Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients back issues from August 2002:
Letter from the publisher.(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002 ... We hope that you had a chance to take a nice summer vacation. My wife (Deborah), daughter (Affinity), son (Sam) and I joined doctors and their families at the American Biologics conference in Rhodes and Crete, Greece in June and early July. We can wholeheartedly recommend a leisurely ...
Dr. David Perlmutter receives Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Award.(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Naples, Florida-based neurologist David Perlmutter, MD received the prestigious Linus Pauling Award at the Ninth International Symposium on Functional Medicine The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) is an organization dedicated to providing educational activities and ...
Earth Day Award.(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Steve Tvedten, national expert on alternatives to toxic pesticides was given an "Earth Day Award" by the Cancer Awareness Coalition, Inc. of New Paltz, New York. Mr. Tvedten of Michigan has been a strong voice and major player in the campaign to replace toxic pesticides with ...
Apitherapist uses bee venom to treat arthritis.(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... Gripping its body with a pair of tweezers, Reyah Carlson brushed a honeybee's striped bottom against Lynda McGill's arm. The insect stung McGill's elbow, leaving a speck-sized yellow venom sack that continued to pump like a tiny heart. "It kind of hurts, but it's like a good ...
US Congress considers bill to ban mercury fillings!(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002 ... HR 4163: Representative Diane Watson (D-CA) & Representative Dan Burton (R-IN) [Introduced on 10 April 2002 (see http://Thomas.loc.gov)] * Immediate ban on the use of mercury/silver amalgam fillings in children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. * Require health ...
Take a hint from those with lactose intolerance: limit problem foods from your diet.(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... For some people, beans and other fiber-rich foods are troublemakers. For others, it's milk and ice cream. But millions of Americans who suffer from chronic, painful bloating and gas don't know what triggers their intestinal insurrections. It turns out that for many, sugars ...
Thousands walking towards better health through the "Conchathons" fitness program.(http://www.walkwithremar.com)
Aug 01, 2002 ... In February columnist and consumer advocate, Remar Sutton, asked everybody to start walking--just fifteen minutes a day--and promised a dolphin or at least a tropical sunset at the end of the walk. Ten weeks later, almost 3,000 people have heard Sutton's call to get walking ....
Dr. Julian M. Whitaker petitions FDA to include Co-enzyme Q10 use recommendation in all statin drug labeling.(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002 ... On May 23, 2002, Dr. Julian M. Whitaker filed two citizens' petitions with the Food and Drug Administration. The petitions call on the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to change the labeling of all HMG Co-A reductase inhibitor drugs (the so-called statin drugs), and to issue a Medication ...
Physician supply and demand: to recruit physicians in today's hot specialties, employers are being forced to open their minds as well as their wallets.
Aug 01, 2002 ... Recently, a large multi-specialty group in the Midwest, seeking to hire a gastroenterologist, was surprised that their offer of $250,000 elicited no suitable candidates. It wasn't until they sweetened the pot to $350,000 -- plus a $35,000 signing bonus -- that the caliber of physician they ...
Arginine & heart disease. (Shorts).(arganine use as a preventative for blood platelet aggregation)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... According to the article "Should You Replace Your Daily Aspirin with Arginine?" by Owen R. Fonorow, the amino acid arginine can reduce platelet aggregation. Platelet aggregation prevents blood loss by forming clots during injuries, yet too much clumping in blood vessels increases the risk ...
Chelation therapy. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... An article in the Miami Herald, dated March 8, 2001, announced a new study on the cardiovascular effects of EDTA chelation therapy, to be led by Dr. Gervasio A. Lamas. Dr. Lamas is the director of cardiovascular research and academic affairs at Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart ...
Synthetic progesterone & heart disease. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... According to an article in Science News (March 8, 1997), animal and human studies indicate that medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a synthetic progesterone commonly prescribed for postmenopausal women in the US, counteracts the cardiovascular benefits of estrogen therapy. In one ...
