INSIDE THIS ISSUE . . .
Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where
you renew your springs that never dry up.
.....Pearl Buck
I am finally able to get the spring newsletter to you after taking care of hiring my office manager Hayely Kelland. My goal is to provide consistent service, once Hayley is fully trained. Thank you for being patient with us as we get settled in our new office. We welcome you to drop by the office to learn more about our services or use our "educational area" to learn more about naturopathic medicine. Our office hours are 10-1pm Tues, and 10-6pm Wednesday through Friday. We are closed for lunch 1-2:30pm.
The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell
This wonderful book colorfully explains the power of music on the
health of the total body. There is a resource section at the back of
the book which helps you source the type of music therapy you prefer.
In A&B Sound they sell "The Mozart Effect" music compilations for
children of all ages. Mr Campbell tells of many stories of people
helped with music from Autism, Attention Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning
Disabilities, Anxiety Disorders and many more.
I got this idea from a home decorating magazine. Take the time to list your ten favorite things about spring as a gratitude meditation idea. You might be hard pressed to stop at ten! Here are mine:
Patients suffering from manic depression were markedly improved after
taking 10 grams of fish oil for four months. Omega 3 essential fats in
the fish oils block abnormal signalling in the brain which is present
in mania and depression. It can be taken as an adjunct to antidepressant
drugs or lithium which is commonly prescibed in the treatment for this
disorder. Other health benefits of these oils are making platelets less
sticky so that blood flows through constricted blood vessels easier;
lubricating arthritic joints including rheumatoid arthritics; decreases
incidence of breast cancer; rids the body of cellulite; and prevents
inflammation of the intestinal tract, i.e. Crohn's disease and colitis.
..... Journal of Archives of General Psychiatry
Andrew Stoll, Mclean Hospital, Harvard University
Vancouver Sun, May 14, 1999
It is nice to see this kind of research in the media at long last!
- ed.
Dr. Werner Grossman MD at the University of Munich has researched
Petasites hybridus (butterbur), which has been used for 25 years in
Germany for the treatment of migraines. After a few weeks of
treatment, patients noted continous relief of pain and other migraine
symptoms. After 3-4 months of treatment, the dosage can be reduced.
Petasites hybridus inhibits inflammation, and has a strong vasodilation
effect. The raw herb does contain potentially carcinogenic alkaloids
that are removed by a patented extraction process using carbon dioxide.
Petasites hybidus is used to prevent as well as treat migraine headaches
and can be used in conjunction with any drug used. The name of the
product is Petadolex put out by Weber.
.....International Journal of Integrative Medicine
May/June1999
In a study of 55 women aged 60-71, those with impaired hearing had
lower blood levels of vitamin B12 and folate than those with normal
hearing. That's one more reason why anyone over 55 should take a
multivitamin supplement with 25mcg of B12 and 400mcg of folic acid.
.....Am J Clin Nutr 69:564,1999
In the Nurses Health Study the apparent effect of long term
vitamin C supplementation was substantial. Women who had used
vitamin C for more than 10 years had a 77% lower prevalence of early
opacities and an 83% lower prevalence for moderate opacities at any
site compared with low consumers of the vitamin.
.....Invest Ophthalmo Vis Sci, August 1998,39(9):1531-1534
Be aware as you head out to the forests this summer that Lyme Disease carried by ticks is also contracted in BC. Deer and mice are a reservoir for the disease and increased prevalence is associated during May to September, and when Oak trees drop their acorns. According to Dr. Bock MD, director of the Rhinebeck Health Centre in New York, who has extensive experience treating Lyme Disease, 40-50% of patients never find a tick bite or bull's eye rash. An initial Lyme test may be negative. Symptoms are fatigue, joint aches and pains of the bigger joints (knees 65% neck 91% ), cyclical headaches every 21-28 day, dizziness, tingling of the skin, difficult concentration and memory, and general symptoms of the flu. Negative testing shows up 15% of the time despite the patient having the disease and may be negative up to five years after the onset of symptoms. If you have symptoms of multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia and have not been checked for Lyme Disease talk to your physician about doing so. Dr. Bock can be reached at 914-876-7082 or you may contact the office for a copy of an extensive article written by Dr. Bock on Lyme Disease. Another book to consider is : Everything You Need to Know About Lyme Disease by Karen Vanderhood-Forschner.
This article re-emphasizes the importance of using only those
plastics that have been tested to be microwave safe. If they are not,
they contaminate the food that is being heated. Many microwave
convenience packages are meant for one time usage only. Worse yet,
the food doesn't have to be in direct contact with the material to be
contaminated. If the plastic does not state it is microwave safe do not
use it. Use glassware instead.
.....Vancouver Sun, May 14, 1999
13 men with high cholesterol and normal cholesterol levels between
the ages of 20-50 years of age were studied in this study. Soy protein
was found to be associated with stastically significant decrease in
blood levels of cholesterol, decreasing LDL (Light density lipoproteins)
and correcting the ratio between LDL and HDL's (heavy density
lipoproteins). The soy used was of all types and was used in conjunction
with a National Cholesterol Education Program.
.....Am J Clin Nutr,1998;68(Suppl):1385S-1389S)
In addition to preventing prostate cancer here is another good reason
why men should be eating more organic soy products.
ed.
Chromium as picolinate improves blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol
and hemoglobin A1c in individuals with type 2 Diabetes. Chromium at
200mcg per day is adequate to improve glucose variables with those who
are mildly glucose intolerant, however people with overt impairments
require more than the 200mcg's per day. A daily intake of 8mcg of
chromium per kg body weight was more effective. Chromium increases
insulin binding, increases insulin receptor number, and increases
receptor phosphorylation. There have been no documented side effects.
