Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients back issues from December 2004:
Letter from the publisher.
Dec 01, 2004; ... Patients frequently ask me whether alternative medicine is being more widely accepted. Just looking at the magazine articles, new books, lectures, TV and radio shows, web sites, and food supplement purchases, one would think that alternative medicine was celebrating its social acceptance ...
Mental Health Center awarded Ittleson Foundation grant.
Dec 01, 2004 ... The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester (New Hampshire, USA) was recently awarded a $40,000 Ittleson Foundation grant designated to support the agency's efforts to integrate naturopathic medicine among the array of treatments available for behavioral and mental health concerns. The ...
Shaken baby conviction dropped.(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2004 ... A judge has ordered a new trial for a father convicted five years ago of shaking his 10-week-old son to death, citing problems with the autopsy. Minutes after the judge ordered the new trial, Alan Yurko pleaded no contest to manslaughter. Circuit Judge Alan Lawson sentenced him ...
Metagenics enrolls almost 1,000 patients in US & Canada health challenge promotion.
Dec 01, 2004 ... As part of its ongoing mission to help improve health through nutrition, Metagenics, Inc. recently announced the winners of its second annual UltraMeal Challenge--a health challenge to promote healthy body composition (a healthy lean mass to fat mass ratio) in the United States and Canada ....
ConsumerLab finds not all vitamin E products meet claims.
Dec 01, 2004 ... ConsumerLab.com announced recently that five vitamin E products failed to pass recent testing for having either too little vitamin E and/or for containing synthetic vitamin E when claiming to be natural. Vitamin E supplements accounted for $706 million in sales in the US in 2003, according ...
Domestic violence prevention programs in health care settings are cost effective.
Dec 01, 2004 ... Programs that address domestic violence in health care settings can save victims' lives, improve health outcomes and prevent incidents of domestic violence from escalating. They also can save health care organizations money. These are among the conclusions of The Business Case for Domestic ...
Depleted uranium & congenital abnormalities.(Shorts)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Coalition bombs and shells containing depleted uranium (DU) have exposed the soil, water, and inhabitants of Iraq to "abnormally high levels of the artificial transuranic isotope 236U," according to field research performed by the Uranium Medical Research Centre (UMRC). The US has used ...
Designer children.(Shorts)
Dec 01, 2004; ... In an essay for The Atlantic Monthly, Michael J. Sandel, who teaches political philosophy at Harvard University, raises moral questions about the use of medical and genetic enhancement to create exceptional children. He points out that some parents already enroll their children in ...
Erectile dysfunction.(Shorts)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Between 31 to 52% of American men experience erectile dysfunction (ED) ("the inability to achieve or maintain an erection firm enough for intercourse") at sometime during their life, according to Basic Health Publications User's Guide to Complete Sexual Satisfaction by Victoria Dolby ...
Eye health.(Shorts)
Dec 01, 2004; ... The value of nutritional supplements for maintaining eye health finally hit mainstream with the National Eye Institute-supported Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) involving 4,757 people, age 55-80. The report, which was published in Archives of Ophthalmology (October 2001), found that ...
Food pyramid.(Shorts)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Every five years the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services choose a panel of scientists, responsible for determining national dietary guidelines. These guidelines dictate the content of food labels, school lunch programs, and the government's dietary education ...
Integrating Complementary Medicine into mainstream healthcare.(Pathways to Healing)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Nancy Faass, MSW, MPH, has a special interest in complementary therapies and integrative medicine, and has been writing about these fields for eight years. "Data on chronic illness, recently analyzed by a team at Stanford, shows that almost half of the US adult population (44.5%) has one ...
Diet and exercise improve erectile function.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... One hundred-ten obese men (body mass index of 30 or greater) aged 35 to 55 years, without diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia, who had erectile dysfunction (defined as a score of 21 or less on the International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF]) were randomly assigned, in ...
Testosterone increases bone density in older men.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Forty-eight men aged 65 years or older (mean age, 71 years) with a serum testosterone level below the normal range for young adult men (< 12.1 nmol/L) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, either 1) testosterone enanthate, 200 mg intramuscularly every two weeks or 2) ...
Does taking vitamins give kids asthma and allergies?(Literature Review & Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... The association between use of vitamin supplements during the first six months of life and risk of developing asthma or food allergies during early childhood was assessed in a prospective cohort study of more than 8,000 children. After adjustment for potential confounding variables ...
Preventing deep vein thrombosis on long airplane flights.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... One hundred eighty-six people considered at high risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) who were undergoing a seven- to eight-hour plane flight were randomly assigned to receive Flite Tabs (Aidan, Tempe, Arizona) or placebo at a dose of two capsules two hours before the flight and again six ...
