2 MINUTES A DAY TO WEIGHT LOSS!!!

What a cool way to lose 5-10 quickly! Check this out, within the privacy of your own dwelling, you can lose weight with 2 minutes of JUMPING JACKS per day! Now this is not EASY....... You really have to work to get to two minutes :). The key is to work up a small sweat and get your heart out of it's Lazy State. This triggers fat burning! Plus: you vibrate and shake the BELLY....this helps clean out toxins and burn fat cells where you need it the most! Have you ever seen a fat runner? LOL ! NO - because they're bouncing and shaking all the fat off! Good Luck and Good Health! I've done it. It works. Try and you will see results After one week.
PS: along the way, try to cut few intake calories! Dr. JW

Vitamin D Gets Its Day in the Sun

Researchers struggle to balance the potential benefits of the “sunshine” vitamin with proven skin cancer risks.
For years now, dermatologists have taught us to slather on sunscreen at ever-higher SPF levels, don hats, and dodge deadly solar rays. Recently, however, the scientific community has been split by a debate over a startling claim: Maybe a little sunshine is good for us, because those same ultraviolet rays we’ve been warned against also enable the skin to make Vitamin D. And Vitamin D, which can be difficult to obtain in adequate amounts from food or pills, has been linked to possible protection from colon and prostate cancer, as well as osteoporosis.
In a single issue of the National Cancer Institute’s Journal (Feb, 2005), two epidemiological studies suggested that sunlight may reduce the risk of non-Hodgins Lymphoma and may be associated with increased survival rates in patients with – of all things – early stage melanoma. At least a dozen studies are under way to test vitamin D’s effectiveness at cancer prevention, according to Peter Greenwald, M.D., chief of cancer prevention for the NCI. Other researchers are looking at vitamin D as a potential treatment for prostate and lung cancer.
It’s far too soon to declare vitamin D a wonder drug. However, Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a professor of medicine and nutrition at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, co-authored an NCI-funded study that found a relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and subsequent risk of colon cancer among older women. The women, ages 60 and up, with the highest level of vitamin D showed a 46% lower risk than those with the lowest levels of the vitamin.
Does that mean it’s OK to – cautiously – venture back out into the sun for a natural dose vitamin D? According to the dermatology academy, the answer is still a resounding “No!” According to Vincent DeLeo, M.D., a dermatologist at Columbia University, “Under no circumstances should anyone be misled into thinking that natural sunlight or tanning beds are better sources of vitamin D than nutritional supplements.”
Some researchers, and even a few dermatologists, are cautiously disagreeing because dietary sources of vitamin D are relatively scarce. They include fortified milk, fortified brands of cereals and orange juice, and only fish such salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines. Vitamin D is one reason you may have been made to take cod-liver oil as a kid.
An eight-ounce glass of fortified glass of fruit or juice contains only about 100 IUs of vitamin D. The National Academy of Sciences’ recommended daily dietary intake of vitamin D varies by age: 200 IU for ages 19 to 50; 400 IU for ages 51 to 70; and 600 IU for 70 and older. Many experts also think those levels should be set higher. Dr. Giovannucci, for example, says his research show as much as 1,500 IU daily might be needed to have an anti-cancer effect.
Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., director of Bone Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts’ Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, suggests older adults need at least 800 IUs of vitamin D as part of a program of osteoporosis prevention. “Vitamin D promotes the absorption of dietary calcium,” she explains. “You need an adequate vitamin D level to make use of calcium.”
Supplements can help, but they’re no panacea. Taking “extra” multivitamins to boost vitamin D can mean getting too much vitamin A. Also, taking too much vitamin D in pill form can cause an unhealthy build-up of calcium in the body.
There’s no such limit on the body’s natural vitamin D, which the skin makes from cholesterol when exposed to ultraviolet light. So, Dawson-Hughes is among those who think it’s a good idea to get a little sun – up to 15 minutes – before applying sunscreen. “It doesn’t take a lot of sun to get vitamin D protection, without getting so much as to be toxic in terms of skin cancer.”
Whether you side with the dermatology establishment or are persuaded by researchers like Dr. Giavannucci, a few things are clear: First, avoid sunburn, a known risk factor for melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer. Second, there’s no prescription for tanning beds. Ultimately, more research will be needed to answer the questions about vitamin D. According to William J. Blot, Ph.D, of the International Epidemiology Institute, “In view of the major potential public health consequence of these results, further studies of sunlight and the vitamin D connection to cancer are certainly warranted.” SOURCE: TUFTS UNIVERSITY HEALTH & NUTRITION LETTER Aug. 2005, Vol. 23, No. 6 pp4-5

Racing vs. Resting

A flood of bills, demands, papers, school, work, duty, children,meetings, lists, do do do, become, pressure , etc all can lead to a racing stressed chaotic out of control lifestyle! How often do we lose loved ones or friends to cancer or heart attack WAY TOO EARLY in thier lives? Other cultures don't have so much stress... Neither do they have so many DISeases! The reason is they know how to REST. Now by this, I mean rest the MIND, not so much the body. HOW? Think SLOW. Practice breathing techniques, postures like Chi Qong. Meditation. Hypnosis. Get in nature. The wind, the air, the stars, the ground, the trees, the birds all have a energy that is natural and free (not trapped and stressed). Remember a little goes a long way. Be Free, Live Long. Dr. JW

Winter Health

The one week plus COUGH
over the past months I have seen a lot of patients and friends get the
flu bug and suffer for 4-7 days and then recover EXCEPT for one thing:
A lingering pestering cough that will not seem to go away. It
sometimes will stay and aggravate the person for MONTHS! how can you
get rid of this nagging cough? 1- colloidal silver spray (I prefer the
one that does not have tee tree oil added) 2- stream room / or hot
long shower because the heat is the enemy of the virus that is
surviving in the cool cilia(hair) of the throat. Good luck and good
health! - Dr. JW

Save over $2 when eating out & be healthier too

My wife and baby and I like to go out to eat once in a while, but findit VERY Expensive (25$ plus). Here is a way to improve your health, lose weight, and Save 2-4$ each meal. ----> try ordering hot water and lemon instead of coke/etc. Why? It's zero cost and you will increase your digestive capability! Lemon cleanses the body and promotes full digestion of food. Further, hot drinks are recommended by Chinese medicine over cold ones because they improve energy. So, save $$$$$ and try elimination of all the caffeine and sugar/asparatame (known to cause. Alzheimers)!! Good luck and good health - Dr. JW

Save

Save 2$ every meal!My wife and baby and I like to go out to eat once in a while, but findit VERYExpensive (25$ plus ). Here is a way to improve your health, loseweight, and Save 2-4$ each meal. ----> try ordering hot water andlemon instead of coke/etc. Why? It's zero cost and you will increaseyour digestive capability! Lemon cleases the body and promotes fulldigestion of food. Further , hot drinks are recommended by Chinesemedicine over cold ones because they improve energy. So, save $$$$$and try elimination of all the caffeine and sugar/asparatame( known tocause. Alzheimers) !! Good luck and good health - Dr. JW

Children's Health

My little 3 month old boy had a cough recently and I gave him some vit c and children's ibuprofen . It actually made him worse. My deduction was it was all the sugar added to those childrens products that fueled the reproduction of the virus/bacteria/bug that was in his throat. What helped him? A dropper of Colloidal Silver (1/4 of a dropper) and liquid vitamin C (no sugar) found at drug emporium Longview TX. The conclusion: use non sugar filled products to help with coughs and colds with the little ones/big ones(adults) too!

Light Therapy for Winter Depression

If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, you don’t need to wait for longer days to get some relief.
Most of us welcome the sun’s effect on our mood, especially after a stretch of gray days. But for some people, reduced daylight during fall and winter can bring on full-blown depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, almost always worsening during the darker winter months and returning every year at roughly the same time. It is also known as “winter depression” or “winter blues.”
The condition accounts for about 10% of all cases of major depression and occurs mostly in women. SAD makes you feel unhappy, anxious, tired and irritable. Interestingly, people with winter depression are often happy and productive the rest of the year. SAD usually begins in a woman’s late teens or early 20’s and often disappears after menopause. While no one know what causes winter blues, there’s some evidence implicating melatonin, a hormone produced in the brain.
Many physiological functions are rhythmic, that is, they cycle in 24-hour intervals – including sleeping and waking, the release of certain hormones, and body temperature. This circadian rhythm is essentially under the control of our genes, but it can adjust to environmental cues, such as changes in the light/dark cycle. Cells in the retina of the eye respond to the varying levels of light, signaling a pacemaker-like structure in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which controls some of the body’s rhythms. One of the cycles this brain area regulates is the production of the hormone melatonin. Melatonin levels rise in the evening helping to induce sleep, and fall in response to morning light.
According to one theory the body clocks of people with SAD don’t adjust to winter’s later dawns and earlier sunsets. Melatonin thus remains elevated during their waking hours. It’s also possible that people with SAD are hypersensitive to melatonin or over-produce the hormone in response to longer period of darkness.
The influence of light doesn’t completely explain SAD. Nonetheless, light therapy is uniquely (though not universally) effective in treating winter depression.
The most common light therapy device is a box containing fluorescent lights mounted on a metal reflector. The box is fitted with a plastic screen to filter out damaging ultraviolet frequencies. The screen also diffuses the emitted light, reducing glare. The important thing is the intensity, not the spectrum of light.
There are several light box models. Some are portable and others can sit on a tabletop or desk. They can also be adjustable to height and light intensity. Light boxes work best when the user sits nearby at a prescribed distance and height, keeping her eyes open and looking ahead or slightly downward. Looking directly at the box is not advisable.
Using a standard measure of brightness, experts usually recommend about 10,000 lux, which is more or less equivalent to early morning sunlight. In the changing daylight of autumn, 15 minutes of 10,000 lux once a day, right after waking, may suffice. Light exposure can then be increased to 30-45 minute sessions. Severe SAD may require longer exposure, perhaps up to two sessions. If symptoms don’t improve after two weeks, the use of light therapy should be re-evaluated and other measures considered.
Light therapy has few side effects – mainly headache, fatigue, irritability and eyestrain. These usually subside with lowering the dose with either shorter sessions or increasing distance from the light source. The course of treatment is around $150 to $300 and is usually covered by insurance.
Treating depression should being with a diagnostic consultation. If the diagnosis is winter depression, then light therapy may work. If not, then usually antidepressant drugs, chiefly selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, such as Prozac and Celexa, have been found effective for seasonal blues in controlled trials. People with seasonal mood changes may also benefit from psychotherapy.
For milder seasonal mood changes, adding more regular lamps to the house, sitting near windows, or spending more time outdoors may help. One study found that walking for an hour in the winter sunlight was as effective as 2 ½ hours of artificial light. (Summarized from Harvard Women’s Health Watch, Feb. 2005, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp 6-7. Copyright© 2005 Harvard Women’s Health Watch. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. February 2005.

