Vita Sanus Nutraceuticals Still Going Strong

Heavy Metal Toxicity & Detoxification Protocols

Dr. Saleeby Interviewed in PracticeLink Magazine

Click on link below to read article on Relocation Shock:

http://www.readoz.com/data/issues/issue_1027092/1027092.pdf

Latest Stats on Cell Phone Use

A recent Article in Medical Economics discusses the recent trend in Cell Phone use, and after you read this you may want to read what I wrote some months ago about EMF Radiation and your health: http://docsaleeby4.blogspot.com/2010/01/electromagnetic-frequencies-and-your.html

It's not your imagination: everybody really is always on their cell phones

Jul 29, 2010 By: Ron Rajecki InfoTech Bulletin

Your patients increasingly are relying on their cell phones and wireless Internet via laptop computers instead of landlines and Internet connections via desktop computers.

Six in 10 American adults now go online wirelessly using either a mobile phone or a laptop with a wireless Internet connection (versus 51 percent in 2009), according to a recent telephone survey of 2,252 American adults by the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project. The report also found that the use of non-voice data applications on cell phones has grown over the past year.

Compared with a similar point in 2009, cell phone owners are now more likely to use their mobile phones to:
• Take pictures (76 percent versus 66 percent)
• Send or receive text messages (72 percent versus 65 percent)
• Access the Internet (38 percent versus 25 percent)
• Send or receive email (34 percent versus 25 percent)
• Play games (34 percent versus 27 percent)
• Record a video (34 percent versus 19 percent)
• Play music (33 percent versus 21 percent)
• Send or receive instant messages (30 percent versus 20 percent).

"The growing functionality of mobile phones makes them ever-more powerful devices for on-the-go communications and computing," said Aaron Smith, research specialist and the author of the Pew Internet Project report. "Cell phones have become for many owners an all-purpose chat-text-gaming-photo-sharing media hub that is an essential utility for work and a really fancy toy for fun."

Among other findings of the survey:
• More than half (54 percent) of mobile phone owners participating in the survey said they have used their phone to send someone a photo or video, 20 percent reported watching a video on their phone, and 15 percent said they have posted a photo or video online from their mobile device.

• More than half of cell phone Internet users (55 percent) participating in the survey said they go online from their mobile phone every day.

• Most wireless laptop users participating in the survey said they go online wirelessly at home, and six in 10 wireless laptop users said they go online from multiple locations. Twenty percent of participants said they do so from home, work, and somewhere other than home or work.

• Fifty-five percent of those participating in the survey own a laptop computer, and 62 percent own a desktop machine.
Demographically, the survey found:

• Cell phone ownership is higher among African-Americans and Latinos than among whites (87 percent versus 80 percent), and African-American and Latino cell phone owners use a greater range of their phones’ features compared with white mobile phone users.

• Adults aged 18 to 29 years are avid users of mobile data applications, but adults aged 30 to 49 years are gaining fast. Adults in this older age group are significantly more likely to use their mobile device to send text messages, access the Internet, take pictures, record videos, use email or instant messaging, and play music in 2010 than they were in 2009.

(c) Medical Economics 2010

Subclinical Hypothyroidism Lecture (Pure Compounding 8/5/2010)

Dr. Saleeby to Talk

	Dr. Saleeby, MD Lecture on HRT On August 5th at 5:30 PM Dr. Saleeby will be speaking on Hypothyroidism and bioidentical HRT for thyroid at Pure Compounding Pharmacy in Myrtle Beach. This is a free lecture. All are invited, those that are interested may want to call and reserve a spot. http://pure-compounding.com/contactus.aspx

High Dose Vitamin C Gains Acceptance in Western Medicine

It is 3:00 PM on a typical mid-summer day when the call comes in over the EMS radio. A 9-year old boy suffering thermal burns is in rout to our Emergency Department; ETA 10-minutes. A very characteristic summertime event, as the report continues that the child was dousing a still smoldering pile of burning yard-trash with gasoline. The resultant flash back scorched his face, neck and hands. For the purposes of this article we will call him Jimmy. Jimmy arrives with 1st and 2nd degree burns to over 15% of his body surface area. We rush to stabilize him, administering morphine IV for pain control and boluses of Ringer Lactate IV solution according to the Parkland formula for fluid resuscitation. The burn team members on the other end of the phone at the regional Burn Center in Augusta are accommodating as usual, as we get ready to air transport this little fellow to their center. Jimmy does exceptionally well at the center, a week later he is discharged and I receive a report from the burn surgeons. To my utter amazement it includes details of the use of high dose intravenous Vitamin C infusions the day off and the days that followed his arrival.