Smaller heart-lung machine. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... A new heart-lung by-pass machine called CORx System is now being used at Cleveland Clinic. The CORx System, manufactured by CardioVention Inc. (Santa Clara, California), is smaller than traditional machines. In addition to oxygenating and pumping blood when the heart is stopped during ...
Cocoa prevents hypertension. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... According to a press release from Mars Incorporated, research funded by the candy bar manufacturer and the American Cocoa Research Institute indicates that flavonols (a flavonoid subgroup) in the cocoa bean prevent age-related hypertension. In one study, Norman Hollenberg, MD, PhD, ...
Hospitals raise rates. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... After years of managed care organizations having the power to set hospital costs, the power has shifted to large hospital chains. An example of this shift has occurred in Houston, Texas, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal (April 12,2002). HCA, Inc. owns 10 hospitals in ...
Parathyroid hypertensive factor. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... Dr. Jonathan Wright's Nutrition & Healing newsletter (January 1996) had an interview with Dr. Peter K. T. Pang, Professor Emeritus, and former Professor and Chair, of the Department of Physiology at Canada's University of Alberta (Edmonton). While studying calcium levels in the body, Dr ....
Grapefruit pectin and cholesterol levels. (Shorts).(reduction of cholesterol levels with grapefruit)
Aug 01, 2002; ... Small preliminary studies using miniature swine indicate that grapefruit pectin can reduce arterial blockage and, in some cases, cholesterol levels. The studies were sponsored or co-sponsored by Florida Department of Citrus. In one study, Dr. James J. Cerda and colleagues found that giving ...
Polyvinyl chloride & breast milk. (Shorts).
Aug 01, 2002; ... The electronic edition of Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #658 (July 8, 1999) contains an essay by biologist/ecologist and cancer activist Sandra Steingraber. The essay comes from the book Protecting Public Health & the Environment: Implementing the Precautionary Principle by the ...
Sea salt. (Shorts).
Aug 01, 2002; ... In a salt marsh in Portugal's national park Ria Formosa, sea salt is collected manually from small clay-bottomed pans. Using a centuries-old practice, marenotos (salt gatherers) use gravity and gates to control the flow of seawater into channels that flow to progressively smaller and ...
Vitamin C & congestive heart failure. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... A "Health Note" in Dr. Robert Jay Rowen's newsletter Second Opinion (December 2001) concerns a study by Stefanie Dimmeler, PhD and colleagues. This study, published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation (October 30, 2001), found that vitamin C reduces the amount of ...
The energetics of the heart. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... The Institute of HeartMath (IHM) is dedicated to studying the energetics of the human heart. HeartMath researchers have documented a correspondence between incoherent, ragged heart rhythms and stress and negative emotions, such as anger, frustration, and anxiety. Similarly, emotions like ...
Problem with American Heart Association "Step 1" diet. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends the so-called "Step 1" diet to reduce elevated serum cholesterol levels. This diet allows a maximum of 30% of energy from fat (with less than 10% of total energy from saturated fat) and is high in carbohydrates. To assess the effect of this ...
Can food allergy trigger myocardial infarction? (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... Seventy-six patients who had experienced a myocardial infarction before age 45 (mean age, 39 years) were studied. Fourteen of these patients (18%) had increased levels of circulating immune complexes (CICs) at least three years after the acute event. In contrast, only 5% of age-matched ...
Does vitamin K deficiency cause arteries to calcify? (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... The relationship between vitamin K status and coronary artery calcification (determined by electron-beam computed tomography) was assessed in 600 men (aged 50-70 years) who had no symptoms of atherosclerosis. There was no linear relationship between vitamin K status and coronary ...
Soy isoflavones relieve menopausal symptoms and improve lipid levels. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... Eighty women (aged 45-55 years) with menopausal symptoms were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 100 mg/day of soy isoflavones in three divided doses or placebo for four months. After four months, there was a significant decrease in menopausal symptoms (as determined by ...
Soy does not relieve menopausal symptoms: bad treatment or bad research? (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... One hundred twenty-three postmenopausal women with breast cancer and moderate hot flashes were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 250 ml twice daily of a soy beverage (providing 90 mg/day of isoflavones) or an isoflavone-free placebo beverage for 12 weeks. Both groups ...
