Archive for January, 2010
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
ON SATURDAY MY GUESTS ARE DR. JACOB TEITELBAUM (LEFT) AND DR. DAVID RUSSELL. DR TEITELBAUM, A BOARD CERTIFIED INTERNIST AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF A NATIONAL CHAIN OF FIBROMYALGIA AND FATIGUE CENTERS (WWW.FIBROANDFATIGUE.COM) SUFFERED WITH AND OVERCOME THESE ILLNESSES IN 1975. HE SPENT THE NEXT 30 YEARS CREATING, RESEARCHING, AND TEACHING ABOUT EFFECTIVE THERAPIES FOR FATIGUE AND PAIN. HE IS THE SENIOR AUTHOR OF THE LANDMARK STUDIES EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME AND FIBROMYALGIA-A PLACEBO CONTROLLED STUDY AND OF EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME AND FIBROMYALGIA WITH D-RIBOSE.
DR TEITELBAUM LECTURES INTERNATIONALLY AND IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BEST-SELLING BOOK FROM FATIGUE TO FANTASTIC. HE IS ALSO THE AUTHOR OF THREE STEPS TO HAPPINESS:HEALING THROUGH JOY AND THE RECENTLY RELEASED PAIN FREE 1-2-3-A PROVEN PROGRAM TO GET YOU PAIN FREE BY MCGRAW HILL PUBLISHERS IN 2006. AS A PATIENT ADVOCATE DR TIETELBAUM HAS A POLICY OF NOT TAKING MONEY FROM ANY PHARMACEUTICAL OR NATURAL PRODUCT COMPANIES, AND 100% OF THE ROYALTIES FROM HIS PRODUCTS GO TO CHARITY. HIS WEBSITE IS: www.vitality101.com
MY SECOND GUEST IS DR DAVID RUSSELL WHO HOLDS A DOCTORATE IN NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE AND IS COMPLETING ANOTHER DOCTORATE OF DIVINITY AND IS THE FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION CARITAS TRADITIONALIS, AN INTERNATIONAL PROJECT WHOSE GOAL IS TO CREATE A SELF-SUSTAINABLE MEDICAL PRESENCE IN ECONOMICALLY DEPRESSED COMMUNITIES. HE ALSO MAINTAINS CONSULTATION ON INTEGRATED HEALTH IN TUCSON, ARIZONA AND DENMARK. . FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS HE HAS TAUGHT CLASSICAL MEDICAL DISCIPLINES IN EUROPE, NEPAL AND THE UNITED STATES AS WELL AS DIAGNOSTICS AND HOMEOPATHY IN NATUROPATHIC SCHOOLS IN DENMARK AND NORWAY.
IN ADDITION TO HIS DOCTORAL DEGREE HIS EDUCATION INCLUDED STUDYING AND PRACTICING WITH CLASSICAL MASTERS IN EUROPE, NEPAL, AND THE MIDDLE EAST. HE HOLDS CERTIFICATION IN REFLEXOLOGY, HOMEOPATHY, ACUPUNCTURE, BIOCHEMISTRY, IRIDOLOGY, AND KNEIPP THERAPY. HE IS ALSO QUALIFIED IN CHINESE, TIBETIAN, AYURVEDIC AND ISLAMIC MEDICINE.
HE LIVED IN DENMARK FROM 1969 TO 1991 AND HAS WORKED IN THE HEALTH FIELD SINCE 1974, DURING THAT TIME HE BECAME A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE DANISH SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATED MEDICINE AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ESTABLISHING THE THREE MAJOR CLINICS FOR INTEGRATED MEDICINE IN DENMARK. HE IS ALSO A MEDICAL CONSULTANT FOR A DANISH CLINIC FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE.
DAVID IS THE AUTHOR OF HEALTHY SOLUTIONS: A GUIDE TO SIMPLE HEALING AND HEALTHY WISDOM, FOR WHICH HE RECEIVED THE ARIZONA BOOK AWARD FOR BEST HEALTH/NUTRITION/WELLNESS BOOK. HE LECTURES WIDELY AND HAS BEEN FEATURED AT EVENTS AND CONFERENCES INCLUDING THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF PROBIOTIC MEDICINE, INSTITUTE OF NOETIC SCIENCES, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF BIOLOGICAL DENTISTRY, CANCER COTROL SOCIETY, JUNGIAN SOCIETY, AND THE U OF ARIZONA.
Tags: acupuncture, arthritis, chinese medicine, chronic fatigue, classical medicine, Dr Carl O Helvie, Dr David Russell, Dr Jacob Teitelbaum, fibromyalgia, iridology, Islamic medicine., natural interventions, reflexology, Tibetian medicine
Posted in arthritis, functional medicine, homeopathic, integrative medicine, naturopathic medicine, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatology, supplements | 8 Comments »
Friday, January 29th, 2010
Forthcoming research carried out at the University of Oklahoma to be published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology concluded that a new treatment not only killed large cancer tumors but also reduced the need for mastectomies by almost 90%. Dr William Dooley is leading a group of researchers from The University of Oklahoma and 4 other research sites who are working on a treatment called Focused Microwave Thermotherapy.
