Posts
This is in memory of my son Michael, who passed away June 7, 2007.
Failure to get a healing for another, I can cope with. Failure to obtain a healing that hits this close, is painful beyond description. Yes, I have wept with the family, but I know the flood is yet to come.
Be talking to you Mike.
Love
Dad
Oh, That Angel
by Dean, ( The Talker, 11 - 7 - 2006 - 8:53 PM )
Weep mine eyes, a river flow,
for those, who stay, to pass, on another day.
Your loss is painful, and yet I say,
fear not, your day, will also arrive, but not today.
Many, fear my arrival, and yet I say,
I, The Angel of Death, am sent to get,
those ready spirits, to accompany me,
their willing servant, their personal guide,
to hold your hand, and remove your fear,
for you, will never again, need to shed a tear.
Your hand, I hold, as we enter the Light,
my spirit delights, as you, behold the sight,
of, the Father of all, arms open,
to welcome you Home.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
# 21 Senior Drug Dealer - What You Soon May Become!
Supplements don’t work? Prove it.
I can’t help but shake my head when I see all the recent press that has been given to supplements, denying their effectiveness.
The mainstream media breathlessly report that supplements don’t work, but that there’s no scientific evidence to support their claim.
I’d like to sit these folks in the media down and ask them to take a deep, calming breath. Next, I’d ask them what on earth they were talking about. I’m wondering if anyone in media thinks critically anymore about what they’re reporting.
If it were true that supplements do not work, then why is the FDA suddenly so intent on putting the vitamin and supplement industry in its crosshairs in order to regulate their products as “drugs?” If supplements do not work—the way they claim the research shows—then why would it be considered a drug?
I would think the media would step back and take a look at the bigger picture, rather than just automatically snatching for the next sound bite or headline. Instead, they parrot these outlandish claims, which just so happens to please their biggest advertisers: Big Pharma.
These research findings are bogus and slanted toward the demands of special interest groups that fund the research. I’m not questioning the intelligence of these researchers—I’m sure they’re all quite bright individuals. Bright enough to know who’s signing their checks!
Vitamins and supplements: The new street drugs?
Yesterday, I told you about the first leg of the renewal of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act that was voted on and passed in the Senate, and now on it’s way to the House of Representatives. Despite all the talk about how this is good for America, it actually does more to put the FDA in the pockets of Big Pharma.
But there’s one loose string that’s been left hanging that Big Pharma wants tidied up before a complete and total monopoly can be secured over ALL matters pertaining to your health.
I’m referring to the FDA’s sudden push to regulate herbs and supplements, which I alerted you to in an earlier House Call. The FDA tried to keep this great idea of theirs under wraps, but alert members of the alternative health community uncovered it and worked as fast as possible to spread the word about it. Unfortunately, their efforts were too far into the eleventh hour for most people to learn of it and respond.
Originally, the FDA had set a quiet deadline of April 30 for the public to post comments on the FDA website about this issue, which left just a smattering of days for folks to react. That upset people even more, so the next thing anyone heard, that deadline had been bumped to the end of May. What a relief, many of us thought—there’s still time to have a say in this and slow down this runaway train of insanity!
But before you could blink, the FDA pulled a bait-and-switch. They retracted the new deadline, saying there had been an “error” in publishing that information on their site, and the original deadline of April 30th stood. If you wanted to state your opinion on this matter, the door had already slammed shut and you were just out of luck.
So not only did they keep their plan under wraps, moving quietly behind the scenes so YOU wouldn’t notice, they also made sure that you wouldn’t have the opportunity to voice your concern or opinion on this regulatory plan.
For years, the FDA has wanted to regulate natural supplements and vitamins just like prescription drugs. And Big Pharma has been encouraging the FDA to regulate them too, as natural health alternatives have grown. However, Congress has not yet granted the FDA the authority needed.
So just recently, the FDA issued guidance on how it would interpret some of its current regulations regarding complementary and alternative medicine. This guidance would put just about all herbs, natural supplements and vitamins on the FDA’s radar.
The herbs you grow in your garden for teas and nutritional supplements—that your mother and grandfather before you grew—could get you arrested as a drug abuser. Heaven forbid you offer some of those extra herbal plants to your neighbor—that would make you a drug pusher, or dealer.
Or let’s say you’ve been out on a long walk on a hot summer day and become dehydrated. You drink a glass of tap water to “treat” the dehydration, and suddenly you’ve got a regulatory product on your hands.
Sound crazy?
According to the FDA’s guidance, if you intend to use a product for health reasons (to treat, diagnose, or prevent a disease) it would be subject to regulatory approval.
Another example is mind-body medicine. The FDA says yoga, meditation, biofeedback, and tai chi—would not be subject to their jurisdiction. However, mind-body medicine is recognized as a way to relieve stress, which implies that you are trying to prevent disease. So any equipment or products used as part of the practice of mind-body medicine could be subject to regulation. The first thing that comes to mind is the mat you use for yoga and the pillow on which you may sit in order to meditate. That pillow was a decorative accent in your living room until you placed it on the floor to sit on and practice meditation. Now it has become a “medical device!”
I think the FDA has gone mad, going to such astoundingly ridiculous measures to protect Big Pharma profits. It’s unconscionable.
If the FDA succeeds in controlling the vitamin industry and labeling everything a “drug,” they will be further aiding and abetting the Big Pharma monopoly. This will give the green light to the drug companies to squeeze out the natural food and supplement market.
All that will be left for them to do is sit back and continue to rake in record profits—at the financial and health expense of everyone in this country.
I’ll continue to keep you posted on any new developments regarding either this regulatory push or the bill that is headed into the House of Representatives. Don’t forget to make use of your constitutional right and jot a letter to your friendly local representative and express your opinion on these vital health issues—while you still can. To find your representative, go to
www.house.gov/writerep/.
Until next time,
Dr. Alan Inglis
House Calls
To start receiving your own copy of House Calls, use the link below! Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the House Calls e-letter.
http://www.healthrevelations.com/housecalls/freecopy.html
Another good site to visit:
http://hsi.sharpseo.com/
I can’t help but shake my head when I see all the recent press that has been given to supplements, denying their effectiveness.
The mainstream media breathlessly report that supplements don’t work, but that there’s no scientific evidence to support their claim.
I’d like to sit these folks in the media down and ask them to take a deep, calming breath. Next, I’d ask them what on earth they were talking about. I’m wondering if anyone in media thinks critically anymore about what they’re reporting.
If it were true that supplements do not work, then why is the FDA suddenly so intent on putting the vitamin and supplement industry in its crosshairs in order to regulate their products as “drugs?” If supplements do not work—the way they claim the research shows—then why would it be considered a drug?
I would think the media would step back and take a look at the bigger picture, rather than just automatically snatching for the next sound bite or headline. Instead, they parrot these outlandish claims, which just so happens to please their biggest advertisers: Big Pharma.
These research findings are bogus and slanted toward the demands of special interest groups that fund the research. I’m not questioning the intelligence of these researchers—I’m sure they’re all quite bright individuals. Bright enough to know who’s signing their checks!
Vitamins and supplements: The new street drugs?
Yesterday, I told you about the first leg of the renewal of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act that was voted on and passed in the Senate, and now on it’s way to the House of Representatives. Despite all the talk about how this is good for America, it actually does more to put the FDA in the pockets of Big Pharma.
But there’s one loose string that’s been left hanging that Big Pharma wants tidied up before a complete and total monopoly can be secured over ALL matters pertaining to your health.
I’m referring to the FDA’s sudden push to regulate herbs and supplements, which I alerted you to in an earlier House Call. The FDA tried to keep this great idea of theirs under wraps, but alert members of the alternative health community uncovered it and worked as fast as possible to spread the word about it. Unfortunately, their efforts were too far into the eleventh hour for most people to learn of it and respond.
Originally, the FDA had set a quiet deadline of April 30 for the public to post comments on the FDA website about this issue, which left just a smattering of days for folks to react. That upset people even more, so the next thing anyone heard, that deadline had been bumped to the end of May. What a relief, many of us thought—there’s still time to have a say in this and slow down this runaway train of insanity!
But before you could blink, the FDA pulled a bait-and-switch. They retracted the new deadline, saying there had been an “error” in publishing that information on their site, and the original deadline of April 30th stood. If you wanted to state your opinion on this matter, the door had already slammed shut and you were just out of luck.
So not only did they keep their plan under wraps, moving quietly behind the scenes so YOU wouldn’t notice, they also made sure that you wouldn’t have the opportunity to voice your concern or opinion on this regulatory plan.
For years, the FDA has wanted to regulate natural supplements and vitamins just like prescription drugs. And Big Pharma has been encouraging the FDA to regulate them too, as natural health alternatives have grown. However, Congress has not yet granted the FDA the authority needed.
So just recently, the FDA issued guidance on how it would interpret some of its current regulations regarding complementary and alternative medicine. This guidance would put just about all herbs, natural supplements and vitamins on the FDA’s radar.
The herbs you grow in your garden for teas and nutritional supplements—that your mother and grandfather before you grew—could get you arrested as a drug abuser. Heaven forbid you offer some of those extra herbal plants to your neighbor—that would make you a drug pusher, or dealer.
Or let’s say you’ve been out on a long walk on a hot summer day and become dehydrated. You drink a glass of tap water to “treat” the dehydration, and suddenly you’ve got a regulatory product on your hands.
Sound crazy?
According to the FDA’s guidance, if you intend to use a product for health reasons (to treat, diagnose, or prevent a disease) it would be subject to regulatory approval.
Another example is mind-body medicine. The FDA says yoga, meditation, biofeedback, and tai chi—would not be subject to their jurisdiction. However, mind-body medicine is recognized as a way to relieve stress, which implies that you are trying to prevent disease. So any equipment or products used as part of the practice of mind-body medicine could be subject to regulation. The first thing that comes to mind is the mat you use for yoga and the pillow on which you may sit in order to meditate. That pillow was a decorative accent in your living room until you placed it on the floor to sit on and practice meditation. Now it has become a “medical device!”
