A Bone Marrow Disease With a Brighter Prognosis

(HealthDay News) -- Blood is life. And the rare disease known as aplastic anemia robs the body of life by robbing the body of blood.

The aplastic anemia patient's blood thins as the bone marrow slows its production of blood cells. The results can range from chronic fatigue to heart disease or from endless infections to cuts that won't clot, depending on the type of blood cells that are lacking.

But there's hope: Considered fatal as recently as two decades ago, aplastic anemia is becoming a far more manageable disease. Advances in drug therapies and improvements in the field of transplantation have slashed the death toll, allowing patients to live longer, fuller lives.

"We are getting better at treating aplastic anemia, either in getting rid of it or treating its symptoms," said Dr. Jaroslaw P. Maciejewski, with the Cleveland Clinic's Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders.

And those advances are helping doctors gain greater insights into other, more prevalent, health conditions, such as heart disease and leukemia.

An estimated 50,000 people develop aplastic anemia in the United States each year, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. (A related blood disorder, myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, occurs when the bone marrow begins to produce poorly functioning or immature blood cells. About 20,000 to 30,000 new cases of MDS occur each year.)

It's important to note that many symptoms of aplastic anemia, such as fatigue and infection, can also be caused by other diseases, said Dr. Ronald Paquette, a blood disease researcher with the University of California, Los Angeles' Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"If everyone who was fatigued thought they had aplastic anemia, we'd be swamped," Paquette said.

Bone marrow -- the spongy material inside bones -- produces stem cells that normally develop into the three main types of blood cells -- red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

"Essentially, the bone marrow is a factory of blood," Maciejewski said.

In patients with aplastic anemia, the stem cells have been damaged, slowing or stopping the production of all blood cells.

The cause of the damage to stem cells remains unknown in more than half of people with aplastic anemia. Some research has suggested that stem cell damage occurs when the immune system attacks the body's own cells by mistake, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Aplastic anemia has also been linked to exposure to toxins such as pesticides, arsenic and benzene. Some infectious diseases also can cause the disorder, including hepatitis, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19, and HIV, as well as autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Finally, some genetic disorders have been linked to it.

Symptoms vary depending on the type of blood cells in shortage:

• Too few red blood cells can mean not enough oxygen is carried to the body, according to the NIH. People who have a low red blood cell count often feel tired. Because the heart has to work harder to pump blood to get enough oxygen to the body's organs and tissues, heart disease can develop over time.
• Too few white blood cells weaken the body's defense against infection. The patient may become ill more often, and the illness can be severe.
• Too few platelets hamper the blood's ability to clot. Patients with a low platelet count may bruise or bleed easily, and their bleeding may be hard to stop.
• Once aplastic anemia is detected, swift treatment is essential, Paquette said. "Because it's a rare disease, it's important to be treated at a specialized center," he said. "The most important thing is to be seen by someone with a lot of experience treating the disease early on."

For patients younger than 30, stem cell transplantation is often the preferred treatment. For those with a matched sibling donor, stem cell transplantation replaces the defective bone marrow with healthy cells, and as many as 80 percent of patients enjoy a complete recovery, according to the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation Inc.

Advances in stem cell research and anti-rejection drugs have meant that transplantations from unrelated donors also are becoming more successful, Paquette said.

One promising avenue of treatment involves transplantation using stem cells harvested from the umbilical cord of new mothers. "The cells can be cryopreserved [frozen] and saved, then given to unrelated donors," Paquette said. "It's quite encouraging."

For these patients, again, speed is of the essence. "The data show the earlier you do a transplant, the better the outcome," Paquette said.

Patients whose transplants fail, or for whom transplantation is not an option, often receive successful immunosuppressive therapy with agents like anti-thymocyte globulin and cyclosporine. Response rates typically range from 70 percent to 80 percent, according to the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation Inc.

Blood transfusions from matched donors also are used to keep blood counts high and help relieve symptoms, although they are not an effective long-term treatment.

"Whether we cure the disease or not, patients are getting better across the board," Maciejewski said. "We now can maintain life, keep these patients alive longer."

More information
To learn more, visit the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation Inc.

New Kidney Disease Can Be Fatal

(HealthDay News) -- Kidney disease patients with a newly identified disease called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) are at increased risk of death, U.S. researchers report.

The researchers also concluded that exposure to gadolinium, a contrast agent used in MRI scans, is a significant risk factor for developing NSF, a painful and debilitating condition characterized by a thickening and hardening of the skin. It usually affects the arms and legs but can also affect internal organs. The disease can progress so rapidly that some patients are immobilized and confined to a wheelchair within weeks.

The study, led by Jonathan Kay of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, conducted skin examination of 186 kidney dialysis patients.

They found that 25 had skin changes consistent with NSF.

Within two years, 25 of the 186 patients (24 percent) had died. The death rate for those with NSF was 48 percent, compared to 20 percent for patients without the illness.

The researchers also found that 30 percent of patients exposed to gadolinium developed NSF compared to one percent of those who had not been exposed to the contrast agent.

The findings are published in the October issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

This is the first study to examine the prevalence of NSF in dialysis patients and the first to quantify the association between NSF and gadolinium exposure. Contrast agents containing gadolinium should only be used with extreme caution in patients with chronic kidney disease, the researchers concluded. If they are exposed to gadolinium, these patients should subsequently receive regular skin examinations.

In an accompanying editorial, experts at Yale University School of Medicine noted that a U.S. federal Public Health Advisory urges caution in the use of MRI scans for kidney disease patients and prompt dialysis for those who've had scans involving gadolinium.

More information
The FDA has more about gadolinium-containing contrast agents.

Added Pounds Mean Added Risk for Asthma

(HealthDay News) -- Overweight and obese individuals are 50 percent more likely to develop asthma than normal-weight men and women, new research suggests.

Public health efforts to control asthma should therefore emphasize the importance of healthy weight management, the researchers argue in the April issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"The bottom-line is that being overweight appears to significantly increase the risk of asthma," said study co-author Dr. E. Rand Sutherland, of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center (NJMRC) in Denver. "But the caveat is, that until further studies are done, it won't be clear exactly what type or severity of asthma is present in obese people."

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, asthma is an incurable but usually controllable chronic disease involving inflammation and narrowing of the airways that carry oxygen into and out of the lungs.

The disease typically provokes recurrent wheezing, coughing, and a hypersensitivity to allergies and affects approximately 20 million Americans, including 9 million children.

A recent national survey found that about 65 percent of Americans are either obese or overweight, and research has long suggested links between asthma and obesity.

In this study, Sutherland and NJMRC colleague Dr. David A. Beuther pored over prior data on the body mass indices -- measurements of body fat based on the height and weight -- of adult asthma patients.

They looked at data from seven prior studies conducted between 1966 and 2006 in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Together, these studies had looked BMI and asthma in more than 333,000 severely asthmatic patients.

During data review, Sutherland and Beuther adopted standard BMI yardsticks, which define "normal weight" as having a BMI of under 25, "overweight" as a BMI between 25 and 29, and "obese" as a BMI more than 30. For example, a person who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds has a BMI of 22.

The odds of developing asthma grew by 50 percent among patients with a BMI of 25 and up, and the risk climbed as the pounds piled on, the study found.

Women and men appeared to be equally susceptible to the weight-asthma association, they added.

Based on the findings, the researchers believe asthma should be added to the long list of diseases -- including diabetes, sleep apnea, stroke, cardiovascular illness, and arthritis -- for which excess weight is a risk factor.

And because two-thirds of the U.S. adult population are now thought to be obese or overweight, that means millions more Americans may be at risk of developing asthma than was previously thought, they said.

