The U.S. has five-star rankings for restaurants and hotels. So why not five-star rankings for nursing homes? The Bush administration announced Wednesday that it will put in place such a rating system by the end of the year. It’s designed to give consumers another tool to consider when shopping for a nursing home. The ratings would be placed on a government Web site.
Bonnie - this is a "no-brainer." I wonder if they are going to rate menus?
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Americans Are Eating Better-for-You Foods Instead of Dieting
The percentage of adults on a diet has decreased by 10 percentage points since 1990, while the number of Americans eating healthier has increased, according to NPD Group’s National Eating Trends report. It finds that at least once in a two-week period, more than 70% of Americans are consuming reduced-fat foods, and over half of them are eating reduced-calorie, whole-grain or fortified foods. In addition to these foods, other “better-for-you” items consumed include diet, light, reduced-cholesterol, reduced-sodium, caffeine-free, sugar-free, fortified, organic and low-carb foods. The average American, according to National Eating Trends, has at least two better-for-you products a day. “While dieting for both women and men remain huge markets, they are not growing markets,” said Harry Balzer, vice president, the NPD Group, in a statement. “The desire to lose weight really was a 90s trend. Today consumers appear to be making healthier food choices.”
Steve - it is very good news to hear about less "dieting." However, we do not consider "better-for-you" items as"diet, light, and sugar-free." That usually means chemical-laden fake food. How about consider "real food" as a "better'-for-you" product?
Steve - it is very good news to hear about less "dieting." However, we do not consider "better-for-you" items as"diet, light, and sugar-free." That usually means chemical-laden fake food. How about consider "real food" as a "better'-for-you" product?
Fruits & Vegetables reduce Barrett's esophagus
An increased intake of antioxidant vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene may cut the risk of Barrett's esophagus, a precursor to esophageal cancer. The antioxidants, linked to fruit and vegetable intake, were associated with risk reductions over 50 per cent in the occurrence of Barrett's esophagus, according to the new study involving 913 people and published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
"This is the first U.S. population-based case-control study that examined the association between intake of antioxidants and the risk of Barrett's esophagus," wrote lead author Ai Kubo from Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
"The study demonstrated that antioxidant intake was inversely associated with the risk of developing Barrett's esophagus and that the effects appear to come mainly from dietary sources, rather than from supplemental sources."
The highest dietary intakes of vitamin C (184 mg/d) and beta-carotene (6.8 mg/d) were associated with a 52 and 44 per cent reduction in Barrett's esophagus risk than people with the lowest intakes (43 and 1.8 mg/d, respectively).
In addition, the highest dietary intake of vitamin E (19 micrograms/d) was associated with a 75 per cent reduction in Barrett's esophagus risk than people with the lowest intake (5.4 micrograms per day).
Steve - this is the second study published within the last two months on this issue. I think it is safe to say that increased fruit and veggie consumption is a good thing!
"This is the first U.S. population-based case-control study that examined the association between intake of antioxidants and the risk of Barrett's esophagus," wrote lead author Ai Kubo from Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
"The study demonstrated that antioxidant intake was inversely associated with the risk of developing Barrett's esophagus and that the effects appear to come mainly from dietary sources, rather than from supplemental sources."
The highest dietary intakes of vitamin C (184 mg/d) and beta-carotene (6.8 mg/d) were associated with a 52 and 44 per cent reduction in Barrett's esophagus risk than people with the lowest intakes (43 and 1.8 mg/d, respectively).
In addition, the highest dietary intake of vitamin E (19 micrograms/d) was associated with a 75 per cent reduction in Barrett's esophagus risk than people with the lowest intake (5.4 micrograms per day).
Steve - this is the second study published within the last two months on this issue. I think it is safe to say that increased fruit and veggie consumption is a good thing!
Big breakfast aids weight loss
Breakfast really could be the most important meal of the day when it comes to losing weight. Over several months, obese women who ate half their daily calories first thing fared better than those eating a much smaller amount. Dr Daniela Jakubowicz of Virginia Commonwealth University told a San Francisco conference having a small breakfast could actually boost food cravings.
Dr Jakubowicz has been recommending a hearty breakfast to her patients for 15 years. In a study of 96 obese and physically inactive women, her "big breakfast" diet involved a low proportion of fat and more carbohydrates and protein. After eight months, the big breakfasters lost on average 16.5 pounds each. They lost a fifth of their total body weight.
Dr Jakubowicz reported that the big breakfasters said they felt less hungry, particularly in the mornings.
Bonnie - there is a reason why I emphasize breakfast more than any other meal. While a small study, it reaffirms hundreds of other studies lauding the benefits of breakfast. Satiety, high energy, and mood are the most important reasons to eat breakfast. However, when I say eat breakfast, I am not referring to the Standard American Breakfast. I am referring to a breakfast consisting of lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Change in diet could change your genes
Comprehensive lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can lead not only to a better physique, but also to swift and dramatic changes at the genetic level, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
In a small study, the researchers tracked 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer who decided against conventional medical treatment such as surgery and radiation or hormone therapy.
