Bacteria In House Dust May Help Prevent Allergies

Bacteria in house dust may actually protect babies against developing allergies. Numerous reports suggest that hygiene measures in modernized societies may be partly responsible for the increased occurrence of (asthma-related) diseases in these populations. Read more

Licensing Naturopaths?

Q: Licensing Naturopaths?I just became aware of the ongoing effort to license naturopathic physicians. I was shocked. Aren??t these physicians already licensed?

A: Surprising as it may seem, naturopathic physicians are licensed to practice in only 14 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In April 2005, Idaho became the most recent state to pass a licensing law. You may also be surprised to know that without licensing, anyone can obtain a "degree" to practice naturopathic medicine through correspondence courses or just hang out a shingle in most states.

In the 14 states that do require licensing, naturopathic physicians must be graduates of accredited four-year schools. Legislative efforts are ongoing elsewhere, and we soon may be hearing about licensing laws passing in more states. In Canada, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan license naturopaths.

Physician-level NDs are trained not only in natural modalities but in biomedical sciences as well. The first two years of naturopathic medical education are dedicated to the medical sciences and include courses in cadaver anatomy, biochemistry, pathophysiology, and neuroanatomy that are similar in content and length to the courses required for medical doctors. In the second two years of education, students can undertake the study of systems (e.g., cardiology, gynecology, and gastroenterology) and populations (e.g., pediatrics, geriatrics). Throughout their education, NDs are steeped in naturopathic principles and the study and application of natural therapies such as clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, physical medicine, and health counseling.

Having spent most of my professional career working with healthcare providers all over the world, from the conventional, alternative, and complementary professions, I value the critical role that NDs play in the emerging field of integrative medicine.

At the Program in Integrative Medicine here at the University of Arizona, NDs are an essential part of our multidisciplinary clinic team. I see many possibilities for MDs and NDs to work collaboratively to meet the needs of their patients.
Andrew Weil, M.D.

FDA Considers Drug to Prevent Pre-term Birth

(HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering approving a drug to help reduce the number of premature babies.
If approved, Gestiva would be the only drug available to help mothers carry their babies to term.
The formulation is available from pharmacies that create custom medications but is difficult to obtain, said Dr. Ashley S. Roman, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York University School of Medicine in New York City. "This is a powerful medication that we use a lot in our practice for a small subset of patients," she said.
But Gestiva does have potential drawbacks. It does not, for instance, appear to help prevent the earliest preterm births, which most often result in complications and death. The drug may also increase the rate of miscarriage and stillbirths.
Doctors are taking a cautious approach to a wider and easier availability for the drug.
"Ob/gyns think it's a very promising medication, but for anything that involves pregnant women we're not that aggressive about jumping on the bandwagon," said Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "Most doctors will have a wait-and-see approach and will probably use it in a select population."
"This is addressing a very legitimate problem that we really have no medication for," Wu added.
Premature babies face a host of neurological, behavioral and other problems, including brain damage.
According to a recent report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine, in 2005, 12.5 percent of all babies born in the United States were born at least three weeks ahead of their delivery date. This represents a 30 percent increase in the rate of preterm births since 1981.
Of all preterm births in the United States, the greatest number are "near-term" or "late-preterm" deliveries -- babies born between 32 weeks and 36 weeks. Although babies born before 32 weeks are at greatest risk for illness and death, all preterm babies face potential problems.
The closer to the expected delivery date the baby is, the lower the chances of problems, especially death.
On Tuesday, the FDA's Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs was meeting to discuss the new drug application for Gestiva, which is made by Adeza Biomedical. The drug, a naturally occurring female hormone called progesterone, would be used in women with a history of preterm delivery.
The FDA first approved the drug in 1956 to prevent miscarriages, according to the Associated Press. The agency withdrew approval of the drug in 2000 after the company stopped selling it. New federal law now requires the manufacturer to conduct studies to prove a drug's safety and efficacy.
According to Roman, a U.S. National Institutes of Health study found the drug to be effective before both the 37th week and the 35th week of pregnancy. "There was also an improvement in birth weight," she said.
FDA documents note that the use of this form of progesterone is currently recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to treat women with a history of preterm birth. It is given via injection starting during the 16th and 20th weeks of pregnancy until the 36th week or birth. The drug does not seem to benefit women if it is started later, or when the signs of preterm birth arise, such as preterm labor or water-breaking.
There is no data on how the drug works in multiple pregnancies, which are a major cause of preterm births.
"There need to be more studies, especially in multiples," Wu said. "These are the patients that are at really high risk. You have to be really careful that you are following the guidelines."
FDA approval could help some physicians breathe easier when they use the drug, one expert said.
Whenever an obstetrician decides to give a medicine to a pregnant woman, the obstetrician runs the risk of whatever liability might be associated with an adverse outcome that could one day be attributed to the drug, explained Dr. F. Sessions Cole, director of newborn medicine and head of the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Louis Children's Hospital. The FDA approval, in addition to making the drug more widely available, also provides some protection against liability.
"These progesterone compounds have been effective in some studies in the past," he continued. "I don't think they're the magic bullet to stop all women from delivering prematurely, but its broader availability and its FDA approval will certainly help reduce the problem."

More information
The March of Dimes has more on premature births.