DHEA treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Dehydroepiandrosterone)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Twenty patients (aged 18-45 years) with chronic active inflammatory bowel disease (7 with Crohn's disease, 13 with ulcerative colitis) who had failed to respond to various medications were treated with 200 mg/day of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for eight weeks. Six patients with Crohn's ...
Iron for restless legs syndrome.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Twenty-five patients with end-stage renal disease who had symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, a single intravenous infusion of iron dextran (1,000 mg) or placebo. Prior to treatment, none of the patients had evidence of iron ...
Thyroid hormone requirements increase during pregnancy.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Nineteen hypothyroid women were observed before and throughout their pregnancies. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were measured every two weeks during the first trimester and monthly thereafter. The dose of levothyroxine was increased to maintain the TSH concentration at ...
St. John's wort effective for somatoform disorders.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2004; ... One hundred seventy-three patients with somatization disorder, undifferentiated somatoform disorder, or somatoform autonomic dysfunction, but not major depression, were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 300 mg of St. John's wort extract LI 160 twice a day or placebo ...
The war on cancer.
Dec 01, 2004; ... I regularly attend the annual meetings of both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Cancer Control Society (CCS). Both are venerable institutions--ASCO now in its 40th year, CCS in its 32nd. Both events attract numerous participants to major venues--ASCO 2004 had a ...
Milk consumption leads to prostate cancer.(Web Page Potpourri)
Dec 01, 2004; ... I wish more people knew that consuming cow's milk products often results in prostate and other cancers. Yes, many who have had a "Milk is good for you" upbringing will be inclined to argue that point, but I'll make my case here, based primarily on peer-reviewed journal articles. In some ...
Correction notice.(Correction Notice)
Dec 01, 2004 ... In the October issue my column was given an incorrect heading. It ...
The impact of medical censorship on patient care: Part 4.(Townsend's New York Observer)
Dec 01, 2004; ... <Pre> Abolish the American Cancer Society and distribute its shameful and colossal bank accounts to cancer patients. Nobody can point to a single major research development from the billions that have been given the society. That institution is a disgrace. --Patrick McGrady, Jr., "The ...
Thyroid gland and the environment.(Health Risks and Environmental Issues)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Well-recognized thyroid expert, Broda Barnes, MD, estimated approximately 40% of the American adult population suffers from undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Subnormal thyroid function appears to be a risk factor for cancer. Iodine is a major component of the thyroid gland. Improper thyroid ...
Homeopathic treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostatitis: Prescribing on the Sensation of the Chief Complaint.(Healing with Homeopathy)
Dec 01, 2004; ... The Patient Lon was a 35 year-old mortgage broker from Portland, Oregon, who came to our office in late 2000 with chief complaints of vertigo and benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostatitis. Attired in a black leather jacket and pants with motorcycle helmet in hand, he appeared ...
Tribulus for sexual dysfunction in men and women.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Introduction Tribulus terrestris (puncture vine) is a prostrate, spreading herb particularly adapted to dry regions which produces a fruit with sharp, rigid spines (hence the common name). It is regarded as a problematic weed in some parts of the world and excessive consumption ...
Peyronie's disease, varicocele & male sterility, and increasing sperm motility with Chinese medicine.(Chinese Medicine Update)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, Peyronie's disease, varicocele, male sterility, sperm motility ********** Peyronie's disease Peyronie's disease refers to fibrosis of the cavernous sheath of the penis leading to contracture of the ...
Andropause: physiology and treatment.(Naturopathic Perspectives)
Dec 01, 2004; ... First described in the 1940's, andropause was the subject of an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (1) Not a new medical phenomenon, andropause (formerly known as male climacteric) has only recently garnered increased attention by medical providers. Despite the ...
Natural therapies for the prostate gland: a scientific review of nutrient and herbal combinations that promote prostate health.(Therapeutic Nutrition)
Dec 01, 2004; ... The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that sits at the base of the male bladder, surrounding the prostatic urethra. As part of the reproductive system, this gland secretes seminal fluid, energizes sperm and provides for it a favorable alkaline medium. The prostate is subject to several ...
Adrenal-thyroid-immune dysfunction as a cause of reproductive failure in pets: does a veterinary syndrome offer testing and treatment insights for infertility and miscarriages in humans?
Dec 01, 2004; ... As a clinical veterinarian, I repeatedly resolve infertility and miscarriages in dogs and cats by correcting a common but overlooked syndrome of hormonalimmune dysfunction originating with defective or deficient production of cortisol. The key ingredient in the corrective program involves ...
Are buckwheat greens toxic?