I think the FDA has gone mad, going to such astoundingly ridiculous measures to protect Big Pharma profits. It’s unconscionable.
If the FDA succeeds in controlling the vitamin industry and labeling everything a “drug,” they will be further aiding and abetting the Big Pharma monopoly. This will give the green light to the drug companies to squeeze out the natural food and supplement market.
All that will be left for them to do is sit back and continue to rake in record profits—at the financial and health expense of everyone in this country.
I’ll continue to keep you posted on any new developments regarding either this regulatory push or the bill that is headed into the House of Representatives. Don’t forget to make use of your constitutional right and jot a letter to your friendly local representative and express your opinion on these vital health issues—while you still can. To find your representative, go to
www.house.gov/writerep/.
Until next time,
Dr. Alan Inglis
House Calls
To start receiving your own copy of House Calls, use the link below! Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the House Calls e-letter.
http://www.healthrevelations.com/housecalls/freecopy.html
Another good site to visit:
http://hsi.sharpseo.com/
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
# 20 Victor or Victim: Cancer's Sweet Tooth
Cancer's Sweet Tooth
by Patrick Quillin, PHD, RD, CNS
From The April 2000 Issue of Nutrition Science News
During the last 10 years I have worked with more than 500 cancer patients as director of nutrition for Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Okla. It puzzles me why the simple concept "sugar feeds cancer" can be so dramatically overlooked as part of a comprehensive cancer treatment plan.
Of the 4 million cancer patients being treated in America today, hardly any are offered any scientifically guided nutrition therapy beyond being told to "just eat good foods." Most patients I work with arrive with a complete lack of nutritional advice. I believe many cancer patients would have a major improvement in their outcome if they controlled the supply of cancer's preferred fuel, glucose. By slowing the cancer's growth, patients allow their immune systems and medical debulking therapies -- chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to reduce the bulk of the tumor mass -- to catch up to the disease. Controlling one's blood-glucose levels through diet, supplements, exercise, meditation and prescription drugs when necessary can be one of the most crucial components to a cancer recovery program. The sound bite -- sugar feeds cancer -- is simple. The explanation is a little more complex.
The 1931 Nobel laureate in medicine, German Otto Warburg, Ph.D., first discovered that cancer cells have a fundamentally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells. The crux of his Nobel thesis was that malignant tumors frequently exhibit an increase in anaerobic glycolysis -- a process whereby glucose is used as a fuel by cancer cells with lactic acid as an anaerobic byproduct -- compared to normal tissues.1 The large amount of lactic acid produced by this fermentation of glucose from cancer cells is then transported to the liver. This conversion of glucose to lactate generates a lower, more acidic pH in cancerous tissues as well as overall physical fatigue from lactic acid buildup.2,3 Thus, larger tumors tend to exhibit a more acidic pH.4
This inefficient pathway for energy metabolism yields only 2 moles of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy per mole of glucose, compared to 38 moles of ATP in the complete aerobic oxidation of glucose. By extracting only about 5 percent (2 vs. 38 moles of ATP) of the available energy in the food supply and the body's calorie stores, the cancer is "wasting" energy, and the patient becomes tired and undernourished. This vicious cycle increases body wasting.5 It is one reason why 40 percent of cancer patients die from malnutrition, or cachexia.6
Hence, cancer therapies should encompass regulating blood-glucose levels via diet, supplements, non-oral solutions for cachectic patients who lose their appetite, medication, exercise, gradual weight loss and stress reduction. Professional guidance and patient self-discipline are crucial at this point in the cancer process. The quest is not to eliminate sugars or carbohydrates from the diet but rather to control blood glucose within a narrow range to help starve the cancer and bolster immune function.
The glycemic index is a measure of how a given food affects blood-glucose levels, with each food assigned a numbered rating. The lower the rating, the slower the digestion and absorption process, which provides a healthier, more gradual infusion of sugars into the bloodstream. Conversely, a high rating means blood-glucose levels are increased quickly, which stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop blood-sugar levels. This rapid fluctuation of blood-sugar levels is unhealthy because of the stress it places on the body (see glycemic index chart, p. 166).
Sugar in the Body and Diet
Sugar is a generic term used to identify simple carbohydrates, which includes monosaccharides such as fructose, glucose and galactose; and disaccharides such as maltose and sucrose (white table sugar). Think of these sugars as different-shaped bricks in a wall. When fructose is the primary monosaccharide brick in the wall, the glycemic index registers as healthier, since this simple sugar is slowly absorbed in the gut, then converted to glucose in the liver. This makes for "time-release foods," which offer a more gradual rise and fall in blood-glucose levels. If glucose is the primary monosaccharide brick in the wall, the glycemic index will be higher and less healthy for the individual. As the brick wall is torn apart in digestion, the glucose is pumped across the intestinal wall directly into the bloodstream, rapidly raising blood-glucose levels. In other words, there is a "window of efficacy" for glucose in the blood: levels too low make one feel lethargic and can create clinical hypoglycemia; levels too high start creating the rippling effect of diabetic health problems.
The 1997 American Diabetes Association blood-glucose standards consider 126 mg glucose/dL blood or greater to be diabetic; 126 mg/dL is impaired glucose tolerance and less than 110 mg/dL is considered normal. Meanwhile, the Paleolithic diet of our ancestors, which consisted of lean meats, vegetables and small amounts of whole grains, nuts, seeds and fruits, is estimated to have generated blood glucose levels between 60 and 90 mg/dL.7 Obviously, today's high-sugar diets are having unhealthy effects as far as blood-sugar is concerned. Excess blood glucose may initiate yeast overgrowth, blood vessel deterioration, heart disease and other health conditions.8
Understanding and using the glycemic index is an important aspect of diet modification for cancer patients. However, there is also evidence that sugars may feed cancer more efficiently than starches (comprised of long chains of simple sugars), making the index slightly misleading. A study of rats fed diets with equal calories from sugars and starches, for example, found the animals on the high-sugar diet developed more cases of breast cancer.9 The glycemic index is a useful tool in guiding the cancer patient toward a healthier diet, but it is not infallible. By using the glycemic index alone, one could be led to thinking a cup of white sugar is healthier than a baked potato. This is because the glycemic index rating of a sugary food may be lower than that of a starchy food. To be safe, I recommend less fruit, more vegetables, and little to no refined sugars in the diet of cancer patients.
What the Literature Says
A mouse model of human breast cancer demonstrated that tumors are sensitive to blood-glucose levels. Sixty-eight mice were injected with an aggressive strain of breast cancer, then fed diets to induce either high blood-sugar (hyperglycemia), normoglycemia or low blood-sugar (hypoglycemia). There was a dose-dependent response in which the lower the blood glucose, the greater the survival rate. After 70 days, 8 of 24 hyperglycemic mice survived compared to 16 of 24 normoglycemic and 19 of 20 hypoglycemic.10 This suggests that regulating sugar intake is key to slowing breast tumor growth (see chart, p. 164).
In a human study, 10 healthy people were assessed for fasting blood-glucose levels and the phagocytic index of neutrophils, which measures immune-cell ability to envelop and destroy invaders such as cancer. Eating 100 g carbohydrates from glucose, sucrose, honey and orange juice all significantly decreased the capacity of neutrophils to engulf bacteria. Starch did not have this effect.11
A four-year study at the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection in the Netherlands compared 111 biliary tract cancer patients with 480 controls. Cancer risk associated with the intake of sugars, independent of other energy sources, more than doubled for the cancer patients.12 Furthermore, an epidemiological study in 21 modern countries that keep track of morbidity and mortality (Europe, North America, Japan and others) revealed that sugar intake is a strong risk factor that contributes to higher breast cancer rates, particularly in older women.13
Limiting sugar consumption may not be the only line of defense. In fact, an interesting botanical extract from the avocado plant (Persea americana) is showing promise as a new cancer adjunct. When a purified avocado extract called mannoheptulose was added to a number of tumor cell lines tested in vitro by researchers in the Department of Biochemistry at Oxford University in Britain, they found it inhibited tumor cell glucose uptake by 25 to 75 percent, and it inhibited the enzyme glucokinase responsible for glycolysis. It also inhibited the growth rate of the cultured tumor cell lines. The same researchers gave lab animals a 1.7 mg/g body weight dose of mannoheptulose for five days; it reduced tumors by 65 to 79 percent.14 Based on these studies, there is good reason to believe that avocado extract could help cancer patients by limiting glucose to the tumor cells.