Integrative medicine Videos

Full Focus: Tax Returns For Sale; New Medicine; Violinist Mark O'Conner
... documentary, which goes inside San Diego's Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, we talk with the founding medical director about the role mind and ...
KPBS - 26 min - May 18, 2006

Full Focus: Life-Saving Defibrillators; February 9,2006
... to San Diego. Guests: Dr. Mimi Guarneri, Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine; Dr. Robert Stein, American Heart Association; and Jackie Goodrich, StoryCorps ...
KPBS - 25 min - Mar 8, 2006 (2 ratings)

Robert Rowen MD Tells Why He Values the Benefits of Alternative Medicine
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 6 min - Feb 7, 2006

Robert Rowen MD Talks about Bio-Energetic Fields and Energetic Medicine
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 4 min - Feb 7, 2006

Robert Rowen MD Is On of the Pioneers In Chelation Therapy Research
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 4 min - Feb 7, 2006

Robert Rowen MD Talks About Natural Cures for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 3 min - Feb 7, 2006

Robert Rowen MD Knows the Power Of Good Nutrition After Years of Research
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 2 min - Feb 7, 2006 (1 rating)

Robert Rowen MD Realizes That Parasites Are a Great Threat People's Health
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 3 min - Feb 7, 2006

Robert Rowen MD Has Discovered Live Cell Therapies Help Your Body Heal
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 4 min - Feb 7, 2006

Robert Rowen MD Discovered Therapies That Heal Chronic Pain Symptoms
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 3 min - Feb 7, 2006

Robert Rowen MD Believes Ozone and Hydrogen Peroxide Therapies Are Beneficial
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 5 min - Feb 7, 2006 (1 rating)

Robert Rowen MD Found Balanced Hormones Are the Key to Good Sexual Health
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 1 min - Feb 7, 2006

Robert Rowen MD Feels That Colonic Hydrotherapy Is Valuable In Healing Disease
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 2 min - Feb 7, 2006

Optimizing Emotional Health During the Holidays
... Care Medicine Program. As a staff member of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UCSF, Dr. Prathikanti uses both conventional and complementary/ ...
UCTV: UC San Francisco - 54 min - Nov 17, 2004

Robert Rowen MD Believes Killer Epidemics, Flues and Pandemics Are Inevitable
... for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. He is known as the Father of Medical Freedom for his efforts to legalize ...
HealthyDoctors.com - 2 min - Feb 7, 2006

Health Highlights: May 23, 2006

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: NSAIDs Increase Risk of 1st Hospital Admission for Heart Failure

Commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) painkillers, such as ibuprofen, are associated with a slightly increased risk of first hospital admission for heart failure, says a study in the journal Heart.

The study of more than 228,660 patients concluded that there would be one extra first hospital admission for heart failure for every 1,000 people ages 60 to 84 who take NSAIDs, United Press International reported.

However, the researchers said this could increase to three additional cases per 1,000 among patients 70 and older who have chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or kidney failure.

Overall, 14 percent of patients were taking NSAIDs at the time of their first hospital admission for heart failure, compared with 10 percent of a comparison group of randomly selected people. Half of those admitted to hospital were ages 70 to 79.

The data used in the study came from the General Practice Research Database, which contains the medical records of millions of patients of family doctors in Britain, UPI reported.
-----
Prince Charles, British Docs Differ Over Alternative Medicine
Just hours after a group of Britain's leading doctors and scientists urged the National Health Service (NHS) to stop paying for complementary health therapies, Prince Charles told a meeting of the World Health Organization in Geneva that alternative medicine should be given more prominence in mainstream health care.

In an open letter, the British doctors and scientists criticized public funding of "unproven or disproved treatments" such as homeopathy and reflexology at a time when large deficits are leading to the firing of nurses and to limited patient access to life-saving drugs, The Times of London reported.

They demanded that the NHS pay only for evidence-based therapies.
In his speech, the Prince of Wales said that an integrated, holistic approach was the best way to tackle chronic disease, rather than a "dangerously fragmented" approach that relies on what he referred to as a bio-physical treatment model, The Times reported.
He did note that modern medicine has served humanity well but he said excessive reliance on it had upset natural harmony.

"I believe there is now a desperately urgent need to address the fragile but vital balance between man and nature, through a more integrated approach where the best of the ancient is blended with the best of the modern, and I am convinced this is particularly vital when it comes to the collective health of people in all countries," Prince Charles told delegates from 192 nations.
-----
No Difference Between 2 Anemia Drugs for Cancer Patients: Report
There is no clinically significant difference in effectiveness between two drugs -- epoetin and darbepoetin -- used to manage anemia in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment, says a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The report said the two drugs show no difference in improving hemoglobin concentration or in reducing the need for transfusion. Both drugs do reduce the need for transfusion by about 20 percent, but there is no evidence that either drug, when added to cancer treatment, improves patient survival.

In addition, there are many unanswered questions about the safety and best use of both drugs, the report said.

"This report is a synthesis of studies performed so far regarding epoetin and darbepoetin, including unpublished findings as well as published reports," Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, AHRQ director, said in a prepared statement.

"The authors have analyzed and weighed all of the evidence available in order to obtain the fairest possible understanding of these two alternative treatments for managing anemia in cancer patients. In addition, an important role for our comparative-effectiveness reviews is to identify research gaps where new evidence is needed. Their report finds that significant questions remain unanswered about both of these drugs," Clancy said.
-----
U.S. Soldiers With PTSD More Likely to Suffer Poor Health

A year after leaving Iraq, American combat soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to be in worse physical health, experience more pain, and are more likely to miss work than those who don't have PTSD, says a U.S. military survey of nearly 3,000 Iraq war veterans.

The survey found that about 17 percent of the respondents had PTSD symptoms and they were more likely than those without symptoms to report various kinds of pain -- from backaches to headaches -- and gastrointestinal problems such as indigestion and nausea, USA Today reported.

Anxiety may contribute to these physical symptoms, said Dr. Charles Hoge, chief of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C.
He also noted that nightmares, flashbacks and other symptoms of PTSD can interfere with sleep, resulting in a negative impact on health. About 50 percent of the soldiers who reported PTSD symptoms rated their health as fair to poor, compared with about 20 percent of soldiers with no PTSD symptoms, USA Today reported.
The findings were released Monday at an American Psychiatric Association meeting.
-----
FDA Approves Generic Version of Lexapro
The first generic version of Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate), one of the most popular prescription antidepressants, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The approval, announced Monday, gives permission to Ivax Corp. of Miami to market 5, 10, and 20 milligram doses of the drug for major depression, The Associated Press reported.
Ivax is part of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. of Israel.

