Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients articles from November 2002

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients archives from November 2002

Letter from the Publisher.
November 1, 2002... I waited one year to the day after September 11th before returning to New York to visit my family. In many ways New York looked like it always has with the exception of an entirely different vista here the Twin Towers once stood. Now there is a...

Eulogy for Professor Wolfram W. Kuhnau.
November 1, 2002... I am sad to inform you that Professor Wolfram W. Kuhnau, MD passed away on July 19, 2002. He was a dear friend of mine. Professor Wolfram W. Kuhnau, MD, born in Germany, a pioneer and researcher in medicine and life cell -- stem cell therapy,...

New Jersey seeks to ban chelation.
November 1, 2002... American College for Advancement in Medicine Update Apparently unaware of developments in Washington, New Jersey attempted to deal chelation a critical blow. The state's Board of Medicine contemplated a measure to prohibit chelation for all...

Feds to study chelation therapy.
November 1, 2002... The government is beginning a $30 million study to determine once and for all whether chelation therapy offers any benefit for sufferers of heart disease. Chelation therapy is the main treatment for lead poisoning. A manmade amino acid...

The labels on your vitamin and mineral bottles may soon change.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Labels may soon list "Tolerable Upper Limits," which would likely scare uninformed consumers away from taking so-called mega-dose food supplements. These restrictions come at a time when researchers are finding that high-dose folic acid,...

Preventing student back pain.
November 1, 2002... Pediatricians and chiropractors are seeing an epidemic of middle and high school students suffering from back pain due to carrying heavy backpacks. A few years ago it seemed like a good way for kids to carry their books. Unfortunately, the...

Banned PCBs and agrochemicals in blood reduced 50% by centuries-old detoxification procedure.
November 1, 2002... "The issue of possible human health effects of persistent organochlorine substances is an ongoing concern and area of important scientific investigation. This report has implications for the mobilization of and clearance of persistent...

Pleomorphic offers free 20-page booklet, "Understanding Pleomorphism, Isopathy and Homeopathy".
November 1, 2002... Available upon request to all health care providers Pleomorphic. Products SANUM Inc., the exclusive North American distributor of medications produced in Germany by Sanum-Kehlbeck, has announced the availability of a 20-page booklet...

Comment upon the model guidelines for the use of unconventional health care practices, federation of state medical boards.
November 1, 2002... On behalf of the Foundation for the Advancement of Innovative Medicine (FAIM) 2 Executive Blvd. Suffern, New York 10901 FAIM is an unique organization, consisting of both a professional and a consumer membership. With over 3,000...

Arsenic poisoning. (Shorts).
November 1, 2002... The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (April 4, 2002) reports that arsenic, emitted by a copper smelter near Tacoma, Washington, had traveled on strong, sustained wind currents to contaminate over 200-square miles of southern King County (south of...

GE Salmon blocked. (Shorts).(genetically engineered)
November 1, 2002... On July 29, 2002, United States District Judge Gene Carter formally approved a detailed Consent Degree that bans Heritage Salmon, Inc., from growing European and/or genetically-engineered (GE) salmon. Heritage (a subsidiary of the Canadian food...

Mycoremediation--Fungi to the rescue. (Shorts).
November 1, 2002... Paul Stamets and his company Fungi Perfecti and Battelle's Marine Sciences Laboratory (MSL) in Sequim, Washington, are using 'higher' fungi species (i.e. mushrooms) to remediate soil and sediment contaminated by oils, petroleum products,...

Genetic risk for organophosphate toxicity. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... A study funded by the United Kingdom government and published in Lancet (2002; 359:763-64), reports that genetic make-up may explain why some farmers react poorly to organophosphate dips used to kill parasites on sheep and others do not....

Infection epidemic in hospitals. (Shorts).
November 1, 2002... Using data collected from 315 hospitals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 90,000 deaths in 2000, were caused by infections acquired at a hospital. According to the CDC, about 6% of the 35 million annual...

In-Flight radiation exposure. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Radiation exposure from stars during plane flights has become a health concern, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal. Since 2000, European regulators have required airlines to track their crewmembers' exposure to radiation and to...

