Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients back issues from May 2003:
Letter from the publisher.
May 01, 2003 ... Over the past month we have looked at the many pictures of War. One of the earlier photos showed a group of Iraqi farmers standing jubilantly in a farm field atop a downed US Apache helicopter. The mood of the country in the US had changed overnight from one of easy, expectant victory to a ...
California judge approves landmark warning on mercury use in dentistry.
May 01, 2003 ... For the first time anywhere, dentists will be required to post a warning about the dangers of mercury in their dental fillings. A California Superior Court judge has finalized the language for the warning to be posted in dentists' offices. The warning will read as follows: ...
IUATLD announces the release of its updated website in three languages: English, Spanish and French.(International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease )
May 01, 2003 ... The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) has launched its revamped website in its three official languages: English, Spanish and French. "Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate with our members, our donors, and the general public," said ...
Standard Process obtains organic certification.(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003 ... Dr. Royal Lee, founder of Standard Process, was a firm believer that the whole foods used as the foundation for health should be organic, and therefore, Standard Process has always practiced organic farming. Recently, a new law has been established requiring producers and handlers of ...
Bee Pollen and antioxidant activity.
May 01, 2003 ... Beehive products have been used since ancient times as dietary supplements because of their perceived health-promoting effects in the human body. In modern times, this perception -- that beehive products promote health due to nutritionally beneficial compounds -- has increasingly come ...
FDA allows Selenium/cancer health claims.(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003 ... On February 21, 2003, the Food and Drug Administration authorized use of two health claims that were the subject of a petition to FDA by Wellness Lifestyles, Inc. (d/b/a American Longevity) on the labels and in the labeling of dietary supplements containing Selenium in daily dose amounts ...
Alcohol & fats.(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003 ... It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting medical studies. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. ...
Bees ease patient's burden.
May 01, 2003 ... Late in the day, three times a week, Virginia Proctor lies on her bed while friends and relatives take turns stinging her with honeybees. "I feel tense and my body gets really, really tight before we starting stinging," she said, looking concerned. "But it's hard to relax when you know ...
Eczema & dermatitis. (Shorts).
May 01, 2003; ... Both dermatitis and eczema are viewed as skin inflammations caused by allergic reactions. Symptoms of dermatitis, also called contact dermatitis, include vesicles (blisters) during the acute phase, redness, edema, oozing, crusting, scaling, and itching. External contact with industrial ...
Lymphatic system & exercise. (Shorts).
May 01, 2003; ... Unless something goes terribly wrong with it, the lymphatic system is pretty much disregarded and undervalued in US medicine. The lymph system includes lymph vessels and nodes, tonsils, adenoids, appendix, spleen, and the thymus gland. These organs and nodes provide much of the body's ...
Medicare fraud at UW. (Shorts).(University of Washington Medical School )
May 01, 2003; ... Since 1999, Seattle's University of Washington Medical School has been the focus of federal investigation for Medicare fraud. In that year UW repaid Medicare $3.6 million for improperly charging the system for experimental heart-transplant devices. The following year a UW billings-office ...
Growing mold problem. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003; ... According to The Wall Street Journal (December 4, 2002), commercial insurers are following the lead of homeowner insurers and excluding mold coverage from their liability policies. Mold has been linked to several health complaints, ranging from headaches and breathing difficulties to ...
Oolong tea & recalcitrant atopic dermatitis. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003; ... A Japanese study published in Archives of Dermatology (2001;137:42-43) reported that drinking oolong tea reduced itching and inflammation in people with recalcitrant atopic dermatitis. Oolong tea, also called brown tea, is less fermented than black tea. The researchers noted that animal ...
New psoriasis drug. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003; ... A new drug to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, called Amevive, gained FDA approval in January 2003. Amevive is manufactured by the biotechnology company Biogen, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Treatment with Amevive entails a weekly injection for 12 weeks, costing $7,000 to ...
Psoriasis. (Shorts).
May 01, 2003; ... Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent skin condition in which clearly-defined, raised plaques form. Although they do not tend to itch, these plaques look red and are covered with silvery scales that bleed easily. They usually appear on boney prominences (knee, elbows, sacrum), scalp, external ...
