Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients back issues from August 2005:
Letter from the publisher.(chemical toxicity)(Editorial)
Aug 01, 2005; ... There are perhaps no office appointments more challenging to a physician than a new patient visit with someone claiming to have "chemical sensitivity." For most physicians the chemical sensitivity patient is bereft of hope or happiness, complaining of an impossibly long list of symptoms ...
Institute for Health & Healing inspired by compassionate care.(Pathways to Healing)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The Institute for Health & Healing (IHH) in San Francisco is one of the best-known integrative medical centers in the country. It includes in-hospital services, a clinic, library, self-care programs, classes and a store. The clinic combines conventional care with physical therapies such as ...
A conversation with MCS researcher, Martin Pall, PhD.(Interview)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Dr. Pall is Professor of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences at Washington State University. He is currently writing a book called Explaining "Unexplained Illnesses." How did you become interested in researching this group of illnesses--MCS, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, ...
Gus J. Prosch, Jr., MD: November 17, 1930 to June 7, 2005.(In Memoriam)(Obituary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... It was sometime in 1981 when I received a most peculiar telephone call. A "Dr. Prosch" was on the phone, and he wanted to talk to me about driving up from Birmingham, Alabama to visit me at my home and office in Franklin, Tennessee. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I can ...
Paul Keene (1910-2005).(Obituary)(Obituary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... For many of us seeking good quality whole foods in the mid-20th century, Paul Keene, owner of Walnut Acres in Penns Creek, Pennsylvania, was a treasure. Keene offered a modest mail order arrangement, with a simple catalog of organically-grown whole grains, dried fruits, nuts, and other ...
Ampligen & chronic fatigue.(Shorts)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. has completed a Phase III Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) trial of Ampligen, a double-stranded RNA drug. In vitro studies indicate that Ampligen may modulate the immune system as well as act as an antiviral agent. Ampligen has been investigated as a possible ...
Chlorella.(Shorts)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Chlorella, a fresh-water, one-celled, green algae, contains nutrients that aid detoxification. Taken as a supplement, chlorella helps remove dioxin, lead, mercury, and other toxins from the body. Its polysaccharide membrane can absorb large amounts of these toxins, according to Toshihiro ...
Fibromyalgia & fibrosis.(Shorts)
Aug 01, 2005; ... In an article posted at his web site, William Wong, ND, PhD, says that the pain of fibromyalgia stems from the formation of fibrous scar tissue in contractile (voluntary) muscles. Fibrosis binds the tissue and inhibits blood flow, resulting in pain. After developing fibromyalgia and ...
Medical journals & drug companies.(Shorts)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Richard Smith, who edited the British Medical Journal (BMJ) for 25 years, wrote an essay that describes how pharmaceutical companies use medical journals to promote their products. Journals depend upon the advertising money received from drug companies, but Smith says that "this is, I ...
Natural products research.(Shorts)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Some scientists are criticizing the pharmaceutical industry's shift away from natural products research to combinatorial and diversity-oriented synthesis programs. Instead of identifying individual organic compounds and determining their mode of action, researchers have turned to ...
Elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite hypothesis.(Shorts)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Martin L. Pall (School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington) has proposed a hypothesis to explain the puzzling, sometimes overlapping symptoms of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), and post-traumatic ...
CFS & antiviral pathways.(hronic Fatigue Syndrome)(7th International Conference on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Researchers at the 7th International Conference on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Other Related Illnesses (October 8-10, 2004, Madison Wisconsin) reported that people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) often display a dysfunction in the 2,5-OAS RNaseL antiviral pathway. OAS ...
Robert Sinaiko, MD wins.(Shorts)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The California Medical Board dropped all action against Robert J. Sinaiko, MD, on February 17, 2005. His medical license is clear and in good standing. The Medical Board accused him of "departure from the prevailing standard of practice." Dr. Sinaiko, who is board-certified in allergy, was ...