Monsanto PCB legacy. (Shorts).(polychlorinated biphenyls pollution)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... In 1935, Monsanto bought a plant in Anniston, Alabama, that manufactured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a substance that provides inflammable insulation for electrical equipment. The company continued to make PCBs at that plant until 1971....

Aging sewers & water quality. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... The 1972 Clean Water Act ordered cities to reduce the discharge of raw sewage into waterways. These same waterways are often a source of food and drinking water. The Act also provided funding to expand wastewater treatment plants. About 40% of...

Labeling trans fat content. (Shorts).
November 1, 2002... After much debate, the FDA announced in July 2002, that it would require "the mandatory declaration of trans fat content within the Nutrition Facts panel," printed on the labels of processed foods (www.cfsan.fda.gov/-dms/labtrans.html). The...

Pancreatic enzymes block food allergy reactions. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Ten patients (mean age, 43 years) with food allergy documented by double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges underwent further double-blind food challenges through a nasogastric tube with a known offending food, with or without the...

Melatonin lowers sperm counts. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... In a double-blind crossover study, eight healthy men (mean age, 23.4 years) received 3 mg/day of melatonin or a placebo during two separate three-month periods. The dose was taken each day between 5 and 6 p.m. During the melatonin phase, two...

Lactobacillus GG prevents cavities. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Five hundred-ninety four children aged 1-6 years were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, milk with added Lactobacillus GG (containing 5-10 x 105 colony-forming units per ml) or unsupplemented milk. After seven months, the...

Herbal treatment for parasitic infection. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Two hundred-four patients with schistosomiasis (a parasitic infection) were treated with a combination of resin and volatile oil of myrrh (from the stem of Commiphora molmol), at a dose of 10 mg per kg of body weight per day for three days....

Intravenous magnesium knocks out acute migraines. (Literature Review & Commentary).
November 1, 2002... Thirty patients with moderate or severe migraine attacks were studied. The first 15 patients received, in single-blind fashion, 1 g of magnesium sulfate (Mg) intravenously over 15 minutes, and the next 15 patients received placebo (10 ml of...

Nutritional support before surgery prevents infections. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Fifty patients scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, an enteral nutrition formula supplemented with L-arginine, omega-3 fatty acids, and yeast RNA (Oral Impact[R], Novartis Nutrition,...

Deception among participants in clinical trials. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... The incidence of intentional dumping of metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) during a clinical trial was assessed in 101 smokers enrolled in The Lung Health Study, a clinical trial to evaluate the effect of regular use of an inhaled bronchodilator on...

Whale oats for a healthy heart. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Eighty-eight patients being treated for hypertension were randomly assigned to consume two whole grain oat-based cereals or two refined grain wheat-based cereals per day for 12 weeks. The oats group received a daily serving of 60 g of Quaker...

Omega-3 fatty acid for depression. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Twenty patients (mean age, 53.4 years) with recurrent unipolar depression, with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) scores of 18 or higher, were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, the ethyl ester of eicosapentaenoic...

Homeopathy for hot flashes a highly effective alternative. (Healing with Homeopathy).
November 1, 2002... Rethinking Synthetic Hormone Replacement The well-crafted bubble of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) has burst with a resounding pop. A number of studies over the years have hinted at problems of synthetic estrogen and progestin use, but...

Web page Potpourri: a column devoted to informative alternative health resources on the internet. (New Column).
November 1, 2002... In this new column I will share great internet resources for the alternative medical community. I'm especially interested in offering sites which are informative, well-designed, disability-accessible, and credible. ...

The war on cancer.
November 1, 2002... Cancer as a Disease of Civilization Is cancer a disease of civilization? Is it related to other diseases that seem to increase with industrialization? If so, what are the implications for people living in the 21st century? Back in the...

More milk myths. (Health Risks and Environmental Issues).
November 1, 2002... The American consciousness has been thoroughly conditioned to believe milk is the perfect food. Fully aware of treading on sacred ground and somewhat apprehensive about backlash from dairy supporters, this writer feels compelled to ask if this...

Oral chelation of the biliary tract and circulatory system in CV disease. (Quantum Medicine Update).
November 1, 2002... Nutraceuticals and vascular biology hold great promise in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular (CV) disease. Clearly, food choices impact gene transcription, protein expression, and enzyme function to determine CV health. As explained...