Women & stress. (Shorts).
May 01, 2003; ... A UCLA study, published in Psychological Review (2000 July: 107(3): 411-29), determined that females of many species, including human, react differently to stress than males. The researchers, led by Shelly E. Taylor, analyzed hundreds of biological and behavioral stress studies, involving ...
Lactobacillus GG for prevention of childhood eczema. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003; ... One hundred fifty-nine pregnant women who had at least one first-degree relative (or partner) with atopic eczema, allergic rhinitis, or asthma were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, Lactobacillus GG ([10.sup.10] colony-forming units per day) or placebo for 2-4 weeks ...
High-dose folic acid for psoriasis. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003; ... Seven patients with long-standing psoriasis were given 20 mg of folic acid 4 times per day. Marked improvements were noted after 3-6 months of treatment. Three additional patients who had previously received methotrexate treatment for psoriasis were also given folic acid. In one patient, ...
Eating fish for a better pregnancy outcome. (Literature Review & Commentary).
May 01, 2003; ... The relationship between seafood consumption and risk of pre-term delivery and low birth weight was assessed in a prospective cohort study of 8,729 Danish pregnant women. The incidence of pre-term delivery was 7.1% among women who never consumed fish, compared with 1.9% among women in the ...
Genistein reverses bone loss. (Literature Review & Commentary).
May 01, 2003; ... Ninety healthy postmenopausal women (aged 47-57 years) with osteopenia (bone mineral density [BMD] of the femoral neck of less than 0.795 g/[cm.sup.2]), were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, either 1) continuous hormone-replacement therapy (HRT; 1 mg of ...
Nutritional supplement effective against bipolar disorder. (Literature Review & Commentary).
May 01, 2003; ... Fourteen patients (aged 19-46 years) with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar disorder, who were taking a mean of 2.7 psychotropic medications each, were treated for 6 months with a broad-based nutritional supplement (E.M. Power+), containing the following (daily doses): vitamin A (3,333 IU), ...
Breast-feeding reduces risk of obesity. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003; ... A population-based sample of 32,200 Scottish children was studied at age 39-42 months. The prevalence of obesity (defined as body mass index [BMI] at or above the 95th percentile) was 9.1% in those who had been formula-fed and 7.2% in those who had been breast-fed. The prevalence of ...
Vegetarian source of vitamin B12. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003; ... Feeding nori (dried purple layer, a commonly consumed seaweed) to vitamin B12-deficient rats significantly improved vitamin B12 status, as demonstrated by the elimination of methylmalonic acid from the urine and by a significant increase in hepatic vitamin B12 concentrations (especially ...
Hawthorn (crataegus) effective against heart failure: double-blind study. (Literature Review & Commentary).(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003; ... Two-hundred nine patients (mean age, 68 years) with chronic congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class III) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, crataegus extract WS 1442 standardized to contain 18.75% oligomeric procyanidins (900 or 1,800 ...
Psychodermatology. (Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary).
May 01, 2003; ... Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology describes the unity of mental, neurological, hormonal and immunological functions with its many potential applications. PNIE addresses the impact of cognitive images of the mind (whatever its elusive definition) on the central nervous system and consequent ...
The war on cancer.
May 01, 2003; ... The Abscopal Effect It is sometimes asserted, as a matter of dogma, that a local treatment cannot have any systemic effects. However, sometimes damaging or removing a tumor at one site will profoundly affect tumors at other locations in the body. Fifty years ago, Dr. R. J. Mole ...
Phytotherapy for atopic dermatitis (eczema). (Phytotherapy Review & Commentary).
May 01, 2003; ... Introduction The treatment of skin disorders in phytotherapy draws heavily on traditional considerations. These can be represented as follows: * Skin disorders (other than outright infections or injury) are indicative of deeper metabolic imbalances. Hence the use of ...
Dramatic cure for depression: a case of red-tailed hawk. (Healing with Homeopathy).