Fungus allergy as a cause of sinusitis. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... Two hundred-ten consecutive patients with chronic sinusitis, of whom 101 were treated surgically, were studied. Fungal cultures of nasal secretions were positive in 202(96%) of the patients. Candida albicans was cultured in 15.4%, Alternaria in 44.3%, Penicillium in 43.3%, Cladosporium, in ...
Wheat grass juice for ulcerative colitis. (Literature Review & Commentary).
Aug 01, 2002; ... Twenty-three patients (mean age, 35.3 years) with active distal ulcerative colitis were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, wheat grass (Triticum aestivum) juice or placebo (matched with wheat grass juice for appearance, but not for taste or smell) for 1 month. The wheat ...
Diet and exercise improves hepatitis C. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2002; ... Nineteen obese patients with hepatitis C participated in a 12-week diet and exercise program with the goal of achieving weight loss of 0.5 kg per week. After 12 weeks, there was a mean weight loss of 5.9 kg. In 16 of the 19 patients, serum ALT levels fell progressively during the study. Of ...
Frequently occurring &/or Multifocal Premature Ventricular Beats & Chinese Medicine. (Chinese Medicine Update).
Aug 01, 2002; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, premature ventricular beats In issue #2, 2002 of Ji Lin Zhong Yi Yao (Jilin Chinese Medicine & Medicinals), Li Yue-chun and Mao Gang published an article titled, "A Survey of the Therapeutic Efficacy of San Shen San Huang San ...
Heart disease and environment. (Health Risks and Environmental Issues).
Aug 01, 2002; ... Heart disease and stroke kill 40% of Americans, all of which may result from malnutrition. We are overfed and undernourished. Obesity, even among children, is becoming a major health problem. At least 60% of children and young adults have early atherosclerotic damage. (1) Heart ...
The war on cancer.
Aug 01, 2002; ... Everything about the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in May was huge. There were 26,000 attendees, many of whom came from Europe, Latin America and Asia. For nearly a week they converged on Orlando's convention center, to hear thousands of lectures, ...
Heart disease, obesity and modernization. (Medical Anthropology).
Aug 01, 2002; ... Heart disease is perhaps more than most others a disease of modernization. From increasing inactivity to worsened dietary and environmental quality, many factors contribute to this condition in modern societies. Anthropologists look at this disease in its total context from cultural to ...
Whole food protection: regulating insulin levels and preventing atherosclerosis. (Medicinal Properties in Whole Foods).
Aug 01, 2002; ... "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 practitioners, laypersons, and the popular media use these ...
Cardiovascular activity of garlic powder products. (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
Aug 01, 2002; ... Garlic (Allium sativum) is a well-known culinary and therapeutic herb which has been used since ancient times in many parts of the world. A feature of the Alliaceae family is the presence of allylic sulfides. These are sulfur-containing compounds responsible for the characteristic smell of ...
Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology review and commentary.("unity of mental, neurological, hormonal and immune functions")
Aug 01, 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 definition) on the central nervous system and ...
Selenoproteins, stealth infections, and faulty brain proprioception in cardiovascular disease. (Quantum Medicine Update).
Aug 01, 2002; ... Over one-fifth of Americans suffer from cardiovascular (CV) disease. Although medicine has made progress towards lengthening the life and functionality of the human heart, approximately one in every four deaths in the United States is due to coronary artery disease. Despite many mainstream ...
My turn: a doctor's case of high blood pressure.
Aug 01, 2002; ... It was January of 1977, a cold morning in St. Louis, just 5 years after leaving my residency and 4 years after starting long studies in Complementary Medicine of clinical acupuncture, clinical homeopathy, bioenergetic diagnosis of Drs. Voll, and Morel of Germany and nutrition. I have done ...
Audit of the York Nutritional Laboratory survey.
Aug 01, 2002 ... This report contains an independent audit of the York Nutritional Laboratory survey conducted by the Department of Health Studies University of York on behalf of the British Allergy Foundation Background Adverse reactions to food can cause a range of symptoms ...