The brand name Lexapro is made by New York-based Forest Laboratories Inc. Last year, Lexapro was the No. 2 antidepressant in the United States, with 29.6 million prescriptions filled and sales of $2.1 billion. The drug Zoloft was the leading antidepressant, the AP reported.
Last reviewed: 05/23/2006 Last updated: 05/23/2006

New Digital Mammography System Approved

(HealthDay News) -- Women who are under age 50, are premenopausal, or have thicker breast tissue seem to benefit more from digital mammography than traditional breast cancer detection methods that use film, according to new research involving over 50,000 women.

Results from the U.S. National Cancer Institute study suggest that these women are most likely to benefit from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Fuji's Computed Radiography for Mammography (FCRm) system, Fuji said in statement.

While it's not the first digital mammography device approved by the FDA, it's about half the price of similar machines, and its design appears to work better, according to a report by ABC News.

"Dense-breasted women tend to be at especially high risk for breast cancer, and they are among the hardest to screen with conventional film X-rays," study lead author Dr. Etta Pisano, Director of the University of North Carolina Biomedical Research Imaging Center, noted in the Fuji statement.

However, the company noted that only about 12 percent of U.S. mammography facilities offer digital technology, due in large part to the cost of the digital machines.

Fuji's technology works with existing analog machines, forgoing the need to replace the older technology entirely, the company said.

More information
To learn more about the study that compared digital vs. film mammography, visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Robert Rowen MD Talks about Bio-Energetic Fields and Energetic Medicine

Robert Rowen MD Talks about Bio-Energetic Fields and Energetic Medicine

HealthyDoctors.com
3 min 49 sec
Dr. Robert Rowen, MD is internationally known for his work i..

Alternative Medical Systems

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Alternative medical systems involve complete systems of theory and practice that have evolved independent of and often prior to the conventional biomedical approach. Many are traditional systems of medicine that are practiced by individual cultures throughout the world, including a number of venerable Asian approaches.
Traditional oriental medicine emphasizes the proper balance or disturbances of qi (pronounced chi), or vital energy, in health and disease, respectively. Traditional oriental medicine consists of a group of techniques and methods, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, oriental massage and qi gong (a form of energy therapy described more fully below). Acupuncture involves stimulating specific anatomic points in the body for therapeutic purposes, usually by puncturing the skin with a needle.
Ayurveda (Eye yer vay duh) is India's traditional system of medicine. Ayurvedic medicine (meaning "science of life") is a comprehensive system of medicine that places equal emphasis on body, mind and spirit, and strives to restore the innate harmony of the individual. Some of the primary Ayurvedic treatments include diet, exercise, meditation, herbs, massage, exposure to sunlight and controlled breathing.
Other traditional medical systems have been developed by Native American, Aboriginal, African, Middle-Eastern, Tibetan, Central and South American cultures.
Homeopathy and naturopathy are also examples of complete alternative medical systems. Homeopathy is an unconventional Western system that is based on the principle that "like cures like," i.e., that the same substance that in large doses produces the symptoms of an illness, in very minute doses cures it. Homeopathic physicians believe that the more dilute the remedy, the greater its potency. Therefore, homeopaths use small doses of specially prepared plant extracts and minerals to stimulate the body's defense mechanisms and healing processes in order to treat illness.
Naturopathy views disease as a manifestation of alterations in the processes by which the body naturally heals itself and emphasizes health restoration rather than disease treatment. Naturopathic physicians employ an array of healing practices, including diet and clinical nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, hydrotherapy (the use of water in a range of temperatures and methods of applications), spinal and soft-tissue manipulation, physical therapies involving electric currents, ultrasound and light therapy, therapeutic counseling and pharmacology.

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Integrated medicine

About Complementary / Integrative Medicine

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The definitions provided below are from various authoritative sources and are provided here for general explanation purposes. Please refer to the Web pages for more details.

The Basics
Conventional Medicine The term conventional medicine refers to medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees, some of whom may also practice complementary and alternative medicine. Other terms for conventional medicine are allopathy, Western, regular and mainstream medicine and biomedicine.

Alternative Medicine
Therapeutic approaches taken in place of traditional medicine and used to treat or ameliorate disease.

Complementary Medicine
Therapies that complement traditional western (or allopathic) medicine.

Complementary/Alternative Medicine
The terms "complementary" and "alternative" are often used interchangeably, when in fact they are two different therapeutic approaches.

"CAM" Complementary/Alternative Medicine
Combination of complementary and alternative medicine.

Complementary/Integrative Medicine
Combines traditional western (or allopathic) and complementary approaches and supplements, but does not replace conventional therapy. It is used for:

• Managing symptoms
• Increasing wellness (quality of life, reported sense of well-being)
• Improving treatment efficacy

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Integrated medicine

Integrated medicine

Integrated medicine

Imbues orthodox medicine with the values of complementary medicine .

Integrated medicine (or integrative medicine as it is referred to in the United States) is practising medicine in a way that selectively incorporates elements of complementary and alternative medicine into comprehensive treatment plans alongside solidly orthodox methods of diagnosis and treatment.

The concept is better recognised in the US than in the United Kingdom, but a conference in London next week, organised by the Royal College of Physicians and the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, may help to raise its profile in the UK.
Integrated medicine is not simply a synonym for complementary medicine. Complementary medicine refers to treatments that may be used as adjuncts to conventional treatment and are not usually taught in medical schools. Integrated medicine has a larger meaning and mission, its focus being on health and healing rather than disease and treatment. It views patients as whole people with minds and spirits as well as bodies and includes these dimensions into diagnosis and treatment. It also involves patients and doctors working to maintain health by paying attention to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, quality of rest and sleep, and the nature of relationships.