TREAT THE BODY HEAL THE MIND

As every psychiatrist knows, miracle drugs don’t always lead to miracle cures. Sometimes the inevitable side effects of psychiatric drugs – ranging from chronically dry mouth to panic attacks- become too much for a patient.
One practitioner, James S. Gordon, has a radical new approach to depression. Gordon is certainly well-acquainted with the nuances of depression. But for the past 15 years, as founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Gordon has helped patients replace their drug prescriptions with a program of alternative therapies. He’s convinced that holistic medicine can be as effective as antidepressants. Most people with chronic depression, he believes, don’t need drugs to feel good.
Gordon’s approach is quite controversial in psychiatry, where the ability of antidepressants to correct abnormal brain chemistry isn’t questioned, and the idea of asking seriously depressed patients to gamble on unproven alternatives is viewed with alarm. Yet, Gordon has had many successes. Jim Norman, an epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health suffered from depression. He tried for years to stabilize himself with tranquilizers, and then he tried Gordon’s recommended therapies. Five years later, Norman finally feels he can control his moods without drugs. “The ups and downs still exist,” he says, “but they’ve leveled out.”
Should you try mind-body medicine? Depression is not an illness to fool with. If you are depressed and haven’t consulted a psychiatrist or psychologist, go see one. But if your depression is mild, or if you’re already being treated for it, but find you have other ailments, you can consider the approach of James Gordon. But, be discriminating. Two alternative practitioners rarely have the same training or philosophy, let alone the same track record.
Following are some of the alternative therapies to consider:
Acupuncture – Employs the use of needles inserted at certain points in the body. Some experiments suggest needle treatment spur higher levels of serotonin and endorphins in the brain. These chemicals may be involved in improving mood and lessening pain. However, there’s little evidence that acupuncture mental anguish.

Herbal Remedies – Need to be suited to one’s needs by someone trained in Chinese or botanical remedies. Few herbs have been studied as antidepressants, but a review of research in Germany involving the use of St. John’s Wort showed that it worked against moderate depression as well as synthetic drugs. However, herbal remedies are unregulated in this country, and must be used under the supervision of a physician or pharmacist who has studied herbs.

Exercise – By focusing mind and body on a rhythmic activity, exercise lessens anxiety and other negative emotions. Seriously depressed people, though, have a hard time making the effort to exercise on their own.

Meditation – Regularly taking ten to 20 minutes to focus thoughts on a single phrase or image can lower blood pressure, decrease pain and reduce anxiety. However, there’s no direct evidence that meditating helps seriously depressed people. Yet, it does induce a “relaxation response”, a calm state that turns off the “fight or flight” reaction that is part of many anxious and depressed patients.

Nutrition – Gordon and other alternative medicine physicians believe that certain foods, particularly caffeine and sugar, strain the endocrine system and promote depression. No one should fast without a doctor’s supervision; some people are too run down to stop eating. For most people, the best food therapy may come down to good nutrition.

(Summarized from HEALTH Jan. / Feb. 1997 pp 72-78. Article by: Peter Carlin, Reprinted from HEALTH, Copyright © 1997.)

Unusual and Promising Approaches to Allergy Prevention and Treatment

As strange as it may seem, early exposure to pets, peanuts, and intestinal worms might actually be good for you. Evidence to support this view has been mounting for more than a decade. But now, for the first time, researchers are beginning to test remedies based on these theories in patients. Other doctors are trying to make use of novel approaches to retrain the immune system once it’s too late and allergies set in.

“What we’ve learned is that it may, in fact, be important to be exposed early on to a sufficient quantity of allergy-causing substances to train the immune system that they are not a threat,” says Andy Saxton of the University of California – Los Angeles. “And in people who already have allergies, we see for the first time where the problems lie, and we have new opportunities to tweak the system.”

If the new approaches work, millions might benefit. More than 50 million people have allergic diseases, which are the sixth-leading cause of chronic illness in the United States, according to the National Intitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). In fact, allergies cost the health system $18 billion a year.

If educating the immune system is tough, re-educating it after allergies set in appears to be tougher. Allergy shots work, but they’re costly and often must be continued for years. Then the protection fades over time. There are two new strategies being developed that may improve treatment.

One strategy, pioneered by researchers at Dynavax Technologies in Berkeley California, involves disguising a key ragweed protein with DNA from a bacterium. The goal is to create a short course of allergy shots that tricks the immune system into permanently thinking that ragweed is a bacterium, so it will attack it like a germ and not mount an allergic response. The approach has appeared to work in early trials at John Hopkins University.

A second strategy, now being developed by Saxon and his colleagues at UCLA and licensed to the biotech firm Biogen Idec, involves fusing a cat allergen with a snippet of a powerful antibody call IgG. This IgG snippet turns off cells that make histamine, the chemical that produces allergic symptoms. Researchers hope the combo will turn off histamine-producing cells, and in time, retrain the immune system to accept that cats are harmless.

The new approach to allergy prevention and treatment arises from a paradox. Known as the “hygiene hypothesis,” it suggests that growing up in cities and suburbs, away from fields and animals, leaves people more susceptible to a host of immune disorders, including allergies and asthma.

It has been shown through a study by Dennis Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia that children exposed early in a home with two or more cats or dog, are 45% less likely to test positive for allergies than other kids. The study appeared in the August 28, 2002 Journal of the American Medical Association. One possible explanation is that dogs and cats shed a substance called endotoxin from bacteria. A related study by Andy Liu of National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver reported in 2002 that infants with the most endotoxin exposure were the least likely to have allergies.

Researchers have also found that worms also have potential as allergy-busters. Weinstock, and his collaborator, David Elliott of the University of Iowa found that worm infections appear to regulate the immune system so that it functions normally. Robert Coffman, vice president of the biotech firm Dynavax Technologies says that the immune system developed two sets of responses: one for bacteria and viruses, and one for worms. Called Th1 for germs and Th2 for worms, they work in opposition. When Th1 is active, Th2 takes a break, and vice versa. All of the symptoms people link with allergy are part of the Th2 response.

Weinstock, Elliott, and other researchers believe that a low-grade infection with intestinal worms – pig whipworms because they cannot reproduce in humans - can restore the immune system. In fact, a small-scale study proved that of 29 people with Crohn’s disease who drank a brew of Gatorade and whipworm eggs, 23 responded to the treatment and 21 of those 23 had complete remission.

Whether it is endotoxin or worms, scientists continue to investigate all of the factors that can confer protection against allergy and other immune diseases.

(Summarized from: USA TODAY, March 19, 2006, article by: Steve Sternberg; Copyright© 2006 USA TODAY. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services. March 19, 2006.)

Studying the Benefits of Massage

As a healing aid, hands-on therapy is being studied to win over skeptics to understand its healing benefits
Longmont United Hospital in Colorado has a massage therapist on staff around the clock for patients who need or request it. At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, 11 massage therapists are on a staff team and work with hundreds of patients. Yet, those who advocate massage therapy say that some hospital administrators are wary of introducing such a “touchy-feely” element to clinical practice.
“Clearly there are medical benefits to massage,” said Dr. Gregory P. Fontana, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In a study of heart patients measuring the effectiveness of nontraditional therapies, such as massage, in helping speed recovery after surgery, ninety-five percent of the 50 massage patients reported that massage was a “very important” part of their recovery, according to Fontana.
However, many doctors remain skeptical of the research suggesting a medical benefit to massage, saying more rigorous studies are needed. There are several new studies underway. Some are being funded by NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine, is working on two NIH-funded studies: one measuring the effect of massage on premature babies; the other measuring the effect of massage on pregnant mothers who are depressed. Currently, Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers are undergoing studies that measure how effective massage can be in alleviating the pain of cancer patients.
Advocates of massage therapy hope that the scientific and medical research will continue to support the benefits, safety, and cost-effectiveness of massage treatments. (Summarized from Los Angeles Times, Nov. 22, 2004, pp. F1+; Copyright © 2004 Los Angeles Times, Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

Music as an Alternative Therapy for Pain

“Pain is a silent epidemic,” said Celeste Johnston, past president of the Canadian Pain Society and associate director for research at the McGill School of Nursing. About 17% of Canadians suffer chronic pain from such ailments as osteoarthritis, lower back pain, fibromyalgia, migraines and menstruation.
Last year alone, Canadians spent more than $2 billion purchasing prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal medication to alleviate their pain. However, recent reports about the side-effective of COX-2 inhibitors like Vioxx and Celebrex and the addictive potential of Oxycontin have spurred public interest in alternatives.
Researchers are studying alternative therapies, ones that traditionally were thought to be taboo by medical experts, said Dr. Marc Ware of the McGill University Pain Centre. Beyond drug therapy, other alternative treatments can include relaxation techniques, physiotherapy psychotherapy, acupuncture, yoga, massage, and even music therapy.
A University of Montreal study measured the effects of music on pain relief. The results of the study showed that music triggers emotional reactions in listeners, and these feelings can decrease their pain up to15%. In the study, university students were exposed to painful stimuli while listening to different types of music. The degree of pain relief was directly related to the musical tastes of the subjects. When the study subjects listened to music they liked, their pain was eased more than if they listened to music they disliked or to no music at all.
In addition to music therapy, researchers are studying other alternative, non-pharmaceutical ways to reduce pain. SOURCE: SPECTATOR (Hamilton, Canada) Jan. 14, 2005, p.A10 (Original article by Ross Marovits)