..... J Am Coll Nutr,1998;17(6):548-555
In this article pesticide exposure and a positive family history
were each found to be risk factors for Parkinson's disease. The reason
for the biochemical individuality is that in these patients the enzymes,
glutathione transferases, responsible for the metabolism of pesticides
and other environmental toxins differed significantly from the controls,
making them more susceptible than others to the adverse effects of these
compounds.
..... Lancet 1998;352:1344-1346
Published research indicates that vitamin supplementation can reduce
birth defects, premature births, and coronary heart disease. Nearly $20
billion in hospital charges (in the US) could be avoided with daily use
of folic acid, zinc in women of child bearing age and daily supplementation
of Vit E in those over the age of 50.
.....West J Med 1997;166:306-312
I am looking for a good wheat free and gluten free recipe for bread that can be made in a bread machine or by hand to share with my patients. Has anyone had any luck?
A few nutrients have a positive effect in Alzheimer's Disease including Vitamin B1, B12, folic acid, gingko biloba, NADH, and zinc. It seems that Alzheimer's disease has no effective therapeutic approach that works in everyone. It might be reasonable to perform nutritional assessment tests to determine which nutrients may be of benefit. Essential fatty acid profile, amino acid profile, bowel function and liver detoxification tests will give information to individualize a treatment program for optimal compliance. Bowel function in conjunction with poor liver function may result in toxic metabolites that eventually affect neurological function.
Quercitin: A Bioflavinoid for the Treatment of Allergies:
This yellow tasteless powder is most widely known for its effect on
allergies, food or environmental. It concentrates in the gut and
respiratory tissues. It decreases histamine release, and decreases
inflammatory processes in the body. It is an anti-oxidant and stabilizes
cell membranes as well as decreasing the absorption of
gut allergens. When taken in 1/4-1/2 teaspoon doses 20 minutes before
meals, allergic reactions can be prevented or treated. Other uses for
quercitin include: anti-inflammatory for the treatment of gout and other
joint inflammations, psoriasis, cancer, fevers, and stasis ulcers.
Cost of 24grams of powder $34.00. It is also in the Klaire Labs Buffered C Powder available in capsules or powder cost $52.00 (250grams)- $54.00 (250caps).
PSK(Coriolus versicolor):
This is a immuno-stimulating polysaccharides extracted from the
mushroom, Coriolus versicolor. In Japan it is an approved anti-cancer
drug with 20 years of research behind it with over 300 published studies.
It is now available in North America as a nutritional supplement. These
water extracted polysaccharides are composed of glucans which have
immuno modulating and anti-tumor properties. In Japan PSK were used
to stimulate immune function after surgical treatment for cancer, and
to stimulate and protect the immune system in those patients receiving
chemotherapy and or radiation treatment for cancer. One of the beneficial
effects were due to the activation of the white blood cells and the
survival time more than doubled over the control group during a ten
year period. Coriolus was combined with conventional protocols for
the treatment of gastric cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, operable
breast cancer with vascular invasion, acute leukemia, AIDS, and
colorectal cancer. The coriolus must be water extracted and no other
mushroom product has proven to be as effective in promoting immune
health. There have been no toxicty reactions and is well tolerated
orally. This is not a miracle cure but a good adjunct therapy to
increase survival time dramatically. Dosage will vary depending on
treatment plans but ranges 1000-9000mgs per day for the more serious
cases.
The monthly cost for a dosage of 1875 mg per day is $150.00.
The announcement, March 26th 1999, by the Federal Health Minister Allan Rock to establish a new Office of Natural Health Products is good news for our profession according to the Canadian Naturopathic Association (CNA) in Etobicoke, Ontario. An Expert Advisory Committee will be established and the CNA has submitted the nomination of a Naturopathic Physician to sit on this committee. Having an ND in Ottowa will greatly enhance the standing of naturopathic physicians federally as well as provincially. Our biggest block has been that no provincial or federal government has given us the right to have our own pharmacopea from which we may legally prescribe herbs, vitamins and minerals etc. even though we have fought for this for over 50 years!
The strength of the pharmaceutical companies is collossal and the move is to follow the Codex Alimentarius Commission and make all vitamin, herb, and minerals available by prescription only. These policies are already in place in Germany and Norway, where the entire health food industry has literally been taken over by the drug companies.The pretext that a product having a Drug Identification Number (DIN) assures quality is not true. These products are not inspected as they should be, and indicates the companies ability to pay the high fees to apply for DIN numbers not that you are getting a high quality echinacea or St.John's Wort. Many pharmaceutical companies are Pharmaprinting, which is genetically changing the herb so they can put a patent on it. These herbs are then sold by pharmaceutical companies. Most high quality natural medicines are sold professionally, and in health stores. What is in most drug stores or discount stores lack the quality. Look for brand names such as Sisu, Bioforce, Flora, Natural Factors, Eclectic, Enzymatic Therapy, Boiron, Dolisos, and Prairie Doctor. Try and use your herbs in liquid forms and vitamins and minerals in capsule or liquid forms for best absorption. Don't believe everything you hear on the TV or radio. For further information contact Health Action Network Society (HANS) at 1-888-432-4267.
CFWB Call-in Talk Show
1490 on your AM dial
NATUROPATHIC WISDOM NOTES is compiled by Dr. Ingrid Pincott, N.D. for the sole purpose of providing education and reference. It is not intended as a substitute for consultation and treatment by a qualified naturopathic or medical doctor. Products and services mentioned in this letter are provided to patients of Dr. Pincott only.