Conventional medicine has become dependent on expensive technological solutions to health problems, even when they are not particularly effective. In its enthusiasm for technology, it has turned its back on holism and simple methods of intervention, such as dietary adjustment and relaxation training, which are prominent in many alternative systems of medicine and are often effective.1 Patients want guides to help them navigate the confusing maze of therapeutic options, particularly when conventional approaches are relatively ineffective and harmful.2
Most patients turn to complementary medicine out of frustration.

Research shows that the consultation process and holistic approach adopted by practitioners of complementary medicine make patients feel in more control of their illness. 3 4 Unfortunately, this option is not often available because physicians with the desired attitudes, knowledge, and training are few and far between. Yet the multiple options of complementary therapies range from the sensible and worth while to the ridiculous and even dangerous, and patients need physicians with the biomedical knowledge to distinguish between them.

Conventional medicine can no longer ignore complementary medicine. US expenditure on complementary medicine rose in 1990-7 from $13bn to $38bn a year, and twice as many consultations were with complementary medicine practitioners as with mainstream family doctors. 5 6 This trend is also apparent in Australia,7 while in the UK a recent survey in Southampton (population 200 000) showed that around £4m a year was spent on complementary medicine outside the NHS.8

In Britain a recent report from the House of Lords select committee on science and technology9 acknowledged that the use of complementary therapy is widespread and increasing. At least 40% of general practices in the UK provide some complementary medicine services,10 although the evidence base for their use is patchy at best and non-existent at worse. The select committee divided therapies into three groups and concluded that the most organised and regulated (acupuncture, chiropractice, herbal medicine, homeopathy, and osteopathy) have a research base as well as being available in parts of the NHS.

Most therapies in group 2 (such as aromotherapy and hypnotherapy) are used to complement conventional medicine and exist in some parts of the NHS, but it is this group that needs proper regulation and a research base. Group 3 contains therapies that are long established and rational in certain cultures, as well as many (such as crystal therapy and dowsing) for which there is no research evidence at all.
However, with no specific funding for research into complementary medicine, evidence will not be forthcoming. The NHS research and development directorate and the Medical Research Council need to support research into complementary therapies. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which has been set up as a centre within the National Institutes of Health in the US, offers a model. Writing recently in the Times, HRH the Prince of Wales pointed out that the Medical Research Council spent no money researching complementary therapies in 1998-9 and in 1999 UK medical research charities spent only 0.05% of their total research budget.11 However, even when research funds are available there may be few high quality applications. We need to foster research excellence in complementary medicine.
In addition, there are no clear guidelines for the regulation of, and training in, complementary medicine for licensed health professionals who want to use a complementary therapy in their practice. Familiarisation with complementary therapies needs to start in medical schools and other institutes of higher education. In Britain, such provision is uneven, though awareness is growing and some schools already have some teaching. In the US many practitioners are being trained with a distance learning, internet based module, and medical education is also being restructured.12 The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine aims to have programmes of integrated medicine in a fifth's of the county's 125 medical schools within the next few years.
Such programmes will produce fundamental changes in the way physicians are trained because integrated medicine is not just about teaching doctors to use herbs instead of drugs. It is about restoring core values which have been eroded by social and economic forces. Integrated medicine is good medicine, and its success will be signalled by dropping the adjective. The integrated medicine of today should be the medicine of the new millennium. Lesley Rees, director of education.
Royal College of Physicians, London NW1 4LE (Lesley.Rees@rcplondon.ac.uk
'//-->
)Andrew Weil, director and professor of medicine.
Program in Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724-5018, USA (Mnhardin@ix.netcom.com

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)

Footnotes
LR is a trustee of the Foundation for Integrated Medicine.
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Ornish D, Scherwitz LW, Billings JH, Brown SE, Gould KL, Merritt TA, et al. Intensive lifestyle changes for reversal of coronary heart disease. JAMA 1998; 280: 2001-2007

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Maizes V, Caspio O. The principles and challenges of alternative medicine; more than a combination of traditional and alternative therapies. West J Med 1999; 171: 148-149

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Austin JA. Why patients use alternative medicine. JAMA 1998; 279: 1548-1553

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Lewith GT. Reflections on the nature of consultation. J Altern Complement Med 1998; 4: 321-323

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Eisenberg DM, Davies RB, Ettner SL, Appel S, Wilkey S, Van Rompany M, et al. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States 1990-1997. JAMA 1998; 280: 1569-1575

[Abstract/Free Full Text].
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The landmark report on public perceptions of alternative care. Sacramento, California: Landmark Healthcare Inc, 1998.
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MacLennan AH, Wilson DH, Taylor AW. Prevalence and cost of alternative medicines in Australia. Lancet 1996; 347: 569-573

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Dolan G, Lewith GT. The practice of complementary medicine outside the NHS. J Altern Complement Med 1999; 5: 297-300

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House of Lords. Complementary and alternative medicine. London: Stationery Office, 2000.
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Thomas K, Fall M, Parry G, Nichol J. National survey of access to complementary health care via general practice. Sheffield: University of Sheffield, 1995.
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HRH Prince of Wales. When our health is at risk, why be mean? Alternative medicine needs and deserves more research funding. Times 2000;29 Dec:p28.
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Weil A. The significance of integrative medicine for the future of medical education. Am J Med 2000; 108: 441-443

[CrossRef]

[Medline].

more info at:
www.dreddyclinic.com

A therapy not approved or not considered the standard of care by the local health authorities

Alternative cancer therapy is a broad term that covers many different therapeutic approaches not approved or not considered the standard of care by the local health authorities. In the United States the term refers to any cancer treatment not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Most countries in the world does not have funding to research cancer, and are following the world Cancer Industry leaders: Germany, UK, USA, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia, Spain.Some of the practitioners offering alternative cancer therapies are medical doctors, while others are not. Often treatment is delivered in a clinical setting. A few of these clinics are located in the United States, but most are in Mexico, Japan, the Philippines, and various countries in Europe (Denmark, Germany, France, Swiss ...).