Cromolyn sodium blocks food-allergic reactions.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Thirty-five children (aged 1-15 years) with atopic dermatitis due to food allergy were treated with oral cromolyn sodium (also called sodium cromoglycate). The initial dose was 100 mg/day; this was increased progresively to 200-600 mg/day, depending on the response. The treatment improved ...
Low-dose riboflavin may prevent migraines.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Forty-nine patients with migraines were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, daily treatment with 1) a combination of riboflavin 400 mg, magnesium 300 mg, and feverfew 100 mg, or 2) "placebo" (riboflavin 25 mg) for 3 months. The proportion of patients achieving a 50% or ...
Progesterone for osteoporosis: mixed results.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Eighty-nine postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or at least 3 risk factors for osteoporosis were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 1 of 4 treatments for 2 years: 1) 500 ml/day of soymilk containing 76 mg/day of isoflavones; 2) transdermal progesterone; 3) the ...
Another homocysteine-lowering vitamin.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Mice were fed diets containing 0, 10, or 35 mmol of choline per kg of diet for 3 weeks. At the end of the diet period, a methionine load was administered. Two hours after the methionine load, choline-deficient mice had plasma homocysteine concentrations twice those of choline-fed mice. In ...
Bias against vitamins?(Literature Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... A large multicenter trial reported in 1999 that vitamin A given intramuscularly at a dose of 5,000 IU 3 times per week for 4 weeks decreased the risk of the combined outcome of bronchopulmonary dysplasia or death in extremely-low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants from 62% to 55%. This 7% ...
What might mend a broken heart? Maggie may.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Nineteen patients (mean age, 63 years) who presented with left ventricular dysfunction after sudden emotional stress were studied. Clinical presentations included chest pain, pulmonary edema, and cardiogenic shock. Only one patient had angiographic evidence of clinically significant ...
Eat breakfast to lose weight.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Ten women (mean age, 25.5 years; mean body mass index, 23.2 kg/[m.sup.2]) were randomly assigned to eat or to omit breakfast daily for two weeks. After a two-week washout period, each person switched to the alternate breakfast assignment for an additional two weeks. Total energy intake was ...
Berberine lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Forty-three hypercholesterolemic patients were randomly assigned to receive 500 mg of berberine twice a day (n = 32) or placebo (n = 11) for 3 months. In the berberine group, compared with baseline, the mean serum cholesterol level fell by 29% (p < 0.0001), LDL-cholesterol fell by 25% (p < ...
Chronic fatigue and chemical sensitivity.(Web Page Potpourri)
Aug 01, 2005; ... I strongly suspect that a significant portion of chronic fatigue with neurocognitive impairment is caused by infection. Look below for information on how to subscribe to a high-quality listserv on this subject. Toxins are another key factor in both chronic fatigue and chemical sensitivity ....
Mercury rising.(Health Risks and Environmental Issues)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Lewis Carroll's reference to the Mad Hatter in his classic book, Alice in Wonderland, memorialized the strange behavior of hat makers who were exposed to mercury in the preparation of felt hats. "The 'mad' symptoms that the Hatter displayed were classic for mercury poisoning," writes Dr ....
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), acupuncture & its related modalities.(Acupuncture and Moxibustion)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, acupuncture, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), seven star needling, cupping, electro-acupuncture ********** Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) refers to long-standing severe fatigue without substantial muscle weakness and without proven ...
Reflections on ASCO 2005.(The War on Cancer)(American Society of Clinical Oncology)
Aug 01, 2005; ... I have just returned from the 41st annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Twenty-five thousand oncologists converged on Orlando, Florida, to present their latest work and to learn about the progress that has been made over the past year in treating various ...
Willow bark versus NSAID.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Given the safety concerns over the COX-2 inhibitor drugs, it is interesting to find that standardized willow bark compared well with a conventional treatment for arthritis. In a randomized, double-blind, parallel group trial, the therapeutic efficacy and tolerance of standardized willow ...