Dietary restriction: a fundamental key to supporting detoxification and ensuring health and longevity. (Medicinal Properties in Whole Foods).
November 1, 2002... Researchers are continually and consistently proving that Caloric Restriction, an important aspect of most nutritional detoxification programs, retards aging in mammals and reduces the incidence of cancer. Accordingly, appropriate changes can...

Elements of detoxification.
November 1, 2002... Priority One Nutrition Supplements Inc. Toxicity is of much greater concern today then ever before. In the fast paced life-style of the 21st century we are exposed to more refined foods, air pollutants, water pollutants, and chemicals than...

Interview with Arline Brecher on chelation therapy.(Interview)
November 1, 2002... from Laura Lee's, "Conversation for Exploration" Laura Lee: Hi, and welcome to "Conversation for Exploration." I'm your host, Laura Lee. I've been hearing, and reading, about chelation therapy lately. It began when a neighbor of mine...

Homeostatic Soil Organisms as a treatment for chronic disease conditions -- A pilot study.
November 1, 2002... As both a Private Practitioner and College Professor, I have endured a constant avalanche of nutritional supplement product promotions over the past 25 years. The public also is inundated with a host of nutritional gimmicks at every turn....

The Detoxx system: Detoxification of Biotoxins in Chronic Neurotoxic Syndromes.
November 1, 2002... Chronically ill individuals suffering from neurotoxin exposure impacts patient populations with CFIDS, Fibromyalgia, MS, Cardiovascular Disease, Depression, Rheumatoid Arthritis, IBS. Infertility, ALS, Parkinson's, Lyme, Toxic Building...

Far-infrared sauna therapy.
November 1, 2002... Everyone today is exposed to heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Particularly for slow metabolizers, an excellent method to detoxify the body is the far-infrared sauna, Its dry, warming energy is highly compatible with the human body. It heats...

The mitigation of methyl mercury vapor inhalation and exhalation in people with dental amalgam fillings.
November 1, 2002... Source of Inspiration for this Study A metal toxic patient, female, age 42, who had been doing extremely well on a detoxification program, called to report a sudden and inexplicable aggravation of her previous symptoms. The only difference...

The enzyme of enzymes.(Nattokinase )
November 1, 2002... Recently a new metabolic, "biological" enzyme with potent fibrinolytic activity, that rivals pharmaceutical agents, has been discovered and shows great potential in providing support for hypercoagulative states and in supporting the activation...

The beneficial applications of low level laser therapy. (Medical Journalist Report of Innovative Biologics).
November 1, 2002... A medical experiment was conducted in a randomized, crossover, single-blind, placebo-controlled fashion on house painters, typists, computer operators, and other common victims of carpal tunnel syndrome. The results were revealing and provided...

Calcium revisited.
November 1, 2002... Introduction Ask any household in the Western world, 'What is the most important mineral for health?,' and the majority will answer 'Calcium!' Yet, despite this general knowledge about calcium, the average American female obtains well...

High-dose probiotics for detoxification.
November 1, 2002... Abstract The exposure of the human body to toxins often begins before birth as the prenatal is assaulted with compounds derived from air pollutants (cigarette smoke) to ingested chemicals (alcohol and other drugs). Such exposure has been...

Beyond insulin resistance and syndrome X: the oxidative-dysoxygenative insulin dysfunction (ODID) model -- Part III.
November 1, 2002... Darwin, Dysoxygenosis ODID Some readers may have difficulty with the word dysoxygenative in the title of this article. They might accept the evidence I present and my deductive reasoning concerning the oxidative phenomena that lead to...

Correction notices.
November 1, 2002... In the August/September issue of the TLfDP, the article, "Cell Therapy Protein Analysis and Amino Acid Composition" by R. T. Clement, MD had a wrong correspondence address and phone number. (page 122, Aug/Sept. 2002 issue TLfDP.) The...

Coxsackie virus and myocardial infarction. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: In your July 2002 edition, No. 228 on page 114 "Letter to the Editor," Wayne Martin reports on Coxsackie Viral Infection. A coxsackie infection in its more acute form is usually felt by the patient as a cold or influenza, with...