On the up side, "significant weight loss" could potentially reduce asthma cases by as many as 250,000 each year, the researchers said.

Not every overweight person with respiratory symptoms necessarily has asthma, however. The experts noted that excess weight can cause lung volume reduction, chest wall restriction, and breathlessness unrelated to the disease.

"If you're overweight, and you have respiratory symptoms, you don't need to jump to the conclusion that you have asthma," said Sutherland. "But, of course, it would probably be appropriate to have those symptoms further evaluated."

Dr Norman H. Edelman is chief medical officer for the American Lung Association and professor of preventive medicine and medicine at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. He said the findings regarding gender were most interesting.

"There's a lot of work that suggested the [obesity] effect was there in women and not in men," he said. "Certainly, in terms of my own clinical practice, I see people -- men and women -- with asthma that's difficult to manage, and many of them are overweight. But for men, it's something that wasn't clear before, and that's why this analysis is valuable."

But he agreed that proving cause and effect is tricky.

"The problem with asthma is that, unlike many other diseases, it's not like flipping a switch. It's not that you have it or don't have it. There are a lot of people walking around with a little bit of asthma, and they don't even know it," Edelman said. "So, it's not clear if obesity is actually causing the disease or perhaps converting a pre-existing undiagnosed asthma into a severe asthma. So, I don't know if I would say that obesity causes asthma. But certainly, it's a risk factor for clinically significant asthma."

More information
For more on asthma, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Physical Activity Cuts Risk of Repetitive Strain Injury

(HealthDay News) -- Being physically active may reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries at work, according to a new Canadian study.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver analyzed data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey. They found that the overall prevalence of repetitive strain injury (RSI) was about 10.9 percent, and that the prevalence of work-related RSI was about 4.7 percent. Upper body injuries (most commonly wrist/hand, shoulder and elbow) accounted for 63 percent of RSI in full-time workers.

Physical work demands, work-related stress, obesity, and smoking were among the risk factors associated with upper-body work-related RSI, the study said. Women and people ages 30-49 were also at higher risk. Being physically active appeared to help reduce the risk of work-related RSI.

"This finding provides evidence for a hypothesis that an active lifestyle outside of work may protect against work-related RSI, adding another potential health benefit to leisure-time physical activity participation," the study authors wrote.

Physical activity may promote mechanical and metabolic processes in the musculoskeletal system that counter the repetitive or sedentary effects of many jobs, the researchers said. It may also improve upper body muscle strength and better balance of movement.

"Work-related RSI is a common problem that has significant costs in terms of lost wages and productivity, medical care and quality of life," the study authors wrote. "It is important to identify lifestyle factors that may protect against RSI in order to inform employers, compensation boards, and the working population. Identification of safe physical activities may reduce RSI and provide multiple other health benefits."

The findings are published in the April issue of the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about repetitive motion disorders.

FDA Panel Backs Celebrex for Kids With Arthritis

(HealthDay News) -- A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended Wednesday that use of the painkiller Celebrex be expanded to treat children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

The panel, a committee of doctors and other specialists, voted 15-1 that the benefits of the drug for children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) outweigh the shortage of proof on its safety.

However, the panel also voted 8-7, with one abstention, that available data doesn't demonstrate that Celebrex is safe in treating JRA and that a registry should be established to track these young patients for 10 to 20 years.

"The feeling was short-term efficacy looked good and short-term safety was not an issue. Long-term safety is totally unknown and needs to be known," Dr. Joan Bathon, a Johns Hopkins University rheumatologist and panel member, told the Associated Press.

"That's not unreasonable. But the important part, when they considered both safety and benefit, is the benefits outweighed the risks," Dr. Steven Romano, a vice president in Pfizer's worldwide medical division, told the AP.

"This decision means that one additional therapeutic choice is available for patients and doctors," Dr. Jeffrey Greenberg, director of the Arthritis Translational Research Registry at New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases, told HealthDay.

"Any unknown, long-term cardiovascular risk associated with the use of Celebrex will need to be factored into the decision," he added.

The FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its advisory committees, but it usually does.

It's estimated that as many as 60,000 children in the United States have JRA, which causes painful joint swelling and can affect growth and development.

Currently, Celebrex is approved to treat adults with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In its application to expand that approval to include treatment of JRA, drug maker Pfizer Inc. included a six-month study that concluded that Celebrex (celecoxib) works as well as naproxen in treating young JRA patients.

Bathon said that the panel recognized the importance of expanding the pool of treatment options for JRA. Vioxx, until it was withdrawn in 2004, had been the only FDA-approved drug of its class for the disease.

Celebrex is a member of the controversial group of painkillers called cox-2 inhibitors, which have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Two other cox-2s, Vioxx and Bextra, have been withdrawn from the market because of heart risk concerns. Celebrex remains available to consumers, but in 2005, the FDA required that the drug carry a "black box" warning on the possible risk of heart attack or stroke.

During public testimony before the advisory committee Wednesday morning, a New Jersey father said Celebrex had worked wonders for his son, who suffers from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Vincent Del Gaizo, of Whitehouse Station, told the panel members that his son Christopher, now 6, had been in such pain from the disease and was taking so many drugs, he could only sleep three hours a day. Each morning, the boy sat in a high chair with his arms raised for hours because it hurt too much to lower them, the Boston Globe reported.

"It's an image that will be burned in my mind forever," said Del Gaizo, 38. The boy's doctor had "the courage" to try Celebrex "off-label," and now Christopher is able to play soccer and T-ball, his father said.

Also Wednesday, British researchers said they've discovered why Vioxx and other cox-2 inhibitors can cause heart attacks and strokes, BBC News reported.

The reason: These drugs -- designed to block the cox-2 enzyme and halt production of hormones that swell joints and cause pain in people with arthritis -- also stop an enzyme called cox-1 from producing blood-thinning agents. This results in a greater risk of blood clots, the news service reported.

The researchers said their findings are significant because they may lead to the development of cox-2 inhibitors that do not increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The findings were published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.

More information
For more on with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Health Tip: Choosing a Supplement?

(HealthDay News) -- Because supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as are prescription and over-the-counter medications, you should be careful when deciding what to buy.


Here are some guidelines on how to safely choose a supplement, courtesy of the Arthritis Foundation:

• Continue taking any medications that have been prescribed by your doctor. Supplements are not designed to replace those prescription medications.
• Always talk to your doctor before taking any supplement. There could be potentially harmful interactions between your prescriptions and a supplement.
• Stick to supplements that are manufactured by established, recognized companies.
• Check labels for the list of ingredients, and ask your doctor or pharmacist for help if any of the ingredients don't sound familiar.

Acupuncture, Turmeric May Help Ease Arthritis

(HealthDay News) -- Acupuncture and an extract of turmeric -- the spice that gives curry its kick -- may both offer significant pain relief to some arthritis patients, two new studies suggest.
Reporting in the November issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a German team says a combination of acupuncture and conventional medicine can boost quality of life for patients suffering from osteoarthritis.

And in a second study in the same issue, American researchers say the ingestion of a special turmeric extract could help prevent or curb both acute and chronic rheumatoid arthritis.
The findings should be heartening to the roughly 40 percent of arthritis patients in the United States who say they've turned to some form of alternative medicine.

"If I had arthritis, I would be very excited about this," said Dr. Janet L. Funk, the lead author of the turmeric study and an assistant professor of physiological sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, nearly one in five Americans (46 million) suffers from one of the more than 100 various joint diseases that constitute arthritis. An additional 23 million have chronic joint pain that has yet to be formally diagnosed.

