Townsend Letter back issues from July 2009:
Letter from the publisher.(treatment and control of swine flu)(Editorial)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Swine Flu As of this date, we have had three deaths in the US from swine flu - or, if we want to be politically correct, H1N1 flu. Mexicans despise the fact that it is known internationally as the flu that started in Mexico, claiming that an earlier case was found in the US ....
Douglas Laboratories launches enhanced website.(www.douglaslabs.com)
Jul 01, 2009 ... Douglas Laboratories, part of the Atrium Innovations Inc. family of companies, announces the launch of its new website, www.douglaslabs.com. The new site is designed with enhanced content and user-friendly navigation through the company's nutraceutical products, capabilities, and ...
Standard process awards Chiropractic scholarships.(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2009 ... Standard Process Inc., a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of nutritional whole food supplements, awarded $10,000 in student scholarships at the 2009 National Chiropractic Legislative Conference (NCLC) in February. The scholarships were given on behalf of Standard Process and the American ...
Tea may improve focus, keep brain healthy, and thwart cancer.(Benefits of Tea)(Report)
Jul 01, 2009 ... Drinking four to five cups of tea a day may help maintain a healthy mind and body, according to new research published in a supplement to the Journal of Nutrition. (1) One study suggests that four to five cups of tea a day may improve attention and focus. This and other studies on tea ...
Yummi ice cream open.(Cartoon)
Jul 01, 2009 ... "It's easy to resist - instead of 'ice cream,' I ...
Pathways to healing: health-care reform: a rare opportunity.
Jul 01, 2009; ... President Obama has made health-care reform one of his top domestic priorities. The reasons are clear. The US spends 17% of its gross domestic product on health care, far more than any other country. In spite of this, we rank low on health measures such as infant mortality. About 47 ...
War on cancer: Shadows fall on antiangiogenic drugs.(Report)
Jul 01, 2009; ... For the past dozen years, drugs that inhibit the growth of new blood vessels - a strategy called antiangiogenesis - have been the main hope of conventional oncology. These drugs were mainly inspired by the work of Judah Folkman, MD, of Harvard Medical School (1933-2008), who thought that ...
Biofilms implicated in chronic disease.(Shorts)
Jul 01, 2009; ... One way that organisms protect themselves from antimicrobials and the body's immune system is by forming biofilms. A biofilm is a community of organisms, encased in a sticky polysaccharide matrix, that live cooperatively. They share resources and communicate via chemical signals. The ...
Borrelia survive by shape-shifting.(Shorts)
Jul 01, 2009; ... "The premise for prolonged antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease is the notion that some spirochetes can persist despite conventional treatment courses. ... Not only is this assertion microbiologically implausible, there are no convincing published scientific data that support the existence ...
Lyme guidelines up for review.(Shorts)
Jul 01, 2009; ... The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) issued updated clinical practice guidelines for Lyme disease in October 2006. The guidelines state that antibiotic treatment for 28 days will cure people of the disease. The society does not believe that chronic Lyme disease exists ....
Specialist fights insurance company.(Shorts)
Jul 01, 2009; ... In September 2006, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina sued Joseph Jemsek, MD, for up to $100 million, claiming that he "fraudulently and deceptively misrepresented the services and treatments he provided." Jemsek, who specializes in Lyme disease and HIV/AIDS, is a member of the ...
Doctor offers antibiotics alternative.(Shorts)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2009; ... "'Microbes have always been with us,' says Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD. 'They are not the enemy. It is we who have altered the environment so severely and in a way which facilitates the growth of lower evolved species like cell wall deficient microbes and viruses, and ends life for many ...
Thoroughness needed in Lyme diagnosis.(Shorts)
Jul 01, 2009; ... The 2006 ISDA guidelines emphasize the presence of a characteristic rash (erythema migrans) and use of ELISA and Western blot tests to diagnose Lyme disease. Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that only 70% to 80% of people with Lyme have a rash. The rash first ...
Ticks carry other infections.(Shorts)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Borrelia is not the only tick-borne organism to cause musculoskeletal symptoms. Mycoplasma, the smallest known free-living organisms, also produces these symptoms. Unlike viruses, mycoplasma can reproduce outside of living cells; but they do not have the rigid cell wall of bacteria. In ...
Vitamin D role questioned.(Shorts)
Jul 01, 2009; ... During my web search for information about Lyme disease, I noticed that several patient sites mention the Marshall Protocol. Engineer Trevor Marshall reportedly developed the protocol to treat his own sarcoidosis (an autoimmune disorder of unknown origin). The protocol consists of pulsed, ...
Food bill raises controversy.(Shorts)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Since its introduction to the US House of Representatives by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) on February 4, 2009, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (H.R. 875) has worried advocates of organic and locally grown food. "Over the past several weeks, blog posts and alternative media sites were ...
Alex palmer president.(Cartoon)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Do not Disturb in cyberspace I'M WORRIED ABOUT ALEX - HE SEEMS TO ...