May 01, 2003; ... [This is a fascinating case that also appeared in a recent issue of Homeopathic Links, an excellent international journal published in the Netherlands which we highly recommend to any serious student of homeopathy.) The Birds' Contribution to Homeopathic Medicine ...
The Chinese medical treatment of psoriasis. (Chinese Medicine Update).
May 01, 2003; ... Keywords: Psoriasis, dermatology; Chinese medicine, Chinese medical dermatology Psoriasis is a common chronic, recurring disease characterized by dry, well circumscribed, silvery, scaling papules and plaques of various sizes. It may vary in severity from one or two lesions to ...
The anthropology of hair loss. (Medical Anthropology).
May 01, 2003; ... Hair loss and related scalp disorders are novel conditions of civilization that can be reversed or prevented by taking into account our evolutionary background. In this column I'll look at some of the cross cultural and evolutionary factors involved in hair loss and related disorders. ...
Skin health, eczema, and preventative strategies.
May 01, 2003; ... As the eyes are the reflection of one's inner health ...they are literally as we know a window into a person's vascular and neurological system as the only location in the body where the nerves and vessels can be seen without invasion. Yet, an even more profoundly evident barometer to one's ...
The negative health effects of chlorine.
May 01, 2003; ... Summary Federal regulations require chlorine treatment of the water supplied to urban/suburban areas of America and much of Canada from surface sources such as lakes, reservoirs and rivers. That constitutes about 75% of water that Americans consume. Water from underground ...
Autoimmune disease and women.
May 01, 2003 ... The body normally protects itself through activation of the immune system. Sometimes however, the immune system becomes unable to distinguish the difference between normal cells and invading organisms and begins attacking itself. This abnormal response is known as an autoimmune disease ....
Scleroderma -- a case study of autoimmunity. (Autoimmune Disease in Women).
May 01, 2003 ... Scleroderma is a chronic, degenerative condition that leads to over-production of collagen, excessive soft tissue calcification leading to hardening and tightening of the skin, and blood vessel deterioration. Systemic scleroderma is life-threatening and affects articular structures and ...
Correction.(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003 ... In the "Materials and Methods" section (Feb/March p. 73) I made an error regarding the amount of water the patient needed to drink for the Gastro-Test. Instead of: "the patient then drank ...
Follow-up report on the use of inositol hexaniacinate for the treatment of achlorhydria: is a vitamin B-3 dependency the cause of this patient's gastrointestinal symptoms?
May 01, 2003; ... Abstract The patient was previously treated with inositol hexaniacinate (IHN; 650mg three times daily for approximately two months) for chronic gastrointestinal symptoms due to achlorhydria. Approximately one month after discontinuing IHN, his previous gastrointestinal symptoms ...
A modern scientific perspective on Prof. Dr. Enderlein's concept of microbial life cycles.
May 01, 2003; ... Summary In 1925, German zoologist Prof. Dr. Gunther Enderlein published his concepts of microbial life cycles based on blood analysis observations in the book The Life Cycle of Bacteria (Bakterien Cykiogenie). (1) He theorized that the origin of every microbe was a tiny protein ...
Why is Iridology so misunderstood?
May 01, 2003; ... Note -- There are 3 groups of people this article is directed to. First are critics who have no real understanding of Iridology, but have negative opinions. Second are Iridologists who have not been exposed to, or are resistant to updated practices in the field. Third are those who ...
Metabolic balancing the key to effective weight control.
May 01, 2003; ... If you have patients who are struggling with weight loss, you understand there's a lot more to losing weight than just restricting calories or certain food groups. Your patients are most likely on diets similar to those put forth by Drs. Ornish, Atkins, and Sears. All three of these ...
Lecture to general session American Osteopathic college of dermatology mid-year meeting, March 2002.
May 01, 2003; ... Our first speaker comes to us from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He is the founder of Loma Lux. He went to Indiana University School of Medicine and is practicing dermatology in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dr. Steven Smith will be talking to us about the relationship of Nickel and ...
Foods that cause Arthritis pain. (Letters to the Editor).
May 01, 2003 ... Editor: Ed Wendlocher, founder and president of the Arthritis Help Centers, Inc., suffered from arthritis for many years until he discovered his sensitivity to various foods. He promoted clinical studies that resulted in several booklets, the latest being Foods Found to Cause ...
