Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine back issues from August 2006:
Letter from the publisher.(cancer care and treatment)(Editorial)
Aug 01, 2006; ... From a purely numbers basis, cancer is a poor man's bet, burdened by strong odds of losing and laden with barbaric therapies as treacherous as any land mine in wartime. Cancer care is obscenely expensive, and while the major costs may be picked up by insurance and Medicare, a hefty 20% is ...
Corrections & clarifications.(Correction notice)
Aug 01, 2006 ... An article by Omar M. Amin, "On the Diagnosis and Management of Neurocutaneous Syndrome (NCS)," which appeared in our July 2006 issue, was originally published in Explore (2003;12(6):21-25). That credit was inadvertently omitted. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The contact ...
Consumerlab.com tests cancer-prevention supplements; several found contaminated with lead or low in key ingredient.(http://www.consumerlab.com/results/cancer_supplements_green_tea_lycopene_selenium.asp.)
Aug 01, 2006 ... ConsumerLab.com announced results today from its new "Product Review of Supplements for Cancer Prevention," covering 22 products. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US. Intake of certain foods and nutrients has been associated with reduced risk of cancer. Many of these ...
Family decides breast cancer treatment for many older Latinas.
Aug 01, 2006 ... Latina breast cancer patients are seven times more likely to entrust treatment decisions to their family than are African-Americans or whites. So says a cross-sectional study of racial/ethnic disparities of older Latina, African-American, and Caucasian breast cancer patients living in Los ...
High-dose vitamin C is safe: new study debunks fears that vitamin C may cause harm; cancer research can move forward.
Aug 01, 2006 ... Scientists from the RECNAC II project have published findings that verify the safety of high-dose intravenous vitamin C. In this study, published in the Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal (2006; 24 (4):269-276), a Phase I clinical trial with 24 terminal cancer patients receiving between ...
Washington State Board of Pharmacy stalls innovative Biomed Comm natural medicine provider.
Aug 01, 2006 ... Science and innovative drug discovery are needed to combat an escalating number of disorders, (1) including autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and dental amalgam mercury syndrome (DAMS). Washington State's Board of Pharmacy, however, is aggressively attacking one of the recognized innovator's ...
Court denies vitamin trade group's motion to stop defamation suit brought by Consumerlab.com.
Aug 01, 2006 ... ConsumerLab.com announced that the Supreme Court of the State of New York has denied a motion by a trade group of vitamin and supplement makers to dismiss the defamation suit brought against it by ConsumerLab.com. The trade group, which calls itself the Council for Responsible Nutrition ...
Tai Chi and Qigong recommended for seniors.
Aug 01, 2006 ... Experts in ancient Chinese wellness exercises--Tai Chi and Qigong--say that if more seniors engaged in these body/mind exercises, older Americans would live longer and healthier lives. A large, enthusiastic group of seniors from Southern California gave live-action testimony to these ...
Anti-cancer compound in beer gaining interest.(usage of xanthohumol in hops)
Aug 01, 2006 ... A compound found only in hops and the main product in which hops are used--beer--is rapidly gaining interest as a micronutrient that might help prevent many types of cancer. Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) first discovered the cancer-related properties of this flavonoid ...
Alkylglycerols.(prevention of cancer metastasis)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Alkylglycerols have increased survival times and prevented metastasis in human and animal cancer studies. These ether lipids, normally made by bone marrow, decrease inflammation and increase natural killer cell and macrophage activity. Alkylglycerols are also believed to inhibit the ...
Burzynski's antineoplaston therapy.
Aug 01, 2006; ... For 40 years, Stanislaw Burzynski, MD, PhD, has identified and investigated antineoplastons, cancer-fighting peptides found in the blood of healthy people. People with cancer excrete these peptides in their urine; antineoplastons do not appear in their blood. Dr. Burzynski has isolated and ...
Aspartame & cancer risk.(Clinical report)
Aug 01, 2006; ... A long-term bioassay on aspartame, conducted by The Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center (CMCRC) of the European Ramazzini Foundation, found that the artificial sweetener produced cancer in mice at a daily dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight (bw) (Environmental Health Perspectives; March ...
Aneuploidy-cancer theory.
