Daily Health and Medicine News

Cancer Treatment News

Management of NHS cancer services ‘in need of reform’

Hospital admissions of cancer patients arriving at Accident and Emergency departments have doubled in the past decade, according to a report from the National Audit Office (NAO).

Although emergency admissions are supposed to be the exception, the report also shows that between 2000 and 2008 the number of emergency admissions for cancer patients (admitted as an emergency by a healthcare professional) increased from 231,000 to 300,000.
Mexico online pharmacy
Around 80% of these patients had already been diagnosed with cancer, raising concerns about the support available to them during and after treatment. Cancer patients may be admitted as an emergency case for a variety of reasons, including the side effects of treatment such as chemotherapy. The number of patients being given chemotherapy has tripled in the past decade.

The remaining 20% of those admitted as an emergency are diagnosed as a result of their admission. Survival rates are worse for this group, as highlighted by another report published this week.

Variation

The NAO’s report highlights significant variation in the amount spent on cancer across the country. This varies from £55 per person in some parts of England to £154 in other parts. Less than half of the extent of this variation can be explained.

In another illustration of variation, the rate of cancer patients referred for diagnosis as an urgent case by their GP varies almost fourfold across different parts of the country and by more than eightfold between GP practises. The findings may indicate significant variation in the extent to which GPs are following national guidance on which symptoms should prompt an urgent referral to a cancer specialist. Nationally, the volume of patients referred urgently has increased by 44% from 627,000 in 2006 to 904,000 in 2009.

GPs

The role of GPs in managing cancer services is set to grow in the next four years and the report raises concerns about whether they will have sufficient information to support them in the decisions they will have to make, warning that there are “key gaps and limitations” in the data collected.

Currently, cancer services are purchased by local NHS commissioners working in primary care trusts (PCTs). However from 2013 GPs will take over this job, with PCTs abolished. By this time the Government may have introduced a new national cancer strategy following a review of the existing strategy being conducted by the national cancer director. The NAO report warns that without better information about cancer care in England, including costs and activity, delivery of the strategy will falter.

According to the report only 22% of PCTs attempt to assess the value for money they get from cancer services. This is particularly worrying given the fact that the NHS is expected to make savings of £15 – £20bn by 2014. The report found that only 26% of NHS PCTs had carried out a cost benefit analysis comparing different ways of delivering cancer services. Private medical insurers use a variety of ways to control spend on cancer, including delivering more care such as chemotherapy in patients’ homes. However, the rising cost of cancer treatment remains a challenge for the private sector. Bupa has reported that over the last five years the cost of cancer treatment for its members has increased by 40%.

The NHS spent around £6.3bn on cancer services in 2008-09 and the report argues that “there are opportunities to deliver better outcomes for patients whilst saving money and freeing up resources to meet the increasing demand for services.”

It concludes: “Any improvements in cancer services will need to be delivered in the face of much tougher finances and an increase in the number of new cases each year from 255,000 to 300,000 by 2020.”

Breast Cancer Treatment Efficient If Risk Categories GetMammograms Under 50

Family risk of developing breast cancer even at a moderate rate should be a noteworthy sign to get a mammogram per year, according to a recent study.

Even though all U.S. women having the above stated family background undertake this diagnosing procedure as per national healthcare programs, Europe is not so rigorous in this sense, as no screening in order to identify breast cancer is a standard procedure across the old continent. A recent study ran by a group of British researchers have developed a supervision program for 6,710 female participants under 50 whose risk of developing breast cancer as per family history and personal medical record.

The researchers have established several selection criteria in order to establish the moderate risk category. Having a close relative who suffered from breast cancer or being diagnosed with breast cancer could be a relevant criterion for study participation.
The monitoring program lasted close to five years and every single year, each women got a mammogram per year. Based on results of previous studies where patients shared the same eligibility criteria but did not get a yearly mammogram, the British scientists estimated that a mammogram per year was very likely to reduce death risk caused by breast cancer by 20 percent.
The annual screening procedure allowed doctors to identify at a very early stage small size tumors. This advantage has implicitly made the breast cancer treatment more efficient, in contrast to cases when the tumor remained unidentified and expanded and put the patient’s life at risk.

Doctor defends radical cancer treatment

An Austrian doctor has defended his radical cancer treatment before a Perth coronial inquest into the deaths of five people who were prescribed chemical cocktails to fight the disease.

Dr Hellfried Sartori blamed poor treatment in hospitals and the lack of ongoing nutritional support for the 2005 deaths.

“If those people had been treated properly they would be here today,” he told reporters outside the inquest on Thursday.
Advertisement: Story continues below

He said cancers were largely caused by acute shock experiences but could be eradicated through the controlled administration of certain vitamins and minerals.

Dr Sartori’s treatment involves administering cesium chloride and other chemicals, some of which are banned for medical use in Australia.

In May 2005, Sandra McCarty, 53, from Victoria, Pia Bosso, 68, from NSW, Perth woman Sandra Kokalis, 52, and Deborah Gruber, 42, from New York, underwent Dr Sartori’s treatment at the Perth home of local practitioner Dr Alexandra Boyd.

All four women, who had severe forms of cancer, died about two weeks after being rushed to hospital with various symptoms, including gastrointestinal bleeding and seizures.

A fifth patient, 29-year-old Perth man Carmelo Vinciullo, underwent Dr Sartori’s treatment in May 2005, but stopped after he felt unbearable pain and was told to “control the pain with his mind”.

Mr Vinciullo died on July 1 following respiratory failure.

The coronial inquest is examining whether the treatment given to the five contributed to their deaths.

Dr Sartori, who has spent three years in jail in the US for practising medicine without a licence, lived in Thailand when the five were being treated and liaised with a nurse in Perth about their courses of treatment.

Under questioning from counsel assisting the coroner, Dr Celia Kemp, Dr Sartori said Dr Boyd was a local doctor who was there only to ensure conventional treatment was available if there were complications.

He said the patients died after being rushed to hospitals and taken off his treatment.

“It would have been so much better if I had been there and my very sad lesson from that … is in future I would not allow this to happen,” Dr Sartori told the inquest.

He later told reporters that in two cases, blood transfusions were not given when they were needed.

“The problem had nothing to do with my treatment. There was mismanagement in the hospitals.”

Dr Sartori said his treatment required continuing nutritional support and none of the patients received it.

He said the majority of cancers were caused by “acute shock experiences” and when doctors told patients they had cancer, the shock of the news could cause the body to develop secondary cancers.

Under questioning, Dr Sartori confirmed he believed anti-cancer drugs were the major cause of death in cancer patients and he totally opposed chemotherapy.

“Nature wants to heal itself and you have to provide the proper conditions. This is the art here,” he said.

Alternative Medicine News

Alternative Medicine Pioneer Dr. Steven Sinatra Speaks on “Earthing; The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?”

Playa Del Rey, CA (PRWEB) November 18, 2010

A pioneer in the field of alternative medicine, Dr. Stephen Sinatra is speaking on the topic of – “EARTHING: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?” on the free webcast series Wellness Revolution 2 at budurl.com/wellnessnews on November 22 at 4 PM Pacific Time.

Dr. Sinatra, is a board certified cardiologist who describes himself as an “integrative cardiologist”. That is, he prefers to treat heart disease by using the best of both conventional and alternative medicine.

His use of the recent discovery of “earth energy” he claims has profound implications for wellness. The practice of using the earth’s energy is called “earthing” and entails “grounding” a person to the earth much as an electrical current is grounded. Dr. Sinatra will explain the theory and practical applications of earthing in a one-hour interview on the Wellness Revolution 2 webcast series at budurl.com/wellnessnews.

Dr. Sinatra is also featured in this year’s bestselling book on effective alternative medicine treatments for cancer by actress Suzanne Somers entitled “Knockout”.

Dr. Sinatra has used his wide experience as a cardiologist, nutrition specialist, certified bioenergetic psychotherapist, and an anti-aging specialist, to create much of the information we now have about alternative medicine. Dr. Sinatra explains some of his “integrative” philosophy,

“Good health information is based on all of the facts, not just the ones that support your agenda.”

