Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine back issues from October 2006:
Letter from the publisher.
Oct 01, 2006; ... Two disturbing events were reported in early August by the Associated Press. The first report noted the sudden failure of chicks in a wild bird colony on an island near San Francisco. The second report concerned the measurement of high particulate matter from China's Gobi Desert in the air ...
An author correction.(Correction notice)
Oct 01, 2006; ... I found two errors in our article (Chemical Exposures at the World Trade Center: Use of the Hubbard Sauna Detoxification Regiment to Improve the Health Status of New York City Rescue Workers Exposed to Toxicants) published in the April 2006 issue of Townsend Letter. The errors are in ...
Bilharzia.(Correction notice)
Oct 01, 2006; ... I found Mr. Kerry Bones article on myrrh quite interesting, but would like to correct and error. Mr. Bone uses the term Bilharzia to refer to Schistosomiasis in general, when it should be reserved as a synonym for ...
Both sides of the pharmaceutical death coin: Jon Rapporport reports.(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... The pharmaceutical machine and its cohorts operate along two basic hidden vectors: selling drugs that cause harm, injury, and death, and suppressing promising non--toxic cures. In the first case, we have the rarely published figure of 100,000 annual deaths in the US as a result of ...
Manufacturers take the initiative to stop human growth hormone scams.
Oct 01, 2006 ... Somatropin, commonly referred to as human growth hormone (HGH), is currently one of the most popular drugs on the market. Because of this, many companies would like to make a profit from its popularity. Unfortunately, companies that sell HGH drugs are not always legitimate, and there are ...
Anger in Indiana: the Cal Streeter story; Excerpts from an opinion by consumer advocate Tim Bolen.
Oct 01, 2006 ... The prosecution of cutting-edge Doctor of Osteopathy Wilbert C. (Cal) Streeter is probably the very first case where the credibility of the "quackbuster" operation was questioned at the Federal Prosecutor level--and found wanting. The entire case against Streeter was based upon the ...
Consumerlab.com reports on 29 popular melatonin sleep supplements.
Oct 01, 2006 ... ConsumerLab.com recently announced test results from its new product review of Melatonin Supplement, covering 29 products. Melatonin supplements may be helpful in treating various types of sleep disturbances. Melatonin supplements may also have potential benefit in other conditions ranging ...
Multi-Level Marketing International Association urges the Federal Trade Commission to withdraw proposed Business Opportunity Rule.(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... On July 14, 2006, the Multi-Level Marketing International Association (MLMIA) filed comments with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opposing the proposed Business Opportunity Rule. The proposed rule would impose extensive mandatory disclosure and record-keeping requirements on every ...
Call to action: doctors to help prevent environmental pollution; Sustainable health care practices provide alternatives to the threat of rising environmental toxicity.
Oct 01, 2006 ... Amidst the onslaught of bad news disseminated daily about toxins in our environment and the corresponding negative repercussions to our health, the Teleosis Institute has released a roadmap of positive, direct actions that citizens and health professionals can take to be part of the ...
Breakthrough technology for chronic pain sufferers.(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... People suffering from chronic pain associated with fibromyalgia, failed back syndrome, carpal tunnel, and injuries can now avoid narcotic treatment and irreversible surgery with a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cold laser treatment. According to the North American ...
Electrotherapy for the masses: distribution of FDA-cleared electrical device offers hope for millions.
Oct 01, 2006 ... Moeller Medical, LLC announces today its distribution of an FDA-cleared electrical device that effectively treats depression, anxiety, insomnia, and pain. Unlike traditional "shock therapy," this treatment, called Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES), delivers a dose of electricity ...
New laser technology offers breakthrough for pain relief and healing of many chronic conditions.
Oct 01, 2006 ... Ewa Zaborowski is a physical therapist in Marin County, California, who has been specializing in the treatment of chronic pain and sports injuries for over twenty years. Now, she has a powerful new tool at her side. Ms. Zaborowski is the first physical therapist in Marin County to use the ...