Aug 01, 2006; ... In January 2004, 70 cancer researchers met in Oakland to discuss clinical and experimental evidence for the aneuploidy-cancer theory. Unlike the oncogene/tumor suppression gene hypothesis that has dominated research for over 20 years, the aneuploidy theory focuses on the gain or loss of ...
Melanoma & electromagnetic waves.(Shorts)
Aug 01, 2006; ... The rising incidence of melanoma in Sweden and some other countries has a stronger association with FM radio broadcasting at full-body resonant frequencies than with Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sun exposure, according to Swedish researchers Orjan Hallberg and Olle Johansson. Melanoma ...
Heat treatments for cancer.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Researchers are experimenting with various ways to use heat, created by radio frequency waves, to destroy tumors. Some oncologists use radio-frequency ablation, involving surgical implantation of probes into cancerous tissue that are then heated with radio waves. Researchers are also using ...
Lantus cancer risk?
Aug 01, 2006; ... Concerns have been raised that long-term use of Lantus, a genetically-engineered insulin, may cause cancer. The FDA approved Lantus, made by Aventis S. A., in 2000. Drug manufacturers are promoting Lantus and similar analogues as replacements for animal-based insulin and human insulin ....
Medicaid troubles.
Aug 01, 2006; ... In February 2006, the US Congress passed a Medicaid reform bill that addresses some concerns expressed by states' governors. States are responsible for growing shares of the health insurance program's costs. The bill lets state governments increase the amount that Medicaid patients pay for ...
Trace metals & prostate tumors.(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Turkish researchers measured trace metal concentrations in 11 cancerous and six benign prostate samples. Unexpectedly, the malignant samples contained higher levels of beneficial metals--iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, and calcium--than the benign samples did. While iron and copper are ...
Oleic acid & breast cancer.(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil, suppresses Her-2/neu over-expression, according to an Annals of Oncology article. At least one-fifth of breast cancer cases display over-expression by the oncogene Her-2/neu (also known as erbB-2). Her-2/neu over-expression is ...
A Canadian case: judicial support for a child's unconventional therapy.
Aug 01, 2006; ... In 1992, Dr. Emanuel Revici was treating a ten-year-old boy with medulloblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Revici, then in his 72nd year of continuous medical practice, had gained a reputation for remissions in cancers resistant to mainstream treatment, particularly brain cancers. Possibly, ...
The role of whole foods and nutraceuticals in the prevention of cancer and support of traditional cancer treatments.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Folate Benefits Research has shown an inverse relationship between levels of folate in the diet and incidences of colorectal cancer. Folate deficiency has been linked to megaloblastic anemia (2) as well as DNA mutations, since such a deficiency increases DNA's ...
The war on cancer.(black rasberries and tarceva for treating cancer)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Cultivating the Anticancer Garden There are over 70 million gardeners in the United States and countless more worldwide. I spend my summers in a cool climate, and the growing season is rather short. I try to make planting choices with one eye on my plants' anticancer potential ....
Does Boswellia have a role in cancer therapy.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Research conducted over the past few years has suggested a possible role for the Ayurvedic herb Boswellia serrata in the management of edema associated with brain tumors. Malignant brain tumors produce highly active forms of leukotrienes, and this causes localized fluid build-up in the ...
Grape seed extract: recent clinical findings.(grape seed extract controls chloasma and induces lipolysis)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Two recently published clinical trials have provided new insights into the clinical value of grape seed extract (GSE). A Japanese study found that a proanthocyanidin (OPC)-rich extract from grape seeds improved chloasma, a facial hyperpigmentation often associated with pregnancy. (25) To ...
Black cohosh proven effective in recent trials.(treating menopause)
Aug 01, 2006; ... The recent concerns over the health risks of hormone (estrogen) replacement therapy (HRT) for the management of menopausal symptoms has created great uncertainty in the minds of many women, probably justifiably so. As a consequence, HRT usage has declined worldwide. (28) The main symptom ...
Novel herbs for menopause.(Brief article)(Clinical report)
Aug 01, 2006; ... In a controlled clinical trial, 55 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to receive either a herbal tablet containing dong quai (Angelica sinensis, alternative name A. polymorpha) and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) or a placebo over 12 weeks. (43) The women were asked to complete ...
