Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients articles from May 2004

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients archives from May 2004

Letter from the publisher.
May 1, 2004... Recently I found myself frustrated by a patient's indifference to my recommendations for her health problems. As a health professional and medical publisher, I felt more than righteous indignation that my advice was questioned if not rejected....

Adelle Davis: 100 years later.
May 1, 2004... "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper" "We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are." --Adelle Davis Health...

Drug labeling seminar provides industry updates.(American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists )
May 1, 2004... Drug labeling requirements and the FDA's and FTC's ever-present scrutiny of product label claims was the topic of the recent seminar sponsored by the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (AAHP). The seminar held in Washington DC in...

Measure would exempt alternative medical providers from licensing requirements.(Consumer Health Freedom Act )
May 1, 2004... A bill being considered in the Iowa Legislature could have far-reaching implications for homeopaths, Ayurvedic practitioners and other alternative health care providers in Fairfield and across the state. The Consumer Health Freedom Act...

ConsumerLab.com survey finds most consumers highly satisfied with supplements; Ratings vary by brand.
May 1, 2004... ConsumerLab.com has announced that 78% of consumers recently surveyed report being "extremely" or "very" satisfied with the supplement brands they used. Ratings varied by brand. The highest rating was for Nutrilite (96%), a direct sales brand....

CHRF News File #64.(Collaboration for Healthcare Renewal Foundation)(Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine )
May 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. News Files is made possible...

Drug trial cut-offs.(Shorts)
May 1, 2004... Tens of thousands of patients--some for altruistic reasons, many in hope of a cure--take part in clinical drug trials each year. When a trial ends, patients who have benefited from a test drug often lose access to the new treatment. The...

English health care change.(Shorts)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The National Health Service (NHS) of England is spending $17 billion to develop and implement a nationwide computerized health care information system. Over the next couple of years, the health records of each of England's 50 million NHS...

Hospital discounts for uninsured.(Shorts)
May 1, 2004... Responding to criticism from patient advocates, labor unions, and lawmakers, hospitals are beginning to revise how they bill and collect payment from the nation's 43.6 million uninsured patients. Medicare regulations require hospitals to set...

Low-Dose Naltrexone therapy.(Shorts)
May 1, 2004... Naltrexone, a drug used to treat heroin and opium addicts, can boost the immune system when taken at low doses, according to the Low Dose Naltrexone Homepage (www.lowdosenaltrexone.org). The drug, FDA-approved in 1984, blocks opioid receptors....

Selenium supplements & Keep Hope Alive.(Shorts)
May 1, 2004... The essential trace mineral selenium has several uses including antioxidant protection, immune system stimulation, and cancer prevention. In Keep Hope Alive's Journal of Immunity (Spring 2003), Mark Konlee urges people to include Brazil nuts...

Painkiller abuse.(Shorts)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... As drug companies produce new formulations of opioid painkillers, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are seeking ways to curtail the drugs' illegal use. Potent narcotic painkillers with a...

Stress & illness.(Shorts)
May 1, 2004... In her article "Enough to Make You Sick?", published in The New York Times (12 October 2003), Helen Epstein examines why inhabitants of some of America's poor urban minority neighborhoods have so many health problems. She writes, "Some of these...

Rye grass extract.(Shorts)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Doctors with HIV patients have reported improved quality of life and improved immune function in patients taking a patented rye grass extract (Secale cereale) from Australia. Daniel Rubin, ND, has found that rye grass extract relieves the...

Serratia peptidase.(Shorts)(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
May 1, 2004... Serratia peptidase (serrapeptase) is a proteolytic enzyme that has fibrinolytic, anti-edemic, and anti-inflammatory activity. In his article "The Healing Power of Proteolytic Enzymes," Dr. Michael T. Murray says that serrapeptase, which is...

Antifolate antibodies: another reason for pregnant women to take folic acid.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
May 1, 2004... Serum from 12 women who were or had been pregnant with a fetus with a neural tube defect (cases) and from 20 control women with current or prior normal pregnancies was analyzed for antibodies against human placental folate receptors. Serum from...

Autoimmune thyroiditis as a cause of chronic fatigue.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
May 1, 2004... Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid gland was performed on 219 patients complaining of fatigue of more than one year's duration. Eighty-seven patients (40%) were found to have definite histological evidence of chronic lymphocytic...

Vegan diet for rheumatoid arthritis.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
May 1, 2004... Twenty-four patients (mean age, 56 years) with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis consumed a very-low-fat (10% of energy) vegan diet for 4 weeks. Compared with baseline, the severity of pain decreased by 30.6% (p Comment: These results...

