Study Links Breast-Feeding To Mom's Diabetes Risk

http://www.local6.com/health/5384596/detail.html

Researchers: Findings May Be Due To Metabolic Changes
POSTED: 4:23 pm EST November 22, 2005
Breast-feeding is the best way to give a baby important nutrition and health benefits. But the benefits extend to mothers, too.
New research suggests the longer mothers nurse, the lower their risks of developing type 2 diabetes.
Alison Cape has nursed her baby, Charlotte, since she was born nine weeks ago.
"I'm planning on breast-feeding until I can't do it any longer. I'm hoping to go for a full year," said Cape. "But as I work, you know, I'll go for as long as I can."
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston tracked the health and breast-feeding practices of more than 150,000 women. Their findings are published in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"We looked specifically at women in the 15 years after they had their last baby, and we found that each year a woman breast-feeds reduced her risk of diabetes by 15 percent," said researcher Dr. Alison Stuebe.
Women who exclusively breast-fed -- meaning their baby got nothing but breast milk -- saw a greater health benefit than those who gave their babies breast milk and formula or food.
"Suppose that women do what pediatricians recommend, which is to breast-feed the child for a year," said Stuebe. "A woman has two children, she breast-feeds for two years. Our data suggest that she may reduce her risk of diabetes by nearly a third."
Researchers say the findings could be due to the metabolic changes a mother goes through when she breast-feeds.
"A breast-feeding woman uses up about 500 calories a day making milk for her baby. That's the equivalent of running about four to five miles a day," said Stuebe. "That's a lot of energy."
Breast-feeding also lowers a woman's insulin and sugar levels, which can help prevent diabetes.
But a Dartmouth Medical School doctor not involved in the study said the results may reflect the healthy lifestyles of women who breast-feed rather than the act itself.
As for Cape, she welcomed news of health benefits for breast-feeding mothers.
"It's just another incentive for people to keep breast-feeding, and it certainly ... reinforces my decision to do so," she said.
Stuebe urged health care professionals and the general public to support women who breast-feed, and not only because of the health benefits.
She said type 2 diabetes affects about 9 million women in the United States, using up about $1 of every $10 spent on health care. If more women breast-feed, that number could be reduced.
Study Abstract

Nine months without sushi

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/648816.html

By Michal PaltiIn the eighth month of her pregnancy, A. works as a shift manager in a Japanese restaurant in Tel Aviv. As part of her work and as a personal preference, she has eaten sushi throughout her pregnancy: fresh and delicious vegetarian and fish sushi, a distant dream for pregnant sushi lovers, who, according to a sweeping recommendation, should keep away from the Japanese dish. The prohibition on sushi is a result of a widening of the "protective umbrella" regarding pregnant women's nutrition. During pregnancy, the immune system is weaker, and should a pregnant woman encounter a virulent bacterium, the results could be particularly unpleasant, especially for the fetus. Is A. a risk-taking adventurer then? Who makes these sweeping recommendations for pregnant women and are the forbidden foods on the ever-growing list really so dangerous to the health? Browsing and reading through the various Internet sites and forums shows that the list of no-nos is getting longer all the time. An article by a naturalist doctor forbids eating green peppers, and one can find warnings against spearmint and sage. One contributor keeps away from sunny-side-up eggs and another will not even touch a Krembo, an Israeli marshmellow candy, because it is made of egg whites. And who is willing to take a risk? If they nix sage, then no sage. Someone has heard about hummus too? Who wouldn't watch her step afterward with hummus?Watch out for meringueClinical dietitian Tova Krause, who specializes in nutrition for pregnant women, describes herself as quite strict, or at least as someone who takes appropriate cautionary steps, she says. She keeps herself current by periodically checking out the Web sites of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Israeli Health Ministry. "From my experience, women prefer to widen the range of forbidden foods. I have encountered women who have eaten sushi, and that of course is their prerogative," she says, "but there is a danger of the presence of the Toxoplasma parasite in sushi, which is in raw and uncooked fish and meat. While the danger is not particularly prevalent, it does exist." Vegetarian sushi is also forbidden because it is usually cut using the same board and knife as the sushi containing raw fish.According to Krause, the Listeria bacteria also can be found in raw fish and meat, and the danger of encountering it is particularly low: five in a million. Nevertheless, she advises caution: "A low danger does not mean a nonexistent danger." Krause warns against eating uncooked eggs because of Salmonella. "Here, the danger is much greater: The Salmonella bacteria can be found in one in a thousand eggs in Israel. In the United States, the ratio is one in 20,000, but they are nevertheless careful there to avoid uncooked eggs and foods containing them: desserts, mousses and various sauces. One should even be careful of meringue because meringue, which is made of egg whites, is baked at a very low temperature for a long time." Krause also warns against various sausages and pastrami, which can also contain the Listeria bacteria. "If you boil the sausage, it can be eaten, but who boils sausage? Perhaps only in soup," she says. Similarly, she adds, it is a good idea to watch out for "crossover contamination." "If you place uncooked meat in the refrigerator, it is best to put it in closed container or in the bottom drawer so that it doesn't drip on to other items that you may not normally suspect." She even warns again herbal tea. "We don't have any studies that have examined the effect of various herbs during pregnancy, but that is exactly why I would be cautious. My recommendation is to drink herbal tea only made by the large commercial companies, where you can know what the tea contains, and not to drink a lot of herbal tea - no more than three cups a day."But there is good news, too: "You can eat Krembo. They are made of powdered eggs to which water has been added, and I happen to know that Krembos are tested for the presence of bacteria before they leave the factory." She is lenient regarding hummus and the fear of coliform bacteria: "It is of course important to eat in places where you trust the cleanliness and freshness, but eating hummus is like eating dairy products: You can always encounter spoiled cheese, you have to check carefully the date and its source. If you know this, there shouldn't be a problem. One should watch out for unpasteurized cheese, usually imported from France."Isn't this list of no-nos exaggerated? "One doesn't have to take it to the extreme," says Krause, "but I think that it is wise to be a little extra careful. After all, sushi and carpaccio are not exactly staples of Israeli cuisine. It's not that they are irreplaceable."Unique phenomenonNevertheless, this wide range of food prohibitions appears to be a uniquely Israeli phenomenon, like the numerous tests Israeli women taken during pregnancy, like the vast shopping industry for the newborn and like the pressure to nurse for many months. An article written by French doctor Beatrice Senemaud, published on the Web site www.doctissimo.fr, which publishes articles dealing with new trends in French and world medicine, lists the recommended prohibitions for the French pregnant woman. The range is of course far narrower. After all, no one would expect a French woman not to eat soft or hard cheeses at all. That is why they are told only to discard the outer layer of the cheese; to eat "well-cooked" meat and avoid tartar steak; to drink "only one glass of wine a day" (or seven glasses a week, an amount the typical Israeli woman could get intoxicated just thinking about); to avoid coffee as much as possible ("but it has not been proved to cause any damage," writes the author). French women are especially told not to eat food that is "too rich" that could cause them to gain weight rapidly and take in unnecessary calories, a prohibition that stems from an entirely different fear.But here in Israel, there are those who are even stricter than Krause. In an article Dr. Reuma Levi published on www.tevalife.co.il, the expert in natural medicine recommends not to eat green peppers, eggplant, garlic, spinach, peanuts and animal proteins. She explains in an interview that this list of pregnancy no-nos is only part of a much broader approach. "I am involved in an approach that is a way of life and encompasses far more than just nutrition," she says. "For example, I also deal with preparing for pregnancy: One should start cleaning the body and eating properly before you get pregnant, learn to breathe correctly and deeply, drink wheat grass juice and detoxify the body, and reduce the use of cosmetic products."It is also recommended to eat a lot of figs and sesame, and in general, I am in favor of babies being born in the spring - that way, when winter comes, their bodies will be more immune, after tanning in the sun. And I also recommend not taking iron pills under any circumstances - it is an artificial additive that the body expels, and there is far more iron in tahini, sesame and figs." And why is it forbidden to eat green peppers? "There is no such vegetable as a green pepper. It is merely an unripe pepper that would eventually turn orange or red. Its peel is toxic, like the peel of a potato that is still green. You shouldn't eat unripe foods. They are poisonous for people who aren't pregnant either."Keeping things in proportionConventional medical practitioners are more indulgent. Dr. Amos Bar, author of the book "Pregnancy and Birth" and an amateur chef, sounded undisturbed about the matter of pregnant women's nutrition."First, our menu as food lovers has become larger, and with it the list of prohibitions. Who even heard of sushi or carpaccio or tartar steak 15 years ago? With the greater supply, awareness has grown too, sometimes taken to an extreme," he says. "One should keep things in proportion," adds Bar. "Sushi is forbidden because the fish could be spoiled and carry parasites. But if you eat sushi in a good, reliable restaurant, rather than from a sushi stand that you don't know, what chance is there that the fish will be spoiled? As far as I'm concerned, eating sushi during pregnancy is as dangerous as eating fruit and vegetables in a salad. You have to wash them well with water, soap and a brush. How many women do you know who wash their fruits and vegetables that way? It would be wonderful if everybody did it, but that is the situation, and the same degree of risk is involved. My wife ate sushi during her entire pregnancy because she felt like it. I wouldn't recommend that women make a point of eating sushi or tartar steak during pregnancy, but if they eat it from time to time from a reliable source, what's wrong with that? "Now, the American health organization has come out with a sweeping recommendation not to drink alcohol during pregnancy," adds Bar. "But we all know that nothing will happen from a glass or two a week. A woman doesn't need to go around with a constant feeling that she is `harming the child.' That on its own is a very unhealthy feeling." Sausage no, figs yesWhat the various experts recommend not eating during pregnancy:l Completely uncooked meat: tartar steak, carpaccio, medium rare steak, raw fish, salted fish, ceviche, fish in sushi, vegetarian sushi (if cut on the same board as fish sushi), sausage.l Uncooked eggs: an omelet that is not cooked all the way through, mousses and various creams that contain eggs.l Herbs: spearmint, sage. One should limit the drinking of herbal tea to three cups a day, and only drink herbal tea from a known source.l Limit the intake of coffee and alcohol.l Naturalist experts add: peanuts (allergenic), green peppers, eggplants (members of the nightshade family, which have a problematic peel), garlic, spinach, proteins from animal sources.l On the other hand, one should eat: figs, sesame, tahini, beets, pomegranates, dates, avocado, grapes and papaya. (M.P.)