Severe adverse reaction to red yeast rice.(development of rhabdomyolysis)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Red yeast rice is a fermented product of rice on which red yeast (Monascus purpureus) has been grown. It contains monacolins, particularly monacolin K, which is also known as lovastatin, the familiar cholesterol-lowering statin drug. However, it has been claimed that red yeast rice is an ...
New book surveys CAM therapies.(Conversations in Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Insights and Perspectives from Leading Practitioners)(complementary and alternative medicine)(Book review)
Aug 01, 2006; ... A newly published survey of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) combines readability with useful details about various forms of CAM. Conversations in CAM: Insights and Perspectives from Leading Practitioners is based on interviews with leading CAM experts on a variety of ...
Green tea for B-cell malignancies ...(usage of epigallo-catechin gallate)
Aug 01, 2006; ... The authors of this study previously reported that epigallo-catechin gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol in green tea, induced apoptotic cell death in leukemic B-cells from a majority of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). After the publication of these findings, many patients with ...
... and for prostate cancer prevention.(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Sixty men with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (the main pre-malignant lesion that leads to prostate cancer) were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 600 mg/day of green tea catechins (a type of polyphenols) or placebo for one year. After one year, prostate ...
Beta-carotene and cancer: good for non-smokers, bad for smokers?
Aug 01, 2006; ... A potential interaction between beta-carotene intake and smoking on the risk of tobacco-related cancers was investigated in 59,910 women participating in the French Etude Epidemiologique de Femmes de la Mutuelle Generale de I'Education Nationale. After a median follow-up period of 7.4 ...
Acetyl-L-carnitine for chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Twenty-five patients with grade 3 neuropathy during paclitaxel or cisplatin therapy, or grade 2 neuropathy persisting for at least three months after discontinuing these drugs, received acetyl-L-carnitine at a dose of 1 gram three times a day for eight weeks. All patients except one ...
Is this what doctors worry about?(patient visits and antibiotic prescribing)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006; ... A survey was conducted to evaluate whether the prescribing of antibiotics influences the duration of doctors' visits for children presenting with colds or bronchitis. The mean duration of visits during which antibiotics were prescribed was 14.24 minutes, as compared with 14.18 minutes for ...
Detoxifying with organic food.(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Twenty-three children (aged three-11 years) living in Seattle, Washington, consumed a diet for five days in which most of their usual foods were substituted with organic food. Urine samples were collected twice a day. The median urinary concentrations of the specific metabolites for the ...
Preventing gentamicin-induced hearing loss.(usage of L-carnitine)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Pregnant guinea pigs were treated with gentamicin (100 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally for seven days), with or without the addition of L-carnitine (1 mg/ml in drinking water, equivalent to approximately 100 mg/kg/day). L-carnitine was started two weeks before or simultaneously with ...
Vitamins C and E for premature rupture of membranes.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Sixty pregnant women with preterm premature rupture of membranes at 26 to 34 weeks' gestation were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 1) 500 mg/day of vitamin C and 400 IU/day of vitamin E or 2) placebo until delivery. All women received two doses of betamethasone in ...
Dental mercury ban pending.
Aug 01, 2006; ... History Silver-mercury amalgam was first introduced to American dentists in 1830 by the Cracour Brothers of London. They falsely claimed to be dentists and quickly became rich selling mercury-laden amalgams, initiating the "amalgam wars" that divided dentistry for ...
Using Chinese medicine to treat the side effects of radiation in cancer therapy.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, oncology, radiation, side effects ********** According to Isaac Cohen, et al. in "Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Breast Cancer:" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] <Pre> The current ...
Cancer miasm: the stain of perfectionism.
Aug 01, 2006; ... The Mystery of the Miasm Homeopaths learn from the beginning of our training, as we read Samuel Hahnemann's The Organon of Medicine, that miasms are hereditary layers of predisposition. The term, miasma, which, prior to homeopathy, was translated as swamp gas, stain, pollutant, ...
Strengthening the innate ability of the immune system to fight cancer by restoring thymic and TH-1 and TH-2 cytokine responses.(thymus)
Aug 01, 2006; ... A person's immune armament can thwart and outwit countless pathogens. However, today's polluted and stress-filled world poses daunting challenges to the immune system, which is easily thrown out of balance from stress, pollutants, and aggressive therapies that trigger genetic aberrations ...