Alternative Treatments for Heavy Metal Poisoning

Heavy metal poisoning is the toxic accumulation of heavy metals in the soft tissues of the body. The metals that cause poisoning in most individuals can be lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. People may come in contact with heavy metals in occupations such as industrial type work, manufacturing, or agriculture.
The symptoms of heavy metal poisoning will vary according to the nature and quantity of the metal, as well as how the exposure occurred. Symptoms can range from gastrointestinal symptoms when a heavy metal is ingested, to burns on the skin, when the skin is exposed to mercury, to neurological symptoms. In severe cases of heavy metal poisoning, patients exhibit obvious impairment of cognitive, motor and language skills. The expression “mad as a hatter” comes from the mercury poisoning prevalent in 17th century France, when hatmakers soaked animal hides in a solution of mercuric nitrate to soften the hair.
Heavy metal poisoning is diagnosed through tests that can include, blood, urine, and x-rays, as well as measuring amounts of the metal on things like hair and nails.
Heavy metals such as lead and mercury are readily diagnosed through blood tests, while arsenic is better tested through the urine since arsenic is rapidly removed from the blood. On the other hand, arsenic can remain on hair and nails for months.
Alternative treatments for heavy metal poisoning include chelation, dietary changes, and the use of nutritional supplements and herbs. In addition, homeopathic remedies have been recommended to prompt the body’s detoxification mechanisms. SOURCE: HEAVY METAL POISONING By Douglas Dupler, Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine

The Theory of Magnetic Therapy

Magnetic Therapy utilizes the power of magnets as a treatment to alleviate pain throughout the body. With a long history, magnets are believed to possess healing powers, especially effective in treating muscle pain and stiffness. “Lodestones” or stones that were recognized to have magnetic properties have been used by the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Chinese, and their use has been mentioned in the treatment of diseases in the Vedas, ancient Hindu scriptures.
In the 17th century, Sir William Gilbert was purported to utilize magnets to relieve Queen Elizabeth I’s arthritic pain. In modern times, American interest grew in magnetic therapy starting in the 1990s when professional athletes attested to the power magnetic devices had in alleviating pain.
Advocates of Magnetic Therapy attribute many benefits to the use of Magnets: pain relief; reduction of swelling; restful sleep; increased tissue and cellular oxygenation; improved blood circulation; improved tissue alkinalization; and relief of stress.
Fundamentally, magnetic therapy operates under two sets of theories. One theory asserts that magnets create a small electrical current, which stimulates the body’s natural painkillers at the site of application. The second theory argues that magnets cause the area’s cells to boost blood circulation, oxygen flow, and ion exchange to the painful area. The boost in oxygen present in the tissues and bloodstreams is purported to increase how quickly the body heals.
SOURCE: Magnetic Therapy - Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Kim Sharp

Environmental Nutrition Offers Primer on Alternative Arthritis Remedies, but All Need to be Proven

With no cure in sight for over 43 million Arthritis sufferers, and limited medical options for alleviating symptoms, it’s not surprising that two-thirds of sufferers have tried diet, vitamins and herbs as alternative treatments.

Those therapies that have shown the most promise in recent studies are the following:

The Glucosamine/Chondroitin Combo was touted in the 1997 book, The Arthritis Cure, and in the 1998 book, Maximizing The Arthritis Cure, by Jason Theodosakis, M.D. who speculates that these two substances have a synergistic effect. While evidence supports Glucosamine’s role in the relief of pain, swelling and tenderness of OA, evidence also suggests that it may also halt the breakdown of cartilage. On the other hand, Chondroitin draws fluid into the cartilage making it spongy and protecting it from destructive enzymes.

An analysis of 15 studies from the past 30 years that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association found evidence to support some degree of effectiveness of both compounds. However, an editorial warned of varying purity and strengths of supplements on the market.

Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals – Some researchers theorize that free radicals – natural but harmful compounds formed when substances in the body react with oxygen – exacerbate the damage and inflammation in arthritic joints. Therefore, antioxidant nutrients such as Vitamin C and E, beta-carotene and selenium may offer some protection. Several small clinical studies show Vitamin E supplements help reduced inflammation and pain in both OA and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

Vitamin D – has long been known to be important in bone health. In fact, research from the University of California at San Francisco has found older women with low levels of vitamin D in their blood to be at increased risk of OA of the hip. Other research reveals that dietary and supplemental D can slow progress of OA.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Americans tend to consume more Omega-6 Fatty acids such as vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, cottonseed and soybean, rather than Omega-3 oils from fish, canola oil, flaxseed and avocado. Omega-6 affects the hormone-like substances called prostaglandins produced in the body by lessening production of them. Omega-3 Fatty Acids then would help foster prostaglandin production which in turn would fight inflammation.

The downside to depending on Omega-3 Fatty Acids for relief of OA is that the benefits may not be seen for at least 12 weeks.

There are other potentially promising therapies to relieve the pain and progression of arthritis, including “Arthritis Diets,” fasting, herbal remedies, and substances called SAM-e and GLA. However, none of these therapies have been proven yet to make a difference.

The bottom line is that people with arthritis need to carefully assess the benefits and risks of alternative therapies. Before you make any changes, or try a new supplement, discuss the options with your doctor so that you can incorporate the appropriate therapies into your treatment plan.

(Summarized from Environmental Nutrition, April, 2000; article by Betsy Keller, M.S., R.D. – Copyright© 2000 by Environmental Nutrition, Inc. and R.L. Polk& Co. All rights reserved)

Arthritis Types – Characteristics, Treatment and Resources

There are three major types of arthritis: Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Gout. Each have different characteristics, but all can cause varying degrees of pain, swelling, warmth and stiffness. Following are guidelines on understanding and finding the best treatments for your particular arthritis type.

Osteoarthritis (OA) – is one of the most common diseases in the country. Millions of adults and half of all people age 65 and older are troubled by OA. This type of arthritis starts when bone cartilage begins to become ragged and wears away. You are most likely to have OA in your hands, neck, lower back, or large weight-bearing bones of your body, such as knees and hips.

Growing old is what most often puts people at risk for OA. Being overweight, injuries or overuse can lead to risk of OA in hands, knees or hips.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) – can occur at any age, and is particularly prevalent in women. It is an autoimmune disease, meaning that your body attacks the lining of a joint, as if it were trying to protect your joints from injury. Generally, people with RA do not feel well and may have a fever, in addition to the pain, swelling, and stiffness. The major characteristic of RA is that, as an autoimmune condition, it can also attack organs such as the heart, muscles, blood vessels, nervous system, and eyes.

Gout – is one of the most painful forms of arthritis. It usually lasts for just a few days, but can reoccur. It begins when crystals of uric acid form in the connective tissue and/or joint spaces. The deposits lead to swelling, redness, pain and stiffness. Gout often follows certain rich dietary habits. Also, using alcohol or being overweight puts one at risk. Gout is felt mostly in the big toe, but can affect other areas.

WARNING SIGNS

Arthritis has certain warning signs, such as lasting joint pain, joint swelling, and / or stiffness; tenderness or pain in a joint; problems in joint movement, and / or warmth or redness of a joint. You need to see your doctor if you have any of these signs longer than two weeks. However, if you also feel ill and have a fever in conjunction with these signs, see your doctor as soon as possible.

TREATMENTS

There are some arthritis treatments that span all types of the disease. These relate to those medicines that manage pain, such as Acetaminophen or Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory agents, such as Ibuprofen or Naproxan. These latter agents may or may be sold over the counter, depending upon dosage. However, there are possibly dangerous side effects of these drugs that must be discussed with your doctor before beginning use. The FDA warns of these effects on the packaging, and you can contact the FDA for more information.

Other treatments relate to the particular type of arthritis. For Osteoarthritis in a joint, a doctor might give shots to help increase movement and reduce pain. For Rheumatoid Arthritis, there are certain antirheumatic drugs, called DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) that can slow damage from the disease. Gout is treated with NSAIDs or corticosteroids, such as prednisone, to reduce swelling.

An important arthritis therapy includes many different types of exercise, including: range-of-motion, strengthening exercises, and aerobic or endurance exercises. These are key to relieving stiffness, lessening pain, and strengthening the muscles around the joints.

Contact the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at 800-222-2225 to order a booklet on how to start and stick with an exercise program, or visit them at www.nia.nih.gov. The NIA also has other publications in both English and Spanish.

There are other things you can do to help relieve arthritis pain. Maintaining a proper weight, applying heat and cold, soaking in a warm bath, or swimming in a heated pool are just some options. For severe injury to joints that lead to major pain and disability, your doctor may recommend surgery.

Unproven Remedies

Beware of unproven remedies for arthritis. Some may not only be worthless, but can be very harmful. The use of snake venom falls into this category. Lotions and creams are not proven, and the consumer may not even be made aware of side effects.

Treatments Requiring More Research

The following treatment options may offer some hope. These include Chinese acupuncture, and the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin. Research is showing that these substances may help lesson OA pain.

Talk to Your Doctor

Most importantly, discuss your condition with your doctor. You and your doctor should work together to safely lessen pain and stiffness and hopefully avoid further damage to your joints.

For more information about arthritis, you can contact the following organizations:

National Society for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
888-644-6226
888-464-1615 (TTY)
www.nccam.nih.gov

Meditation and the Traditions of East Asian Healing

The cherished East Asian idea of the body is built on a foundation of of self-cultivation - derived mostly from meditation. In Buddhism, Daoism and Shintoism, meditation is a technique for observing and becoming attuned to the intricate workings of the life-supporting energy system that exists beyond or beneath the psych-physiological activity of the living human body.

