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In the News

March 3, 2000

As reported by Daniel Q. Haney, AP Medical Editor: A new study raises the disturbing  possibility that taking vitamin C pills may speed up hardening of the arteries.

Researchers called their discovery a surprise and cautioned that more experiments are needed to know for sure whether megadoses of the vitamin actually are harmful.

Still, they said the finding supports the recommendations of health organizations, which generally urge people to avoid high doses of supplements and to get their nutrients from food instead.

Dr. James H. Dwyer, an epidemiologist who directed the study presented the findings at a meeting of the American Heart Association. Dwyer and colleagues from the University of Southern California studied 573 outwardly healthy middle-aged men and women who work in Los Angeles. About 30% of them regularly took various vitamins.

The study found no clear-cut sign that getting lots of vitamin C from food or a daily multivitamin does any harm, but those taking vitamin C pills had accelerated thickening of the walls of the big arteries in their necks. In fact, the more they took, the faster the buildup.

People taking 500 mg of vitamin C daily for at least a year had a 2 1/2 times greater rate of thickening than did those who avoided supplements. Among smokers, the rate was five times greater.

January 4, 2000

As reported by Allan Sison of Medical PressCorps: Research finds immediate hormonal therapy, following prostate gland removal, boosts the chance of prostate cancer survival. Still, researchers suggest that this approach will not be adopted quickly because it represents a departure from current treatment and more research is needed.

In the study, researchers from the department of urology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, examined men whose prostate cancer had spread to their lymph nodes. These 98 patients had undergone prostate gland and pelvic lymph node removal. They were then randomly assigned either to receive immediate therapy with goserelin--a medication that inhibits the secretions of testosterone --or to be observed to see if the cancer returned.

The researchers found that 77percent of the men who received the immediate therapy were alive after an average of 7.2 years of follow-up and did not show any evidence of recurrent disease. Only 18 percent in the observation group survived that long.

The study was published in the December 9 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

January 4, 2000

As reported by Rebecca Jerman of Medical PressCorps: Although many smokers feel that smoking calms them, a new study reveals a link between smoking and panic attacks.

Researchers at Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, found that smokers are two to four times more likely to suffer panic attaches compared to people who have never smoked or have quit smoking.

The study was published in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. "Previous studies have suggested that nicotine and other smoke substances play a role in causing psychiatric disorders such as depression",  said principal investigator Naomi Breslau.

December 26, l999

As reported by Susan Okie of The Washington Post: Premenopausal women with breast cancer may have a better chance of survival if surgery to remove their tumors is not done during the first part of their menstrual cycle, a new British study suggests.

In the new study of 112 premenopausal women, those whose breast tumors were removed on days 3 to 12 of their menstrual cycles had a 10-year survival rate of 45 percent, while women whose tumors were removed on the other days of the cycle had a 10-year survival rate of 75 percent.

The study's authors, researchers at London's Guy's Hospital, speculate that during the second part of the cycle, high levels of progesterone may act on tissue in a way that keeps the tumor contained, while high estrogen levels present during the first part may increase shedding of cancer cells from the tumor or encourage the growth of nearby blood vessels.

The study was published in the Nov. 15th issue of the journal Cancer.

May 8, l999

As reported by Thomas L. Flannery of the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal: Doctors warn that herbal remedies may interact with anesthesia. Doctors are urging people using herbal medications to make sure they tell their doctors what they are taking before being put to sleep for surgery.

Some of these seemingly harmless plant-based medications can cause serious complications when mixed with anesthetic agents commonly used to put people to sleep.

According to an American Society of Anesthesiologists survey, 7 out of 10 herbal medicine users never tell their doctors they are taking these alternative forms of medicine. Four commonly used herbal medications that have been identified as causing the greatest number of reported problems are St John's Wort, which may intensify or prolong the effects of some narcotic drugs and anesthesia agents, Gingko Biloba, may reduce platelets in the blood which are needed for blood clotting, Feverfew, interferes with clotting  and Ginseng, has been associated with episodes of high blood pressure and rapid heart rate.

December 1, l998

As reported by Kyle Roderick of Third Age News: Although it has been researched and used longer by European physicians than American ones, aromatherapy, or the applied use of scent to effect physical or psychological changes in humans, is a rapidly expanding scientific frontier in the United States. In fact, medical research is spurring the development and use of various aromatherapy products with life-enhancing capabilities. Some of the more compelling results promoted by inhaling certain scents include weight loss, sexual arousal, anxiety reduction and promotion of deep relaxation.

Mr. Roderick reports on a study done by the Smell and Taste Treatment Research Foundation, that reported weight loss success using food scented inhalers. Reports of anxiety reduction from several hospitals using scents before and during MRI scans are also noted.