Drinking chlorinated water related to heart attacks. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: Wayne Martin's letter on orthodox medicine and heart disease (TLfDP Aug/Sept. 2002, pages 100-107) is indeed excellent. But on the Pennsylvania town Roseto, he doesn't tell quite the whole story. I cite from "The Negative Health...

Alleged nanobacteria do not cause calcification of arterial plaque. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: Pathologic calcification of atherosclerotic plaque, dental plaque and kidney stones have been attributed to a previously unreported and putative bacterial species, Nanobacterium sanguineum, by Finnish researchers, Kajander and...

The Prudent Diet Doesn't Prevent Heart Attacks -- Part II. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: I am grateful for the publication of my article "The Prudent Diet and Cholesterol Lowering Drugs: Why They Don't Prevent Heart Attacks" in the Aug./Sept. issue. I am also grateful for your kind words about me in your letter in the...

I was a walking time bomb -- full of nitroglycerin. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: At the age of 31, I first developed angina in June 1983. After a medical check-up and stress test, I was admitted to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, for cardiac catheterization that demonstrated 75% of the total coronary arteries...

Alternative Cancer treatments vilified. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: One of the most telling statements in the article "Bad Science + Breast Cancer" by Shannon Brownlee, Discover, August, 2002, page 73 is: "But most doctors had little training in statistics of the design of clinical trials. They...

Motor vehicle licensing. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: I am compelled to write you an e-mail after my recent run-around with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and their "classification" of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus as a "neurological disorder." I suppose a bit of...

Chelation study criticized. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: Many of our patients may have heard about a study published in JAMA, January 23, 2002, that claims to prove that chelation therapy has no benefit over placebo. I implore you to read the publication for yourself and I think you will...

Well water, heavy metal synergy, and impaired child functioning. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: We report the successful treatment of an 11 year-old boy with new sub-acute impairment in mood, behavior and school performance possibly due to well water heavy metal contamination. According to his parents, teachers and...

Heavy metals relationship to behavioral disorders. (Letters to Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: I am interested in the treatment of behavioral disorders such as autism, in children. I recently became aware of the relationship between gastrointestinal development and autism. This discovery, in turn, gave rise to information...

Radiologist readings of mammograms suspect. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: I work in a hospital where the amount of requests for additional films or returns on mammograms, made by the radiologist, is suspect. I can easily estimate that 7 out of 20 mammograms done are recalled for focal compressions and...

Aluminum content of Marine Coral Calcium. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: I have been a subscriber for countless years. Several times I was tempted to suggest various ideas, only to see your initiation of them. I truly appreciate your objective approach to many controversial areas. It is in this very...

Incinerators. (Letters to the Editor).
November 1, 2002... Editor: Emissions Discharge Daily Averages are given in PPMC. PPMC = Parts Per Million Corrected to 7% Oxygen. The atmosphere contains 21% oxygen by volume, so multiply these figures by three. Only three contaminants are monitored for:...

Eat right for your social security number. (Editorial).
November 1, 2002... Recent advances in quantum physics confirm what I have observed clinically for many years: that the optimal diet for a particular individual depends in large part on his or her Social Security number. I have now successfully developed 4...

The ethics of pollution. (Book Corners).
November 1, 2002... Environmentally Induced Illnesses: Ethics, Risk Assessment and Human Rights by Thomas Kerns McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 USA; 800-253-2187 2001, softcover, $39.95, 294 pp. In 1995...

Pathways to health. (Book Corners).
November 1, 2002... Never Be Sick Again by Raymond Francis, MSc with Kester Cotton Health Communications, Inc., 3201 S.W. 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442 USA Quality paperback, 381 pages, $12.95 plus $4.95 postage/handling; Florida residents,...

Selenium and AIDS. (Book Corners).
November 1, 2002... What Really Causes AIDS? by Harold D. Foster, PhD Trafford Publishing, 2333 Government St., Victoria, British Columbia V8T 4P4 Canada; Sales@Trafford.com Paperback 198 pp, free download at www.geocities.com/fosterhd/2002 This is a...

A world view of marijuana. (Book Corners).
November 1, 2002... Marijuana Medicine by Christian Ratsch Healing Arts Press, One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 05767 USA, www.InnerTraditions.com Softbound, ISBN 0-89281-933-2, c. 1998, 204 pp, $24.95 Until the passage of the 1937 Marijuana Tax...