Since cancer cells derive most of their energy from anaerobic glycolysis, Joseph Gold, M.D., director of the Syracuse (N.Y.) Cancer Research Institute and former U.S. Air Force research physician, surmised that a chemical called hydrazine sulfate, used in rocket fuel, could inhibit the excessive gluconeogenesis (making sugar from amino acids) that occurs in cachectic cancer patients. Gold's work demonstrated hydrazine sulfate's ability to slow and reverse cachexia in advanced cancer patients. A placebo-controlled trial followed 101 cancer patients taking either 6 mg hydrazine sulfate three times/day or placebo. After one month, 83 percent of hydrazine sulfate patients increased their weight, compared to 53 percent on placebo.15 A similar study by the same principal researchers, partly funded by the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., followed 65 patients. Those who took hydrazine sulfate and were in good physical condition before the study began lived an average of 17 weeks longer.16
In 1990, I called the major cancer hospitals in the country looking for some information on the crucial role of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in cancer patients. Some 40 percent of cancer patients die from cachexia.5 Yet many starving cancer patients are offered either no nutritional support or the standard TPN solution developed for intensive care units. The solution provides 70 percent of the calories going into the bloodstream in the form of glucose. All too often, I believe, these high-glucose solutions for cachectic cancer patients do not help as much as would TPN solutions with lower levels of glucose and higher levels of amino acids and lipids. These solutions would allow the patient to build strength and would not feed the tumor.17
The medical establishment may be missing the connection between sugar and its role in tumorigenesis. Consider the million-dollar positive emission tomography device, or PET scan, regarded as one of the ultimate cancer-detection tools. PET scans use radioactively labeled glucose to detect sugar-hungry tumor cells. PET scans are used to plot the progress of cancer patients and to assess whether present protocols are effective.18
In Europe, the "sugar feeds cancer" concept is so well accepted that oncologists, or cancer doctors, use the Systemic Cancer Multistep Therapy (SCMT) protocol. Conceived by Manfred von Ardenne in Germany in 1965, SCMT entails injecting patients with glucose to increase blood-glucose concentrations. This lowers pH values in cancer tissues via lactic acid formation. In turn, this intensifies the thermal sensitivity of the malignant tumors and also induces rapid growth of the cancer. Patients are then given whole-body hyperthermia (42 C core temperature) to further stress the cancer cells, followed by chemotherapy or radiation.19 SCMT was tested on 103 patients with metastasized cancer or recurrent primary tumors in a clinical phase-I study at the Von Ardenne Institute of Applied Medical Research in Dresden, Germany. Five-year survival rates in SCMT-treated patients increased by 25 to 50 percent, and the complete rate of tumor regression increased by 30 to 50 percent.20 The protocol induces rapid growth of the cancer, then treats the tumor with toxic therapies for a dramatic improvement in outcome.
The irrefutable role of glucose in the growth and metastasis of cancer cells can enhance many therapies. Some of these include diets designed with the glycemic index in mind to regulate increases in blood glucose, hence selectively starving the cancer cells; low-glucose TPN solutions; avocado extract to inhibit glucose uptake in cancer cells; hydrazine sulfate to inhibit gluconeogenesis in cancer cells; and SCMT.
A female patient in her 50s, with lung cancer, came to our clinic, having been given a death sentence by her Florida oncologist. She was cooperative and understood the connection between nutrition and cancer. She changed her diet considerably, leaving out 90 percent of the sugar she used to eat. She found that wheat bread and oat cereal now had their own wild sweetness, even without added sugar. With appropriately restrained medical therapy -- including high-dose radiation targeted to tumor sites and fractionated chemotherapy, a technique that distributes the normal one large weekly chemo dose into a 60-hour infusion lasting days -- a good attitude and an optimal nutrition program, she beat her terminal lung cancer. I saw her the other day, five years later and still disease-free, probably looking better than the doctor who told her there was no hope.
Patrick Quillin, Ph.D., R.D., C.N.S., is director of nutrition for Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Okla., and author of Beating Cancer With Nutrition (Nutrition Times Press, 1998).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
1. Warburg O. On the origin of cancer cells. Science 1956 Feb;123:309-14.
2. Volk T, et al. pH in human tumor xenografts: effect of intravenous administration of glucose. Br J Cancer 1993 Sep;68(3):492-500.
3.Digirolamo M. Diet and cancer: markers, prevention and treatment. New York: Plenum Press; 1994. p 203.
4. Leeper DB, et al. Effect of i.v. glucose versus combined i.v. plus oral glucose on human tumor extracellular pH for potential sensitization to thermoradiotherapy. Int J Hyperthermia 1998 May-Jun;14(3):257-69.
5. Rossi-Fanelli F, et al. Abnormal substrate metabolism and nutritional strategies in cancer management. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 1991 Nov-Dec;15(6):680-3.
6. Grant JP. Proper use and recognized role of TPN in the cancer patient. Nutrition 1990 Jul-Aug;6(4 Suppl):6S-7S, 10S.
7. Brand-Miller J, et al. The glucose revolution. Newport (RI) Marlowe and Co.; 1999.
8. Mooradian AD, et al. Glucotoxicity: potential mechanisms. Clin Geriatr Med 1999 May;15(2):255.
9. Hoehn, SK, et al. Complex versus simple carbohydrates and mammary tumors in mice. Nutr Cancer 1979;1(3):27.
10. Santisteban GA, et al. Glycemic modulation of tumor tolerance in a mouse model of breast cancer. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1985 Nov 15;132(3):1174-9.
11. Sanchez A, et al. Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis. Am J Clin Nutr 1973 Nov;26(11):1180-4.
12. Moerman CJ, et al. Dietary sugar intake in the aetiology of biliary tract cancer. Int J Epidemiol 1993 Apr;22(2):207-14.
13. Seeley S. Diet and breast cancer: the possible connection with sugar consumption. Med Hypotheses 1983 Jul;11(3):319-27.
14. Board M, et al. High Km glucose-phosphorylating (glucokinase) activities in a range of tumor cell lines and inhibition of rates of tumor growth by the specific enzyme inhibitor mannoheptulose. Cancer Res 1995 Aug 1;55(15):3278-85.
15. Chlebowski RT, et al. Hydrazine sulfate in cancer patients with weight loss. A placebo-controlled clinical experience. Cancer 1987 Feb 1;59(3):406-10.
16. Chlebowski RT, et al. Hydrazine sulfate influence on nutritional status and survival in non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol 1990 Jan;8(1):9-15.
17. American College of Physicians. Parenteral nutrition in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy. Ann Intern Med 1989 May;110(9):734.
18. Gatenby RA. Potential role of FDG-PET imaging in understanding tumor-host interaction. J Nucl Med 1995 May;36(5):893-9.
19. von Ardenne M. Principles and concept 1993 of the Systemic Cancer Multistep Therapy (SCMT). Extreme whole-body hyperthermia using the infrared-A technique IRATHERM 2000 -- selective thermosensitisation by hyperglycemia -- circulatory back-up by adapted hyperoxemia. Strahlenther Onkol 1994 Oct;170(10):581-9.
20. Steinhausen D, et al. Evaluation of systemic tolerance of 42.0 degrees C infrared-A whole-body hyperthermia in combination with hyperglycemia and hyperoxemia. A Phase-I study. Strahlenther Onkol 1994 Jun;170(6):322-34.
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Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
by Patrick Quillin, PHD, RD, CNS
From The April 2000 Issue of Nutrition Science News
During the last 10 years I have worked with more than 500 cancer patients as director of nutrition for Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Okla. It puzzles me why the simple concept "sugar feeds cancer" can be so dramatically overlooked as part of a comprehensive cancer treatment plan.
Of the 4 million cancer patients being treated in America today, hardly any are offered any scientifically guided nutrition therapy beyond being told to "just eat good foods." Most patients I work with arrive with a complete lack of nutritional advice. I believe many cancer patients would have a major improvement in their outcome if they controlled the supply of cancer's preferred fuel, glucose. By slowing the cancer's growth, patients allow their immune systems and medical debulking therapies -- chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to reduce the bulk of the tumor mass -- to catch up to the disease. Controlling one's blood-glucose levels through diet, supplements, exercise, meditation and prescription drugs when necessary can be one of the most crucial components to a cancer recovery program. The sound bite -- sugar feeds cancer -- is simple. The explanation is a little more complex.
The 1931 Nobel laureate in medicine, German Otto Warburg, Ph.D., first discovered that cancer cells have a fundamentally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells. The crux of his Nobel thesis was that malignant tumors frequently exhibit an increase in anaerobic glycolysis -- a process whereby glucose is used as a fuel by cancer cells with lactic acid as an anaerobic byproduct -- compared to normal tissues.1 The large amount of lactic acid produced by this fermentation of glucose from cancer cells is then transported to the liver. This conversion of glucose to lactate generates a lower, more acidic pH in cancerous tissues as well as overall physical fatigue from lactic acid buildup.2,3 Thus, larger tumors tend to exhibit a more acidic pH.4
This inefficient pathway for energy metabolism yields only 2 moles of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy per mole of glucose, compared to 38 moles of ATP in the complete aerobic oxidation of glucose. By extracting only about 5 percent (2 vs. 38 moles of ATP) of the available energy in the food supply and the body's calorie stores, the cancer is "wasting" energy, and the patient becomes tired and undernourished. This vicious cycle increases body wasting.5 It is one reason why 40 percent of cancer patients die from malnutrition, or cachexia.6
Hence, cancer therapies should encompass regulating blood-glucose levels via diet, supplements, non-oral solutions for cachectic patients who lose their appetite, medication, exercise, gradual weight loss and stress reduction. Professional guidance and patient self-discipline are crucial at this point in the cancer process. The quest is not to eliminate sugars or carbohydrates from the diet but rather to control blood glucose within a narrow range to help starve the cancer and bolster immune function.
The glycemic index is a measure of how a given food affects blood-glucose levels, with each food assigned a numbered rating. The lower the rating, the slower the digestion and absorption process, which provides a healthier, more gradual infusion of sugars into the bloodstream. Conversely, a high rating means blood-glucose levels are increased quickly, which stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop blood-sugar levels. This rapid fluctuation of blood-sugar levels is unhealthy because of the stress it places on the body (see glycemic index chart, p. 166).
Sugar in the Body and Diet
Sugar is a generic term used to identify simple carbohydrates, which includes monosaccharides such as fructose, glucose and galactose; and disaccharides such as maltose and sucrose (white table sugar). Think of these sugars as different-shaped bricks in a wall. When fructose is the primary monosaccharide brick in the wall, the glycemic index registers as healthier, since this simple sugar is slowly absorbed in the gut, then converted to glucose in the liver. This makes for "time-release foods," which offer a more gradual rise and fall in blood-glucose levels. If glucose is the primary monosaccharide brick in the wall, the glycemic index will be higher and less healthy for the individual. As the brick wall is torn apart in digestion, the glucose is pumped across the intestinal wall directly into the bloodstream, rapidly raising blood-glucose levels. In other words, there is a "window of efficacy" for glucose in the blood: levels too low make one feel lethargic and can create clinical hypoglycemia; levels too high start creating the rippling effect of diabetic health problems.
