Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients back issues from June 2002:
Deciding whether to pursue an alternative cancer therapy.
Jun 01, 2002; ... For most of the past 15 years, I have worked along with Nicholas Gonzalez, MD, offering a nutritionally-based therapy to patients with cancer and other degenerative diseases. We realized very quickly that patients who had not thought through their treatment choice rarely stuck ...
What can we do about pain?(excerpt from Cancer Saved My Life)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Excerpted from the book, Cancer Saved My Life. I am a longtime survivor of cancer and what I have learned about living through that experience has enriched my life in many ways. In the book, Cancer Saved My Life, I tell my story about breast cancer which metastasized to the ...
Breast examinations. (Shorts).
Jun 01, 2002; ... In a 2001 article for the International Journal of Health Services (Vol. 31, No. 3; pp 605-615), Samuel S. Epstein, Rosalie Bertell, and Barbara Seaman advocate annual clinical breast examination (CBE) by a trained health professional and monthly breast self-examination in place of ...
Pain Care. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Fears of federal prosecution and lack of medical training in the area of pain relief have made many physicians reluctant to prescribe potentially addictive painkillers. As a result, studies show that many patients suffer unnecessarily. In one case, family survivors of a man who died from ...
The Kelley metabolic Cancer Cure. (Shorts).
Jun 01, 2002; ... The handbook Cancer Cure summarizes the metabolic therapy protocol developed by William D. Kelley, DDS, MS. The authors of the 2002 edition are listed as Carol Morrison-Kelley, MD, FACC ,Kathy P. Fairbanks, PhD, & William D. Kelley, DDS, MS. The program includes a diet of raw foods, ...
Laetrile. (Shorts).
Jun 01, 2002; ... When Helen M. Curran was diagnosed with melanoma that had spread to her liver in 1978, her doctor expected her to die within a few months. Twenty-five years later, her book Apricot Power: How Laetrile Cured My Cancer (ISBN 0-9642185-0-X) is in its third printing, and Mrs. Curran is still ...
Federal crackdown on Medicinal Marijuana. (Shorts).
Jun 01, 2002; ... In May 2001, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that medical necessity does not exempt marijuana users and distributors from federal prosecution under the Controlled Substance Act -- even in states that permit medical use of marijuana. The Court focused solely on 'medical necessity' ...
High incidence of Mastectomy. (Shorts).
Jun 01, 2002; ... Diana Zuckerman, PhD, author of "The Need for Improved Informed Consent for Breast Cancer Patients" (Journal of the American Medical Women's Association, Fall 2000, 55: 285-289), reports that far too many American women with early stage breast cancer undergo mastectomies rather than the ...
Mammography. (Shorts).
Jun 01, 2002; ... In The Atlantic Monthly (June 1996), David Plotkin, MD questions the value of routine mammography screening in his article "Good News and Bad News About Breast Cancer." He explains at some length the factors that may skew results in mammography studies. For example, women who have routine ...
Cancer & Radiation. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... According to a three-part series in Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly [www.rachel.org; #691-693; April 2000], radiation from unnecessary diagnostic X-rays and nuclear waste/fallout is the major factor in the development of cancer. Researchers and medical doctors have been aware of the ...
Cancer treatment affects sexual activity. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... In an article for Breast Cancer Action's newsletter, Lauren John points out that breast cancer patients are rarely counseled about the effect that surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy can have on their enjoyment of sex. Part of the problem lies in the lack of information about safe ways to ...
Sugar & Cancer. (Shorts).(connection between high blood sugar and tumor growth)
Jun 01, 2002; ... An article posted on The Alternative Research Foundation website (http://cat007.com) says that high blood sugar levels promote tumor growth. The article refers to the work of the 1931 German Nobel laureate Otto Warburg, PhD. Dr. Warburg discovered that "malignant tumors frequently exhibit ...
Double-Blind Clinical Trials. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Since the 1954 Cornell conference on "How to evaluate a new drug," randomized double-blind studies (in which neither the experimenters nor the subjects know who receives the test drug and who receives a placebo) have been extolled as the way to neutralize the placebo effect and provide an ...