High Dose Vitamin C? In my 17 years of practicing traditional Western Medicine, I thought I would never see the day when a “vitamin” was a mainstay of care in a critically injured patient. Research has proven the utility of this vitamin in reducing capillary leakage and reducing fluid loss, enhancing healing and reduction in scar formation. While trained as an allopath my interests have in the past decade and a half been leaned towards the alternative. My approach in my private practice is integrative. By integrative I refer to my allopathic trained as a medical doctor (MD) but subscribing to selected, evidence based alternative or complementary diagnostics and therapeutics. Shying away from the temptations of polypharmacy and pill pushing for a more holistic and natural approach. With the advent in recent years of higher doses of Vitamin D3 replacement being prescribed by American physicians it was only a matter of time before other “nutritional” therapies caught on. I cheer on the embracing of these therapies.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid or ascorbate, is a carbohydrate compound closely related to and derived from the glucose molecule. Glucose is a simple sugar that is used by most living organisms as a fuel for cellular energy. Vitamin C remains one of the most important nutrients we as humans rely on for good health whether we know it or not.

Vitamin C was first identified by a Hungarian scientist named Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, MD, PhD in 1926, while conducting research on the chemical process that causes fruits and vegetables to turn brown. He succeeded in isolating a white crystalline substance from the adrenal gland of cows, which he referred to as Cx11. He later isolated these same crystals from the juice of potatoes and cabbages renaming it hexuronic acid. Finally, in 1932 after producing the first pure crystals of vitamin C, Dr. Gyorgyi bestowed the name ascorbic acid to the substance in recognition of its role in preventing scurvy. The Latin word, ascorbic means "without scurvy". Scurvy, a rather horrible disease, results in defective collagen synthesis leading to defective dentine formation, hemorrhaging into the gums, and loss of teeth. Hemorrhaging is a hallmark feature of scurvy and can occur in any organ not just the gums. Hair follicles are one of the common sites of cutaneous bleeding. Bony changes are usually observed in the very young. Scurvy was first described by the Egyptians as early as 1500 BC, and struck the crew of Magellan's around-the-world journey in 1519-22. A British report in c.1600 indicated that in the previous 20 years some 10,000 mariners had suffered the disease. Seafarers were often susceptible due to poor dietary intake of Vitamin C on their long voyages. In 1747 as the HMS Salisbury sailed from England to the Plymouth Colony, James Lind the ship's physician performed a simple experiment to determine the cause of this disease, it was one of the first controlled scientific studies using fresh citrus fruit in some sailors and having a control population that ate citrus-free meals. The ingestion of limes and oranges saved those sailors from scurvy. Consequently, British sailors during WWII were often referred to affectionately as “limeys” for their now notably historic consumption of this fruit while at sea.

Unfortunately for humans, we do not possess the ability to manufacture their own Vitamin C. And by definition a vitamin is a substance necessary for survival that must be taken in from the outside (ingested exogenously). Plants and most animals possess an enzyme called gluconolactone oxidase (GLO) that allows them to readily convert glucose into Vitamin C. Humans have somehow lost the ability to do what virtually every other life form on earth can do with ease during our evolutionary development by losing the ability to make GLO and requiring ingestion of Vitamin C containing foods. In actually GLO is the 4th enzyme in the pathway to converting glucose to Vitamin C and the only one we humans are missing. Besides ourselves, three other species of mammals do not make this vitamin and they include the gorillas, guinea pigs and the fruit bats. Why these four mammalian species lost this ability is poorly understood.

The reasons why Vitamin C is important are many. It offers Antioxidant protection. Vitamin C protects us from the ravages of free radical damage that can destroy cell membranes, damage DNA and lead to the development of degenerative diseases, cancer and pre- mature aging. In addition to helping the body utilize folic acid, Vitamin C helps in the recycling process of other anti-oxidants such as Vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10, alpha Lipoic Acid and Glutathione. Antioxidants are the key to maintaining health and longevity. They are at the root of all degenerative diseases. Did you know that some animals utilize Vitamin C as a “stress hormone”? In goats for example their serum levels of Vitamin C jump exponentially when under physical stress. A goat will on an average day will produce between 5 and 15 grams of ascorbate. Interestingly, that same goat, if under stressed, will produce 5 - 10 times its baseline levels of ascorbic acid. Evolution has conditioned this animal to increase production in times of need. Some have referred to this vitamin in these animals as “the other stress hormone” after cortisol.