DHEA for systemic lupus erythematosus.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Dehydroepiandrosterone)
May 1, 2004... One hundred-twenty women with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 200 mg/day of DHEA or placebo for 24 weeks. During the study, 18.3% of the patients in the DHEA group...

Specific lactobacillus strains for specific areas of the body.(Gaby's Literature Review)(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
May 1, 2004... Twenty-nine healthy premenopausal women were randomly assigned to receive, immediately following menses, a vaginal gelatin capsule containing either 1) [10.sup.9] Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum RC-14 or 2) [10.sup.9]...

Itching for a Dr. Pepper.(Gaby's Literature Review)
May 1, 2004... Forty-four patients with idiopathic, intractable pruritus ani were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, topical capsaicin (0.006%) or placebo (menthol 1%) ointment for four weeks. After a one-week washout period, each patient...

Riboflavin deficiency as a factor in Parkinson's disease.(Gaby's Literature Review)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Of 31 consecutive Brazilian patients (mean age, 67.5 years) with Parkinson's disease, all were found to have evidence of riboflavin deficiency, as assessed by plasma FAD concentrations and the erythrocyte glutathione-reductase activation...

Omega-3 fatty acids effective against depression.(Gaby's Literature Review)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Twenty-eight patients (aged 18-60 years) with major depression were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, menhaden oil (providing 4.4 g/day of eicosapentaenoic acid and 2.2 g/day of docosahexaenoic acid) or placebo for eight...

FDA approves Avastin.(The War on Cancer)(Food and Drug Administration )
May 1, 2004... In February, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Avastin is an angiogenesis inhibitor. It works by targeting and inhibiting the functioning of vascular...

EPA to label toxic sludge as organic compost.(Health Risks and Environmental Issues)(Environmental Protection Agency )
May 1, 2004... In 1995 John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton wrote about corporate polluters, government obfuscation, and the public relations industry. They facetiously titled their book, Toxic Sludge is Good for You! Nearly a decade later we find life imitating...

Systemic lupus erythmatosus (SLE) & Chinese herbal medicine.(Chinese Medicine Update)
May 1, 2004... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, systemic lupus eruthmatosus, autoimmune disease, inflammation Note: This article has been abstracted and condensed from Bob Flaws & Philippe Sionneau's The Treatment of...

Autoimmune disease and inflammation.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology describes the unity of mental, neurological, hormonal and immunological functions with its many potential applications. PNIE addresses the impact of cognitive images of the mind (whatever its elusive definition)...

Using whole foods in a clinical setting to halt the inflammatory process: an interview with leading whole food nutrition researcher and practitioner, Dr. David Minzel.(Medicinal Properties in Whole Foods)(Interview)
May 1, 2004... "Functional foods," "nutraceuticals," "designer foods" and "medicinal foods" are terms that describe foods, and key ingredients isolated from foods, that have non-nutritive or tertiary functional properties. Researchers, healthcare...

Lyme disease: the ABCs.(Townsend's New York Observer)
May 1, 2004... I spent all of 2003 and the first months of 2004 researching and writing a book-length report on Lyme disease. The Lyme Disease Association (LDA), a national not-for-profit organization whose mission includes educating the public and government...

Survey: New Jersey access to dietary supplements.
May 1, 2004... Objective: to assess the accuracy and professionalism by which physician's recommendations for dietary supplements are fulfilled by retail facilities outside the physician's office. Method: Volunteers were given written recommendations for...

The Gastro-Test[R]: a simple in-office test for the determination of gastric pH & gastroesophageal reflux disease.
May 1, 2004... Introduction A deficiency of gastric acid has the potential to cause clinically relevant consequences such as: (1) diminished sterilizing capacity favoring enteric pathogens; (2) absorption problems of various nutrients; (3) abnormal...

SSRIs: are they as safe as promised? part 2.(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors )
May 1, 2004... In Part 1 of this two-part article, we looked at how Prozac and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) came to lead the market for antidepressants in the 1990s. These drugs have been taken by tens of millions of people, including...

Vitamin D: its role in autoimmune disease and hypertension.
May 1, 2004... We were all taught in school that Vitamin D deficiency had been wiped out in the 1920s and 30s. That simply isn't so: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency has made a roaring comeback, and made much worse by the mostly-irrational but...

The inflammatory process and asthma.
May 1, 2004... Asthma, considered an inflammatory disease process, has demonstrated increasing prevalence in many industrial nations (particularly the United States) in the last 20 years. Among the trends in asthma prevalence are increasing mortality, racial...