The 1997 American Diabetes Association blood-glucose standards consider 126 mg glucose/dL blood or greater to be diabetic; 126 mg/dL is impaired glucose tolerance and less than 110 mg/dL is considered normal. Meanwhile, the Paleolithic diet of our ancestors, which consisted of lean meats, vegetables and small amounts of whole grains, nuts, seeds and fruits, is estimated to have generated blood glucose levels between 60 and 90 mg/dL.7 Obviously, today's high-sugar diets are having unhealthy effects as far as blood-sugar is concerned. Excess blood glucose may initiate yeast overgrowth, blood vessel deterioration, heart disease and other health conditions.8
Understanding and using the glycemic index is an important aspect of diet modification for cancer patients. However, there is also evidence that sugars may feed cancer more efficiently than starches (comprised of long chains of simple sugars), making the index slightly misleading. A study of rats fed diets with equal calories from sugars and starches, for example, found the animals on the high-sugar diet developed more cases of breast cancer.9 The glycemic index is a useful tool in guiding the cancer patient toward a healthier diet, but it is not infallible. By using the glycemic index alone, one could be led to thinking a cup of white sugar is healthier than a baked potato. This is because the glycemic index rating of a sugary food may be lower than that of a starchy food. To be safe, I recommend less fruit, more vegetables, and little to no refined sugars in the diet of cancer patients.
What the Literature Says
A mouse model of human breast cancer demonstrated that tumors are sensitive to blood-glucose levels. Sixty-eight mice were injected with an aggressive strain of breast cancer, then fed diets to induce either high blood-sugar (hyperglycemia), normoglycemia or low blood-sugar (hypoglycemia). There was a dose-dependent response in which the lower the blood glucose, the greater the survival rate. After 70 days, 8 of 24 hyperglycemic mice survived compared to 16 of 24 normoglycemic and 19 of 20 hypoglycemic.10 This suggests that regulating sugar intake is key to slowing breast tumor growth (see chart, p. 164).
In a human study, 10 healthy people were assessed for fasting blood-glucose levels and the phagocytic index of neutrophils, which measures immune-cell ability to envelop and destroy invaders such as cancer. Eating 100 g carbohydrates from glucose, sucrose, honey and orange juice all significantly decreased the capacity of neutrophils to engulf bacteria. Starch did not have this effect.11
A four-year study at the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection in the Netherlands compared 111 biliary tract cancer patients with 480 controls. Cancer risk associated with the intake of sugars, independent of other energy sources, more than doubled for the cancer patients.12 Furthermore, an epidemiological study in 21 modern countries that keep track of morbidity and mortality (Europe, North America, Japan and others) revealed that sugar intake is a strong risk factor that contributes to higher breast cancer rates, particularly in older women.13
Limiting sugar consumption may not be the only line of defense. In fact, an interesting botanical extract from the avocado plant (Persea americana) is showing promise as a new cancer adjunct. When a purified avocado extract called mannoheptulose was added to a number of tumor cell lines tested in vitro by researchers in the Department of Biochemistry at Oxford University in Britain, they found it inhibited tumor cell glucose uptake by 25 to 75 percent, and it inhibited the enzyme glucokinase responsible for glycolysis. It also inhibited the growth rate of the cultured tumor cell lines. The same researchers gave lab animals a 1.7 mg/g body weight dose of mannoheptulose for five days; it reduced tumors by 65 to 79 percent.14 Based on these studies, there is good reason to believe that avocado extract could help cancer patients by limiting glucose to the tumor cells.
Since cancer cells derive most of their energy from anaerobic glycolysis, Joseph Gold, M.D., director of the Syracuse (N.Y.) Cancer Research Institute and former U.S. Air Force research physician, surmised that a chemical called hydrazine sulfate, used in rocket fuel, could inhibit the excessive gluconeogenesis (making sugar from amino acids) that occurs in cachectic cancer patients. Gold's work demonstrated hydrazine sulfate's ability to slow and reverse cachexia in advanced cancer patients. A placebo-controlled trial followed 101 cancer patients taking either 6 mg hydrazine sulfate three times/day or placebo. After one month, 83 percent of hydrazine sulfate patients increased their weight, compared to 53 percent on placebo.15 A similar study by the same principal researchers, partly funded by the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., followed 65 patients. Those who took hydrazine sulfate and were in good physical condition before the study began lived an average of 17 weeks longer.16
In 1990, I called the major cancer hospitals in the country looking for some information on the crucial role of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in cancer patients. Some 40 percent of cancer patients die from cachexia.5 Yet many starving cancer patients are offered either no nutritional support or the standard TPN solution developed for intensive care units. The solution provides 70 percent of the calories going into the bloodstream in the form of glucose. All too often, I believe, these high-glucose solutions for cachectic cancer patients do not help as much as would TPN solutions with lower levels of glucose and higher levels of amino acids and lipids. These solutions would allow the patient to build strength and would not feed the tumor.17
The medical establishment may be missing the connection between sugar and its role in tumorigenesis. Consider the million-dollar positive emission tomography device, or PET scan, regarded as one of the ultimate cancer-detection tools. PET scans use radioactively labeled glucose to detect sugar-hungry tumor cells. PET scans are used to plot the progress of cancer patients and to assess whether present protocols are effective.18
In Europe, the "sugar feeds cancer" concept is so well accepted that oncologists, or cancer doctors, use the Systemic Cancer Multistep Therapy (SCMT) protocol. Conceived by Manfred von Ardenne in Germany in 1965, SCMT entails injecting patients with glucose to increase blood-glucose concentrations. This lowers pH values in cancer tissues via lactic acid formation. In turn, this intensifies the thermal sensitivity of the malignant tumors and also induces rapid growth of the cancer. Patients are then given whole-body hyperthermia (42 C core temperature) to further stress the cancer cells, followed by chemotherapy or radiation.19 SCMT was tested on 103 patients with metastasized cancer or recurrent primary tumors in a clinical phase-I study at the Von Ardenne Institute of Applied Medical Research in Dresden, Germany. Five-year survival rates in SCMT-treated patients increased by 25 to 50 percent, and the complete rate of tumor regression increased by 30 to 50 percent.20 The protocol induces rapid growth of the cancer, then treats the tumor with toxic therapies for a dramatic improvement in outcome.
The irrefutable role of glucose in the growth and metastasis of cancer cells can enhance many therapies. Some of these include diets designed with the glycemic index in mind to regulate increases in blood glucose, hence selectively starving the cancer cells; low-glucose TPN solutions; avocado extract to inhibit glucose uptake in cancer cells; hydrazine sulfate to inhibit gluconeogenesis in cancer cells; and SCMT.
A female patient in her 50s, with lung cancer, came to our clinic, having been given a death sentence by her Florida oncologist. She was cooperative and understood the connection between nutrition and cancer. She changed her diet considerably, leaving out 90 percent of the sugar she used to eat. She found that wheat bread and oat cereal now had their own wild sweetness, even without added sugar. With appropriately restrained medical therapy -- including high-dose radiation targeted to tumor sites and fractionated chemotherapy, a technique that distributes the normal one large weekly chemo dose into a 60-hour infusion lasting days -- a good attitude and an optimal nutrition program, she beat her terminal lung cancer. I saw her the other day, five years later and still disease-free, probably looking better than the doctor who told her there was no hope.
Patrick Quillin, Ph.D., R.D., C.N.S., is director of nutrition for Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Okla., and author of Beating Cancer With Nutrition (Nutrition Times Press, 1998).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
1. Warburg O. On the origin of cancer cells. Science 1956 Feb;123:309-14.
2. Volk T, et al. pH in human tumor xenografts: effect of intravenous administration of glucose. Br J Cancer 1993 Sep;68(3):492-500.
3.Digirolamo M. Diet and cancer: markers, prevention and treatment. New York: Plenum Press; 1994. p 203.
4. Leeper DB, et al. Effect of i.v. glucose versus combined i.v. plus oral glucose on human tumor extracellular pH for potential sensitization to thermoradiotherapy. Int J Hyperthermia 1998 May-Jun;14(3):257-69.
5. Rossi-Fanelli F, et al. Abnormal substrate metabolism and nutritional strategies in cancer management. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 1991 Nov-Dec;15(6):680-3.
6. Grant JP. Proper use and recognized role of TPN in the cancer patient. Nutrition 1990 Jul-Aug;6(4 Suppl):6S-7S, 10S.
7. Brand-Miller J, et al. The glucose revolution. Newport (RI) Marlowe and Co.; 1999.
8. Mooradian AD, et al. Glucotoxicity: potential mechanisms. Clin Geriatr Med 1999 May;15(2):255.
9. Hoehn, SK, et al. Complex versus simple carbohydrates and mammary tumors in mice. Nutr Cancer 1979;1(3):27.
10. Santisteban GA, et al. Glycemic modulation of tumor tolerance in a mouse model of breast cancer. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1985 Nov 15;132(3):1174-9.
11. Sanchez A, et al. Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis. Am J Clin Nutr 1973 Nov;26(11):1180-4.
12. Moerman CJ, et al. Dietary sugar intake in the aetiology of biliary tract cancer. Int J Epidemiol 1993 Apr;22(2):207-14.
13. Seeley S. Diet and breast cancer: the possible connection with sugar consumption. Med Hypotheses 1983 Jul;11(3):319-27.
14. Board M, et al. High Km glucose-phosphorylating (glucokinase) activities in a range of tumor cell lines and inhibition of rates of tumor growth by the specific enzyme inhibitor mannoheptulose. Cancer Res 1995 Aug 1;55(15):3278-85.
