Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine back issues from April 2006:
Letter from the publisher.(depression treatment with alternative medicine)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Of all physical and mental ills, depression is perhaps the most cruel and taxing. We all experience a certain degree of depression, albeit we usually can point to a circumstance triggering the sadness and isolation. Chronic depression, unlike "situational depression," is usually ...
World Apitherapy Day to celebrate health benefits of bee products.
Apr 01, 2006 ... March 30, 2006 will mark the first annual celebration of 'World Apitherapy Day," an event designed to enhance international understanding of the therapeutic use and health benefits of bee products. Apitherapy is the use of beehive products such as propolis (a resinous substance collected ...
Melatonin in walnuts protect against cancer and heart disease.(Report)
Apr 01, 2006 ... The next time you reach for salad greens and dressing, you might consider adding some walnuts. New research out of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio shows that walnuts contain a fair amount of melatonin, a hormone that protects our cells against oxidative damage ....
Israeli Health Ministry issues soy warning.
Apr 01, 2006 ... Scientists, doctors, and nutritionists who have warned that soy is not a health food and that soy poses special risks to infants and children received support this week from the Israeli Health Ministry, which issued a health advisory recommending that soy foods be eaten only in moderation ....
The world medical conference looks at avian influenza and homeopathy.(Conference news)
Apr 01, 2006 ... During its long history, homeopathy has proved to be of use in serious epidemics or pandemics, such as cholera or the "Spanish" influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. During these pandemics, homeopathic remedies were important and effective treatments that, at the time, were clearly superior to ...
A French study on the safety and benefits of phytoestrogens in food.(Report)
Apr 01, 2006 ... The French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA), in collaboration with the French Health Products Safety Agency (AFSSAPS), has assessed the safety and health benefits of phytoestrogens. The term "phytoestrogens" refers to several molecules from the plant world that, although they have different ...
Celiac disease & looking for what you know.(Disease/Disorder overview)
Apr 01, 2006; ... For decades every European doctor has been trained to identify celiac disease. In the US, however, celiac disease has been viewed as a "rare childhood disorder." A Wall Street Journal article (December 9, 2005) uses this disparity to show how medical education and lack of research can ...
Probiotics.(health aspects of probiotics)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Basic Health Publications User's Guide to Probiotics by Earl Mindell, RPh, PhD really opened my eyes to the many ways in which "friendly" bacteria (probiotics) maintain our health. First, probiotics commonly found in a healthy GI tract inhibit the growth of pathogens by producing lactic ...
Questioning antibiotics.(helpful bacteria in the human body)
Apr 01, 2006; ... As scientists learn more about the bacteria that live in our bodies, some are questioning the benefits of antibiotics, according to an article by Jessica Snyder Sachs in Discover (November 2005). Bacteria, some helpful, some harmful, "outnumber other cells in the human body by ten to one." ...
Chia seeds.(nutritional aspects)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Looking for a nutritious addition to your diet? Chia seeds, soaked in water, may be it. A traditional food, valued by indigenous people in arid regions of North America and South America, chia seeds contain all of the essential amino acids, a high percentage of alpha-linolenic acid, and ...
Clay.(clay minerals health aspects)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Medical personnel are taught that geophagia (eating clay or dirt) is a sign of dysfunction, associated with mineral imbalance, such as iron deficiency, but some clays have had a traditional place in detoxification and nutrition. Observers have noticed that both humans and animals use ...
Thimerosal, vaccines, and autism.(vaccine preservatives thimersoal link with autism )(Report)
Apr 01, 2006; ... For years, environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. had met mothers with autistic children who believed that the mercury-containing preservative in childhood vaccines had caused their child's disability. Skeptical that autism could be blamed on a single factor, Kennedy looked into the ...