Osteoarthritis is caused by a progressive degeneration of bone cartilage and is the most common type of arthritis in the United States. Rheumatoid arthritis is an immunological disorder characterized by a painful inflammation of the lining of the joints.

In her study, Funk built on earlier research she had conducted with rats. Those efforts suggested that turmeric might prevent joint inflammation.

In her current work, she first broke down the specific contents of commonly sold turmeric dietary supplements.

In the lab, she and her colleagues then isolated a turmeric extract that was free of essential oils and structurally similar to that found in commercial varieties. The extract was based largely on curcuminoids -- a compound they believed to be most protective against arthritic inflammation.
Funk's group administered the extract to female rats both before and after the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. They then tracked changes in the rodents' bone density and integrity.

The turmeric extract appeared to block inflammatory pathways associated with rheumatoid arthritis in rats at a particularly early point in the development of the disease. The extract had a beneficial impact if given three days after arthritis set in, but not if given eight days after disease onset.

Investigations in the laboratory revealed that turmeric stops a particular protein from launching an inflammatory "chain reaction" linked to swelling and pain. The expression of hundreds of genes normally involved in instigating bone destruction and swelling was also altered by the turmeric.

Funk stressed, however, that the findings are preliminary, and the extract needs to be tested in people.

"I feel an obligation to make clear that people should not run out to buy and consume turmeric powder," she cautioned. "First of all, a very small percent of the ground-up root that we buy in the grocery store is the protective part of the root, so it's not going to get you anywhere." In fact, the compound used in the study probably makes up only about 3 percent of the weight of current store-bought turmeric supplements, Funk said.

"That means that if this pans out in further studies, patients will be taking a purified extract, and this is all really exciting," she said. "But we still need conclusive proof that this extract is safe and efficacious."

In the second study, researchers led by Dr. Claudia M. Witt of Charite University Medical Center in Berlin spent three years tracking the treatment results of 3,500 male and female osteoarthritis patients suffering from either knee or hip pain.

For six months, all the participants were permitted to continue whatever conventional western medical treatments they had been undergoing prior to the onset of the treatment trials.
However, in addition, over 3,200 of the patients also received up to 15 sessions of needle-stimulation acupuncture during the first three months of the study. The remaining 310 patients received no acupuncture in the first three months. They were offered such treatment in the final three months of the study period, however.

All acupuncture sessions were administered by physicians who had received a minimum of 140 hours of certified training.

Symptom and pain questionnaires were completed at the onset of the study and at three months and six months of therapy.

Patients with chronic osteoarthritis pain who underwent a combination of routine medical care plus acupuncture demonstrated significant quality of life improvements, the researchers found. This included increased mobility and pain reduction above and beyond that experienced by patients who did not receive acupuncture.

For those who began their acupuncture treatments immediately, osteoarthritis improvement held steady three months after cessation of the sessions. For those patients who had begun acupuncture three months into the study period, comparable improvements occurred by the time they ended their sessions at the six-month mark.

The authors said acupuncture appeared to be a safe medical intervention with minor side effects observed in just over 5 percent of patients.

The study, one of the largest of its kind, demonstrated that acupuncture was a viable therapeutic option for people suffering from osteoarthritis, the German team said.

"I'm not surprised that people can be treated with acupuncture and get better," said Marshall H. Sager, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based doctor of osteopathic medicine, acupuncturist, and past president of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture.

"Using acupuncture adjunctively with western medicine is very common, because if you can do both approaches, you're way ahead of the game," he said. "Some people are not amenable to medication, either because of allergenic effects or because they just don't want to consume artificial things. And so, this is a way to start the healing process by engaging and stimulating the body's own inherent ability to heal itself."

However, Sager cautioned that American patients who consider this alternative route should choose carefully when they seek out acupuncture care.

" 'Medical acupuncture' is acupuncture as practiced by a physician, which is much different than acupuncture as practiced by non-physicians in the east, such as in China," he noted. "And I would most definitely recommend that patients in the west deal with a physician that's properly trained and a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture," Sager said.

More information
Find out more about arthritis at the Arthritis Foundation.

Aromatherapy: The Scent of Dispute

(HealthDay News) -- Aromatherapy is an affordable, accessible natural path to relief for a variety of health problems, ranging from arthritis pain to nausea to drowsiness, supporters insist.

But skeptics dismiss any claims that the use of essential oils from flowers, herbs and trees can promote health in any way.

And both sides are unlikely to relinquish their positions anytime soon.

Aromatherapy "works for so many different things, it is amazing," said Kelly Holland Azzaro, a registered aromatherapist in Banner Elk, N.C., and vice president of the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), an industry trade group. "You can experience aromatherapy by inhalation by putting one drop of an essential oil on a tissue and inhaling," she said.

According to the NAHA, aromatherapy is the "art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body, mind and spirit." These essences are then distilled into "essential oils" -- highly concentrated aromatic extracts -- that are derived from a "variety of aromatic plant material, including grasses, leaves, flowers, needles and twigs, peels of fruit, wood and roots."

Among the most popular essential oils, which are widely sold at health-food stores and over the Internet, are eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, and tea tree, and according to the NAHA.

"Uplifting scents such as citrus can keep you awake at work," Azarro said. "To help increase alertness, use rosemary and lemon." And to combat nausea, try essence of peppermint, ginger and orange, she added.

While research into aromatherapy's benefits is limited, there are some studies that suggest certain treatments can help ease some symptoms.

For instance, in a 2005 study published in the journal Chronobiology International, researchers reported that lavender aromatherapy helped all 31 men and women feel more "vigor" the next morning, compared to the night they breathed in distilled water, an exercise that served as the control setting.

A study in the March-April 2006 issue of the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health said that aromatherapy, combined with massage, helped new mothers feel less "blue" and anxious, compared to mothers of newborns who didn't get the treatment.

And a review published in Holistic Nurse Practitioner found that patients with postoperative nausea and vomiting can be helped by aromatherapy as well as acupressure and acupuncture.
But critics find little of value with scent therapy -- or even label it as therapy.

"It's not a therapy, it's a set of products with odors," said Dr. Stephen Barrett, board chairman of Quackwatch Inc., an Allentown, Pa.-based organization that says it fights health fraud and quackery.

"If people like the odors and want to pay for them, I would have no objection," Barrett said. However, he added, don't expect much. "There is no evidence that aromatherapy can alter the course of any disease. There is no logical reason to believe that any such evidence will ever be found," he said.

As for potential risks, Barrett said: "Some people find certain odors irritating. People who use aromatherapy with the hope that it will cure what ails them will waste money."
Azzaro said that, currently, aromatherapy is unregulated in the United States. "And that's part of the issue," she said. People don't understand exactly what it is, either. "People think it's potpourri or a smelly candle."

There's also no state licensing for aromatherapists in the United States. Most practitioners incorporate their training with another profession, such as licensed acupuncturist or registered nurse, according to the NAHA.

If you're interested in pursuing aromatherapy, Azzaro said it's best to ask a practitioner about his or her specific training. "And when you purchase oil, such as from a health-food store, hopefully some educational materials are with the product," she said.

Be aware, too, there can be the possibility of allergic reactions to some treatments.

More information
To learn more about aromatherapy, visit the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy.

Anemone, Shrub Compounds Battle Rheumatoid Arthritis

(HealthDay News) -- Natural compounds from a sea anemone extract and from the rue shrub plant block autoimmune disease responses in both type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, U.S. researchers report.

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine, conducted tests on rats and on blood samples from people with type 1 diabetes and on joint fluid from rheumatoid arthritis patients. They found that these compounds worked to deter the effects of destructive T-cells.