US mad cow risks. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... A Wall Street Journal article by Steve Stecklow discusses practices that may make the US susceptible to outbreaks of mad cow disease. So far, 18 countries have reported cases of mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in domestic cattle herds. Animal feed that contains ground-up ...
Lycopene and saw palmetto treatment of prostate cancer. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... A 62-year-old man with androgen-independent metastatic prostate cancer that had failed to respond to multiple treatment regimens stopped all conventional therapy and began 10 mg/day of lycopene and 300 mg of saw palmetto 3 times per day. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level decreased ...
Flaxseed and prostate cancer. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Twenty-five men with prostate cancer who were awaiting prostatectomy were prescribed a low-fat diet (maximum fat content, 20% of total energy) supplemented with 30 g/day of ground flaxseed, with added stabilizers to prevent rancidity. The mean duration of diet therapy was 33.7 days (range, ...
Treatment of breast cancer with coenzyme Q10. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Two patients with metastatic breast cancer were treated with 390 mg/day of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ1O). One of the patients was a 44-year-old woman with numerous liver metastases. After taking CoQ1O for 11 months, all of the liver metastases had disappeared and the patient was reported to be in ...
Flaxseed and breast cancer. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Women with newly diagnosed breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, a muffin containing 25 g of flaxseed (n = 23) or a control muffin (n = 16) for a mean of approximately 5.5 weeks. The frequency of ingestion of the muffin was not stated. Biopsies taken at ...
Prescription remedy that leaves one cold. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... This news report begins with the bold claim that "a cure for the common cold was, for the first time, shown safe and effective in phase III studies." The new treatment is pleconaril, an antiviral drug that, at the time the report was written, was being evaluated for possible approval by ...
Biotin needed during pregnancy. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Twenty-six pregnant women (10 in early pregnancy [6-17 weeks] and 16 in late pregnancy [21-37 weeks]) with increased urinary excretion of 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid (3-HIA), a finding suggestive of biotin deficiency, were randomly assigned to receive 300 mcg/day of biotin or placebo for 14 ...
Ginkgo for schizophrenia. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... One hundred-nine inpatients with chronic, treatment-resistant schizophrenia (mean age, 44 years; mean duration of illness, 21 years) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, haloperidol (0.25 mg/kg/day) plus Ginkgo biloba extract (containing 24% ginkgo heterosides; 360 ...
Does iron deficiency anemia cause recurrent ear infections? (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Six hundred-eighty children with frequent episodes of acute otitis media (mean, 8.3 episodes per year) were studied. The mean hemoglobin concentration was significantly lower in these children than in 200 children with no history of infection (11.4 vs. 13.1 g/dl; p < 0.01). One-fifth of ...
The Lancet debate. (The War on Cancer).(do cancer patients understand informed consent forms?)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... In late March, Lancet published my letter criticizing an article advocating the use of radiation as a treatment for rectal cancer (Lancet 2002;359:1068-69). I questioned the value of giving a treatment that has repeatedly been shown not to extend overall survival, but to have serious ...
The virtues of beer.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... On another note, I want to talk about some foods that can have a preventive effect on cancer. For example, there is beer, a drink that gets a bad rap. You will recall that on the last day of the 2002 Winter Olympics there was a riot. Salt Lake City police, using non-lethal crowd dispersal ...
Chocolate: food of the gods.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Another surprising entry in the health food category is chocolate. The Aztec King Tezozomoc regarded it as a divine substance: he offered distinguished guests cocoa in a tortoise shell. Chocolate is a reputed aphrodisiac. Montezuma is said to have drunk chocolate before entering his harem ....
Dandelion: bane or boon? (War on Cancer).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Now that the warm weather is upon us, so too are the dandelions. They are the bane of the gardener, but a boon to those who trust in herbal medicine. Dandelion's botanical name is Taraxacum, from the Greek words for disorder (taraxos) and remedy (akos). Its common name is ...
Chinese medicine & bone marrow suppression. (Chinese Medicine Update).