Smoking competitors - How Mirkarimi balanced 'Big Pot' and the concerned neighbors around SF medical marijuana clubs

http://www.sfbg.com/40/08/news_pot.html

By Ann Harrison
San Francisco's groundbreaking medical cannabis dispensary regulations have spared most of the city's existing clubs but have limited sales to smaller quantities and made it much more difficult for new dispensaries to open, thus striking a political balance that assured passage of the legislation.
The ordinance, which was approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors Nov. 15 and was expected to win final approval Nov. 22, after Bay Guardian press time, pitted dispensary supporters against neighborhood groups that argued for tighter zoning restrictions and a cap on the number of dispensaries.
An earlier draft of Sup. Ross Mirkarimi's ordinance was gutted by supervisors during a contentious hearing Oct. 18, attacked from the right for allowing too much marijuana to be grown or purchased, and from the left for proposed zoning rules that would force 15 clubs to close or relocate in concentrated areas (see "The Politics of Pot," 10/26/05).
Mirkarimi said he was torn between these competing imperatives, recently telling a community gathering that "there is 'Big Pot' now, there is monopoly interest in clubs who want to have a corner on the market."
But Mirkarimi said he didn't have the votes on the board to grandfather in current clubs without ceding to demands for tight restrictions on new dispensaries. "This was, I think, the best we could come up with right now," he said. "We will keep chipping away at the ability to open new clubs."
Former city AIDS/HIV policy coordinator Bill Barnes – who was Sup. Chris Daly's board aide before running against Mirkarimi for supervisor – brought the legislative process to a halt Oct. 21 by appealing a determination that dispensaries were exempt from environmental review. This maneuver sparked three weeks of intense negotiations, compromises, amendments, and political deal-making that is far from over.
"The devil is really in the details, and the question is how the city is going to implement the law," Barnes told us.
The compromise deal allows all but two of the city's 33 dispensaries to remain in their current locations and grandfathers in medical cannabis clubs in the South of Market neighborhood. But in return, restrictions on new dispensaries were strengthened, requiring they be 1,000 feet from schools rather than 500 feet as originally proposed.
Caren Woodson, campaign director for the medical cannabis patients' group Americans for Safe Access, said the 1,000-foot restriction provides only a handful of acceptable rental locations, squeezing out new clubs and limiting competition as old clubs lose their leases or are forced to relocate.
"We could see an attrition rate where clubs drop off over the next few years," said Kris Hermes, ASA legal campaign director. "That would effectively establish a de facto limitation on the number of dispensaries in the city, making it more difficult for patients to access their medicine."
Woodson said ASA will lobby for repeal of the 1,000-foot restriction and is pleased that the ordinance forces the city to conduct an annual review on access to medical cannabis.
Sups. Fiona Ma and Mirkarimi said they will submit legislation that would exempt relocating dispensaries from the 1,000-foot rule. The Green Cross and Mendocino Health Alternatives dispensaries are both seeking to relocate but would be considered as new dispensaries under the current version of the ordinance.
Green Cross operator Kevin Reed fears his relocation efforts will made even more difficult by an amendment introduced by Sup. Bevan Dufty mandating that dispensaries with suspended or revoked permits are not considered to be in continuous operation.
Reed says Dufty violated his due-process rights by pressuring the Department of Building Inspection to suspend his permit after neighborhood complaints, a charge Dufty denies.
The Board of Appeals ruled that the Green Cross must move by March 22. Dufty's amendment makes sure the Green Cross does not have 18 months to apply for an operating permit, as do other new and existing dispensaries.
"I do feel like a sacrificial lamb," said Reed, who also said he can't find a new location for his club. "Dufty was responding to pressure from the neighborhood to make sure the Green Cross is out as soon as possible."
Sups. Gerardo Sandoval and Sean Elsbernd lobbied for even more restrictive dispensary zoning but were largely unsuccessful and were both absent from the 9-0 ordinance vote Nov. 15.
In the compromise deal, dispensaries are excluded from residential and industrial districts, which impacts two dispensaries in residential areas: the Vapor Room, at 609A Haight Street, and the Re-Leaf Herbal Center, at 2980 21st Street.
"We are Lower Haight born and bred, and that's where we want to stay, and that's were we are going to stay," said Martin Olive, cofounder of the Vapor Room. "We are just going to work really hard at it, and it's not going to be easy."
Dan Sider, of the San Francisco Planning Department, said there is new legislation in the pipeline to rezone a portion of Haight Street to accommodate existing commercial activity and allow the Vapor Room to remain. Sider added that the Department of Public Health and the Planning Commission will hold public hearings to review each dispensary application and allow neighbors to weigh in.
Supporters of tighter dispensary restrictions, including Mayor Gavin Newsom and his political allies, also won a concession requiring clubs allowing on-site cannabis smoking to be located 1,000 feet from schools and recreation buildings – which was understood to be required by state law. Existing dispensaries that do not permit smoking must be at least 500 feet from a school.
The provision would ban cannabis consumption at 13 dispensaries. But Mirkarimi inserted the phrase "unless not required by state law," which leaves the door open for an interpretive ruling by the state Attorney General's Office.
Mirkarimi's old boss, former San Francisco district attorney Terence Hallinan, who represented 14 of the city's dispensaries, opposes the smoking ban and believes that both this provision and the 1,000-foot restriction on new clubs will be challenged in court.
Hallinan successfully championed an amendment that deleted record-keeping and inspection requirements for dispensaries that he said would make it easier for federal authorities to prosecute dispensary owners. Despite the restrictions in the current ordinance, Hallinan said Mirkarimi deserved the standing ovation he received for hammering out the ordinance and protecting existing clubs.
"It was good, finally, to have a city and county step up and say it can be done, here is how it can be done," Hallinan said. "With all of the little cities passing prohibitions and moratoriums and panicking, instead San Francisco has given some leadership along these lines."
Two additional amendments to the bill were also critical in addressing neighborhood concerns and giving Mirkarimi the votes he needed to protect existing clubs. One amendment was a suggestion from Michael Aldrich, former director of the CHAMP dispensary, which limited cannabis purchases per dispensary visit from one pound to one ounce.
"Most patients are not going to be able to buy much more than that per visit, and those who can afford to buy that much more are most likely to be reselling it," Aldrich said.
Sup. Michela Alioto-Pier also sought to mandate dispensary wheelchair access and limit the number of cannabis plants grown by patients and caregivers. She got her wish with an amendment that reduced plant limits from 99 to 24 plants or 25 square feet of total garden canopy.
"There have been a few days when I would have been OK not being the front man trying to push this," said Mirkarimi, who acknowledged that supporters of medical cannabis do not speak with one voice. "But what caused me not to abort the process was that I couldn't allow neglect or indifference to erode the progress that medical cannabis has made."

Suffering From Tear Gas Effects? Eat Raw Tomatoes

http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200511230314.html

New Vision (Kampala) NEWSNovember 23, 2005 Posted to the web November 23, 2005 By Harriette OnyallaKampala
Tear gas is one of the feared tools of the anti-riot police. And in these politically excitable times, we may have to see it used more widely and often. With tear gas, eyes hurt, tears flow, there is sneezing, coughing and the skin itches with a burning sensation. Its major weakness as a crowd control is that it does not discriminate the rioter from the innocent observer.
What is Tear gas? Tear gas is a mixture of irritants and lachrymators (substances that induce tears). Dr. Joseph Sserwadda, the director of Makerere University Institute of Public Health, says there are several types of tear gas which vary in composition and concentration of the chemical components.
Some 15 chemicals have been used worldwide as tear gas. But the most common one is chloronenzylidenemalononitrite (CS), which has gained widespread acceptance for use to control civilians during disturbances. CS is a powder and is dispersed into the air as either a spray or powder.
Uganda Police surgeon Dr. Michael Barungi says the Police uses pepper spray, which contains capsaicin. Capsaicin is a chemical made from cayenne, paprika or chillies. On first exposure, it causes extreme irritation and pain. However, repeated exposure to the skin makes people less sensitive to pain.
"In fact, capsaicin is available in a cream and is used to treat arthritis or other painful conditions," Barungi says.
Potential health effects:
Use of large amounts of tear gas in recent years in countries like Chile, Panama, South Korea, Israel and increasingly in African countries has raised concern about its safety. Although there is still little medical information about the effects of tear gas, Sserwadda says, it is harmful to people, animals and birds.
Tear gas affects the eyes, respiratory system and skin. Exposure to tear gas causes burning, irritation, tearing and pain in the eyes.
Respiratory symptoms include burning, sneezing, cough, shortness of breath and increased secretions such as runny nose and increased salivation. Nausea and vomiting may also occur.
Skin symptoms include burning sensation and irritation. High concentrations of tear gas can cause blistering of the skin.
Sserwadda says people with pre-existing respiratory problems, such as upper respiratory infections, asthma or emphysema, are more sensitive to tear gas. The very old or very young may be more sensitive to chemical exposures than others. In these groups of people, symptoms may take longer to clear up.
"Generally, the proximity from which the tear gas is sprayed and concentration are important in evaluating its effects," he said.
The effects of tear gas usually occur within seconds after exposure and symptoms usually end within an hour after exposure. For some people, symptoms can take a few days to clear up completely. Effects on skin may take longer to improve. Sserwadda warns that more severe health effects can occur when people remain in an enclosed space where tear gas is present. Future health complications: Dr. Juuko Ndawula, a medical specialist in alternative medicine, says the effects of tear gas dissolve quickly for most people.
But for some people, exposure to tear gas triggers off a precondition within the body system to begin affecting the person. "For example, if hypertension has been running in your family, it means you are predisposed to it. And you could have kept it off with careful dietary and exercise precautions. If suddenly, the body experiences a tear gas shock, the hypertension can be ignited to start affecting you for the rest of your life. This can also occur for allergies, ulcers, heart failure, asthma and all genetic disorders," Ndawula says.
He says another lasting disorder is a skin reaction called allergic contact dermatitis. "Dermatitis may include severe alteration in skin colour, swelling, and blistering," he said.
There are also psychological effects. Sserwada says ignorance about the potency of tear gas exposure may cause anxiety and stress.
He also says excess exposure can result in death when the respiratory system is overwhelmed. However, Sserwada said there is no evidence that exposure to tear gas causes birth defects or reproductive health complications. What to do?
"One way to confront tear gas is eat a lot of raw tomatoes. Raw tomatoes are a multi-therapy. Tomatoes mineralise the body against contamination. They not only help the body systems control the impact of stress, they also help with allergic reaction to tear gas," he says.
Ndawula also says water is the cheapest and best way to decontaminate onesself. "Wash your skin with soap and water. You can pour lots of water on the affected area, though it is best to take a shower. Then drink lots of water immediately after exposure and wash your clothes separately from the rest of your laundry".
Sserwadda says the symptoms of tear gas exposure generally improve without medical treatment. "But if you are concerned about pre-existing medical conditions or experience severe symptoms that do not improve within a few days or continue to experience health problems, you should contact a medical personnel," he says.