Both SL5 (from the sea anemone) and PAP-1 (from the rue shrub) block an ion channel in the T-cells, which prevents these cells from proliferating and producing chemicals called cytokines. These cytokines can attack healthy cells in people with autoimmune diseases.

The findings were published this week in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers say it may be possible to use the compounds to develop new autoimmune disease treatments that target the destructive T-cells but still allow other white blood cells to fight disease and infection in the body.

"Autoimmune diseases affect millions of Americans, and any new therapies that can aid them will have great significance," researcher George Chandy of the university's School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

"What's promising about this study is that we identified a protein target on the T-cells that promotes autoimmune activity and the compounds that can selectively block the target and shut down the destructive cells," Chandy said.

He and his colleagues are currently conducting preclinical safety studies on PAP-1 and SL5 in collaboration with AIRMID, a San Francisco-area biotech company.

More information
The U.S. National Women's Health Information Center has more about autoimmune diseases.

Banishing Balance Problems?

Q: Banishing Balance Problems?
You often suggest exercises to improve balance among seniors. How common are balance problems among older people and what is the cause?

A: Balance problems are very common among people over the age of 65 and are responsible for many serious injuries. It's estimated that this year one out of every four seniors living at home will fall.

Proper balance depends on the collaboration of three of your senses: your eyes, your sense of spatial orientation (the inner sense that tells you which way your feet or hands are pointing even with your eyes closed), and the vestibular system which encompasses the fluid-filled semicircular canals in the inner ear and informs the brain and eyes about the position of your head.

Each of these three senses diminishes with age, making balance more difficult.
Balance problems can also stem from the effects of alcohol, certain prescription drugs (ask your doctor if any of the drugs you take can have effects on balance), and such diseases as diabetes, which can cause numbness in the legs and feet, and arthritis, which can limit flexibility and range of motion.

Unfortunately, fear of falling often leads older people to become less active when, in fact, becoming moreactive can help reduce the risk. To improve balance, I recommend T'ai chi, which has been proven to reduce the odds of falling as well as the risk of injury if you do fall.

You can also learn balance exercises at the gym (have a trainer show you how to use balance boards or inflatable exercise balls). Physical therapy can further help you reduce the risk of falls with exercises tailored to whatever problem is impairing your balance.

You might also consider yoga, with its many balance poses, and Feldenkrais therapy to improve body awareness.

In addition, a new study from Indiana University at Bloomington has shown that exercises that speed up swaying may help forestall balance problems later in life.

We all sway when we stand on our feet but this happens so subtly that we're usually not aware of it.

Younger people generally sway backward and forward while older people tend to sway side to side, a less stable pattern. The Indiana researchers taught balance exercises to a group of adults between the ages of 55 and 60 who were in pretty good shape.

After doing three balance exercises four days a week for 15 minutes a day, all the participants improved their sway speed by an average of 16 percent, and, as a result, their stability.

One of the exercises required standing on one leg for 15 seconds with the other leg bent so the thigh was parallel to the floor; a second required balancing with one leg lifted to the side, and a third involved lifting one leg straight back while reaching forward with the opposite arm - all exercises that can be learned and practiced at home.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Acupressure Eases Low Back Pain

(HealthDay News) -- Acupresssure -- pushing with the fingertips at the same body points used in acupuncture -- gave patients better, long-lasting relief for low back pain than conventional physical therapy, Taiwanese researchers report.

"Acupressure was effective in reducing low back pain in terms of disability, pain scores and functional status," doctors at the National Taiwan University reported in the current issue of the British Medical Journal. "The benefit was sustained for six months."

The researchers recruited 129 people with chronic low back pain from a specialist orthopedic clinic. All of them filled out a standard disability questionnaire before being assigned to one of two different treatment regimens, with 64 people receiving six sessions of acupressure and 65 receiving standard physical therapy.

"Acupressure conferred an 89 percent reduction in physical disability compared with physical therapy," the researchers reported. The people who got acupressure also scored better on measures of pain and had fewer days taken off from work or school, the researchers said.

However, they cautioned that the effectiveness of any manipulative therapy such as acupressure "is highly dependent on the therapist's technique and experience." All the people in this study received treatment from the same therapist, to eliminate any difference in the treatment given.

"We hope that this technique can be imparted to other therapists now that its efficacy has been shown in our study, so that acupressure can be used in other populations," they wrote. "How acupressure can be generalized to patients with low back pain is the subject of ongoing research."

Dr. Marcos Hsu is an acupuncture specialist at the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine who got his training in acupuncture and acupressure at the Maryland Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He called the Taiwan report "quite amazing," because the benefits persisted for so long. But he added that he would like more information on the causes of back pain in the people treated in the study.

Hsu said he routinely uses acupressure supplemented with acupuncture to treat low back pain. "I have seen good responses similar to those in the paper, but some people do not respond to it," he said. The response generally is good for musculoskeletal problems such as sprains, Hsu said, but when the pain is caused by problems with structural bones and tissues, as in arthritis, the treatment "may take longer to take effect."

Hsu's patients usually receive painkillers, as well, because "most people who come to us are on painkillers, so it is not advisable to stop," he said. Patients can have anywhere from five to 15 treatments, with pressure applied "by our thumbs, hands, wrists, knuckles, elbows, every joint we can use," Hsu said.

People seeking acupressure or acupuncture treatment for low back pain should be cautious whenever they seek out help, Hsu recommended. "Check their credentials first," he advised.
The Taiwan study does have some flaws, added Richard E. Harris, a research investigator in the rheumatology division of the University of Michigan Medical School, who has also done work on acupressure.

Harris said he'd like a more detailed account of the treatment given -- which acupressure points were pressed, for example. And he noted that the participants weren't blinded to the treatment they were given. Patients who got acupressure knew they were getting it, which might have influenced their response, Harris said.

Nonetheless, the report that acupressure seems to be better than physical therapy for back pain is significant and deserves follow-up, he said.

More information
For the lowdown on low back pain, head to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Is Vitamin D Another Anti-Cancer Vitamin?

Q: I've seen a number of articles recently suggesting that vitamin D protects against cancer. What do you think?-- Anonymous

A: Vitamin D has been getting a lot of press lately as more and more studies link it with reduced rates of a number of types of cancer (18 at last count) as well as with lower risks of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Some experts estimate that thousands of cancer deaths could be avoided in the United States each year if everyone got enough vitamin D.

The connections between vitamin D, cancer and other diseases stem from observations that certain disorders, including some forms of cancer, occur much less frequently in areas with sunny warm climates than they do in places where the sun doesn't shine brightly throughout the year. For example, in 1980 a team of epidemiologists found that rates of colon cancer were much higher in populations that were exposed to the least amount of light (especially in major cities and in high-latitude rural areas).

Bear in mind that our bodies make vitamin D in response to exposure to the ultraviolet B rays of the sun ("B" lightwaves are medium-length, as opposed to the long "A" waves). If you live in an area where the sun isn't strong year round or if you rarely venture outside or always put on sunscreen when you do, you could be shortchanged on vitamin D unless you take supplements.

It isn't easy to get enough from your diet. The best sources are fortified milk and cereals, eggs, salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines. (Unfortunately, most fortified foods provide vitamin D2, a form which is much less well utilized by the body than D3.)

Recent research has suggested that vitamin D regulates cell proliferation and can hold in check the sort of wild cell growth that leads to cancer. A number of studies have shown that some cancer patients diagnosed in the summer or fall when vitamin D levels are high as a result of sun exposure have higher survival rates than patients diagnosed in the winter.