Vitamin C is crucial in collagen production. Vitamin C helps in the manufacture of collagen, the basic cellular "cement" that keeps muscles, tendons, bones, teeth, skin and arteries healthy and strong and aids in the repair of blood vessels and broken bones. The amino acids Lysine, Glycine, Proline when combined with Vitamin C make collagen. Zinc is an important mineral in this pathway as well. So without adequate dietary intake of Vitamin C and Zinc skin and tissue repair is hindered. Vitamin C and the mineral Zinc are the two co-factors crucial in the enzymatic production of collagen and hence the particular importance in the use of Vitamin C in full thickness burn victims of late.

News reports tout the importance of Vitamin C in cardiovascular health. Vitamin C benefits heart conditions of all kinds. It has been found to normalize blood pressure, reducing cholesterol and repairing arterial walls. In fact, there are researchers that believe cardiovascular disease is in reality the early stages of scurvy and can be prevented with a vitamin protocol centering on high doses of Vitamin C. This was the belief of two-time Nobel Prize laureate Linus Pauling. Dr. Pauling dedicated much of his life’s work to research on Vitamin C. His own personal daily intake was huge, and who am I to disagree with such a great mind. His theories continue today by other luminaries in medicine and science. Vitamin C does not allow Low Density Lipoprotein (the “bad” cholesterol) to oxidize. It is the oxidation of this "bad" cholesterol that produces plaques on our artery walls and results in coronary artery disease. Vitamin C's effects on the cardiovascular health may soon be revealed in ongoing studies to play a bigger role than some very powerful drugs the medical establishment is currently using as first line medication.

The immune system is not to be overlooked, for ascorbic acid plays a major role. Vitamin C aids white blood cells that attack and destroy everything from cancer cells, viruses, bacteria, to parasites of all kinds. It also controls the release of histamine, a sometimes undesirable side effect of our immune system at work. There are cancer treatment protocols using very high doses of IV Vitamin C. My experience has been with its use in the Myers’ Cocktail infusions.

Since we all lack the GLO enzyme we cannot provide ourselves with the antioxidant protection and other benefits that Vitamin C was designed to provide. We have no way of self-regulation. Antioxidant experts from researcher Linus Pauling to Cellular Health author Dr. Matthias Rath (who discovered the Lp(a) risk factor for heart disease) recommend a rather high oral dosage each day to fully support and aid the immune system and optimize health. Such high doses should first be discussed with a knowledgeable nutritionally minded physician. Doses that exceed oral intake tolerability can be administered intravenously on a set schedule depending on the body’s needs.

By using the bowel tolerance test (or Ascorbic Acid Flush test) everyone can determine his or her own necessary level of Vitamin C and tolerability. This amount is different for each individual and may change depending on the health and stress of that person. If you are stressed by some sort of acute illness such as a cold, conducting the same test rapidly can be achieved by increasing the dose of Vitamin C. Under stress the bowels will tolerate greater doses of the vitamin. I routinely order and advise patients on optimal doses using the Ascorbic Acid flush test. Those patient with Iron metabolism problems such as Hemochromatosis or a blood disorder called Thalassemia need to exert caution for Vitamin C greatly increases iron absorption and this can be harmful in these individuals.

Conversely high doses of Vitamin C can hinder the absorption of Ginseng if taken together. High dose Vitamin C increases serum levels in the concomitant use of the drug Acetaminophen (Tylenol). High levels of Tylenol especially in an individual with liver disease can be harmful. There are reports that high dose Vitamin C inhibits effect of statin (HMG-CoA reductase) drugs such as Zocor, Mevacor and Lipitor. These lipid lowering drugs are used quite commonly in our society. High dose Vitamin C may also reduce the blood thinning effects of warfarin (Coumadin) and that is important for those people taking that medication to be aware.

Before embarking on high dose Vitamin C usage, it is important to determine your personal needs and the correct preparations, dosing schedule and adjunct supplements that need to be taken. Therefore consultation with a nutritionally minded physician is recommended and imperative. Oh, and in closing, Jimmy is doing just fine these days with the most minimal of scars following his accident.

