20. FTC LOSES IN COURT
From a newsletter reader--
"Here's one to brighten your day. Dr. Hulda Clark, pioneer and renowned author in the field of Alternative Health recently had her day in court with the FTC. Not only was she victorious, but the infamous "QuackBusters" who've tried to destroy Dr. Friedman, Seasilver and a host of other great nutriceutical companies lost another expensive court battle." She attached the following article--
Another expensive loss for the "Quackbusters", headed by Robert Baratz and psychiatrist Stephen Barrett. Their group "National Council Against Health Fraud" (NCAHF) -- a euphemistic name for their vicious activities against all alternatives in the medical field -- has sued a number of producers of homeopathic remedies for fraud.
After they had already lost against King Bio, they lose yet another case, this time against Botanical Laboratories, et al. The court held that:
"Appellant (NCAHF) believes that no one should be allowed to market homeopathic remedies. Congress has decided otherwise, and officially recognizes the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. Appellant's broad-brush approach of sweeping all homeopathic remedies into a single bag marked "undesirable" simply does not work in the courts, where each claimed instance of unfair advertising and unfair business practice must be closely scrutinized. Appellant failed to present any admissible evidence in this case that respondents are guilty of false advertising and unfair business practices with respect to any of their products."
Because this is a SLAPP suit, it means that NCAHF will have to pay the defendants attorney fees as well. There are some doubts that NCAHF will be able come up with the money, but only the future will tell ... After all, they never seemed short of money to bother others with their pointless law suits.
For more information, see http://www.bolenreport.com
21. ANYONE BEEN TO DR. RICHARD PODELL?
A newsletter reader, Debbie, wants to know if anyone has been to Dr. Richard Podell. If you have a reference for this doctor, please send your comments to Debbie at DDiaz@TycoTelecom.com Was he able to help you? Was it worth the money? (He does not accept insurance.)
22. NEURONTIN
Comments from a newsletter reader--
"I was prescribed Neurontin by a Nurse Practitioner for pain. When I got home after buying the medication, I read the paper that comes with a prescription. Under the description it said that it was an ANTICONVULSANT. Can you believe that ?!? I flushed the capsules down the toilet. I was NOT going to take an ANTICONVULSANT. This last week, one of the cable news channels came out with the scandalous news about Neurontin, that not only is the pharmaceutical company going against FDA regulations, but also the doctors, because they are paid money for every Neurontin prescription. It turns out that Neurontin is being recommended and prescribed for just about every illness in the book! Everyone should be VERY LEERY if and when a doctor prescribes medication for pain."
[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: It's true that doctors get kickbacks for prescribing certain drugs. Years ago, a pharmaceutical salesman for Estrace (HRT) told me that doctors get perks for prescribing Premarin (made from pregnant mare's urine), so that's why they prescribe so much of it, even though he said Estrace was superior. But who knows!? That salesman was trained by the company who manufactured Estrace! Sadly, we have all learned recently that hormone replacement therapy causes cancer in women. So what once was considered beneficial in the drug industry is often found later to result in tragic consequences. Our bodies are not deficient in DRUGS, but in NUTRIENTS!]
23. TILT-TEST FOR CFIDS
From immunesupport.com's Tip of the Day--
Could the tilt-test formula be a diagnostic marker for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)? Researchers in Israel believe so. Researchers in Israel have tested the haemodynamic instability score (HIS), a formula that uses measurements taken during a head-up tilt test, to see if it can accurately distinguish patients with CFS from controls. The HIS relects blood pressure and heart rate changes during the tilt test, which is used to determine the functioning of a patient's autonomic nervous system. A majority of people with CFS display some degree of autonomic dysfunction. A prospective controlled study of 40 CFS patients compared their HIS scores to 278 non-CFS subjects with conditions that included FM, syncope, generalized anxiety disorder, essential hypertension, non-CFS chronic fatigue and Familial Mediterranean Fever. 59 healthy subjects were also compared. The results showed that the HIS was an effective tool in differentiating CFS patients from the other study participants. Specifically, 90.3% of the CFS patients who completed the tilt test scored above the threshold of HIS. The authors write that their results suggest a definable, CFS-characteristic autonomic dysfunction may exist. Study reference: Naschitz JE et al. "The head-up tilt test with haemodynamic instability score in diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome." Q J Med. 2003; 96:133-142." (Source: The CFS Research Review, Spring 2003. Published by the CFIDS Association of America, Inc.)
24. MSM FOR PAIN RELIEF
From a newsletter reader--
"Anyone in chronic pain fibro or not should try MSM. If you want info on it read 'THE MIRACLE OF MSM' by Jacob, Lawrence, and Zucker. I read the book and thought I would try it. It works as a blood thinner, an anti-infammatory, pain reliever, restores nerve fibers, fights food allergies, relieves constipation, and for an unexplainable reason makes some people get thicker nails and hair as well as improvement of skin. Will it do all of these things for you...probably not. However, I've been taking it for 3 weeks and my apin is seriously reduced. I recommended it tomy father who has back problems and a friend who has had horrible back problems and back surgery. Both say they have absolutely no more back pain!! This blew me away. The catch is you have to keep taking it. The only side effect of it is that in large doses it can give you gas. Its an all natural sulfer compound and they recommend you take between 2-8 grams of it."
