Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients back issues from April 2003:
Letter from the publisher.
Apr 01, 2003 ... On a cold and damp March day 20 years ago we launched a teeny newsletter which we audaciously named the Townsend Letter for Doctors. (The title change to Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients would not come until 1995). It was a bold undertaking. Alternative medicine had not really come ...
CHI Institute presents conclusive studies proving healing effect of sound.
Apr 01, 2003 ... Recent studies are revealing how purring may be the secret to cats' nine lives. CHI Institute is the first to release studies that conclusively corroborate the healing results from infrasonic sound waves on humans and other animals. Recent unreleased studies from the Fauna ...
Fast-melting CoQ10 tablet technology is subject of clinical trial.
Apr 01, 2003 ... Douglas Laboratories' fast-melting tablet technology for CoQ10 is highlighted in a clinical trial published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. The trial consisted of a randomized, single-dose study of four CoQ10 preparations, including a ...
FDA implements Pearson decision; expands to foods.
Apr 01, 2003 ... On December 18, 2002, FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan announced a major initiative to make available more information concerning the effects of dietary supplements and foods on the prevention of disease. The decision is an abrupt departure from the agency's long held view that no ...
Biodynamics. (Shorts).(organic agricutulture)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Organic agriculture is known for its avoidance of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, but biodynamic agriculture and its certification system is even more stringent. Biodynamics grew out of a series of lectures by Austrian scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924. "Biodynamic ...
Gaia Herbs. (Shorts).(research og Gaia Herbs)
Apr 01, 2003; ... In August 2002, Gaia Herbs announced that it had completed Phase I of its multi-year Echinacen research study, funded by a National Institutes of Health grant. The study, under the direction of Dr. Xiping Wang, aims to develop horticulture, extraction, and delivery standards for Echinacea ...
Meat inspections. (Shorts).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Microbiologist Garry McKee, PhD, who heads the US Food Safety and Inspection Service, is pushing slaughterhouses and meat-processing facilities to clean up their act. The 1993 E. coli outbreak at n Jack-in-the-Box shifted the agency's attention from simply inspecting the slaughtering, ...
Nurse shortage. (Shorts).
Apr 01, 2003; ... US medical facilities have been experiencing a nurse shortage since the mid-1990s. The shortage is expected to become increasingly severe as aging baby boomers require more care. The American Hospital Association estimates that the national vacancy rate for hospital nurses averaged 13% ...
Nursing homes. (Shorts).
Apr 01, 2003; ... US consumers now have another tool for selecting a nursing home. In November 2002, the US government made information on the quality of care at the country's 17,000 nursing homes available to consumers. The information covers 10 quality indicators that include the percentages of residents ...
Raw food diet for pets. (Shorts).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Some pet owners who sought an alternative to processed commercial pet foods have turned to the bone and raw food (BARF) diet, Numerous websites have testimonials from breeders and pet owners who have seen definite improvements in their animals' health since they have been on BARF. Kymythy ...
Scrapie transmission via vaccine. (Shorts).
Apr 01, 2003; ... At the 1946 National Veterinary Medical Association of Great Britain and Ireland Annual Congress, W. S. Gordon, PhD, presented evidence of scrapie transmission by way of a vaccine for louping-ill. Louping-ill is a viral disease spread by the tick Ixodes ricinus L. Scrapie is considered the ...
Animal vaccinations & titer testing. (Shorts).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Taking pets to the vet for yearly vaccination boosters is considered by many to be the hallmark of responsible pet care. Over the past decade, however, some researchers as well as pet owners have begun to question whether yearly boosters are truly necessary or even safe. Over-vaccination ...
Gao Lian's spring-time prevention of liver disease. (Chinese Medicine Update).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, Daoist medicine, Gao Lian liver disease. preventive treatment In the first chapter of the Nei Jing Su Wen (Inner Classic, Simple Questions), it says that the superior doctor prevents disease before it arises. Based on this, ...