Standard Process, Inc. embarks on major building expansion project: nutrition products company plans to add 40 new jobs.(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006 ... Standard Process, Inc., a manufacturer of whole food nutritional supplements has begun construction of a 100,000-square-foot addition to its corporate headquarters in Palmyra, Wisconsin, the company announced today. The multi-million dollar project will expand the existing ...
Fibromyalgia & classical homeopathy.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2006; ... A double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled pilot study (Rheumatology. 2004; 43: 577-582) "demonstrated that individualized homeopathy is significantly better than placebo in lessening tender point pain and improving the quality of life and global health of persons with ...
Polycarbonate plastic bottles & bisphenol A.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2006; ... A few years ago, I bought a polycarbonate plastic bottle (i.e., Nalgene) for drinking water. I was told that polycarbonate plastic does not leach chemicals into the liquid it holds. Then, I noticed a response to a letter in Co-op America Updates (March/April 2006) that sent me searching ...
Systematic reviews & evidence-based medicine.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Systematic reviews, derived from individual studies, are part of the move towards evidence-based medicine. Using the principles of research synthesis, researchers find and assess studies that relate to specific questions, such as "Does black cohosh relieve hot flashes?" The studies are ...
Genes & chemical sensitivity.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Genetic differences may explain why some people develop multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and others do not, according to a 2004 International Journal of Epidemiology study. Epidemiologist Gail McKeown-Eyssen of the University of Toronto (Canada) led a study that investigated variations ...
Chemical intolerance & addiction.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Chemical intolerance may be the "flipside" of chemical addiction, according to Claudia S. Miller, professor of environmental and occupational medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center (San Antonio). "Addicted individuals seek repeated hits of a substance," she explained [in ...
Treatment ratings for multiple chemical sensitivity.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Researchers at James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Virginia) gathered information from 917 people with self-reported multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) concerning their experience with various treatments. Respondents to this survey reported using over 101 treatments, including ...
Magnetic resonance imaging evidence of fibromyalgia.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2006; ... A study, published in Arthritis & Rheumatism (May 2002), used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to provide evidence that 16 people diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FM) showed greater sensitivity to pain than 16 healthy, matched controls. The researchers used a 1-cm3 hard rubber ...
Marshall Protocol for sarcoidosis.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Trevor G. Marshall, PhD, affiliated with Autoimmunity Research Foundation (Thousand Oaks, California), has developed a therapy to treat sarcoidosis. Marshall characterizes sarcoidosis as a Th1 inflammatory disease caused by pleomorphic intracellular bacteria. Marshall says that the ...
Vitamin D recommendations.(Shorts)
Oct 01, 2006; ... New knowledge about vitamin D's role in preventing several serious conditions is propelling the Institute of Medicine to reexamine the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to common cancers, autoimmune diseases, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and ...
The war on cancer.(death of Wolfgang Woeppel director of Hufeland Klinik )(In memoriam)
Oct 01, 2006; ... In Memoriam I note with sadness the passing of two significant figures in the world of complementary and alternative medicine. Wolfgang Woeppel, MD, founding director of the Hufeland Klinik (hospital) in Bad Mergentheim, Germany, passed away on July 10, 2006. In addition, ...
Fish oil for postpartum depression.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Sixteen women with postpartum depression were randomly assigned to receive 0.5 g/day, 1.4 g/day, or 2.8 g/day of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil for eight weeks. In the group as a whole, the mean score on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression decreased (improved) by 48.8% (from 19.1 ...
Musculoskeletal pain due to vitamin D deficiency.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Eleven female asylum seekers from Bosnia, Afghanistan, Somalia, or Albania who were living in Switzerland presented with musculoskeletal pain associated with subnormal serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Symptoms included bone pain, proximal muscle weakness, change in gait, or ...
Low inositol diet for bipolar disorder.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Fifteen patients with bipolar disorder consumed a diet that contained less than ten percent of the usual amount of inositol. Six of the patients were rapid cyclers who had responded inadequately to lithium or valproate in different phases of illness; two were lithium-treated outpatients ...
High iodine intake associated with thyroiditis and hypothyroidism.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Salt has been iodized in China since 1996, resulting in an increase in iodine intake throughout the country. In a 1999 study, researchers observed an increase in the prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis, overt hypothyroidism, and subclinical hypothyroidism with increasing iodine intake in ...
