Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients back issues from October 2003:
Letter from the publisher.(issue contents)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Alternative medicine is replete with controversial diagnoses and treatments --candidiasis and chelation are two among many. As debatable as candidiasis may be, it remains a verifiable diagnosis in vaginal moniliasis and infant thrush. Chelation may not be the treatment of choice among ...
Healthy child-rearing.(Winnicott On The Child)(Book Review)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Winnicott On The Child by D.W. Winnicott Perseus Publishing 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 USA 800-255-1514 Softcover, 2002, $18 US, $27.50 CAN, 263pp. This beautiful little volume is a collection of lectures and writings, both published and unpublished, by ...
Industry petition to FTC for reform of non-public investigations of health benefit advertising.
Oct 01, 2003 ... The First Amendment Health Freedom Association filed a petition for rulemaking in April with the Federal Trade Commission, faulting FTC for failing to comply with the strictures of the First Amendment in its nonpublic investigations of health benefit advertising and demanding immediate ...
BioStar Nutriceuticals Nutrient NetworkLibrary[TM].
Oct 01, 2003 ... The NutrientNetworkLibrary[TM] (NNL) was established to expedite the development of better health products and has become a reliable source for nutriceutical scientists to educate and promote good nutrition and health throughout the world. The expansive resource with scientific information ...
Consumerlab.com finds many cholesterol-lowering supplements poorly made.
Oct 01, 2003 ... ConsumerLab.com reported recently that more than half of the cholesterol-lowering supplements that it recently purchased failed to contain their listed ingredients and/or could not adequately break apart to release their contents. One product, for example, contained less than 10% of its ...
McDonald's will stop purchasing meat raised with antibiotics.
Oct 01, 2003 ... Under pressure from consumers and scientists concerned about overuse of antibiotics on US farms, McDonald's said it will tell its meat suppliers to stop using antibiotics and growth promoters in the food animals the fast-food giant purchases. McDonald's implemented the new ...
Parent coalition for vaccine injured children call on Congress to slow down compensation bill.
Oct 01, 2003 ... Americans for Vaccine Safety and Accountability, a coalition of parents and health care professionals concerned about vaccine safety, vaccine injury compensation, and informed consent issues, is calling on Congress to "do the right thing" and separate out reform of the child Vaccine Injury ...
Series of studies confirm action of homeopathy on childhood diarrhea.
Oct 01, 2003 ... The combined results and a meta-analysis of three double-blind clinical trials found that individual homeopathic treatments significantly decrease the duration of acute childhood diarrhea and suggest that homeopathy should be used as an adjunct to the current recommended treatment for ...
New hope for cancer patients.
Oct 01, 2003 ... At a recent American Association of Cancer Research meeting, Eva Zavadova, MD, PhD presented promising discoveries about the role of systemic enzyme therapy for multiple myeloma patients. Dr. Zavadova's findings, which are a continuation of the research she conducted at M.D. Anderson ...
In memory of Robert A. Good.
Oct 01, 2003; ... "He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look for upon his like again." --Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene ii Dr. Robert A. Good, MD, PhD, a celebrated cancer researcher, died on June 13, 2003 at the age of 81, after a long battle with esophageal cancer ....
Autism & gastrointestinal symptoms.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Gastroenterologist Andrew J. Wakefield has identified a unique form of inflammatory bowel disease that apparently contributes to aberrant behavior in many autistic children, according to Autism Research Review International (Vol. 16, No. 3). Clinically significant gastrointestinal symptoms ...
Autism-vaccine lawsuits.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Parents who claim that vaccines have caused their children to develop autism are bypassing the Vaccination Injury Compensation Program and filing lawsuits. Under current law, vaccine injury claims must be evaluated by the federal compensation program before they can go to trial. If parents ...
Belgian fluoride supplement ban.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... In July 2002, Belgium banned fluoride tablets, fluoride drops, and fluoride chewing gum. Federal Minister of Public Health Magda Aelvoet based her decision on research that has linked fluoride supplements with several negative health effects including joint problems, skeletal deformations, ...
Autism rates in California.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... A California Department of Developmental Services report, released in May 2093, confirmed a steep rise in the incidence of autism among California children. The report stated that the number of children diagnosed with autism during 1998 was 10,360; 20,377 children were diagnosed as ...
Children & overeating.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... David Ludwig, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School and director of Boston Children's Hospital's obesity program, led a study that found that eating high-glycemic foods affects hunger and encourages overeating. In a small study, published in Pediatrics (March ...
Danish autism study.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... A Danish epidemiological study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 347, No 19: Nov. 7, 2002: 1477-1483), found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. The eight-year study compared the incidence of autistic disorders in 440,655 Danish children who had received the ...