15. Chlebowski RT, et al. Hydrazine sulfate in cancer patients with weight loss. A placebo-controlled clinical experience. Cancer 1987 Feb 1;59(3):406-10.
16. Chlebowski RT, et al. Hydrazine sulfate influence on nutritional status and survival in non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol 1990 Jan;8(1):9-15.
17. American College of Physicians. Parenteral nutrition in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy. Ann Intern Med 1989 May;110(9):734.
18. Gatenby RA. Potential role of FDG-PET imaging in understanding tumor-host interaction. J Nucl Med 1995 May;36(5):893-9.
19. von Ardenne M. Principles and concept 1993 of the Systemic Cancer Multistep Therapy (SCMT). Extreme whole-body hyperthermia using the infrared-A technique IRATHERM 2000 -- selective thermosensitisation by hyperglycemia -- circulatory back-up by adapted hyperoxemia. Strahlenther Onkol 1994 Oct;170(10):581-9.
20. Steinhausen D, et al. Evaluation of systemic tolerance of 42.0 degrees C infrared-A whole-body hyperthermia in combination with hyperglycemia and hyperoxemia. A Phase-I study. Strahlenther Onkol 1994 Jun;170(6):322-34.
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Saturday, April 21, 2007
# 19 What To Say To Some With Cancer
What To Say To Someone With Cancer
by Mary Olsen Kelly
Living with cancer is a confusing chaotic circus where everyone has an opinion about what you should do. They are absolutely positive that they know what alternative medicine, meditations, special diets, and attitudes you ought to have. If they were in your position, they would do it this way or that way. Not the way you are choosing to heal yourself. Anything but that.
Authors are the worst. There are many books about cancer; some of them would shock you. I have actually read that if I had drunk the wheat grass juice like I was supposed to, I wouldn't have had breast cancer; that various herbs and potions and compresses will take the cancer away; and that once you have done any western medicine treatments, your immune system is so shot that you will not be able to heal. How is it helpful to read something like that?
I have read that it is due to my emotional background that I got cancer, which obviously stems from the way that I haven't nurtured myself because, after all, the breasts are for feeding and nurturing, right? Also, I haven't given myself enough private time, I have given too much to others and not taken care of myself.
Then there is the approach that advocates complete and total life change, implying that your life was wrong, unhealthy, and caused severe illness. In this one you must leave your husband - he is certainly the one to blame - and go off and start a completely new life doing only the things that you have always wanted to do.
I'm not sure which of these angers me the most. Oh wait, I do know. The ones that are written by people who do not have cancer. And guess what, that is almost all of them. Louise Hay is the only author writing about alternative healing who actually had cancer. The rest of them? Perfectly healthy.
It amazes me that someone who hasn't ever been in the position of the targeted reader would have the audacity to write a cancer book advocating their own pet alternative healing techniques. It seems to me that if you haven't been there, you can't advise. It is as simple as that. If you haven't heard the words ÒYou have cancer,Ó you do not have a clue. You do not know what you would choose if you found yourself in the situation that we who live with cancer must face each day.
When you are given a pathology report that outlines the exact levels of viciousness your cancer exhibits, you know only one thing: that you want to fight it with the strongest ammunition that exists, and that isn't parsley paste. Ken Wilbur calls it Òwhite man's medicineÓ - surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy Ð cut it out, burn it out, and poison it. You're focused on saving your own life, or at least buying yourself some more years to enjoy this precious life.
So what do you do if your dearest friend or family member has cancer? You support their choice. You listen to why they have decided to take the course of action they are on, and you stand by them. You don't discredit the treatments, you support their ability to trust and believe in the treatment.
The mind-body connection is very strong and it is proven that if a patient believes that they will heal using a certain treatment, their chances are much better that they will heal using that treatment. You can be afraid with them, you can be furious at the cancer with them, you can be sad with them. But when it comes to the treatments they are going through, you stand by them and help them to believe.
Believe that they will get well. Believe that they will survive and thrive. Believe that you will too.
Copyright 2003 Breast Wishes Institute
http://www.breastwishes.org/whatosay.html
by Mary Olsen Kelly
Living with cancer is a confusing chaotic circus where everyone has an opinion about what you should do. They are absolutely positive that they know what alternative medicine, meditations, special diets, and attitudes you ought to have. If they were in your position, they would do it this way or that way. Not the way you are choosing to heal yourself. Anything but that.
Authors are the worst. There are many books about cancer; some of them would shock you. I have actually read that if I had drunk the wheat grass juice like I was supposed to, I wouldn't have had breast cancer; that various herbs and potions and compresses will take the cancer away; and that once you have done any western medicine treatments, your immune system is so shot that you will not be able to heal. How is it helpful to read something like that?
I have read that it is due to my emotional background that I got cancer, which obviously stems from the way that I haven't nurtured myself because, after all, the breasts are for feeding and nurturing, right? Also, I haven't given myself enough private time, I have given too much to others and not taken care of myself.
Then there is the approach that advocates complete and total life change, implying that your life was wrong, unhealthy, and caused severe illness. In this one you must leave your husband - he is certainly the one to blame - and go off and start a completely new life doing only the things that you have always wanted to do.
I'm not sure which of these angers me the most. Oh wait, I do know. The ones that are written by people who do not have cancer. And guess what, that is almost all of them. Louise Hay is the only author writing about alternative healing who actually had cancer. The rest of them? Perfectly healthy.
It amazes me that someone who hasn't ever been in the position of the targeted reader would have the audacity to write a cancer book advocating their own pet alternative healing techniques. It seems to me that if you haven't been there, you can't advise. It is as simple as that. If you haven't heard the words ÒYou have cancer,Ó you do not have a clue. You do not know what you would choose if you found yourself in the situation that we who live with cancer must face each day.
When you are given a pathology report that outlines the exact levels of viciousness your cancer exhibits, you know only one thing: that you want to fight it with the strongest ammunition that exists, and that isn't parsley paste. Ken Wilbur calls it Òwhite man's medicineÓ - surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy Ð cut it out, burn it out, and poison it. You're focused on saving your own life, or at least buying yourself some more years to enjoy this precious life.
So what do you do if your dearest friend or family member has cancer? You support their choice. You listen to why they have decided to take the course of action they are on, and you stand by them. You don't discredit the treatments, you support their ability to trust and believe in the treatment.
The mind-body connection is very strong and it is proven that if a patient believes that they will heal using a certain treatment, their chances are much better that they will heal using that treatment. You can be afraid with them, you can be furious at the cancer with them, you can be sad with them. But when it comes to the treatments they are going through, you stand by them and help them to believe.
Believe that they will get well. Believe that they will survive and thrive. Believe that you will too.
Copyright 2003 Breast Wishes Institute
http://www.breastwishes.org/whatosay.html
# 18 Is It - ADD - ADAH - Or Is It : Convergence Insufficiency Disorder
April 17, 2007
Dear Abby: Vision exercises can correct convergence insufficiency disorder
ABIGAIL VAN BUREN
Dear Abby: Please help me get the word out about a common condition that severely affects children's ability to succeed in school because it inhibits reading, spelling and concentration.
My daughter, who was obviously bright, tested at first-grade reading level in fifth grade. She had undergone all the school testing for learning disabilities, plus two days of testing at a respected university hospital. None of these tests or specialists revealed what could be wrong with her.
My child's self-esteem suffered. Her confidence faltered; she began acting out in school. At home she was a great kid, until it came time for schoolwork. Then the battles began. She thought she was dumb. When studying, she could read for only a very short time. She often begged me to read things to her. When working on spelling and assigned to rewrite the words she missed five times, she often recopied them wrong. We thought she just wasn't trying.
After much research on the Internet, I came across a disorder called "convergence insufficiency disorder." This visual condition is the leading cause of eyestrain. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to have her tested at the Mayo Clinic, where her condition was confirmed, and she was successfully treated with vision therapy.
It was as though a miracle had occurred. After six months of treatment, my daughter is almost at her age-appropriate reading level. Her comprehension and retention have markedly increased, and her self-esteem and attitude about reading are much better.
Children with this condition will not benefit from tutoring, special education or extra help from teachers until the condition is diagnosed and treated. My child had 20/20 vision and still had this disorder. It's not routinely checked with eye exams, and schools don't test for it.
I suspect that many children out there are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and going untreated. The treatment for convergence insufficiency disorder is noninvasive, effective, and much of it can be done at home. Please help me get the word out so other families won't have to go through what we experienced.
Angie W.,
Minnesota
Dear Angie: I am pleased to help you get the word out to other families whose children are struggling to learn. After reading your letter, I contacted my experts at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and was informed that this problem, where the eyes drift too much inward (or outward) in attempting to focus, can also be present in adults.
The symptoms can include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, sleepiness and trouble retaining information when reading. Other symptoms associated with convergence insufficiency include a "pulling" sensation around the eyes, the rubbing or closing of one eye when reading, words seeming to "jump" or "float" across the page, needing to reread the same line of words, frequent loss of place, general inability to concentrate and short attention span.
The good news is: Vision exercises can fix the problem in most cases, some done at home and some performed in-office with a vision therapist. Prism glasses are another option; however, they are more often prescribed for adults with this disorder than for children.
Write Dear Abby at www.Dear Abby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Post a Comment View All Comments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Angie: Other symptoms associated with convergence insufficiency include a "pulling" sensation around the eyes, the rubbing or closing of one eye when reading, words seeming to "jump" or "float" across the page, needing to reread the same line of words, frequent loss of place, general inability to concentrate and short attention span. You see in the past we were able and allowed to call stupid people just that. Nowadays what with all the political correctness and lawyers bringing action for almost anything, we have been forced to create names for illnesses and diseases that simply do not exist. Take your dummy, for example. In the past this kid would be tossed in with the rest of the retards and ride the short bus. The special olympics would have been something for your kid to look forward to. Not now. Feel better? -Abby
Posted by: UnCommon scentss on Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:07 am
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Abby: Vision exercises can correct convergence insufficiency disorder
ABIGAIL VAN BUREN
Dear Abby: Please help me get the word out about a common condition that severely affects children's ability to succeed in school because it inhibits reading, spelling and concentration.