-JP Saleeby, MD is an Emergency Room physician and Integrative Practitioner; he is a medical writer and blogger. Dr. Saleeby has recently relocated to the Myrtle Beach area to open a dedicated Natural Medical practice with other complementary medicine healers.

**To be published in an upcoming edition of Myrtle Beach Quarterly

Vitamin C reduces the risk of heart attack in patients with elevated CRP.

Vitamin C reduces the risk of heart attack in patients with elevated CRP.

Block G, Jensen CD, et al: Vitamin C treatment reduces elevated C-reactive
protein. Free Radical Biol Med: 2009 Jan 1;46(1):70-7.
University of California, Berkeley, 94720, USA.

Abstract from the NIH:

Plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory biomarker that predicts
cardiovascular disease. Lowering elevated CRP with statins has reduced the
incidence of cardiovascular disease.

We investigated whether vitamin C or E could reduce CRP. Healthy nonsmokers
(N=396) were randomized to three groups, 1000 mg/day vitamin C, 800 IU/day
vitamin E, or placebo, for 2 months. Median baseline CRP was low, 0.85 mg/L. No
treatment effect was seen when all participants were included. However, a
significant interaction was found, indicating that treatment effect depends on
baseline CRP concentration. Among participants with CRP indicative of elevated
cardiovascular risk (> or =1.0 mg/L), vitamin C reduced the median CRP by 25.3%
vs placebo (p=0.02) (median reduction in the vitamin C group, 0.25 mg/L, 16.7%).
These effects are similar to those of statins. The vitamin E effect was not
significant. In summary, treatment with vitamin C but not vitamin E
significantly reduced CRP among individuals with CRP > or =1.0 mg/L. Among the
obese, 75% had CRP > or =1.0 mg/L. Research is needed to determine whether
reducing this inflammatory biomarker with vitamin C could reduce diseases
associated with obesity. But research on clinical benefits of antioxidants
should limit participants to persons with elevations in the target biomarkers.

Evidenced Based Medicine's Pitfall

Failure. The word failure is my son's new child-acceptable expletive, taking presidency over the word "snap" used extensively last year. My 10-year old son uses this word repeatedly throughout the day when things just don't come out as expected or there is a serious breakdown or injury on America's Funniest Home Video show. Anyway, I can't think of a more appropriate word than "failure" when it comes to a study published in the Cochrane Reviews on June 16, 2010.

Cabello JB, Burls A, Emparanza JI, Bayliss S, Quinn T. Oxygen therapy for acute myocardial infarction. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD007160. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007160.pub2 is a trial which studied O2 therapy in AMI patients and had a unusual conclusion: There is no conclusive evidence from randomised controlled trials to support the routine use of inhaled oxygen in patients with acute AMI. A definitive randomised controlled trial is urgently required given the mismatch between trial evidence suggestive of possible harm from routine oxygen use and recommendations for its use in clinical practice guidelines.

WHAT? FAILURE? This is so counter intuitive, I mean in my 17-year EM career O2 therapy is the mainstay and initial therapeutic used for our "chest pain" complaint patients and for years and hundreds of examples, I was witness to its ameliorating effects. Now some online journal is telling me otherwise? What gives? Well the authors are quick to point out that a large trial(s) needs to be performed to further evaluate this report. In this small study (n=387) 14 patients died and three times the number of fatalities occurred in those receiving oxygen therapy. There are probably a number of confounding factors that resulted in the outcome as it is. Here is one shining example of recent reports of how "evidence based medicine" (EBM) practice is flawed. Caveat Emptor! Anyone who buys into the 100% undeniable and infallibility of EBM needs to beware.


source: http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab007160.html

Health Benefits of Sesame Seed Oil

Sesame Seed Oil

By JP Saleeby, MD

The cultivation of sesame (Sesamum indicum) seed and the oil derived go back hundreds of years. Sesame seed oil was one of the first oils ever pressed from seeds and it has been traced back to the Assyrians prior to 600 BC. The Assyrians as well as the Hindus that followed used the oil as a food source, a medicinal salve and as an oil to burn in their votive lamps. The oil itself has many uses, in antiquity as well in present day. It is used in industry as a solvent in injectable drugs and IV solutions. It is used in cosmetics and as a natural insecticide against weevil attacks of some grains. Lower grades of the oil are used in paints, lubricants and soaps. Higher grades of sesame oil are used as a culinary oil for cooking and seasoning. And of course sesame seed oil is used in alternative medicine applications, especially in Ayurvedic medicine.