EDTA chelation.(Ethylen Diamine Tetra Acetic acid)(chelation therapy analysis)
Apr 01, 2006; ... The Chelation Controversy, a Basic Health Guide by Gregory Pouls, DC, FICN, and Maile Pouls, PhD, introduces readers to the detoxification benefits of chelation therapy. Although our bodies have several detoxification pathways to remove harmful metals, chemicals, and toxins, we may ingest ...
Chelation for autism.(chelation therapy for autism)
Apr 01, 2006; ... The connection between mercury poisoning and autism and the use of chelation therapy as a treatment made front-page news in 2005. Although government officials deny a link between autism and the mercury-based vaccine preservative thimerosal, some researchers and parents of autistic ...
Unmasking a "cure".(www.cancercure.org)(Website overview)
Apr 01, 2006; ... On Wednesday, December 28, 2005, the US Attorney's Office in Miami, Florida, along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), filed a lawsuit in US District Court for an injunction and restraining order to halt the sale of products from www.cancercure.org, as well as two other related ...
Broccoli sprouts eradicate Helicobacter pylori.
Apr 01, 2006; ... Nine patients with gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection were randomly assigned to receive 7g, 14g, or 28g of broccoli sprouts on an empty stomach twice a day for seven days. Stool antigen testing for H. pylori was done at the end of the treatment period (day 8) and at day 35. Urea ...
Making your children "egg-heads".(choline role in brain development)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006; ... This review article points out that choline plays a key role in brain development. Choline contributes to the structure and function of cell membranes and serves as a precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. In experimental animals, the availability of choline during the prenatal ...
Nutritional supplement improves heart failure.
Apr 01, 2006; ... Thirty patients (mean age, 75.4 years) with heart failure (mean left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], 26.1%) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, a daily micronutrient supplement or placebo for nine months. The supplement provided the following daily: calcium ...
Does calcium make teens taller?
Apr 01, 2006; ... One hundred forty-three boys (aged 16-18 years) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 1,000 mg/day of calcium (from calcium carbonate) or placebo for 13 months. Compared with placebo, calcium supplementation significantly increased bone mineral content (BMC) of the ...
Progesterone cream as an alternative to progestins.(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Twenty-six postmenopausal women (mean age, 57.3 years) received 0.625 mg/day of conjugated equine estrogens and 2.5 mg of medroxyprogesterone acetate (Prempro; Wyeth) or 0.625 mg/day of conjugated equine estrogens and 20 mg twice a day of transdermal progesterone cream (Pro-gest; ...
Does alcohol prevent heart disease? Maybe not.
Apr 01, 2006; ... Numerous observational studies have shown that moderate alcohol drinkers have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than do non-drinkers. Although most of these studies controlled for major cardiac risk factors, CVD is independently associated with other factors that could ...
Pyridoxal phosphate more effective than pyridoxine for childhood epilepsy.
Apr 01, 2006; ... Ninety-four children (aged eight months to 15 years) with idiopathic intractable epilepsy received intravenous pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) at a dose of 10 mg/kg, followed by 10 mg/kg/day in four divided doses. If seizures recurred within 24 hours, another dose of 40 mg/kg was given, followed ...
Evidence-based medicine takes a fall.(Report)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006; ... To determine whether parachutes are effective in preventing major trauma related to gravitational challenge, a systematic review was performed of all studies examining the effects of using a parachute during free fall. Data sources included Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane ...
New York's OPMC issues memo on "minority" therapy mainstream media picks up on TNF in Avian flu.(Office of Professional Medical Conduct)(tumor necrosis factor)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Last July, Dennis Graziano, director of the Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC), New York Department of Health, put out a memorandum on the investigation of practitioners using treatments "not universally accepted by the medical profession" (i.e., treatment given by a minority of ...
New textbook explores functional medicine.(Pathways to Healing)
Apr 01, 2006; ... The Institute for Functional Medicine has just published an 800-page, 37-chapter textbook crammed with useful analysis and tools for health care practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of health and illness, and expand the ways they can help their patients. While designed for ...