My daughter, who was obviously bright, tested at first-grade reading level in fifth grade. She had undergone all the school testing for learning disabilities, plus two days of testing at a respected university hospital. None of these tests or specialists revealed what could be wrong with her.
My child's self-esteem suffered. Her confidence faltered; she began acting out in school. At home she was a great kid, until it came time for schoolwork. Then the battles began. She thought she was dumb. When studying, she could read for only a very short time. She often begged me to read things to her. When working on spelling and assigned to rewrite the words she missed five times, she often recopied them wrong. We thought she just wasn't trying.
After much research on the Internet, I came across a disorder called "convergence insufficiency disorder." This visual condition is the leading cause of eyestrain. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to have her tested at the Mayo Clinic, where her condition was confirmed, and she was successfully treated with vision therapy.
It was as though a miracle had occurred. After six months of treatment, my daughter is almost at her age-appropriate reading level. Her comprehension and retention have markedly increased, and her self-esteem and attitude about reading are much better.
Children with this condition will not benefit from tutoring, special education or extra help from teachers until the condition is diagnosed and treated. My child had 20/20 vision and still had this disorder. It's not routinely checked with eye exams, and schools don't test for it.
I suspect that many children out there are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and going untreated. The treatment for convergence insufficiency disorder is noninvasive, effective, and much of it can be done at home. Please help me get the word out so other families won't have to go through what we experienced.
Angie W.,
Minnesota
Dear Angie: I am pleased to help you get the word out to other families whose children are struggling to learn. After reading your letter, I contacted my experts at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and was informed that this problem, where the eyes drift too much inward (or outward) in attempting to focus, can also be present in adults.
The symptoms can include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, sleepiness and trouble retaining information when reading. Other symptoms associated with convergence insufficiency include a "pulling" sensation around the eyes, the rubbing or closing of one eye when reading, words seeming to "jump" or "float" across the page, needing to reread the same line of words, frequent loss of place, general inability to concentrate and short attention span.
The good news is: Vision exercises can fix the problem in most cases, some done at home and some performed in-office with a vision therapist. Prism glasses are another option; however, they are more often prescribed for adults with this disorder than for children.
Write Dear Abby at www.Dear Abby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Post a Comment View All Comments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Angie: Other symptoms associated with convergence insufficiency include a "pulling" sensation around the eyes, the rubbing or closing of one eye when reading, words seeming to "jump" or "float" across the page, needing to reread the same line of words, frequent loss of place, general inability to concentrate and short attention span. You see in the past we were able and allowed to call stupid people just that. Nowadays what with all the political correctness and lawyers bringing action for almost anything, we have been forced to create names for illnesses and diseases that simply do not exist. Take your dummy, for example. In the past this kid would be tossed in with the rest of the retards and ride the short bus. The special olympics would have been something for your kid to look forward to. Not now. Feel better? -Abby
Posted by: UnCommon scentss on Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:07 am
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, February 24, 2007
# 17 The Healers Blog Index
# 39 Talkers and His Babbler On Remote Healing
Click Here
# 38 Talker on Whole Body Herb Tonic
Click Here
# 37 Talker on Prescription Drugs at Costco
Click Here
# 36 Talker on Healing Energies
Click Here
# 35 Talkers Scoop on Poop
Click Here
# 34 Winters Itch Update to #30/# 31 by Talker
Click Here
# 33 Talkers Thoughts on Applied Healing Methods
Click Here
# 32 Talkers Thoughts on Huna Healing
Click Here
# 31 Winters Itch and Herb Thoughts
Click Here
# 30 Talkers Thoughts about Winters Itch
Click Here
# 29 More Ways of a Healer
Click Here
# 28 CommonSense and Health Resurrection: Special Offer
Click Here
# 27 Conversations On Healing Energy
Click Here
# 26 Drug Watch Database
Click Here
# 25 More About The Talker and Healing
Click Here
# 24 Talker At Work: Healing Energies At Work
Click Here
# 23 The Angel of Deaths Visit 7/11/2007
Click Here
# 22 Oh That Angel
Click Here
21 Senior Drug Dealer- What You May Soon Become!
Click Here
# 20 Victor or Victim: Cancer's Sweet Tooth
Click Here
# 19 What To Say To Some One With Cancer
Click Here
# 18 Is It ADD ADAH or Convergence Insufficiency Disorder
Click Here
# 17 The Healers Blog Index
Click Here
# 16 Ease That Itch - A "Winter Itch" Follow-up
Click Here
# 15 Winters Itch Follow-up Using EFT EFT, itch 2/10/07
Click Here
# 14 Winters Itch Now and Then Calgon, itch, sleep-loss 2/6/07
Click Here
# 13 Amino Acids -pH Factor- and Health 2/1/07
Click Here
# 12 Miracle Tree and Zija by The Talker 1/23/07
Click Here
# 11 Health-Lies-Statistics and The Babbler 1/14/07
Click Here
# 10 My Book Sources For Psychic and Health Readin...1/13/07
Click Here
# 9 "Negative Ambiance" Thinking! 1/5/07
Click Here
# 8 Simple Body ! No Way! updated 1/6/2007 12/30/06
Click Here
# 7 Are You In Perfect Health (rev 12/2006 ) 12/28/06
Click Here
# 6 The Ways Of A Healer 12/19/06
Click Here
# 5 Health and Emotional Factors 12/17/06
Click Here
# 4 Conversations With Me ! 12/17/06
Click Here
# 3 Mind and Body Training Control 12/17/06
Click Here
# 2 Memories and Healing 12/16/06
Click Here
# 1 How It All Started
Click Here
Click Here
# 38 Talker on Whole Body Herb Tonic
Click Here
# 37 Talker on Prescription Drugs at Costco
Click Here
# 36 Talker on Healing Energies
Click Here
# 35 Talkers Scoop on Poop
Click Here
# 34 Winters Itch Update to #30/# 31 by Talker
Click Here
# 33 Talkers Thoughts on Applied Healing Methods
Click Here
# 32 Talkers Thoughts on Huna Healing
Click Here
# 31 Winters Itch and Herb Thoughts
Click Here
# 30 Talkers Thoughts about Winters Itch
Click Here
# 29 More Ways of a Healer
Click Here
# 28 CommonSense and Health Resurrection: Special Offer
Click Here
# 27 Conversations On Healing Energy
Click Here
# 26 Drug Watch Database
Click Here
# 25 More About The Talker and Healing
Click Here
# 24 Talker At Work: Healing Energies At Work
Click Here
# 23 The Angel of Deaths Visit 7/11/2007
Click Here
# 22 Oh That Angel
Click Here
21 Senior Drug Dealer- What You May Soon Become!
Click Here
# 20 Victor or Victim: Cancer's Sweet Tooth
Click Here
# 19 What To Say To Some One With Cancer
Click Here
# 18 Is It ADD ADAH or Convergence Insufficiency Disorder
Click Here
# 17 The Healers Blog Index
Click Here
# 16 Ease That Itch - A "Winter Itch" Follow-up
Click Here
# 15 Winters Itch Follow-up Using EFT EFT, itch 2/10/07
Click Here
# 14 Winters Itch Now and Then Calgon, itch, sleep-loss 2/6/07
Click Here
# 13 Amino Acids -pH Factor- and Health 2/1/07
Click Here
# 12 Miracle Tree and Zija by The Talker 1/23/07
Click Here
# 11 Health-Lies-Statistics and The Babbler 1/14/07
Click Here
# 10 My Book Sources For Psychic and Health Readin...1/13/07
Click Here
# 9 "Negative Ambiance" Thinking! 1/5/07
Click Here
# 8 Simple Body ! No Way! updated 1/6/2007 12/30/06
Click Here
# 7 Are You In Perfect Health (rev 12/2006 ) 12/28/06
Click Here
# 6 The Ways Of A Healer 12/19/06
Click Here
# 5 Health and Emotional Factors 12/17/06
Click Here
# 4 Conversations With Me ! 12/17/06
Click Here
# 3 Mind and Body Training Control 12/17/06
Click Here
# 2 Memories and Healing 12/16/06
Click Here
# 1 How It All Started
Click Here
Thursday, February 15, 2007
# 16 Ease That Itch - A "Winter Itch" Follow-up
This is the best article to date, that I've found, that explains the so-called "Winter Itch" condition many experience and suffer from.
Talker
Ease That Itch
By Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.
Did you ever have a long-term maddening itch that is so intense, especially at night, that you damage your skin with your frantic scratching? If so, you've likely experienced the miseries of eczema, psoriasis or other types of dermatitis.
These inflammatory conditions of the skin are slightly different conditions, but the terms are often used generically for any itchy, red, scaly skin problem. They can occur at any time in a person's life, often beginning in infancy and may sometimes continue unabated for decades. Most of them manifest as painful swelling and oozing of the skin, bleeding cracks, severe scaling, itching and burning. Some sufferers have described eczema as "the itch that rashes" and others say when they sweat, it feels as though acid is being poured on them.
Scratching that breaks the skin increases the risk of infection. Long-term scratching can cause the skin to become thick and leathery.
Causes of Eczema and Psoriasis
Eczema and psoriasis are potentially allergic conditions that can be triggered by environmental factors and dozens of other external irritants like the following:
Laundry detergent
Soaps
Household chemicals
Workplace chemicals
Perfumes
Animal dander
Metals (such as nickel in jewelry)
While psoriasis is most often linked with external allergic triggers, eczema is often caused by food allergies. The most common allergens include wheat, nuts, seafood, eggs and some fruits, such as strawberries.