We've long known that multiple sclerosis is rare at the equator and becomes much more frequent at high latitudes. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston who followed a group of more than 185,000 nurses for 19 years, getting updated nutritional information from them every four years, found that those with the highest intake of supplemental vitamin D had a 40 percent lower risk of developing MS compared to women who didn't take supplements. The study was published in the January 13, 2004, issue of the journal Neurology. In Iowa, researchers who followed a group of more than 29,000 women for more than 11 years found that those with the highest intake of vitamin D had the lowest risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Here, vitamin D may be protective via effects on the immune system.

This is a fascinating and fast-growing area of research. As you may know, in 2005 I raised my vitamin D recommendation from 400 IU daily to 1,000 IU because of the accumulating body of evidence showing that vitamin D is more important than we once thought, not only for our bones (it promotes calcium absorption) but for the protection it provides against many serious diseases. Most experts now agree that 1,000 IU is the amount of vitamin D we all should be getting daily. Look for supplements that provide D3 (choleciferol) rather than D2 (ergocalciferol). And there is no concern about toxicity at this dose even though vitamin D is fat soluble. In fact, as more evidence about the benefits of vitamin D are forthcoming, some researchers are already suggesting that 2,000 IUs is a more sensible dose. Stay tuned.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

–Author of:

• Eight Weeks to Optimum Health


• Spontaneous Healing


• The Natural Mind


• The Marriage of the Sun and Moon


• Health and Healing


• Natural Health, Natural Medicine


• From Chocolate to Morphine (with Winifred Rosen)

Acceptance of Alternative Medicine on a (Slow) Upgrade.

By Jane Schwanke
WebMD Medical News

Dec. 28, 1999 (Minneapolis) -- Like children trying to gain acceptance, complementary and alternative therapies have meekly but steadily gained approval this year with a few bumps and bruises along the way. Now, optimistically poised on the edge of the new millennium, alternative methods of therapy are positioned to enter 2000 on a positive note.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes a broad range of healing philosophies and approaches. Generally speaking, a therapy is called complementary when it is used in addition to conventional treatment and alternative when used instead of conventional medicines. Data about just how many people use CAM varies from 9% to 42%. But like it or not, CAMs have exploded onto the American scene. While cost issues swirled and health plans debated who should pay for complementary therapies, Americans managed to spend more than $22 billion on CAMs in 1997 -- mostly out of pocket.

During 1999, debate about the safety and efficacy of CAMs has boosted as well as hindered the credibility and acceptance of alternative medicine, which includes herbs, amino acids, botanical extracts, and pseudo vitamins, to name a few. Though CAMs were reeling from negative publicity in 1998 after home-run slugger Mark McGwire's admitted use of the steroid hormone androstenedione, this year researchers were making strides in the lab with the development of new supplements.

One such success was glucosamine -- a supplement that has shown amazing decreases in the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis, or wear-and-tear arthritis. In one of the first well-designed medical studies, 22% of patients who took 1,500 mg oral glucosamine sulfate daily had X-ray evidence of joint structure deterioration, compared with 38% of those who took placebo.

But whether the media attention was positive or negative this year, policy heads kept right on turning toward complementary therapies. In March, congressional supporters of the multibillion-dollar dietary supplement industry went head-to-head with the FDA about whether the agency undermined supplement makers' ability to deem their products beneficial. In May, President Clinton's drug policy adviser urged the federal government to investigate the health effects of androstenedione.

Factors propelling alternative medicine toward a more respected status this year included a number of high-ranking institutions that launched complimentary medicine or 'healing' clinics. Endorsements by universities and medical centers that had previously shunned alternative medicine signal changes that are creating ripple effects from coast to coast.

Earlier this year, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center unveiled plans to open an Integrative Medicine Service in the department of medicine to recognize "the unique emotional and psychological needs of cancer patients." In a statement released to WebMD, center President Paul A. Marks, MD, says "Memorial Sloan-Kettering physicians and staff pioneered the field of psycho-oncology by recognizing the unique emotional and psychological needs of cancer patients. [This] program is an extension of that tradition." The service includes art and music therapy, meditation, massage, acupuncture, and hypnosis.

"The whole [alternative therapy] movement is about patient choice -- choice of approaches, techniques, and interventions that fit best with a person's lifestyle and view," Gregory A. Plotnikoff, MD, tells WebMD. He warns that self-diagnosis and self-treatment can put consumers at risk for error, and encourages people to "partner with an informed health professional." In the past, there was a don't-ask-don't-tell mentality, he says, but today, clinicians are becoming more aware that patients are using alternative medicines and are more willing to talk about it. Plotnikoff is medical director of the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota.

The National Cancer Institute maintains that while "conventional approaches to cancer treatment have generally been studied for safety and effectiveness through a rigorous scientific process, often less is known about the safety and effectiveness of complementary and alternative methods." Yet, they say, many therapies once considered unorthodox, "are finding a place in cancer treatment -- not as cures, but as complementary therapies that may help patients feel better and recover faster."

Still, alternative medicine took some hard knocks this year. In January, a dietary supplement known as GBL or Blue Nitro was found to be the cause of one death and severe reactions in others. The chemical was touted for building bigger muscles, enhancing sexual performance, and inducing sleep. In May, the FDA was asked to consider a recall of the chemical.

In June, a study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that women with breast cancer who began to use alternative therapies actually reported worse quality of life.

This summer, the Cancer Advisory Panel on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which offers high-level advice to the National Institutes of Health on how to invest research dollars in this area, met to help separate the inferior CAMs from those worth further research. Two NCI-sponsored trials -- one of oral shark cartilage, the other on pancreatic enzymes -- have garnered more than $1 million in government support. While it's still too early to tell which treatments will work, the panel is looking more seriously at them, says Michael Hawkins, MD, a panel co-chairman and oncologist at the Washington Hospital Center.

"There's a need for physicians to be aware of the fact that people are using [alternative] medicines, [and] for patients to be aware that they should tell their physicians," says Bruce Bacon, MD, a professor of internal medicine at St. Louis University School of Medicine. "

There really isn't all that much known about whether or not what [patients] are taking is effective or potentially harmful."

It's not only patients who are turning to alternative medicines to complement their medical regime. William Fair, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, himself a recovering cancer patient, is a convert to alternative treatment, saying, "You can't just say 'we don't believe this stuff.' Let's look at the data."

So where are CAMs headed in the new millennium? According to Stephen E. Straus, MD, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health, "Several therapeutic and preventative modalities currently deemed elements of CAM will have proven effective, and the term 'complementary and alternative medicine' will be superseded by the concept of 'integrative medicine'" by the year 2020.

In their optimistic projection, NCCAM maintains that the biological and pharmacological basis for effectiveness of selected herbal and nutritional supplements will be clarified, leading to their standardization.

"The field of integrative medicine will be seen as providing novel insights and tools for human health," Straus says in a statement issued to WebMD, "and not as a source of intellectual and philosophical tension that insinuates itself between and among practitioners of the healing arts and their patients."

Whether the talk was positive or negative this year, there's no doubt that most of us were paying attention. And according to Mary Ann Richardson, DrPH, director of the University of Texas Center for Alternative Medicine Research, "This is just the beginning. [Alternative medicine] is not going away. It has infiltrated every aspect of health care. Research needs to take place, more programs need to be integrated ... and [physician-patient] communication needs to increase."

Well, hold on. Indications are that it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Study: Weight contributes to illness

Overweight Americans are sicker late in life than normal-weight people and die prematurely, a new study shows.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York found that overweight and obese women spend an average of three more years in ill health than normal-weight women. Heavy men, on average, are sicker one more year than their thinner counterparts.