Anti-Aging Medicine: community-associated MRSA: Anti-Aging approaches for a Superbug Survival Strategy.(me)(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
Jul 01, 2009; ... MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that belongs to the large group of bacteria known as Staphylococci, often referred to as staph. Interestingly, while an estimated 25% to 30% of people have staph within the nose, it normally does not cause an infection ....
Healing with homeopathy: A quick, effective natural answer for acute infections.
Jul 01, 2009; ... Antibiotics Are Not Always the Answer When suffering from an acute infection, one desires rapid relief of pain and discomfort. The mainstream approach, fostered by the pharmaceutical media and the majority of conventional physicians, is to treat with antibiotics. You may believe ...
Topical Manuka Honey for MRSA Infection.(methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2009; ... In case reports, three hospice patients with ulcers contaminated with methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) improved after receiving daily topical applications of manuka honey. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Comment: Antibiotic-resistant infections have become a ...
Nutritional Support for Tuberculosis Patients.(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Four hundred seventy-one HIV-infected and 416 HIV-negative adults in Tanzania who had pulmonary tuberculosis were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, a combination of micronutrients or placebo, beginning at the time antituberculosis medication was begun. The daily ...
Vitamin D Prevents Infections.(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Some 5,292 elderly British individuals (mean age, 77 years) participating in a study on fracture prevention were randomly assigned to receive 800 IU per day of vitamin D, 1,000 mg per day of calcium, both supplements, or placebo for 24 to 62 months. About two-thirds of the participants ...
Probiotic for Ulcerative Colitis.(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Twenty-nine children (mean age, 9.8 years; range, 2-16 years) with newly diagnosed ulcerative colitis were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, a probiotic preparation (VSL#3; 1,800 billion bacteria per day) or placebo for one year. VSL#3 consists of four strains of ...
Don't Forget the B12 When Using Folic Acid.
Jul 01, 2009; ... Data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to evaluate the interaction between high serum folate and low vitamin Bl2 status (plasma vitamin B12 < 148 pmol/L or methylmalonic acid > 210 nmol/L) with respect to anemia and cognitive impairment. In the ...
Vitamin D Levels Are Declining.(Survey)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels were measured in 18,158 participants in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III (1988-1994) and 20,289 participants in NHANES 2000-2004. Age-adjusted mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations were 5-20 nmol/L lower in NHANES ...
Calcium During Pregnancy and Fetal Lead Exposure.(Report)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Six hundred-seventy women in their first trimester of pregnancy were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 1,200 mg per day of supplemental calcium or placebo. After adjustment for baseline lead levels, age, trimester of pregnancy, and dietary energy and calcium intake, ...
Vitamin A Eye Drops for Dry Eyes.(Report)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2009; ... One hundred-fifty patients with dry eye syndrome were randomly assigned to receive vitamin A eye drops (Viva Drops; Vision Pharmaceuticals) 4 times per day, 0.05% cyclosporine A eye drops twice a day, or no treatment (control group} for three months. All patients used artificial tears four ...
Chronic Lyme disease: real disease or medical myth?
Jul 01, 2009; ... As most people now know, there is currently a heated debate surrounding the question of whether the chronic form of Lyme Disease is a real medical condition caused by Lyme Disease bacteria, or instead, a psychosomatic condition caused by paranoia or other mental factors. The ...
Ground zero for Lyme is the mouth.
Jul 01, 2009; ... The mouth is the most important factor in the breakdown of health; there is no close second. All the antibiotics, and all the holistic approaches to healing, are likely to fail if the mouth has been overlooked. The mouth is a reservoir of bacterial infections that become ...
Microbes, toxins, and unresolved conflicts: A unifying theory.
Jul 01, 2009; ... Throughout my journey with Lyme disease, I have looked for teachers and mentors who could help shape my understanding of the disease process taking place within my body every day. From the onset, it was not enough to accept that the meltdown I was experiencing was the result of a simple ...
Q&A with Dr. Klinghardt.(Interview)
Jul 01, 2009 ... Q: Do you believe that people with chronic Lyme disease have solely an autoimmune condition, as some promote? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A: Late Lyme disease is the persistence of infection. There may be some inappropriate immune responses that complicate the patient's ...
Naturopathic approaches to Lyme disease treatment.
Jul 01, 2009; ... Naturopathic medicine is a system of medicine that utilizes natural therapies such as herbal medicine and homeopathy, along with diet and lifestyle changes. The philosophy underlying naturopathic medicine is to treat the underlying cause of disease, to treat the person holistically, and to ...
From IDSA to ILADS: A journey toward.(Infectious Disease Society of America and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Many patients with chronic Lyme disease have had the experience of meeting doctors who did not believe that our illnesses were real. Many have been told that our conditions are manifestations of our minds. We have been denied adequate care as the result of the guidelines of the IDSA ...
Bisphosphonates: bone strengtheners or bone hardeners?
Jul 01, 2009; ... Bisphosphonates are now the most widely marketed and prescribed patented, FDA-approved anti-osteoporosis drugs. Bisphosphonates mimic, to some extent, the effects of estrogen on bone in that they work by inhibiting bone resorption. However, like estrogen, these drugs have no ability to ...