Human BioAcoustics[TM] & Sound Health, Inc.
May 1, 2004... Imagine speaking for a mere 45 seconds into a microphone that connects to a computer and from that voice sample gaining insight into the status of your musculoskeletal system, biochemistry, hormones, genetics, emotions, even exposure to...

The genomeceutical effect of probiotics and their potential role in quenching autoimmune diseases and disorders of inflammation.
May 1, 2004... Abstract Probiotics are living microorganisms, which when ingested or locally applied in sufficient numbers, confer one or more specified demonstrated functional or health benefits for the consumer (EFFCA, European Food and Feed Culture...

A rare Homeopathic Medicine for a case of ulcerative colitis.(Healing with Homeopathy)
May 1, 2004... A New Style of Casetaking John was a 34 year-old factory worker with a family to support. His ulcerative colitis was really cramping his style, not to mention his bowels. We took his case using a new casetaking method that focuses on...

Inflammation and Hyaluronic Acid: an antagonistic relationship.
May 1, 2004... Inflammation and Hyaluronic Acid (HA) are antagonistically related. Inflammation destroys HA, and HA, injected into joints, decreases inflammation. In addition, it appears inflammation may reduce a cells ability to produce HA. An understanding...

Correction notice.(Correction Notice)
May 1, 2004... The cover of the Feb/March issue featuring the Mandala image was appreciated by many of our subscribers. Unfortunately, the contact number for more information or to purchase limited edition prints should have been 425-269-8959, not 5989 as it...

Shingles.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Editor: Brother/Doctor Bernard Seif's "case conference" on shingles in the November 2003 issue compels me to share the memory it so strongly evoked of my own bout with shingles (herpes zoster) after completing finals at Natal University....

Cannabis sativa.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Editor: Bravo, Bravo, Bravo for publishing Tim Batchelder's medical anthropology article on Cannabis sativa. This is one of the finest articles I have ever read on the subject and much needed in the face of the current media propaganda,...

Unreliability of hair analysis.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Editor: In the January 2004 issue of Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, your column, Literature Review and Commentary, contains a section on hair analysis entitled "Unreliability of hair analysis." I would like to offer some...

Magnesium and malic acid in Fibromyalgia.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Editor: In the February/March 2004 issue of the Townsend Letter, Alan Gaby did a review of the literature and commented on publications related to magnesium in fibromyalgia. (1) His commentary was divided into two sections: effective...

Dr. Gaby's reply.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... It appears that Dr. Abraham has a financial interest in magnesium and malic acid (Super Malic[R]; Optimox Corporation), and I believe it would have been appropriate for him to disclose that fact in his letter. It is true that my review of...

Protect Healthcare Freedom.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Editor: I sincerely wish that I was contacting you for happier reasons. However, I need to ask for your support in the fight against those who threaten our practices and the very essence of our livelihood. Please read on: this applies to...

Skin-care: safer creams.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Editor: When my father was terminally ill with cancer, the way my mother looked after him was admirable. One of the many things she did was to regularly massage his face and his hands with cream. Daddy had never used any skin lotion but he...

Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Editor: I enjoyed reading your latest issue concerning Chronic Fatigue (CFS). I have had many successes in treating my cases involving both CFS and Fibromyalgia. I agree with the majority of your articles stating CFS is viral in nature but...

Aspartame-induced arrhythmias and sudden death.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Editor: A recent extensive review of sudden death in young athletes (1) made no mention of aspartame as a primary cause or suspected contributory factor, especially when demonstrable pathology was absent. This issue has assumed great...

Clinical effectiveness of ginger preparations.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Editor: Monographs including clinical information of effectiveness of the herb are expected to be comprehensive, current and evaluative. Unfortunately, a recently published monograph on Zingiber officinalis (ginger), does not provide...

Dietary factors in inflammation and autoimmune disease.(Editorials)
May 1, 2004... A growing body of evidence suggests that diet plays an important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and other chronic inflammatory conditions. In my experience, dietary modification alone can produce marked clinical improvement in...

Carbohydrates and your health.(Editorials)(Editorial)
May 1, 2004... The ugly smear campaign against the recently deceased Dr. Robert Atkins, should raise the consciousness of anyone interested in health. As the news got out that research was confirming Dr. Atkins' revolutionary diet--high protein, low...

Holistic Handbook on Immune Restoration.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... Immune Restoration Handbook by Mark Konlee; foreword by Ron Klatz, MD Keep Hope Alive, P.O. Box 270041, West Allis, Wisconsin 53227 USA; 262-548-4344 (voice mail); www.keephope.net Softbound, c.2003, ISBN 1-887831-07-X, 304 pp.,...