Addressing human exposure to environmental toxins with Chlorella pyrenoidosa. (Medicinal Properties in Whole Foods).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Environmental factors are now generally believed to be involved in the causation of nearly all cancers. Further, the World Health Organization has estimated that environmental factors constitute 25-33% of global disease burden. Accordingly, since the creation of organic/inorganic chemicals ...
Simplifying nutritional support in CFS/Fibromyalgia. (Highly Effective Treatments for Pain and Fatigue).
Apr 01, 2003; ... In last month's issue we talked about the causes of widespread nutritional deficiencies in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia CFS/FMS). These included poor quality diet and digestion (which can be helped dramatically with plant-based digestive enzymes -- e.g. Similase by ...
Safe flea control & organic labeling. (Health Risks and Environmental Issues).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Hippocrates may not have had the family pet in mind when he uttered, "Thy food shall be thy remedy," but his words apply to our furry friends just the same. Veterinarian, Dr. Robert Goldstein echoes this exact sentiment when he says, "Show me a dog or cat with fleas and I'll show you an ...
Essential fatty acids for ADHD. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Forty-one children (aged 8-12 years) with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific learning difficulties (mainly dyslexia) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, an unsaturated fatty acid supplement or placebo (olive oil) for 12 weeks. The ...
Making fat kids thin. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... One hundred seven obese children were prescribed one of two diets for approximately four months. The reduced-fat, low-calorie diet emphasized limiting high-fat, high-sugar, and energy-dense foods and increasing intake of grains, vegetables and fruit. Energy intake was reduced on an ...
Red pepper for heartburn. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Thirty patients with functional dyspepsia (patients with gastroesophageal reflux and irritable bowel syndrome were excluded) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 2.5 g/day of red pepper powder (Capsicum annum) or placebo in capsules, in 3 divided doses before meals, ...
Preventing complications of coronary angiography with N-acetylcysteine. (Literature Review & Commentary).
Apr 01, 2003; ... One hundred twenty-one patients with chronic renal insufficiency (mean serum creatinine, 2.8 mg/dl; mean creatinine clearance, 23.3 ml/min) who were scheduled for coronary angiography were randomly assigned to receive N-acetylcysteine (NAC; 400 mg orally twice a day) or placebo, on the day ...
Vitamins C and E prevent life-threatening complications in critically ill surgical patients. (Literature Review & Commentary).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Five hundred ninety-five (595) patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit (ICU), 91% of whom were victims of trauma, were randomly assigned to receive antioxidant supplementation or no antioxidants(control group) during their stay in the ICU, or for 28 days, whichever ...
Unsaturated fatty acids for Huntington's disease. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Seventeen patients with Huntington's disease were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, a supplement containing unsaturated fatty acids or a placebo. The dosage of unsaturated fatty acids was eight 1-g capsules per day; each capsule contained 70 mg of gamma-linolenic acid ...
Taurine enhances treatment of iron-deficiency anemia. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Fifty-one female university students with iron-deficiency anemia were treated with 325 mg/day of slow-release ferrous sulfate for 20 weeks. The women were grouped into pairs according to hemoglobin concentration, and the members of each pair were randomly assigned to receive, in ...
Which oils are preferable for frying? (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Sunflower oil was less resistant than virgin olive oil to the oxidative changes induced by frying. Feeding fried sunflower oil to rats resulted in a significantly greater degree of lipid peroxidation in liver microsomes than did feeding fried virgin olive oil. Feeding non-fried sunflower ...
Spring cleaning? What about intestinal parasites? (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Spring is traditionally a time for cleaning. This was well-recognized by European herbalists who used a number of herbs as "spring tonics" or "spring cleansers." Many of these spring tonics provided much needed vitamins after a lengthy period of consuming stored foods. But they also ...
Fall preventing effects of the Korean Martial art, TaeKwon-Do, in senior citizens.
Apr 01, 2003; ... Abstract Falls are a leading cause of death in the elderly. Associated with aging is a loss of muscular strength, flexibility and coordination. Regular exercise is widely believed to be of benefit for the elderly. To this end, various exercise regimes have been employed to ...
