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Friday, September 13, 2002
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Alternative practioners advise contrary to government policy but doctors don't advise at all.
A study published in the September 14 issue of the British Medical Journal asked chiropractors, homeopaths and general practitioners for advice on immunisation for a child. 40% of homeopaths and 19% of chiropractors advised against immunisation for measles, mumps and rubella, contrary to government guidelines. However, of the 111 general practitioners contacted, not a single one responded!
There are many ways to interpret this data and conclusions that can be drawn. One possibility is that doctors shouldn't blame anybody but themselves for patients going to alternative practitioners if they are the only ones giving advice. [David Harris' Science News]
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3:12:12 PM 
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I have my changed my system for labeling homemade freezer
meals. I used to carefully note in large clear letters,
"Meatloaf" or "Pot Roast" or "Steak and Vegetables or
"Chicken and Dumplings" or "Beef Pot Pie."
However, I used to get frustrated when I asked my husband
what he wanted for dinner because he never asked for any
of those things. So, I decided to stock the freezer with
what he really likes.
If you look in my freezer now you'll see a whole new set
of labels. You'll find dinners with neat little tags that
say: "Whatever," "Anything," "I Don't Know," "I Don't Care,"
"Something Good," or "Food." My frustration is now reduced
because no matter what my husband replies when I ask him
what he wants for dinner, I know that it is there waiting.
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1:41:05 PM
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Georgia O'Keeffe. "Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time."
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10:29:56 AM
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Obesity will 'become the norm'. Three-quarters of the UK population could be overweight within the next 10-15 years¸ top experts have warned. [BBC News | Front Page]
Egads! 75%? My body fat analyzer is headed my way with settings for me, Sandy, and the kids to keep from being part of statistics like these. Absurd that we eat so much and do so little.
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9:47:13 AM
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On motorcycle helmets.
If you ride a motorcycle and won't wear a helmet, you pretty clearly don't care about your own life - but maybe you could at least think of others. Unhelmeted motorcyclists admitted to hospital use up significantly more resources than the sensible helmet-wearing ones.
Although you probably could have guessed this result, it appears in the September issue of the Journal of Trauma (always good for some light reading...)
Remember, not wearing a helmet increases the chance of dying from a crash by 40%. [David Harris' Science News]
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9:40:52 AM
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George Burns. "Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five I still had pimples."
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8:58:12 AM
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From the Washington Post Style Invitation, in which it was
postulated that English should have male and female nouns
and readers were asked to assign a gender to a noun of their
choice and explain their reason.
The best submissions:
ZIPLOC BAGS - male, because they hold everything in, but
you can always see right through them.
SWISS ARMY KNIFE - male, because even though it appears
useful for a wide variety of work, it spends most of its
time just opening bottles.
KIDNEYS - female, because they always go to the bathroom
in pairs.
SHOE - male, because it is usually unpolished, with its
tongue hanging out.
COPIER - female, because once turned off, it takes a while
to warm up. Because it is an effective reproductive device
when the right buttons are pushed. Because it can wreak
havoc when the wrong buttons are pushed.
TIRE - male, because it goes bald and often is over
inflated.
HOT AIR BALLOON - male, because to get it to go anywhere
you have to light a fire under it... and, of course,
there's the hot air part.
SPONGES - female, because they are soft and squeezable and
retain water.
WEB PAGE - female, because it is always getting hit on.
SUBWAY - male, because it uses the same old lines to pick
people up.
HOURGLASS - female, because over time the weight shifts to
the bottom.
HAMMER - male, because it hasn't evolved much over the
last 5,000 years, but it's handy to have around.
REMOTE CONTROL - female... Ha! You thought I'd say male.
But consider, it gives man pleasure, he'd be lost without
it, and while he doesn't always know the right buttons to
push, he keeps trying.
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8:32:35 AM
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By Matt Brignall, ND
Healthnotes Newswire (September 12, 2002)—Supplementation with a multivitamin-mineral supplement together with cod-liver oil can reduce rates of ear infections in children, according to a clinical trial published in the Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology (2002;111:642- 52).
Ear infections are the most common reason for acute pediatric visits in the United States. While ear infections are not generally life threatening, they are often chronic, and can require extensive antibiotic or surgical treatment. There are many treatments available for an acute ear infection, but to date there is no commonly accepted medication for the prevention of the condition.
In this clinical trial, eight children between the ages of ten months and four years who suffered from frequent ear infections were supplemented with a multivitamin-mineral formula and 1 tsp (5 ml) of cod-liver oil per day for an average of almost four months. In the three to four months prior to supplementation, these children had been treated with antibiotics on 16% of the total days of observation. During supplementation, however, only two of the children required antibiotic treatment, and the number of days of antibiotic treatment was only 5% of the total days of observation. Five of the seven children experienced no ear infections while taking the nutritional supplements.
Prior to the beginning of this clinical trial, the authors studied the nutrient concentrations in the blood of children with chronic ear infections. They found lower concentrations of vitamin A, selenium, and a fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in children with ear infections than in a population of healthy adults. Those findings led the researchers to use cod-liver oil (a source of concentrated EPA) and a multiple vitamin-mineral as the treatment protocol.