Alternative medicine claims to be reviewed

An academic review of international research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is to take place over the coming months, focusing on three specific therapies identified by a Department of Health working group report — acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. The additional fields of osteo-pathy and chiropractic will also be examined in the review. A critical review of literature on the therapeutic effectiveness, safety and contemporary public policy on the regulation of these complementary therapies since 2000 will also be carried out.

The new study is expected to identify all academically accredited and validated programmes carried out on these therapies by higher education institutions in Ireland, the UK and other countries like Australia and New Zealand — countries that have national frameworks on complementary therapies, which are compatible with the Bologna qualifications framework, a European framework of qualifications in the higher education area.

The review must identify all accredited programmes of higher education since 2005 and, where validation of such therapies has ceased since then, an analysis of the reasons for such a step and whether these were driven by academic, market, political, reputational or scientific concerns.
An open tender for research groups interested in carrying out this study is currently taking place.

Alternative medicine: why it can do more harm than good

Flying from India to attend the Battle of Ideas festival last month, I spoke on the panel of a lively debate entitled “Alternative medicine: the pros and cons”, where I outlined the reasons why I oppose alternative and complementary medicine.

In outlining my opposition, first let us look at the deficiencies of modern medicine. It cannot cure all illnesses. It can often take a long time to make the correct diagnosis. Sometimes it can fail to make any diagnosis at all, for example, chronic pain syndrome. Some of its treatments, especially for cancer, are very unpleasant. Many, if not the majority, of modern practitioners of medicine stress the science
of diagnosis and treatment, perhaps to the detriment of the “art of healing”. These are the gaps that alternative medicine claims to fill.

Unfortunately, these claims have not withstood scientific scrutiny. The scientific foundations for many of the claims such as, for example, that the dilution of a medicine increases potency (in the case of homeopathy), points for acupuncture, the four humors (in Ayurvedic medicine), do not have any basis in anatomy or physiology and are merely hangovers from a time when science had not reached its present state of advancement.

To the argument that ‘alternative medicine works, so why oppose it?’, I say there are many dangers, such as the exploitation of the credulous patient and the failure to treat a potentially curable condition which is life-threatening unless properly treated. There is a long history of societies being exploited by priest-doctors. We should guard against individuals who lay claim to special powers.

There are specific problems in India, although many of these are perhaps common to countries where there are a lot of poor people. Eighty percent of spending on medical treatment in India is private, out-of-pocket spending. Indeed it is the number one cause of rural indebtedness. And due to poor medical services, India has a very high rate of maternal and infant mortality. Against this backdrop of limited availability of medical care and government reluctance to spend public money on healthcare (currently less than 5%of GDP), it suits the government to suggest that “traditional healers” are an alternative source of medical care. Making a virtue out of such “traditional healers” due to the fact that there are not enough trained doctors (in India only only 7 in every 10,000 people are trained doctors) and nurses (7.85 per 10,000) is a cynical exercise of the worst kind.

Defenders of alternative medicine do a terrible disservice to the poor of the country by providing intellectual justification for the government’s failure to provide quality medical care. Denying the privilege of modern medicine to a large section of our citizens by trying to convince them that traditional medicine is as effective when all evidence shows that it is not, is nothing short of criminal injustice.

A section of those who are better off can afford to dabble in alternative medicine, secure in the knowledge that they can run to the nearby modern medical centre whenever they wish. For such “faddists”, alternative medicine is just one option. However, the poor of India have no such options and by forcing them to use the ineffective snake-oil of alternative medicine, the government is squandering tax-payers money and demonstrating that they are too callous to provide quality care.

Acne News

Acne drug may boost suicide risk by lowering serum vitamin

Editor’s note: In a nutshell, the following report provides evidence suggesting that isotretinoin used to treat acne may decrease serum levels of calcitriol – the active form of vitamin D – and lowering of serum vitamin D boosts the risk of depression and suicide.

It has been observed that taking Accutane canada pharmacy or isotretinoin, made by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc and indicated to treat severe acne, has been positively associated with suicides or suicidal attempts.

Accutane has been used by more than 13 million people to treat severe acne since its introduction in the early 1980s, according to Webmd.com.

Last June, the company said it was withdrawing the drug from the market, citing increased competition from its generic counterpart.

A new study published in the journal BMJ Online First suggested that acne itself may boost the risk of depression and suicide and accutane may actually reduce the likelihood that a person who had previously tried to kill himself once would actually try it again.

For the study, researcher Anders Sundstrom, MD and colleagues followed 5,700 patients with severe acne and found the risk of suicide in the patients with severe acne was increased, even several years before treatment; that risk elevated for several months after treatment.

However, the highest risk was found during the six months after treatment ended. For this, the researchers explained, the patients may feel desperate when after observing that the treatment did not improve their skin condition as much as desired.

Sundstrom was cited as saying doctors need to recognize that patients with severe acne may be at higher risk for depression and suicidal behaviors.

The researchers suggested that patients need to be monitored during treatment with accutane and for one year after the treatment ends.

No one knows why acne was linked to higher risk of depression and suicidal thoughts or attempts or whether acne or acne drug boosts the risk.

A health observer told foodconsumer.org that the missing link between severe acne and elevated risk of depression and suicidal thoughts could be vitamin D deficiency.

First, vitamin d deficiency, which is more likely to occur in residents of states like Oregon and Washington, possibly because of the grey weather, has been associated with elevated risk of depression and suicide, according in part to VitaminDcouncil.org.

On the other hand, treatment of acne with accutane or isotretinoin can significantly reduce serum levels of 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D or Calcitriol or the active form of vitamin D, according to a study in a 1992 issue of Acta dermato-venereologica.

Rødland O and colleagues of the University of Bergen in Norway tested serum levels of vitamin D metabolites in 11 patients treated for cystic acne with a four-month course of isotretinoin or Roaccutane. The levels were measured before and after two months of treatment.

The researchers found serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D dropped significantly in acne patients treated with isotrenitoin.

This evidence explains perfectly why acne patients are at their highest risk of suicide six months after treatment with Accutane.

Dr. John Cannell, a vitamin D expert and director of Vitamin D Council said in the organization’s newsletter dated Oct 2008 that a reader reported her teenage son with type 2 diabetes had taken 5000 IU of vitamin D a day for about 6 months and then he started losing weight, improving blood sugar and eventually eliminating his acne.

According to Dr. Cannell, a paper published in 1938 already mentioned the therapeutic effect of vitamin D against severe acne. The dose used ranged from 5,000 to 14,000 IU per day.

Coconut Oil Treats Acne

If you had a choice of remedies for acne, would you choose lauric-acid-filled nanobombs delivered by gold nanoparticles straight to the membrane of the offending acne bacteria? Or would you choose to apply coconut oil to your face and let nature take its course?

One would wonder why anyone would choose a medication using nanoparticles to deliver part of a natural substance (coconut oil) that contains even more ingredients with skin-healing properties: capric acid and vitamin E. Although nanoparticles are now being used to deliver medications to certain bodily sites, their long-term side effects are little-known.

Acne, well-known to almost every teenager, is an inflammation of the oil glands, especially on the face. It seems counterintuitive to put oil on skin already oily, and many people hesitated using coconut oil for that reason. But after trying it, they were pleasantly surprised to see their skin become more normal.

Not all of them had acne—some had dry skin or eczema—but most of them were benefited even though there were several individual methods of application. Some would wash their face, apply a little oil, either steam their face or just wait a few minutes, and then wipe it off. Others left it on overnight.

There was a wide variation in sensitivity to the oil. Four people found coconut oil made their acne worse, but most found the oil brought noticeable improvement.

The benefits they reported, along with clearing up acne, were healing scars, making pores smaller, and causing wrinkles to disappear. Generally, the total health of the skin is enhanced by coconut oil.

Although acne was greatly improved or cured in 21 cases, some broke out in whiteheads and stopped putting the oil on their faces. One waited two weeks before stopping. Others felt this was a detoxifying event and allowed the whiteheads to clear up.