Some clinics have a specific focus and emphasize the therapy they are famous for. Other clinics use a multidimensional approach, with a wide variety of alternative therapies, such as detoxification, immune-system enhancement, nutritional support, healthy diets, bio-magnetic therapy, along with such biological substances as hydrogen peroxide, ozone, laetrile, shark cartilage, mistletoe and many others, which are covered in this FAQ.

The decision to turn to alternative treatments is made by thousands of patients each year. Often these people seek out alternative cancer therapy only after traditional cancer therapy has failed and they have been told that they have only a few weeks to live. Utilizing alternative therapies, many of these patients improve, and live from two to five years longer, with a reasonably good quality of life. Although this can't be viewed as long-term remission, several years of rewarding life is a definite improvement over the last few weeks or months of misery that many patients experience from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

more info at:
www.dreddyclinic.com

Report of a Wholistic Holiday

Report of a Wholistic Holiday
©Copyright 1998 by James A Kholos, D.C., N.D., USA (Explore Issue: Volume 8, Number 4)

Attending the recent Isopathic/Homeopathic Seminar, January 29 to February 1, 1998 in Scottsdale, Arizona was more than learning about Pleomorphic therapy.

To say the participants only enjoyed the cool Arizona sunsets in the Pueblo Spirit, would be like referring to Native America petroglyphs as graffiti.

The information presented on how to treat and combine different methods and products effectively, the most important Sanum Remedies and their successful interrelationship to other biological remedies, Meridian Therapy and Homeopathy, basic concepts of biological medicine, tools for determining the need for biological medicine, heavy toxicity, Detection and Dtoxification Research and the Biological Terrain, meridians and their structures, thermoregulation and new developments in holistic dentistry and the relationship to biological therapies can only be described as baffling to nearly everyone.

My particular favorite was Dr. Thomas Rau's presentation on the Significance and Clinical Meaning of Darkfield findings, as a new way of interpretation, and understanding Darkfield microscopy as a dynamic examination.

Typical of Enderlein seminars, Chrystyne Jackson consistently makes the desert bloom into a garden with exhibitors, equally worthy, presenting products I consider the cutting edge of science and technology in advanced medicine. It is here in Scottsdale twice yearly, knowledge becomes a gallery telling a story of the medical arts, past present and future.

If advanced medicine has a gold standard Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, Ph.D. occupies this high place equally with friend and colleague, Dr. Thomas Rau. Their fascinating shared experience overlapping Chinese medicine, neural therapy and Dr. Garry Gordon's plain old-fashioned American horse sense, gives one the impression that the mysteries of anti-aging medicine will soon appear like some rock art symbols in a Petroglyph should you survive the next ten years.

The information presented could be considered everything you should want to know, the therapies that are working in Europe you didn't learn in medical school.

"When I left allopathic medicine in 1985 and turned to advanced medicine," related Dr. Robert M. Battle, of Houston, Texas, "I observed a patient suffering from congestive heart failure I had treated without success for five years. After twenty-five chelation (chelation & detoxification) I.V.'s he went from barely breathing, to hiking and jogging."

Dr. Battle invited Bill Glaros, DDS to participate in the dental workshops. He confirmed enthusiastically "every encounter brings an opportunity for a mission". He further confirmed that the fact that stopping the placement of mercury/silver fillings in patients decreases the possibility of the detrimental effects on their health was continuously validated by physicians, researchers and dentists in practice.

Dr. Gabriel Cousens, MD, Psychiatrist, presented his thesis on Spiritual Nutrition and the Rainbow Diet. To think past the popular research that fails to demonstrate that food and nutrients behave differently in different people with different dominant metabolic types has profound implications. Cousens claims that the key to understanding his fast and slow oxidizer concept is knowing how the body produces and metabolizes ATP from glucose.

There are two primary cycles. One is called glycolysis which produces twenty percent of the ATP. The other is called the Citric Acid Cycle, which produces eighty percent. Any interference with the step-by-step breakdown of glucose to ATP from the incomplete oxidation of glucose intermediates in the brain resulting in impaired mental functioning. An example of this might be a deficiency in Niacin which participates in the enzymatic breakdown of sugar at several places in the cycles of energy production. A deficiency of Niacin slows down brain metabolism and therefore affects the creation of energy for the brain-mind function.

It is well known that a Niacin deficiency might result in pellagra with a variety of mental symptoms associated with it, including depression and anxiety. Niacin is also needed for tryptophan metabolism and a Niacin deficiency has been implicated in some forms of schizophrenia. Deficiencies of other vitamins and minerals, as well as pH imbalances may profoundly alter brain energetic functioning and, therefore, the normal functioning of brain-mind activities.

Although glucose metabolism primarily happens in brain metabolism, the adequate utilization of protein and fat breakdown products in the citric acid cycle, significantly affects the amount of ATP that is used in brain metabolism. There needs to be a proper mix of the intermediates, from both glucose metabolism and from fat and protein metabolic breakdown, for the citric acid cycle to produce the optimal amount of energy for proper functioning. I taught Dr. Cousens everything he ever learned between the speaker breaks.

Moving right along, Robert Zieve, MD, a practitioner of Integrative Alternative Medicine, author of Rhythms in Time: the Homeopathic Future, electrified the seminar, presenting an anthro-philosophical approach to developing imaginative thinking in biological medicine.

His thesis, Forming a Curative Community, was based on the genius of Rudolph Steiner, who strived for a Utopian ideal of realizing receptivity to the meaning of life. Dr. Zieve brought us his light beyond the shadow of scientific objectivity into the realm of objective imagination. With a controlled passion under Dr. Zieve's patient guidance, all were set aglow who silently participated in this deep healing, thoughtful awareness training.