State revokes two doctors' medical licenses an Associated Press report 11/23/05

http://www.abcactionnews.com/stories/2005/11/051123doctors.shtml

FORT LAUDERDALE - The state has revoked the medical licenses of two doctors at a shuttered clinic where the paralyzing botulism toxin was apparently injected in place of cosmetic Botox, the state Health Department said Tuesday.
Bach McComb, who allegedly paralyzed himself and three friends with fake anti-wrinkle shots containing the botulism toxin, lost the right to practice medicine and was ordered to pay $14,750 in fines and costs.
Shelly Wolland of North Miami lost her medical license and was fined $15,000 and ordered to pay $39,000 in costs for administering injections after she had been barred from doing so in March 2002.
"We don't revoke people's licenses lightly. It's a very serious step," said Dr. Glenn Moran of Plantation, a member of the state Board of Osteopathic Medicine. "These were very serious offenses. It was the appropriate action to protect the people of the state of Florida."
McComb, 47, pleaded guilty Nov. 10 to providing unapproved drugs and faces up to three years in federal prison.
Federal officials said McComb injected himself, his girlfriend and two other friends with a super-strength, unapproved research toxin he bought as a cheap alternative to federally approved Botox.
McComb did not properly dilute the toxin, paralyzing the four for months, officials said. They have all partially recovered.
The state alleged that Wolland gave Botox shots to patients in 2003, after she had been banned from administering medications except in emergencies. That ban stemmed from inspectors finding bags of unlabeled, expired and improperly stored medicines in her Miami office.
State officials said Wolland and McComb could appeal the disciplinary actions.

2,000-Year-Old Seed Sprouts, Sapling Is Thriving

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/11/1122_051122_old_seed.html

John Roachfor National Geographic News
November 22, 2005
A sapling germinated earlier this year from a 2,000-year-old date palm seed is thriving, according to Israeli researchers who are cultivating the historic plant.
"It's 80 centimeters [3 feet] high with nine leaves, and it looks great," said Sarah Sallon, director of the Hadassah Medical Organization's Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center (NMRC) in Jerusalem.
Sallon's program is dedicated to the study of complementary and alternative medicines. The center is also interested in conserving the heritage of Middle Eastern plants that have been used for thousands of years.
Sallon wants to see if the ancient tree, nicknamed Methuselah after the oldest person named in the Old Testament of the Bible, has any unique medicinal properties no longer found in today's date palm varieties.
"Dates were famous in antiquity for medicinal value," she said. "They were widely used for different kinds of diseases—cancers, TB [tuberculosis]—all kinds of problems."
She and her colleagues are currently comparing the structure of the sapling to modern date palms and examining DNA from one of the sapling's leaves. The team plans to publish preliminary results in a peer-reviewed journal early next year.
Ancient Seed
Several ancient date seeds were taken from an excavation at Masada, a historic mountainside fortress, in 1973. In A.D. 73 Jewish Zealots took their own lives at the fortress rather than surrender to the Romans at the end of a two-year siege.
Carbon dating indicates the seeds are about 2,000 years old.
Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer found the seeds and gave them to botanical archaeologist Mordechai Kislev at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv.
The seeds sat untouched in a drawer in Kislev's office until last November, when Sallon asked if she could have a few to pass on to desert agriculture expert Elaine Solowey.
"I said, Thank you. What do you want me to do?" Solowey recalls. Told to germinate them, she said, "You want me to do what?"
Solowey, director of the experimental orchard and the NMRC cultivation site at Kibbutz Ketura in Israel, focuses primarily on finding new crops that grow well in the arid Middle East climate.
By January Solowey had done enough research on revitalizing the seeds to get the project off the ground.
First she soaked the seeds in hot water to make them once again able to absorb liquids. Then she soaked them in a solution of nutrients followed by an enzymatic fertilizer made from seaweed.
"I assumed the food in the seed would be no good after all that time. How could it be?" she said.
Tu B'shevat, a Jewish holiday known as the New Year for Trees, fell this year on January 25. Solowey chose that day to plant the seeds in new potting soil, hook them up to a drip irrigation system, and leave them locked up.
She occasionally checked on the plants for a few months, and in March she noticed cracked soil in one of the pots—a sure sign of sprouts.
"I couldn't believe it," she said. "I did everything to avoid contamination, so it had to be that seed. And by March 18 I could see it was a date shoot."
The first leaves were almost white with gray lines. They looked like corduroy but felt totally flat, Solowey said. She thought the plant would never survive. But by June healthier-looking leaves were growing on the young sapling.
As time progresses, she said, the leaves continue to look even healthier.
The researchers are now repeating the experiment with another batch of the ancient seeds to see if their success was a "one in a million" stroke of luck or if their technique can more readily bring ancient seeds to life, Sallon said.
Slow Grow
Date palms are either male or female. The sex of the sapling is unknown, but the researchers are hoping for a female, which would bear fruit.
If a modern date with similar DNA is found, the researchers may be able to tell the sex of their sapling soon. Otherwise they'll have to wait about four years, when female dates usually begin to bear fruit.
In ancient times the Judean date palm was a staple source of food, shelter, and shade. References to it are made in the Bible, the Koran, and other ancient literature. Judean date palms were wiped out by about A.D. 500.
Today's date trees in Israel were imported during the 1950s and '60s from modern cultivated Iraqi, Moroccan, and Egyptian varieties, Sallon said.
Solowey, who also works for Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, said it already appears the ancient plant has some interesting differences from modern dates.
If Methuselah bears fruit, Sallon and her colleagues will study its medicinal properties in hopes of better understanding what made the Judean date so famous in antiquity.
If funds can be found, the researchers hope to apply any novel properties to modern medicines.
"Maybe there are genes there that have actually died out or become extinct [in modern dates], in which case [the sapling] has very exciting possibilities for date cultivation as well," Sallon said.

Eat veggies, grains, fish to avoid cancer

http://www.mb.com.ph/MTNN2005112149707.html#

By JENNY F. MANONGDO
Want to avoid cancer? Eat veggies, whole grains, and cold water fish regularly.
The Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) under the Department of Health (DoH) recently laid out nature’s best defense against cancer in celebration of Alternative Medicine month this November.
According to PITAHC, malignant neoplasms or cancer is increasing in the country and in the world as well.
In its official publication "Well-being," the PITAHC referred to the recent National Statistics Office (NSO) data stating that cancer is the second leading cause of death in the country.
The PITAHC said that vegetables are rich in fiber, anti-oxidants, and anticancer nutrients. The best cancer-fighting vegetables include beets, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, and squash.
According to experts, the deeper the color of the vegetable, the more phytochemicals (cancer-fighting agents) it contains.
"In these pigments lay 20,000 bioflavonoids and 800 carotenoids. These provide extraordinary antioxidant for the human body, plus immune stimulation to detect cancer cells," the PITAHC said.
They also mentioned cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli as unique sources of detoxifying and anticancer substances.
Onion and garlic are also said to be important sources of bioflavonoids that help revert a cancer cell back to a healthy cell.
Cold water fish such as tawilis, tamban, hasahasa, tambakol, and tuna are said to be loaded with anti-cancer fats and DHA which slow down the spread of cancer and stimulate immune functions.
The PITAHC also mentioned whole grains such as oats and rice as important sources of fiber that also help as a powerful anti-cancer agent.
Yogurt, with its lactobacillus bacteria, fortifies the body’s defense against infections and cancer.
Lastly, clean water helps the flow of nutrients into the cells and toxins out of the cells. This process dilutes impurities in the body.