Chaos in the cortex: an unrecognized adrenal-immune disturbance in pets offers therapeutic insights for multiple human disorders.
Apr 01, 2003; ... Summary In thousands of cases spanning three decades, I have identified an unrecognized endocrine-immune disturbance as a major trigger of multiple disorders in dogs and cats, including allergies, epilepsy, viral diseases, inflammatory bowel, autoimmunity, and cancer. In most ...
Breathing therapies for asthma: Buteyko and Eucapnic breathing training.
Apr 01, 2003; ... Breathing re-education and breathing-based therapies have begun to re-emerge as a means of helping asthmatics and others suffering from breathing disorders. Recent research studies on several breathing based therapies, show that asthmatics who undertake these types of breathing training ...
Maitake.(mushroom)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Introduction One powerful ally in the battle against cancer and many other diseases is derived from the maitake (my-TAH-key) mushroom. So impressive is the science behind Maitake that one of the world's most respected cancer institutes was awarded a $500,000 grant to conduct ...
Complementary treatment of Chronic Digestive Disorders with Malabsorption Syndrome using HSOs.(homeostatic soil organisms)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Chronic Digestive Disorder with Malabsorption Syndrome is considered by some to be resistant to conventional clinical therapies. Until recently, only palliative methods had been developed, which proved toxic when administered over prolonged periods. Studies revealed wide-ranging ...
Cell extracts: a natural approach to chronic fatigue syndrome.
Apr 01, 2003; ... Introduction to CFS Despite an always increasing medical and technical knowledge, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains an elusive pathology. Unfortunately, there is no simple test for CFS and diagnosis still relies on clinical evaluation and exclusion of other possible ...
Petadolex for the treatment of headache: a profile of a special butterbur extract; pharmacology, safety, and clinical aspects.
Apr 01, 2003; ... Introduction Petasites hybridus is a perennial shrub native to Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia. It is also known under its common name butterbur. The use of preparations from Petasites species in folk medicine has a long tradition from antiquity to modern days ....
You can reduce stress--lose weight--detoxify--stop smoking--increase energy with living foods.
Apr 01, 2003; ... Since 1960, hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world have improved their health remarkably by following the 100% vegan wheatgrass and living foods program developed by Dr. Ann Wigmore of Boston, USA. People with health problems such as overweight, stress, tobacco and caffeine ...
Immune Modulation: maintain or regain good health through our own immune function.
Apr 01, 2003; ... The marvels of technology teach us more and more everyday about how the human immune system works and how important the immune system is to the integrated systems of our bodies. This look at actual patient history, the history of immunology how the immune system works, our growing ...
Mechanism of action of chelation. (Letters to the Editor).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Editor: Your latest issue and a telephone call from my colleague and friend Dr. Curt Maxwell in Mexico brought me back to finish the things I started. Dr. Maxwell has a copy of every issue of TLfDP and I have many fine memories of staying up late with him and his wife discussing ...
Healing is real in the middle of the Israeli Desert. (Letters to the Editor).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Editor: There is an Oasis of Peace through Healing. Two cases of extraordinary recovery will be delineated: Centered mostly in the southern part of the Israeli Desert, this community, called the Black Hebrew Israelites is located in Dimona, Beer Sheva, Mizpe Ramon, ...
Angry with sorting through the junk published in TLfDP. (Letters to the Editor).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Editor: In the February issue, naturopathic students Johnson and Teta selectively cite data supporting a healthful role for some sources of saturated fatty acids. While the title of their piece, "The Healthy Side of Saturated Fats" might imply otherwise to laypeople, doctors ...
Fasting as a cure for PMS and menopause symptoms. (Letters to the Editor).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Editor: This article is written from my clinical and personal experience with fasting that I gained while directing an wholistic 7, 10, 14 and 21-day fasting program for the past 8 years at the Samui Dharma Healing Center in Koh Samui, Thailand. During the 8 years I have guided ...
