment Scale, Body Part Map and...

More on pain and meditation.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... In an open trial, the effects of mindfulness meditation were studied in 250 chronic painpatients, the vast majority of whom were experiencing low back pain, neck painor headache. The process involved practicing Hatha Yoga in slow meditative...

Anginal pain and meditation.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Chest pain with normal coronary angiograms is often associated with chronic sympathetic activation, anxiety, and depression, and is resistant to conventional antianginal treatment. In nine women with consistent angina, the practice of...

Rheumatoid arthritis pain and prayer.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
January 1, 2005... Forty-four adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis were recruited for the study if they met American College of Rheumatology criteria for diagnosis of class II disease, had a positive rheumatoid factor, or had radiological evidence of joint...

Low back pain and hypnosis.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
January 1, 2005... Fifteen adults 18-43 years of age with chronic low back pain (mean duration 4 years) were found to be moderately/highly hypnotizable based on the modified 11-point Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale. Somatosensory event-related potential...

Animal magnetism.(Healing with Homeopathy)
January 1, 2005... We just returned from a workshop with Dr. Divya Chhabra from Mumbai, India, a modern master of materia medica. She opened up the animal kingdom to us in a comprehensive way that we would like to share with you. Most of you who have been reading...

The relationship between bone bruises and lymphedema after fracture: a case study.
January 1, 2005... Bone bruises of the tibia have been extensively studied using MRI technology. It is now verified that bone bruising is a common injury accompanying meniscal, ligamentous, and other injuries. (3,4,6) This case study presents bone bruising that...

Lyme disease, potential plague of the 21st century detection problems resolved by imaging with the Bradford Variable Projection High Resolution Microscope.
January 1, 2005... Introduction In the mid-14 century, Europe was swept by a horrific catastrophe, known variously as the Bubonic Plague, the Black Death or simply the Pestilence. It is estimated to have killed in excess of 20 million people, a third of the...

Nutritional treatment for detoxification and recovery from alcoholism: the functional/molecular medicine approach.
January 1, 2005... Introduction Conventional treatment for alcoholism, or drug dependency, has been focused on mono-therapeutic approaches. The literature is inundated with treatment regimes that are based on medical, counseling, or spiritually-based...

Of dirty bombs and the health benefits of low-level radiation and toxins.
January 1, 2005... Writer Alex Tizon's front-page Seattle Times story of Sunday, April 28, 2002, told of what he called a potential disaster: a dirty bomb exploded in downtown Seattle. I shall show you that his message and related information carried later by...

Nutritional excellence from the antioxidants, probiotics, enzymes, fiber, and proteins packed into Ruby Reds[TM].(Medical Journalist Report of Innovative Biologics)
January 1, 2005... An October 2004 clinical study to assess the role of nutrition for the promotion of human physiological homeostasis, carried out by the Australian government's key research group, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization...

Innate properties of H-wave[R] device, a small fiber stimulator provides the basis for a paradigm shift of electro-therapeutic treatment of pain with increased functional restoration associated with human neuropathies: a hypothesis.
January 1, 2005... Summary The hypothesis that H-wave device, a small diameter fiber stimulator is a paradigm shift of electro-therapeutic treatment of pain associated with human neuropathies is based upon a number of its properties. (1) The H-wave device...

Estrogen replacement therapy: how much is too much?
January 1, 2005... Shortly after the combined therapy arm of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Study (which concluded that Prempro (1) increases a woman's risk of breast cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular disease) was halted, a group of women's health experts...

Urinary organic acid analysis article criticized.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Editor: As a reader and supporter of the Townsend Letter for over 20 years, I am greatly disappointed in its publication of the article on "Urinary Organic Acid Analysis" in the October 2004 issue. This season of election news coverage has...

Vitamin C and severe influenza: a case report.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Editor: While the scientific literature has abundant documentation of the ability of vitamin C to cure a number of viruses considered to be incurable (Stone, 1972; Smith, 1988, Levy, 2002), I feel it is always of benefit to health care...

Students need nurturing environment.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Editor: It seems one of the most important things missing from all educational institutions and especially medical schools, is the foundation of a loving and nurturing community environment for its students. Opposed to a competitive...

How to get the most out of a low carb diet.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Editor: Low carb diets have been proven to be effective tools for weight loss. While working at the Atkins Center and subsequently in private practice with The Hamptons Diet, we found the best weight loss results were achieved when we also...