Genetically engineered foods: a major safety issue.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... Seeds of Deception, Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating by Jeffrey M. Smith Yes! Books, P.O. Box 469, Fairfield, Iowa 52556 USA; 888-717-7000 Quality...

Self-care for health.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... Doctor Yourself: Natural Healing That Works by Andrew Saul, PhD Basic Health Publications, Inc., 8200 Boulevard East, North Bergen, New Jersey 07047 USA; 201-868-8336 8X11 Softcover, 2003, $19.95, 241 pp. Our healthcare system...

Mind, body, spirit wholeness.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... Honoring the Medicine: The Essential Guide to Native American Healing by Ken "Bear Hawk" Cohen Ballantine Books 1540 Broadway, New York, New York Description: Part one of this two-part book provides an overview of the principles...

Blogs and wikis.(Web Page Potpourri)
May 1, 2004... If you've heard of either one of these kinds of websites, I'm guessing you are more familiar with a "blog" than with a "wiki." For those not yet in-the-know: A blog (shorthand for web log) is essentially an online diary, generally offering the...

Inflammatory conditions can be treated effectively with full body and auricular acupuncture.(Acupuncture and Moxibustion)
May 1, 2004... Inflammatory processes in the human body, as described by Western medicine, usually produce redness, swelling, pain, and possibly fever. Inflammation may be caused by trauma, bacterial infection, excessive heat, toxins, over-use, autoimmune...

Spiritual Care supports patients and providers.(Pathways to Healing)
May 1, 2004... Rosa Kocher, CMT, a full-time massage therapist in San Francisco, works with many patients who have serious illnesses. She's able to maintain her own energy level, she says, and offer her patients consistent help, due to Tibetan meditation and...

Phytotherapy for autoimmune disease: a focus on multiple sclerosis.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Introduction In a previous article published in the Townsend Letter I described an innovative multifactorial model for the development of autoimmune disease. (1) The implications of this model in terms of selecting herbal treatments were...

Nutritional & flexoelectric breakthroughs for the relief of prolonged inflammation.(Quantum Medicine Update)
May 1, 2004... As scientists delve deeper into the root causes of illnesses they are finding that inflammation--the body's first defense against infection--when chronic rather than transitory--leads to a host of diseases. Chronic and prolonged inflammation...

Using natural hormones to treat estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone deficiency.(Highly Effective Treatments for Pain and Fatigue)
May 1, 2004... Many people going through midlife develop fatigue, low libido, or depression. This includes men and women alike. Experience has shown that if the estrogen level in females or testosterone level in males or females is low, a trial replacement of...

Anthropology and information immunity.(Medical Anthropology)(research of technology)
May 1, 2004... A brief look at major news stories today reveals a new interest in the interplay between information technology and social/biological sciences. Interestingly, it appears we can now learn much about both protecting information technologies and...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2004... APRIL 21-24: SOCIETY FOR THE ARTS IN HEALTHCARE 2004 CONFERENCE--Building Community, Embracing Diversity near Washington, DC. CONTACT: 202-299-9770; fax 202-299-9887; http://www.theSAH.org; mail@theSAH.org APRIL 23-24: BODYBIO presents...

St. John's wort and oral contraceptive pills.(Research News)
May 1, 2004... Two new studies have shed some additional light on a rare few case reports and theoretical suspicions that St. John's wort may interfere with oral contraceptive pills (OCP). St. John's wort induces cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A enzymes and therefore...

Reports of black cohosh and liver toxicity.(Research News)
May 1, 2004... There have been some news reports lately about safety issues related to black cohosh and liver function. Uncontrolled reports, and human clinical trials including more than 2,800 patients demonstrate the low incidence of adverse events...

Antibiotic use may influence risk of breast cancer.(Research News)
May 1, 2004... In a case-controlled study of 10,219 women at Group Health Cooperative in Washington State, women were enrolled who had been seen continuously for at least 1 year before their diagnosis of breast cancer. Cases were all women older than 19, who...

Soy isoflavones, melatonin, not effective in relief of menopause symptoms.(Research News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... A total of 262 women were assigned to one of four treatment groups: soy isoflavones 80 mg and melatonin 3 mg, soy isoflavones 80 mg alone, and melatonin 3 mg alone. Study duration was for 3 months using the Greene Climacteric Scale. There...

The effects of vitamins and minerals on inflammation.(Nutritional Influences on Illness)
May 1, 2004... Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 supplementation has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. (1) In open trials, injections of the vitamin have been found to be helpful in rapidly reducing the pain and subjective symptoms found in both acute...