N-acetylcysteine for polycystic ovary syndrome.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... One hundred-fifty overweight or obese infertile women (mean age, 29 years; range, 18-39 years) with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who had failed to ovulate after treatment with clomiphene citrate were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 600 mg of N-acetylcysteine ...
Flavonoids for menorrhagia.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Thirty-six women (mean age, 33.3 years; range, 20-45 years) with a history of idiopathic menorrhagia (excessive menstrual bleeding) for a mean duration of 11.7 months received 1,000 mg/day of Daflon (containing 90% diosmin and ten percent hesperidin) beginning five days prior to the ...
Cane is not able.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... One hundred-forty three patients with hypercholesterolemia or combined hyperlipidemia were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, sugar cane policosanol (10, 20, 40, or 80 mg/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. In none of the five treatment groups did the mean LDL-cholesterol ...
Stomach acid interacts with thyroid hormone treatment.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Two hundred forty-eight patients with multinodular goiter who were receiving treatment with thyroxine were studied. Fifty-three of thepatients also had Helicobacter pylori-related gastritis, and 60 had atrophic gastritis (31 with evidence of H. pylori infection and 29 without ...
John weeks' new CAM-IM blog offers vibrant mix.(Pathways to Healing)(Complementary and Alternative Medicine )
Oct 01, 2006; ... Many readers of the Townsend Letter already know John Weeks. From the mid-90s to 2000, he wrote a column in these pages called "Charting the Mainstream," which focused on business aspects of alternative medicine. In addition, he wrote and published his own newsletter, The Integrator for ...
Lindane: banned in 52 countries-still used on kids in US.(Health Risks and Environmental Issues)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Every September children across the country begin another school term. The traditional schoolbags of yesteryear have morphed into fancy back packs, and computers are rapidly replacing pens and dictionaries. One age-old tradition, however, has changed little over the decades, except to ...
Celia Farber's Serious Adverse Events: An Uncensored History of AIDS.(Townsend's New York Observer)(Acquired Immunodeficiency Virus)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Since mid-summer 2005, I've published seven columns in Townsend about AIDS. This column, the eighth focusing on AIDS, reviews Serious Adverse Events: An Uncensored History of AIDS by Celia Farber. Why the sudden spate of columns on AIDS? Over the past year, familiarization with AIDS ...
Sickness Syndrome: introduction to a new condition, Part 1.(Therapeutic Nutrition)
Oct 01, 2006; ... It is one of a physician's most challenging situations: determining the root cause of seemingly unrelated symptoms, ranging from depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and anhedonia to weight control issues (anorexia and obesity), fatigue, neurodegeneration, poor focus and memory, and ...
CFS and fibromyalgia: overlapping conditions that require different herbal strategies.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are complex and poorly understood conditions that share considerable comorbidity. Both have a poor prognosis in the context of conventional treatments. Some researchers are of the view that they are not separate conditions, and there do ...
My least favorite drugs.(Web Page Potpourri)(Poem)
Oct 01, 2006; ... I wrote these words to the tune of "My Favorite Things." Feel free to add your own verses, or edit to your heart's content. Please do send me your results! <Pre> There's Prozac and Zoloft, Effexor and Serzone Luvox, Celexa, Wellbutrin, Remeron Paxil, and Seroxat, Aropax too, ...
Antidepressant web resources.(Web Page Potpourri)(AlternativeMentalHealth.com)(Website overview)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Safe Harbor: AlternativeMentalHealth.com http://AlternativeMentalHealth.com/directory/search.asp http://AlternativeMentalHealth.com/directory/signup.htm Find an alternative mental health practitioner at Safe Harbor's web site. Their database includes fields ...
Recent progress in clinical applications and research in fibromyalgia.
Oct 01, 2006; ... Abstract -- Fibromyalgia is characterized as a specific disease entity, and although the etiology remains controversial, significant progress has recently been made in alleviating the major symptoms of this malady. Similarities to a related disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), are ...
An elimination diet for fibromyalgia.