Several people felt the oil was unsuitable to put on the face, at least at first, and used it on legs, arms, hands, and feet. For those who can put coconut oil on their faces, it does not cause the eyes to smart as many creams and oils do. Some chose to eat it—from 2 to 6 tablespoons a day, in smoothies, on ice cream, in soups, or just plain

Coconut oil has not been widely recommended by the media. One person had had acne for 25 years before discovering this use of the oil. For others, it was 12 and 7 years.

Coconut oil is very greasy and shiny when first applied, which almost everyone listed as a con. This did not prevent some from rubbing it all over their bodies after a shower, putting on flannel sleepwear, going to bed, and waking up with silky skin in the morning.

The oil is a solid up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Warmer than that, it becomes liquid. Most people found a little bit goes a long way. Since it is nontoxic, it can be applied daily, even several times a day.

Vitamins May Help Treat Acne

Acne is a common skin condition that can occur throughout adolescence, but it may also appear in one’s twenties as well. The Daily Mail reports that one solution that may be overlooked is getting a steady supply of certain vitamins.

Whether one attains these nutrients from supplements or food, there are several ingredients should consume in order to fight unwanted blemishes.

One such nutrient is Omega-3, which is found in fish, nuts, eggs and chicken. This can help promote healing after acne begins to fade and also stop the spread of any infection. Vitamin A can also be very effective when fighting the condition, as it can maintain skin health and is often found in prescription creams.

Using zinc as a topical agent may also be helpful because it has anti-inflammatory properties. However, vitamin E is touted as the best ingredient to ward off acne, as it can be used on the face to prevent scarring.

Weight Loss News

Weight loss drug ’caused death of 500 people’

A weight loss drug that has been taken by millions of French is likely to have been the cause of death of 500 people, the country’s drug safety body announced on Tuesday, amid claims that health authorities long ignored calls for the drug to be banned.

France’s second-largest pharmaceutical group was yesterday at the heart of a spiralling health scandal over Mediator, a drug initially reserved for obese people with diabetes that became a popular appetite suppressor.

Afssaps, the drug safety body, yesterday said expert epidemiologists believed Mediator, made by Servier, had been lethal for at least 500 people and had caused 3,500 others to be admitted to hospital since its launch in 1976.

Some 300,000 people were taking the drug when Afssaps pulled it from the market last November, saying it had little effect on diabetes and might lead to a dangerous thickening of heart valves. The European Medicines Agency followed suit.

Lose weight … and save money

MONTREAL — Frances Michaelson, a pioneer in fitness for more than 30 years, is passionate about all things health.

However, she feels the fitness industry is “failing those that need us the most” – the obese.

“We keep coming up with new toys and gadgets and workouts that are actually terrifying the very people we need to encourage to get moving,” she said.

Michaelson tours the country giving lectures and workshops on living a healthy lifestyle, and she attended an industry conference in Chicago in October where she listened to Richard Simmons (yes, that Richard Simmons) address a group of fitness professionals. Simmons told the group that something is obviously wrong with the way things are: Trainers are being certified almost by the hour, and there are more gyms offering more classes and more equipment than ever before, but obesity statistics keep rising almost as fast.
Viagra online australia
“Simmons said it’s because as trainers we are training the same fit people over and over again,” Michaelson said, “instead of targeting the overweight and out-of-shape.”

Michaelson said she came home and was sitting in her Muscle Up personal training centre in Baie d’Urfé on a recent afternoon with Simmons’s words still resonating in her head. She looked around at the near-empty space and wondered what she could do that would really make a difference.

“And this light went on,” she said. “Why don’t I let people who have significant weight to lose come in and use the facility for free? Let’s get them moving, and hopefully they’ll see results and want to continue.”

So Michaelson is opening her training centre on afternoons and evenings, absolutely free of charge, to people who have at least 50 pounds to lose and who fear the gym scene.

Those who are interested will get an assessment, an introductory nutritional and fitness program, and six weeks free of charge; after that, Michaelson will work with clients to establish a sliding scale of payment, if necessary.

“I really don’t want it to be only about the money,” she said. “Let’s see if those who are interested – and committed – start to feel better after they’ve been moving and eating better for a short while.” And they had better “use it or lose it” – she’d like to see the people who sign up come in at least three days a week.

Michaelson said they should start to feel better after three weeks, and see results after six.

“I want people to come in and really start to feel comfortable in this environment, let them see how it feels to just sit on a stability ball, or pedal on an exercise bike, to try something new.”

Many people don’t even know the basics, like breathing, Michaelson said.

“Learning how to breathe properly can make a tremendous difference in your day-to-day life,” she said.

Michaelson knows how intimidating it can be for overweight people to even begin an exercise program.

She’s been working with Mary Vipond, an obese client in her 40s, since the summer and has helped Vipond gain a better understanding of herself and her body.

“It’s a very slow process,” Michaelson said. “We want to make lifestyle changes that will stick.

“Mary called me the other night and told me she had climbed the stairs – all 11 floors of her building – something she had never before done – to me that’s progress” she said.

Vipond said she had been at a point where she didn’t even know where to start anymore.

“I knew Frances and reconnected with her through friends, but I really didn’t know when I began where it would lead.”

Interestingly, Michaelson never told Vipond what she weighed at the outset of their working together. Vipond said that seems to be working out quite well.

“What happens when you have a lot of weight to lose is we get caught up in the numbers and fixate on them” she explained. “When you don’t reach those numbers, it can have a negative impact on your weight loss and your morale and you quit.”

Vipond said Michaelson, a certified naturopath, introduced her to a new way of eating, emphasizing fruits and vegetables with lean proteins and whole grains. She said the shape of her body has changed significantly, and her energy level has increased dramatically.

“My clothes are getting way too big and my co-workers keep commenting on my weight loss, so those are all good signs,” she said with a laugh.

Man Loses Weight After Unflattering Google Maps Street View Image

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) – A man in need of some weight-loss inspiration found it after seeing himself on Google Maps Street View.

The Daily Mail reported that Bob Mewse, 56, weighed 296 pounds a year ago when he saw himself on the mapping service that uses a 360-degree camera to record images. The camera shot a side view of the Bristol, England man wearing a gray shirt near a filling station.

“I was horrified when I saw that photo,” he told the Telegraph . “I was massive. My belly was sticking out and I looked huge.”

He said he was also having back problems and “sky-high” blood pressure. The Daily Mail said he was driving 30 miles to find clothes to fit him.

Mewse headed to a gym and got help from a personal trainer who also helped him develop a healthy eating plan. Cakes and other desserts were replaced with fruit, salads and protein-rich foods.

CBS News said the morbidly-obese man lost 98 pounds.

“If I can do this, anybody can,” he said. “I’m just an ordinary bloke. I feel much healthier now.”

Google Street View has long contributed to interesting stories. That has been the case recently as Ubergizmo.com reported Google has been under fire by privacy advocates in Germany who believe people have a right not to have a photo of them turn up online.

A graduate student has come up with a software that will digitally remove pedestrians from Street View images. Ubergizmo, though, said this could lead to some haunting effects since what’s left behind are ghost-like shapes, sometimes still connected to shoes and feet.

Google has also lent a hand to efforts to bust crime. The New York Post reported three heroin dealers were seen in images trying to peddle drugs on a street corner. Residents had been complaining about them selling drugs in the open.

They were recently among seven dealers arrested in an undercover New York Police Department sting.

Police had used their own surveillance cameras to get proof of the actual drug transactions. Law enforcement sources, though, had said Google Street View images had captured images of them working the corner.

Gawker.com reported in October that in one image it appeared as though blurry, possibly robed figures were caught hovering above a lake in Quarten, Switzerland.

“Is it something on the camera lens?” Gawker asked. “Or is it maybe God …?”

Allergies News

Got Allergies? Be Careful How You Hook Up

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that about 11 million Americans have some type of food allergy, but many more are affected by these conditions — especially the partners of highly allergic people. After they consume forbidden foods, they can cause potentially fatal reactions in their afflicted partners by kissing, touching or having intercourse.