Web Page Potpourri--looking from the inside: a column devoted to informative integrative health resources on the Internet.(Website overview)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Last month's column identified visual resources related to the heart. This month we look at the liver and gastrointestinal system. Digital Atlas of Video Education http://davel.mgh.harvard.edu/ http://davel.mgh.harvard.edu/homunculus_search.cfm ...
Makeup goes organic.(cosmetics industry to use environmentally safe products)(Industry overview)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Makeup's ugly secrets were discussed last month in this column. Readers may have been surprised to learn that the multi-billion dollar cosmetic industry is basically self-regulating, with little control from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or any other governmental agency, ...
Phytotherapy for the management of asthma Part one: underlying issues.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Asthma has been defined as the occurrence of dyspneic bronchospasmodic crises that are linked to a bronchial hyperreactivity (BH). (1) Like autoimmune disease, asthma is a chronic disturbance of immunological function that can be controlled to some extent, but not eradicated, by modern ...
Inflammation and detoxification.(Therapeutic Nutrition)
Apr 01, 2006; ... The remarkable progress of medical research in the past several decades has uncovered commonalities underlying the pathogenesis of diseases that were heretofore considered separate entities. Foremost among these, inflammation has been identified as a fundamental process in most chronic ...
Chemical exposures at the World Trade Center: use of the Hubbard sauna detoxification regimen to improve the health status of New York City rescue workers exposed to toxicants.(Cover story)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Background On September 11, 2001, the attack and collapse of the gigantic World Trade Center towers caused an enormous release of toxic substances into a densely populated urban environment. These included asbestos, radionuclides, benzene, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls ...
Promising cure to URTI pandemics, including the Avian flu (H5N1): has the final solution to the coming plagues been discovered? (Part II).(upper respiratory tract infections)(oligodynamic silver for treating viral infections)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Virotoxicity of Oligodynamic Silver Viruses cause most upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), such as adenovirus, coronavirus, coxsackievirus, influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and rhinovirus, which account for the majority of cases. (1) A ...
An unorthodox effective treatment provides clues to fibromyalgia's fundamental pathology.
Apr 01, 2006; ... Our treatment protocol is based on clinical observations of Fibromyalgia (FM) patients avoiding exposure to certain foods and inhalants. Robust reductions in symptoms within three weeks and the return of these symptoms upon controlled re-exposure to supposed "trigger" molecules inhaled or ...
One program, two months, lasting relief--from almost any symptom ... and the older you are, the better it works.(intravenous nutrient supply)
Apr 01, 2006; ... There's a program we use at the Tahoma Clinic that helps a lot of the patients we see, usually in just about two months, no matter what their symptoms are. And, unlike many other treatment programs, which work better if you're younger, the percentage helped with this program increases with ...
Vesitrol, featuring UroMax: effects on urinary incontinence and overactive bladder.(herbal medicine )
Apr 01, 2006; ... Bladder issues affect one in five Americans. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates 17 million Americans can medically be diagnosed with urinary incontinence (UI). An estimated 33 million Americans suffer with overactive bladder (OAB). (1) In addition to urinary urgency, ...
Questioning Gottfried Kellermann's "The Validity of Urinary Neurotransmitter Measurements".(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2006 ... The following is synopsis of correspondence with a colleague, a biochemist like myself, questioning the validity of the urinary neurotransmitter tests mentioned in Gottfried Kellermann's article, "The Validity of Urinary Neurotransmitter Measurements" (TLfDP #270, January 2006). Although ...
The National Center for Homeopathy.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2006; ... In his article "Homeopathy Takes a Hit," Alan R. Gaby correctly pointed out some puzzling aspects about the theory and the practice of homeopathy. Puzzling or not, endless numbers of people have used and are using that form of treatment not just here in the United States, but worldwide ....
A vegetarian diet for better health.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2006; ... In your January 2006 issue, you had a letter from David Zeoli, ND, in which he told of living on a vegetarian diet with polyunsaturated fatty acids as fats. In time, he developed 23 kinds of disease conditions. He said that he was developing a condition much like multiple sclerosis. Then ...