The cutting edge of alternative medicine and cancer treatment: the video every alternative practitioner should see.(Cancer Conquest)(Video recording review)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Dedicated to German physician Dr. Albert Scheller, Cancer Conquest is a remarkable video that is obligatory viewing and studying for physicians, cancer workers, and patients. Beyond offering the remarkable story of a revolutionary diagnostic test for determining the correct cancer ...
To combine or not to combine: natural health products and chemotherapy?
Aug 01, 2006; ... Following the eye-opening article published in the journal Oncology in 1999 by a naturopathic physician & medical oncologist, exposing the probable concerns of combining chemotherapy with dietary antioxidant supplements, the words antioxidants and vitamins have gained negative connotations ...
A bottoms-up summary of past and recent impressions regarding coffee enemas.
Aug 01, 2006; ... In the summer of 1997, I found myself seated at a conference table in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) opposite the "grand dean" of American cancer epidemiology, Dr. Ernst Wynder, whose seminal study was published in 1950, (1) the year I was born. Also at the table were NIH Office ...
Mitochondria and cancer.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Introduction Since the beginning of this century, new avenues in the field of cancer have been emerging, and now, after decades of failure in understanding and curing cancer, the dogma that a functioning cell is subordinate only to its DNA is in decline. Biologists are no longer ...
Understanding breast cancer treatments.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Breast cancer has touched everyone's life in some way. It is one of the most common types of cancer among women in the United States, with more than 203,500 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year. (1) Most of us are familiar with the typical treatment protocol for breast ...
Benefits of a special sea cucumber extract in anti-angiogenic therapy and RTK inhibition for cancer.(receptor tyrosine kinases)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Introduction Angiogenesis, or the growth of new blood vessels, is a vital physiological process involved in wound healing, restoration of blood flow to tissues after injury, and menstruation. (1,2) However, uncontrolled angiogenesis can occur and lead to diseases such as ...
Avemar--a functional food with proven anti-cancer effects.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Avemar is concentrated and extracted from fermented wheat germ via a patented process and has been shown in cell, animal, and human clinical studies to have potent anti-cancer and immune system-modulating effects. Extensive published research supports the use of Avemar both as a medicament ...
Are you frustrated ... struggling to care for your patients who have increasingly complex and serious symptoms but wish that your treatment methods worked faster with long-lasting results?
Aug 01, 2006 ... What if there was a way ... ... that you could simply and effectively help your patients repair damaged organs, clear deep-seated toxins and rejuvenate their bodies at an accelerated rate? What if there was a way ... ... that you could help your patients ...
Poly-MVA[R] and prostate health: Shari Lieberman PhD, CNS, FACN discusses cancer case studies with the Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Research.(minerals, vitamins, and amino acids)(doctor of philosophy)(Certified Nutrition Specialist )(Fellow of the American College of Nutrition)(Interview)
Aug 01, 2006 ... The Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Research (FACR) is a non-profit organization supporting and researching effective non-toxic cancer modalities. Poly-MVA[R] is a novel formula that contains a lipoic acid palladium complex (LAPd), its main active ingredient. The formula also contains ...
Questioning HIV/AIDS.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Well done for having the courage to include some articles questioning various fundamental aspects of the science of HIV/AIDS. However, from the articles I've just read on the Townsend Letter web site, I see you failed to include any that imply that what is described as HIV is just a ...
Vegetarianism criticized.(Letter to the editor)
Aug 01, 2006; ... I read with interest Wayne Martin's letter to the editor (April 2006), in which he disputes the findings of David Zeali, ND. Mr. Martin states, "We have teeth like those of a rabbit, well-suited to chewing plant food. Our ancestors were vegetarians." In fact, of the 32 human teeth, 20 of ...
Kudos for Rose Marie Williams.(Letter to the editor)
Aug 01, 2006; ... I have been a subscriber for several years, and now my daughter, who is studying to be a nutritionist, is also subscribing. We want you to know that we consider Rose Marie Williams' column to be one of the most important in the magazine. She has made us aware of essential information ...
Beyond cancer treatment.
Aug 01, 2006; ... The malignant tumor that we commonly call cancer is only the symptom of cancer. That is to say, the tumor is merely the smoke; the fire of cancer burns at the cellular level. What is needed is a paradigm shift in our thinking so that we understand that cancer is much more than the physical ...