Both conditions are often associated with food intolerances and multiple chemical sensitivities. If you have been regularly reading my articles, this will likely ring a bell, since food intolerances and multiple chemical sensitivities are often the result of dysbiosis or an imbalance of intestinal flora that causes yeast overgrowth. This is sometimes accompanied with widespread systemic effects.
Another major cause of eczema and psoriasis is SAD -- the dreaded Standard American Diet -- which is rich in sugar and processed and refined foods. This sugar-filled diet eventually begins to wreak havoc with many aspects of our health.
Science suggests eczema and psoriasis may be autoimmune disorders, which in allopathic medicine tends to be a "cop-out" diagnosis. Integrative medicine argues that our immune system does not attack a healthy body. However, the immune system will go into overdrive when the body becomes toxic. An example of this is the simple case of aspartame, the poisonous artificial sweetener. Most "diet" products contain aspartame, a substance that people take in hopes of losing weight or use as a "healthier" substitute for sweetened products. These people often end up with itchy rashes that can be indistinguishable from eczema.
A naturopathic doctor would say that in an attempt to eliminate aspartame, its metabolites are excreted to the skin surface where it causes irritation.
Characteristics of Psoriasis and Eczema
In the case of psoriasis, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) describes the condition as "an immune system disorder that affects the skin, and occasionally the eyes, nails, and joints." Psoriasis may also affect very small areas of skin or cover the entire body with a buildup of red scales called plaques. The plaques are of different sizes, shapes and severity and may be painful as well as unattractive. Bacterial infections and pressure or trauma to the skin can aggravate psoriasis.
Most treatments focus on topical skin care to relieve the inflammation, itching, and scaling. For more severe cases, oral medications are used. Psoriasis is common and may affect more than 2 percent of all Americans.
A particular type of eczema, called autoimmune progesterone dermatitis (APD), is a condition in which eczema flares when progesterone levels rise 3 to 10 days prior to the onset of menstrual flow. The condition then eases when progesterone levels drop during the menstrual period. Women with irregular periods may not have this clear correlation, thus making diagnosis more difficult.
APD also seems to run in families and the risk of eczema is particularly high in families with a history of asthma and hay fever -- a further indication the condition is related to a compromised immune system.
Eczema and psoriasis are both worsened by stress, but psoriasis is more affected by the weather. Cold dry winter weather worsens psoriasis, whereas sunny, hot, humid conditions make it better. In keeping with the autoimmune nature of psoriasis, when the person develops an infection, such as a sore throat or sinusitis, their psoriasis will often flare up.
Many classes of drugs, similar to the way that aspartame works, worsen psoriasis symptoms. These include antihypertensive ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, Chloroquine (an anti-malaria drug), progesterone, indocin (the anti-inflammatory drug) and lithium.
In addition to what conventional medicine says about psoriasis, clinically, it is associated with a deficiency of zinc, magnesium, essential fatty acids and represents a high degree of toxicity in the body.
Conventional Treatment Doesn't Provide Much Hope
Conventional medicine will tell you that there is no cure for either of these conditions, although children with eczema will frequently "grow out of it."
Hydrocortisone cream or ointment is the most commonly prescribed conventional treatment for eczema and psoriasis. This is a strong and toxic medicine of limited effectiveness.
Long-term use of steroid creams can result in side effects, such as thin, fragile, dry skin and even suppression of the adrenal glands. For these reasons, medications of this kind can only be used for short periods of time, which is not very helpful to the chronic sufferer.
When studying homeopathy, I learned when you suppress a skin condition with cortisone, especially in children, the focus of the child's illness shifts from the skin to the lungs and they often develop asthma. Parents may be relieved their child's skin condition has cleared, but don't realize that they are substituting a milder condition for a much more serious one.
Using antihistamines, like Benadryl, can be helpful in relieving itching, but they cause drowsiness, so they're usually not appropriate for daytime use. UV light therapy has proven to be very helpful for some patients, especially for those suffering from psoriasis.
Natural Treatment
Eczema can be "cured" but psoriasis is a multifactorial disease that requires a multitreatment approach that is daunting for most people.
Natural treatment begins with detoxification, especially for psoriasis. Saunas, exercise that makes you sweat, bowel, liver and kidney cleansing and removal of mercury amalgams in your teeth are all important considerations. Stress reduction is also an essential part of dealing with skin conditions. It's often said you wear your heart on your sleeve. You also wear your emotions on your skin.
Meditation, journaling, and just plain taking time for yourself are very important tools for calming your body and feelings.
Dietary Treatments
For both conditions, you will need to begin by eliminating sugar and refined and processed foods from your diet. This means avoiding table sugar, foods that contain sugar or high fructose corn syrup, any white food, like white bread, biscuits, pizza dough, baked goods, anything that comes in a box and most canned foods.
The next step is to avoid food irritants and allergens. For skin conditions that may be caused by food allergies or intolerances, I highly recommend the Elimination Diet. Go to www.yeastconnection.com for a detailed plan to eliminate suspect foods from your diet and then gradually re-introduce them, making detailed observations to determine which ones may be causing your problems. (Look under the Yeast Fighting Program section.) You can suspect a food allergy if you have continual craving for that food, or eat it every day.
Dietary Recommendations
Add foods rich in vitamins A and B-complex, like green leafy vegetables, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and dried beans.
Add foods that are high in magnesium. These include nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fresh green vegetables -- organic if possible.
Magnesium is so essential for helping to prevent allergies, detoxify, improve skin quality and relaxation that you might consider adding it as a supplement. The most common form is magnesium citrate taken at 300 milligrams twice daily.
Increase the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in your diet -- the healthy fats -- by adding wild salmon (be sure it's free of mercury), walnuts, vegetables, nut and seed oils, especially flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil and black currant oil.
I'm going to depart slightly from the dietary recommendations here to recommend two substances that must be taken in supplement form: probiotics and digestive enzymes. I consider them foods and essential for optimal human function, so I'm including them here.
If you are not doing so already, start taking probiotics! While they are not technically foods, I've seen positive results over and over. If you correct the imbalance in intestinal flora by adding "good" bacteria to your system, many systemic problems will resolve themselves. I highly recommend that everyone take a probiotic daily.
In fact, there is a growing body of research that suggests that people with unbalanced intestinal flora have a higher risk of developing skin conditions like eczema, but probiotic supplementation diminishes or even eliminates the problem.
Along the same lines, taking supplemental digestive enzymes will enhance digestion and rapidly improve the condition of skin. Digestive enzymes not only digest the meal you are eating, but, taken between meals, they have been shown to digest inflammatory proteins in the body that could otherwise cause skin irritation or other inflammatory conditions.
Supplements That will Help
Here's a list of natural creams and supplements that I have found to be
effective in relieving eczema and psoriasis:
Calendula: These creams are very popular in Europe for the topical treatment of eczema and psoriasis. The cream is often combined with soothing chamomile for a variety of skin conditions. It should be applied topically two or three times a day.
Chamomile: The German Commission E approves the use of chamomile for treating a variety of skin conditions. Topical chamomile treatments can reduce inflammation and allergic reaction activity. Look for a cream containing 3 to 10-percent crude drug chamomile content and follow the label for dosage directions.
Dandelion: This lawn "weed" has been used to treat skin conditions in traditional herbal medicine on the premise it detoxifies the blood, thus eliminating allergens, inflammationy-causing toxins and chemicals from the body. It's most commonly used as a tea or you could take 250-500 mg. of dandelion extract daily.
Omega-3 fatty acids: People with skin disorders frequently have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies indicate that supplementation with omega-3s will reduce severity and inflammation of eczema and psoriasis. Look for a good fish oil or flaxseed oil supplement that contains both EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The best forms also include an omega-6 component as well to achieve a balance of the two oils. Take 2 to 4 grams daily.
In addition, be sure you're taking a good multi-vitamin that contains beta-carotene and vitamin A that promotes tissue healing. Another helpful vitamin is vitamin E because it helps moisturize skin from the inside and promotes tissue healing. Taking selenium will help the body use vitamin E. Finally; taking Zinc is a good choice, as it helps with wound healing.
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., is health advisor to Woman's Health Connection at www.yeastconnection.com and is featured on the website's "Ask the Expert" page. She has written Hormone Balance (to be released Spring 2005), Everything Alzheimer's, The Miracle of Magnesium and Natural Prescriptions for Common Ailments.
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
The author of this article, Carolyn Dean, is a key medical advisor to www.yeastconnection.com, a Web site I highly recommend to women based on the pioneering work of Dr. William Crook.
Dr. Crook, one of my first mentors and a friend who has since passed away, was the author of the classic book, The Yeast Connection, and many other bestsellers that helped millions of women. He was instrumental in helping me recognize that there was a wide network of physicians who understood the importance of nutrition. He indirectly helped connect me to this network and I will be ever grateful for his guidance in this area as that was really the beginning of my journey into high-level natural health.
His great legacy is being carried on at www.yeastconnection.com, where you will find out all the latest insights on how Candida yeast causes problems in your body, and how to alleviate them.
Related Articles:
http://www.mercola.com/2004/dec/1/ease_that_itch.htm
Talker
Ease That Itch
By Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.
Did you ever have a long-term maddening itch that is so intense, especially at night, that you damage your skin with your frantic scratching? If so, you've likely experienced the miseries of eczema, psoriasis or other types of dermatitis.
These inflammatory conditions of the skin are slightly different conditions, but the terms are often used generically for any itchy, red, scaly skin problem. They can occur at any time in a person's life, often beginning in infancy and may sometimes continue unabated for decades. Most of them manifest as painful swelling and oozing of the skin, bleeding cracks, severe scaling, itching and burning. Some sufferers have described eczema as "the itch that rashes" and others say when they sweat, it feels as though acid is being poured on them.