Sesame oil is a good source of vitamin E as well as vitamin B6. Copper and magnesium are also present as is iron, zinc and calcium. Unlike most other oils, sesame (and olive oil) is temperature stable and does not smoke when used to cook in high heat. Additionally, it keeps well at room temperature for months to years without going rancid, as a polyunsaturated (omega-6 fatty acid high content) oil, much like olive oil (but olive is a monounsaturated oil predominantly omega-9). The stability of sesame oil is in part due to its content of sesamol, sesamiline (a glycoside) and sesamine (a complex cyclic ester) which are naturally occurring antioxidant and preservatives.

There is an old Ayurvedic medical practice called oil pulling in which oil is swished in the mouth for 10 minutes or more and said to pull toxins out of your system. Sesame oil is one of only two oils recommended for this therapy. It is also used as a mouthwash to kill harmful oral bacteria and frequently used by massage therapist as a preferred oil in therapeutic massage for its healing properties.

The topical and oral administration of sesame oil is said to treat many disorders such as poor circulation, GI problems, fatigue, inflammation, pain and as an antimicrobial. Due to the presence of lignans it has phytoestrogen properties as well that are helpful in premenopausal women. In modern studies it has shown anti-bacterial effects and in two rather recent studies has anti cancer effects. Maybe that is the reason it has been referred to as the Queen of Oils. Rather inexpensive and full of uses, daily oral ingestion and topical use can enhance wellbeing. I prefer mine in Oriental cuisine and as a base in home made humus (Tahini is a sesame paste heavy with oil and a main ingredient in this tasty dip). But don't go away thinking that you get enough on a sesame seed bun at McDonalds.

© 2010

References:

http://www.cidpusa.org/sesame_seed_oil.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame_oil

Selective growth inhibition of human malignant melanoma cell line by Sesame Oil in Vitro: Malignant melanoma cells would not replicate in sesame oil: Prostaglandins, Leukatrines and Essential Fatty Acids; vol 46: 145, (1992)

Oleic acid found to reduce serum cholesterol levels: Effects of increasing dietary palmitoleic acid compared with palmitic and oleic acids on plasma lipids of hypercholesterolemic men: Journal of Lipid Research; vol 35: 656 (1994)

Sesame Oil significantly more effective in relief of dry nasal membranes than isotonic sodium chloride: Archives of Otolaryngology; vol 127: 1353, (Nov. 2001)

The effect of sesame oil mouth-rinse on the number of oral bacteria colony types; Maharishi Int’l University of Management, Fairfield Iowa, 1992

Oil in the Gulf, Methyl-murcury in Japan: Lessons to be learned

As our attention focuses with the intense media coverage of the BP crude oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico we need not forget some other industrial disasters. With a recent legal settlement that spans a half-century there comes some compensation to survivors of methyl mercury poisoning in Minamata Japan first discovered in the 1950's.

-----------------

Agreement reached to settle Minamata suit

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

2010/03/31

KUMAMOTO--A group of 2,123 uncertified victims of Minamata mercury poisoning agreed Monday with three defendants--the state, the Kumamoto prefectural government and Chisso Corp., the company that discharged mercury into the sea--to accept a Kumamoto District Court proposal to settle their damages suit.

The deal offers a lump-sum payment of 2.1 million yen ($22,700) and monthly medical allowances to each plaintiff, along with an additional fund of 2.95 billion yen for the group.

A formal settlement is expected by the end of the year, after a third-party panel determines whether each plaintiff should be covered by the settlement. Should some not be covered, the group will compensate them from its fund.

A relief law enacted last year means that the government will provide similar levels of relief to other patients, totalling nearly 40,000, who are not officially recognized and not part of the suit.

Symptoms of Minamata Disease [methyl-mercury poisoning] include numbness in the limbs, cramps, and problems with speaking, vision and hearing. The disease can also affect fetuses in the womb.

Ref: http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201003300438.html


this photograph succinctly illustrates the effect of Minamata disease on the human body
this historic photograph is of Tomoko Uemura's crippled hand, a victim of mercury poisoning in Japan (d. 1977) Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease#cite_note-3
----------------------

The pathology of methylmercury poisoning (Minamata disease)
Journal of Neuropathology, 06/15/10

Eto K et al. – This report provides a brief research history and overview of the pathological changes of MD, and also presents representative cases of adult, infantile and fetal forms of MD among the 450 MD–related autopsy cases in Kumamoto Prefecture.