25. SUBLINGUAL B-12 FOR MENTAL CLARITY, MOOD AND ENERGY
Interesting from the net--
"B Vitamins save lives and significantly reduce toxic homocysteine - a deadly risk factor for heart disease. Research recently reported in the November 29, 2001 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine conclusively demonstrates that Vitamin B-12, B-6 & Folic Acid supplements significantly lower homocysteine levels. Deadly homocysteine plays a key role in artery blockage that causes heart attack and strokes. B Vitamins are nature’s “feel-good” nutrients, promoting energy, stamina, mental clarity and improved mood. Sublingual B-12, B-6 & Folic Acid tablets are designed to dissolve under the tongue to speed B Vitamins directly to the bloodstream where they go to work – without the need for expensive, often painful, B-12 injections. Unlike caffeine and other artificial stimulants, B vitamins don’t give you that artificial jolt of energy, followed by an inevitable letdown. Your body uses B vitamins the way nature intended – to give you sustained stamina and mental clarity throughout the day, every day. Laboratory tests show a sublingual delivery system raised blood levels of vitamin B-12 by 90%. One great-tasting tablet melts quickly under your tongue and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream – providing you over 100% of the RDI for B-12, B-6 and Folic Acid. Boosts energy levels, restores mental clarity and supports emotional balance."
26. GHB FOR SLEEP - CONTROVERSIAL BUT PROMISING
Below is an excerpt from an article sent in by a newsletter reader from "Medscape from WebMD" on the net. Xyrem (GHB) is now approved by the FDA and is available via prescription . In past newsletters I have warned against GHB (known as the "date rape" drug), but using GHB in low doses for sleep, as mentioned in this article, sounds very promising for those who can't sleep due to alpha wave intrusions into their sleep pattern, such as with fibromyalgia patients. The article below was written about 2 years ago--Xyrem is now available....
A substance popularly known as the "date rape drug" has shown very promising results in clinical trials for the treatment of a wide range of sleep disorders, including narcolepsy and the sleep-depriving effects of fibromyalgia.
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) earned its popular name a few years ago because of several highly publicized cases where it had been used as a "Mickey Finn," or knockout drug, slipped into drinks in social settings. There were many reports of adverse effects, including several deaths.
But under studies approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), GHB is being studied for its efficacy--in much smaller doses--as a treatment for disturbed sleep patterns. At both the Center for Research in Sleep Disorders in Cincinnati, where the drug is being studied in connection with narcolepsy and fibromyalgia, and at the University of Chicago, where it's under scrutiny as a way to slow the aging process, researchers call the results "very encouraging."
Reports of those clinical trials are expected to be published soon in scientific journals and could possibly lead to FDA approval of GHB as a treatment for those ailments by next year, according to researchers.
"We're just concluding a double-blind study that's extraordinarily exciting," said Martin B. Scharf, PhD, director of the Cincinnati Sleep Center. "Because of these studies, we think we'll soon be able to offer people something for treatment of fibromyalgia they haven't had."
GHB is a naturally occurring metabolite of the nervous system, and in high doses it acts as an anesthetic. Although currently an illegal substance, if approved for commercial use as a treatment for sleep problems it would be known as Xyrem.
Many sleep disorders are characterized by disturbances in the slow-wave sleep that signals the body to secrete the growth hormone crucial to repair of muscle tissues and a sense of being well-rested. People who suffer from sleep disorders typically experience an intrusion of alpha (fast)-wave sleep and a decrease in delta (slow)-wave sleep.
Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome, is theorized to be one result of the lack of growth hormone released in the bodies of some women with sleep disturbances. Symptoms include musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and depression.
"In our studies, we've noticed a dramatic decrease in alpha-wave intrusion and an increase in delta-wave sleep," according to Scharf. Results of preliminary studies published 2 years ago that showed great promise for GHB are holding up well in double-blind studies, he said.
In the earlier study, 11 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia were given GHB in divided doses, one at bedtime and another 4 hours later. They were given the drug for the first time in the laboratory, were monitored throughout the night, and were required to stay in bed for 8 hours. Afterward, they were given a 1-month supply of the drug and kept daily diaries. At the end of 1 month, the subjects were again evaluated in the sleep lab.
Participants experienced an improvement in both the duration and quality of their sleep as measured by drug-induced decreases in the alpha-wave intrusion. Not all patients responded to GHB therapy, but most showed effects ranging from moderate improvement to complete elimination of symptoms of pain and chronic fatigue, according to Scharf.
In addition, the researchers found a dose-related increase in growth hormone secretion in patients treated with GHB, consistent with the increase in slow-wave sleep.