Doctors have previously counseled the partners of allergic people to brush their teeth and wash their hands between a peanut butter sandwich and a make-out session, but according to Dr. Sami Bahna, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, new research shows that traces of the offending foods can remain in saliva (or semen) for up to 24 hours. Unfortunately, tooth-brushing and other cleaning efforts may not be enough to protect allergic people on the receiving end of a smooch. (More on Time.com: Want Good Health? There Are 10 Apps for That)

The best prevention is food avoidance for everyone — at least for the 16 to 24 hours before a bout of intimacy. Reports HealthDay:

“People need to know that intimate contact with individuals who’ve eaten or consumed suspect foods or medicines can also cause problems,” said Dr. Clifford W. Bassett, a clinical instructor at New York University’s School of Medicine, New York City, and an attending physician in the allergy and immunology department of Long Island College Hospital. “So, for people with a significant food allergy it’s always better to play it safe by making sure that everyone knows that in all situations these foods are strictly off-limits.”

He believes it’s vital that these individuals, “start a dialogue about [the allergy] with their friends, their colleagues, and their loved ones. In fact, I feel strongly that individuals with serious allergies — and I’m not talking about trivial allergies, but those with life-threatening conditions — have a kind of obligation to themselves and to the people they care about to start this discussion. Because it can and will save lives.”

Warning issued on food allergies

WITH the weather warming up and people eating out more, consumers and businesses are being warned to ensure they are aware of advice regarding food allergies.

Through the Australian Food Safety Conference, Anaphylaxis Australia revealed many Australians who lost their lives in recent years as a result of food anaphylaxis had eaten food purchased, or given to them, when away from home.

Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction and is potentially life threatening.

It is a generalised allergic reaction which often involves more than one body system.

Allergic reactions in cafes and restaurants are often caused by a lack of staff education about food allergies.

The most common food triggers for anaphylaxis are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, crustaceans and soy.

Wyong Council’s senior health officer Stephen Berry said people with food allergies were responsible for their management but it was important that people serving food in restaurants and cafes understood their responsibilities too.

“Teenagers and young adults aged between 13 and 21 represent nearly 70 per cent of food-allergic fatalities,” he said. Food businesses should take no shortcuts or change set menu ingredients and think about cross contamination when purchasing, storing, preparing and serving food.

Mobile Phones Responsible for Triggering Nickel Allergies

An allergy is a condition, which can be slightly irritating and also be fatal for a person and they do happen to be very inquisitive as allergies can be caused from anything. A strange, yet a surprising fact about allergies are that even talking on the phone can trigger an allergy.

The reason why, allergies can be triggered through a phone is because phones contain the metal nickel and when nickel comes in contact with a person it results in the reaction.

While talking about allergies, Luz Fonacier, an ACAAI Fellow states that increased usage of cell phones usually results in people suffering from nickel allergies because of an extended exposure to the metal. He adds that people end up coming to him for dry and itchy patches without the slightest idea of what could be the reason behind allergic reactions.

It needs to be noted that nickel allergies affect almost one-fifth women and 3% men and can trigger a reaction even when someone talks over the phone, as even a slight contact with nickel can result in the allergy surfacing up. Apart from the mobile, nickel allergies are also caused from coins, paper clips and keys.

Apart from nickel, allergies from tattoos and cosmetics also affect a lot of people. According to Fonacier the best way to reduce such allergies is to delay the introduction of piercings among children until they are not older than
10-years old.

Diabetes Treatment Today

Y course helps those at risk for diabetes

It’s hard to admit life’s taken an unhealthy turn.

But that’s the reality for many frantically busy adults who sacrifice good food choices and fitness. Nearly 23 million Americans today live with Type 2 diabetes, a preventable but increasingly common chronic health condition.

Tampa resident Mary Shorter watched as diabetes nearly killed her older sister, and she vowed a year ago to avoid a similar fate. It started by acknowledging that her sedentary habits and what she ate were keeping her body from producing sufficient insulin.

“I refuse to be a diabetic,” says Shorter, who already has lost more than 45 pounds. “I’m doing everything within my powers.”

She knew a diabetes-fighting strategy involved more than just weight loss. She wanted to learn more about nutrition and exercise, and recently enrolled in a 16-week diabetes-prevention class just launched at five Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA branches.

Four weeks into a class at Valrico’s Campo Y, Shorter and three other women are filling out food journals, reading food labels and learning the differences between carbs, fats and sugars. Instructor Mae Allen doles out lifestyle changes in small bites, offering tips for navigating restaurants and stressful situations.

“You may have ups, you may have downs, but you can get back on it,” says Allen, one of 12 Y lifestyle coaches trained to teach the course at the Y or for community groups.

The 16-week commitment keeps the topic from becoming overwhelming, and a weekly weigh-in holds students accountable, participant Jeannette Hirschkowtiz says.

What affected her most was hearing how classmates have seen fathers, sisters and friends affected by diabetes, the Valrico resident says.

“I have a 6-year-old. Oh, my gosh, I didn’t want to be in a wheelchair. … It began sinking in that (the risk for diabetes) is real,” says Hirschkowitz, who was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and reluctantly signed up for the class.

The Y classes are part of a national partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which estimates 1 in 10 Americans has Type 2 diabetes. A recent report issued a more dire prediction: 1 in 3 Americans will be diagnosed with the condition by 2050 if drastic changes aren’t made.

The 16-week Y diabetes prevention course and year-long maintenance follow-up are based on CDC studies that show a 7 percent loss in body weight can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent. For a 200-pound man or woman, that translates to just 14 pounds, says Maureen Chiodini, the Tampa Y’s associate vice president of membership and programs.

“It’s not overwhelming,” Chiodini says of the plan that encourages weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week and promotes physical activity of at least 150 minutes a week.

Enrollment for the class is ongoing; it costs $100, or $50 for Y members. Participants must be overweight or obese and at high risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Those already diagnosed as pre-diabetic also qualify.

Martha Gutierrez of Valrico signed up to set a better example for her 11-year-old daughter. She is now working out before the weekly class and has changed when and what she eats, switching, for example, from granola bars to high-fiber bars.

Shorter, whose sister spent three months in a diabetic coma, now takes her sibling along for a daily walk. She spends 30 minutes walking a day; her sister is working up to walking five.

“If there was any way I could … influence other kids in my family, I would,” Shorter says. “I want to wake up every morning saying I’m healthy.”

Dietary intervention may lower risk of type 1 diabetes

It is generally thought that genetic predispositions determine whether or not a child will develop type 1 diabetes. While genetics play a large role, a new study from European researchers has found that nutrition in the early stages of life may also factor into the equation.

For the study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers examined 230 newborns who had at least one family member affected by type 1 diabetes and tested positive for genetic predisposition to the disease.

Half of the newborns were weaned onto regular cow’s milk while the remainder were weaned onto a hydrolyzed casein-based formula. Researchers found that 8 percent of children in the cow’s milk group developed type 1 diabetes by age 10 while only 4 percent of children in the formula group developed the condition.

“The study showed that the safe and simple dietary intervention applied in this pilot trial was capable of reducing the emergence of diabetes-predictive autoantibodies by about 50 percent by age 10 in the participants carrying increased disease risk,” said Mikael Knip, the University of Helsinki researcher who led the investigation.

Symptoms and causes of juvenile diabetes explained

Juvenile diabetes or juvenile diabetes mellitus is now more commonly called Type 1 diabetes. It’s a syndrome with disordered metabolism and inappropriately high blood glucose levels due to a deficiency of insulin secretion in the pancreas. Juvenile Diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune disorder and there is also a strong hereditary component. Researchers believe an environmental trigger or virus causes the body to attack the beta cells in the pancreas, and once these cells are destroyed the body can no longer produce insulin.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – Rapid weight loss is one of the first symptoms of diabetes, especially if the child also has increased hunger and especially after eating. Other Symptoms include frequent urination, dry mouth, fatigue, blurred vision and numbness or tingling of the hands or feet.

There are many myths and misinformation about diabetes. There is also confusion between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. The symptoms for both are for the most part the same, however, the cause and treatment is very different.