The authors reported difficulty getting the children to take the cod-liver oil. One child dropped out for this reason, and another would only take half of his daily allotment (but experienced improvement, nonetheless). To combat the problem, the authors recommend using a lemon-flavored cod-liver oil supplement, and mixing it into food such as applesauce, oatmeal, or yogurt.
Cod-liver oil was once a commonly used nutritional supplement in the United States and elsewhere. It was used mainly to prevent infections and rickets (a vitamin D deficiency that causes softening of bones). Although it is no longer widely used, cod-liver oil can still be found readily at grocery stores, health-food stores, and pharmacies.
Multiple previous studies have found that the incidence of ear infections could be reduced up to 86% by eliminating food allergens from the diet. Milk, in particular, seemed to be a common trigger for symptoms. In addition to taking cod-liver oil and a multiple vitamin-mineral formula, children with recurrent ear infection should be counseled to avoid potential food allergens.
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8:21:13 AM
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By Matt Brignall, ND
Healthnotes Newswire (September 12, 2002)—An extract of the herb butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is as effective as the prescription medication cetirizine (Zyrtec®) for the treatment of hay fever and causes fewer side effects, according to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal (2002;324:144–6).
In this study, 125 men and women complaining of seasonal allergy symptoms were randomly assigned to take either one tablet of butterbur extract four times per day (each tablet was standardized to contain 8 mg of petasine) or cetirizine (10 mg per day) for two weeks. Both treatments improved the symptoms of nasal allergy, and no significant difference in efficacy was noted between the treatments.
Hay fever, also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, occurs when the immune system becomes sensitized to specific inhaled particles (e.g., pollen). The immune response causes runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and fatigue. Roughly 20% of adult Americans suffer from hay fever. For unknown reasons, the prevalence of hay fever has risen sharply over the last 20 years.
Hay fever has traditionally been treated with antihistamine medications. Drugs in this class, while often very effective against nasal allergy symptoms, commonly have a sedative effect. Older antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl®), can even impair the ability to operate a motor vehicle.
Although cetirizine is considered to be a non-sedating anti-allergy medication, 11% of the participants in the new study who took the drug reported fatigue or drowsiness. In contrast, only 3% of those taking butterbur reported either of these side effects. No severe adverse effects were seen with either treatment.
While butterbur may not be familiar to many American herbal medicine practitioners, it has been used for centuries as a treatment for conditions as diverse as asthma, skin wounds, and the plague. Butterbur is thought to work by blocking the inflammatory process.
The authors of the new study concluded that the safety and efficacy of butterbur makes it a good choice for the treatment of hay fever in people wishing to avoid the sedating potential of antihistamine medication.
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8:20:44 AM
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By Alan R. Gaby, MD
Healthnotes Newswire (September 12, 2002)—Supplementing with three B vitamins (folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12) improves clinical outcome in heart patients, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2002;288:973–9). Although numerous preliminary studies have suggested that taking these vitamins might promote heart health, this new study is the best designed and most definitive one to date. The implication of the study is that widespread use of an inexpensive and nontoxic vitamin combination could have a major impact in the battle against America's number one killer.
Five hundred fifty-three men and women who had undergone a procedure to open one or more blocked coronary arteries (angioplasty) were randomly assigned to receive a placebo or a daily combination of folic acid (1 mg), vitamin B6 (10 mg), and vitamin B12 (400 mcg) for six months. These individuals were observed during the supplementation period and for an additional six months (total observation period, one year). During that time, the proportion of study participants suffering a cardiac event (defined as either death from heart disease, non-fatal heart attack, or need for a repeat angioplasty or bypass operation) was 32% lower in the vitamin group than in the placebo group (15.4% vs. 22.8%; a statistically significant difference). In addition, the incidence of cardiac death was 48% lower in the vitamin group, although the difference between groups was not statistically significant.
The protection afforded by these vitamins against heart disease may be due in large part to their capacity to reduce homocysteine levels in the body. Homocysteine is a byproduct of amino acid metabolism that is believed to promote the development of heart disease. It is well established that an elevated blood level of homocysteine is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. One previous study demonstrated that lowering homocysteine by supplementing with folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 can reverse the buildup of plaque in arteries (atherosclerosis). However, the new study is the first to show that taking these vitamins actually improves clinical outcome (i.e., a reduction in adverse cardiac events).
While individuals with high homocysteine levels appear to obtain the most benefit from B-vitamin supplementation, these vitamins have also produced regression of atherosclerosis in people with normal homocysteine concentrations. That observation suggests that at least some of the improvement that results from B-vitamin therapy is due to mechanisms other than homocysteine lowering. For example, vitamin B6 has been shown to have a mild blood-thinning effect and to strengthen the walls of arteries; each of these actions would be expected to help prevent or reverse atherosclerosis.
Food sources of folic acid, vitamin B6, or both include whole grains, leafy green vegetables, beans, wheat germ, and meat. Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal foods.
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8:20:07 AM
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© Copyright
2002
Rick@Leaders.net.
Last update:
11/18/2002; 10:53:00 PM.
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