"Most patients [studied] had a history of difficulty getting out of bed with severe morning sleepiness, fatigue, and possible sleep drunkenness. This immediately dissipated with the use of GHB, and the patients found themselves wide awake in the morning," the Cincinnati researchers found.
In studies of more than 750 patients treated with GHB at the Cincinnati center, the drug has proved safe when used in appropriate doses.
University of Chicago Medical Center researchers have conducted clinical trials since 1994 on GHB's effectiveness in restoring normal sleep patterns in the elderly. Loss of this important part of sleep can result in frequent awakenings and poor sleep patterns. One theory has it that because of a deficiency of the growth hormone produced during slow-wave sleep, adults are at greater risk for heart disease, decreased kidney function, increased fat, reduced muscle strength, and loss of energy, all associated with the aging process.
[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: Read more about Xyrem at http://www.drpodell.org/fibromyalgia_ghb.shtml and http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/xyrem/xyrem_qa.htm If anyone tries, this, I would be very interested to know how it works for fibromyalgia-related sleep disorders.]
27. BACK ISSUES OF THE NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE
There has been SO much good information and support in the past several issues of the newsletter, that I have made them available online at http://www.fms-help.com/newsletters.htm Click on this link if you missed any issues since March 2003 to present. I have been writing an FMS/CFIDS newsletter since 1996, but began having problems getting the newsletter out to subscribers earlier this year due to some servers not being able to receive the new format correctly, readers' spam controls set too high which bounced the newsletter, etc., etc. Not being a "techno-wizard," I at my wit's end with this problem! Finally, a newsletter reader in Turkey suggested that I simply put the newsletter online. What a great idea! THANK YOU SO MUCH! It solved the problem. I really depend on you, the reader, for feedback, ideas and information. This newsletter would not be possible without YOU! Thanks for writing me at dombush@bellsouth.net I try to answer all of my email, but sometimes it is not possible due to the large volume received and my time constraints.
28. SPIRITUAL UPLIFT CORNER
"Come to me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you REST. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me. For I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find REST for your souls. For my yoke is EASY and my burden is LIGHT." - Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
"He maketh me to lie down in GREEN PASTURES. He leadeth me beside the STILL WATERS." (Psalm 23:2)
If you are a Type A personality like me, these verses offer much-needed PEACE and COMFORT to an over-burdened mind and heart. The Lord is no "slave-driver." We do that to ourselves. Have you heard the acronym for the word "BUSY"? (Try this on for size: "Burdened Under Satan's Yoke"!)
Lately, I have been trying to draw on the strength of the Lord as I go through my day and not do things in a hurried and pressured way (my natural tendency). This is a huge challenge, since I am a hard-driving, high-achieving workaholic. Aaack! I have to force myself to take time each day to "stop and smell the roses." Oftentimes I've wished I was like my Type B friends--you know, the "couch potato/slug" type personalities. Oh! To be carefree like they are! I often get the feeling that, in God's eyes, we fast-paced rabbits are no better than the slow poky turtles. God has made each of us differently for His purposes to be fulfilled. At least those Type B's don't make us nervous to be around them!
To all of you Type A's who are like me, I think it would be an excellent idea to take a break now and then during our busy days to tell the Lord that we love Him and to put our hand back in His. Then we will display Christ to others and not our "Self." It will help us enjoy the present moment God has given us and perhaps we will not resent so much those inevitable interruptions as we rush around taking care of our obligations and responsibilities.
I have always identified with the responsible, work-oriented Martha in the Bible rather than her "Type B" sister, Mary. But Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better part (taking time to fellowship with Him--not just serve Him.)
If you are like me, your "TO DO" list grows daily! To avoid a nervous breakdown, we must learn to lean on the Lord Jesus and not on our own finite strength. So let's take a "coffee break with Jesus" now and then during our busy day. It's wonderfully refreshing.....minus the coffee!
Seen on a church sign this week:
"SERVE THE LORD--BUT NOT IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY"
29. DOMINIE'S PERSONAL UPDATE
I've had an extremely busy month, but thank God that I got through it and am feeling fine. I had a couple days of feeling really tired, but it passed quickly. I owe my newfound stamina and good health to an immune balancing produt these past two years. My 20+ years of dealing with FMS/CFIDS has made me very tenderhearted and compassionate toward those who are still suffering from this horrible illness. The memories of my painful years are not that far in the past! I feel better now at 51 than I have felt in my entire life. Some of the benefits I've experienced (beginning with the 3rd week) have been: more energy and stamina, improved sleep, 98% of my pain went away, no more racing thoughts, no more gas and bloating, hot flashes greatly decreased, my complexion is nicer and I caught only one brief virus/cold in past 2 years. It rebalances the immune system and has enabled me to have more dependable health to meet life's challenges, opportunities and responsibilities. It has been the best thing I've found and I think everyone should at least try it! Write me at dombush@bellsouth.net if you want information on this. Here are some personal links on my site:
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