Juvenile diabetes can affect anyone of any age, but is more common in people under 30 years and tends to develop in childhood.

The risk of juvenile diabetes is higher than virtually all other severe chronic diseases of childhood. Juvenile diabetes tends to run in families. Brothers and sisters of a child with juvenile diabetes have at least 100 times the risk of developing juvenile diabetes as a child in an unaffected family.

The symptoms of Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes are extremely similar, but the two are caused by very different bodily malfunctions. It is important to know which type the individual is afflicted with in order to provide the right treatment, which also varies between types.

It’s not always apparent that a child has type 1 or juvenile diabetes. Some of the symptoms seem like average childhood problems that occur. Nausea and/or vomiting can be misconstrued as the flu. Irritability, being tired and listless may be attributed to behaviors all children exhibit at one time or another. The discovery of juvenile diabetes may happen during a visit to a physician for another ailment such as a vaginal yeast infection for girls or even a routine examination.

Juvenile diabetes is the idea that it can be caught from another person. Juvenile diabetes, along with the other types of the disease, is absolutely not a contagious disease. Another misconception about the disease is the traditional belief that eating sweets can directly cause diabetes. In a way, eating too much sweet may eventually cause diabetes because doing so can lead to obesity. But eating sweets does not cause diabetes. Stress is never a cause of juvenile diabetes or any type of diabetes.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation announces $100 million diabetes initiative

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation has announced the launch of a five-year, $100 million initiative that will draw on the organization’s experience with community-based, non-medical support services to help people living with type 2 diabetes better manage the disease.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in the world, affecting one in 12 Americans. People with the disease either do not produce enough insulin, an enzyme that allows glucose to bring energy to cells, or their cells do not respond to the insulin they do produce – a disorder called “insulin resistance.” When glucose cannot be metabolized, cells can starve, the affected person can become severely dehydrated or even comatose and excess glucose in the bloodstream can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and other organs.

The initiative, called Together on Diabetes: Communities Uniting to Meet America’s Diabetes Challenge, will work to further develop effective self-management for those affected by the disease and help engage people and communities in the fight against type 2 diabetes. The program will also include an “innovation fund,” which will support efforts to encourage and test new ideas for controlling type 2 diabetes.

“Type 2 diabetes is one of the United States’ greatest health challenges and disproportionately affects the poor, minorities, and the elderly, many of whom are not receiving the care and support they need to improve their glycemic control,” said Bristol-Myers Squibb CEO Lamberto Andreotti. “Together on Diabetes will draw on the strengths of communities and support public and private sector partners coming together to identify and implement disease management approaches that work for large segments of the population.”

Herbal Remedies News

Herbal remedies researched

FRENCH biopharmaceutical group Pharnext is studying the potential for the construction of a herbal medicine factory in Cambodia, as part of a joint venture with local firm Mede Khmer.

Herbal remedies to counter high blood pressure, diabetes and skin conditions are on the cards, according to Moung Sothy, general manager of Mede Khmer.

The companies are now studying the varieties of local plants available and theirsustainability.

“The first step is to select the herbs … maybe one year later we can set up a factory in Cambodia. I believe that it is not long everything will take shape,” he said.

Investment, he said, could reach from US$40 million to $60 million, he added.

“In the past Khmer traditional doctors used physalis subglabrata to cure high blood pressure – but they were not experienced in the terms of science to make sure that whether those kinds of herbs are successfully used.

“We will test scientifically to make sure that those kinds of herbs are effective. We have big labs in China, France and the United States,” Moung Sothy said.

Mom Bun Heng, Minister of Health, said he did not know about the investment plans but welcomed the move.

“Despite the advanced technology, we cannot give up traditional herbs. In the developed countries traditional herbs are still used. Those kinds of traditional herbs are the root of scientific medicines,” he said.

“I don’t know whether this investment will be successful, but the research conducted every day is a useful job for Cambodia,” added Ung Sok Lean, who is deputy director of National Centre for Khmer traditional medicines, an organisation which has been researching herbs with Pharnext Group.

“If they can set up a pharmaceutical factory in Cambodia, the company will distribute those medicines to impoverished people.”

Herbal remedies for glowing skin

While most women choose to resort to expensive cosmetic products in order to get that glowing skin that will turn heads amongst men as well as cause envy amongst the “fairer sex”, the thing is that one does not have to go that far in order to look radiant.

Actually, this can be achieved without having to burn a big hole in your pockets (considering the current conservative scenario that most of us find ourselves in) and what makes this even better is that you don’t have to go very far in finding these items. Yes, you can find almost all of them in your very own kitchen.
So, here is a list of herbal home remedies that one can prepare (if you have the time!) using items that you normally use to prepare your food with:

Herbal Remedy #1: Applying olive oil to your skin can work wonders especially if you are ailing with sunburned skin.

Herbal Remedy #2: Instead of purchasing those costly deodorants that you run out of regularly, mixing vinegar with water in equal amounts can be effective against smelly feet and armpits.

Herbal Remedy #3: If you struggle with dry skin, one can mash avocados and apply them on your face. Wait for 20 minutes and then rinse it off after 20 minutes.

Herbal Remedy #4: Another effective home remedy which works as an excellent face mask is egg yolk mixed with honey. After you make this paste, apply it on your skin and then leave it on for about 20 minutes after which you can rinse it off. This works very well for those who have sensitive skin as well.
Herbal Remedy

#5: Dark circles are another common problem that can be resolved by using herbal remedies as well. And for this, all one has to do is dip cotton pads into a chilled mixture of potato juice and cucumber. Keep this on your eyelids for about 15 to 20 minutes and then gently wash it off.

Homeopaths fury over EU ban on generic “herbal medicines”

Homeopaths across the EU are banding together in a last ditch effort to prevent the EU from enforcing strict regulatory laws governing the sale of herbal medicines across the EU.

The Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, 2004/24/EC, was established to provide a regulatory approval process for herbal medicines in the European Union (EU), and came into force on 30 April 2004. Previously, there was no formal EU wide authorisation procedure, so each EU member regulated these products as they wished.

Under the new regulations, herbal medicinal products must now obtain prior authorisation before being sold within the EU. Products on the market before this legislation came into force can continue to sell their products until 30 April 2011. As from the 1st of May, all herbal medicinal products must have regulatory authorisation before being sold in any EU state.

Dounne Alexander MBE, founder of a campaign to overturn this ban, said that this ruling: “if left unchallenged, poses the greatest threat imaginable to our health, (including our children & future generations), animal welfare and the environment – but also the survival of many cultural foods, holistic practices, therapists and ‘small’ health businesses. In addition, centuries of ancient wisdom and spiritual beliefs will be written out of the history books and lost forever. With the European Union and UK Government claiming that these Legislations were created to provide greater consumer protection, however, overwhelming evidence shows their true purpose is to assist global population control, power & wealth.”

Ms Alexander is currently promoting an EU wide campaign to obtain 35 million signatures to hand in a petition to the EU parliament to overturn the ban (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/joininghandsinhealth/).

However, the EU regulatory commission denies that the new legislation is aiming at a blanket ban on herbal products.

The Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), responsible for the authorisation of these types of medicines, said that “The HMPC’s activities aim at assisting the harmonisation of procedures and provisions concerning herbal medicinal products laid down in EU Member States, and further integrating herbal medicinal products in the European regulatory framework.”

“As part of these objectives, the HMPC provides EU Member States and European institutions its scientific opinion on questions relating to herbal medicinal products. The HMPC is composed of scientific experts in the field of herbal medicinal products. It has one member and one alternate member nominated by each of the 27 EU Member States and by each of the EEA-EFTA states Iceland and Norway. The Chair is elected by serving HMPC members.”

“Herbal medicines must be now manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) to ensure the quality of the finished product and also demonstrate safety.” added the HMPC.

Currently, the only herbal medicines that are exempted from the provisions of the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive are those unlicensed remedies that are created for a patient following a consultation with a herbalist.