The pathology of methylmercury poisoning (Minamata disease)

The 50th Anniversary of Japanese Society of Neuropathology

Komyo Eto, ¹ Masumi Marumoto ² and Motohiro Takeya ³

¹ Health and Nursing Facilities for the Aged, Jushindai, Shinwakai, ² Pathology Section, Department of Basic Medicine, National Institute for Minamata Disease, and ³ Department of Cell Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan

Correspondence to Komyo Eto, Director, Health and Nursing Facilities for the Aged, Jushindai, Shinwakai, 272 Ikura Kitakata, Tamana City, Kumamoto 865-0041, Japan. Email: shinwa@drive.ocn.ne.jp

ABSTRACT

Methylmercury (Me-Hg) poisoning (Minamata disease: MD) is one of the most severe types of disease caused by humans to humans in Japan. The disease is a special class of food-borne methylmercury intoxication in humans as typified by the outbreak that began in 1953 in Minamata and its vicinity in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. There are 450 autopsy cases in Kumamoto and 30 autopsy cases in Niigata Prefecture related to MD in Japan. Two hundred and one cases in Kumamoto and 22 cases in Niigata showed pathological changes of MD. This report provides a brief research history and overview of the pathological changes of MD, and also presents representative cases of adult, infantile and fetal forms of MD among the 450 MD-related autopsy cases in Kumamoto Prefecture.

---

Received 18 February 2010 and accepted 8 March 2010.

Treasure every moment on planet Earth

To realize the value of a sister/brother, ask someone who doesn’t have one.
To realize the value of ten years, ask a newly divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years, ask a graduate.
To realize the value of one year, ask a student who has failed a final exam.
To realize the value of nine months, ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.
To realize the value of one month, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week, ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one minute, ask a person who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one-second, ask a person who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have.

Dr. Saleeby to talk about bioidentical thyroid HRT

Dr. Saleeby is to talk and present a PowerPoint presentation in August 2010 at Pure Compounding Pharmacy in Myrtle Beach. For more details and to reserve a spot for this free lecture please visit: http://pure-compounding.com/contactus.aspx

Dr. Saleeby will discuss natural versus synthetic hormone replacement, choices you have with T4 alone and in combination with T3 (both synthetic and natural), sustained release preparations, Armour thyroid and others.

A brief lay-persons review of thyroid hormones, the hypothylamic-thyroid axis and the pharmacology and pathophysiology of hypothyroidism will also be discussed.

In the News

Week's Best Articles: Integrative Medicine

May 26, 2010 - June 2, 2010 This week's most-read articles by US physician subscribers

Hidden hazards in fruits and veggies

Washington Post (AP) 06/01/2010

10 minutes of exercise, hour-long effects

The Seattle Times 06/01/2010

Anti-aging supplements may be best taken not too late in life

EurekAlert 05/25/2010

Memantine for the Treatment of Migraine

U.S. Pharmacist 05/25/2010

The "broken heart sydrome": you’re likely to have it only once!

Singapore Medical Journal 05/28/2010 Influence of Ghrelin and Growth Hormone Deficiency on AMP-Activated Protein Kinase and Hypothalamic Lipid Metabolism Journal of Neuroendocrinology 05/28/2010 Resveratrol regulates human adipocyte number and function in a Sirt1-dependent manner American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 05/27/2010 Cellular Aging Reflected by Leukocyte Telomere Length Predicts Advanced Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 05/28/2010

Joint Integrative Medicine Practice coming to Conway, SC

Joint Practice coming soon to Conway, SC

Dr. Melody Iles PhD, ND is a naturopathic doctor offering natural health consultations and has been in practice for some time in downtown Conway. She will be joined by JP Saleeby, MD (integrative and general medicine) in July at a new location in Conway.

Link to Dr. Iles' web site: www.natural-health.cc

Link to Dr. Saleeby's web site: www.saleeby.net

New practice web site: www.SCWellness.net

Dr. Saleeby to join practice officially August 1st, 2010. New patients are encouraged to make appointments soon.

Colognes & Perfumes can affect Sex Hormones

"Secret" Ingredients Damage Sperm

By Denny Watkins

The "secret" ingredients that give colognes their particular scents could also be damaging sperm, according to a study by the nonprofit consumer advocate Environmental Working Group.