In their current research, they tested the therapy on tumors that were from one inch to one and a half inches in size that usually require mastectomies. Using the heating therapy within two hours of giving chemotherapy, tumors were more suceptible to chemotherapy and shrunk rapidly. The percentage of patients needing mastectomies were reduced from 75% to 7%. The researchers plan to repeat the trials to see if the therapy is effective on tumors larger that 1 1/2 inches but smaller than 5 inches.
Posted in breast cancer, Cancer | 1 Comment »
Friday, January 29th, 2010
In an effort to let lung cancer patients avoid invasive diagnostic procedures such as biopsies or cancer producing high radiation procedures such as CT scanning and to develop a more accurate diagnostic procedure researchers are investigating blood tests. In a study presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer Dr Steve Dubinett and colleagues at the Lung Cancer Center at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles developed a 40-marker panel of potential lung cancer biomarkers based upon investigation of 90 patients with lung cancer and 56 controls believed to be at high risk because of smoking histories. These biomarkers correctly identified those with lung cancer 88% of the time and correctly identified those without lung cancer 79% of the time. Thus, the tests had a good sensitivity and specificity (ability of the test to correctly identify those who had the disease when they had it and to correctly identify those who did not have the disease when they did not have it). Although the researchers said the findings are preliminary and would not be available for several years, the fact that 21 of the 40 biomarker panel were significantly different between patients with stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer and the controls is promising.
Tags: biomarkers, diagnosing, lung cancer, sensitivity, specificity
Posted in Cancer, lung cancer | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
A new study published in the December issue of PM&R: The Journal of Injury, Function and Rehabilitation concluded that running shoes exert more stress on knee, hip and ankle joints than running barefoot or walking in high-heeled shoes.
Sixty-eight healthy young adults who run at least 15 miles a week in typical running shoes (37 women and 28 men) and who had no musculoskeletal injuries were included in the study. Each was given a pair of typical running shoes and observed running barefoot and with shoes on a treadmill. Data was collected at each runner’s comfortable running pace after a warm-up period.
The researchers observed increased joint torques at the hip, knee and ankle with running shoes. An average 54% increase in the hip internal rotation torque, a 36% increase in knee flexion torque, and a 38% increase in knee varus torque were measured when running in running shoes compared with barefoot. This is even higher than the earlier reports of knee joint torque reported for high heeled shoes. The researcher concluded that the goal of new footwear designs should be to reduce joint torque in footwear to that of barefoot running while providing meaningful footwear function.
Tags: ankle, hip, knee, running shoes, torque
Posted in arthritis, body alignment | No Comments »
Sunday, January 24th, 2010
Last night Dr Carl O Helvie, Host, Holistic Health Show interviewed Dr Ross Hauser (left) and Dr Thom Lobe (right).
Dr Hauser talked about prolotherapy a medical procedure of injecting natural substances into a site such as the knee to regenerate cartilage. He has been performing this procedure sucessfully for 12 years and studied with the physician who invented the procedure., He has also written books on the procedure. More of his biography was presented on this site earlier and can be found at http://www.caringmedical.com
My second guest was Dr Thom Lobe who is the founder and medical director of Beneveda Medical Group in Beverly Hills, California. He has been first many times such as successful separation of siamese twins, establishment of first pediatric surgery training program in the south, first textbook on pediatric surgery, first medical journal devoted to advanced surgical treatments in children and others. He is also a long time host and moderator of a medical talk show on GHS television in Germantown, Tennessee called “Whats Up Doc?”. Others aspects of his biography were identified earlier on this site and can be found at www.beneveda.com Dr Lobe talks about natural ways to deal with arthritis.
The interview follows. I hope you enjoy it.
Tags: acupuncture, alkaline producing diet, alvocado, analgesics, bing cherry, borage, degenerative arthritis, Dr Carl O Helvie, Dr Ross Hauser, Dr Thom Lobe, eastern medicine, exercise, fibromyalgia, fish, glucosamine, herbs, human growth hormone, inflammation, joint arthritis, joint instability, lemons, ligament injury, motion, non-steroidal drugs, nutrition, omega 3. energy medicine, osteoarthritis, physical therapy, platelet rich plasma, regenerate cartilage, weight bearing joint, western medicine, willow bark
Posted in arthritis, body alkalinity, body-mind-spirit, Podcast | No Comments »
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
A study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology noted that a 21-gene test that predicts whether early breast cancer patients will benefit from chemotherapy is influencing the decision for type of treatment ordered by physicians and patients. In their study the researchers reported that as a result of the test the physicians changed their treatment plan for 31.5 % of the cases, and patients changed their treatment plan 31.5% of the time.