In the East Asian meditational perspective, the "flow body" is compared to a river with pristine and transparent water. The body that flows is invisible to the senses in everyday life, and most of us are relatively unconscious of it, unless we are engaging in the heightened state of awareness from meditation.

Ki-energy is that which is tapped through acupuncture, as ki-energy travels through circuits or “ki-meridians” underneath the skin. For example, the practice of acupuncture manages the absorption process and release of the energy - for most of us - unconsciously, between the comprehensive body and its environment.

According to East Asian tradition, then, healing occurs in several ways: (1) religious healing, (2) acupuncture, (3) visualization and (4) enlightenment.

The East Asian traditions of meditation and related healing practices transform one's daily consciousness, allowing the individual to develop harmony with creative energies of nature, awakening their spirit and body to natural, healing powers.

(Summarized from UNESCO COURIER, April 1997 pp15-20, by Shigenori Nagatomo)

The Origin of Qigong

The practice of Qigong started at least 5000 years ago. The word Qi stemmed from ancient Chinese philosophy, asserting that Qi is the foundation upon which the universe is built. In ancient Chinese civilization, Qi was considered to be the building block of all matter, the immaterial energy that constitutes all material form.

This viewpoint greatly influenced the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Generally speaking, the Qi in TCM denotes both essential substances of the human body, which maintain its vital activities, and the functional manifestations. Qi, then, has two aspects: one refers to the vital substances comprising the human body and maintaining life activities, such as the Qi of water or food, or breathing. The other refers to the physiological functions of viscera and bowels, such as the Qi of the heart, the lung, etc.

The phrase Qigong was initially developed by a Daoist Chinese monk named Xu Xun in his book, Teaching the Record of Jing Ming Zong (Quiet and Clear Sect). Qigong was next mentioned in the 19th century through literature composed by Donghao on a special treatment for Tuberculosis. However, there was not a complete explanation of the meaning, until the 1950's when Liu Guizheng authored and published Practice in Qigong Therapy.

From the history of modern science, we know that a new concept develops based upon the science and theory in the world at that time. Qigong is no exception. Over time, the concepts of Qigong are continuously enriched, developed, and perfected.

(Summarized from POSITIVE HEALTH (Portsmouth, England) Issue 114. Aug, 2005, pp42-45. Article by: Dr. Lianting Zhao, Copyright© 2005 Positive Health. )

Challenges in Studying the Relationship of Population, Health and the Environment

The field of population, health, and environment studies has encountered a number of barriers, most notably a limited theoretical framework and incompatible methodologies. Population, Health, and the Environment interact in complex ways, and we need to address them in an integrated fashion and improve the way we study, document and communicate the relationships.

Following are some of the many factors that affect the relationship among population, health and environment.

Demographic – these trends strongly affect the way humans change the natural world. The regional distribution of population, population age, birthrate, health, and migration patterns all have to be taken into account.

Policies and Institutions – can affect can have positive or negative effects and human and environmental well-being. For example, the emission standards for chlorofluorovcarbons (CFCs) enacted through the 1987 Montreal Protocol, slow the deterioration of the ozone layer. Farm subsidies, on the other hand, while helping farmers support their families and grow their businesses, contribute unintended consequences of wasteful resource use, excessive environmental damage, and growing financial strains on governments.

Culture – Together with policies and institutions, cultural factors – beliefs, values, and traditions – influence public support for public policies and the ways that humans interact with their environment. As an example, women’s social status in many less developed countries limits their access to land and education.

Poverty and Wealth – Poverty may promote environmental degradation in a variety of ways. Poor rural families are more likely to support themselves with subsistence slash and burn agriculture, use forest products as fuel, and live in ecologically fragile zones. Disadvantaged minorities are more likely to live in areas that are heavily polluted and that have substandard sanitation and health services.

At the other end of the spectrum, wealth brings greater environmental management opportunities and challenges. As societies grow wealthier, some human-induced environmental problems, such as access to water and sanitation, are expected to improve, while others – such as the generation of solid waste and greenhouses gases – get worse.

Land, Food, and Agriculture – The imbalance between food supply and demand often reflects political and social inequities. Famines generally occur because food is not available where people need it, rather than from overall shortage.

Deforestation – The direct causes of deforestation are themselves symptoms of underlying demographic, social and economic connections. More developed countries such as Japan and the United States can drive deforestation in less developed countries by importing tropical hardwoods. In addition, rising paper consumption has also encouraged overcutting of forests.

Energy Use – Global energy production and consumption have risen steadily for several decades, and this has the greatest potential impact on climate. The vast majority of the world’s energy comes from the burning of fossil fuels, in liquid (petroleum), solid (coal or Lignite), or gas (natural gas) form. Average energy use per person is more than nine times greater in developed than in less developed regions.

Climate Change – Carbon dioxide and other gases naturally trap heat as it is radiated from Earth’s surface back to the atmosphere. This “natural” greenhouse effect keeps Earth’s temperature about 60 degree Fahrenheit warmer than it would otherwise be!

Water Availability – About one-third of the world’s population lives in countries suffering from moderate to high amounts of water stress – where water consumption is more than 10 percent of renewable freshwater resources. Lack of access to safe water supplies also results in hundreds of millions of cases of water-related diseases and more than 5 million deaths every year.

Despite the lack of common methodologies to study these various factors in relation to population, health and environment, there is an increasing body of empirical data about the population and health impacts of such things climate change, land degradation, and forest loss. Accordingly, there is greater agreement among scientists about global changes and the factors that contribute to those changes. Satellite and other types of images are providing clearer evidence of what is happening over time.

The ability to track information from different sources with geographic information systems and remote sensing is opening new areas of study. Patterns and trends in human distribution and land and resource use may be analyzed in relation to economic and market activity and changes in geographic and biological measurements.

(Summarized from POPULATION BULLETIN, Sept. 2003 pp3-43, Article by Roger-Mark DeSouza, John S. Williams, and Frederick A.B. Meyerson. Copyright© Population Reference Bureau, Inc., September, 2003.

Going Under: Artists on the Healing Power of Artmaking

Researchers are beginning to find that the creative euphoria artists feel as they work can have a salutary effect on the body. Some say there’s a connection between artmaking and the process of healing. According William Poole, in THE ART OF HEALING, “Many cancer patients find it healing to express their fears, hopes and feelings about their illnesses through art.” Poole states, “For years, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York has encouraged such artistic expression.” Patients said their art work allowed them to forget post-operative pain, to express anger, frustration or fear, and to cope with their situations.

These health-related approaches to art are not available only to the visual artist, and not only to professional or serious artists. Art therapists teach people to make art in a way that helps them express the “stuck” emotions associated with illness. Her work with patients is based on the idea that an emotional release also triggers a physiological release of chemicals in the body that are associated with healing.

What happens when professional visual artists are faced with illness? Does their artmaking help them heal automatically? Are they immune to the effect of artmaking as they make art all the time? Is it just a momentary escape from their illnesses, or does something deeper happen?

Clearly, being an artist does not make them immune to illness. It did not keep Tom Miller and Deryl Mackie from contracting AIDS. I did not halt Ellen Powell Tiborino’s cancer. Tumors invaded Carolyn Mazloomi’s brain. Richard Yarde’s kidney failed. So did Charles Miller’s heart. However, these artists, some consciously and some unconsciously, turned their creative gift toward themselves, and opened their artists’ eyes to their bodies. And each found some power in the connection between their work and healing.

When Richard Yarde began to paint again after what he believes was a spiritual healing in church after many months of illness and weakness, he said that he felt as if he was “laying hands” on himself. And the process was healing. He was on dialysis, but when he was painting he said, “I’d get into a state that I just didn’t experience the dialysis as a difficulty.”

Carolyn Mazloomi was diagnosed with two brain tumors, each 15 years apart. Each time the doctor broke the bad news and told her to go home and prepare to die. She went home and made quilts again. The fear she felt, the worry that might otherwise have inhabited her thoughts, she instead “poured into my work.”

Can one say that to make art is to heal? Perhaps not, but Mazloomi and Yarde were given up for dead. Yet, years later they are still working, exhibiting, traveling, and what is more - telling the story of their personal miracles through their art.

Even those artists that may not make it still reap the rewards of their artmaking. Ellen Powell Tiborino was diagnosed with cervical cancer. After it was radiated, it came back 12 weeks later. Finally, surgery excised it for good, but Tiborino was left in and out of hospitals because of the treatments. But no matter how weak she was, she did her work.
Even in the last moments of her life, she maintained her vow to her art. At one point, she revived from a coma, and came home to die in her own bed with her family and her colors around her.

(Summarized from the INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OR AFRICAN ART, Vol. 16, No. 4, 2000, pp 3-15. © published by the Hampton University Museum

What is Holistic Healing?

During the last quarter-century, holistic healing concepts and complementary therapies have begun to gain acceptance in the West. In 1992, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that about one-third of all Americans use alternative therapies.

Generally speaking, holistic healing modalities take the entire body system into consideration and treat all levels of being, not just the physical body. Some practitioners prefer the spelling “Wholistic” because healing involves the whole person. Body, mind, emotions and spirit are viewed as inseparable. All affect your health, and all must be considered in the course of treating an ailment.

Holistic healing also targets the subtle bodies and the life force or chi. Although “new” to Western society, complementary healing practices have ancient roots. Acupuncture, for example, has been performed in China for thousands of years. Massage and aromatherapy were popular in ancient Egypt. Herbalism, which is still the primary form of medicine in many parts of the world today, predates written records.

As is true of conventional medical techniques, proficiency in holistic healing requires study and experience. Acupuncture and chiropractic, for example, demand extensive knowledge of anatomy and great skill. Therapies, such as herbalism, can be dangerous if practiced incorrectly. Others, such as homeopathy is rarely harmful – just ineffective if you choose the wrong remedy. To be safe, it is always a good idea to consult a competent professionals rather than attempting to diagnose and treat illnesses yourself.

There are several holistic healing modalities, and each one is a field in itself. Following are brief descriptions of some of the most popular complementary healing techniques.