Under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, a company needs to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the herbal medicine through traditional use within the EU for at least 30 years or 15 years within the EU and 30 years outside the EU. There is concern that some herbal remedies of 30 years ago, which are no longer in widespread use, could still be sold but that valid new herbs which cannot meet the 30 year rule may require to be withdrawn from sale. The rule could also mean that it may not be possible to license some traditional herbal medicines which were in common use more than 30 years ago, but have since fallen into disuse.

How herbal remedies can help fight gum disease

Q I regularly suffer from infected gums, and I’m very conscious that when my gums are infected, my breath is bad. Do you have any suggestions?

A Gum infections, or gingivitis, begin when bacteria in the mouth stick to the teeth, forming plaques.

These deposits then cause the gums to become inflamed. Symptoms of this include bad breath and can also be seen when cleaning the teeth – often you will see blood on your toothbrush after brushing.

Left untreated, gingivitis can turn into periodontal disease, whereby the bacteria cause the gums to pull away from the teeth, bone beneath the gums erodes and the teeth become loose. Eventually the teeth will be lost.

This is the commonest cause of tooth loss in adults.

Herbs can be used to treat the infection, but if you have not already done so, go and see your dentist as well.

They can show you how to clean and floss your teeth correctly. It is important not only to clean your teeth thoroughly and regularly, but also to floss your teeth daily too.

In addition to this, try taking 50mg a day of Co-enzyme Q10 – studies have shown it to be helpful in controlling gum disease.

To speed up the healing of gums and to reduce inflammation, rinse the mouth thoroughly with tea made from herbs such as sage or chamomile.

Sage contains antiseptic compounds, so try a mouthwash made by adding two teaspoons of dried sage to a cup of boiling water, leave to stand for 10 minutes, strain and when cool use it to rinse your teeth.

You can make up enough to last a couple of days in one go. Just remember to store the excess tea in your fridge.

Chamomile also contains antiseptic and anti-inflammatory compounds. Again make up a strong tea as before and use it as a mouthwash.

Peppermint, which is normally used as flavouring for toothpaste, is also antibacterial. Again you can make an effective mouthwash in the same way as previously described.

You can make all these teas even more effective by adding a teaspoon of Echinacea tincture to each cup. Echinacea is another effective antibacterial herb.

An easy way to help your gums is to drink green tea, it contains several antibacterial substances.

One final thing to mention, smoking can encourage the development of gum disease, so if you smoke, try to give it up.

Acupuncture Today

Ear acupuncture to be discussed

ELKHART — Elkhart General Hospital will present the free public seminar “Introduction to Ear Acupuncture” at 11 a.m. Saturday in the hospital’s west wing.

Dr. Aroop Banerji, a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist, will explain how ear acupuncture works, the conditions it can treat and non-needle methods available.

The finer points of acupuncture

With exams around the corner and the temperature outside dropping every day, students are feeling the effects of stress and sickness.

Most of us a looking for any opportunity to nap and popping as much Advil as we can justify, but there might be a more traditional way to fend off seasonal bugs.

Over 3,000 years ago, ancient Chinese medicine developed acupuncture to help relieve pain and stress by strategically placing long, thin needles  in a certain pattern on the body—according to recent research, they may have been on to something.

LiveScience.com published an article in May that reported on a study in which 25 per cent of patients with osteoarthritis symptoms no longer needed knee surgery after trying acupuncture. The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends acupuncture to treat over 40 different conditions, such as asthma, nausea and even chemotherapy, the article said.

Wendy Zhang, an acupuncturist and owner of her own acupuncture clinic in Toronto, said according to the traditional concept, an energy called Qi flows throughout the body.

A healthy body has a balance of Qi, which flows through “meridians” or “channels” in the body, along with the rest of the body’s fluids, like blood.

When there’s an imbalance of Qi, the body becomes sick or at least more susceptible to illness.

“From the Western medicine [perspective], the Qi concept doesn’t exist,” she said, adding that Western medicine refers to the nervous system to talk about this energy flow.

“Because Chinese medicine is from thousands of years ago, people used different language to describe the body,” she said. Regardless of the terminology, Zhang said pain is caused by a blockage of this energy flow.

“The [acupuncture] needle can open up the energy channels … make the energy flow better and restore the balance.”

Pauline Vaughan is the owner of Limestone Community Acupuncture in Kingston and a certified acupuncturist and practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine.

“The ancient Chinese probably discovered it by accident, that by inserting needles into different parts of the body they can have an impact on people’s health,” she said, adding that they eventually mapped out a pattern of over 360 pressure points.

“They found that these points line up in straight lines,” she said. “The Chinese surmised that they must be working with the energy in the body.

“The purpose of acupuncture is to balance the movement of energy … so that it flows smoothly in the appropriate direction and the appropriate quantity.”

Vaughan said when there is a deficiency in one meridian, there must be an excess in another, and acupuncture helps to provide balance.

According to the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute, the acupuncture needles are able to stimulate certain points along the meridian paths, or points that connect paths, to restore Qi flow.

The 360 pressure points on the body are not as difficult to find as one might think, she said.

“It is fairly exact. You learn over time how to feel for the acupuncture points … they feel like slight depressions in the skin,” Vaughan said. “Often they’re tender when you press on them.”

There are certain common acupuncture points on the body that people can massage themselves for three to five minutes, according to yinyanghouse.com, to help with certain types of aches and pains.

One of these points, located on the “Gall Bladder” meridian, can be found by pressing down on the spot where your shoulder and neck meet. This pressure point can help with headaches, dizziness and neck and shoulder pain.

She said finding the right spot can depend on patient feedback because it’s common to feel a slight burning sensation if the needles are placed incorrectly.

“Acupuncture points are not particularly dangerous,” she said, so no severe consequences should come from not getting the right spot at first.

The three main reasons people seek out treatments are for pain, anxiety and stress, she said.

“We treat all kinds of chronic pain all over the body. We also treat allergies and other chronic diseases,” she said, adding that she frequently treats ailments including sinus infections, the common cold, the flu, bronchitis and menstrual problems, but that’s not all.

“Sometimes people will get an injury, and theoretically it’s healed,” she said, but years after it can still bother them. She said acupuncture treatments can often treat this chronic pain.

“Most of my patients tell me that they’ve tried everything else and it hasn’t worked,” Vaughan said, and they’re often surprised at the quick results.

Although it has been effective for a lot of people, she said many also avoid trying it.

One reason for people’s wary attitude towards acupuncture is the concept of needles piercing through the body, she said.

“I have had a number of patients with needle phobias,” she said, and she even had a man come to her a few weeks ago who had a needle phobia.

She said that he usually faints whenever he has to get a needle at the doctor’s office.

“He had a pretty frozen shoulder,” she said. “Not only did he not faint, his pain was totally gone when he left and he felt great,” she said, adding that getting an acupuncture treatment is also in a very different environment than a doctor’s office.

“The needles are about as fine as a hair,” she said. “When you get a needle from the doctor you can feel it. [But with acupuncture] the needle goes past pain receptors so fast that you don’t feel it,” she said.

What that means is that instead of pain, you just feel endorphins, she said. Deb Thompson, a psychologist and owner of her own private practice in Kingston, said needle phobias affect at least 10 per cent of the population in North America.

“There’s an evolutionary preparedness for what used to be insect stings… some ancient fear of being pierced by a sharp needle-like thing, which back in the day would have been dangerous,” Thompson said, adding that acupuncture needles may not cause as much anxiety.

“Acupuncture, with the tiny, hair-like needles … it’s entirely different,” she said.

“In people’s actual lives, the most common cause is an actual negative experience [with needles] … especially in childhood and adolescence.”

Phobias in general can be a predisposition in families as well, she said, in the sense that they are a form of anxiety that children may learn from a parent or sibling.

So why are so many of us anxious at the thought of needles?

One reason is often just the pain, she said. But for others, just the thought of something piercing the skin can cause a plethora of physiological responses.

“I think that if somebody anticipates something being difficult, their nervous system goes into a fight or flight [response],” Thompson said, which can include a racing heart, shallow breathing, fainting, nausea and muscle tension.

“The fear is initially a mental phenomenon,” she said, but as the physiological responses continue to follow, this fear may become reinforced.