Artemisinin and oxidative therapies. (Letters to the Editor).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Editor: I have received many inquiries from physicians about the use of Artemisinin therapy since my article appeared in the Townsend Letter's December issue. The herb Artemisinin is not only the drug of choice for Malaria worldwide but is also turning out to be a highly ...
Francis M. Pottenger, MD and "The Hazards of a Health Fetish". (Letters to the Editor).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Editor: The impact of quoted work is often influenced by the reputation of the person quoted. But what makes a reputation, in particular that of a person who died many years ago? Certainly in part, the accuracy and importance of the written work left behind. But when a person's ...
The Institute of Medicine review of SV40 contamination of polio vaccine and cancer. (Letters to the Editor).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Editor: The Institute of Medicine (IOM) just released its report on the possible relationship between SV40, known to have once contaminated the polio vaccine, and cancer. The committee got a lot right in this mostly excellent review in which they concluded that the "evidence is ...
Sokoloff's approach to high triglycerides. (Letters to the Editor).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Editor: In about 1967, there was some comment in an AP report that had national distribution. It was putting down the idea that vitamin C would prevent a heart attack or a stroke. This news report said that this erroneous report was attributed to a doctor at a small Florida ...
Ginkgo for prevention of high altitude illness. (Letters to the Editor).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Editor: It was a pleasure to read Tim Batchelder's excellent article called "High Altitude Adaptation, Coca Use and Health in the Andes" in the January 2003 edition of the Townsend Letter. Readers who are planning to travel to a high altitude might find the related information ...
Intravenous magnesium for acute myocardial infarction: the controversy continues. (Editorial).(Editorial)
Apr 01, 2003 ... In the 1980s and early 1990s, at least seven small, randomized, placebocontrolled trials demonstrated that intravenous administration of magnesium within several hours of the onset of acute myocardial (AMI) infarction could significantly reduce mortality, in part by reducing the incidence ...
Metagenics position on medical foods labeling. (Guest Editorials).
Apr 01, 2003; ... In the October 2002 issue of Alternative Medicine Review, an editorial entitled "The FDA, Medical Foods and Patents" by Mr. Al Czap, describes a portion of the law that governs the medical foods category. Mr. Czap correctly references 21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section ...
An open letter from the CAM doctors in Wisconsin. (Guest Editorials).
Apr 01, 2003; ... The purpose of this document is to inform the public, the legislature and other government officials that certain employees of the Department of Regulation and Licensing (DORL) and members of the Wisconsin State Medical Examining Board (MEB) have been engaging in questionable practices in ...
A landmark book. (Bookcorners).(Fast Food Nation, the Dark Side of the All-American Meal)(Book Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Fast Food Nation, the Dark Side of the All-American Meal By Eric Schlosser Perennial, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53 St., New York, New York USA Quality paperback, $13.95 USA/$21 Canada; black/white photographs, 383 pages Landmark ...
Allergy/immune dysfunction or what's in a name? (Bookcorners).(Hay Fever)(Book Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Hay Fever by Dr. Jonathan Brostoff and Linda Gamlin Healing Arts Press, One Park St., Rochester, Vermont 05767 USA; www.InnerTraditions.com 1993, 2002, Quality paperback, $14.95US/$23.95Canada, 355 pp Somehow, the description of "hay fever" ...
CAM guru fails the test. (Bookcorners).(Eating Well For Optimal Health)(Book Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... www.PowerHealth.net Eating Well For Optimal Health by Andrew Weil, MD Quill Books, 2000 America's best known medical advocate of alternative medicine espouses his ideas of what healthy eating should be for all people in this popular book ....
Shapeshifting from two perspectives. (Bookcorners).(Shaman, M.D.)(Book Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Shaman, M.D. by Eve Bruce, MD Destiny Books, One Park St., Rochester, Vermont 05767 USA; www.InnerTraditions.com Softbound, ISBN 089281976-6, c. 2002, 185pp., $14.95 Cosmetic surgeon Eve Bruce, MD, says that when people come to her for a ...