Interview with Elizabeth Baker.(interview with author of several natural nutrition book who overcame Addison's disease and colorectal cancer with diet therapy)
Aug 01, 2002; ... Nearly nine years ago I first met Elizabeth Baker, Dr. Jonathan Wright, in whose clinic I was a nutritionist for eight years, had invited her to demonstrate the preparation of raw foods for his many patients. "Uncook something different," he had told her. I opened the clinic door to a ...
Clinically proven treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome RM-10[TM]: the newest breakthrough in immune system enhancement--Part 3. (Medical Journalist Report of Innovative Biologics).
Aug 01, 2002; ... You can overcome generalized tiredness, disabling fatigue or outright exhaustion and restore high-level wellness to the body and mind. One's ability to conquer symptoms and signs of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is proven by a newly completed, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind ...
Beyond insulin resistance and syndrome X: the oxidative-dysoxygenative insulin dysfunction (ODID) model.(part 1)
Aug 01, 2002; ... Abstract Oxidative-dysoxygenative insulin dysfunction (ODID) is defined as impairment of any or all aspects of insulin production and metabolism caused by oxidative injury to any or all molecular pathways in which insulin serves any pathophysiologic roles. This definition ...
The long neglected theory of cardiovascular and heart disease.
Aug 01, 2002; ... "Vitamin C has been under investigation, reported in thousands of scientific papers, ever since it was discovered (circa) fifty years ago. Even though some physicians had observed forty or fifty years ago that amounts a hundred to a thousand times larger (than the RDA) have value in ...
The prudent heart diet and cholesterol lowering drugs: why they don't prevent heart disease. (Orthodox Medicine & Heart Disease).
Aug 01, 2002; ... I cannot turn on the TV without seeing an ad for a drug to reduce serum cholesterol in order to reduce the risk of having a heart attack caused by myocardial infarction (MI). I wonder if these ads may be fostering cancer in an attempt to prevent MI .... Let us look at two studies that ...
The Beard centenary.
Aug 01, 2002; ... June 21 marked the centenary of The Lancet's publication of "Embryological Aspects and Etiology of Carcinoma" by the Scottish embryologist John Beard (1858-1924). (1) This paper, and half a dozen that followed, presented a novel theory and treatment of cancer. While Beard's work has long ...
A pilot study comparing AAACa a calcium citrate supplementation in menopausal US women.
Aug 01, 2002; ... Summary Over the years there has been considerable attention given to the issue of calcium effectiveness and bioavailability. In this small (N11). four week pilot study, the novel Japanese form of calcium (AAACa) was compared with calcium citrate. AAACa is a unique Japanese form ...
An appeal for clean air in the workplace.
Aug 01, 2002; ... (A Review of Medical-Legal Issues Surrounding the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome) Medical-Legal Issues During years of practice in the field of environmental medicine I have seen many patients that I believe were made ill by airborne chemical exposures in the ...
Natural approach to migraine headaches.
Aug 01, 2002; ... 28 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. Migraines account for an enormous loss of time from work, school and daily activities. A significant majority of patients report severe disability due to migraine headaches. 80% of the patients rate the debilitating headaches as severe, ...
Cell therapy protein analysis and amino acid composition.
Aug 01, 2002; ... Cell therapy is a therapy based on the injectable and/or oral absorption of healthy live cells or modified cells such as freeze-dried cells derived from human or animal organs or embryos. It is sometimes called fresh or live cell therapy depending on the source material and the preparation ...
The clinical benefits of Acetyl-L-Carnitine.
Aug 01, 2002; ... Nutrition can play an important role in promoting brain wellness. The older we are, the more likely we are to suffer from cognitive loss. While some survive into their sixth and seventh decades with good mental function, this becomes less likely as we age further. Decline is almost ...
Standardized hawthorn extract WS 1442 -- herbal approach to congestive heart failure.
Aug 01, 2002; ... The development of a standardized extract of hawthorn leaves and flowers in Europe has led to a novel approach to the treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF). Clinical trials with an extract standardized to oligomeric procyanidins (WS 1442) have successfully demonstrated improved ...