Survey: More buying organic foods

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20051120-033633-4157r

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Sixty-five percent of U.S. adults have tried organic foods and beverages, up from 54 percent in both 2003 and 2004, a survey finds.
Seventy percent of the organic buyers say they buy organic foods and beverages to avoid of pesticides; 68 percent say they are seeking freshness; and 67 percent say they are seeking foods with better health and nutrition, the 2005 Whole Foods Market Organic Trend Tracker found.
More than half say they buy organic to avoid genetically modified foods and about half say organic foods and beverages are better for their health and the environment.
Almost 27 percent of respondents say they consume more organic foods and beverages than they did one year ago. Ten percent consume organic foods several times per week, up from 7 percent last year.

Deaths Among Roche Tamiflu Users Get U.S. FDA Review (Update2)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=anZ6ykOlAZ4U#

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. regulators will review the deaths of 12 Japanese children who took Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu influenza medicine, being stockpiled worldwide as the best likely treatment for bird flu.
Four were due to ``sudden death, an unusual phenomenon in otherwise healthy'' people 16 and under, the Food and Drug Administration said in a report posted today on its Web site. Other causes were cardio-respiratory arrest, suicide, pneumonia and asphyxiation. In addition, Tamiflu users reported hallucinations and convulsions, the FDA said.
``This may mean that there are some parents and patients out there that will decline to use'' Tamiflu for seasonal outbreaks of less-lethal flu strains, said Bob Pooler, analyst at Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch in Zurich, in an interview today. ``In pandemic use, it's the only choice, except maybe for Glaxo's Relenza, that governments have.''
The FDA panel is reviewing Tamiflu risks tomorrow at a routine meeting required by law. Demand for Tamiflu has surged with the threat of a global epidemic of the avian influenza that has killed at least 67 people in Asia since 2004. Third-quarter sales more than doubled to 279 million Swiss francs ($211 million). About 50 countries including the U.S. and Japan placed orders of more than $1.4 billion.
Shares of Basel, Switzerland-based Roche fell 3.6 Swiss francs, or 1.9 percent, to 188.5 Swiss francs as of 5:30 p.m. in Zurich. Shares of Roche's partner Gilead Sciences Inc. fell $1.53, or 2.8 percent, to $54.10 at 12:03 p.m. New York time after trading as low as $51.68 in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading.
Tamiflu, Bird Flu
Tamiflu, which is approved for the treatment and prevention of influenza, has been shown to fight the H5N1 avian and human virus strains in test-tube and animal trials. There is also anecdotal evidence that the pill works in humans. London-based GlaxoSmithKline Plc's inhaled Relenza has been shown to work in mouse tests.
Roche spokeswoman Martina Rupp couldn't immediately comment on today's FDA report.
Roche acquired the rights to Tamiflu in 1996 from Foster City, California-based Gilead, the drug's inventor. Roche agreed yesterday to pay $62.5 million to Gilead to end a dispute over rights to the product.
The FDA is studying reports of injuries among Tamiflu users as part of a review intended to gather more research on how medicines work in children. The FDA panel tomorrow also will look at reports related to other drugs such as Pfizer Inc.'s Diflucan antifungal and the withdrawn Merck & Co. Vioxx painkiller, according to a posting on the agency's Web site.
Focus on Japan
``Deaths from influenza are uncommon among both children with and without high-risk conditions, but do occur,'' the FDA report said. ``Attribution of causality for the reports of sudden death and cardio-pulmonary arrest are extremely difficult to interpret because there is limited information leading up to the event.''
More than 90 percent of reports of serious complications in pediatric Tamiflu users stem from Japan, the FDA said in its report. The FDA is looking into whether Japanese people may take herbal medications that would predispose them to complications and whether genetic difference might be a factor.
The FDA has proposed monitoring complications in Tamiflu users and bringing the findings back to its advisory committee in the next two years, according to a document posted on its Web site. The FDA also asked the committee whether additional information is needed on serious skin reactions in people using the drug.
That approach suggests the FDA still considers Tamiflu safe, said Ira Loss, an analyst with Washington Analysis who has been following the FDA for more than two decades, in a telephone interview today.
``It's hard for me to imagine that the FDA is too worried if they are going to wait for two years,'' Loss said.

Many Heart Patients Use Alternative Medicines

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20051117/hl_hsn/manyheartpatientsusealternativemedicines

Thu Nov 17, 5:02 PM ET
THURSDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Many heart patients use complementary and alternative medicines but their doctors often don't know about it, a new Canadian study finds.
"In the era of evidence-based medicine, we have more patients who are quite comfortable with alternative medicine rather than drugs proven to work," study author Dr. Beth Abramson, director of the Cardiac Prevention Center at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said in a prepared statement.
"Unfortunately, many patients believe that if something is natural, then it's safe," she added. "But many of these alternative medicines are not regulated, aren't necessarily safe, and many have not been proven effective."
Her team's study of 308 heart patients found that 45 percent used compleentary or alternative, with the majority of these treatments herbal medications, vitamins and minerals. However, just 56 percent of those patients' heart specialists and 75 percent of their family doctors were aware of the use of these therapies.
Eight percent of the patients' heart specialists and 13 percent of their family doctors asked about the patients' use of complementary or alternative medicines. The study also found that 39 percent of users believed it was important for their doctors to know about use of such therapies, and 50 percent said they were aware of the risks of using them.
More than half the patients using complementary or alternative therapies learned about them through friends or the news media, while 21 percent received this information from their doctors.
The study was presented this week at the American Heart Association's annual meeting, in Dallas.
Abramson urged heart patients to give their doctors a list of any non-traditional therapies they might be taking.
"Depending on the alternative medication, there can be life-threatening interactions with prescribed cardiac medications," she warned.
More information
The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has more about complementary and alternative medicines.

Pins & Needles
The thought of letting someone stick hundreds of tiny needles into your body might sound horrifying, but for some ASU students, acupuncture is the solution when traditional medicine fail

http://www.statepress.com/issues/2005/11/17/arts/694946

by Mani O'Brien published on Thursday, November 17, 2005

Jennifer Disharoom recieves treatment for her migrane headaches using acupuncture.
When psychology senior Jaclyn Trecokas was a freshman in college, drinking a glass of milk was enough to leave her body writhing in pain. But today she says she can eat or drink whatever she wants thanks to acupuncture, an ancient healing method. And she's not alone. According to a 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, acupuncture has become one of the leading forms of alternative healing in the United States, helping to solve ailments ranging from bone injuries to drug addiction. While needling patients for treatment is a far cry from conventional Western medical practice, a growing interest by the American public in alternative healing has led them to discover a different path to better health. Trecokas, for one, is a believer. Acupuncture pretty much saved my life," she says.Piercing DiscoveryTrecokas was diagnosed with lactose intolerance in her sophomore year of high school, a condition that kept her from eating certain foods without suffering symptoms including severe stomach cramps, muscle spasms and hives, she says.After eating any dairy-based foods as well as whey products like bread, margarine, cereal and even candy, Trecokas says she would suffer the consequences. Her body was so sensitive that she couldn't use utensils that had come in contact with the foods she was allergic to, says her mother, Laurel Trecokas."Her body was slowly declining," says Laurel.There seemed to be no solution to her disorder. Her doctors prescribed medication to treat her symptoms, but could not find a reason why she was suffering. As Trecokas switched from medication to medication, her condition seemed to worsen, she says. "It just seemed like they wanted to give me more pills," she says. Trecokas's condition reached its peak during her freshman year at Miami University, she says. The hives made her entire body swell."I would wake up in the morning and my arms would be covered in blood from scratching all night," she says.Trecokas was hospitalized three times during that school year. At one point, she was suffering from loss of muscle control, making it difficult for her to unscrew bottle caps or hold a pen, she says. By the time she medically withdrew from school in February 2003, Trecokas had collapsed once in class and was also suffering from memory loss, says Laurel.Willing to try anything, Trecokas and her family turned to acupuncture, an alternative medical practice that involves sticking patients with needles for treatment. Much to their surprise, acupuncture helped Trecokas recover completely. After more than 30 treatments, Trecokas says that today she can eat anything, even a whole pint of ice cream if she wants.Medicated PublicTrecokas is one of thousands of Americans who have sought treatment through complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, in recent years, according to a report published in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CAM includes treatments like acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage and meditation.Acupuncture was the leading form of alternative medical systems during the 1990s, according to the 2002 CDC survey. Out of more than 149,000 participants, 4 percent of those surveyed said they had used acupuncture at least once in their life. Other alternative medical systems included ayurveda, homeopathic treatment and naturopathy.In the 2004 U.S. Health report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one of the proposed explanations for growth in CAM use is the dissatisfaction with conventional medical practice, such as over medication. According to the report, the percentage of non-institutionalized Americans of all ages who reported using any prescribed medication during the past month increased from 39 to 44 percent.This was Trecokas' chief concern. She was given steroids to reduce inflammation and antispasmodic medication, among others, but was never told what was causing her problems."Conventional medicine was just treating my symptoms, and we needed to stop doing that because it wasn't helping," Trecokas says. Trecokas and her family thought of acupuncture after Laurel heard about a friend who was successful in treating rheumatoid arthritis with the method."As a parent, it's very difficult to see your child suffering," Laurel says. "We were willing to try anything."While conventional medicine had not put an end to Trecokas's suffering in three years, acupuncture led to immediate relief. After her very first visit, she was told that she could drink milk, she says. "It's because they found the root of my problem," she says.Pinpointing the ProblemFinding the root of his patient's problems is Sig Hauer's goal. Hauer is a nationally certified licensed acupuncturist and owns Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine in Sedona with his wife Sarah.Hauer likes to show his first-time patients what the Chinese needles look like -- that they're no thicker than three strands of hair."People tend to be nervous about the needles, but they are very thin," he says.In addition to listening to his patients' symptoms, Hauer asks whether his patients suffer from hot or cold spells and asks questions about their sleeping habits and diet. He also asks about his patients' emotions, how much stress they are under and if they feel particularly sad or angry or happy at times. Hauer asks about the emotional aspects of his patients' personalities because acupuncturists take a holistic approach to treating patients. This means that an acupuncturist will take into account not only physical symptoms, but also mental, emotional, spiritual and even cultural elements of a person's life to determine the best treatment, says Carol Baldwin, a board certified advanced practice holistic nurse and associate professor in the ASU College of Nursing."If someone is treated for high blood pressure, an acupuncturist is not only going to take their high blood pressure history into consideration, but will find out if this person has excessive joy or excessive anger," she says.This excessive emotion could indicate a depletion of energy in one part of the patient's system and excess in another, she says.Acupuncture is more than 3,000 years old, she says, and is based on an energy systems model rather than a biomedical model of healing.Acupuncture is based on the concept that our bodies contain energy, a vital life force that gives us our ability to move, think and feel, according to "Chinese Medicine: How it Works," a pamphlet published in 1991 by Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold. This life force, known as qi (pronounced "chee") runs through pathways in the body called meridians, which have been determined after centuries of observation, says Hauer. Meridians form a network of energy pathways that are connected to different organs in the body. Along these meridians are points that can be accessed, Hauer says. There are hundreds such points on the body, he says."The needles help the energy flow better; it's like reprogramming the body's computer," Hauer says.When the needles enter the point of access, they move the energy, helping to increase circulation throughout the meridian, which leads to an overall balance of one's qi throughout the whole body. Ultimately, a balanced qi leads to improved physical, mental and emotional health, says Hauer.Inner Qi BalancedHauer slides the needles into the flesh of his patients swiftly. He dims the lights and leaves music humming. The pins feel like pressure, he says, and people tend to fall asleep during the 20 minutes they are left alone. And at the end, he expects his patients to feel relaxed and immediately relieved if they were treated for pain.Trecokas says she had eight to 10 needles placed in her body on her first visit. "I didn't even feel it," she says.Still, her parents remained skeptical."My parents were hesitant, but I was like, 'Let's go home and get some ice cream,'" she says.Laurel says she was nervous about letting her daughter have milk right away."It was hard to believe because she had been in so much pain, we had a hard time accepting that she was completely better," she says. Trecokas didn't drink her first cup of milk until after her third treatment.She says that being able to eat the foods that caused her pain was a mental shock."I can eat everything again," she says excitedly. "I always ask myself, 'What should I eat?'"At first Trecokas wanted to gorge herself in all of the foods she had been deprived of for three years, Laurel says."She was afraid [the lactose intolerance] was going to come back," she says. "She wanted to overindulge because she thought it would all go away, as if it was some sort of dream."Today, Laurel says she has lost all doubts in alternative healing and has gotten acupuncture treatments for herself."We are very much believers in alternative medicine," she says. "We were not before all of this."As for her daughter, Laurel says the impact of acupuncture has been tremendous. "Her whole life path changed with this sickness," she says.After she graduates from ASU, Trecokas plans to get a master's degree in acupuncture at the Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine."I want to get into working with energy, something along the lines of healing that doesn't involve masking symptoms," she says. "They masked my symptoms for three years and it didn't get us anywhere."Trecokas has not lost all faith in conventional care, however."I believe [conventional medicine] is necessary, but it's not for everything," she says. "And I believe that both can work together."Trecokas wants to help others find the balance between conventional and alternative healing, as well as the balance of their own inner qi."I believe that we're too complex to be treated by pills alone," she says.