Baby formula oils.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Martek Biosciences, a company that develops and sells products made from microalgae, has developed fatty acids that are being added to baby formulas. Using controlled fermentation conditions, the company obtains docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from the non-photosynthetic marine micro-algae ...
"Energy" drinks.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... So-called 'energy drinks' (aka functional beverages), such as Red Bull, have become increasingly popular since their introduction in 1997. These drinks, some of which are being marketed toward youngsters, contain up to 5 teaspoons of sugar plus plenty of caffeine. Red Bull contains 80 ...
Immigrant Latinas & infant health.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Research has shown that women with low incomes who do not receive early prenatal care are the ones who are most likely to have unhealthy babies--except in the case of Latina immigrants. Even though they get less prenatal care and are more likely to live in poverty, first-generation ...
Milk proteins, infectious agents & autism.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... A study by Aristo Vojdani, PhD and colleagues, published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology (2002; 129 (1-2): 168-177), found high levels of antibodies to neuron-specific antigens in the sera of autistic children. Forty subjects, ages 3-12 years (mean 6.4 years), who had been clinically ...
Nutrition, learning, & behavior.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Despite small class size and creative instruction, the learning environment of Appleton Central Alternative High School (Appleton, Wisconsin) was terrible during its first year. The school had been established in 1996 to help disruptive, truant, and other at-risk students who could not fit ...
Pediarix vaccine.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2003; ... In December 2002, the FDA approved a new combination vaccine for use in children under 6 months of age. GlaxoSmithKline's Pediarix is for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and polio. Marketers boast that Pediarix cuts down on an infant's pain (and tears) because it requires ...
Hyperactivity/biofeedback v. Ritalin.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Of 18 males age 10-13 diagnosed as hyperkinetic, 6 underwent biofeedback, 6 took Ritalin 10-15 mg/day and 6 regularly played a game with a research assistant, spending time equivalent to the biofeedback group. Efficacy was determined by pre- and post-treatment electromyographs and scores ...
Attention deficit disorder, neurofeedback and cognitive therapy.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... One-hundred-eleven subjects, 98 children (age 5 to 17) and 13 adults (age 18 to 63) with attention deficit disorder attended forty 50-rain sessions, usually twice weekly, that combined neurofeedback with the teaching of metacognitive strategies. This uncontrolled study utilized feedback ...
EEG biofeedback in attention deficit disorder and learning disability.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Eighteen children with ADD/ADHD, age range 5 through 15, some of whom were also learning disabled, were randomly assigned to experimental work consisting of 40 45-minute sessions of training in EEG feedback to enhance beta activity and suppress theta activity, spaced over 6 months. ...
More EEG biofeedback and ADHD.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... One-hundred children ages 6-19 with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, either inattentive or combined types, participated in a study examining the effects of Ritalin, EEG biofeedback, and parenting style on the primary symptoms of ADHD. All of the patients participated in a 1-year, ...
The physician and adolescent suicidal ideation.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... This study examined utilization of psychological or emotional counseling by suicidal adolescents to answer questions about the extent to which health services can contribute to the prevention of adolescent suicide. The study used data from Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of ...
Smoking and the therapeutic relationship.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Smoking is a worldwide health problem. Habits begin early during teen age years. Mean age of 883 school students in the study was 15. A self-applied questionnaire was used to collect demographic data, smoking status, school success, nutritional behavior and self-esteem. The influence of ...
Patient objectives.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Patients want accessibility, affability and ability in that order. They do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than to know what kind of a disease a patient has (Osler). The secret of patient ...
Early intervention.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Between April 1978 and September 1980, 400 consecutive pregnant women with no previous live births were enrolled at baseline. 315 adolescent offspring participated in a follow-up study when they were 15 years old; 89% had been born to white mothers, 62% to unmarried mothers, 48% to mothers ...
The war on cancer.
Oct 01, 2003; ... Radiation Advocated After Surgery for DCIS In an article appearing in the Lancet (July 12, 2003), scientists report that radiation therapy after surgery can reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrences in women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). DCIS is a precancer that ...
Recent Chinese medical research on the treatment of ADHD.(Chinese Medicine Update)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture-moxibustion, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) In the last 10 years, there has been a growing interest in the Chinese medical treatment of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder in the People's ...
Coenzyme Q10 for chronic renal failure.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Ninety-seven patients (mean age, 48 years) with chronic renal failure (serum creatinine > 5 mg/dl), with a history of declining renal function for at least 12 weeks, were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10; 60 mg, 3 times per day orally) or placebo ...