“You get a loop between the thought and the feeling,” she said.

Because avoiding needles throughout life is fairly easy, Thompson said she doesn’t see a lot of patients seeking treatment.

“They don’t want to do the treatment … treatment involves exposure,” she said.

Although it may be difficult at first, she said people can definitely get over their needle phobias.

“What they’re going to need is a more gradual exposure, or what’s called a systematic desensitization,” she said, adding that this can include practicing with a capped syringe and allowing it to touch you or looking at pictures of needles.

Teachers Accused of Performing Acupuncture on Students

SEVEN HILLS, Ohio — Two local teachers are on paid administrative leave after they are accused of using acupuncture needles on some of their students.

On Oct. 26, seventh grade social studies teachers Douglas Ziemanski and Gail Tatoczenko were teaching Chinese culture to students at Hillside Middle School in Seven Hills. The school is in the Parma school district. According to the superintendent, Dr. Jeff Graham, part of the lesson dealt with acupuncture.

“I think they got caught up with the activity. Originally the teacher did it to himself and generated some enthusiasm with the students, and because of that, children became involved, children volunteered for it and needles were placed in the students’ hands, elbows and neck,” said Dr. Graham.

Dr. Graham said a total of seven students were stuck with a sterile needle. He said Ziemanski was involved all day and Tatoczenko participated during only one class period. The superintendent said he learned of the activity after an angry parent called the school to complain.

“The teacher who was participating all day long read a book on acupuncture and thought he knew the concepts enough to know it was safe,” said Graham.

“I don’t agree with it, but I’m sure they’ll review it and determine the actions for it and they’ll be fair,” said a parent, Nilda Nester.

Dawn Baker, whose son was one of the students who participated, still supports Ziemanski. “Mr. Z is a teacher that he makes the class great. My son looks forward to social studies and I don’t think too many kids do and he does because of the teacher…he might have went outside of the box, maybe he didn’t do the right thing, but I don’t know anybody that is that upset about it,” she said.

“It’s not a real dangerous thing, but nobody should just be sticking needles in another person,” said Linda Corlett, a licensed acupuncturist in Parma.

Corlett said people who do acupuncture in Ohio must be licensed.

“We are regulated. Patients have to sign a consent agreement, there are HIPPA agreements, it’s just like going to your medical doctor,” she said.

Dr. Graham said he has not yet determined what the teachers’ punishment will be. It could range from a reprimand to termination. He expects to make a decision by early next week.

Nutrition and Diets News

Health Buzz: Junk Food Diet Helped Nutrition Professor Shed Pounds

Nutrition Professor Sheds 27 Pounds on Junk Food Diet

Twinkies, Oreos, and Doritos—the new weight-loss diet? Well, a steady stream of junk food worked for Mark Haub, a Kansas State University nutrition professor who, after two months, shed a hefty 27 pounds, CNN reports. But he’s not only slimmer. He reduced his body mass index from the overweight category to normal, his bad cholesterol decreased while the good increased, and his blood pressure is just fine. But Haub didn’t embark on this eating plan to live out a childhood dream. He wanted to prove a simple point to his students: Any diet can produce weight loss—it’s just a matter of consuming fewer calories than you burn, Haub told U.S. News’s Hanna Dubansky in September. Haub went from ingesting 2,600 calories a day to 1,800. “If weight loss is the ultimate goal,” he asked his students, “does it matter how I achieve it?” More than 80 percent of what he ate was prepackaged and coated in chocolate, supplemented only minimally by a daily multivitamin, a little whole milk, and a small serving of vegetables. (Whole grains, fruit, and dietary fiber were largely off limits.) “I’m losing weight and my cholesterol is improving by eating those foods,” Haub told Dubansky. “Is it really soda and chips that are making people obese, or how much of them they eat?” Ultimately, Haub said he hopes his experiment will push his students to think about their diets and glean that “moderation and variety are key to nutrition.”

In September, Haub also provided U.S. News with one of his daily junk food menus.

From: A Day in the Life of a Junk Food Dieter

Breakfast

1 double espresso, black

2 cups Kellogg’s Corn Pops

1 cup whole milk

1 Centrum Advanced Formula multivitamin

Total calories: 376

Lunch

1 Hostess Twinkie

1 Little Debbie Star Crunch

1 Muscle Milk Protein Shake

Total calories: 540

Snack

1 Hostess Twinkie

Total calories: 150

Dinner

1 Little Debbie Zebra Cake

1 brownie (Duncan Hines mix)

3-4 baby carrots

1 Muscle Milk Protein Shake

Total calories: 688

Snack

6 chips, Cool Ranch Doritos

Total calories: 75

Total Calories: 1,829

On nutrition: What we don’t know

In baseball and elections, we don’t always know what we don’t know. I did not know, for example, that it would be so much fun to watch the San Francisco Giants win the World Series. And I don’t know if elections will ever be as respectfully joyful as baseball games.

In matters of diabetes and nutrition, we often do not know what we do not know. Here are some comments I frequently hear:

“I did not know that …

… blood sugar (glucose) levels change throughout the day.” Glucose is the energy our body derives from the food we eat. It naturally rises in the blood after a meal and falls a few hours after we eat. When blood sugar levels rise too high after meals or stay too high during the day (a condition called diabetes) nerves and body organs are damaged.

… I should be counting the “total carbohydrates” in my food instead of just looking at “sugar” on the food label.” Sugar is just one type of carbohydrate that makes blood sugars go up rapidly. Counting the “total carbohydrates” gives a better clue to how a food will affect your blood glucose levels.

… fiber is a carbohydrate, too.” And — by definition — it is a carbohydrate that the body does not absorb. That’s one reason why a high carbohydrate food that is also high in fiber (such as dried beans) is a good choice.

… it’s a good idea to check my blood sugar levels before and after meals if I have diabetes.” Both tests give valuable clues to how well your diet, exercise, and medication plans are working.

… the amount and type of fat in my diet is as important as the sugar.” Diets high in saturated or trans fats can damage arteries and organs and aggravate the body’s ability to regulate blood sugars.

… taking care of my feet is as important as taking care of my diet.” Diabetes can affect the nerves and circulation in the feet. Even a small cut or blister left untreated can lead to big time problems. Regular foot exams are a routine part of diabetes care.

Telemedicine may help individuals with type 2 diabetes improve their diet

Type 2 diabetes requires significant amounts of dietary planning and continued consumption of healthy foods. However, due to the struggling economy, low wages and high unemployment, many individuals with the condition are finding it difficult to maintain a healthy diet and to stay in touch with their physicians.

A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior has found that telemedicine, which allows patients to communicate with their doctors electronically, may help solve some of these problems.

Researchers from the State University of New York in Syracuse said that as many as 10 percent of adults with diabetes consider money to be a problem when it comes to sticking to a nutritious diet. However, after a round of counseling via telemedicine that covered less expensive ways they can stick to dietary recommendations, researchers found that a majority of participants improved their diets.

“This study demonstrated that among participants classified as both food secure and mildly insecure, individuals were usually able to follow the dietitian’s advice,” said Ruth Weinstock, who led the investigation. “This finding suggests that telemedical nutrition support services have the potential to be an important adjunct for primary care providers whose patients have poor access to the services of dietitians.”

Autism News and Studies

Study: Chromosome change points to autism

People who possess a specific change in one of their chromosomes are nearly 14 times more likely to develop an autism spectrum disorder or schizophrenia than those without this change, according to a new study.

The change, which is called a deletion, happens when a section of chromosome 17 is missing. The deletion is found only in people who have an autism spectrum disorder, a developmental delay or schizophrenia, said study researcher David H. Ledbetter, a genetics professor at Emory University.

“This is just adding one more to that rapidly growing list of genetic mutations” associated with autism that doctors could use to measure autism and schizophrenia risk in children, Ledbetter told MyHealthNewsDaily.