Heavy people are more likely to suffer from pain, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses that may affect their ability to perform daily tasks such as bathing and getting dressed, the research shows.

The researchers looked at the medical expenditure records of 13,600 people from 2000 and the death certificates of 84,000 people from the 1990s.

The findings in September's American Journal of Public Health showed that even overweight women under 45 have many more medical issues, such as depression, than do normal-weight women.

Heavy women "are bombarded with negative messages by friends, relatives and advertisements, which might be causing them to become stressed, depressed and sick," says lead study author Peter Muennig, assistant professor of health policy at Columbia.

If obesity trends in this country continue, life expectancy might eventually fall because of the high rates of obesity among children, Muennig says.

About 136 million U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to government data. Health experts consider a person obese if he or she is 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight; overweight is 1 to 29 pounds over that standard. About a third of children and teens, or 25 million kids, are overweight or at risk of becoming so.

Obesity can make people feel years older than their age, says Roland Sturm, a senior economist with the RAND Corp. who has done several studies on obesity's impact on quality of life.
"An obese 30-year-old has as many chronic conditions as a normal-weight 50-year-old and reports quality of life that is worse than a 50-year-old," he says.

Eric Finkelstein, a health economist with non-profit research firm RTI International, says heavy people may resist efforts to slim down.

"Clearly, obesity causes health problems. However, losing weight and maintaining it has its own costs because you have to diet and exercise. And the reality is that many people may not want to pay that price."

Adds Sturm: "Maybe we should start by trying to create an environment that prevents obesity in the first place, especially for children."
>> Read Full Story

Novel Immune System Enhancer Strengthens Microbial and Mutagenic Defense

Immunity is one of our body's most important resources. Yet, some of the most devastating diseases can affect this aspect of our health including HIV, cancer, and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. Even if we're not subject to any of these chronic conditions, we can become vulnerable to a host of influenza viruses or bacterial infections. It's therefore integrally important to reinforce our immune systems.

Over the last three years some of the top laboratories in the nation have been researching a substance that appears to modulate the immune system in such a way as to make it resistant to pathogenic organisms. After personally communicating with the director of the research team responsible for investigating this new substance, I have concluded that it is one of the most promising agents I've seen. However, before I describe its discovery and how it supports the immune system, I must describe several key aspects of our bodies' immune defenses. One of the ways we can nurture this aspect of health is to enhance the activity of natural killer cells, key players in immunity.

Natural killer cells are lymphocytes, cells present in the blood and lymphatic tissue that are integral to immunity. Natural killer cells bond to viral-invaded cells and release cytotoxins that kill the infected cells. They act similarly on many types of tumor cells. While natural killer cells are an important aspect of immunity, they are not the only aspect. The immune system is a complex tapestry that also relies upon the proper functioning of T-cells.

These cells emerge from the bone marrow in an immature state and must migrate to the thymus gland, where they are programmed to transform into:

1) CD4 helper cells, which orchestrate the immune response by activating other immune cells and stimulating the production of antibodies by the B- cells.

2) CD8 suppressor cells, which suppress killer cells by signaling the termination of an attack. Therefore, if we could find a natural substance that decreases the number of CD8 suppressor cells in relation to the number of CD4 helper cells, we would improve the CD4/CD8 ratio, strengthening the immune system's ability to defend against viral, bacterial, and parasitical invaders. A third aspect of immunity involves immunoglobulin A (IgA).

IgA is the principal immunoglobulin in exocrine secretions. It is important in protecting mucosal surfaces from invasion by pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Its presence in colostrum is thought to be the main reason behind colostrum's anti-infective properties in newborns. While the aforementioned aspects of immunity are important, they are, in a sense, oversimplifying how the immune system works, as it is a complex interplay of many different factors. However, understanding each of the factors I mention above will help explain how the new discovery discussed below has a novel and fascinating effect on the immune system.

Accidental Discovery
The discovery of a unique yeast-derived product called EpiCor™ began when insurance adjusters noticed that employees of a leading manufacturer of animal nutrition products, experienced unusually low sick leave rates and filed significantly fewer claims than employees of similarly sized companies. In fact, while 2004 annual insurance premiums increased an average of 11.2 percent nationally, this company's 2004 premiums didn't increase at all. The owners suspected this low illness rate was due to a fermented yeast culture the company manufactured for production animals since the workers who came in contact with this fermented yeast culture experienced an unusual lack of illnesses.

Consequently, the company commissioned a research group to perform a series of studies investigating EpiCor's effects, its safety and whether it was the agent responsible for the enhanced immunity at the company's production facility plant. Prior to conducting these studies, the research group visited the manufacturing facility and interviewed the employees. They began with the plant manager, who had previously worked at another company for more than 20 years. His wife was an emergency room nurse and often caught viral infections while on the job. While working at the other company, the plant manager and his children contracted 3 to 5 colds or flus per year. However, he had now worked with the fermented yeast product for 9 years and had not had a cold or flu for at least the last 7 years.

His wife and children continued to contract a number of illnesses every year. After hearing similar stories from other members of the production facility staff, the researchers were intrigued. Among the production facility workers, there had been no admissions for any emergency room visits, no incidence of any chronic diseases. In the administrative building, where employees rarely came in contact with the fermented yeast product, there was a greater incidence of colds and flu. There definitely seemed to be a reason to investigate this product.

Background on EpiCor
The ingredient to be investigated was an end product of fermentation of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The company has produced this product for 63 years as an additive to animal feed products and they distribute it worldwide. The process used to manufacture the product, while not patented, is a trade secret that other large companies have failed to replicate. Consequently, EpiCor's producer has dominated in the feed marketplace for many years, especially since it wasn't uncommon for animals consuming the animal feed version of EpiCor to have an increased litter size compared to what would normally be expected.

Antioxidant Powerhouse
First, the team of researchers broke down EpiCor's composition to help determine why it might have an immunomodulating effect. In doing this, it was noted that EpiCor had an excellent profile of mono unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and a small amount of saturated fat. In addition, all of the essential vitamins and minerals were in the product as well as trace elements. Interestingly, they also found it contained compounds known to exert free radical fighting activity such as phytosterols and phenolics including catechins and trans resveratrol. The researchers were surprised to find compounds such as squalene, which is found in sharks and only a very few plant species. Given this profile of substances known to exert antioxidant activity, they decided to subject EpiCor to studies investigating its antioxidant potential.

The first study conducted was designed to determine whether EpiCor could inhibit the formation of radical oxygen species (ROS) in freshly purified human neutrophil cells. They exposed the cells to hydrogen peroxide to induce severe oxidative stress then compared the EpiCor-treated cells to the cells left untreated. They discovered significant reduction of all ROS formation at EpiCor concentrations as low as 1 part per trillion compared to control cells challenged with only hydrogen peroxide. They continued to observe inhibition of ROS formation at concentrations even lower than one part per trillion. This effect didn't stop until they reached a concentration of 0.01 part per trillion. The antioxidant activity of EpiCor (or ORAC activity, as its called in the industry) was actually significantly greater than that of blueberries.

Microbial Studies
Next, the researchers found that EpiCor dramatically reduced the growth of E. Coli bacteria and Candida Tropicalis. At concentrations that continued all the way down to 1 part per billion they noted total inhibition of E. Coli and Candida Tropicalis. It did not, however, inhibit Staphylococcus aureus.

After conducting this study, they concluded that EpiCor may provide protection against infection with coliform bacteria (a common cause of food poisoning) and candida. The study also indicated that EpiCor may support the growth of desirable mucosal flora in the intestinal tract.