Brazilian rain forest's flora, fauna prompt "biopiracy" furor

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3224220?rss

As suspicion runs rampant among those convinced that scientists are out to exploit resources, study of the rich ecosystem stalls.
By Michael Astor The Associated PressDenverPost.com
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Somewhere in the Amazon there may be flora and fauna that hold the key to curing diseases ranging from cancer to multiple sclerosis.
That, at any rate, is the dream. But the reality is that the search for the next miracle drug is being hampered by a deep Brazilian suspicion of "biopiracy." Some politicians, retired generals and websites seem convinced that the world's biggest rain forest is crawling with biopirates scooping up seeds, leaves and animal blood samples whose genetic code might deliver the next miracle drug.
The government has imposed strict regulations that apply to both Brazilians and foreigners, but foreigners are more likely to get arrested. Over the past decade, more than 30 have been detained and their research samples confiscated or destroyed.
The Amazon rain forest is thought to contain at least 30 percent of all plant and animal species on the planet, most of them uncataloged. At the same time, loggers and farmers are shrinking its area at a rate equivalent to six football fields a minute.
But scientists say the rules are so stringent and overzealously enforced that it has become impossible to ship samples abroad for analysis, reducing research to a crawl and driving many scientists to move their research to Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru.
Last year, police tracked two German researchers across eight Brazilian states and seized the spiders they were allegedly planning to ship to the United States.
In 2002, Marc Van Roosmalen, a Dutch scientist who has discovered some 20 new monkey species, was accused of biopiracy after authorities removed 27 rare monkeys from his home in the Amazon city of Manaus. Roosmalen says he was only studying and caring for the animals, not exploiting them for profit, and had applied for permits in 1996 and never heard back.
Brazilian scientists are feeling the squeeze too.
"The situation is so frustrating, I've all but given up," says Paulo Buckup, a professor of ichthyology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro who collects river fish for research. "Brazil has lost the capacity to control its own resources because it doesn't know what it has."
Biopiracy haunts Brazilian history, beginning with Henry Wickham, an Englishman who smuggled rubber seeds out of the country in the 19th century and broke Brazil's global rubber monopoly.
Then came the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which produced a convention entitling nations to a share of the profits from substances yielded by their flora and fauna.
"All the signers bought into a concept no one knows how to implement. Anyone can claim you're not sharing the benefits, and the government is afraid of being held responsible," said Dr. Roberto Cavalcanti, a zoology professor at the University of Brasilia.
Cavalcanti agrees regulation is necessary but feels the best way to fight biopiracy is more investment and more Brazilians doing their own collecting. He also says the biopiracy concept "has been hijacked" by opponents of measures to protect the rain forest against commercial overexploitation.
A congressional committee is investigating biopiracy, and several prominent foreign scientists have been forced to prove they are not biopirates, including Thomas Lovejoy, the U.S. scientist credited with putting the plight of the rain forests on the world's radar screen in the early 1980s.
He acknowledges he shares the blame for the biopiracy panic because of his own role in publicizing biodiversity.
"From my point of view, the real biopiracy is the destruction of the biodiversity of the Amazon," said Lovejoy, president of the Heinz Center for Science Economics and the Environment.
Lovejoy eventually was cleared of vague charges that he was a CIA agent when he did research for the Smithsonian Institution in the Amazon years ago, and Congressman Jose Sarney Filho, a former environment minister on the biopiracy committee, acknowledges the investigation so far has little to show for its work.
"Up to now, we haven't found a single concrete case of biopiracy," Sarney told The Associated Press. "There are cases of spiders being contrabanded to American laboratories and things like that, but no material proof that our flora or fauna has been converted into medicine without following the legislation."
But that doesn't silence the cries of alarm.
"The internationalization of the Amazon goes far beyond the economic area and the occupations of lands," Amazonas state Gov. Eduardo Braga has warned. "They will take from us our flora and our fauna." Manaus Mayor Serafim Correa has said Brazilians must "take care that we don't allow our Amazon to be invaded."
On the website "Amazon Love It or Leave It," Gen. Luiz Gonzaga Schroeder Lessa, former chief of the Amazon Military Command, claims collectors disguised as religious or environmental groups are taking samples to be turned into medicines for which Brazilians will later have to pay them royalties. "It's biopiracy and it goes on almost unchecked in the Amazon," he writes.
Sarney, the congressman, says most Brazilians confuse biopiracy with things like a recent case in which a Japanese company trademarked Cupuacu, a fruit unique to the Amazon. The trademark was revoked after protests from Brazil.
Rogerio Magalhaes, an environment ministry official, acknowledges the bureaucracy is frustrating but denies it stops researchers from doing their job.
"They're doing it, but they're doing it illegally," he says.
The legal limbo provides little comfort to scientists such as Carlos Joly, director of the Botanical Institute at the University of Campinas in São Paulo state.
"Right now it seems like we - the ones who are doing research - are the pirates," Joly said. "The best way to protect Brazil's biodiversity is to know its characteristics and potential. That's what the country should be investing in."

Ban on sodas up for vote. The Miami-Dade School Board will consider a ban of soda sales on campus as well as changes to the school calendar and the job of inspector general.