We all learned to approach our patients as if they were writing a biography of themselves, beginning with our examination, at that moment in time. With objective examination, our own inner images and feelings of transference craft our fluidity in assisting the patient to enhance creative intellectual thought into a habitual form.

Through workshops on painting with water color, theater, and through therapeutic musical expressions, one can help overcome the part of the patient that does not want to get well. Applying the creative movement of knowledge, the removal of symptoms becomes a process of consciousness. This in fact can change the internal milieu of the patient's biochemistry. We human beings are the only species whose thoughts change our biology.

Speaking of monitoring the biological terrain, Dr. Robert C. Greenberg, Chairman and Founder of Biological Technologies International and the inventor of the BTA's 2000, considered the most advanced and accurate instrument in the world for the assessment of the biological terrain, explained how it works. In brief, by objectively analyzing blood, urine and saliva to establish baseline for pH RH2 (Redox and R (Resistivity), the BTA explores the area of the digestive system, kidneys, and blood for electrical charges between oxidation reduction.

A differential must be maintained at appropriate levels. In other words, too much reduction causes a buildup of acids in the cells through normal metabolic processes, thus revealing the Redox equation and levels of oxidated stress. Oxidative phosphorylation* of the mitochrondia and alphalipoic acid are necessary to help transfer oxygen across the mitochondrial membrane.

Most degenerative diseases begin with the failure of the cycling of oxidative phosphorylation. Other equally important factors as the oxidation of carbohydrates and fats and the Henderson-Hasselbalch enter into the equation.

This follows Dr. Watson's work on slow oxidizers, fast oxidizers, whereby he managed through supplementation to stimulate an increase in fax oxidation and lower the carbohydrate content of his patients' diets. The data collected, tabulated and analyzed yields objective information on treatment protocols.

The BTA is consistent with the premise of Otto Warburg, MD, corresponding to anaerobic and aerobic potentials with relationship to degenerative disease. Like Native American petroglyphs, the biological terrain measurements are not doodles. As anthropologists and historians can offer explanations of the petroglyphs (rock carvings of the Southwest), physicians applying oxygen therapies to offset the nitrogen component realize greater outcomes using the BTA monitoring technology for baseline function studies with their patients.

Another equally effective means utilizing computerized regulation thermography (CRT 2000 Eidam) presented by Daniel Beilin, OMD, joined by Dr. Thomas Rau, explained how patterns of autonomic responses identify skin changes as a regulation for the afferents, spinal cord organ input, organ output spinal cord afferents, and serves as an indicator or key to the origin of disease. Applying a probe to points tested then comparing it to baseline indicates either a hyper- or hypo- function. Using this means of monitoring the immune system, one can arrive at a balanced integrated empirical diagnosis able to pinpoint "dysbiosis" established within the program of the software. The CRT 2000 is designed for the dedicated biological practitioner.

The CRT accomplishes:

• Identification of hidden foci
• Assessment of effectivity of therapeutic modalities
• Dental evaluation
• Breast analysis
• Mesnchymal reflection
• Organ function "scan"
• Neural therapy validation
• Geopathic pattern identity
• Neurological impact assessment
• Fungal/dysbiotic intestinal status measurement
• Quick prioritization of treatment protocols
• Food intolerance vs. terrain analysis

In conclusion, more recently, culminating 15 years of collaborative research, German physicians have developed new indices for terrain, teeth, enteropathy, vitality, physomatic and immune integrity. Much more exciting correlations will be possible as these combined efforts seek new answers.

Highlighting every Enderlein seminar I have attended together with illustrious, overlooked diagnostic possibilities of Dr. Thomas Rau is Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, Ph.D. addressing Neural Therapy. Dietrich gets better with age, and his humble appearance should not detract from his strong and intelligent effective healing techniques. He has published books in both peer-review journals and lay literature, and his German textbook on the psychological counseling techniques "Psycho-Kinesiology" has become a best seller.

He is the President and Founder of The American Academy on Neural Therapy and may be contacted through our Explore offices. If anyone could speculate on why the petroglyphs were made, Dietrich would postulate his impressions based on his deep spiritual life, and knowledge of Jungian psychology as a vision from his own past.

He is neither a Shaman nor Vision seeker, yet this German-American scholar is considered to be the leading authority on Neural Therapy in the world today. Most astounding to me, his new theory on depression, relating seratonin levels to gut bacteria, was most profound. He is a pathfinder in both neurology, kinesiology and orthopedics. This new found knowledge we learned in Arizona this past weekend will resonate in our minds and practices into the next century. The new edict should be that diagnostics should not be labels, rather the symptoms which appear allopathically should be interpreted for what they are in Advanced Medicine.

The renaissance in Biological/Isopathic homeopathics began with Enderlein conferences since 1995. Over the past years, I have witnessed the brightest minds in the healing arts conquer the ignorance of mainstream medicine and learn the shifting paradigms of Advanced Medicine. We honor Professor Dr. Günther Enderlein (1872­1968), for being the founder of the biologics firm SANUM, now Sanum-Kehlbeck GmbH & Co., producer of the Enderlein therapeutic remedies.

Enderlein's contributions fit neither traditional biological terminology, nor medical doctrine. His concept that all blood contains micro-organisms which exist in cooperatively and mutually beneficial relationships (symbiosis) is not easily grasped. Its corollary is that almost all disease processes indicate a disturbed balance of these organisms as they evolve from harmless, and usually helpful viral-like symbionts, into bacterial forms that eventuate as parasitic and pathogenic fungi. These can be broken down by products based on the symbiotic and lower forms of the organisms that are present in all blood. Enderlein anticipated many aspects of psycho-immunology with his emphasis on the somatic influence of mind and emotions. He outlined how the autonomic nervous system and endocrine metabolic systems influence and are influenced by the endobiont cycles.

