Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine back issues from February 2007:
Letter from the publisher.(regulation of over the counter drugs and nutritional supplements)(Column)
Feb 01, 2007; ... In last month's column, I worried about how the political change of 2006 might impact the politics of alternative medicine. I made a tacit assumption that Democrats might push for more regulations of alternative medical practices and nutritional medicine, repudiating the laissez-faire ...
Planetree commemorates 25 years of consumer health libraries at Annual Conference.(Organization overview)
Feb 01, 2007 ... Planetree, Inc., a consumer health organization and a leader in the patient-centered care movement, commemorated 25 years of community-based health information services at its 2006 Annual Conference held October 11-13 in San Diego, California. The 25th anniversary of one of the world's ...
Chelation therapy.(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007 ... Dr. E. Blaurock-Busch, PhD, scientific advisor to the International Board of Clinical Metal Toxicology and founder of Micro Trace Minerals Gmbh, joins a group of European physicians and scientists who specialize in Chelation Therapy (Toxicology) to organize the European Institute of ...
New endometriosis treatment: no surgery or drugs.
Feb 01, 2007 ... Scientists at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) reported encouraging findings on a new treatment for endometriosis pain using a pelvic physical therapy that feels like a deep massage. Until now, the primary treatments for endometriosis pain have ...
Fluoride: a pain in the neck a case report.
Feb 01, 2007 ... A 52-year-old American man's arthritic-like joint pain and immobility went away after he stopped brushing his teeth with fluoridated toothpaste, according to a new study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. (1) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There's no scientific ...
Meditation may improve cardiac risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease.
Feb 01, 2007 ... A relaxation technique known as transcendental meditation may decrease blood pressure and reduce insulin resistance among patients with coronary heart disease, according to a report in the June 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ...
Naturopathy as primary care.(Shorts)
Feb 01, 2007; ... The death of a 16-year-old girl with chronic asthma in July 2001 raises important questions about naturopaths as primary caregivers and about patient responsibility. The girl and her mother consulted a naturopath, their primary practitioner, because the girl was having difficulty ...
Therapeutic intent alters water.
Feb 01, 2007; ... Several studies over the past 30 years have investigated the effect of intention on living systems. In an interview published in EXPLORE (May 2005), Stephan Schwartz says that cell colonies, hemoglobin, bacteria, enzymes, wound healing, human stress, and pain have all responded to ...
Migraine & stimulation therapy.(Shorts)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Clinical trials are testing two forms of neural stimulation to treat severe migraine pain: occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). An occipital nerve stimulation device delivers an electrical current to electrodes placed at the back of the head just ...
High-tech underlies Congo violence.(Shorts)
Feb 01, 2007; ... US headlines about the on-going wars in Africa focus on ethnic and national strife but ignore the grab for natural resources that often underlies the violence. In the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a rich deposit of minerals needed by electronics and computer manufacturers ...
Epigenetics.(Shorts)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Chromosomes and genes make up only half of our DNA. The other half consists of the epigenome, protein molecules along the length of the double helix. These molecules control how, when, and where a gene is expressed. In a sense, the genes provide the text, and the epigenome determines how ...
NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine director change.(Shorts)(Stephen Straus resigned)
Feb 01, 2007; ... The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is searching for a new director. Stephen Straus, MD, the center's first director, was appointed in 1999. He resigned in November 2006, months after being diagnosed with brain ...
Outsourcing health care.(Shorts)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Hospitals and surgeons, beware! US businesses and insurance companies are beginning to send people in need of knee or hip replacements, heart surgery, and other major operations to foreign hospitals. "Medical tourists" to Asian and Mexican hospitals save 50% or more on major medical costs ....
Sustainable health care.(Shorts)
Feb 01, 2007; ... "A time is rapidly approaching for all Americans when we will have to ask ourselves what we are demanding in health care," writes Robert J. Zieve, MD. "We will have to pare back our demands, prune the tree of excess demands, cut to the essence of what really helps us." In his book Beyond ...