Outreach medicine. (Bookcorners).(September 11, 2005)(Book Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... September 11, 2005 by Majid Ali, MD Aging Healthfully, Inc. 140 West End Ave. Suite 1H, New York, New York 10023 USA 800-633-6226 2002, Softcover, $17.00, 222 pp. Much has been written about the many ways that fellow ...
Homeopathic pet care. (Bookcorners).(Book Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs by Don Hamilton, DVM North Atlantic Books, P.O. Box 12327, Berkeley, California 94712 USA Softbound, ISBN 1-55643-295-X. c. 1999, 482 pp, $25 US/$38.95 CAN Don Hamilton, DVM, began using homeopathy in his ...
Dispelling myths about Homeopathic treatment. (Healing with Homeopathy).
Apr 01, 2003; ... A Mind-Boggling Kind of Medicine Homeopathy is unlike any other form of medicine. A single homeopathic medicine treats all of the symptoms of the patient, not only the chief complaint. The effect of one dose can last for months, or even years. There is no expiration date on the ...
Metaphysical fitness and Ayurvedic medicine. (Medical Anthropology).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Better understanding of alternative medicine including medicines from other cultures, involves rethinking the basis for our understanding of medicine, health and fitness in Western society and how this colors our perception of other medical systems. Alter (1999) has written an excellent ...
What are herbal approaches to treating memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease? (Ask the Herbalist).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Dementia is a decline in mental functioning in which memory, thinking, judgement and the ability to concentrate are impaired. There also may be a change in personality. Dementia can develop suddenly when a severe injury, disease, or toxin destroys brain cells, or it can develop slowly, ...
Senior health and social engagement. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Early findings on various forms of social engagement and their benefits for individual health have been promising. The largest and strongest body of evidence is currently available for social contacts and relationships, whereas fewer studies address the health-related consequences of ...
Longevity and gardening. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease equal in importance to smoking, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Aerobic exercise is of greatest importance for CAD, with intensity >60% of maximum capacity needed to improve cardiovascular function. Activities ...
More gardening. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... In 863 Dutch men and women age 65-84 with established hypertension, the quartile of lowest physical activity had significantly higher blood pressures than the highest quartile after controlling for age, sex and weight. The most significant measure appeared for those who gardened (p<.O3) ....
Cardiovascular disease/pets. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).
Apr 01, 2003; ... In 5,740 participants attending a free screening clinic at a Melbourne institute, BP, plasma cholesterol and triglyceride values were compared in 786 pet owners and 4,960 non-owners. Pet owners had significantly lower systolic blood pressures and plasma triglycerides than non-owners. In ...
Hypertension/pets. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... The effect of the presence of a friendly animal on children's blood pressures and heart rates while resting and their cardiovascular responses to verbalization were examined. The presence of a dog resulted in lower BP both while the children (n=38) were resting and while they were reading ...
Myocardial infarction/pets. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... In 92 hospitalized MI patients, 78 were alive one year later. Of 39 having no pets at home, 28 were alive and 11 deceased (72% living); of 53 having pets, 50 were living and 3 deceased (94% living) (p<.002). Factoring in severity of disease and other variables changed the significance only ...
Myocardial infarction/pets. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Social support and pet ownership, a nonhuman form of companionship, have both been associated with increased coronary artery disease survival: 424 subjects were randomly selected from patients attending participating Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial sites and completed baseline ...
Physiological responses/companions and pets. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Autonomic responses were measured while 45 adult women performed a standard experimental stress task in the laboratory with only the experimenter present and 2 weeks later at home in the presence of a female friend, pet dog, or neither. Results demonstrated that nutonomic reactivity was ...
Absenteeism/shift work. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Sleep quality and sleep hygiene improved significantly in police officers after changing from rotating to permanent shifts. There was also improved psychological sense of well being. Absentee rates fell from 1,400 hours/6 months on rotating shifts to 833 hours/6 months of permanent shift ...
Dying/choice. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... The number of deaths recorded at Yale-New Haven hospital has remained quite steady at about 75 per month for the past four years. In January 2000 there were 123 deaths, more than 5 standard deviations above the average (p<0.001). The January 2000 number also very significantly exceeds the ...