Acupuncture – uses fine needles and sometimes heat to activate and balance chi. A practitioner inserts needles at certain points along the body’s meridians to remove blockages and harmonize the flow of energy through the body.

Acupressure – activates the flow of chi by applying gentle pressure to the sensitive points along the meridians.

Aromatherapy – primarily refers to healing through olfaction. Some aromatic oils can be rubbed on the skin and absorbed, providing therapeutic benefits in much the same way as other herbal medicines do.

Chi kung – also spelled Qigong, is an ancient Chinese system of promoting health and longevity by harnessing and balancing the vital life force (chi).

Chiropractic – was founded in the late 19th century by B.J. Palmer, and is probably the most widely accepted “alternative” medical therapy used in the West. It involves manually adjusting the spine – to alleviate pain and other physical and emotional problems. Chiropractic has been shown to be effective in relieving ailments ranging from headaches to arthritis.

Herbalism – is one of the oldest forms of medicine, and it is still the most frequently used in many parts of the world. The healing properties of plants may be extracted and utilized in various ways – drunk in tea, as an example. Although many herbs can be taken by most people safely, others can be harmful if used incorrectly.

Homeopathy – was founded by the German physician Dr. Samuel Hahenmann during the late 1700’s, early 1800’s. Hahnemann based his theory on the law of similars, or “like cures like”. A patient is treated with a minute amount of a substance whose effects on the human body are similar to the symptoms the patient is experiencing.

Massage – has been practiced for 5,000 years and was a favorite treatment of Hippocrates. Many different types of massage are popular today for relieving discomforts.

Osteopathy – was devised by an American surgeon name Andrew Taylor Still in 1874. It treats the body’s structure: the skeleton, muscles, ligaments and connective tissue. Osteopaths believe that when one part of your system is out of balance, other parts of your body will be impaired.

Reflexology - refers to massaging the feet and hands to stimulate and balance the flow of chi. This form of massage therapy dates back to ancient Egypt and Greece. Each part of the body corresponds to a spot on your feet or hands.

Visualization – has been popularized by Shakti Gawain and others as way to heal physical and emotional problems. Usually combined with meditation, it involves creating a mental image of a condition you desire that will promote well-being.

Yoga – is thousands of years old. It gained a strong following in the West starting in the 1960’s. Yoga combines physical movement with mental relaxation and deep, rhythmic breathing to produce overall health.

Aside from these therapies, there are the Chakras. Chakra is a Sanskrit term meaning wheel. To psychics and others, these nonphysical energy centers resemble spinning wheels located roughly along the spine. Even if you can’t see them, you may be able to sense their presence in your own body. When the chakras become blocked or don’t operate properly, illness occurs. Health and happiness result when the life force flows freely through the chakras.

There are several chakras along the body. Each one corresponds to a color of the visible spectrum and a note of the musical scale. Therefore, chromotherapy – using colors for healing, and sound healing can be particularly effective in chakra work.

(THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CHI, 2004, pp48-63. Reprinted with permission by the author: Skye Alexander.)

More than One-Third of U.S. Adults Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine, According to New Government Survey

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is defined as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not presently considered part of conventional medicine. According to a nationwide government survey, 36 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 years of age and over use some form of CAM. When prayer specifically for health reasons is included within the definition of CAM, the number of U.S. adults using CAM rises to 62%.

“These findings confirm the extent to which Americans have turned to CAM approaches with the hope that they would help treat and prevent disease and enhance quality of life,” said Stephen E. Straus, M.D., Director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The survey was administered to over 31,000 representative U.S. adults, and was conducted as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The survey included questions on 27 types of CAM therapies commonly used in the U.S. The results from the CAM portion of this study provide the most comprehensive and reliable data to date describing CAM use by the U.S. adult population.

Overall, the survey revealed that CAM use was greater among a variety of population groups, including women, people with higher education, those who had been hospitalized within the past year, and former smokers. This was also the first survey to yield substantial information on CAM use by minorities. What the survey showed was that a sizable percentage of the public puts their personal health into their own hands.

CAM approaches were most often used to treat back pain or problems, colds, neck pain or problems, joint pain or stiffness, and anxiety and depression. However, only 12% of adults sought care from a licensed CAM practitioner, suggesting that most people who use CAM do so without consulting a practitioner.

According to the survey, the 10 most commonly used therapies and approximate percent of U.S. adults using each therapy were: (1) Prayer for own health (43%), (2) Prayer by others for respondent (24%), (3) Natural products (19%), (4) Deep breathing exercises (12%), (5) Participation in prayer group for own health (10%), (6) Meditation (8%), (7) Meditation(8%), (8) Yoga (5%), (9) Massage (5%), and (10) Diet-based therapies – Atkins, Pritkin, Ornish, etc. (4%).

The survey also sought to determine why people use CAM. 55% of adults said they were most likely to use CAM because they believed that it would help when combined with conventional medical treatments. 50% thought CAM would be interesting to try. 26% used CAM because a medical professional suggested they try it, and 13% used CAM because they thought conventional medicine was too expensive. In contrast to previous studies, 28% of adults use CAM because they believed conventional medicine would not help them with their health problem.

The results of the survey reveal new patterns of CAM use among various population groups and provide a rich source of data for future research. The survey results provide a baseline for future surveys, as it establishes a consistent definition of CAM that can be used to track trends and prevalence of CAM use.

(Summary of NIH News Release, May 27, 2004; Health and Human Services Department (HHS); National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Magical Thinking in Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Many of today’s “complementary” and “alternative” systems of healing involve magical beliefs, manifesting ways of thinking based on principles of cosmology and causality that are timeless and absolutely universal. When we ask “why people believe in weird things” (as has Shermer, 1997), we might consider that at least some beliefs derive from a natural propensity to think in certain ways.

This article considers those aspects of belief that accord with the best anthropological meanings of “magic” and “magical thinking.” These words have a wide range of meanings, both among scholars and the general public. For example, “magic” can include the illusions of a stage magician: the ability to change form, visibility, or the location of something. It also includes things like spirit invocation and command, paranormal happenings, the occult, or anything mysterious or miraculous.

There is not general agreement as to what “magic” really is. However, there are distinct ways of thinking and corresponding ritual practices that are similar among all peoples in the world at all stages of recorded history. It appears that magic operates according to any of all of five basic principles:

1) Forces – Most people seem to believe in “forces” in nature that are separate from and operate independently of any spiritual beings, and they are also separate from those forces identified and measured by science.

2) Power - People believe that the forces, and everything else, are energized by a mystical power that exists in varying degrees in all things. In some belief systems, forces and power seem to merge.

3) A coherent, interconnected cosmos – It is widely believed that everything in the cosmos is actually or potentially interconnected, not only spatially, but also temporally – past, present and future.

4) Symbols – These are words, thoughts, things or actions that not only represent other things of action, but can take on the qualities of the things they represent.

5) Frazier’s Principles – Sir James George Frazer, in his monumental work on religion and kingship, The Golden Bough, explained his famous principles of sympathetic magic (3rd edition 1911-1915). Heir to the 18th century Positivist assumption of “laws” governing nature and society, Frazer said that sympathetic magic was of two types: “Homeopathic” magic – working according to the “law of similarity” – things or actions that resemble other things or actions have a causal connection. On the other hand, “Contagious magic” obeys the “law of contact” – things that have been either in physical contact, spatial or temporal association with other things retain a connection after they are separated.
These ideas of causality based on similarity and contact had been expressed by philosophers since Classical times.

Magic essentially involves the transfer of power in nature. Magic should be distinguished from supplication to a deity, as through prayer; but all scholars recognize that magical principles are intertwined with and complementary to religious ritual.

Homeopathy as a Magical Belief System

Some of the principles of magical beliefs are evident in currently popular belief systems. A clear example is homeopathy. Fallacies in homeopathic claims have been discussed by many scholars in this journal (Barrett, 1987; Gardner, 1989);, but it is curious that this healing system has not been more widely recognized as based in magical thinking. The fundamental principle of its founder, Samuel Hahnemann, similia similibus curentur, or “let likes cure likes” is an explicit expression of a magical principle. The allegedly active ingredients in homeopathic medications were “proved” effective against a particular disease when they produced in healthy people symptoms similar to those caused by the disease. Hahnemann also insisted that a “vital force” was present in both the human body and in the medications.

Three fundamental principles of magic are involved in homeopathy: similarity, power, and contact. According to a survey on alternative medicine reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Nov. 11, 1998), American’s use of homeopathic preparations more than doubled between 1990 and 1997 (Eisenberg, et al., 1998). Most modern homeopathic texts are careful to emphasize homeopathy’s limitations and to advise consultation with a physician if symptoms persist. But most insist that homeopathy accords with proven principles of science, citing its basis in experimentation, principles of vaccination, and parallels to discoveries in symptomatology and immunology and the body’s reactions to various stressors.

Various other “altnerative” and “New Age” beliefs are obviously magical; many are ancient and widespread. Crystals, for example, have long been believed to contain concentrated power. Colored crystals have specific healing effects, as certain colors are associated with different parts of the body. The magical healing power of colors seems universal.

Social-psychological explanations for people’s continued use of magic in an increasingly scientific and technological age agree that it gives individuals a sense of control. Neurobiological bases for magical thinking may lie in the mechanism of cognition. Frazer’s principle of similarity is the most basic. It is the basis for the universal and timeless beliefs in practices involving notions of resemblance.

But the vast majority of the world’s peoples, including many highly educated research scientists, obviously believe that there are real connections between the symbol and its referent, and that some real and potentially measurable power flows between them.

One researcher, Elisabeth Targ, M.D., and her colleagues recently had “a randomized double-blind study of the effect of distant healing.” The study was published in a leading American medical journal, the Western Journal of Medicine (Sicher et al. 1998). Dr. Targ received two million dollars of public funds from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health for two studies of “distant healing.” While some scholars were outraged at the generous expenditure of funds to test “magic,” it is tempered by the fact that huge numbers of Americans consult “Alternative” and “Complementary” medical practitioners. Perhaps the government has an obligation to support research into the effectiveness of these practices.