Klenner protocol for MS.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Editor: Re: the letter from Dale Humpherys in your November 2004 issue. It seems that Dale Humpherys was a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS) who was cured by the protocol of Dr. Frederich Klenner of Reidsville, North Carolina. Not...

Treating chronic pain with natural medicine.(Editorial)
January 1, 2005... Chronic pain is often difficult to treat and can be frustrating for both patient and doctor. However, natural medicine is sometimes beneficial in treating certain conditions that cause chronic pain. While some natural remedies for chronic pain...

Pain of dehydration.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... Water: for Health, for Healing, for Life by F. Batmanghelidj, MD Warner Books, Inc., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 USA; www.twbookmark.com Softbound, ISBN 0-446-69074-0, c. 2003, 275 pp., $14.95 (US)/$22.95...

Energy medicine and consciousness.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... The Spiritual Dimension of Therapeutic Touch by Dora Kunz with Dolores Krieger, PhD, RN Bear & Company, One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 05767 USA; www.InnerTraditions.com Softcover, 2004, $16.00, 262 pp. Developed by Dora...

Hands-on medicine produces miraculous cures.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... Movement for Self-Healing by Meir Schneider, PhD, LMT HJ Kramer/New World Library, 14 Pamaron Way, Novato, California 94949 USA; 415-884-2100 or 800-972-6657, ext. 52 Softcover, 2004, $14.95, 265 pp. Meir Schneider was born...

Handbook for healthcare.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... Surviving Healthcare by Pamela Armstrong MPH, MBA Chestnut Ridge Books, 2269 Chestnut Street, #119, San Francisco, California 94123-2600 USA 2004, $19.95 quality paperback, 317 pp. There are three suggestions in the book...

Dissenting opinions.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous To Your Health by Paul Campos Gotham Books; a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 USA 2004, Hardback ISBN 1-592-40066-3,...

Study shows innovative use of sound has potential to relieve back pain.
January 1, 2005... Research reveals frequency biomarkers to support the relief of back discomfort for persons reporting back pain due to trauma and fatigue. Hundreds of trials conducted over the last four years have culminated in the discovery of two sets of...

New data suggest electrical stimulation can defer total knee replacement surgery in patients with osteoarthritis.
January 1, 2005... New data presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting, in March 2004, suggest that a pulsed electrical stimulation device, the BioniCare(R) Model BIO-1000[TM] System, can defer total knee replacement surgery (total...

Pain free 1-2-3! A proven program to get patients pain free.
January 1, 2005... I can summarize what I was taught about chronic pain in medical school in two sentences. Use Tylenol and/or SSRI (Motrin-like) medications. If the patient has cancer, you can use narcotics if you have to. It is no surprise then that pain...

Warm needle acupuncture, cupping & sciatica.(Acupuncture and Moxibustion)
January 1, 2005... Keywords: Chinese medicine, acupuncture, warm needle acupuncture, cupping, sciatica ********** In issue #5, 2004 on page number 27 of Gan Su Zhong Yi (Gansu Chinese Medicine), Song Yu-fang published an article titled, "Observations on...

Detoxification as a primary treatment modality for chronic pain--Part I.(Therapeutic Nutrition)
January 1, 2005... There are an estimated 125 million Americans that have at least one chronic condition. By 2020, this number is expected to rise to 157 million. Of these, a substantial number have chronic pain syndromes. Further, there are 60 million Americans...

Calendar.(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... JANUARY 10-12: BRADFORD PERIPHERAL BLOOD ASSESSMENTS MICROSCOPE TRAINING--Certification Class with Dr. Robert Bradford in California. CONTACT: American Biologics (Carla), 800-227-4473 or 619-429-8200; DrBradford@Americanbiologics.com ...

Frequently asked questions.(Women's Health Update)
January 1, 2005... Question: Is it safe to take black cohosh, red clover, soy and my ERT, Estrace .5 mg daily? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Answer: I'm so glad you wrote in with this question because it is a perfect example of how to combine conventional...

The influence of caffeine on pain.(Nutritional Influences on Illness)
January 1, 2005... The primary application of caffeine supplementation in pain control has been as an analgesic adjuvant when combined with certain analgesic drugs. This practice is supported by a number of double-blind studies. One of these studies found the...