Dr. Klinghardt revisited this premonition of Enderlein, presenting the most substantial science yet proving Enderlein's original hypothesis. Much of today's medical turmoil results from the medical establishment's resistance to change. Integrating different methods and the new therapy prescription schedules was the order of the day in Scottsdale.

Dr. Abram Ber, MD spoke and few whispers could be heard when the man welcomed us as "Brothers and Sisters". He has become the unofficial Chairman of the Board.

Leading in the forefront, among several distinguished exhibitors, was the Allergy Research Group. Again the theme of gut reaction had been featured prominently in the November 17, 1997 Newsweek article on "Leaky Gut Syndrome". Isopathic and practicing nutritional health providers have long acknowledged the concept of intestinal permeability and its clinical importance ("Leaky Gut Syndrome") in numerous pathologies. Steven Levine, President, has designed several new nutritional formulas I consider to be on the cutting edge of neutraceuticals today. Such products as live protein, amino acids, gastric nutritional support programs, super-food concentrates, and many other products have been developed with scientific cooperation.

Doctors Data, the premier reference laboratory for multi-element amino acid and other specialty assays advised the participants tapping into their immense data base which included the latest research in nutrition and bio-chemistry.

A new instrument called NervExpress can detect the early signs of aging and its reversal. This device offers quantitative objectivization of alternative treatments. Heart Rhythm Instruments, Inc. of New York City has a new scientific approach based on heart rate variability and spectral analysis. It can also measure the quantitative effect of spinal manipulative therapy on the autonomic nervous system.

Another delightful exhibitor was Avatar Data Acquisition Patient Monitoring Systems. This advanced instrumentation is even FDA registered electronics approved for testing acupuncture points based on VOLL/EAV protocols. Come to think of it, the FDA once called the EKG quackery. None of the vendors or exhibitors presented products that I would consider Doctors' Confidential; however, discretion may be advised with your state licensing agency.

Other loyalists and royals exhibited products from localized hypothermia by Indiba S.A. to Ron Williams' Biotron, in my opinion the simplest and most effective EAV instrument on the market today. Dr. Richard Clements, Medical Director of Heel Homeopathics attended and was equally excited with the product presentation that featured both Sanum and Heel remedies used in combination. My favorite vendor, Michael Coyle of NuLife Sciences makes buying a microscope as easy as obtaining a 0% interest loan. Dr. Andreas Marx of Marco Pharma Laboratories was on hand to share his useful knowledge with the seminar attendees.

The Enderlein Family of Advanced Medicine will reconvene this coming June 1998 for another conference on June 11th to 14th,1998. Take your minerals complete and be among the rock art symbols of freedom of medical expression. The flintstones of allopathic medicine may stay in their caves, but we, the advance guard of alternative medicine, perceive them to be nothing but fossils in the Arizona desert.

Join us at the Holiday Inn/SunSpree Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona and enjoy a Wholistic Holiday! You deserve it!! u

About the Author:
Dr. James A. Kholos, DC, ND is affiliated with the American Naturopathic Medical Association, The Academy of Anti-Aging Medicines, and is a contributing editor to the National Health Federation. He is a nationally known public access host of his own program "Outlook on Health" that showcases alternative medicine and cutting edge therapies for degenerative conditions. He is the author of Athletic Training for Cardiac Recovery and is a regular medical correspondent at Enderlein seminars. He is also a microscopist certified through the Enderlein Foundation. Anyone wishing to purchase his book or other books mentioned in this article may do so through the Explore Book Club. See Resource Directory for purchase of tapes from this seminar and the Enderlein seminar of June 1997.

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M. D. Anderson Cancer Center - CIMER - About Complementary/Integrative Medicine

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center - CIMER - About Complementary/Integrative Medicine: "The definitions provided below are from various authoritative sources and are provided here for general explanation purposes. Please refer to the Web pages for more details.
The Basics
NCCAM's Major Domains of Complementary & Alternative Medicine (for Consumers and Practitioners)
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Definitions Glossary
The Basics
Conventional Medicine
The term conventional medicine refers to medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees, some of whom may also practice complementary and alternative medicine. Other terms for conventional medicine are allopathy, Western, regular and mainstream medicine, and biomedicine.
Alternative Medicine
Therapeutic approaches taken in place of traditional medicine and used to treat or ameliorate disease.
Complementary Medicine
Therapies that complement traditional western (or allopathic) medicine.
Complementary/Alternative Medicine
The terms 'complementary' and 'alternative' are often used interchangeably, when in fact they are two different therapeutic approaches.
'CAM' Complementary/Alternative Medicine
Combination of complementary and alternative medicine.
Complementary/Integrative Medicine
Combines traditional western (or allopathic) and complementary approaches and supplements, but does not replace conventional therapy. It is used for:
Managing symptoms
Increasing wellness (quality of life, reported sense of well-being)
Improving treatment efficacy
Basic Principles of Integrative Medicine*
A partnership begween patient and practitioner in the healing process
Appropriate use of conventional and al"

IBS study shows benefit from targeted antibiotics

LOS ANGELES – Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have found that a nonabsorbable antibiotic – one that stays in the gut – may be an effective long-term treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disease affecting more than an estimated 20 percent of Americans. The findings, which showed that participants benefited from the antibiotic use even after the course of treatment ended, support previously published research identifying small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) as a possible cause of the disease.
The research was presented at the recent American College of Gastroenterology's annual meeting in Honolulu, HI.

"This study is important as it is the first to show that the use of targeted antibiotics results in a more significant and long-lasting improvement in IBS symptoms," said Mark Pimentel, M.D., first author on the study and director of the GI Motility Program at Cedars-Sinai. "These results clearly show that antibiotics offer a new treatment approach – and a new hope – for people with IBS."