The multigenetic test, Oncotype DX, examines 21 genes from a tumor sample to determine how active they are. A test score between 0 and 100 predicts the likelihood of the cancer recurring. If women have a low score, chemotherapy is not recommended. Since the test became available in 2004 (for patients with estrogen recepton-positive breast cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes) , over 120,000 breast cancer patients have undergone the test. There are about 100,000 cases of breast cancer that fall within this category yearly.
This study looked at 89 breast cancer patients who received the gene test. They were treated by 17 medical oncologists. Doctors changed decisions for 28 patients and in 20 of these they changed from hormone therapy plus chemotherapy to hormone therapy alone. Twenty-four patients changed their decisions including 9 who dropped chemotherapy. Doctors reported the test increased their confidence in their treatment decision in 76% of the patients. The cost of the test is $3,910 and most insurance plans will cover it.
Tags: 21-gene test, breast cancer, chemotherapy, hormone therapy
Posted in breast cancer, Cancer, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Tocilizumab, brand-named Actemra, is a new biologic drug for treating moderate to severe rheumatoid arthtritis that is not well controlled by other medications. It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and should be available for patients during the week of January 18. It is the first drug that blocks a protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6) which is overproduced in the joints of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. The drug is given once a month by intravenous infusion and is powerful and fast acting. However, there are safety concerns so it must be used cautiously. Side effects experienced by people taking it during clinical trials included elevated LDL or bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, elevated liver enzymes and gastrointestinal perforations. Thus, its use is recommended only for those who have not responded to other therapies and the FDA is requiring the manufacturer to monitor it’s long term safety. Specifically the FDA is interested in evaluating the long term effect of elevated LDL, cholesterol and blood pressure on the cardiovascular health of those on the drug. If this drug is recommended, make sure you have frequent testing by your primary health care provider.
Tags: Actemra, cautious, elevated liver enzymes, FDA approval, gastrointestinal perforation, high blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, rheumatoid arthritis, Tocilizumab
Posted in arthritis, drugs, rheumatoid arthritis | No Comments »
Sunday, January 17th, 2010
Dr Carl O Helvie will interview Dr Ross Hauser (left) and Dr Thomas Lobe on the Holistic Health Show on Saturday. Dr Hauser received his M.D. from the University of Illinois, Chicago, completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Loyola-Hines VA-Marianjoy Hospitals, and received his baccalaureate degree at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaigne. He is currently the Medical Director, CEO, and Co-founder of the physician run, comprehensive natural medicine clinic, Caring Medicine and Rehabilitation Services in Oak Park, Illinois.
Dr Hauser is most well know for his expertise in the technique of Prolotherapy, a medical procedure that stimulates the body to repair painful, injured areas. He trained under Dr Gustav Hemwall who is the grandfather of this procedure. As a result of his expertise and books on Prolotherapy Dr Hauser sees patients from all over the USA and abroad.
Dr Hauser is a consultant for Beulah Land Nutritionals, a comprehensive nutriceuticals store and with his wife developed some of the products for optimal health.
Dr Hauser and his wife co-authored the national best seller Proto Your Pain Away! Curing Chronic Pain with Prolotherapy. along with a four-book topical mini series of Prolotherapy books. They also wrote the Anthology of Prolotherapy- Prolo Your Sports Injuries Away! Curing Sports Injuries and Enhancing Athletic Performance with Prolotherapy a 900 page sports book that discusses the use of Prolotherapy for sports injuries and other topics including nutrition, surgery, x-rays, cortisone shots, MRI’s, and other aspects of sports medicine.
They also coauthored Treating Cancer with Insulin Potentiation Therapy and more recently Prolotherapy: An Alternative to Knee surgery.
In additional to national lectures he is a preceptor for Bastyr University’s naturopathic medical students and also Midwestern University’s Physician Assistant Program. More information is available at: http://www.caringmedical.com
Dr Thomas Lobe, M.D., FAC’s, FAAP, is Founder and Medical Director of Beneveda Medical Group in Beverly Hills, California. He obtained his baccalaureate degree at George Washington U, and during his medical education studied with leading physicians at Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University. He also studied with former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D. and graduated from medical school cum laude and with honors in pediatrics. After medical school he trained at Ohio State University Hospital in general surgery and the Children’s Hospital in pediatric surgery.
He became Chief of Pediatric Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston following his residency and made national news as being the first to successfully separate a particularly difficult variety of Siamese twins and lead the nation in complex reconstruction of the airway.