Oct 01, 2006; ... In the April 2006 Townsend Letter, along with David Fairbrook, MD, I reviewed the science linking fibromyalgia (FM) to immune injury or hypersensitivity. This sequel is meant to offer practical advice based on clinical experience rather than the literature. Since 1985, we have run over ...
Chronic fatigue syndrome and autism.
Oct 01, 2006; ... For the past ten years I have been studying chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) as an independent researcher. Over the course of several years, I developed a hypothesis for the pathogenesis of this disorder that prominently featured the depletion of glutathione. I presented a paper on this ...
The role of the brain and mast cells in MCS.
Oct 01, 2006; ... Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) was first described in the 1980s, yet it has remained controversial. The resistance to the concept of MCS has come from scientists who pointed out the lack of solid scientific diagnostic tests. Resistance has also come from industry leaders, who have ...
Guided Digital Medicine: non-disease treatment of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndromes.
Oct 01, 2006; ... <Pre> "The physician should look for the force and nature of illness at its source. He is not to look to that which can be seen, for we are not called upon to extinguish the smoke but the fire itself." --T. Paracelsus, MD (1493-1541) </Pre> A few years ago, as an invited ...
On Wayne Martin.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Oct 01, 2006; ... I was so saddened to learn that Wayne Martin recently passed away. While his death was not exactly unexpected--he was 94 years old--he seemed like such an enduring icon that I assumed he would continue writing his wonderful and extraordinary letters forever. I have been reading ...
The Rinkel method for shingles, urticaria, and flu.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Oct 01, 2006; ... I was taught by the late S.D. Klotz, MD, to use the Rinkel method for shingles, urticaria, and flu. You simply prepare the current flu vaccine in a 1:5 dilution of simple saline. Place a bleb on the arm of the patient and wait ten minutes. If the bleb does not absorb, make another bleb at ...
Biological liquid crystals.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Oct 01, 2006; ... The subject of Nora Wedam's article ("Biological Liquid Crystals." Letters. Townsend Letter. July 2006) was most interesting, and the author seemed to include a touch of intuition into the explanation of how the "energy" is transferred from the plant to the essences used in treatments. As ...
Perspectives on Ambien-associated food binging.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Oct 01, 2006; ... There is concern over nocturnal food binging, especially when not recalled by the binger, among persons taking Ambien. (1) Physicians who prescribe Ambien and other sedatives for insomnia should understand that the "night-eating syndrome"--as it was called in the 1950s--represents the ...
Sun damage is a misnomer.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Oct 01, 2006; ... My left forearm had sun damage. At least, that's how the allopathic medical community referred to it. All year, that left forearm rests on the window edge on the driver's side. Driving pickup trucks, big rigs, whatever, I got in the habit of resting my left arm on the window's edge, which ...
Lugols/lodine loading.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Oct 01, 2006; ... A doctor I know took an iodine-loading seminar through Standard Process, Inc. The information given at the seminar was that a person who has been taking iodine supplements can take significant quantities without major symptoms. The more iodine-deficient individuals are, the harder it is ...
Umbilical discord.(Editorial)(Editorial)
Oct 01, 2006; ... In high-risk pregnancies, modern obstetrical care can be life-saving. For low-risk pregnancies, on the other hand, studies indicate that outcomes are at least as good as and possibly better with midwife-supervised, out-of-hospital birth than with obstetrician-supervised, hospital birth ....
Connecting mind-body in CFS/FM.(Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: 7 Proven Steps to Less Pain & More Energy )(Book review)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: 7 Proven Steps to Less Pain & More Energy by Fred Friedberg, PhD New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, California 94609, www.harbinger.com Softbound, c. 2006, $14.95, 181 pp. ...
An optimistic outlook.(Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia by Alison C. Bested, MD, FRCP (C) and Alan C. Logan, ND, FRSH, with Russell Howe, LLB Cumberland House Publishing, 431 Harding Industrial Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37211 Softcover, c. 2006, ...
Environmental health = public health.(Dispatches From the War Zone of Environmental Health)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Dispatches From the War Zone of Environmental Health by Helke Ferrie KOS Publishing Inc., 1997 Beechgrove Road, Alton, Ontario, Canada LON 1A0; www.kospublishing.com Softcover, c. 2004, $25 CDN, 324 pp. Author Helke Ferrie does not suffer fools ...