Stability and Toxicity Studies
The research team also decided to conduct a study to determine if EpiCor had a sufficient shelf life, an important consideration if it were to be consumed by humans. They first determined that when the product sat at 77 degrees Fahrenheit for 28 days, levels of mold, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus stayed below the acceptable limit. Other tests have shown that it is extremely stable for at least 22 months.

In another study, they asked a leading lab to check for 139 different pesticides. EpiCor was found free of all 139 compounds tested for at the detection limits. They also performed oral toxicity studies in rats. They gave 2,000 mg of EpiCor per kg of body weight to 20 rats—the equivalent to 140 grams administered orally in humans. After 14 days, the animals treated with EpiCor had normal body weights and no deaths occurred during the treatment period. In addition, no gross pathological changes were observed.

In a 90-day toxicity study, they treated 4 groups of rats (40 animals per group) with either 30, 200 or 1,500 mg of EpiCor per kg of body weight. A fourth group served as the control. EpiCor-treated rats did not have an increased rate of mortality, there were no treatment-related clinical symptoms, no significant differences in body weight, nor any pathological changes in any areas examined. In addition, there were no gross pathological lesions found in any organs.

The researchers concluded that EpiCor was well tolerated in daily oral doses up to 1,500 mg for 90 days. (A 90-day rodent study is equivalent to 1.5 years of human consumption in a 70 kg adult male or a 50 kg adult female).

Other tests have shown that EpiCor is not mutagenic and does not have the potential to cause gene mutation. Before delving into human studies they also investigated whether EpiCor is contraindicated in people taking any type of pharmaceutical drug. So they looked at whether it would affect drug-metabolizing enzymes such as Cytochrome P450. They conducted a test called the immortalized human hepatocyte assay, considered the gold standard for inducing drug-metabolizing enzymes. Through this test, they found that EpiCor is not toxic, does not induce the expression or enzymatic activity of cytochrome P450 or other drug metabolizing enzymes and therefore does not interfere in drug metabolism.

Human Studies
They were almost ready to conduct human studies on EpiCor's immunomodulating potential. However, first, they wanted to ensure its safety. For one month, 15 men and women ages 15 – 40 consumed 500 mg of EpiCor in a single daily dose. They measured baseline values 3 days preceding the study's start. Multiple blood samples were taken on day 2 and 28 and additional blood and saliva samples on days 0, 14, 21, 28. EpiCor was well tolerated with no evidence of adverse effects on the immune system nor any clinically relevant changes to any vital signs.

Now that they had determined that EpiCor is safe, non-toxic, non-mutagenic, is not harmful to cells, and is pesticide free, they were ready to begin studying if and how it affects immunity in humans. They compared one group of 10 production employees who are exposed to EpiCor on the job at the facility with another group of 10 gender and aged matched non-production facility employees not exposed to EpiCor.

They analyzed blood samples and what they found was fascinating. The group exposed to EpiCor showed a significant decrease in CD8 suppressor cells, resulting in an improvement in the CD4/CD8 ratio. The CD4/CD8 ratio suggested that these EpiCor-exposed individuals had at least 2 to 3 times the natural killing activity against viruses, bacteria and cancer cells than would normally be expected! This was quite striking to the laboratory. The director called one of the researchers and said, “I've never seen anything like these results before. These people seem virtually immune from contracting almost anything.” The researcher then asked him to go through the results and highlight the ones he thought were significant while the researcher did the same. They did not hold the code as to whose blood samples they were observing. The code was still kept by a scientist at the facility. But when they broke the code they had both 100 percent successfully separated the production from the non-production employees based on their immune profile. One of the other interesting aspects is that natural killer cells in EpiCor-exposed subjects had a much higher killing efficiency of pathogen-infected and abnormal cells despite a significant decrease in the natural killer cells' number. To use an analogy, if we sent out soldiers, we could send out less soldiers because they had become more efficient at doing battle. At the same time, EpiCor-exposed subjects experienced a significant inhibition of interferon gamma production, which indicates that EpiCor has anti-inflammatory abilities. They also found significantly higher levels of total salivary secretory IgA in the EpiCor subjects. The IgA levels were surprisingly high—more than 300 mg per ml. This indicated that the EpiCor subjects had the equivalent of an immunological envelope protecting all the membranes in the eyes, nasal passages, and all the places where pathogenic organisms enter into the system. They also found significantly lower levels of immune complexes and higher levels of glutathione in erythrocytes (red blood cells). Higher levels of immune complexes are responsible for inflammation, and lowering their levels would result in less inflammation and tissue damage. These same immune-modulating effects were seen in the study mentioned earlier in this article, in the 15 subjects treated with EpiCor for 28 days.

Calcium
Signaling Another aspect of the EpiCor studies worth mentioning is known as calcium signaling. Calcium signaling between cells is pivotal to the coordinated response of cells in tissues and organs within the whole body. It is now well established that cells do not behave as selfish entities but rather tend to form "micro-societies" whose proper functioning requires a precise coordination of signals that the cells emit and receive. When these signals are not working properly, this can result in pathological situations that can range from abnormal cell proliferation to cell death. The research has shown that EpiCor can influence calcium signaling, thereby offering a potential explanation for how EpiCor supports immunity and defends against invading pathogens. Additionally, it was determined that EpiCor affects the activity of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NFK-B). NFK-B plays an important role in inflammation, immunity, autoimmune responses, cell adhesion, cell proliferation, cell development and cell death (apoptosis) because it regulates the expression of genes involved in all these processes. GRAS Status After conducting these studies, an expert panel of toxicologists was assembled to review the data. The panel was chaired by the former director of the division of drugs and environmental toxicology and the human food safety program at the FDA. Other panelists included EPA scientists and the editor of the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology. As a result of the panel review, EpiCor has now received FDA's Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) classification.

Conclusion
I have never been so impressed by the effects of a compound as I have been with EpiCor. At this writing, there is one published study depicting the immune modulating aspects of EpiCor (Schauss AG, Vodjani A. Discovery of an edible fermentation product with unusual immune enhancing properties in humans.
FASEB J. 2006;20(4):A143).

Because this information is so new, a majority of studies mentioned in this article are still unpublished. The researchers expect to submit 5 manuscripts to peer reviewed journals within the next six months. Meanwhile, the confirmed safety of EpiCor and its effects on various immune parameters indicate that it is an immune modulating substance par excellence.

Chris Meletis, ND
Dr. Chris D. Meletis is an educator, international author and lecturer. Dr. Meletis has authored 14 books and was awarded the 2003 naturopathic physician of the year by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. He has also written over 200 nationally published health and wellness articles. He served as Chief Medical Officer and Dean of Naturopathic Medicine for the National College of Naturopathic Medicine and has participated in starting 16 clinics providing care for uninsured families. His personal mission is "Changing America's Health One Person at a Time." He believes that when people become educated about their health that this is when true wellness is achieved.
>> Read Full Story

Combining Mainstream, Alternative Therapies Brings Back Pain Relief

THURSDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Used together, conventional and complementary/alternative treatments help patients ease their low back pain better than using mainstream treatment alone, U.S. research shows.

The small study included 13 patients who received "integrated" care and six patients who received usual care. The integrative care team at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston included experts in acupuncture, chiropractic, internal medicine, massage therapy, neurology, nursing, nutritional counseling, occupational therapy, orthopedics, psychiatry/mind-body, physical therapy and rheumatology.

Over 12 weeks, the patients in the integrative care group had an average of 12.2 visits and gained significantly greater reduction in both their pain scores (0.37 per week vs. 0.14 per week) and functional status (1.11 per week vs. 0.49 per week) than the usual care group.