Green tea.(Shorts)
Feb 01, 2007; ... In Green Tea Healing Miracle, Billie J. Sahley, PhD, CNC, (with Katherine Birkner, CRNA, PhD) presents information about the health benefits of green tea and green tea extract. Although the Chinese have recognized its medicinal properties for almost 5,000 years, Western medicine noted its ...
Soy questions from Britain.(Shorts)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Global soybean production has increased from 30 million tons in 1965 to 270 million tons in 2005, according to the Chicago Board of Trade. Soy is used in breakfast cereals, biscuits, cheeses, dairy desserts, gravies, noodles, soups, and sandwich spreads. Soy is also used to boost the ...
Bills to license naturopathic physicians in New York.
Feb 01, 2007; ... Two bills before the New York State Legislature, one in the Assembly and one in the Senate, would license naturopathic physicians to practice in the Empire State. First introduced in early 2005, the bills were reintroduced in early 2006 and amended in committee, but the legislative session ...
A big list--Part one.(Web Page Potpourri)(Website list)
Feb 01, 2007; ... This column features many of the best web resources described in "Web Page Potpourri," from its first appearance in November 2002 until the spring of 2005. Next month, I'll compile the best web pages featured since then. A Guide to Biomonitoring of Industrial Chemicals ...
Prostate cancer treatment at the Leonardis Klinik, and USA cancer research support therapies.(Health Risks & Environmental Issues)
Feb 01, 2007; ... On November 4, 2006, I had an opportunity to learn about the personalized care a cancer patient can expect to receive from the Leonardis Klinik in Germany. The conference was sponsored by CARE, New Jersey's largest integrative medicine cancer support group, founded twelve years ago by Ed ...
The Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care: speaking up for the CAM professions.(Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
Feb 01, 2007; ... A new organization is working to bring the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) professions together and allow their academic leaders to speak with a united voice in the public arena. The Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC) was formed in 2004, ...
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?(Advertisement)
Feb 01, 2007 ... 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 ...
Green tea gargles prevent influenza.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... One hundred twenty-four elderly residents of a nursing home in Japan (mean age, 83 years) participated in a three-month study from January to March 2005, in which they gargled with an aqueous solution of green tea catechins (polyphenon E; 200 mcg/ml) (n = 78) three times per day or gargled ...
DHEA improves bone density.(Literature Review & Commentary)(dehydroepiandrosterone)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Seventy women and 70 men (aged 60-88 years) with low serum DHEA-sulfate levels were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 50 mg/day of DHEA or placebo for one year. Compared with the change in the placebo group, the mean bone mineral density (BMD) increased in the group as ...
Oral zinc supplements prevent colds.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Two hundred, healthy Turkish children (mean age, 5.6 years) who had normal serum zinc levels were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 15 mg/day of oral zinc (from zinc sulfate) or placebo for seven months. The dose was increased to twice a day (30 mg/day of zinc) at the ...
N-acetylcysteine reduces adverse effects of angioplasty.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Three hundred and fifty-four patients undergoing primary angioplasty were randomly assigned to receive a standard dose of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) (a 600-mg intravenous bolus before angioplasty and 600 mg orally twice a day for 48 hours after angioplasty), a double dose of NAC (a 1,200-mg ...
Prebiotics prevent atopic dermatitis in formula-fed infants.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Prebiotics (oligosaccharides) in human milk promote the development of an intestinal flora dominated by bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Supplementing formula-fed infants with a mixture of 90% short chain galacto-oligosaccharides and 10% long chain fructo-oligosaccharides (a mixture that ...
Melatonin lowers elevated nocturnal blood pressure.(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Thirty-eight hypertensive patients (mean age, 64 years) with nocturnal hypertension (mean systolic blood pressure > 125 mm Hg, according to repeated 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring) who were on stable doses of antihypertensive medication were randomly assigned to receive, in ...