Dec 01, 2004; ... The surprising answer is a clear and unequivocal YES. Due to the growing popularity of sprouts in general, and a widespread ignorance as to the toxic dangers posed by buckwheat greens specifically, many people are today suffering unnecessarily. In this article I will describe the toxic ...
A novel combination of plant extracts with promising anti-prostate cancer activity.
Dec 01, 2004; ... Introduction Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. The causes of this disease are not well understood, but prostate cancer is clearly associated with age, making it seem like an almost inevitable affliction for older men. (1) The diagnosis of prostate cancer is based ...
Is your patient exercising too hard to be healthy?
Dec 01, 2004; ... Abstract Context: Aerobic exercise is a documented and well-accepted measured to decrease incidence of degenerative disease, increase quality of life, and extend lifespan. However, exercising above anaerobic threshold is known to increase free radical production, and exhaust ...
Patients can change lifestyle.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Editor: I found the interview with Jonathan Bernstein, MD in BookCorners (Aug/Sept 2004) to be very objectionable because he basically says that patients are unable to change their lifestyle. Therefore he proposes putting them all on 4 different types of drugs to "prevent ...
Chelate lead instead of drug therapy for hypertension.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Editor: As usual, I very much enjoy and appreciate the Townsend Letter. In the August/September 2004 issue you had interesting disclaimers about exploring alternatives in the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease and angina. Since you mention hypertension, ...
Colonic treatment.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Editor: I was overjoyed to read Dr. Thomas Dorman's article entitled "Colonics" in your July issue. It is a healing modality that is becoming very popular for good reason: the bowel is the main organ of elimination and the first line of defense in the body against sickness and ...
Benfotiamine and allithiamine should be differentiated.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Editor: I read the response of Dr. Nibber to my original letter (Townsend Letter August/September 2004) with interest. Both my letter and the response raise some important issues that go beyond the mere fact of whether blood concentrations are increased by any one of the many ...
Amino acids are key for anxiety disorders.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Editor: I read the October issue of Townsend Letter with great interest, especially the information regarding supplements used for anxiety disorders. I was amazed that no one went into detail on all of the research over the past 20 years regarding amino acids and their ...
To operate or not: alternatives to surgery for hip fractures--a well-kept secret.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Editor: If a non-surgical solution to an impacted femur neck hip fracture exists, why is it that no one seems to know about it? Why are patients--particularly in today's cost-contained healthcare environment--rushed to surgery instead of being given the option to make an ...
Expensive healthcare that doesn't work.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Editor: I read with dismay the review (Oct. 2004 TLfDP) of "Health Care Meltdown: Confronting the Myths and Fixing our Failing System," by Robert LeBow MD. The reviewer, Pat Johnson, made a number of assertions that I found entirely wrong. In the review it says "No one is ...
Preventing prostate cancer.(Editorial)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men in Western Societies. Nearly 200,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, of whom nearly 40,000 die from the disease. While the cause of prostate cancer is not known, a growing body of ...
Turning the tide against the prosecution of innovative medicine.(Guest Editorial)
Dec 01, 2004 ... How many more doctors and alternative practitioners will be dragged before their medical boards and disciplined before we take action and form a coalition to end this persecution of advanced medicine forever? Every year a new study comes out, the number of people availing themselves of ...
Re-examining Circumcision.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Doctors Re-examine Circumcision by Thomas J. Ritter, MD and George C. Denniston, MD NOCIRC-PA, PO Box 103, Mountville, Pennsylvania 17554 USA; 717-285-2839 Softbound, ISBN 0-9711878-0-0, c. 2002, $11.95 Although circumcision rates in the United ...
Hope and healing.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Coyote Healing: Miracles in Native Medicine by Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, PhD; Foreword by Larry Dossey, MD Bear & Company, One Park St., Rochester, Vermont 05767 USA www.InnerTraditions.com Softcover, 2003, $16.00, 233 pp. Most books ...
Introduction to oxygen therapies.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Oxygen to the Rescue by Pavel I. Yutsis, MD Basic Health Publications, 8200 Boulevard East, 25G, North Bergen, New Jersey 07047 USA; 201-868-8336 Softbound, ISBN 1-59120-007-5, c. 2003, 167 pp., $14.95 In Russia, where Pavel I. Yutsis, MD, first ...
Holistic approach to Syndrome X.(BookCorners)(Book Review)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Nutritional Factors for Syndrome X by Stephen Holt, MD, Jonathan V. Wright, MD, T.V. Taylor, MD and Fraser G.S. Holt Wellness Publishing, 105 Lock Street, Suite 405, Enterprise Development Center, NJIT, Newark, New Jersey 07103 USA Paperback, 2003, $19.95, ...