Sage is well named.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... A team of British scientists has undertaken a series of investigations on plants which may improve memory and might therefore be relevant to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). One of the herbs they chose for investigation was sage, because of its traditional reputation as a tonic ...
Does milk thistle increase hepatic clearance of drugs?(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... A common misconception concerning milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is that, since it is a liver herb, it is likely to increase the metabolism and clearance of many drugs due to enhanced hepatic detoxification. This is certainly fueled by in vitro studies showing this effect (1) and an in ...
Ginkgo in Down Syndrome.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The drug donepezil, which is used in Alzheimer's disease (AD), recently achieved good results in four adults with Down Syndrome (DS). Similarities between the neurobiology of AD and DS have also been noted. This prompted two Italian scientists to investigate the value of the standardized ...
Licorice and testosterone revisited.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... A previous article in this column (No. 205/206 August-September, 2000) examined an Italian pilot study that claimed to demonstrate licorice consumption lowered testosterone in men and asserted that licorice should be avoided by men with low libido. (1) During the period of licorice ...
Multiple chemical sensitivity: towards the end of controversy.
Aug 01, 2005; ... There are nine well accepted paradigms of human disease. The tenth may explain the features of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and a group of related illnesses including chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); Gulf War syndrome ...
The national prevalence of chemical hypersensitivity, the medical diagnosis of multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), and potential overlaps with asthma.
Aug 01, 2005; ... Abstract A national population study, using a random sample of 1,057 geographically weighted cases, was conducted to determine the prevalence of chemical hypersensitivity, the medical diagnosis of multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), (1) and their co-occurrence with asthma in ...
The Allergy & Environmental Health Association (AEHA).
Aug 01, 2005 ... AEHA is a national registered charity operated by volunteers with branches in cities across Canada. Together we strive to promote awareness of environmental conditions that may be harmful to human health and to bring individuals together for mutual support and education. ...
H.R.2792: the Access to Medical Treatment Act (AMTA); AMTA should have a subtitle: Safe and Equal Access to the best in health care.
Aug 01, 2005 ... American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) is pleased to announce that Access to Medical Treatment Act (AMTA) has been introduced in the House by Rep. Burton and Rep. DeFazio. AAHF has been the leading advocacy group for this crucial legislation and have been deeply involved ...
New ergonomic insole with "foot-in-the-sand" technology[c].
Aug 01, 2005; ... A vast array of after-market insoles has been merchandised through the years. Most of these consist of a bed of cushioning foam with only hints of accommodation for foot anatomy. Other than extremely expensive orthotic insoles, commercial varieties do little to solve the far-reaching ...
Chemical sensitivity in the military.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Editor: An important organization to note is the Global Recognition Campaign for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and other Chemically-Induced Illnesses, Diseases & Injury affecting civilians and military personnel. We have a website at www.mcs-global.org where we have much ...
Multiple chemical sensitivity and perfume.
Aug 01, 2005; ... Editor: Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) affects millions of Americans, as well as millions of people in other countries where artificial perfumes and pesticides are used. Perfumes are the most ubiquitous of hazardous waste chemicals, since "formulations" changed in the ...
Variance in chemical exposure tolerance.(Letters to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Editor: In 2002 I wrote an article trying to help explain why one person may have a low tolerance for a chemical and others may not. (1) Very recent research from Canada may demonstrate a relationship between deficiencies of enzymes and chemical intolerance. (2) I would highly ...
Everyone is affected by electromagnetic radiation.(Letters to the Editor)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Editor: May I express my thanks to Rose Marie Williams for her well-researched and informative articles on cell phones in the June and July 2005 issues. I would like to make one correction to an assertion attributed to my organization. In the June article (page 23, ...
Vegetarian diet for arthritis.(Letters to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Editor: Inflammatory diseases are caused mainly, perhaps entirely, by products formed from arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid is acted on by two enzymes--cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase. Cyclo-oxygenase converts it to the inflammatory prostaglandin E2. Lipoxygenase converts it ...