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/miamiherald/living/education/13178132.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_education

BY MATTHEW I. PINZURmpinzur@herald.com
Soda sales could be banned in Miami-Dade County public schools next year if the School Board approves a new nutrition policy, one of a trio of high-profile issues the board is scheduled to decide today.
The board is also expected to change the way the district's inspector general operates, as well as deciding how to make up classroom time after the nearly two-week break forced by Hurricane Wilma.
Superintendent Rudy Crew wants to cancel three teacher planning days, extend the school year by two days and hold class on the Presidents Day holiday.
The soda ban, which failed in February, is now part of a more comprehensive health package that would expand physical education, reevaluate health classes and limit portions on sweets and snacks sold at school.
If approved, the policy would allow only water, unsweetened fruit juice, milk and ''electrolyte-replacement'' drinks like Gatorade to be sold in cafeterias and vending machines.
The portion rules would essentially ban king-size bags of chips, oversized cookies and other jumbo snacks.
''Portions count,'' said food and nutrition director Penny Parham. ``The portion size of what you eat is a very important part of having a healthy diet.''
Middle-school physical education classes normally have 60 to 70 students, and Crew proposed spending around $3.4 million by 2008 to hire enough teachers to drastically reduce those numbers. At least $3 million has already been earmarked in the 2006-07 budget, and district spokesman Joseph Garcia said the rest would be squeezed from other areas.
''That would really have a profound impact on childhood obesity because we'd finally get these kids physically active,'' said Jayne Greenberg, director for life skills and special projects.
One concern that derailed the soda ban in February was the money collected by teams and clubs under lucrative soda-machine contracts. Crew's proposal promises to reimburse those groups for the estimated $3 million loss, possibly by negotiating new exclusivity contracts. The Los Angeles district recently signed a $26 million contract with Pepsi to stock Gatorade, juice and water.
OTHER CONCERNS
Still, some of the ban's opponents had philosophical concerns not addressed in the new plan. Healthier beverages are often more expensive than soda, and board member Agustín Barrera argued in February that eliminating soda would punish students without addressing the deeper eating habits that children learn at home.
The calendar change would add six school days to the 2005-06 calendar but leave both winter and spring vacations intact.
Miami-Dade schools lost eight days to Wilma, plus four more to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but state education officials agreed to waive some of the lost time.
Members of the United Teachers of Dade union -- which has some control over the calendar through its labor contract -- urged Crew to reconsider his original plan to hold class on the first few days of winter break.
''We said that would not create good will at all,'' said UTD President Karen Aronowitz.
She said many parents had already planned travel for winter break, which begins Dec. 19. If classes were held that day, she said, attendance would likely be low.
If the board approves the proposed changes, the last day of school would be Friday, May 26, instead of May 24. At the 39 campuses in the School Improvement Zone, classes end on May 31.
Board members have debated the inspector general issue for months following the rocky dismissal of Herbert Cousins, the first person in the job. Much of the contention has surrounded his replacement's chain of command: The School Board funds the office, but Cousins reported to the Florida Department of Education's inspector general in Tallahassee.
VITAL TO INDEPENDENCE
Cousins said that arrangement was vital to protect the office's independence, but board members said they were left with too little oversight.
Under the proposed change, Cousins' replacement would report to the district's Audit Committee, which is comprised almost entirely of lawyers and certified public accountants who do not work for the district but are appointed by School Board members.
The inspector -- responsible for uncovering and preventing waste, fraud and mismanagement -- would be hired by the board from finalists compiled by an independent selection committee and could be fired by the board for failure to perform.

House Republican Leaders Push Budget-Cut
By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press WriterThu Nov 17,11:41 AM ET
House Republican leaders on Thursday eased their planned cuts to health and nutrition programs for the poor, seeking votes from reluctant moderates for a contentious $50 billion budget-cutting bill.
Even with the modest changes, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., wouldn't guarantee that the budget plan would come to a vote later in the day.
"We'll see," said Hastert, who has spent the past two weeks cajoling rank and file Republicans to support a bill that Democrats are expected to unanimously oppose.
The latest concession to moderates involved leaving alone copayments for the poorest Medicaid beneficiaries and dropping a provision that would have denied free school lunches to about 40,000 children whose parents would lose their food stamps.
A provision denying Medicaid nursing home benefits to people with home equity of $500,000 would be modified by raising the cap to $750,000.
Those changes came on top of concessions made last week. Then, GOP leaders dropped plans to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling and to allow states to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
The maneuvering came as House Republicans worked on two tracks to curb federal spending. Besides the five year, $50 billion deficit-reduction bill curbing spending on Medicaid, food stamps and student loan subsidies, another vote loomed on a bill cutting money below last year's levels for the departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services.
The deficit reduction bill would trim about $50 billion over five years from programs like Medicaid whose budgets increase automatically every year. The proposed savings are modest considering the $14 trillion the government is set to spend during the five-year period.
Still, the budget bill has run into fierce resistance from Republicans unhappy with limiting eligibility for food stamps, curbing student loan subsidies and requiring Medicaid beneficiaries to pay for a fraction of their health care.
Hastert has been working hard to salvage the budget planning, hoping to avoid a repeat of last week's embarrassing setback, when GOP leaders were forced to scrap plans for a vote after a revolt by moderates.
"There is no question we are having a difficult time rounding up the votes," said GOP Rep. Jim Nussle (news, bio, voting record) of Iowa, chairman of the House Budget Committee.
As Nussle and other GOP leaders have struggled to find the final mix of spending cuts for the deficit-reduction plan, the chamber's powerful appropriators have made steady progress in their goal of passing 11 separate spending bills for the budget year that began Oct. 1.
Though they've blown the Oct. 1 deadline, as is the case most years, the appropriators have managed to avoid producing another embarrassing, hastily assembled omnibus bill, a win for freshman Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Calif.
And Lewis has defied convention by winning passage of bills that, taken as a whole, freeze the budgets for most domestic agencies except the Homeland Security Department.
Still, stopgap funds will be needed to keep many agencies running past a Friday deadline.
And while all of the domestic spending bills should be cleared before Thanksgiving, the defense spending bill is on hold until next month, to the embarrassment of GOP leaders.
The Pentagon worries that further delays in defense spending boosts could harm some operations.
The vote on the labor, health and education bill won't be easy, especially since about $1 billion worth of lawmakers' cherished hometown projects and grants — commonly called "earmarks" — were dropped from the bill to avoid more severe budgets for heating subsidies, the Centers for Disease Control and the Head Start preschool education program, among others.
"Had the $1 billion been spent on earmarks, we would have sustained intolerable cuts," said Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., lead Senate negotiator on the spending bill.
The separate budget cut plan is the first effort in eight years to take on the automatic growth of mandatory programs like Medicaid, which make up about 55 percent of the budget. By comparison, the annual appropriations bills fund about one-third of the budget.
___
On the Net:
House: http://www.house.gov

Novartis Nutrition Corporation Issues Nationwide Recall of One Lot of its Diabetisource® AC Product

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/novartis11_05.html

Contact:Brandi Robinson212-830-2408
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Minneapolis, MN -- November 16, 2005 -- Novartis Nutrition Corporation is recalling 2,712 bottles of an enteral feeding formula which was incorrectly labeled as Diabetisource® AC 1.5 Liter bottles lot 2135L. The product contained in these bottles is Resource Diabetic® TF a tube feeding formulated for diabetes which contains sodium and calcium caseinate, components of milk. People with an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of a serious or life threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product. The recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the FDA.
Healthcare professionals administering to patients who have an allergy or sensitivity to milk should immediately stop using this product. Healthcare institutions that have received shipping cartons labeled Resource Diabetic® TF lot number 2135L or bottles labeled Diabetisource® AC 1.5 Liter bottles lot 2135L should contact Novartis Customer Services at 1-800-333-3785. Consumers who have questions can contact this same 800 number.
In addition the two products are not nutritionally equivalent. The product label for Diabetisource® AC indicates that the 1.5L container provides 1800 calories and 150 grams of carbohydrate. Consuming Resource Diabetic® TF, the patient would receive 1590 calories and 127 grams of carbohydrate in a 1.5L container.
The affected product was shipped nationwide and is only distributed to healthcare institutional facilities. Affected product is not distributed to retail outlets. The recalled bottles were shipped in cartons correctly labeled as Resource Diabetic® TF lot 2135L however the bottles were incorrectly labeled as Diabetisource AC. Lot 2135L.
Novartis Nutrition Corporation has notified its distributors requesting that they stop sale immediately and return all product in their inventory.
Novartis Nutrition Corporation takes its mission of improving the health and well-being of patients in healthcare delivery settings very seriously, and therefore believe it is necessary to take this precautionary action.
The foregoing press release contains certain forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "would receive," or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding any potential revenue impact from the recall and labeling issues which are the subject of this release. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties or other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. In particular, management's expectations could be affected by, among other things, uncertainties relating to the recall process; unexpected additional labeling or other manufacturing difficulties with respect to Resource Diabetic® TF or Diabetisource®; as well as other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Scientists Turn to Traditional Medicinal Plants to Find New Tools for Fighting Malaria The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (Dakar)