Scratching that breaks the skin increases the risk of infection. Long-term scratching can cause the skin to become thick and leathery.
Causes of Eczema and Psoriasis
Eczema and psoriasis are potentially allergic conditions that can be triggered by environmental factors and dozens of other external irritants like the following:
Laundry detergent
Soaps
Household chemicals
Workplace chemicals
Perfumes
Animal dander
Metals (such as nickel in jewelry)
While psoriasis is most often linked with external allergic triggers, eczema is often caused by food allergies. The most common allergens include wheat, nuts, seafood, eggs and some fruits, such as strawberries.
Both conditions are often associated with food intolerances and multiple chemical sensitivities. If you have been regularly reading my articles, this will likely ring a bell, since food intolerances and multiple chemical sensitivities are often the result of dysbiosis or an imbalance of intestinal flora that causes yeast overgrowth. This is sometimes accompanied with widespread systemic effects.
Another major cause of eczema and psoriasis is SAD -- the dreaded Standard American Diet -- which is rich in sugar and processed and refined foods. This sugar-filled diet eventually begins to wreak havoc with many aspects of our health.
Science suggests eczema and psoriasis may be autoimmune disorders, which in allopathic medicine tends to be a "cop-out" diagnosis. Integrative medicine argues that our immune system does not attack a healthy body. However, the immune system will go into overdrive when the body becomes toxic. An example of this is the simple case of aspartame, the poisonous artificial sweetener. Most "diet" products contain aspartame, a substance that people take in hopes of losing weight or use as a "healthier" substitute for sweetened products. These people often end up with itchy rashes that can be indistinguishable from eczema.
A naturopathic doctor would say that in an attempt to eliminate aspartame, its metabolites are excreted to the skin surface where it causes irritation.
Characteristics of Psoriasis and Eczema
In the case of psoriasis, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) describes the condition as "an immune system disorder that affects the skin, and occasionally the eyes, nails, and joints." Psoriasis may also affect very small areas of skin or cover the entire body with a buildup of red scales called plaques. The plaques are of different sizes, shapes and severity and may be painful as well as unattractive. Bacterial infections and pressure or trauma to the skin can aggravate psoriasis.
Most treatments focus on topical skin care to relieve the inflammation, itching, and scaling. For more severe cases, oral medications are used. Psoriasis is common and may affect more than 2 percent of all Americans.
A particular type of eczema, called autoimmune progesterone dermatitis (APD), is a condition in which eczema flares when progesterone levels rise 3 to 10 days prior to the onset of menstrual flow. The condition then eases when progesterone levels drop during the menstrual period. Women with irregular periods may not have this clear correlation, thus making diagnosis more difficult.
APD also seems to run in families and the risk of eczema is particularly high in families with a history of asthma and hay fever -- a further indication the condition is related to a compromised immune system.
Eczema and psoriasis are both worsened by stress, but psoriasis is more affected by the weather. Cold dry winter weather worsens psoriasis, whereas sunny, hot, humid conditions make it better. In keeping with the autoimmune nature of psoriasis, when the person develops an infection, such as a sore throat or sinusitis, their psoriasis will often flare up.
Many classes of drugs, similar to the way that aspartame works, worsen psoriasis symptoms. These include antihypertensive ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, Chloroquine (an anti-malaria drug), progesterone, indocin (the anti-inflammatory drug) and lithium.
In addition to what conventional medicine says about psoriasis, clinically, it is associated with a deficiency of zinc, magnesium, essential fatty acids and represents a high degree of toxicity in the body.
Conventional Treatment Doesn't Provide Much Hope
Conventional medicine will tell you that there is no cure for either of these conditions, although children with eczema will frequently "grow out of it."
Hydrocortisone cream or ointment is the most commonly prescribed conventional treatment for eczema and psoriasis. This is a strong and toxic medicine of limited effectiveness.
Long-term use of steroid creams can result in side effects, such as thin, fragile, dry skin and even suppression of the adrenal glands. For these reasons, medications of this kind can only be used for short periods of time, which is not very helpful to the chronic sufferer.
When studying homeopathy, I learned when you suppress a skin condition with cortisone, especially in children, the focus of the child's illness shifts from the skin to the lungs and they often develop asthma. Parents may be relieved their child's skin condition has cleared, but don't realize that they are substituting a milder condition for a much more serious one.
Using antihistamines, like Benadryl, can be helpful in relieving itching, but they cause drowsiness, so they're usually not appropriate for daytime use. UV light therapy has proven to be very helpful for some patients, especially for those suffering from psoriasis.
Natural Treatment
Eczema can be "cured" but psoriasis is a multifactorial disease that requires a multitreatment approach that is daunting for most people.
Natural treatment begins with detoxification, especially for psoriasis. Saunas, exercise that makes you sweat, bowel, liver and kidney cleansing and removal of mercury amalgams in your teeth are all important considerations. Stress reduction is also an essential part of dealing with skin conditions. It's often said you wear your heart on your sleeve. You also wear your emotions on your skin.
Meditation, journaling, and just plain taking time for yourself are very important tools for calming your body and feelings.
Dietary Treatments
For both conditions, you will need to begin by eliminating sugar and refined and processed foods from your diet. This means avoiding table sugar, foods that contain sugar or high fructose corn syrup, any white food, like white bread, biscuits, pizza dough, baked goods, anything that comes in a box and most canned foods.
The next step is to avoid food irritants and allergens. For skin conditions that may be caused by food allergies or intolerances, I highly recommend the Elimination Diet. Go to www.yeastconnection.com for a detailed plan to eliminate suspect foods from your diet and then gradually re-introduce them, making detailed observations to determine which ones may be causing your problems. (Look under the Yeast Fighting Program section.) You can suspect a food allergy if you have continual craving for that food, or eat it every day.
Dietary Recommendations
Add foods rich in vitamins A and B-complex, like green leafy vegetables, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and dried beans.
Add foods that are high in magnesium. These include nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fresh green vegetables -- organic if possible.
Magnesium is so essential for helping to prevent allergies, detoxify, improve skin quality and relaxation that you might consider adding it as a supplement. The most common form is magnesium citrate taken at 300 milligrams twice daily.
Increase the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in your diet -- the healthy fats -- by adding wild salmon (be sure it's free of mercury), walnuts, vegetables, nut and seed oils, especially flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil and black currant oil.
I'm going to depart slightly from the dietary recommendations here to recommend two substances that must be taken in supplement form: probiotics and digestive enzymes. I consider them foods and essential for optimal human function, so I'm including them here.
If you are not doing so already, start taking probiotics! While they are not technically foods, I've seen positive results over and over. If you correct the imbalance in intestinal flora by adding "good" bacteria to your system, many systemic problems will resolve themselves. I highly recommend that everyone take a probiotic daily.
In fact, there is a growing body of research that suggests that people with unbalanced intestinal flora have a higher risk of developing skin conditions like eczema, but probiotic supplementation diminishes or even eliminates the problem.
Along the same lines, taking supplemental digestive enzymes will enhance digestion and rapidly improve the condition of skin. Digestive enzymes not only digest the meal you are eating, but, taken between meals, they have been shown to digest inflammatory proteins in the body that could otherwise cause skin irritation or other inflammatory conditions.
Supplements That will Help
Here's a list of natural creams and supplements that I have found to be
effective in relieving eczema and psoriasis:
Calendula: These creams are very popular in Europe for the topical treatment of eczema and psoriasis. The cream is often combined with soothing chamomile for a variety of skin conditions. It should be applied topically two or three times a day.
Chamomile: The German Commission E approves the use of chamomile for treating a variety of skin conditions. Topical chamomile treatments can reduce inflammation and allergic reaction activity. Look for a cream containing 3 to 10-percent crude drug chamomile content and follow the label for dosage directions.
Dandelion: This lawn "weed" has been used to treat skin conditions in traditional herbal medicine on the premise it detoxifies the blood, thus eliminating allergens, inflammationy-causing toxins and chemicals from the body. It's most commonly used as a tea or you could take 250-500 mg. of dandelion extract daily.
Omega-3 fatty acids: People with skin disorders frequently have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies indicate that supplementation with omega-3s will reduce severity and inflammation of eczema and psoriasis. Look for a good fish oil or flaxseed oil supplement that contains both EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The best forms also include an omega-6 component as well to achieve a balance of the two oils. Take 2 to 4 grams daily.
In addition, be sure you're taking a good multi-vitamin that contains beta-carotene and vitamin A that promotes tissue healing. Another helpful vitamin is vitamin E because it helps moisturize skin from the inside and promotes tissue healing. Taking selenium will help the body use vitamin E. Finally; taking Zinc is a good choice, as it helps with wound healing.
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., is health advisor to Woman's Health Connection at www.yeastconnection.com and is featured on the website's "Ask the Expert" page. She has written Hormone Balance (to be released Spring 2005), Everything Alzheimer's, The Miracle of Magnesium and Natural Prescriptions for Common Ailments.
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
The author of this article, Carolyn Dean, is a key medical advisor to www.yeastconnection.com, a Web site I highly recommend to women based on the pioneering work of Dr. William Crook.
Dr. Crook, one of my first mentors and a friend who has since passed away, was the author of the classic book, The Yeast Connection, and many other bestsellers that helped millions of women. He was instrumental in helping me recognize that there was a wide network of physicians who understood the importance of nutrition. He indirectly helped connect me to this network and I will be ever grateful for his guidance in this area as that was really the beginning of my journey into high-level natural health.
His great legacy is being carried on at www.yeastconnection.com, where you will find out all the latest insights on how Candida yeast causes problems in your body, and how to alleviate them.
Related Articles:
http://www.mercola.com/2004/dec/1/ease_that_itch.htm
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