Bio-energetic medicine is sufficiently mature to be incorporated into standard medical practice.
Aug 01, 2002; ... This material was presented at the International Institute for Advanced Studies in Systems Research and cybernetics at their meeting in Baden Baden, Germany on August 2-7, 2000 where Dr. Schuldt was one of the panelists. Standard medicine in most developed countries is highly ...
Correction notice.(to 'The Nearest Thing to a Perfect Food,' in issue #227)(Correction Notice)
Aug 01, 2002 ... In "'The Nearest Thing to a Perfect Food" article (issue #227) I wrote that coconut milk contains too much sugar. Correct information came from Michael Babcock mbabc@earthlink.net, whose Thai wife teaches Thai cooking. Coconut milk/cream from www.thaifoodandtravel.com/ ...
Soy Controversy.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: Just a few thoughts about Nancy Beckham's letter in the April 2002 Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. 1) Although Beckham cited a study about contemporary Japanese soy consumption of 3 to 4 ounces of soy a day, I have yet to see a writer cite any ...
Cocoa butter composition requires correction. (Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: Ralph W. Moss, PhD writes in the Townsend Letter in his June 2002 column "The War on Cancer" in "Chocolate: Foodfor the Gods" (page 33) that "[c]ocoa butter is mainly stearic triglyceride ..." Dr. Moss has been given incorrect information about the ...
Tribute to Dr. Keith W. Sehnert by his daughter.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: This is the time of year that we miss him most dearly. He loved spring and took delight in all the splendors of nature, budding trees, blossoms, walks and bike rides around the lake, and new life after long Minnesota winters. And his birthday was May 25. When ...
Animal products, not total dietary fat, implicated in breast and prostate cancer risk.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: I am an avid reader of the Townsend Letter who is disappointed with the June 2002 issue with its many discussions of how to prevent cancer. In my opinion, many ideas published in that issue are just not correct, especially the notion that total dietary fat should be ...
History repeats itself.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: In 1943 the atomic bomb was being made in New Jersey, USA, when a very alarming situation developed amongst people working on the bomb, and near the production site, as they had serious health conditions, including heart disease and cancer. Livestock and crops were also ...
Medical fees compared to take-out pizza.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: Boy, you're lucky you don't live in California or you might be bankrupt right now! California seems to be the place that all things good and evil begin, and this is certainly true in medicine. The physicians in California didn't foresee what their Legislature had in ...
What if you were on trial and.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: * The Judge's knowledge of your profession was based on a single five-day seminar. * and the seminar was taught by the plaintiff (Medical Board of California--MBC). * and a competitor testifying against you was believed, but the credibility of all ...
Jet lag.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: Time zone change is a conflict created when natural body rhythms do not synchronise with real time. Until adjusted to, in the new time zone, sufferers feel wide awake at night and cannot sleep during the day. This is because of abrupt changes involving the pineal gland, ...
Lysozyme activity of red vs. green grapes.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: Lysozyme, commonly called Muramidase, is a mucolytic enzyme first discovered by Fleming. (1) It is found in nasal secretions, tears, saliva, serum etc. and in a great number of tissues. Enzymes are energized proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions. Lysozyme ...
Federation of State Medical Boards regulation of CAM.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Dr. Paul M. Steingard Chair, Special Committee for the Study of Unconventional Health Care Practices (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) Federation of State Medical Boards Federation Place 400 Fuller Wiser Road, Suite 300 Euless, Texas 76039-3855 USA ...
Federation of State Medical Boards regulation of CAM.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Dear Dr. Steingard: On behalf of the American Association for Health Freedom, I have reviewed the Model Guidelines for the Use of Unconventional Health Care Practices (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) that has been prepared by your committee. You have taken on a major and ...
Bakery illustration on may TLfDP cover.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2002 ... Editor: How prophetic to put a bakery on the cover of the May 2002 Townsend Letter. What you should have done is put a universal road sign on the top of it, the big red X, that means stay out. This is the month that the Swedish researchers said that bread, among other cooked ...