The randomized, double blind study involved 87 patients. Those on the rifaximin experienced a 37 percent overall improvement of their IBS symptoms as compared to 23 percent on the placebo. Among study subjects whose primary symptom was diarrhea, those on the antibiotic showed more than twice the improvement of those on the placebo (49 percent vs. 23 percent). Patients received the drug (or placebo) for 10 days and were then followed for a total of 10 weeks. Participants kept a stool diary, took a questionnaire and were given methane breath tests. The positive effects of the drug were shown to continue throughout most of the 10-week study, not just during the actual antibiotic course.

Because the cause of IBS has been elusive, treatments for the disease have historically focused on reducing its symptoms – diarrhea and constipation – by giving medications that either slow or speed up the digestive process. In 2000, Pimentel linked bloating, the most common symptom of IBS, to bacterial fermentation, showing that small intestine bacteria overgrowth (SIBO) may be the causative factor in IBS (The American Journal of Gastroenterology, Dec. 2000).

To show evidence of small intestine bacterial overgrowth, participants in both studies were given a lactulose breath test, which monitors the level of hydrogen and methane (the gases emitted by fermented bacteria) on the breath. In the first study, an abnormal breath methane profile was shown to be 100 percent predictive of constipation-predominant IBS. In the current study, the correlation between the amount of methane and the amount of constipation was confirmed, another key finding.

"We were pleased – but not surprised – with the results of this study," said Pimentel. "The next step is to start larger, multi-centered studies to confirm the positive results of this study, which suggest that people can benefit from targeted antibiotic treatment for their IBS."

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an intestinal disorder that causes abdominal pain or discomfort, cramping or bloating and diarrhea and constipation. It is a long-term condition that usually begins in adolescence or in early adult life. Episodes may be mild or severe and may be exacerbated by stress. It is one of the top ten most frequently diagnosed conditions among U.S. physicians and affects women more often than men.

Other authors from Cedars-Sinai include Sandy Park, B.A., Yuthana Kong M.P.H. and Robert Wade. Sunanda V. Kane from the University of Chicago also participated in the study.

Rifaximin is made by Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Funding for the study was provided by Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

One of only five hospitals in California whose nurses have been honored with the prestigious Magnet designation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the Western United States. For 17 consecutive years, it has been named Los Angeles' most preferred hospital for all health needs in an independent survey of area residents. Cedars-Sinai is internationally renowned for its diagnostic and treatment capabilities and its broad spectrum of programs and services, as well as breakthroughs in biomedical research and superlative medical education. It ranks among the top 10 non-university hospitals in the nation for its research activities and was recently fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP).

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Men who smoke heavily may impair sperm, reduce fertility

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Men who smoke cigarettes may experience a significant decline in their capacity to father a child, research by a reproductive medicine specialist from the University at Buffalo has shown.
Sperm from nearly two-thirds of the chronic smokers in the study failed a special test that measures the ability of sperm to fertilize an egg. On average, those men showed a 75 percent decline in fertilizing capacity when compared to nonsmokers. Lead researcher Loni Burkman, Ph.D., presented the results today (Oct. 17, 2005) at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine annual meeting in Montreal, Quebec.

Burkman is associate professor and head of the Section on Andrology, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and an assistant professor of urology.

"Like other cells in the body, human sperm carry a receptor for nicotine, which means they recognize and respond to nicotine," said Burkman. "This happens because nicotine from tobacco mimics one of the most important neurochemicals produced in the body. "Using sperm of nonsmokers, we reported previously that the addition of nicotine changed three sperm functions required to fertilize an egg.

"In this new study, we examined whether sperm from chronic tobacco smokers are defective in binding to the zona, the cover surrounding an egg," said Burkman. "Our results could mean that heavy smoking overloads the nicotine receptor in human sperm and in the testes, leading to a decline in fertilizing potential."

The study involved 18 men who reported smoking at least four cigarettes a day, every day, for more than two years. On average, these men had smoked for about 15 years. Their sperm function was compared to that of non-smoking donors who served as controls and whose fertilizing capacity had been confirmed.

Using a test called the Hemizona Assay developed by Burkman, the researchers cut a zona in half, placing one half with a smoker's sperm and the matching half with control sperm. After two to three hours of incubation, researchers counted the number of sperm attached tightly to the outside of each half.

The number of attached sperm from the smoker was compared to the control number, which gave a ratio or index. The Hemizona Assay has been shown to predict fertilization failure during in vitro fertilization.

"To fail, the index must be less than 65, meaning that the smoker's sperm had less than 65 percent of the fertilizing capacity found in the donor," Burkman said. "An index below 36 identifies a severe loss in fertilizing capacity."

Results showed that the sperm from almost two-thirds of the smokers failed the test, while the remainder showed normal function. Almost all the smokers whose sperm failed the test had an index of 36 or less, with an average of 25.

"None of these men had a zero fertilizing potential," said Burkman, "but the results mean that their sperm had only 25 percent of the fertilizing function found in nonsmoking men. The data also showed that the men who failed were smoking about twice as many cigarettes per day, an average of 19 per day, compared to the smokers who passed the assay."

As another way to understand the impact of smoking, the researchers calculated a "smoking load" for each smoker by multiplying the number of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years smoked. The load varied from 16 to 750 for the 18 men.

Results showed that the men who smoked fewer cigarettes for fewer years had smaller smoking loads, ranging from 16 to 200. In this group, 71 percent passed the Hemizona Assay, indicating normal fertility. The remaining men had a high smoking load, and only 18 percent passed the assay.

"Specialized testing clearly reveals a significant drop in fertility potential for men who are heavy tobacco smokers," said Burkman. "Smoking men also should be aware that smoking can damage their sperm DNA, passing on faulty DNA to their baby. Concerned smokers should quit or be tested in a local andrology laboratory."

Citation: Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 84, No. 2, 325-530 (August 2005).
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