http://allafrica.com/stories/200511140247.html

PRESS RELEASENovember 14, 2005 Posted to the web November 14, 2005 Yaoundé
East African scientists have translated new findings regarding the anti-mosquito properties of indigenous African plants into a low-cost and effective mosquito repellent that could play a role in reducing malaria transmission. Their research, to be presented this week at the Fourth Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan-African Malaria Conference, is indicative of a surge of scientific interest in the anti-mosquito properties of indigenous plant life.
Scientists from Kenyatta University and The International Center for Insect Physiology & Ecology (ICIPE), both in Nairobi, working with investigators from other East African research institutions, tested oils extracted from 150 East African plants for their ability to repel malaria-carrying mosquitoes and found that 20 of them appeared to be effective. They then formulated a mixture of the oils into a topical cream that is now being sold under the brand name Mozigone. Tests showed the cream was more effective than DEET, the chemical found in most widely used consumer brands of mosquito repellent, and cheaper to produce as well. (Tuesday, 1:00 p.m., Poster Session 1, Poster 16A)
The discussion of the scientific process that lead to the development of this new, plant-based repellent is one of many presentations at the MIM conference exploring how modern research is turning to traditional plants to find new weapons for the fight against malaria. Scientific efforts to derive new malaria medicines from indigenous plants have intensified since an extract of the wormwood plant, artemisinin, emerged as the leading drug for fighting the disease.
"There are certainly many opportunities for the use of traditional herbal medicines for malaria control," said Merlin Willcox, coordinator of an international network known as the Research Initiative for Traditional Antimalarial Methods (RITAM). But there are obstacles as well.
"The main problem is that policy makers are not open to this idea," he said, "because they are trained only in modern medicine. Also, they demand good quality evidence, but it is hard to find funding for the research needed to produce this evidence."
Willcox will be hosting a symposium, sponsored by the government of Cameroon, that will consider the potential use of traditional plants in national malaria control programs and the research needed to spur their adoptions. For example, scientists will discuss the potential for a Brazilian plant known as "Indian beer" to prevent malaria. Willcox said laboratory studies have shown the plant can kill the malaria parasite early in its lifecycle before it matures and does the most damage to the human body. Officials from Cameroon's Ministry of Health also will discuss new developments in policies affecting traditional medicine. (Wednesday, 9:00 a.m., Zingana Hall, Symposium 10)
Other presentations considering the anti-malarial properties plants include the following:
- Souleymane Sanon of the Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme (Burkina Faso) will present data on two plants used by traditional herbal practitioners in Burkina Faso to treat malaria. Used in combination, Pavetta crassipes and Mitragyna inermis exhibited antimalarial properties when tested against a laboratory culture taken from a drug resistant form of the malaria parasite. "The synergistic effect of the two plants suggest their use in association with malaria treatment," the authors state. (Tuesday, 11:00 a.m., Bubinga Hall, Parallel Session 5, Presentation 28)
- In the search for new malaria medicines derived from natural sources, West African and U.S. Army researchers have collected and identified plant materials used in traditional medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases, including fevers and drug-resistant malaria. Their study investigated the anti-malarial activity of 1200 plant extracts belonging to 80 plant families and 253 species. Investigators say fifty-three percent of the extracts, some of which had never before been tested against the most deadly strain of malaria, P. falciparum, showed remarkable activity. (Thursday, 1:00 p.m., Poster Session 5, Poster 120C)
- Edith Ajaiyeoba of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, tested the antimalarial activity of methanol extract of Adansonia digitata (African baobab tree) in mice infected with a rodent form of malaria. The traditional use of baobab as a malaria treatment is well known throughout the West Africa region. The results of the test indicate that A. digitata bark extract was able to reduce malaria parasites in the mouse. (Tuesday, 1:00 p.m., Poster Session 5, Poster 121A)

RBRMs(TM): Phyto-Technologies, Inc. Reveals Start of New Era in Botanical Research and Manufacture

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051114/cgm006.html?.v=30

Monday November 14, 10:00 am ET
WOODBINE, Iowa, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Phyto-Technologies, Inc., ( http://www.phyto-tech.com ) the nation's rising leader in herbal technology has announced the availability of new Representative Botanical Reference/Research Materials (RBRMs(TM)) for research and manufacture of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). RBRMs are the first line of botanical reference materials produced using modern science combined with TCM tradition. They differ from other botanical reference materials in that they are more representative of Chinese herbs as they have been known, used and documented for centuries. Correctly identified botanically and traditionally, these RBRMs come with physico-chemical profiles ('fingerprints') developed using appropriate modern technologies (as a by-product of an SBIR grant awarded to Phyto-Technologies by NCCAM to identify and characterize feverfew extracts for clinical trial), which assure the inclusion of all chemical components relevant to traditional practice.
"Many herbal products do not work because there are presently no meaningful standards for herbs and their extracts, resulting in the current general lack of uniform quality of herbal products. Our RBRMs will, for the first time in the history of herbal medicine, provide a meaningful and workable model to control the quality of herbal products," stated Dr. Albert Leung, founder and President of Phyto-Technologies, Inc. "A botanical reference/research material must be representative of the herb as it has been traditionally used, if applications (commercial or research) are meant to retain the well-documented properties of Chinese herbs or other traditional medicines."
Where and how Chinese herbs have been traditionally grown, harvested and prepared plays a vital role in their identification and characterization. A Chinese herb grown outside its indigenous region(s) most likely will not have all the same properties as the same herb grown in its indigenous regions(s) in and around China, even if it has been harvested and processed according to tradition. And, an herb from a particular field of an indigenous region also does not represent its counterparts elsewhere.
"Half a dozen such RBRMs are now available, exclusively through ChromaDex (Santa Ana, CA), ( http://www.chromadex.com ) for use in research, quality control, product development, and manufacture," stated Frank Jaksch, President and CEO of ChromaDex, an international leader in the creation and supply of botanical reference materials and standards.
Phyto-Technologies is a custom formulator and manufacturer of herbal extracts and formulas, specializing in Chinese herbs, for private label distribution. "Our approach to herbal technology is one that meshes modern science required in today's world with classical and traditional methodologies necessary to retain the total benefits of traditional herbs," stated Dr. Leung. "Consistent success in defining herb quality has made Phyto- Technologies a recognized leader in the proper modernization of TCM."
For further information on RBRMs or Dr. Leung, please check out http://www.phyto-tech.com or call Terry Jinks at 773.342.7808. For products supported with RBRM technology, go to http://www.earthpower.com .
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Dr. Albert J. Leung
http://www.profnet.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=350439

Basic first aid tipsFirst posted 00:10am (Mla time) Nov 15, 2005

http://news.inq7.net/lifestyle/index.php?index=2&story_id=56521&col=4

By Cory QuirinoInquirer News Service
THE BEST MEDICINE is still prevention. This means healthy lifestyle involving the right food, exercise, attitudes and stress management.Prevention may also need some basic skills, like first aid. Here are a few tips for beginners:
Natural disinfectants—Substances in food that may draw out toxins and clean wounds like apple-cider vinegar, olive oil (and, now, a new star in the horizon—virgin coconut oil), witch hazel, cayenne, pepper, garlic, lemon, onion, cloves.
Poultice: You may also try secondary disinfectants like cabbage (it contains repine, a natural antibiotic) or carrots. These may be juiced, grated or chopped and made into a poultice. Make a paste by adding warm water, virgin coconut oil/olive or wheat germ oil. Apply directly to the affected area or wrap it in a hanky. Poultice may be replaced every one to four hours until symptoms subside. Use three times daily. A cabbage poultice over the ear can fight infection.
You may increase the power of these medicines by taking them as broth or soup.
Teas—Tea is best taken freshly steeped or brewed. One of the most effective is infusion— pouring very hot water over the grated or leafy part of a plant without boiling the herb. Allow to steep for 10-20 minutes. Strain the herb, then drink. You may use a natural sweetener like honey, fruit juice or fructose. If you use natural fresh herb, use one tablespoon per cup of water. Avoid using milk.
You can also make a cold infusion, especially for plants sensitive to heat like lemon, orange or basically any citrus fruit/plant. Simply mix the herb or fruit juice in cold water. Store for eight hours. Strain and drink. If the preparation is too strong, dilute with more water.
Ginger tea taken regularly after meals is an immune system booster, digestive and slimming tea all in one!
Enema—An effective yet simple home remedy, it quickly releases poisons in the colon. You need an enema bag and hose. You may have an enema when you are sick with flu, fever, cold, colic, gas nausea, headache, dysentery. It is best done at the beginning of an illness and with the use of warm distilled/purified/alkaline water. Use a gentle hand in dealing with a delicate part of the body.
Don’t forget to lubricate the rectal regions with natural oil like olive or virgin coco. Take the solution in three parts. A good enema to fight a cold is half a lemon’s juice, strained and mixed with warm water.
Formentation—An extremely hot, moist compress is applied on the affected area of the body. It may be an herbal tincture or oil or fresh plant applied on the body covered with a hot towel. Leave on for one to two hours or overnight if necessary.
Eye treatment
To draw out toxins, add egg whites to a cloth and apply over the eyes.
Soak baths—A relaxing dip in a tub of warm water not exceeding 106 °F will open up the pores and stimulate the elimination of toxins. Soaking is also good for varicose veins, genital problems and sleeping disorders. It is also a preventive for prostate problems.
Place herbs in an old sock and tie to the faucet. Allow hot water to pour through the sock. Soak baths are not recommended for the very old and weak, the very young, or a person with a tendency to hemorrhage or has a serious health condition. Soaking time—five to 20 minutes only. Best detox ingredients in a bath—1 c apple-cider vinegar or 1 c Epsom salts or 1 c aloe vera.
Fasting—Absence of food allows the body to detoxify naturally. It can also speed up healing. Take a vegetable/fruit juice—carrot/apple, coconut water—every 30 minutes, alternating with purified water, for one day. The juices will keep your body energized. Break the fast with home-made soup or apples/oranges. This is great for those with weight-loss goals.
Be one with your body, mind and spirit. Affirm with me now.
Love and light!
Reference: “A treasury of natural first aid remedies from A to Z” by James Kusick

Traditional Chinese medicine gains popularity worldwide

http://english.people.com.cn/200511/14/eng20051114_220977.html

Traditional Chinese medicine has been accepted by more than 120 countries and regions in the world, according to a conference held here recently.
More than 3,000 clinics of traditional Chinese medicine have been opened in Britain. Some 2.5 million British people spend a total of 90 million pounds annually to receive treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, including Chinese herbal medicine, massage and acupuncture, according to the Second Session of the Conference on the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
In France, there are 2,600 clinics of traditional Chinese medicine with 7,000 to 9,000 acupuncturists.
The number of clinics of traditional Chinese medicine in the Netherlands exceeds 1,500. People who receive needle therapy account for 15 percent of the country's total population.
The United States has more than 20,000 traditional Chinese acupuncturists and 400 companies specializing in the sale of Chinese herbal medicine.
To date, at least 40 countries have opened schools on acupuncture. Over 50 medical agreements signed between China and other countries contain cooperation in traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine in general has won legal status in many countries, including Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
In China, more than 3,000 enterprises are engaging in traditional Chinese medicine processing. In 2004, the traditional Chinese medicine industry generated 90 billion yuan (approximately 11.1 billion US dollars) of output value, accounting for 26 percent of China's entire pharmaceutical section.
Source: Xinhua