Nov.11, l998

As reported by AP : Alternative cures are gaining AMA acceptance. It's an ancient Chinese remedy that many U.S. doctors will find bizarre: heating the herb mugwort next to the little toe of a pregnant woman to help turn her baby out of the risky breech position just before birth.

But when thousands of doctors this week open the Journal of the American Medical Association, they'll find a scientific study that says the Chinese therapy really works and Western women should try it.

In one of the first attempts to rigorously scrutinize the alternative medicine therapies that an estimated four in ten Americans now try, the journal judged alternative remedies that were subjected to strict scientific study--and found that just like in conventional medicine, some work and some don't.

JAMA and its nine sister journals this week are publishing 80 studies and related articles on various alternative therapies.

About 83 million Americans try alternative therapies. That's 25 percent more people that in 1990. Out of pocket spending is in the billions.

Nov. 3, 1998

As reported by Medical Tribune : Several studies presented at a massage therapy conference suggest that massage can improve immune-cell function and reduce stress and anxiety.

It is well known that stress can actually depress a person's immune system--probably through the effects of stress hormones. Researchers speaking at the annual meeting of the American Message Therapy Association said they believe that massage works on immune function by lowing a person's stress level. The physical manipulation of massage, they said, may also simply increase the amount of white blood cells circulating through a person's body.

The article reports on research using healthy medical students, women with breast cancer and HIV infected teens.

Massage was found to reduce anxiety levels and depression, enhance immune system function and increase natural killer cell numbers.

Massage therapy is more commonly used to treat musculoskeletal aches and pains, such as sprains and strains, whiplash, repetitive stress injuries and low back pain.

Oct.14, 1998

As reported by AP  : The herb industry is attempting to counter growing complaints about dietary supplements' quality and effectiveness by turning to science: A fledgling movement uses pharmaceutical-style testing to ensure consumers get what they pay for.

It may even turn some popular herbs into prescription drugs.

"We're trying to give people some rational basis" for choosing to take a particular herb, said Bernie Landes, chief executive of Paracelsian Inc., which hunts active ingredients that make herbs work.

"We want to be the Underwriters Laboratory for herbals," said Elliot Friedman who heads competitor PharmaPrint Inc., which just announced its testing had discovered that five ingredients may help St. John's Wort ease depression-- not the lone ingredient advertised by most herbal brands.

Americans are expected to spend $4.5 billion this year on herbal supplements such as saw palmetto, ginseng and others that promise to do everything from lifting depression and shrinking men's swollen prostates to fighting colds and easing stress.

So far, there's little scientific proof behind many of the claims of better health.And if an herb does help, consumers would need a "standardized" brand that carries a consistent dose of the ingredients that make it work.

Sept. 2, l998

As reported by AP reporting on a survey of the nation's 125 medical schools which was published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association:

Almost two-thirds of traditional U.S medical schools now teach alternative therapies, including chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal remedies and mind-body medicine.

With millions of Americans visiting alternative practitioners yearly, educators whose job is to prepare doctors of the future have no choice buy to "respond to this relentless challenge to evolve," researchers said.

The survey, conducted last fall, found that 75 of the 117 responding schools offered elective courses in alternative medicine or included those topics in required courses. Less than two years before, an AMA poll of the same schools found that only 46 were teaching such topics.

A 1993 survey suggested that Americans spent $14 billion yearly on alternative care, much of it out of their own pockets.

Health insurers in the past have refused to pay for alternative therapies, but that also is changing as insurers realize they can save money.

August 3, l998

As reported by columnist Dr. Peter Gott referring to the Journal of Internal Medicine (May 1998) "Beware of these dangerous herbs".

• Borage: Supposed to act as a diuretic and anti-diarrhea remedy, but can be toxic.

• Calamus: Touted to aid digestion, but can cause cancer and toxicity.

• Chaparral: Sometimes used to treat cancer, but is not effective and can damage the liver.

• Coltsfoot: Marketed as "cough suppressant",but is carcinogenic.

• Comfrey: Claimed to enhance wound healing, but can be highly toxic.

• Ephedra: Supposed to assist in weight loss and treat asthma; however, is dangerous, especially for people with hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes or thyroid disorders.

• Germander: Used to reduce weight, but can damage the liver.

• Licorice: Marketed as an expectorant, but can cause serious hypertension.

• Life root: Claimed to induce menstrual flow, but is not effective and can be toxic.

• Pokeroot: Used for rheumatism and cancer, but has caused fatalities.

• Sassafras: Touted as a stimulant, but is carcinogenic.

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