B vitamins improve symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.(Literature Review & Commentary)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Forty-two schizophrenic patients with plasma homocysteine levels >15 micromol/L were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, folic acid (2 mg/day), pyridoxine (25 mg/day), and vitamin [B.sub.12] (400 mcg/day) for three months, and then the alternate treatment for an ...
Tomatoes inhibit platelet aggregation.(Literature Review & Commentary)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Twenty-three healthy volunteers ingested a dose of tomato extract equivalent to six tomatoes. A significant inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation was seen after three hours, and the effect persisted for more than 12 hours. In vitro, the tomato extract inhibited platelet ...
The best of naturopathic medicine: homeopathy.(Healing with Homeopathy)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Homeopathy: An Important Naturopathic Modality Dr. John Bastyr, the inspirational role model after whom Bastyr University was named, eclectic though he was, used homeopathy as a mainstay of his treatment protocols. In naturopathic medical school, we were encouraged to be ...
Some promising non-conventional treatments.(War on Cancer)(cancer treatment using dietary supplements and medicinal herbs)
Feb 01, 2007; ... What are some of the best treatments that can be used by naturopathic doctors for the treatment of cancer? There are dozens, but in this article, I will discuss a number of the most promising: Avemar, cimetidine, maitake, melatonin, pau d'arco, and Sun soup. Avemar ...
The best of phytotherapy for 2006: highlights of the published research.(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
Feb 01, 2007; ... In selecting the best of phytotherapy research for 2006, examples have been chosen because of their high degree of relevance to modern health challenges (in this instance, insulin resistance), their validation that herbs do actually work, according to the "gold standard" of evidence (with ...
Naturopathic prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women.(Therapeutic Nutrition)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and Cardioprotection Conjugated Estrogens (Premarin) In developed nations, the leading overall cause of mortality in women is coronary artery disease (CAD), (1) with the risk of the disease increasing dramatically after menopause. The ...
The art and science of naturopathic medicine.
Feb 01, 2007; ... Naturopathic medical education has come a long way since the inception of National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) in 1956, when it was the only surviving college of naturopathic medicine left in the United States. Our 50th anniversary this year has prompted us to review where we came ...
A vision for naturopathic medicine.
Feb 01, 2007; ... I was honored when Dr. Collin asked me to submit a short piece on my vision for Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) to accompany the "Best of Naturopathic Medicine" essays. Every school, institution, business, association, or organization strives for an envisioned future ....
Latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA): diagnosis & natural approaches to an often-overlooked presentation.
Feb 01, 2007; ... The Context of LADA Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an increasingly common disorder involving dysfunction in the insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas or in peripheral cellular insensitivity to insulin. The result is elevated blood glucose due to impaired transport of glucose ...
Hypothyroidism: optimizing medication with slow-release compounded thyroid replacement.(Disease/Disorder overview)
Feb 01, 2007; ... In observing patients taking either levothyroxine (L-thyroxine) USP (e.g., Synthroid, Levoxyl) or dessicated thyroid USP (e.g., Armour Thyroid, Westhroid, Naturethroid), it has become apparent that a significant percentage continue to suffer from thyroid-related symptoms in spite of ...
The orthomolecular treatment of schizophrenia: a primer for clinicians.(Clinical report)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Introduction Schizophrenia affects one to two percent of the population. This disease is characterized by a combination of perceptual changes (e.g., hallucinations) and thought disorder (e.g., delusions). (1) These aberrant mental states, which can lead to psychotic behavior, ...
Nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics in whole food nutritional medicine.
Feb 01, 2007; ... Epidemiological studies have repeatedly demonstrated a relationship between diet and disease. (1) However, until now, we have not been able to answer questions such as how foods alter disease risk; who will respond to dietary modification; and to which diet. Why does one intervention work ...
Parents' reasons for choosing naturopathic medicine for their children's health care.
Feb 01, 2007; ... Introduction Parents are looking for the best health care possible for their children. This means parents are looking outside the conventional medical system and turning to health care services such as naturopathic medicine. There have been studies to examine the reasons ...