He was recruited to the University of Tennessee in Memphis and LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center to start the first pediatric surgery training program in the south. There he lead the world in the development of laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery in children. He also wrote the first textbook on the subject and pioneered many novel techniques. In addition, he established the first medical journal devoted to advanced surgical techniques in children and currently remains the editor. While in Tennessee he began his television career and remains the host and moderator of What’s Up Doc? a medical talk show on GHS-TV in Germantown, Tennessee.
Dr Lobe continued an interest in alternative and complementary Medicine throughout his career and convinced the Dean of the Medical School in Tennessee to begin a program of instruction for medical students. He remained in charge of that program for over a decade before leaving the area for a new challenge at
Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. There he was recruited to pioneer advances in minimally invasive surgery and with his associates he was the first to develop an advanced technique to perform major head and neck surgery such as thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. Through a small incision in the armpit, the procedure leaves the patient with no visible, unsightly scar and no pain.
To strengthen his interest in alternative and complementary medicine Dr Lobe obtained an additional degree in naturopathic medicine and passed his boards in both medical hypnosis and medical acupuncture. He has traveled extensively and studies with leaders in this field of practice.
Dr Lobe has written more than 200 books, book chapters, and peer reviewed articles and has lectured world-wide on nearly every continent. He also found time to study law and completed an additional degree-Physician’s Executive Masters in Business Administration at the University of Tennessee.
He is a board member and founding advisor to Neatstitch, LLC, a laparoscopic instrument company based in Israel and now in the United States, and also co-founder for Visual Medical Solutions, LLC, the producers of BodyViz, a new medical imaging tool for surgical planning and medical education that makes use of virtual reality engineering to improve patient care.
Most recently, Dr Lobe followed his dream of putting together the most advanced medical practice in existence, focusing on the new medical specialty called energy medicine. Beneveda Medical Group (www.beneveda.com) offers the best integration of Western and Eastern Medicine and is the first practice in the United States to specialize in Energy Revitalization and manage problems many consider resistant to conventional approaches such as chronic pain, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, insomnia, weight loss, osteoporosis, and others. More information is available at www.beneveda.com
Tags: anxiety, author, Beneveda, BodyViz, Cancer, chronic pain, depression, Dr C. Everett Koop, Dr Ross Hauser, Dr Thomas Lobe, Energy Medicine, fibromyalgia, medical acupuncture, medical hypnosis, minimal invasive surgery, Neatstitch LLC, osteoporosis, pediatric surgery, pioneer, potentiation therapy, Prolotherapy, separate Siamese twins, sports medicine, weight loss, What's Up Doc
Posted in anxiety, arthritis, complementary, Energy Healing, functional medicine, hypnosis, naturopathic medicine, Prolotherapy, rheumatoid arthritis | 2 Comments »
Friday, January 15th, 2010
According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association in October, 2009 a study of nearly 90,000 women in the Netherlands concluded that the liquid-based cytology. a commonly used alternative to conventional Pap tests, was not superior to the Pap test in detecting cervical cancer precursors or cancer. In the study, researchers compared the screening performance of Pap tests and liquid-based cytology in terms of tests positivity rates, histological detection rates and positive predictive values (PPV). In the randomized control study, 89,784 women ages 30 to 60 who participated in the Dutch screening program at 246 family practice sites were included. One hundred twenty two practice sites were assigned to use the liquid-based cytology and screened 49,222 patients, and the other 124 practice sites were assigned to use the conventional pap test and screened 40,562 women. Subjects were screened for cervical intraepithelial neoplasms (CIN) and followed for 18 months.
Results showed that the adjusted detection rate ratio for CIN grade 1+ was 1.01; for CIN grade 2+ was 1.00, for CIN grade 3+ was 1.05; and for carcinoma was 1.69. “The adjusted positive predictive value ratios, considered at several cytological cutoffs and for various outcomes of CIN did not differ significantly from unity.” Further, “Because of the randomization, it can plausibly be assumed that the prevalence of CIN was equal in both groups. Therefore, the lack of difference in detection rates and PPV in this trial demonstrates that liquid-based cytology is neither more sensitive nor more specific in detecting cervical cancer precursors than the conventional Pap test.
Tags: cervical cancer, diagnostic test, liquid-based cytology, Pap test, screening tool
Posted in Cancer | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
A research study in a recent issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry reported that Calcitrol, an active form of Vitamin D, was found to induce a tumor suppressing protein that could inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. In the study at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, the researchers built upon previous research that concluded that increased serum levels of Vitamin D were associated with an improved prognosis in breast cancer patients. This study looked at the factors that determine the effect of calcitrol on inhibiting breast cancer growth and looked specifically at the protein involved in this process. They concluded that the results provide an important process in which vitamin D may work to reduce the growth of the breast cancer cells and form a basis for a design of new anticancer agents that can target the protein.
Tags: breast cancer, Calcitrol. vitamin D, research
Posted in breast cancer, research, Uncategorized, Vitamin and Minerals | No Comments »