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.(Letter to the editor)
Aug 01, 2006; ... I just finished reading Kerry Bone's update on Helicobacter infections (February 2006), and I thank you for making this information available. It is timely and important. I noted his mention of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. About 20 years ago, I encountered a young man who was dying ...
Preventing colon cancer.(usage of vitamin D in preventing colon cancer)
Aug 01, 2006; ... On July 30, 2004, a news item told of the death of Dr. Francis Crick, Nobel Laureate and co-discoverer with Dr. James Watson of DNA. The cause of Dr. Crick's death was said to have been colon cancer. To me, it is strange that Dr. Crick had an intellect that could discover DNA and yet he ...
Chemotherapy's basic problems--and a solution.(chemotherapy plus a well tested vitamin controls cancer)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Chemotherapy has the problems of required toxicity, mutation, and debilitating side effects. However, patients who chose chemotherapy plus a well-tested vitamin schedule lived much longer and with less pain than those using only chemotherapy. Such a schedule has kept this author's ...
Horror story: MS patients subjected to chemotherapy while a safe treatment is suppressed.(multiple sclerosis)
Aug 01, 2006; ... There is a law protecting animals from cruel and inhuman treatment with severe penalties for infractions of these laws. Why are such laws not extended to protect humans? This question came into clear focus after reading a recent transcript of an experimental program being ...
More Coley's Toxins news.(Coley's toxins to treat cancer)
Aug 01, 2006; ... I thank you for having run my letters on Coley's Toxins over the years. This is to report some news about Coley's Toxins. To review a bit, in 1891, Dr. William Coley was a young surgeon in New York City when he undertook to infect a hopeless cancer patient with erysipelas. After ...
What does the caffeine clearance test really tell us?
Aug 01, 2006; ... We live in a world where thousands of xenobiotic chemicals threaten our health. A growing body of evidence has implicated toxic chemical exposure as a potential contributor to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, some cancers, heart disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other chronic ...
Medline bias.(online databases of National Library of Medicine)(Editorial)
Aug 01, 2006; ... The US National Library of Medicine (NLM) describes itself as the "world's largest medical library" and claims to provide information in "all areas of biomedicine and health care." Yet that statement is demonstrably untrue. The NLM does not include the Journal of Nutritional and ...
A bioengineering adventure.(Baron Harvest)(Book review)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Baron Harvest by Peter Lind JD Publishing, P.O. Box 20095, Keizer, Oregon 97303 ISBN 0-9760617-0-8; Softbound, c. 2004, $11.95 The subject of bioengineered crops and the machinations of companies like Monsanto inspired chiropractor Peter Lind to ...
A promising therapy.(Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Therapy: The Gift of Healing from Healthy Newborns)(Book review)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Therapy: The Gift of Healing from Healthy Newborns by David Steenblock, DO, and Anthony G. Payne, PhD Basic Health Publications, Laguna Beach, California USA Hardback, 178 pp., c.2006, $24.95 Stem cell therapy is a ...
Prominent researcher indicts war on cancer.(The War on Cancer: An Anatomy of Failure, A Blueprint for the Future)(Book review)
Aug 01, 2006; ... The War on Cancer: An Anatomy of Failure, A Blueprint for the Future by Guy B. Faguet, MD Springer Publishing, 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10036 ISBN: 1402036183 Hardcover, 227 pp., c.2005, $59.95 A prominent ...
The insanity of chronic drug treatment.(The High Blood Pressure HOAX!)(Book review)
Aug 01, 2006; ... The High Blood Pressure HOAX! by Sherry A. Rogers, MD Sand Key Company, Inc., P.O. Box 401C1, Sarasota, Florida 34242 800-846-6687; www.prestigepublishing.com Paperback, c.2005, $19.95, 280 pp. Sherry Rogers has done it again--another ...
A success story, or don't be afraid of cancer.(fighting against Hodgkin's lymphoma with diet therapy and change of lifestyle)
Aug 01, 2006; ... In February 1976, our youngest son Hugh, then just fourteen, who had for the preceding few years been thin and underweight, afflicted with bad breath and an inordinate thirst, weighed exactly four stone (56 lbs.). Enquiries from doctors elicited nothing more than the suggestion that he ...