Jun 01, 2002; ... All the various cells of the immune system are first produced in the bone marrow. Because most chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of cancer only kill cells which are dividing and cell division is extremely active in the bone marrow, most of this class of Western drugs also kill ...
Breast and prostate cancer: a look at the environment. (Health Risks and Environmental Issues).
Jun 01, 2002; ... Breast and prostate cancer rates are highest among the industrialized nations of North America and Europe. The diagnosis of prostate cancer in men has surpassed the diagnosis of breast cancer in women, although deaths are almost equal from each disease. A common element shared by both men ...
The anthropology of breast cancer: CAM usage, narrative methods, and evolutionary tactics. (Medical Anthropology).(complementary and alternative medicine)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Alternative therapies are extremely popular among women with breast cancer. But what are some of the reasons and decision-making processes that go into choosing an alternative therapy? In this column, we look at several qualitative studies that have asked this question. We will also ...
Breast cancer considerations to assist the practitioner in clinical recommendations. (Women's Health Update).
Jun 01, 2002; ... Practitioners and patients confront several poignant issues in the prevention, diagnosis and management of breast cancer. What is the role of dietary fat in our risk of breast cancer? Are screening mammograms beneficial or not? Is soy safe in the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal ...
US book details benefits of natural medicine in Japan: AHCC -- The Japanese Medicinal Mushroom Immune Enhancer.
Jun 01, 2002 ... Dan Kenner, PhD, LAc, Alternative Health Care Consultant, completed the first book in the United States on AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound), a Japanese medicinal mushroom extract used to boost the immune system. "With today's abundance of new nutritional supplements and ...
New technology replaces tooth brushing and flossing.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002 ... Air Force, Inc. announces the launch of dental air force, the first and only product of its kind that replaces both tooth brushing and flossing. The brushless electrical appliance uses a precision jet of air, water and dental cleaner to power wash teeth, between teeth and along the gum ...
Effective treatment for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome: 2 milestones substantiate effective treatment is now available.(Health Media Alert)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002 ... 1) Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum's double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study recently published in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (vol 8, number 2); and 2) Acceptance of this treatment as standard of practice in the Journal of the American Academy of Pain Management, ...
Adapted from Last Four Verses of the Isha Upanishad.(Poem)
Jun 01, 2002; ... <Pre> Adapted from Last Four Verses of the Isha Upanishad. The threshold of Reality is veiled by golden light Lord, reveal it, for my path is to know the Truth. You are like the brilliant sun, Take off your shining cover. So that I may see you and know that your Spirit is within ...
Phytoestrogens and thyroid cancer risk: the San Francisco Bay Area thyroid cancer study.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Epidemiological and pathological data suggest that thyroid cancer may well be an estrogen-dependent disease. The relationship between thyroid cancer risk and dietary phytoestrogens, which can have both estrogenic and antiestrogenic properties, has not been previously studied. We present ...
Jerome Stevens Pharmaceuticals files claims against FDA for 1.3 billion dollars.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002 ... On March 26, 2002, Jerome Stevens Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (JSP, Inc.), manufacturers of the FDA-approved thyroid drug Unithroid[TM], filed a claim under the Tort Claims Act with the Food and Drug Administration. JSP, Inc. seeks $1.3 billion for FDA's unlawful publication of its trade secrets ...
Clinical Phase II study on Japanese botanical formula "Sho-Saiko-to" for treating liver cancer to begin in New York.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002 ... Prestigious New York Research Institution Selects Sho-Saiko-To from Honso Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, a Modern-day Japanese Formula Using Ancient Chinese Herbs A Japanese formulation comprised of seven Chinese herbs will be studied by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center ...
Alternative Cancer treatment.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002 ... Dr Phillip Minton, MD, has licensed his protocols for the natural treatment of various types of cancer to Lifextension, Inc. for use by Advanced Alternatives Cancer Centers. Advanced Alternatives Cancer Centers are worldwide leaders in genetic healing of cancer -- a process ...
Internet libel suit is tossed out; Decency Act protection cited by DuPage Judge.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... A judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the protection given website operators who distribute allegedly defamatory material. In tossing out the complaint by a critic of alternative medicine who claimed the websites libeled him by posting his detractors' opinions, DuPage ...