Researchers analyzed the chemical composition of 17 perfumes and colognes and discovered that many scented products contain compounds that have the potential to interact with hormones. One chemical, a solvent called diethyl pthalate, was found in 12 products and was linked to sperm damage in a 2006 Harvard study. Sperm damage can lower fertility.

What's more, DEP is just one of 12 different hormone-disrupting compounds found in the colognes. Georgio Armani's Acqua di Gio, for example, contains seven compounds that interact with either estrogen or androgen (female and male hormones) or both, according to the study.

"We don't know how harmful repeated use of these colognes and perfumes are, because the emphasis in the industry is not on long-term testing," says study author Dr. Olga V. Naidenko.

"While infrequent use could be fine, because the same chemicals show up in many different products, over time they can build up in your body and have bad effects," she says.

The EWG's study aimed to determine how many chemicals are used in colognes that are not listed on the label. Fragrance manufacturers can skirt some rules about listing the contents of their products because the formulas for a particular scent are trademarked and considered proprietary knowledge.

The colognes and perfumes tested were a random sampling of products the average consumer might find at a department or drugstore.

A fragrance by American Eagle Outfitters called AE77 had the most undisclosed ingredients with 24 chemicals, followed by Chanel Coco with 18 unlisted ingredients. Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue had the fewest unlisted ingredients, containing just seven.

While DEP is used as a solvent in the fragrances, other unlisted ingredients seem to help create the cologne's particular scent -- but that doesn't mean they're harmless. The study describes two synthetic musks, galaxolide and tonalide, as interfering with estrogen and androgen. Galaxolide has also been found in the umbilical cords of newborn babies, proving that newborns are exposed to the chemicals in the womb.

EWG is pushing for greater regulation of scented products.

"First, we'd like to see every ingredient listed on the label, because people should know what's going on or in their bodies," Naidenko says. "The next step is to make sure the ingredients used have been thoroughly tested to determine their safety."

The EWG maintains a database of cosmetics and personal care products with hazard ratings.

[editors note: For years I have been warning about environmental compounds affecting sex hormones and sex hormone receptors (environmental estrogen modifiers for example) and I shy away from house air fresheners (Glade, Febreze), fragrances and other non-therapeutic chemicals when at all possible. Stick with natural extracts when you can (sandalwood, lavender). For my bHRT patients, this article rings true, that often the good we do in medicine is thwarted by inadvertent actions at attempts at hygiene and glamour.]

Source: http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/mens-sexual-health/cologne-chemicals-damage-sperm

A nice Thank You from an online questioner

Dear Expert,

One questioner just made a rating to your answer on the AllExperts.com site:

Knowledgeability - 10
Clarity of response - 10
Timeliness - 10
Politeness - 10
Prestige Point - 30
Comment - thank you for taking your time to answer my question about statins. i 
will take your advice and visit your blog. I know you are very busy and i think 
you are doing a great service to people with your advice.

Following is the question information:

Questioner: charlotte
Subject: cholesterol lowering supplements
Date Answered: 2010-05-14 18:25:05

Here is the link of that question: http://www.allexperts.com/expertx.cgi?m=11&expID=1220&qID=4949851


Thank you for volunteering at AllExperts.com.

May 2010 Carolina Mobile MD Newsletter

MAY 2010 Newsletter

This month I am posting an article on Hawthorn (Crataegus) extract and it use in cardiac health, specifically congestive heart failure. This is a natural way to mollify the rages of CHF that can make daily life uncomfortable for most who suffer this malady.

The prior mentioned "Wellness Retreat" for May has been put on the back burner. Details on a wellness retreat will be made once it is back on schedule.

For those interested in learning more about a rather new healthcare model (retainer based/ concierge medicine) that is gaining in popularity [especially in this era of uncertainty regarding health care reform and the future of health care in America] check out a PowerPoint presentation by clicking here.

Hawthorn Extract

by JP Saleeby, MD

The genus Crataegus sp. better known as Hawthorn is a spiny shrub native to the Northern Hemispheres of North America, Asia and Europe. Know for centuries for its medicinal properties, it is the single oldest known herb used in western (or European) medicine. While many of the plant parts such as the flowers, leaves and fruit are used medicinally, those of the dried flowering tops have, at least in the west, stood the test of time and utilization for therapy related to the heart. Chinese medicine (TCM) has used predominantly the berry for its medical uses mostly as a digestive aid.