More about iodine.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Three articles appeared recently in The Original Internist (1-3) concerning clinical research with the use of iodine/iodide in megadoses. Our medical group, consisting of three MDs and one ND/Acupuncturist decided that we should try to find out whether any one of us was iodine-deficient ....
Heavenly heat saunas for cardiovascular health.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2006; ... I agree with Dr. Michael Gerber's comments ("Thirty Years of Progress in Cardiovascular Health," TLfDP #271/272), that people can "remarkably improve following FIR sauna therapy. Everyone needs to sweat out their environmental toxins ...." Over our past 19 years in the sauna business, we ...
Restless Legs Syndrome hits the big time.(care and treatment)(Editorial)
Apr 01, 2006; ... During the years I taught therapeutic nutrition at Bastyr University, my students used to chuckle when I would periodically mention yet another dietary intervention or nutritional supplement that had been reported to relieve Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Very few of the students had ever ...
In hype we trust?(Hope or Hype: The Obsession with Medical Advances and the High Cost of False Promises )(Book review)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Hope or Hype, by Richard A. Deyo, MD, MPH and Donald L. Patrick, PhD, MSPH AMACOM, 1601 Broadway, New York, New York 10019 USA; 212-903-8316; fax 212-903-8083; http://www.amacombooks.org ISBN 0-8144-0845-1; Hardback, c. 2005; 336 pp; $24.95 Americans ...
The mental health response to 9/11.(On the Ground After September 11: Mental Health Responses And Practical Knowledge Gained)(book review)(Book review)
Apr 01, 2006; ... On the Ground After September 11: Mental Health Responses and Practical Knowledge Gained edited by Yael Danieli, PhD and Robert Dingman, EdD Haworth Maltreatment & Trauma Press, 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, New York, 13904-1580 USA ISBN 0789029065; ...
Death by food.(The China Study : The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health )(book review)(Book review)
Apr 01, 2006; ... The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, PhD with Thomas M. Campbell II BenBella Books, 6440 N. Central Expressway, Suite 617, Dallas, Texas 75206 USA; 800-888-4741 Hardback, $24.95 US; $34.95 CAN; c. 2004, 417pp Linus Pauling (and Rath) presented research ...
Using Comprehensive Medicine to safely and effectively eliminate pain.(Pain Free 1-2-3!)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Dear Readers, Having spent the last few years writing about the causes of and effective treatment for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, I would now like to shift gears and make you an expert on using Comprehensive Medicine in the treatment of pain. ...
Rheumatoid arthritis.(Chinese Medicine case study)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, rheumatology, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ********** On pages 276-278 in issue #5, 2004 of Bei Jing Zhong Yi (Beijing Chinese Medicine), Li Shu-fang published an article titled, "A Clinical Study on the Treatment of ...
Townsend calendar.(Calendar)
Apr 01, 2006 ... MARCH-OCTOBER 2006: APPLIED KINESIOLOGY 100 HOUR CERTIFICATION COURSE (ICAK approved) with William H. Tolhurst, DC, in Bellevue, Washington. Other seminars on APRIL 8-9; MAY 6-7; JUNE 3-4; JUNE 24-25; AUGUST 26-27; SEPTEMBER 23-24; OCTOBER 21-22. Sponsored by Nutri-West, Bioresource Inc. & ...
Bio-identical hormones: one clinician's perspective, 2006.(Women's Health Update)
Apr 01, 2006; ... It has been estimated that by the year 2015, nearly 50% of the women in the United States will be menopausal and the menopausal population in the US will have doubled between 1990 and 2020. This dramatic increase in the number of menopausal women is having an influence on politics, ...
The influence of minerals on atherosclerosis: Part two.(Nutritional Influences on Illness)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Magnesium Deficiency Magnesium deficiency is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death. (1) In a large survey, people with cardiovascular disease had significantly lower serum magnesium levels than those free ...