Selenium treatment of radiation-induced lymphedema.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Forty-eight patients (median age, 54 years) with lymphedema secondary to radiation therapy (12 with edema of the arm and 36 with edema of the head-and-neck region) were treated with selenium, as sodium selenite, for 4-6 weeks. The dose was 350 mcg/[m.sup.2] of body surface area, generally ...
Passive smoke causes dental caries.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... The relationship between passive exposure to cigarette smoke and the prevalence of dental caries was assessed in a cross-sectional study of 3,531 children (aged 4-11 years) participating in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994). Passive smoking was defined ...
Vitamin B12 for migraine prevention.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Twenty patients with a history of migraines for more than one year, with 2-8 attacks per month, received 1 mg/day of intranasal hydroxocobalamin for 3 months. A reduction in migraine attack frequency of at least 50% was seen in 10 (53%) of the 19 patients who completed the trial. A ...
Garlic effective against warts.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Five children (all aged 5 years) with verruca vulgaris (common warts) on the hands (mean number, 2.2 per person) were treated with raw garlic applications. A clove was cut in half each night and the flat edge of the clove was rubbed onto each of the warts, carefully cleaning the ...
L-carnitine for hyperthyroidism.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Fifty healthy euthyroid female volunteers received a fixed TSH-suppressive dose of L-thyroxine for six months. During that time they were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 1 of 5 regimens: 1) placebo, 2) placebo for 2 months, then L-carnitine (2 g/day) for 2 months, ...
Beta-carotene supplements: where there's smoke, there's fire.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Seven hundred-seven patients who had had a colorectal adenoma removed were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 1) beta-carotene (25 mg/day), 2) vitamin C (1,000 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 mg/day), 3) beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E, or 4) placebo. Colonoscopy was ...
B-vitamins improve outcomes in heart patients.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Five hundred fifty-three patients who underwent successful coronary angioplasty were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, a placebo or a combination of folic acid (1 mg/day), cyanocobalamin (400 mcg/day), and pyridoxine (10 mg/day) for six months. The primary outcome ...
Irradiated food in school lunches.(Health Risks and Environmental Issues)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Ionizing radiation of food reduces the number of disease causing organisms from E. coli 0157:H7, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium botulinum, Listeria monocytogene, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter jejuini, Cyclospora, and Taxoplasma gondii. Irradiation works by disrupting the ...
A case of school phobia.(Healing with Homeopathy)
Oct 01, 2003; ... School phobia is a common problem among elementary school children. The condition presents with anxiety, fears and refusal to attend school, or even enter the classroom. The causes of school phobia are varied, and can include problems at home and/or at school. The child may be afraid of ...
Whole food nutrition for ADHD.(Medicinal Properties in Whole Foods)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most recent name for a complex neurobiological disorder, which can occur in children, adolescents or adults. Symptoms include difficulty with attention, concentration, memory, organization and for some, impulsivity, hyperactivity, ...
The potential role of phytotherapy for ADHD.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Introduction ADHD is typically diagnosed in young children and is estimated to affect millions of children throughout the world. It has been found to occur in "virtually every country in which it has been investigated." (1) ADHD has in fact been investigated in several ...
Shaken baby syndrome or vaccine-induced encephalitis?
Oct 01, 2003; ... Shaken baby syndrome (SBS), as reviewed in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine and other journals, (1-3,7) commonly describes a combination of subdural hematoma, retinal hemorrhage, and diffuse axonal injury (DAD as the triad of diagnostic criteria. In some, the presence of rib or ...
What is coming through that needle? The problem of pathogenic vaccine contamination.
Oct 01, 2003; ... In recent times we are experiencing a situation never previously encountered, that being the threat of release of pathogens intended to kill or disable large numbers of people. That danger has prompted certain health agencies to prepare for possible mass vaccination of the populace. The ...
Vaccination: an analysis of the health risks--Part I.
Oct 01, 2003; ... For more than a hundred years, two basic assumptions have been put forth by public health officials. One is that vaccines are safe. The second is that vaccines are effective for the conditions for which they're given. The public and our legislators have, by and large, accepted these ...
Vaccines and genetic mutation.
Oct 01, 2003; ... Introduction The writers of this article make no claims of being authorities in the fields of genetics or immunology, but being non-experts may at times carry an advantage in that, viewing more from a distance, one may sometimes perceive things that escape those more closely ...
Beneficial effects of enzyme-based therapy for autism spectrum disorders.
Oct 01, 2003; ... Abstract Autism is a developmental disease usually manifesting within the first three years of life. To date, no causative agent has been found. Similarly, treatment options have been limited. Of the treatment options available, a number of them have been nutritionally based in ...
Autism, ADD, ADHD, LD and the power of digital medicine.