Extracts of the flower of the Hawthorn plant (specifically C. monogyna and C. laevigata species) have been intensly studies and the extracts show active ingredients in the oligomeric procyanidine (OPC), flavonoid family of compounds. OPCs are responsible for the free-radical scavenging properties probably best seen in reducing damage due to myocardium injury/insult following ischemia or infarct, as they lessen the effects of neutrophil elastase that is the causative agent in scar tissue formed after myocardial injury (heart attack). Research has shown Hawthorn extracts to have positive inotropic effects that increase cardiac output and the force-frequency ratio in a failing human heart. The Flavonoids found in this herb are active against and inhibit phosphodiesterase and also activate the cardiac endothelium-derived relaxing factor making for increased vasodilation, something that is beneficial in cardiac patients. The flavonoids are further effective in reducing platelet aggregation and adhesion. This is beneficial for prevention of thrombosis and occlusion of coronary vessels (arteries) related to coronary artery disease. Much the same action that aspirin (ASA) and Plavix (clopidogrel) have on platelets we see with Hawthorn.

By and large the greatest impact Hawthorn extracts have on the cardiac system is with the myocardium and its positive effects in cases of congestive heart failure (CHF). Some researchers state that this herb also stabilized the myocardium and reduces dysrhythmias or abnormal heart rhythms. There was review and analysis of studies reported in the 2008 Cochrane review that showed "alternative" treatments with Hawthorn stood up nicely to more conventional therapies for CHF. When used against placebo in double blinded studies on CHF patients Hawthorn substantially increased maximal work load tolerance, improved symptoms of fatigue and dyspnea (shortness of breath) and increased exercise tolerance in patients with failure. In a separate study by Tauchert M., et al, published in 1994 in a German peer reviewed journal, Hawthorn was compared to the ACE-inhibitor drug Capoten (captopril) head on and the results were favorable for Hawthorn. Standardized doses of Hawthorn provided equal, statistically significant positive results no different than the pharmaceutical agent Capoten. Capoten is a main stay drug of traditional therapy for CHF. In a trial published in 2008 under the acronym SPICE, Dr. Holubarsch, et. al., showed the protective effects of Hawthorn against cardiac death and sudden death in those entered into the trial.

There are no absolute contraindications for taking Hawthorn extracts aside from allergic sensitivity to the plant. Side effects are minimal and those most common are vertigo and dizziness. It is not recommended during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding as it has the potential for uterine stimulation. It is estimated by Dr. Zick, et. al., in a 2005 study that as many as a third of patients with CHF are taking Complimentary and Alternative Medical (CAM) supplements and that these may have untoward effects in combination with standard drug therapy. Care must be taken with the use of Hawthorn root and such medications as digoxin, vasodilators, ACE-inhibitors, calcium channel blockers. There is the theoretical concern of the potentiation effect of the combination of Hawthorn extract with these other cardiac drugs. However no data exists of problems with concomitant use of digoxin, another drug commonly used in CHF. The dose can range depending on the patient and practitioner, but standard doses are 600 to 1800 mg divided into two or three doses. The German Commission E (to Germany what the Physician Desk Reference (PDR) is to the USA) specifically recommends hawthorn leaf and flower as a therapeutic herb for CHF in its monographs. The German Commission E monographs are some 380 monographs detailing herbs, their uses, dosages, adverse effect and drug interactions along with pharmacological effects that comprise a respected therapeutic guide to herbal medicine practitioners.

Ref:

1. Dahmer S , Scott E Health Effects of Hawthorn, J. AFP, February 15 2010 Vol. 81 No. 4:465-468.
   
2. Tauchert M, et. al, Effectiveness of hawthorn extract L1 132 compared with the ACE-inh. Capopril. Much Med. Wochenschr. 1994;136:S27-33.
   
3. Holubarsch CJ, et. al., Investigation of Crataegus extract WS 1442 in CHF (SPICE) trial study group. Eur J. Heart Fail. 2008;10(12):1255-1263.
   
4. Zick, SM, et. al., The prevalence and pattern of complementary and alternative supplement use in individuals with chronic heart failure. J Card Fail. 2005;11(8):586-589.
5. The Complete German Commission E Monographs, Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines, 1st ed. 1998

(c) 2010

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May 2010 Newsletter

DID YOU KNOW: In the February 17th, 2010 edition of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) an article was published on how DNA evidence obtained from the mummy remains of King Tut and his relatives were able to prove ancestry. Additionally it shed some light on some genetic and pathologic disorders of Tutankhamun's family.

Quote of the month: "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking." - Albert Einstein

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