(Summarized from the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Nov/Dec 2001 pp32-37; Article by Phillips Stevens, Jr. – used by permission of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Amherst, NY.)

Asthmatic Kids Under a Cloud

Half a century ago, when Pigpen was new to the Peanuts gang, Charlie Brown asked him the obvious question: “Pig-Pen, why are you always so dirty?” Pig-Pen, answered with his face ringed with grime, “I have affixed to me the dirt and dust of countless ages.”

He isn’t the only one. Research shows that even kids as clean as Charlie Brown are enclosed in invisible halos of dirt and dust that can be detected using small personal monitors. For children with allergic asthma, that can be a problem.

Lead author, Nathan Rabinovitch, of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, states that “each kid has his own individual pollution cloud.” What’s in this cloud depends on what’s in their house, their school, and what their daily experience entails. Even serious scientists have started to call this phenomenon the Pigpen Effect, referring to the Charles Schulz character of the 1950’s.

Scientists have known for a long time that dust and dirt make allergies worse, especially in inner-city urban areas. A study of 1,528 children, financed by the National Institutes of Health, found that a child’s symptoms and cost of care can be significantly reduced by spending a $1,469 per family on counseling, cleaning and buying supplies, such as impermeable mattress and pillow covers.

However, while many studies of inner-city kids have focused on allergens in the home, Rabinovitch, instead, chose to focus his study of the Pigpen Effect on a highly allergenic protein called an endotoxin. Endotoxin, one component of the pollution cloud, comes from bacteria that are everywhere in the environment, including on pets.

Researchers are baffled by the fact that kids that have asthma are better or worse, one day to the next. They hoped to discover why and to answer a related asthma management question: How do pets complicate a child’s asthma, even when the child is involved in activities outside of the home?

A curious wrinkle to this study comes from other research that has shown that exposure to lots of endotoxin before allergy develops, usually through insect dust, pets and animals, can actually be protective – priming the immune system to become tolerant of the things that often promote allergy. This theory is part of the “Hygiene Hypothesis.” Multiple studies have suggested that this hypothesis is grounded in fact. However, it becomes murky when some kids are allergic, even when they are exposed to endotoxin from cockroaches and dust mites when they are younger. The Hygiene Hypothesis also doesn’t explain why kids who have asthma get better or worse from day to day.

The distinction between the Hygiene Hypothesis and the tendency for asthma to wax and wane is an important one, according to Rabinovitch, since once a person has allergies, dust, dirt, and pets make matters worse.

Researchers studied students ages 6 to 13 who attended a National Jewish’s Kunsberg School. These were children whose asthma would interfere with their performance and attendance in ordinary schools. Each child was fitted with a monitor equipped with a filter that would capture airborne endotoxins. Asthma severity was measured by their breathing, and by asking the children to log severity of their symptoms using a daily scoring system. Researchers then compared readings from their monitors, with those monitors in the environment.

The monitors showed that personal exposures to endotoxin were “significantly higher” than the levels kids were exposed to in the environment, supporting the notion that children, like Pigpen, are surrounded by a personal cloud. “One kid may have a very different exposure than a second kid,” Rabinovitch says.

The final result: The bigger the child’s endotoxin cloud, the more airway obstruction they had to endure, researchers reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Even if exposed at a young age, “Pets are not good for asthma,” according to Rabinovitch. If you play with a cat or a dog on a given day, you will get a high dose of endotoxin. If you live with a cat or dog, you will get the maximum dose.

(Summarized from USA Today: Article by Steve Sternberg)

Their Best Shot –

In the epidemic growth of allergies, the environment seems to play a larger role than researchers first thought. New studies into immunotherapy are giving sufferers…their best shot.

Health Correspondent Stacey Singer reported in the SUN SENTINEL the story of a 2-year old by the name of Grace King. At birthday parties, this sociable girl sometimes leaves before the cake is served. That is because Grace is allergic to both milk and eggs, and cake and ice cream could send her to the hospital.

One third to 50% of the population has some sort of allergy, and the severity of allergic reactions appears to be growing quickly, especially in children. As an example, the number of children who react to peanuts tripled between 1989 and 2002, according to a recent European study. The same trend is emerging for many other allergies.

The quest to understand the cause of allergies has taken scientists from farm fields to inner cities, from laboratories to grocery stores. The allergic response remains full of paradox: Filth can cause disease and asthma. Yet new studies suggest clean living probably unleashes allergies.

It is hard to imagine that Grace King’s clean house or suburban lifestyle could have unleashed Grace’s severe food allergy, but a concept known as the “hygiene hypothesis” has gained converts.

The thinking is that clean food and water and indoor living have deprived us of exposure to germs and parasites that our great-grandparents survived. As a result, our immune systems never get trained properly. Dr Marc Rothenberg, chief of Allergy and Clinical Immunology for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, refers to it as the immune system’s “delinquency problem.” “The immune system has too much free time, and it is getting into things that it shouldn’t,” he said.

This theory has gained support from a New England Journal of Medicine Study. Trying to understand why farm children were less likely to have allergies, researchers found that farm children’s mattresses were covered with bacteria endotoxin, the kind found in farm animal manure. Day and night, those children were breathing, touching eating, and drinking germs, and they appeared to have healthier immune systems as a result, according to Dr. Scott Weiss of the Channing Laboratory at Harvard University.

There are other theories. A French scientist showed that as measles and whooping cough have declined, while allergy, asthma and autoimmune diseases have risen. Childhood vaccines have also been implicated, he wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine. There may be a type of immune response mobilized by the shots, and these have an effect on the evolution of a child’s immunity.

This scientist also raised the possibility that babies who take antibiotics could also have problems because of the way the drugs alter intestinal flora, a key component of the immune system. One study showed that pregnant women with allergies that were given large doses of lactobacillis, commonly found in yogurt culture, had newborns with significantly less eczema.

Other research suggests that environmental pollutants may act like lighter fluid on a grill. While they may not cause allergy, they may prompt allergies to burn hotter. Things like truck exhaust, second-hand cigarette smoke, and flame retarding chemicals used in computer monitors have all shown some ability to heighten sensitivity of people to allergens in laboratory studies, according to Reuters Health.

Western diets have also been implicated. Weiss, at Harvard is studying the role of fats and oils in pregnant women’s diets. Some suspect that omega-3 fatty acids may help, while trans fats, widely used by fast-food makers, might worsen allergies and asthma.

On the prevention side, evidence is mounting that going to an allergist for a monthly allergy shot works well for treating inhaled allergies and insect-venom allergies, and can prevent new allergies and asthma, especially in children. Two recent studies showed that the shots prevented allergies from growing into asthma in a significant percentage of allergic children.

Other preventive strategies have been scrutinized. The American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology recommends that parents with allergies introduce new foods to their infants very slowly. Breast-feeding exclusively for the first six months is preferred, the group recommends.

For Grace King, the severely allergic 2-year old, the best approach at this point is to avoid the offending foods, and keep a loaded syringe of epinephrine on hand at all times.

(Summarized from SUN-SENTINEL, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. , Feb. 2003)

ALLERGY EPIDEMIC

Allergy, once the bane of a small, sniffling minority, is becoming epidemic in the United States. Up to 30% of adults and 40% of children suffer from allergic rhinitis, characterized by nasal congestion and itchy eyes commonly called hay fever.

Despite their ubiquity, allergies remain mysterious. Heredity plays a role, but genes cannot explain the sharp increase over the past 30 years, particularly in developed countries. “Allergy is on the rise, and it is not clear why,” sasy Ira Finegold, chief allergist at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York.

Many culprits have been proposed, including pollution and changes in lifestyle. The most startling possibility is that allergy may be caused by the success of civilization. As modern life becomes more hygienic, the human immune system has run out of things to do. It attacks allergens, and the body itself, as if it were bored.

The problem is not just pollen, but a host of unrelated triggers, including nuts, nickel and latex. With people spending 90% of their time indoors, allergies to cats, molds, and dust mites have become a serious concern. Allergies to food and insect stings can be fatal, and allergies are the main trigger for asthma, which kill 5,000 people per year.

Many researchers are convinced that almost half the people in the developed world are now allergic to something. Allergy consistently appears in the top-10 list of reasons for visits to doctors. “Something in the Western style of living has given rise to more allergies,” says Donald Leung, head of the pediatric allergy division at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. Humans seem to have a talent not only for altering the environment, but for introducing themselves to new allergens. For the first part of the 20th century, horses were a major allergy trigger, and now cars are more common. Most adults work in a climate controlled office, and children play indoors more instead of riding bikes on the street. As a result, indoor allergens have become a plague.

Finding out what sets off a person’s allergies is not too difficult. An allergist can perform a skin-prick test, injecting tiny does of allergens into the patient’s back or forearm to see which raise itchy red welts. Blood tests are sometimes used as well to detect antibodies to allergens. It is determining what to do next that is difficult.

The primary weapon remains antihistamines. Allergy shots remain effective, but the shots sometimes set off dangerous allergic reactions. New medications in the pipeline include an “anti-IgE” drug, a monoclonal antibody designed to hobble immunoglobulin E, the human antibody that sets allergic reactions in motion. Anti-leukotriene drugs such as Accolate and Singulair, which combat inflammatory compounds produced by white blood cells, have proved useful for treating asthma since their introduction in 1996. New, safer vaccines are also in the works.

Scientists are intensely interested in finding out how to push the immune system in the right direction. The ultimate goal in allergy treatment may be to convince the body right from outset that allergens are not worthy of an immune response.

Among the different types of allergies are allergies to food. While they are rare, they can be deadly. Food allergy reactions can be so extreme that conventional allergy shots are too risky. For now, the only way to evade the risk is to avoid the food. The world is becoming more hospitable to people with food allergies, with manufacturers increasingly listing peanuts and other common allergens on food products.