Finding sources of airborne health hazards in buildings. (Letters to the Editor).
May 01, 2003 ... Editor: When it is difficult to find causes of presumably environmental illness associated with a building, such as a school, home or office building, there are some strategies which can be of help. A few of them are listed below. 1. Persons affected. Interviews with ...
Crohn's disease successfully treated with acupuncture and herbal medicine. (Letters to the Editor).
May 01, 2003 ... Editor: My name is Karen Henman. I was 28 years old when I first consulted with Colet Lahoz at the East West Clinic. I heard her speak at the regional conference sponsored by the Crohn's and Colitis foundation in St. Paul, Minnesota. I have been trying to find help with Crohn's ...
Dr. F.R. Klenner's protocol for MS. (Letters to the Editor).
May 01, 2003 ... Editor: Since the publication of my article "Multiple Sclerosis Treated with Injectable Vitamin B1 and Liver Extract" in the TLfDP in the Feb/March 2000 issue, I have received hundreds of calls from doctors and patients wanting more information on this safe, effective, and ...
Re: the nurses study and "estrogen" and "progesterone". (Letters to the Editor).
May 01, 2003 ... Editor: What was proven was that PremPro -- a combo of horse-urine derived, nonhuman, conjugated [waste) estrogens in a fixed ratio to a non-human progestin [rather than the natural human molecule of progesterone) resulted in a small but "statistically" significant increase in ...
NEJM vitamin a study flawed. (Letters to the Editor).
May 01, 2003 ... Editor: Health editors, before you do a story on the NEJM study on vitamin A, please consider the following: 1. The study was conducted in Sweden 2. The men are not taking supplements (the high vitamin A was attributed to eating a lot of liver) ...
Hepatitis-C treatment. (Letters to the Editor).
May 01, 2003 ... Editor: I turned sixty this year. I was not sure I would be here for the big day, however here I am, alive and well. The reason I did not know was that I, like so many of us, am living with Hepatitis C. The first time I knew something was wrong was back in 1990. I lost 35 lbs ....
Iodine supplementation markedly increases urinary excretion of fluoride and bromide. (Letters to the Editor).
May 01, 2003 ... Editor: While the debate continues, regarding benefits and adverse effects of fluoridation of our water supply and bromination of our food supply, what can one do to minimize the toxic effects of these 2 halides? One approach in decreasing the body burden of fluoride and bromide ...
MediHerb Wormwood Complex -- now available.(Brief Article)
May 01, 2003 ... Now available from MediHerb, Wormwood Complex, a unique and natural solution for effective gastrointestinal support. Wormwood Complex is a synergistic herbal formula containing wormwood, Black Walnut hulls, Stemona root and Clove Bud essential oil. This unique combination of herbs can ...
Who killed Alan Yurko: his father or his doctors? (Editorials).
May 01, 2003; ... In 1999, Alan R. Yurko was convicted in a Florida court of killing his two-and-a-half month old baby, AlanYurko, by vigorously shaking his head, resulting in subdural bleeding. He was sentenced to life-plus-ten-years in prison. Prior to being convicted, Mr. Yurko had been offered the ...
When herbal medicine turns nasty. (Editorials).
May 01, 2003; ... The recent death of another athlete, this time a baseball player, from adverse effects of excess ephedra has created a media frenzy to ban ephedra. Feeling the heat, the FDA is caught between its intended obligation to regulate medicine and its legislated obligation to keep its hands off ...
Immune Modulation maintain or regain good health through our own immune function.
May 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 ...
Marketing, not Health. (Book Corners).(Food Politics, How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health)(Book Review)
May 01, 2003; ... Food Politics, How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health by Dr. Marion Nestle University of California Press, Berkeley, California 94720 USA 457 pages, 2002, hardcover, $29.95 "As an academic nutritionist," writes Marion Nestle in ...