Not all people with autism, a developmental delay or schizophrenia have this deletion. But all people who have the chromosome change will develop some form of the disorders, whether it’s mild or strong enough for a diagnosis, he said.
Health highlights

TODAY
With ‘sober coaches,’ we can now hire personal nannies

Got a problem with food? Hire a diet coach. Got a problem with your life? Hire a life coach. For singles, there are dating coaches. Now, for substance abusers, there are sober coaches — like the one Charlie Sheen just hired.

Sad news: Happy Meal ban won’t stop kid obesity
Cute, naked photos of tots pose parental dilemma
Purple Glove Syndrome leads FDA panel drug review
NYT: Great unwashed challenge definition of clean

Schizophrenia and autism are separate disorders, but other recent research has also shown the two have genetic similarities.

“At least in a subset of autism and a subset of schizophrenia, the same [genetic changes] play a major role in both,” Ledbetter said. “It will be interesting in the future, because we’ll have the ability to identify this type of deletion in young children, and follow them to figure out why some of them do develop autism and some don’t.”

The new study was published today (Nov. 4) in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Detecting the deletion

Researchers looked in a genetic database of 15,749 people with a developmental delay, intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder.

They found 18 of these people had the deletion on chromosome 17. But not one of the 4,519 healthy people tested had the deletion, according to the study.

Researchers tracked down nine of the 18 people in the database with the genetic deletion. All nine had cognitive impairments, and six of them had autism, the study said.

To confirm these findings, researchers looked at two other databases that had genetic information for 7,522 people with autism or schizophrenia. They found the same deletion in two people with an autism spectrum disorder or cognitive impairment, and four adults with schizophrenia. None of the 43,076 healthy people tested had the deletion.

“That means the deletion has a major phenotypic effect,” Ledbetter said. “It can manifest as developmental delay, intellectual disability or autism, or it may not be diagnosed and recognized until adulthood when there are psychiatric manifestations that lead to a diagnosis of schizophrenia.”

New Study Will Test Theory That Enzyme Contributes to Autism

The debate rages on both the causes and “cures” for autism. There is the mercury-vaccination contingent, the gluten-free, casein-free diet supporters, those that believe genetics play a role, and the list goes on. There may very well be multiple etiologies for this developmental disorder, and research continues throughout the world to determine, definitively and finally, what that is.

One of the newest clinical trials is just beginning across the country, at fifteen institutions, including the University of California at San Francisco. Funded by Curemark, a New York-based drug company, this Phase III clinical trial for CM-AT autism treatment, has been granted fast track status by the FDA. Researchers will be testing whether certain children with autism can benefit from regular doses of an enzyme to help them digest proteins, which may in turn improve their brain function and ease some symptoms of autism.

The trial is not without its naysayers. There is very little research to support the premise that a missing enzyme is a factor in the cause of autism. There are those studies which have shown that a small subset of children diagnosed with autism have enzyme deficiencies, but there is debate as to whether it is a causation or a symptom of the disorder. But with a new case of autism being diagnosed every 20 minutes in America, it is imperative that research such as this be conducted. Sometimes, with a bit of persistence and creative thinking, you do find that needle in a haystack.

The trial will involve 170 children, ages three to eight, over a 90-day period. Half of the participants will be a control group and receive a placebo, while the other half will receive three enzyme treatments per day (a tasteless powder sprinkled over food). At the end of the 90 days, parents can remove their children entirely from the project or choose to continue for one year on the enzyme regimen.

“The treatment is enormously simple, but finding it out wasn’t simple at all,” said Joan Fallon, chief executive of Curemark. “Is it theoretical? Yes. But we hope the trials will give some benefit to a subgroup of children. And we hope our trials will make other researchers look at the physiology of the disorder.”

Curemark has identified a series of biomarkers that determine which children with autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) may have digestive deficiencies underlying or as a major component of their disease. Research by Dr. Fallon showed enzyme deficiencies in children with autism, resulting in an inability to digest protein. The inability to digest protein affects the production of amino acids, the building blocks of chemicals essential for brain function.

Autism is a neurological and biological disorder which typically affects children ages 18 months to 5 years of age. It knows no racial, ethnic or social boundaries. A child’s chances of having autism are not determined by their family’s lifestyle, education or income.

Local author tells of journey with Autism

The average 2-year-old can speak more than 100 words. By 3, that number jumps to anywhere from 200 to 1,000. Michael Swaner never hit those milestones. In 32 years he has never spoken a word.

As an infant, Michael was diagnosed with severe low-functioning autism, a neurological disorder that impedes brain development. More than one million people in the United States are affected by autism, though only a small percentage of those cases are as severe as Michael’s.

“If there’s one thing you don’t get enough of with autism, it’s affection,” said Michael’s mother Ruth Swaner, USU graduate and author of the book “Words Born of Silence.”

The book, Swaner’s third, is about her personal journey in dealing with the anger, denial, acceptance and what she likes to call “over-dedication” of autism.

“One day my oldest son came up to me and said ‘We’re tired of helping you take care of Michael,'” she said. This was a turning point. She realized that she was so caught up in Michael’s needs that she wasn’t meeting the needs of her family or herself.

“She’s been through a lot with her son,” said Margaret Jacobs, a friend of Swaner’s who has worked with autistic children in the Netherlands. “She’s gotten through it with faith and friends.”

In his childhood, caring for Michael was a 24-hour-a-day task. Swaner said often one of the most pronounced symptoms of autism is a bizarre obsession with certain items. Unfortunately for Swaner, Michael’s childhood fixations were with water, dirt, and his own feces.

One night, she woke up and he had smeared his feces all over the wall. Another time, when the Swaners were remodeling their current home in Smithfield, she left Michael in the living room while she went to change her clothes.

Hearing some unusual noise, she walked down the stairs to find that Michael had taken all of the dirt out of her flower pots, mixed it with water and coated the walls in mud.

“I simply cried,” she said. “He didn’t know the difference between right and wrong, he just liked the texture.” Not knowing what to do, she called her new neighbor Christina Greene, who she had never met.

Christina had a son named Luke who, like Michael, suffered from severe autism. Even at the prompting of close friends, Swaner had resisted meeting her.

“If she hadn’t fallen apart like I had, I didn’t want to meet her,” Swaner said. Christina immediately came to her aid, gathering neighbors to help clean up the mess.

By the time Swaner came back down the stairs, the mess was clean, Michael was being watched by a neighbor, and there was a fresh loaf of bread sitting on the counter.

It was the start of a 25-year friendship, or as Swaner puts it. “a 25-year journey helping autistic children.”

“I learned I didn’t have to be a perfect Mormon mother,” Swaner said. “I learned to ask for help.”

Michael’s autism was severe enough that at age 13 he was placed in a group home that could meet his needs. However, there are many autism-diagnosed students who live fully functional lives and attend school full time. For students whose needs may often fly under the radar, there are resources all over Cache Valley and at USU.

Diane Baum, director of the Disability Resource Center, said the center is open to any student that needs help. This includes those who have any form of autism.

“We look at every individual case,” Baum said. “We’ve even had graduate students with autism.” Students may qualify for extra time on tests, or a private exam room. It all depends on their needs, she said.

Even though Michael is no longer living at home, his journey is far from over. He still visits his parents on occasion, and comes home for family holidays. Now that Ruth and her husband are in their 60s, bringing him home is a challenge.

“The home can do fun things for him that we couldn’t do like shopping, movies, and going to fairs,” she said.

Although it has been a long road, Swaner said she wouldn’t change what she’s been through. She says it’s because of Michael that she discovered her ability to write.

Although at first she wrote only therapeutically in journals, with friends’ encouragement she sent a selection of her writing to The Deseret News. From there, she went on to write for many publications and became president of the Utah League of Writers.

“He’s given me this gift,” she said. “I would have never known that I could be a professional writer without him.”

The greatest lesson Swaner has learned through her journey is that accepting service from others is a keystone in life, and that nobody is perfect.

“You do what you can do with the opportunities you have at hand,” she said. “No woman with autistic children should do this without help. You don’t have to bear this alone.”

Copies of Swaner’s book can be found online at Amazon, IUniverse and Borders. They can also be found at The Book Table and Lee’s Marketplace in Smithfield. She will have a book signing hosted by The Book Table Dec. 3 from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m.