Rick Santee, microscopist, arrested by medical gestapo.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 01, 2005 ... Editor: Rick Santee is a very competent darkfield microscopist. He often attended health expos and worked in the offices of many alternative physicians here in southern California. The work is called "live cell blood analysis." He would take a drop of your blood, place it on a ...
Iodine: a lot to swallow.(Editorial)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Recently, a growing number of doctors have been using iodine supplements in fairly large doses in their practices. The treatment typically consists of 12 to 50 mg per day of a combination of iodine and iodide, which is 80 to 333 times the RDA of 150 mcg (0.15 mg) per day. Case reports ...
The many faces of MCS.(BookCorners)(Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: How Chemical Exposures May Be Affecting Your Health)(Video Recording Review)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: How Chemical Exposures May Be Affecting Your Health A video produced by Alison Johnson and Richard Startzman 2004, 60 min., MCS Information Exchange, 3 Larrabee Farm Road, Brunswick, Maine 04011 USA $20 plus $4 priority ...
Body wisdom.(BookCorners)(Ask Anything and Your Body Will Answer)(Book Review)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Ask Anything and Your Body Will Answer by Julie J. Nichols, PhD & Lansing Barrett Gresham NoneTooSoon Publishing, 893 S. McClelland, Salt Lake City, Utah 84102 USA; 801-363-1747; www.inawareness.com Softbound, ISBN 1-893969-00-2, c. 1999, 107 pp., $15 ...
How to live with chronic illness.(BookCorners)(You Don't LOOK Sick!)(Book Review)
Aug 01, 2005; ... You Don't LOOK Sick! by Joy H. Selak and Steven S. Overman, MD, MPH The Haworth Medical Press, 10 Alice St., Binghamton, New York 13904 USA; 800-429-6784 Softcover, c.2005, $14.95, 145 pp. Chronic diseases are difficult to treat as they often ...
Essential reading for people with CFS, allergies & chemical sensitivities.(BookCorners)(Breaking Out of Environmental Illness)(Book Review)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Breaking Out of Environmental Illness by Robert Sampson, MD & Patricia Hughes, BSN Bear & Company, Inc. Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504 USA Softcover, 1997, $14.00, 258 pp. A child psychiatrist who included alternative approaches such as acupuncture ...
AIDS in the US, early period (1981-87): interview with Michael Ellner, president, HEAL.(Townsend's New York Observer)(Health Education AIDS Liaison, an organization advocating non-toxic therapies for AIDS)(Interview)
Aug 01, 2005; ... <Pre> The viewpoint has been so firm that HIV is the only cause and will result in disease in every patient, that anyone who challenges that is regarded as "politically incorrect"; I don't think--as a matter of public policy--we gain by that, because it limits debate and discussion and ...
Unreal estate: the new anthropology of home ownership.(Medical Anthropology)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The subject of human habitat, settlement and shelter is one that has intrigued anthro-pologists for decades. For modern, Western people the explosion of interest in real estate in the past decade represents a deep-seated desire to embrace something real. However, with the simultaneous ...
Nutritional support for healthy brain function.(Therapeutic Nutrition)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Introduction The fundamental cause of nearly every cognitive and neurodegenerative disorder remains unknown, but all forms of cognitive decline demonstrate both neuronal and cerebrovascular abnormalities. Current thinking has focused on oxidative damage by free radicals, the ...
Clinical uses of Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang.(Chinese Medicine Update)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (Supplement the Center & Boost the Qi Decoction) ********** In Chinese medicine, treatment is primarily based on each patient's personally presenting pattern(s) and only secondarily on their ...
Music.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... In 2 randomly selected groups of healthy college students, mean sIgA increase was 32 mg/dl in the group experiencing 17 minutes of focussing on immune system imagery and a music tape vs. a rise of 16 mg/dl in quietly sitting controls (p<.0001). Instances of tachycardia, breathing problems ...