Sick care or healthcare? (Book Corners).(From Here to Longevity)(Book Review)
May 01, 2003; ... From Here to Longevity by Mitra Ray, PhD with Patricia Cannon Childs Shining Star Publishing, P.O. Box 85821, Seattle, Washington 98145-0821 USA; www.fromheretolongevity.com Softbound, ISBN 0-9714342-0-4; c. 2002; 373 pp; $19.95 (US)/$32 (CAN) ...
Holistic technology for the 21st century. (Book Corners).(The Handbook of Rife Frequency Healing: Holistic Technology for Cancer and Other Diseases)(Book Review)
May 01, 2003; ... The Handbook of Rife Frequency Healing: Holistic Technology for Cancer and Other Diseases by Nina Silver, PhD Center for Frequency Education, P.O. Box 952, Stone Ridge, New York 12484 USA; 845-687-0963 Softcover, 2001, 448 pp, $60.00, order from ...
No more surgery! (Book Corners).(Healing Fibroids: A Doctor's Guide to A Natural Cure)(Book Review)
May 01, 2003; ... Healing Fibroids: A Doctor's Guide to A Natural Cure by Allan Warshowaky, MD and Elena Oumano, PhD Simon & Schuster, Inc., Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 USA Paperback, 2002, $14US/$21.50 CAN, 281 pp. ...
A 21st century paradigm shift. (Book Corners).(Detoxify or Die)(Book Review)
May 01, 2003; ... Detoxify or Die by Sherry Rogers, MD Sand Key Company, Inc., P.O. Box 40101, Sarasota, Florida 34242 USA; 888-846-6687; www. prestigepublishing.com Quality paperback, 2002, $22.95, 409 pp. The author's title suggests a seriousness not usually ...
Curing the incurable: Levy Vitamin C text book to change the practice of medicine. (Book Corners).(Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins: Curing the Incurable)(Book Review)
May 01, 2003; ... Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins: Curing the Incurable by Thomas Levy, MD, JD Published by Xlibris Corporation 1-888-795-4274 Orders@Xlibris.com 451 pages, ISBN: 1-4010-6964-9 (Hardcover); 1-4010-6963-0 (Softcover) Contact: ...
Credibility and trust two important success words. (Office Experience Impacts Your Success).
May 01, 2003; ... Whether you have a flourishing practice or company, or perhaps you are starting a business, there are two important words to keep in mind: credibility and trust. Your clientele must be able to trust you and your business. Credibility comes before trust and is part of how trust is created ....
"Frankenfish" await FDA approval. (Health Risks and Environmental Issues).
May 01, 2003; ... The benefits of wild caught salmon compared to the health and environmental risks of farmed fish was presented in "Wild Salmon Don't Do Drugs," TLfDP #235/236, Feb/Mar issue. This discussion will highlight additional threats from biotechnology in the fishing industry and the need for ...
Jump-starting your body's energy furnaces: the importance of nutrition in fatigue and pain. (Highly Effective Treatments for Pain and Fatigue).
May 01, 2003; ... Part 3 In previous columns, we have looked at the role that ordinary dietary nutrients play in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (CFS/FMS). Other nutrients that affect the body's production of energy at the cellular level (in the mitochondria) can also be very helpful ...
Acupuncture & osteoporosis. (Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
May 01, 2003; ... With recent revelations in the news about the possible dangers of long term Hormone Replacement Therapy, many women are searching for other possible methods of preventing osteoporosis and other degenerative diseases related to hormonal decline after menopause. This article offers one ...
How vital nutrients function together to improve health. (Medicinal Properties in Whole Foods).
May 01, 2003; ... "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 ...
Calendar.
May 01, 2003 ... APRIL 19-20: CHELATION CERTIFICATION INSTRUCTION PROGRAM presented by Majid All, MD @ the Institute of Integrative Medicine in New York, New York. Upon completion participants will be allowed to sit for the Certification Examination on May llth at GUCC in Washington, DC. Registrants of ...
Women and skin conditions. (Women's Health Update).
May 01, 2003; ... If you observe a middle-aged woman with great skin, here are the possible beneficial influences: She's lived in a rainy climate her whole life; she grew up in the fog; she protects herself from the sun; she's had good nutrition her whole life; she's never smoked; she has regular sleeping, ...