Lyme Disease Update: science policy & law.(Book Notice)
Dec 01, 2004 ... The peer reviewed science behind chronic Lyme disease in a concise format, along with the steps that have been taken by activists and governments across the country who are fighting the war against the most prevalent vector-borne disease in this country today--Lyme disease by Marcus Cohen, ...
Infections--Part 2: prostatitis, UTIs and sinusitis.(Highly Effective Treatments for Pain and Fatigue)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Chronic Bladder Infections Although we will be discussing some unusual infections in upcoming columns, CFIDS/FMS patients also get more of the day-to-day variety of infections. These include urinary tract (bladder) infections (UTIs), prostatitis and sinusitis. ...
Land of the lost colons.(Colonic Chronicles Presents ...)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Psychological Testing for Constipation? A woman in her late 30s was sitting before me. It was her first appointment and during the session I asked her some of the usual queries to help my evaluation. "Why would you consider coming in for this procedure?" I asked. "I just came ...
Evolutionary and cultural factors in men's health.(Medical Anthropology)(Column)
Dec 01, 2004; ... This month, I am writing from Paris as part of a meeting on medical communications in Geneva. In traveling, I have given some thought to different cultural and environmental variables that affect men's health globally. Numerous French anthropologists have long been interested in the role ...
Treating impotence with acupuncture.(Acupuncture and Moxibustion)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, acupuncture-moxibustion, sexual dysfunction, impotence ********** In issue #9, 2003 of Gan Su Zhong Yi (Gansu Chinese Medicine), Qiu Lian-li of the Gansu Provincial Chinese Medical School in Lanzhou published an article titled, "A Small ...
Prostate cancer and screening.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology describes the unity of mental, neurological, hormonal and immunological functions, addressing the impact of cognitive images of the mind (whatever its elusive definition) on the central nervous, endocrine and immune systems. It encompasses biofeedback and ...
Supplement reliability.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Samples of supplements purchased at pharmacies and specialty stores were sent for independent chemical analysis. Vitamin E (7 samples) and selenium (5) were within a range of -41% to +57% and -19% to +23% of the stated dosage, respectively. Four vitamin D brands were within 15% of the ...
Stress and physiological and psychological disorders.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Deviations from emotional and physiological homeostasis in humans occur under episodic, chronic, or traumatic stress experiences and these dysregulations can provoke emotional and physical disturbances that result in tension-related psychiatric or psychosomatic disorders. The type, ...
Impotence and hypnosis.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Of 79 men in whom clinical and laboratory examinations revealed no organic cause for their impotence; 20 men received testosterone, 21 received trazodone, 20 underwent hypnosis and 18 served as placebo controls. They were assessed by interview 4, 6 and 8 weeks after starting treatment: the ...
Factors in impotence.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2004; ... The Massachusetts Male Aging Study found a 52% incidence of mild, moderate and complete impotence in 1,290 men age 40-70. At age 70, only 30% of men were not impotent. Age was the strongest associated factor with impotence (p<.0001). Compared to a 10% incidence of the sample as a whole, ...
Impotence and depression.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... In another study from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (age 40-70, 71% high school graduates, 78% employed, 75% married) of 1,709 men were studied from 1986 to 1989. The incidence of impotence (erectile dysfunction) was 25% for the 40-44 age bracket and 47% for those >65. After ...
Sexual behavior.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... The effects of nine months of aerobic exercise on aerobic work capacity (physical fitness), coronary artery disease risk factors, and sexuality were studied in 78 sedentary but healthy men, mean age 48. The men exercised in supervised groups 60 min/day, 3.5 days/week on average. Peak ...
Dysthymia and testosterone.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Dec 01, 2004; ... A decline in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis function is often seen in elderly men, and dysthymic disorder is common. Symptoms of both HPG axis hypofunction and dysthymic disorder include dysphoria, fatigue, and low libido. Total testosterone levels were measured in 32 men ...
Calendar.(Calendar)
Dec 01, 2004 ... NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 4: APPLYING FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE @ Hyatt Regency Tampa in Tampa, Florida. Spend a week with Jeffrey Bland, PhD, and other leading experts on functional medicine, the science-based healthcare approach that assesses and treats underlying causes of ...
Four major health problems in women.(Women's Health Update)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Depression in Women Unipolar major depression is the most common psychiatric condition seen by primary care physicians, and most epidemiologic studies have shown that it is more prevalent in women than in men. Depressive disorders affect approximately 20 million American adults ...
Nutritional influences on benign prostatic hyperplasia.(Nutritional Influences on Illness)
Dec 01, 2004; ... Amino Acids Double-blind studies have found the combination of L-glutamic acid 530 mg, L-alanine 200 mg and glycine 90 mg, taken 3 times daily, to have some therapeutic efficacy. Subjective improvement, reduction in residual urine and shrinkage of the prostate have been ...