Functional foods of the world.(Eating and Healing: Traditional Food as Medicine)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Eating and Healing: Traditional Food as Medicine by Andrea Pieroni and Lisa Leimar Price, Editors Food Products Press (Haworth Press, Inc.), 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, New York 13904; 800-429-6784 Quality paperback, c. 2006, $39.95, 406 pp. In ...
The Feldenkrais Method, Teaching by Handling.(Book review)
Oct 01, 2006; ... The Feldenkrais Method, Teaching by Handling by Yochanan Rywerant Basic Health Publications, 28812 Top of the World Drive, Laguna Beach, California 92651; 800-575-8890 Quality paperback, c. 2003, $14.95 ($23.95 CAN), 221 pp. This training manual ...
Household Homeopathy.(Book review)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Household Homeopathy. by Vinton McCabe Basic Health Publications, 28812 Top of the World Drive, Laguna Beach, California 92651; 800-575-8890 Quality paperback, c. 2005, $18.95 ($30.50 CAN), 390 pp. Household Homeopathy provides an introduction ...
What's with Fiber?(Book review)
Oct 01, 2006; ... What's with Fiber? by Gene and Monica Spiller Basic Health Publications, 28812 Top of the World Drive, Laguna Beach, California 92651; 800-575-8890 Quality paperback, c. 2005, $14.95 ($23.95 CAN), 230 pp. Dr. Gene Spiller was one of the early ...
Sauna Therapy for Detoxification and Healing.(Book review)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Sauna Therapy for Detoxification and Healing by Lawrence Wilson, MD L.D. Wilson Consultants, Prescott, Arizona http://drlwilson.com/order%20books.htm Paperback, c. 2006, $19.95, 167 pp. "In this age of toxic exposure and ...
Hurt human habitat and energy deficit healing through the restoration of Krebs cycle chemistry.(Oxygen Homeostasis)(Column)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Human energy deficit states are the consequences of a "hurt" human habitat. The central mechanism of energy deficit is disrupted oxygen homeostasis. The energy state of an amoeba cannot be dissociated from the energy state of its habitat. While a mouse's energetics are far more complex, ...
Worried about the risk of atypical antipsychotics for your child? Homeopathic Medicine offers a safer alternative.(Healing with Homeopathy)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Two recent articles (USA Today. May 2, 2006; Archives of Psychiatry. June 2006) have set off a flurry of discussion about the off-label prescribing of antipsychotic drugs to children. These drugs include Risperdal (risperidone), Zyprexa (olanzapine), Abilify (aripriprazole), Clozaril ...
Preoperative imagery and postoperative pain.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Twenty-six, preoperative, guided imagery patients were compared with 25 controls who received only background information about the hospital. The guided imagery was designed primarily to increase patients' feelings of being able to cope with surgical stress. State-anxiety was similar in ...
Self-hypnosis and post-operative pain and anxiety.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Thirty-two patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft surgery were closely followed from one day prior to surgery until the time of discharge from the hospital. Those randomized to the study group were taught self-hypnosis relaxation techniques preoperatively, contrasted to ...
Surgery and pre-op suggestion.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... This is a meta-analysis of 68 studies in preoperative suggestion on 2,413 subjects and 1,605 controls. There is evidence of effectiveness in the form of better outcomes, less use of narcotics for pain, fewer complications, and shorter hospital stays. Subjects generally exhibited a 20% ...
Pain in surgical recovery and guided imagery.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2006; ... One-hundred-and-thirty patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery were randomly assigned to routine postoperative care or routine care plus listening to a guided imagery tape for each of the three days before surgery; listening to a music-only tape during anesthesia induction, during ...
Low back pain and hypnosis.(Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology Review and Commentary)
Oct 01, 2006; ... Fifteen adults, age 18-43, with chronic low back pain (mean duration four years) were found to be moderately/highly hypnotizable based on the modified 11-point Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale. Somatosensory, event-related, potential correlates of noxious electrical stimulation were ...