These promising initial results suggest that this approach to treating low back pain warrants further evaluation, the study authors said.

The findings were presented Thursday at the North American Research Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Another study presented at the conference found that a meditation program reduced psychological distress, decreased disease activity, and decreased nonspecific inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The six-month study included 63 rheumatoid arthritis patients who received usual care or were asked to practice a meditation program at home six hours a week, in addition to remaining under the regular care of their rheumatologist and continuing to take their prescribed medications.
After two months, psychological distress was reduced by 30 percent in the meditation group and 10 percent in the control group. After six months, psychological distress was reduced by 33 percent in the meditation group and 2 percent in the control group.

Rheumatoid arthritis disease activity was not affected after two months. After six months, the meditation group had an 11 percent mean decrease in disease activity, compared with no change in the control group. Nonspecific inflammation decreased by 35 percent in the meditation group after six months, compared with an 11 percent increase in the control group.

More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about
complementary and alternative medicine.
Last reviewed: 05/25/2006 Last updated: 05/25/2006

Journal Editor Criticizes Authors of Migraine Study

(HealthDay News) -- The authors of a new study linking migraines with aura to an increased risk for heart woes came under attack Tuesday by the editor of the medical journal that published their research the same day.

The editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association criticized six researchers, led by a Harvard professor, for not disclosing that they have done consulting work or received research funding from makers of treatments for migraines or heart-related problems, the Associated Press reported.

The research, published in the July 19 issue of the journal, came a week after the journal announced a crackdown on researchers who don't reveal industry ties.

Dr. Catherine DeAngelis, JAMA editor-in-chief, said her editors did not know about the ties until the AP brought it to their attention.

"We'll get killed," the wire service quotes her as saying, referring to the potential damage to the journal's reputation.

During the past two months, there have been two cases of JAMA authors not disclosing their consulting relationships with drug companies, one involving antidepressants and the other arthritis drugs.

DeAngelis told the AP that she would have added the authors' financial association with the pharmaceutical companies if she had known about them, especially in the latest incident.
Dr. Tobias Kurth, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, said the researchers were not trying to mislead the journal because they believed their financial ties were irrelevant. The study does not promote drug treatment, he added.

The research found specifically that women aged 45 and older who have migraines with aura are at an increased risk for heart attacks, strokes, angina and death due to cardiovascular disease but that there was no increased risk for women with a history of migraine without aura.

"This study confirmed an association between migraine with aura and stroke that was previously identified, and also demonstrated that migraine was a risk factor for ischemic heart disease as well," said Dr. Richard B. Lipton, co-author of an editorial accompanying the study and director of the Montefiore Headache Center in New York City.

"We expanded it beyond ischemic stroke," added Kurth. "The heart part is new, but it's not a different mechanism. It just shows a higher risk of overall cardiovascular disease."

About 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men have migraine in any given year, with some 28 million Americans suffering from the condition.

Migraine headaches are especially severe and can involve nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound. In some cases, the event also involves an aura -- visual and sensory "warning signs" just before the attack.

Migraines with auras, which comprise the minority of migraine attacks, have already been linked to an increased risk of ischemic stroke. Their association with other cardiovascular problems has not been established.

To evaluate the risk between migraine (with and without aura) with risk of vascular events, the authors looked at data on nearly 28,000 women aged 45 and older who were participating in the Women's Health Study.

Women who reported having active migraine with aura had about double the risk of major cardiovascular disease and heart attacks, almost double the risk for ischemic stroke and a 70 percent higher risk for ischemic cardiovascular death.

This translated into 18 additional major cardiovascular disease events attributable to migraine with aura per 10,000 women per year.

Women who had migraines without aura did not face increased risk in any of these areas. That's good news, since most migraine sufferers do not experience aura.

"It's important to understand that, for most migraine patients, this is not an issue," Kurth said. "Migraine without aura was not associated with any increased risk of vascular events, and this is the vast majority of migraine sufferers."

The biological mechanisms linking aura and cardiovascular risk remain unclear.

"There's pretty good evidence that migraine with or without aura have separate genetic risk factors," Lipton explained. "One of the migraine-with-aura genes is associated with elevated levels of high blood pressure and other risk factors. So, one possibility is that there's a genetic link between migraine with aura and heart disease."

For women who do experience aura with their migraines, there are some common-sense strategies.

"Over the last 20 years, there has been an enormous emphasis on knowing your risk factors for heart disease and reducing them," Lipton said. "This study suggests that migraine with aura should be added to that list of risk factors, at least in women over 45."

Scientists don't know, however, if treating the migraine itself will decrease the risk.

While researchers search for that answer, women should pay attention to known risk factors.
"Women with migraine with aura should be especially careful about addressing those risk factors that they can modify for heart disease, such as cholesterol and high blood pressure," Lipton said.

"Patients and treating physicians should be particularly cautious about other modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, in particular smoking," Kurth added.

And research needs to confirm the findings in men and in younger women to see if they, too, should heed heightened precautions.

More information
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke can tell you more about migraine.

Can Chelation help me?

Chelation (chelation & detoxification) agents administered intravenously have been proven to increase the blood flow and remove arterial plaque.

Chelation therapy can help reverse arterioscleroses, can prevent heart attacks and strokes, and is used as an alternative to bypass surgery and angioplasty.

By restoring food circulation to all the tissues of the body, reverse gangrene, alleviate intermittent claudication (cramps) of the legs, and restore memory.

Due to its ability to remove toxic metal ions, chelation therapy reduces internal inflammation caused by free radicals (highly reactive destructive molecules), and as a result can ease the discomfort t and disability from degenerative disease such as arthritis, scleroderma (a hardening that occurs in skin and certain organs), and lupus.

The Doctors points out that penicillamine, a drug used to treat heavy metal poisoning, rheumatoid arthritis, and Wilson' disease (a rare metabolic disorder resulting in an excess accumulation of copper in the liver, red blood cells, and the brain), works in a fashion very similar to EDTA. "Some of the benefits derived from penicillamine in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are undoubtedly related to the control and removal of excess free radicals.

And EDTA itself, when taken orally, provides most of its chelating activities in the body even though only about 5 percent effects are less dramatic and slower than when received intravenously, but the oral approach has several major advantages, including convenience, potential long-term continuous health maintenance, and low cost."

• chelation & detoxification

As early as World War I, ozone's bactericidal properties were used to treat infected wounds, mustard gas burns, and fistulas

As early as World War I, ozone's bactericidal properties were used to treat infected wounds, mustard gas burns, and fistulas, although these treatments were limited by technological difficulties.

Current ozone therapy uses a mixture of ozone and pure oxygen,4 and with today's medical ozone generators, the ability now exists to deliver pure ozone-oxygen mixtures in precise dosages.

The Europe-based Medical Society for Ozone and the National Center for Scientific Research in Cuba currently use the treatment for a wide variety of conditions, including wound problems, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, and AIDS.

Doctors report particular success with the different types of hepatitis, as well as Candida, allergies and bladder infections. Other disorders treated with ozone therapy: herpes, arthritis, respiratory conditions, multiple sclerosis, sexually transmitted diseases, and parasitic conditions.

And this is just a partial list. What's more, while ozone can be used to treat a wide spectrum of conditions, it can also be used prophylactically to combat harmful viruses, bacteria, and free radicals before degeneration and disease occur.

Additionally, already healthy people can use ozone to rejuvenate cells so that they can stay younger longer. As science reporter Nathaniel Altman observes, it is unusual indeed to have a product that treats such a tremendous range of conditions.
By Gary Null, Ph.D

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