Diet changes, medications help students with ADHD

http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/98/219/01_3.html

By Laura OryArizona Daily WildcatMonday, November 14, 2005
Students concerned about the side effects of their attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder medications may want to explore alternative treatments like changing their diets, a pediatrician said Thursday.
Dr. Sandy Newmark, a pediatric integrative medicine specialist, presented information about alternative methods to dealing with ADHD as part of the SALT Center Speaker Series.
Newmark said there is a lot of "hysteria" surrounding the use and misuse of ADHD medications, including Ritalin.
"They're not as good or as bad as people say," Newmark said.
Although ADHD medications may cause a decrease in appetite, they are not damaging to the liver, kidneys or brain as some may claim, and they are not addictive, Newmark said.
Complaints about ADHD medications causing a loss in creativity or a change in a patient's attitude are worrisome, Newmark said, and therefore such drugs should not be the first and only treatment for attention-deficit patients.
Other treatments include removing food coloring, preservatives, processed sugars and flour from the diet and replacing them with more protein, Newmark said.
These methods, along with adding omega-3, an essential fatty acid, and zinc to the diet, have had a profound impact on reducing ADHD symptoms, Newmark said.
Patty Zeigler, a systems and industrial engineering business manager at the UA, said she decided to remove all preservatives, food coloring and processed foods from her son's diet when he was diagnosed as "hyperactive" about 30 years ago.
Zeigler said her son's kindergarten teacher recommended he take medication but she decided to try changing his diet first.
"Three months later the teacher raved about what a difference the medication made," Zeigler said. "I didn't tell her he wasn't on it."
Homeopathy, which is based on taking smaller doses of a drug rather than the suggested amount, and cranio-sacral therapy, which uses touch to improve the functioning of the central nervous system, are other alternative methods for treating ADHD, Newmark said.
Ashley Klein, a learning specialist at the SALT Center, said she wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until she was a sophomore in college.
ADHD medications have helped Klein, but she believes that her diet and exercise habits still have an effect on her symptoms.
"Something that works for one person, may not work for others," said Klein, who works with students with ADHD and learning disabilities. "I do recommend that they try different approaches, but they should also talk to their doctor."

Death prompts call for licensing
State review recommends regulation of naturopaths

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4236867,00.html

By Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain NewsNovember 14, 2005
Two years ago, David and Laura Flanagan's terminally ill son died after he was treated by a Wheat Ridge naturopath accused of misrepresenting his credentials.
Now, the Flanagans want to help pass legislation to license the profession.
The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies recommended regulation of naturopaths in a sunrise review released last month. This is the first time that DORA has recommended regulation.
The Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians, which sought the sunrise review, plans to put a licensing proposal before the legislature in January.
If that happens, the Flanagans will testify in support of the measure.
"We feel there is a strong need for licensing," David Flanagan said. "Now, there's nobody out there regulating these individuals. They can be arrested for practicing medicine without a license, but unfortunately someone has to get hurt or die before anything is done.
"If there was regulation, at least the general public would have an understanding of the training and background of that individual before you walk through the door."
DORA's report cites the Jefferson County criminal case against Wheat Ridge practitioner Brian O'Connell, who is accused of causing the death of 19-year-old Sean Flanagan, as evidence that the unregulated profession is causing harm.
Sean Flanagan, who had cancer, died Dec. 19, 2003, after he was given a series of treatments by O'Connell in which blood was removed from his body, exposed to ultraviolet light and then returned.
His parents said that O'Connell promised a cure, and contend that the unconventional treatments caused them to lose the last precious months with their son.
O'Connell was charged last year with practicing medicine without a license and manslaughter in Sean Flanagan's death. He also is charged in connection with his care of a 17-year-old girl who was rushed to the hospital after she went into cardiac arrest at his office.
O'Connell's attorneys said these allegations are unproven. O'Connell's trial is set for next year.
"I don't think the (regulatory) process should be belittled by focusing on just one guy," said O'Connell's Houston lawyer, Rick Jaffe.
"These are some unproven, inflammatory allegations," he said. "Colorado deserves a good honest debate as to whether or not these practitioners should be licensed. There are much more informative issues than what one guy did to one or two patients. This is too important. It affects the health and freedom to choose of the people of Colorado beyond this case."
Naturopathy is a system of health care based on the premise that the human body has the power to heal itself by restoring its natural balance. A variety of therapies are used, including botanical medicines, homeopathy, nutrition, physiotherapy and spinal manipulation.
DORA says it's time for regulation but stops short of recommending licensing, although the report says that licensing would offer the greatest level of protection to the public.
"We're not advocating a full licensing program," said DORA spokesman Geoffrey Hier. "We're suggesting that the General Assembly consider regulation. It's up to them to decide what form it should take."
Lesser forms of regulation could restrict use of the title of naturopath to individuals with specified training or exempt specific areas of care offered by naturopaths from the Medical Practice Act, Hier said.
Under the licensing proposal favored by the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians, naturopaths would have to attend a four-year education program at one of three accredited naturopathic medical colleges in the U.S. and pass an examination to obtain a license to practice in Colorado.
"I think it's high time," said the group's president, naturopath Rena Bloom.
Two previous DORA reviews in 1993 and 1998 ended without any recommendations for regulation.
"The O'Connell case certainly played a role in bringing this to the forefront," Bloom said. "We do not know yet if he will be found guilty, but the potential for harm certainly became clear in Colorado."
Bloom said a regulatory agency will help consumers of alternative health care.
Currently, the training of practitioners can range from correspondence courses to the four-year college programs.
O'Connell, for instance, called himself "doctor" but received his training from a correspondence school that was sued in Arkansas for deceptive trade practices, according to the charges against him. Other credentials displayed on his walls included a diploma from the nonexistent Colorado University of Naturopathic Medicine.
The measure may have a rough go in the legislature because Colorado lawmakers historically are reluctant to add regulatory agencies.
Bloom said she expects opponents of licensing to lobby against it.
"The legislative process is one that often doesn't involve reason, but rather power, turf and money issues," she said. "If another powerful lobby group opposes us, it could trump who we are and what we do."
Among the opponents is the Coalition for Natural Health, whose executive director contends that licensing is unnecessary and a way of keeping the naturopathic colleges in business.
Boyd Landry said students in those colleges learn to "cut, prescribe and deliver" babies, practices that aren't part of traditional naturopathy.
"I am perplexed," Landry said.
He contends that sunrise reviews of other professions, including crane operators and burglary alarm installers, showed much greater potential public harm than naturopathy.
O'Connell's lawyer said that many naturopathic practitioners support the concept of licensing, including O'Connell. But many of them don't want licensing tied to schools offering four-year degrees.
The Colorado Naturopathic Medical Association, of which O'Connell was a member, is among these groups.
"We are for licensure, provided that it does not exclude specific groups of naturopaths that have been in the state practicing for quite some time," said naturopath Steve Colton, the group's president, who holds a degree in pharmacology.
Bloom is eager to get the issue before the legislature.
"The sooner we can get some sort of regulation," she said, "the sooner the citizens of Colorado will be protected and have a place to call when they have problems."
lindsays@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5181
Copyright 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.

Local naturopathic center approved for residency program By SUZANNE KYDLAND ADYOf

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?ts=1&display=rednews/2005/11/09/build/health/30-clinic.inc

The Gazette Staff
Each naturopath has taken a different road to the residency program at Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic.
Dr. Deborah Angersbach was a chiropractor in private practice in Santa Barbara, Calif., but really hoped for additional mentorship after going into naturopathic medicine.
Her career as a naturopathic physician is a far cry from her 20-year stint in business management, but Dr. Colleen Jo Gagliardi, from Buffalo, N.Y., said, "If naturopathic medicine calls you, you won't be happy until you go do it."
Dr. Rachel Roberts Oppitz was once headed for "regular" medical school before opting for the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore. Oppitz now recognizes that the experience she has obtained during her residency has exceeded setting up her own clinic in her home state of Minnesota.
Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic was founded by Dr. Margaret Beeson in the early 1990s, but its fledgling residency program - in collaboration with Bastyr University - just began in March after a months-long process of paperwork and onsite visits.
Bastyr, in Kenmore, Wash., an accredited institution, was founded in 1978 and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the study of natural healing.
"We've had an informal residency here for a couple of years," Beeson said. "But we found out a lot of things we needed for the program to be certified, we already had in place."
Dr. Gary Garcia, director of Graduate and Community Medicine at Bastyr, said one of the school's goals is to find affiliate programs for its graduates.
"We were looking for a site outside of the state of Washington," he said. "Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic fits some very specific criteria. It's well-established, well-networked and has a solid patient base."
YNC and Bastyr ended up approaching each other almost simultaneously, Garcia said.
"Dr. Beeson's name was on our list of potential sites," he explained. "She's respected by her colleagues and peers, and she has trained people before, which is a big plus."
Between 110 and 120 undergraduates receive degrees from Bastyr each year, Garcia said. Programs include nutrition, herbal sciences, health psychology, exercise science and wellness and acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Along with YNC, Bastyr now has residency sites in Illinois, Oklahoma, Indiana, and is looking at potential locations in Utah and Oregon.
YNC will take a total of three residents annually, Beeson said, two first-year residents and one second-year resident. Students will be interviewed through Bastyr University, but can be a graduate of any of the nationally accredited naturopathic medical schools in the United States or Canada.
"Since we're an official residency, we have a creditability that isn't there with an unofficial residencies," Beeson said.
YNC has developed several clinical rotations with specialty physicians around Billings. Each resident is able to spend time studying hemotology/oncology, obstetrics/gynecology, pulmonary care, gastroenterology, perinatology, otolaryngology, dermatological, physical therapy and family practice.