Immunity and laughter.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Thirty-nine women viewed sad (Peege) and humorous (Cosby) videotapes in random-order crossover style and either inhibited or expressed laughter and weeping. Moods and sIgA were repeatedly measured. Two independent observers reading the results of laboratory sIgA results were in agreement ...
Benefits of biofeedback.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Forty-one adults completed 8 psychological instruments measuring mood, stress, health status and phagocytic activation capacity--the respiratory burst or capacity to utilize O2 for synthesis of bactericidal substances. A significant correlation between high stress and low phagocytic ...
These things are stressful; these things help us manage the stress.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Stress events which have been shown to lead to immune system changes include divorce, unemployment, anxiety, loneliness, sleep deprivation, marital unhappiness, overcrowding, high intensity sound, bereavement (death of spouse and wives with terminal cancer), administration of epinephrine ...
More on examinations.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Salivary IgA determinations were done in 15 healthy undergraduates five days before exams, during exams and fourteen days following their last final exam. sIgA levels were lower during exams (p<.0001). Students reporting more social support at the pre-exam time had consistently higher sIgA ...
The stress/immunity theory has its critics.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... In this meta-analysis of 24 stress studies and ten relaxation studies vis-a-vis immunity, objective measures of immunity were insignificantly related to stress and relaxation with the exception of greater interleukin-2 receptor expression on lymphocytes and antibody titers against Epstein ...
Another meta-analysis.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... This meta-analysis of stress/immunity literature showed a very significant inverse relation of stress to immune function including decreased proliferative response to mitogens Con-A and PHA (p<.001); NK cell activity (p<.001); numbers of WBCs (p<.001); immunoglobulins IgA and IgM (p<.01); ...
Parachute jumpers.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)
Aug 01, 2005; ... In 45 first-time parachutists, the psychological stress increased sympathetic adrenal hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine, cortisol, heart rate, respiratory rate and fear ratings (p<.001) at the time of jumping. Significant immediate increases in T-cell counts (C[D.sup.2+], ...
Interferon and interleukins in Alzheimer's caregivers.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Natural killer (NK) cell reactions to incubation with recombinant interferon-[gamma] or recombinant interleukin-2 were measured in 28 former and current caregivers of patients with AD and 28 matched controls. The response of both present and former Alzheimer's caregivers was similar and ...
Examinations and skin testing.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Sixteen final-year psychology undergraduate students about to take their final examinations and 14 controls from research and administrative staff with a similar age distribution were randomly recruited to complete the 30-item Recent Perceived Stress Questionnaire and have applied to a ...
Alzheimer's caregivers.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The cell adhesion molecule, L-selectin (CD62L), serves a crucial role in the migration of naive T lymphocytes and is typically shed on cell activation. Twenty Alzheimer's caregivers, mean age 73.5 had their lymphocytes and catecholamine levels sampled at rest and in response to an acute ...
Matriculating at West Point.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Ninety-five randomly selected 18 year-olds from a pool of 583 consenting first-year West Point cadets had blood drawn at registration into the Academy program, at the end of the first 6 weeks of cadet basic training, following winter holidays on return to the academy, and during second ...
Caregivers for the demented.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Sixty-nine spousal caregivers of demented relatives of more than 5 years' duration were contrasted to 69 sociodemographically matched controls. Caregivers had significantly increased incidence of depression and infectious illness, significantly less sleep (p<.001) and significant decreases ...
Unavoidable stress.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... One-hundred five adult men were randomly exposed to controllable or uncontrollable stress (noise), and compared to no-noise controls. NK cell activity was determined before and after each of three 20-minute exposures to noise, and 24 and 72 hours following the last exposure. The subjects ...
Dermatomyositis.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary: The Immune System and Mind Function)(Brief Article)
Aug 01, 2005; ... This is a case history of a dermatomyositis patient treated with Transcendental Meditation and visual imagery without drugs for 294 days during which the patient recovered, a low-probability event without conventional therapy. Regression analysis of periodic measures of arm strength, rash, ...