Fluoridation and cancer.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Fluoride added to public water supplies may be linked to cancer, suggests two new studies. "The likelihood of fluoride acting as a genetic cause of cancer requires consideration," writes Takahashi and colleagues in the July 2001 Journal of Epidemiology (1) who found that 23 of ...
Tai Sophia Institute announces changes in Botanical Healing program.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002 ... Tai Sophia Institute (the new name for the expanded Traditional Acupuncture Institute) has made adjustments to the format of its new Master's program in Botanical Healing to create more flexibility for students. As a direct result of student requests, the format of the Botanical Healing ...
Probiotics and cancer.(The Probiotic Solution)(Excerpt)
Jun 01, 2002; ... From the forthcoming book: The Probiotic Solution Cancer is a group of many related diseases that begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. To understand cancer, it is helpful to know what happens when normal cells become cancerous. The body is made up of many ...
Pseudotumor cerebri due to aspartame disease.
Jun 01, 2002; ... Abstract Objectives. Clinical insights concerning a remediable cause of pseudotumor cerebri (benign intracranial hypertension) due to aspartame disease. Materials and Methods. Observations of six women with pseudotumor cerebri who consumed considerable aspartame ...
Planting the Future -- saving our medicinal herbs. (Book Notice).
Jun 01, 2002; ... Native medicinal plant populations in the United States are suffering from loss of habitat and over-harvesting. Many of the most important native medicinal plants -- those used for human healing for thousands of years -- are at risk. Familiar bestselling wild herbs are on the United Plant ...
Naturopathic approach to hypertension.
Jun 01, 2002; ... High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the leading causes of disability or death due to stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney failure. It's also the most common chronic illness Americans face. Yearly expenses related directly or indirectly to the treatment and detection of ...
Overcoming oncologists' objections: safe & effective non-drug support for prostate and breast cancers.
Jun 01, 2002; ... Patients with prostate and breast cancer often are faced with a discouraging dilemma. Many people diagnosed with cancer have spent a great deal of time seeking out and researching the medical literature relating to their diseases. Ultimately, they encounter the large body of published ...
Radiation nullifies the Pauling cure.
Jun 01, 2002; ... The ignorance of modern cardiology is vast. Medical researchers are now headed down a bizarre path that subjects trusting heart patients to high-dose radiation pellets in their arteries! Barcelona-High-dose beta radiation, delivered along with balloon angioplasty or stenting, ...
The nearest thing to a perfect food: part 2.(eggs)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Hot scrambling exposes the cholesterol in eggs to the dangerous combination of oxygen and high heat. Molecules of oxygen and cholesterol then combine to make what are called oxysterols. (1) (Cold scrambling before heating is much safer.) Spray drying generates oxysterols. Spray ...
Memory enhancing effect of Bacopa confirmed in trial. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... An Australian clinical trial examined the long-term effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera on cognitive function in 46 healthy human volunteers. (1) The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled design in which subjects were randomly allocated to receive Bacopa or placebo. ...
Ginkgo and Korean ginseng combined boost brainpower. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... While on the topic of boosting brainpower, a study described in press releases as a "landmark clinical trial" found that a combination of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and Ginkgo' (Ginkgo biloba) can significantly enhance mental performance in healthy, middle-aged people. The 14-week, ...
Grape seed extract and chronic pancreatitis. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... It is known that oxygen-derived free radicals (reactive oxygen species) mediate tissue damage in acute and chronic pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is also associated with lower levels of utilization. Two US-based clinicians hypothesized that grape seed extract, being a powerful antioxidant, ...
Gymnema and diabetes. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 2002; ... Gymnema sylvestre is a liana or climbing plant with stems up to 8 m in length. It grows in open woods and bushland at an altitude of 100-1000 m in India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and South Africa: Both the leaf and root are used in Ayurvedic medicine. Because ...
Angiogenesis and P-glycoprotein: their roles in cancer.