Oct 01, 2003; ... The "mysterious" rise in autism, ADD, LD, ADHD and other related mental and emotional ailments these days represents indeed a formidable challenge for the physicians and families involved. Conventional medicine resorts to a sophisticated wastebasket explanation for the ...
Acid-stable probiotics and their application to autism and the other spectrum disorders.
Oct 01, 2003; ... Introduction Over the last few years, our group has published papers, articles, and a book covering Autism and the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in various forms. We have been doing experiments and a pilot clinical principle to better understand the basic etiology of the ...
Nutritional immune modulation therapies for CFIDS--Part II.
Oct 01, 2003; ... What does alpha-interferon do? We know that it activates natural killer cells and it activates the (2-5)A synthetase enzyme which in turn raises RNAase L to destroy RNA viruses. And it also stimulates the PKR system with the same effect, to destroy viruses. Well, alpha-interferon has ...
Food allergy assessments for children in the autism spectrum.
Oct 01, 2003; ... Children with a whole range of problems from typical forms of autism to attention deficits frequently have been observed by their parents to have sensitivities to certain foods. The sensitivities are usually not immediate hypersensitivity reactions involving hives, or sudden respiratory or ...
Autism: causes unknown or causes ignored?
Oct 01, 2003; ... Autism, a condition characterized by self-absorption and social withdrawal, was first described as a new type of mental disorder in the 1930's by Leo Kanner at about the same time that mercury, in the form of thimerosal, was introduced into vaccines. Autism and similar ...
Enhancement of exercise performance.
Oct 01, 2003; ... Perhaps the best medicine of all is exercise. Physical activity and its benefits are thoroughly described in the medical literature, and when performed regularly, exercise is proven to substantially reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from many of the major diseases that are so ...
Correction notice.(Letters to the Editor)
Oct 01, 2003 ... "A Naturopathic Approach to Breast Cancer" in June, 2003 issue by Professor Serge ...
When Herbal Medicine Turns Nasty.(Letters to the Editor)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Editor: An important aspect concerning the widely publicized death of pitcher Steve Bechler, who used ephedra for an overweight problem, has not been considered. He probably was also consuming "diet" drinks and other products containing the chemical sweetener aspartame, ...
Nasty Herbal Medicine.(Letters to the Editor)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Editor: In regard to your editorial "When Herbal Medicine Turns Nasty," (May, 2003) the following observations should be noted: Merck 13. Methamphetamine can be produced in three ways: 1) reducing ephedrine or pseudopehedrine; 2) reducing the ...
DMSA and DMPS administered orally or IV to detoxify mercury.(Letters to the Editor)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Editor: At the 2002 Spring "Think Tank" prior to the DAN conference in Boston, I was dismayed to hear how many people were treating autistic children initially for mercury poisoning with DMSA. That was contrary to what I thought I understood, and enough good people were doing ...
A brief look at Alzheimer's disease.(Letters to the Editor)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Editor: Put a drop of the acetylcholine-blocking drug tropicamide into the eye. If the pupil dilates markedly, the patient has an acetylcholine deficiency and is probably suffering from Alzheimer's disease. If the pupil does not dilate, think again (Science 1994:266 (5187) pp ...
Lenair technique defended.(Letters to the Editor)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Editor: In response to the email Mort Walker forwarded to me from Dr. Collin at the Townsend Letter, I must say it's most highly unusual to have received a sentiment such as this. As he witnessed personally by sitting in on sessions at our office and through the many personal ...
Autoimmune diseases caused by mycoplasmas.(Letters to the Editor)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Editor: The primary function of the immune system is to distinguish foreign invaders, such as microbes, from the components of host tissues and facilitate in their elimination. Even though there are experimental animal models of autoimmunity, reacting against their own tissues, ...
Kicking the anti-depressant habit.(Letters to the Editor)
Oct 01, 2003 ... Editor: I took anti-depressant drugs for many years to combat depression. While these drugs are magic bullets for some people, they never worked well for me. In addition to loss of libido, I experienced "unexplained" nausea for several years. Last summer, I noticed a ...
"Safe upper limits" for nutritional supplements: one giant step backward.(Editorials)
Oct 01, 2003; ... In May, 2003, the "Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals" (EVM), an advisory group originally commissioned in 1988 by the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and subsequently reporting to the Food Standards Agency in England, published a report that set "Safe Upper Limits" ...
What else could they be wrong about?(Editorials)
Oct 01, 2003; ... Recently, new research on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), showed that not only do these man-made hormones not protect against osteoporosis and heart disease as promised by the medical establishment--they actually promote breast cancer in women. Thus, many women have presumably died from ...