Dust has become public enemy No. 1. There has been a barrage of products and advice for coping with it. If you need to take action against dust mites, the bedroom is the front line. The warm, moist conditions in beds provide the perfect microclimate for them to thrive, but there are simple ways to make the linens and mattress less hospitable.
Feather pillows used to be off-limits, but studies have proved just the opposite. These pillows have a tighter weave. Synthetic pillows actually emit more allergens and should be outfitted with good anti-allergen covers. You may also need to strip the room of carpets, which can rival beds as a dust-mite haven.

Throughout the house, frequent cleaning with a HEPA vacuum is recommended, although vacuuming a carpet removes only a small proportion of the allergens. Dehumidifiers also thwart dust mites, which can’t live in dry conditions. Whatever the source of dust, a HEPA or electrostatic filter on heating and air-conditioning systems will help capture some of it.


(Summarized from U.S. News & World Report, May 8, 2000 pp46-53. Article by Nancy Shite)

A Silent Epidemic Has Struck: The Mystery Is Why

Ten year old Giovanni Delgado had his second asthma attack in three days. He felt as if he were drowning in a dark sea. Giovanni’s fate would be in the hands of a Passaic county, New Jersey school nurse - either sent to the emergency room, or being treated and going back to class.

Fifty miles to the west, Ainsworth Scott, the 68 year-old mayor of Belvidere, New Jersey, reaches for his vial of medicine. He is trying to explain why there is this strange rise in asthma in his tiny bucolic village tucked along the Delaware River.

In the past 20 years, asthma has enveloped the United States, nearly doubling its reach in a medical mystery story that puzzles scientists. Some of the most surprising chapters are being written in New Jersey.

In Passaic, New Jersey, 22% of the children have asthma, nearly three times the national average. However, in rural Warren County, amid lush mountains and smog-free air, another team of scientists log the same numbers.

Scientists know what triggers asthma attacks – pollution, dust, and mold – but the reason people develop the disease remains unclear. Asthma is now in the center of one of the most divisive political battles – the fight over pollution rules for heavy industry. The dirty air spewing from smokestacks in the Midwest and South drifts over New Jersey. It is blamed for a third of the state’s air pollution. Revised pollution standards actually make it easier for plants to upgrade and reduce pollution. However, other new rules would allow utilities to continue to spew smog and soot over New Jersey for years to come.

Asthma kills 4,500 people per year. It killed 123 New Jerseyans in 2001. Roberto Nachajon, a respiratory pulmonologist at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, N.J. states, “I would say every one of those deaths can be prevented.”

Most asthma attacks are allergic reactions, the body protecting itself from what it sees as a foreign invader. When a strange whiff of smoke from a power plant that could be 400 miles away, or a speck of roach droppings finds their way to the air passages, an overactive immune system counteracts, flooding the lungs with antibodies. This causes the inner linings of the airways to swell, narrowing the tunnels through which oxygen reaches the blood vessels. Muscles squeeze the airflow further. Mucus clogs up the remaining space.
The death rate from asthma has been dropping across the United States, thanks to an arsenal of new drugs and better-educated patients. However, the disease stills exacts a heavy toll: drugs, ER visits, missed workdays, and other costs of coping with asthma total $13 billion annually nationwide.

Still, nobody knows why so many are suffering from asthma. Scientists argue asthma is not one disease, but several – allergic asthma, exercise-induced asthma, elderly asthma, and other varieties, with different triggers and treatments.

Theories abound: secondhand smoke, sedentary lifestyles, a Western diet of processed foods, tighter buildings that trap more indoor pollutants, and the “hygiene hypothesis” – the theory that today’s children are too shielded from viruses and bacteria that their immune systems don’t get the proper shakedown early in life.

On the other side, there is mounting evidence that pollution, even at low levels, leaves a lasting mark on your lungs. Researchers at the University of California completed an 11-year old study tracking thousands of youngsters in the nation’s dirtiest air. They found that those youngsters who lived in the smoggy cities were three times as likely to develop asthma. The lungs of children in more polluted air grew more slowly, and they move air less efficiently.

Another UCLA study showed that individuals exposed to both diesel particulates and dust mites had triple the immune response of those exposed to dust mites alone. Still, air pollution isn’t the final word as a cause for asthma. In Beijing, China’s air continues to worsen as China industrializes, yet only 8 percent of school-age children there have asthma, reports Noreen Clark, dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. By contrast, the air is cleaner and people smoke less in Detroit, yet 20% of the city’s students have the disease, she says.

An answer could be in the fact that even individuals in suburban areas are still breathing air that blows in from nearby and distant urban areas. In New Jersey, suburbs and cities are so close together that residents of both breathe the same tainted air. In addition, suburban sprawl has caused an increase of cars on the road. The fact that children may spend less time walking and biking, slowing the growth of their lungs, may make them more susceptible to respiratory problems.

This theory is particularly evident in the town of Belvidere, New Jersey. Across the Delaware River in this pristine town is Martins Creek, a power plant that produces sulfur dioxide. In addition to Martins Creek, says Ainsworth Scott, “All across Pennsylvania they burn, and we get the westerly winds.” In addition, Roche Vitamins announced that its plant in the town of Belvidere was emitting excessive amounts of toxic air pollutants for years.

In the end, there’s not just one smoking stack behind the asthma woes.

(Summarized from THE RECORD, Hackensack, NJ; copyright Knight-Ridder Newspapers: Distributed by Knight-Ridder / Tribune Information Services.)

Asthma Can Be Tamed, and It’s No Mystery

Asthma is a silent epidemic across the nation, the Bergen County RECORD has reported. Scientists don’t know why it is becoming so common. However, they do know that air pollution, especially from power plans and vehicles, makes it much worse.

While asthma can’t be cured, it can be managed. With diligence and good care, patients can stay out of the hospital and suffer fewer, less severe attacks.

When Curtis James came close to death one day from an asthma attack, it scared him into changing his habits. He began seeing a lung specialist, Dr. Robert Amoruso, who worked out a treatment plan. Now, Curtis uses preventive medicines every day, monitors his lung capacity, and travels with a nebulizer, a machine that aero-solizes medication, so that it can be inhaled. He hasn’t been to the hospital since Dr. Amoruso stabilized his condition.

The problem in asthma management is that there is a real gap between what many doctors know and can do, and what actually happens in practice. Far too many patients go from crisis to crisis. Follow-up visits to a primary care doctor may not help enough. In surveys, 40% of physicians say they often don’t follow national guidelines for asthma treatment. Specialist care – provided by an allergist of pulmonologist - produces better results. However, many health plans block an individual’s ability to see a specialist.

Regular, daily use of prescription medicine is needed to prevent crises and poor breathing for people with moderate to severe asthma, but many people lack coverage for drugs. In addition, there is no guarantee that individuals will get what they need to manage their disease.

In addition to what doctors can and should provide in preventive care, prevention must also take place in patients’ homes. Lifestyle changes – stopping smoking, ridding the home of pet dander, roaches and dust, and putting dust covers on bedding – are key preventive measures for asthma patients. However, changing behavior requires patient education by health-care professionals, sensitivity to cultural differences, and ultimately a commitment from the patient, and / or a family of the patient. Doctors must help to educate patients on the importance of lifestyle changes.

It has been recognized by many managed care companies that effective asthma management not only saves lives, but it reduces health care costs. Many HMOs and other health insurance companies now have condition management programs, where nurses will contact individuals who have been hospitalized and discuss the management of their disease. AmeriChoice, in a pilot program with 145 severe asthmatics, was able to cut hospital stays for by more than half and ER visits by a quarter.

However, one of the key barriers to preventive care relates to culture. Immigrant communities are the most vulnerable to asthma crises. In addition to the language barriers that often exist, many immigrants’ first instinct is to reach for home remedies rather than Western medicine, said Noreen Clark, director of a University of Michigan program that promotes grass-roots asthma education across the country. Many immigrants use alternative therapies without telling their doctors, and some see doctors only after these therapies do not work.

Doctors, and the health care community at large, need to learn the cultural tendencies of asthma sufferers. Historically, Latinos and Caribbeans tend to mistake asthma for a one-time illness, rather than a lifetime condition that needs constant care. Some Puerto Ricans have been wary of treating asthma with inhaled steroids, fearing they might be addictive or harmful to children.

In order to tame asthma and make it a manageable disease then, focus needs to be on (1) physicians providing preventive asthma medications and patient education about needed lifestyle changes, and (2) the healthcare community’s steady reach into immigrant and poor communities to educate and ensure these populations receive the best education and treatment for their condition.

(Summarized from THE RECORD, Bergen County, NJ; Article by Lindy Washburn and Alex Nussbaum)

Alternative Medicine as “Pain Killers”

While chronic pain afflicts millions of Canadians, most family doctors do not often have the time or interest to help manage their patients’ pain. The big medicine guns in pain management are usually narcotics which “take the edge off”, but don’t provide complete relief. In addition, there is the fear of addiction in taking these pain killers.
Alternative pain management techniques are available at several pain clinics. At Thorson Burnaby’s Health Centre, there is a team approach to pain management. Physicians, chiropractors, physiotherapists, psychologists, and many other disciplines work together to treat individuals’ chronic pain.
Vancouver’s St. Paul Hospital (SPH) Pain Centre is also a multi-disciplinary clinic that treats British Columbia’s chronic pain cases. Here, they use spinal-cord stimulation, as one option to chronic pain. This involves the insertion of a device into the lower back, which is then connected with wires to the spinal cord. The device blocks pain signals from reaching the brain.
Other alternative pain relieving techniques include IMS or intramuscular stimulation, developed by Dr. Chan Gunn. IMS marries the best of western medical knowledge with the acupuncturist’s needle. This technique is in increasing use throughout the world.
A special device, called Farabloc, was invented by Frieder Kemp in response to his father’s chronic and disabling phantom limb pain. It is a thin fabric cloth with interwoven metal fibers. Placed over the sensitive tissue, it calms nerve ends and stimulates blood circulation.
For many, these alternative, multi-disciplinary approaches are the answer to pain relief.
SOURCE: BC BUSINESS (Burnaby, Canada) June 2003, pp. 38+ Original Article by Vicki O’Brien