A new approach to allergy-related disease. (Book Corners).
November 1, 2002... CFIDS, Fibromyalgia, and the Virus-Allergy Link Marian Lengio by Bruce Duncan, MD Haworth Medical Press, 10 Alice St., Binghamton, New York 13904 USA; 607-733-5857 Hardbound, ISBN 0-7890-1072-0; $79.95, Softbound ISBN...

Lupus: alternative therapies that work. (Book Notice).
November 1, 2002... Healing Arts Press, $14.95; 800-246-8648 Lupus patients as well as anyone else who is chronically ill, will find a wealth of suggestions here for non-invasive, non-toxic approaches to healing. In this well-written narrative, the author...

Sound health: music as medicine for the new millennium -- Part II.
November 1, 2002... Copyright @2002 by Lily G. Casura. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute this work in any manner or medium without written permission of the author: Lily G. Casura, P.O. Box 50467, Bellevue WA 98015-0467 USA. Email: lily@casura.com. The...

Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology review and commentary.
November 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...

Food safety in anthropological perspective. (Medical Anthropology).
November 1, 2002... www.anthrocode.com timbatchelder@hotmail.com With the recently emerging threat of bio-terrorism in North America, the issue of food safety is becoming more prominent in the American mind. A variety of chemical threats from pesticides...

Pediatrics & post-antibiotic spleen vacuity syndrome. (Chinese Medicine Update).
November 1, 2002... Keywords: Pediatrics, Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, antibiotics, spleen vacuity Within contemporary Chinese pediatrics, a new diagnostic category has appeared in the last few years. Variously referred to as post-external...

Clinical trial with Echinacea polysaccharides. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
November 1, 2002... In an open prospective study with matched historical controls, a polysaccharide fraction isolated from Echinacea purpurea cell cultures was tested to see if it could counter the undesired side effects of cancer chemotherapy. (1) Fifteen...

Estrogenic herbs and hormone-related cancer risk. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
November 1, 2002... Some recent publications have led to concerns being expressed that certain herbs could increase the risk of breast and endometrial cancer. The first publication described a case report of a woman with endometrial adenocarcinoma whose history...

Kava and valerian comparison study. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
November 1, 2002... The first clinical study comparing kava and valerian was recently published. (1) In this study, 24 patients suffering from stress-induced insonmia were treated for six weeks with kava (about 3.0 g of root per day in extract form) and then after...

The cranberry letters. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
November 1, 2002... Two letters have recently been published on the theme of understanding the mechanism of action of cranberry in preventing urinary tract infections. The first letter challenges the hypothesis that proanthocyanidins are responsible for this...

Turmeric and prevention of Alzheimer's disease. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
November 1, 2002... Studies have noted that elderly people living in Indian villages appear to have the lowest incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the world, with just 1% of those aged 65 years and older suffering this terrible condition. Scientists at the...

Tea consumption and deaths from heart attacks. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
November 1, 2002... Heavy tea drinkers, be it black or green, are more likely to survive a heart attack according to a recent survey. (1) Scientists from Harvard surveyed 1900 patients hospitalised with a confirmed heart attack between 1989 and 1994 and then...

Calendar.
November 1, 2002... OCTOBER 24: FIRSTLINE THERAPY[TM] THERAPEUTIC LIFESTYLE PROGRAM in Phoenix, Arizona. Also, DECEMBER 3 in Denver, Colorado; DECEMBER 4 in Mississauga, Ontario; DECEMBER 5 in Schaumburg, Illinois. CONTACT: Metagenics, 800-692-9400 (US)/...

Perimenopause and menopause alternatives to conventional HRT for symptom management. (Women's Health Update).
November 1, 2002... In light of the recent new research from the HERS II and WHI studies, I thought it was a good time to review some of the botanical, nutritional and hormonal alternatives to conventional hormone replacement therapy. Natural therapies are...

The effects of dietary lithium upon mood and behavior. (Nutritional Influences on Illness).
November 1, 2002... While often effective in treating serious emotional disorders, lithium at pharmacologic doses (generally 900,000 micrograms or more daily) has serious limitations due to many potential side effects, some of which are common. Moreover, because...