The argument for a vegetarian diet part three.(Letter to the editor)
Jul 01, 2009; ... In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we presented key aspects of the argument in favor of a vegetarian diet. Part 1 discussed misconceptions about protein, the body's protein requirements, and the assessment of protein quality. Part 2 discussed the ecological mandate for a vegetarian diet, ...
Tart's pathway to healing.(Letter to the editor)
Jul 01, 2009 ... What a delight it was to read Elaine Zablocki's "Pathways to Healing" article reviewing the work of research psychologist Dr. Charles Tart. It has long been my position that scientific data is crucial in the search for what can be safe and effective treatments for any condition. What ...
Corrections and clarifications.(Correction notice)
Jul 01, 2009 ... In the June 2009 issue, we misspelled the name of the author of "Cardiovascular Disease." The correct spelling is Dr. Chris Meletis; website www.Dr.Meletis.com. The article was ...
Migraine treatment.(Letter to the editor)
Jul 01, 2009 ... At just 5 years old, I was diagnosed with juvenile-onset migraines. I was determined that this problem would not get in the way of living a productive life. With much suffering and prayer along the way, I forged a life of which my parents could be proud. They never stopped encouraging me ....
Preventing Clostridium difficile infection.(Editorial)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive bacterium that is a common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. It occurs most often in elderly frail hospitalized patients, but has also been seen in previously healthy individuals. C. difficile infection usually ...
Why Lyme treatments fail.(Editorial)
Jul 01, 2009; ... My average patient has been to 10 to 50 physicians before me. Below are some sample reasons for treatment failure. 1. Many patients and health-care workers are profoundly ignorant about how to read a Western blot. If a person has one "fingerprint band," he/she has Lyme disease ....
Dentist Writes Book on Heart Disease Connection.('The Stealth Killer: Is Oral Spirochetosis the Missing Link in the Dental-Heart Disease Labyrinth?' by William D. Nordquist)
Jul 01, 2009 ... Can oral spirochete infections cause heart attacks? The discovered relationship between dental and heart disease announced by the US Surgeon General in 2000 has necessitated a unique cooperation between dentistry and medicine. Patients who have systemic diseases such as heart disease, ...
The Many Facets of Lyme Disease.(Under Our Skin)(Video recording review)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Under Our Skin (DVD), directed and produced by Andy Abrahams Wilson Open Eye Pictures, 2656 Bridgeway, Suite 202, Sausalito, California 94965; 415-332-3266; www.underourskin.com 103 minutes; [C]2008 The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) claims that Lyme ...
Another View of AIDS.(Unraveling AIDS: The Independent Science and Promising Alternative Therapies)(Book review)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Unraveling AIDS: The Independent Science and Promising Alternative Therapies by Mae-Wan Ho, PhD; Sam Burcher; Rhea Gala; and Veljko Veljkovic, PhD Vital Health Publishing, P.O. Box 152, Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877; www.vitalhealthbooks.com ...
Optimizing metabolism: The new understanding of autism underscores the promise of integrative treatments such as nutrition.(Report)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Introduction Years ago, when Townsend Letter first probed an association between Lyme disease and autism, mainstream medicine was working under a very different paradigm than currently. Then, autism was considered genetically determined and "hardwired" - a disease of the brain ...
Townsend's New York observer: guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America for Lyme disease: still not credible.
Jul 01, 2009; ... The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), in its issue of February 11, 2009, included a commentary on medicine and law titled "Science, Politics, and Values: The Politicization of Professional Practice Guidelines." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two attorneys ...
Chinese medicine: the prevention of nosocomial fungal infections with Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang.(Report)
Jul 01, 2009; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, nosocomial fungal infections, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang Nosocomial infections are infections that are contracted or develop while a patient is in the hospital. Since the 1980s, the incidence of nosocomial infections in US hospitals ...
You have CEO disease.(Cartoon)
Jul 01, 2009 ... You have CEO disease You run all over your employees looking for someone to blame. That's my job as jr. CEO., ...
Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology review and commentary.
Jul 01, 2009; ... Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology describes the interrelationship 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 ...
Exercise is medicine: using exercise to manipulate TH1 and TH2 immune function.
Jul 01, 2009; ... The immune-system balance of T helper 1 (TH1) cells and T helper 2 (TH2) cells is often at the root of many conditions, including autoimmune issues, allergies, and increased susceptibility to infection. Exercise is a known modulator of TH1 and TH2 balance, which may provide a key advantage ...
Women's health update: St. John's wort and oral contraceptives.
Jul 01, 2009; ... Over the last five to ten years, a few rare case reports and a short list of published research have brought to light the possibility that St. John's wort may interfere with oral contraceptive (OC) pills. The main issue is that St. John's Wort induces cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, and ...
Nutritional Influences on Illness: one observer's perspective: the advance of nutritional science.(Final Column)(Column)
Jul 01, 2009; ... My interest in the developing science of nutritional medicine started during my tenure under Dr. David Bresler in the late 1970s at the innovative UCLA Pain Unit, where I served as director of Psychological Services and Clinical Biofeedback. While there I was exposed to the concept of ...