Jun 01, 2002; ... Introduction Cancer is a pandemic disorder for which the incidence rate constantly increases. Several factors such as nutrition, exposure to environmental stresses and genetic background are known to influence the rate of cancer and the pattern of organs afflicted. Cancer ...
The skinny on fats & breast cancer.
Jun 01, 2002; ... In today's nutritional world, fat has become a dirty word. Women in particular are encouraged to eat a low-fat diet to help prevent breast cancer, as well as other ailments, including other cancers. Animal fats such as butter have taken a terrible beating in the media over the past few ...
Shark cartilage Okay for hypertensives? (Letters to the Editor).
Jun 01, 2002 ... Editor: I read Nelson Kraucak's article in the Townsend regarding Pressure-FX with great enthusiasm since treating hypertension from a natural bend has not always been easy. I'd like your input on a concern that I have about the shark cartilage component. The concern ...
Research flawed on vitamin C causing DNA damage. (Letters to the Editor).
Jun 01, 2002 ... Editor: Most people who refer to vitamin C causing DNA damage are referring to a report in Science Magazine by Ian Blair. I challenged Blair's assertions, and a shortened version of the following letter was published in Science .... June 15, 2001 To: Ian ...
Lab to test Omega 3/6 levels. (Letters to the Editor).
Jun 01, 2002 ... Editor: My wife has been eating a strict vegan diet for several years and I am concerned about her protein and Omega 3 and 6 levels. I know that blood amino acid levels can be tested but don't know which lab is ...
Critique of the Calgary PATCH study using EDTA chelation to treat heart disease. (Letters to the Editor).
Jun 01, 2002 ... Editor: In January, 2002, the American Medical Association published a deceptively worded and blatantly unscientific clinical trial alleging to disprove benefit from EDTA chelation as a treatment for heart disease -- the so-called Calgary PATCH study. (1) Nowhere do they ...
On theophylline and evening primrose oil in the treatment of cancer. (Letters to the Editor).
Jun 01, 2002 ... Editor: This is to go back 25 years in time to pick up a suggested simple and harmless way to treat cancer, I refer to a report in The Lancet in 1975. There was a letter in the February 8, 1975 issue, p. 341 by Joseph Wybran and Andree Govaerts of the Hospital St ....
The need for objective testing in your complementary medicine practice. (Letters to the Editor).
Jun 01, 2002 ... Editor: Why not have tools that make practicing complementary medicine objective, reproducible, and motivational for your patients? Yes, there is a CBC and Blood Chemistry that you can run. This is a good test as long as you don't use the normal ranges on these tests to tell you ...
Selenium as a protectant. (Letters to the Editor).
Jun 01, 2002 ... Editor: There is much in the news of late about a few deaths from the West Nile virus and the equine encephalomyelitis virus. It may be possible to protect one from these viral infections by a very simple means. I have developed a friendship with Professor Harold ...
Use of flower essences as possible resistance enhancing agents vs infectious conditions.(Letter to the Editor)
Jun 01, 2002 ... Editor: Many advocates of vibrational medicine (including myself) believe that flower essences can be successfully used to alleviate negative psychological patterns; many of us believe that these negative psychological patterns can inhibit optimal neuroendocrine and immune ...
Nutritional support for the prostate gland.
Jun 01, 2002; ... Saw palmetto (serenoa serrulata) berries are obtained from plants that grow in the sandy soil of South Carolina all the way around the coast of Florida to the west Texas coast. Saw palmetto is a dwarf palm tree that grows to a height of 6 to 10 feet. Native American Indians gathered the ...
A drug in search of a disease. (Editorial).(Picovir)
Jun 01, 2002; ... For many years, vitamin E was disparagingly referred to as "the vitamin in search of a disease." Beginning in the 1940s, vitamin E was reported to be effective for the treatment of a wide range of health conditions, but the conventional medical community was not convinced it [vitamin E, ...
Balancing hormones and breast cancer. (Book Corners).(What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer)
Jun 01, 2002; ... What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer by John R. Lee, MD, David Zava, PhD and Virginia Hopkins Warner Books, Inc., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 USA Hardcover, 2002, $29.95, 410 pp. In North America, a ...