The top ten challenges facing naturopathic medical education.
Feb 01, 2007; ... Naturopathic medicine in the United States reached a clear milestone when the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) turned 50 years old in 2006. As the first formal educational institution to achieve the half-century mark in our profession, it seems reasonable to examine current ...
Exposing the Department of Health and Human Services/American Medical Association health care monopoly.(`)(Agency overview)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Curing US Health Care Health care in the US is in dire straits. Although it is by far the costliest system in the world, it barely passes muster with an overall grade of "D" when it comes to quality of care. (1) Too many Americans are uninsured and lack access to preventive care ...
Correction notice.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Due to an editing error, a great misrepresentation was made in "The CARA Model of Brain Repair at the Sacramento Drug Court," which appeared in our January 2007 issue. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Certain statements, which should have appeared in italics and attributed to ...
Understanding HCI therapy.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Feb 01, 2007; ... My first comment is regarding Dr. Ali's article on Oxygen Homeostasis. Under Intravenous Ozone and Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy, he states, "With hydrogen peroxide infusions, we generally administer 20-25 grams of vitamin C ..." If Dr. Ali is indeed combing H202 and vitamin C in the same IV ...
Vitamin D and cod liver oil.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
Feb 01, 2007 ... Being a true believer in the importance of vitamin D, I was pleased to see the article by John Cannell, MD (Townsend Letter. November 2006; 280:95). In paragraph two, he states, "I do not advise cod liver oil [as a source of vitamin D]." When an authoritative author makes such a statement, ...
Fat nutrition and body temperature.
Feb 01, 2007; ... A recent female nutrition client in her mid-40s complained of being cold at room temperature. She reported having been diagnosed with crystals in her gall bladder and also complained of memory problems, sleeping trouble, and heavy sweating after moderate exertion. When a patient ...
Does doctor compensation dictate treatment in cancer care?
Feb 01, 2007; ... The American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) says oncologists should make chemotherapy treatment recommendations on the basis of published reports of clinical trials and a patient's health status and treatment preferences. So what about those published reports of clinical trials? ...
Rebuttal to ineffective: vitamin C therapy.
Feb 01, 2007; ... The effective use of vitamin C or green tea extracts has been proven to me daily by use of neuro-kinesiology and sclerology. Some clients require large amounts of vitamin C or green tea extracts, and others require smaller amounts. By utilizing balanced blends of both products, the client ...
New study questions efficacy of DHEA.(dehydroepiandrosterone )
Feb 01, 2007; ... A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (1) concluded that administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to elderly men and women had no "physiologically relevant beneficial effects on body composition, physical performance, insulin sensitivity, or quality of ...
Anthroposophical medicine in practice.(The Fourfold Path to Healing)(Book review)
Feb 01, 2007; ... The Fourfold Path to Healing by Thomas S. Cowan, MD, with Sally Fallon and Jaimen McMillan NewTrends Publishing, Inc., Washington, DC; 877-707-1776 (US & Canadian orders); 574-268-2601 (International orders); www.NewTrendsPublishing.com Softbound, ISBN 0-9670897-9-4, c.2004, $25.00 (US), ...
In pharmaceuticals we trust.(Prescription for Disaster)(The Drugging of Our Children)(Video recording review)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Prescription for Disaster (DVD) written, produced, and directed by Gary Null 88 minutes; c. 2005; $20.00 The Drugging of Our Children (DVD) written & directed by Gary Null 104 minutes; c. 2005; $20.00. Both are available from Gary Null & Associates, 2307 Broadway, ...
The Laura Lee show: conversation for exploration; Dr. Roy Glover talks about bodies ... the exhibition.(Interview)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Laura Lee: I've just spent four fascinating hours in Bodies: The Exhibition and walked away with a renewed and much better-educated--as they say, "to see is to know"--appreciation of the beautifully designed piece of machinery that each of us is issued at birth. Bodies: The Exhibition is a ...