Treating Migraine Headache

Drug therapy, biofeedback training, stress reduction, and eliminating certain foods from the diet are the most common methods of preventing and controlling migraine. There are two main approaches to the drug treatment of migraine headache: prevention of attacks, and / or relieving symptoms after the headache occurs.
For mild migraine headaches, over the counter drugs, typically acetaminophen or aspirin, can be ingested upon the first onset of the migraine to either stop the headache or alleviate the pain. For moderate or severe migraines, or cluster headaches – shorter versions of migraine that occur in a “cluster” such as several a day – strong drugs are necessary to control pain.
One of the most commonly used drugs for relief of severe migraine is ergotamine tartrate, a vasoconstrictor which helps relieve the dilation stage of a migraine. For optimal benefit, it should be taken at the start of a migraine.
For migraines that occur with frequency more than three times per month, doctors typically recommend a course of preventive treatment. These preventative drugs can include methysergide maleate, a substance which minimizes blood vessel constriction, and propranolol hydrochloride, a medication that stops blood vessel dilation. Also, amitryptyline, an antidepressant, has also been used in treating migraines.
Antidepressants called MAO inhibitors also prevent migraine. However, MAO inhibitors can have potentially serious side effects – particularly while ingesting food and beverages that contain tyramine, a substance that constricts arteries.
Recently, scientists have developed new drugs that prevent migraines, such as the serotonin agonists, which imitate its equivalent brain chemical. The key to preventing migraines resides within timely administration of these prescriptions.
(Summarized from Headache: Hope Through Research, October, 1996; Pages 1-36; Health and Human Services Department (HHS); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes; SuDoc Number: HE 20.3502:H 34/4/996

Pain Killers

There is help out there for managing pain – whether from a car smash-up, sports injury, workplace accident or disease – if you’re willing to look further than your family doctor for alternatives to drugs.
Chronic pain is a silent epidemic affecting some 10 million Canadians. Although there are many types of chronic pain and many pain levels, the universe of pain shares some common issues. Most family doctors know little about chronic pain and offer little in a 10-minute visit. Although some GPs take a special interest in pain treatment, many prefer not to deal with often-difficult patients. Whether justified or not, pain patients frequently say they are angry and frustrated with the cursory treatment they receive.
There’s also a lot of needless suffering. Some people won’t take medication for fear they’ll become a vegetable or an addict. The big guns in today’s pain arsenal are the narcotics derived from morphine or codeine. However, physicians often refuse to prescribe them in sufficient quantities because of addiction concerns. In addition, most people won’t get complete relief with narcotics. These drugs just “take the edge off” leaving the patient feeling drowsy and disoriented. Experts agree it’s better to learn alternative pain management techniques.
In the conference room at Burnby’s Thorson Health Centre there is a lively group of physicians, chiropractors, physiotherapists, psychologists, counselors and technicians who are brainstorming complex issues. “We encourage personal growth and help clients accept responsibility for their physical and emotional well-being,” says Thorson. At the clinic that’s done with support and education, plus treatments such as nerve blocks, trigger point therapy, group work, biofeedback, stress management, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, physiotherapy, massage, chiropractic, nutrition, exercise and acupuncture.
Neuropathic pain, or pain resulting from a damaged nerve, is another type of chronic pain. Dr. Chan Gunn, head of the Institute for the Study and Treatment of Chronic Pain (iSTOP) uses IMS or intramuscular stimulation to ease nerve pain. Therapy involves inserting long, thin needles of up to several inches in length, into the constricted part of the muscle, also known as the “knot” or trigger point. When introduced accurately, the muscle will contract and grab the needle and then relax. Gunn claims to resolve acute neuropathic problems in one or two visits, though some cases take longer.
At the Comox Valley Nursing Centre, nurses assist patients in the management of their chronic pain. Clients can attend a chronic pain education program, join relaxation, exercise or therapeutic swim classes or participate in a chronic pain support group. Most important says Diane Lewis, a nurse in the program, is that they get plenty of time and support.
Farabloc, is another pain relieving device. It is the invention of Frieder Kempe whose father suffered phantom leg pain after being wounded in 1944 and losing his leg. Kempe realized that his father’s scar had no healthy skin covering, hence no protection from electro-magnetic fields. By 1978, he’d developed a thin fabric cloth with interwoven metal fibres that significantly reduced his father’s pain. The product, called Farabloc, is produced at Kempe’s Coquitlam factory. Manufactured in many shapes and sizes and sold across the globe, it has proven to reduce phantom limb pain and delay the onset of muscle soreness experienced by athletes. German researchers are currently studying its effectiveness with painful fibro-myalgia.
Chronic pain disables more people than cancer or heart disease. For many, their best hope is contained with multi-disciplinary clinics with offer a variety of treatment options.
SOURCE: BC BUSINESS (Burnaby, Canada) June 2003, pp. 38+ Original article by Vicki O’Brien

Headache: Hope through Research

An estimated 45 million Americans experience chronic headaches. For at least half of these people, the problem is severe and sometimes disabling. It can also be costly: headache sufferers make over 8 million visits a year to doctors’ offices. Migraine victims alone lose over 157 million workdays because of headache pain.
Understanding why headaches occur and improving therapies are among research goals of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). As the leading supporter of brain research in the Federal Government, the NINDS also supports and conducts studies to improve the diagnosis of headaches and find ways to prevent them.
When Should You See a Physician?
Not all headaches require medical attention. However, some types of headache are signals of more serious disorders and call for prompt medical attention, for example: a sudden severe headache; headache associated with convulsions; headache accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness; headache following a head injury; headache associated with eye or ear pain; persistent headache in someone who was previously headache free; recurring headache in children; headache associated with fever; and headache that interferes with normal life.
Diagnosing a Headache
Experts agree that a detailed question and answer session with a patient can often produce enough information for a diagnosis. Most physicians will also obtain a full medical history from the patient, inquiring about past head trauma, surgery and medication use. A blood test may be ordered to screen for thyroid disease, anemia, or infections which might cause headache. X-rays or CT Scans or MRIs may be ordered to rule out the possibility of a brain tumor or blood clot. Sometimes eye exams are recommended, and an experimental technique called Thermography – using an infrared camera to measure blood flow through the skin – can show strikingly different heat patterns from headache sufferers vs. those that rarely get headaches.
A physician will analyze the results of all of these tests and arrive at the following headache diagnoses: (1) Vascular, (2) Muscle contraction (tension), (3) Traction, or (4) Inflammatory headache.
Vascular headaches include the well-known Migraine type. It is thought to involve abnormal function of the brain’s blood vessels or vascular system. Migraine headache involves severe pain on one or both sides of the head, an upset stomach, and, at times disturbed vision. Sometimes migraine headaches begin with an “aura.” The individual sees zigzag lines or flashing lights before the headache actually begins.
While researchers are unclear about the precise cause of migraine headaches, there seems to be agreement that a key element is blood flow changes in the brain. People who get migraines appear to have blood vessels that overreact to various triggers.
There are two ways to approach the treatment of migraine with drugs: prevent the attack, or relieve symptoms after the headache occurs. For infrequent migraines, drugs can be taken at the first sign of a headache in order to stop it or at least relieve the pain. For occasional or mild migraine, sometimes aspirin or acetaminophen taken at the start of the headache can help. Small amounts of caffeine may be useful also if taken in the early stages of migraine.
For those who get moderate to severe headaches, and for all cluster patients – those that get a severe, but shorter-type of migraine that comes in groups or clusters – there are stronger drugs such as Ergotamine Tartrate. This is a vasoconstrictor which helps counteract the painful dilation stage of the headache. For optimal benefit, the drug is taken at the start of the headache.
For headaches that occur three or more times a month, preventive treatment is usually recommended. Drugs used to prevent classic and common migraine include methysergide maleate, which counteracts blood vessel contriction; propranolol hydrochloride, which stops blood vessel dilation; and amitryptline, an antidepressant.
Several drugs for the prevention of migraine have been developed in recent years, including serotonin agonists which mimic the action of this key brain chemical. Prompt administration of these drugs is important.
There are other vascular headaches besides Migraine. Some can be caused by infection, exposure to chemicals, solvents and certain drugs.
Muscle Contraction Headaches are also known as “tension” headaches. They are often triggered by stress. They are named contraction headaches as the headache is caused by the contraction of neck, face, and scalp muscles as a result of stressful events. It is believed ninety percent of all headaches are classified as tension/muscle-contraction headaches.
Non-drug therapy for these headaches includes biofeedback, relaxation training, and sometimes counseling. A technique called cognitive restructuring teaches people to change their attitudes and responses to stress. In progressive relaxation therapy, patients are taught to first tense and then relax individual muscle groups. Sometimes, those suffering from infrequent headaches may benefit from something as simple as a hot shower or moist heat applied to the back of the neck.
People with chronic muscle contraction headaches may also be helped by taking antidepressants or MAO inhibitors. Mixed muscle contraction and migraine headaches are sometimes treated with barbiturate compounds, which slow down nerve function in the brain and spinal cord.
The two other types of headache: Traction and Inflammatory can be caused by very serious disorders. Traction headaches occur if the pain-sensitive parts of the head are pulled, stretched or displaced, such as with a brain tumor. Inflammatory headaches could be caused by meningitis, or diseases of the sinuses, spine, neck, ears or teeth. These headaches are treated by curing the underlying problem.
Children can also experience headaches as a result of infections, stress or trauma. These headaches can also include migraine. Parents should alert the family pediatrician if a child develops headaches along with other symptoms such as change in mood and sleep patterns.
Finally, today’s headache research offers hope for many chronic headache sufferers. The work of NINDS- supported scientists around the world promise to improve our understanding of this complex disorder and provide better ways to treat it.
(Summarized from Headache: Hope Through Research, October, 1996; Pages 1-36; Health and Human Services Department (HHS); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes; SuDoc Number: HE 20.3502:H 34/4/996