Probiotics: twenty-first century support for healthy digestive and immune systems.
Feb 01, 2007; ... For well over two decades, I have recommended the use of probiotics to my patients and have witnessed significant improvements in overall health and well-being among those who regularly consume a high-quality probiotic product. And I've seen more than just the elimination of digestive ...
Chronic illness and communication.(Naturopathic Medicine)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Chronic disease reactions were studied in 87 patients whose interaction with health practitioners had previously been assessed. Subjects were coached to read their own medical record and to better negotiate decision-making with their doctor before a next clinic visit. Following that visit, ...
Diagnostic acumen/active listening.
Feb 01, 2007; ... Most patients who experience illness symptoms develop an explanatory model. More frequently than physicians realize, these attributions involve serious and potentially life-threatening medical conditions. Only a minority of patients spontaneously disclose or "offer" their ideas, concerns, ...
Communication and chronic illness.(Naturopathic Medicine)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... In this summary of four studies of chronically ill patients, better objective measures of health (e.g., blood pressures, blood sugars), behavioral improvement (more functional), or better subjective self-assessments of overall health status were related to physician-patient communication ...
Cardiovascular measures/touch.(Naturopathic Medicine)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... There are few systematic investigations of the potential benefits of incidental touch as it occurs in medical health care settings. In this laboratory study, 60 college students participated in two testing sessions one month apart. These sessions involved counterbalanced conditions of ...
Coronary artery disease and behavior modification.(Naturopathic Medicine)
Feb 01, 2007; ... In this study, 1,013 post-myocardial infarction patients were observed for 4.5 years to determine the possibility that type A coronary-prone behavior could be altered and the effect such alteration might have on subsequent cardiac morbidity and mortality. Of these patients, 592 were ...
Coronary artery disease interventions.(Naturopathic Medicine)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... This is a meta-analysis of 23 randomized, controlled trials of 3,200 subjects with coronary artery disease, including 2,204 patients experiencing psychosocial interventions and 1,156 controls treated by "routine care" only. Controls showed a two-plus-year odds ratio for mortality of 1.7 ...
Patient-physician interchange and psychosocial data.(Naturopathic Medicine)
Feb 01, 2007; ... This study examined physician-patient communication during medical interviews by average and exemplary family physicians. A cross-sectional study of verbal exchanges using 300 transcripts of office visits made to two groups of family physicians included nine exemplars and 20 controls. The ...
Irritable bowel syndrome/relaxation-psychotherapy.(Naturopathic Medicine)
Feb 01, 2007; ... In this study, 102 patients with irritable bowel syndrome of over one year's duration and unimproved with six months of conventional medical treatment were randomly assigned to a medical treatment group (high fiber diet and antispasmodic drugs) or to a psychological treatment group ...
Chronic disease and patient compliance.(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... "The old models of care in which physicians tell patients what to do and attempt to motivate them to change do not work in today's climate. A better objective, helping patients take charge of their conditions by encouraging them to set self-care goals, is encouraged by asking reflexive ...
Motivation, physician disclosure, and communication of personal stories.(Naturopathic Medicine)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Studies have shown that physicians with healthy personal habits are especially likely to discuss prevention with their patients. Two brief health education videos about improving diet and exercise were produced and shown to 65 subjects in a general medical clinic waiting room. In one ...
Patient objectives and physician responsiveness.(Naturopathic Medicine)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... "Patients want accessibility, affability, and ability in that order. They do not care how much you know until they know how much you care." It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than to know what kind of a disease a patient has (Osler). The secret of ...
Communication and data collection.(Naturopathic Medicine)(Survey)(Brief article)
Feb 01, 2007; ... With the use of a health diary, 107 patients recorded 348 problems over a three-week period, only six percent of which were addressed at the doctor-patient visit. Of those, 35% had visited alternative practitioners, 19% in the previous year. Patients indicated that visits to alternative ...