The men underwent three months of major lifestyle changes, including eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products, moderate exercise such as walking for half an hour a day, and an hour of daily stress management methods such as meditation.
As expected, they lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and saw other health improvements. But the researchers found more profound changes when they compared prostate biopsies taken before and after the lifestyle changes.
‘’After the three months, the men had changes in activity in about 500 genes — including 48 that were turned on and 453 genes that were turned off.
The activity of disease-preventing genes increased while a number of disease-promoting genes, including those involved in prostate cancer and breast cancer, shut down, according to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research was led by Dr. Dean Ornish, head of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, and a well-known author advocating lifestyle changes to improve health.
“It’s an exciting finding because so often people say, ’Oh, it’s all in my genes, what can I do?’ Well, it turns out you may be able to do a lot,” Ornish, who is also affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, said in a telephone interview.
“’In just three months, I can change hundreds of my genes simply by changing what I eat and how I live?’ That’s pretty exciting,” Ornish said. “The implications of our study are not limited to men with prostate cancer.”
Ornish said the men avoided conventional medical treatment for prostate cancer for reasons separate from the study. But in making that decision, they allowed the researchers to look at biopsies in people with cancer before and after lifestyle changes.
“It gave us the opportunity to have an ethical reason for doing repeat biopsies in just a three-month period because they needed that anyway to look at their clinical changes (in their prostate cancer),” Ornish said.
Bonnie - this study, while small, should be headline news everywhere. Of course, it was a small Reuters story that garnered little attention. Why? Because the path these subjects chose was not easy to follow. What these men chose to do was unconventional. However, the results should be astounding to the allopathic medical community.
Big Pharma budges a smidge in advertising
Under pressure from Washington, top drug makers including Merck, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer are agreeing a six-month moratorium on advertising new drugs to consumers and will limit how doctors are used in their ads.
The changes were unveiled today in letters drug marketers sent the House Energy and Commerce Committee responding to a request from committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who head the committee's oversight and investigations panel.
Mr. Dingell and Mr. Stupak had wanted the companies to impose a two-year voluntary moratorium on advertising of new prescription drugs to consumers -- and possibly even longer in the case of drugs for which not all studies have been completed. The lawmakers also asked the drug companies to limit the use of doctors in their advertising and agree to "black box" warnings on ads if the Food and Drug Administration requested them.
In the letters, executives of Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Merck/Schering-Plough and Pfizer agreed to take several steps, while the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America agreed to hold further meetings with the committee.
The companies will start following the American Medical Association's guidelines about using actors to portray doctors, and at least one marketer -- J&J -- said it will not use doctors in ads to discuss the benefits of a drug.
The drug companies said in their letters that the six-month moratorium formalized industry practice, which is to educate doctors before moving to consumer communications. "We have adopted internal guiding practices on direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs [that] requires that our operating companies spend at least six months after approval of a new medicine educating health professionals before commencing a direct-to-consumer advertising campaign," wrote William C. Weldon, chairman-CEO of Johnson & Johnson.
He added that the company "does not believe a particular fixed period of time for an advertising moratorium is appropriate in all circumstances."
Mr. Dingell and Mr. Stupak said they were pleased with the response, but wanted the drug companies to go further, with a two-year limit.
"Although we appreciate the drug companies' willingness to change some of their business practices, they have not agreed to all of our requests, which would protect consumers from misleading and deceptive advertising," said Mr. Stupak.
"We accept PhRMA's offer to discuss these issues seriously. We hope the discussions with PhRMA will result in an industry position that addresses the concerns that Pfizer, Merck, Schering-Plough and Johnson & Johnson continue to ignore."
Bonnie - this is a baby step. Nothing more, Nothing less. How can any drug be marketed without sufficient long-term safety studies? Here is what I would want Senators' Dingel and Stupak to ask for: each commercial and advertisement must explain or list every side effect and contraindication that is listed on the insert. You know why they would never ask for this? Because it would take up the entire commercial or ad space!
The changes were unveiled today in letters drug marketers sent the House Energy and Commerce Committee responding to a request from committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who head the committee's oversight and investigations panel.
Mr. Dingell and Mr. Stupak had wanted the companies to impose a two-year voluntary moratorium on advertising of new prescription drugs to consumers -- and possibly even longer in the case of drugs for which not all studies have been completed. The lawmakers also asked the drug companies to limit the use of doctors in their advertising and agree to "black box" warnings on ads if the Food and Drug Administration requested them.
In the letters, executives of Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Merck/Schering-Plough and Pfizer agreed to take several steps, while the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America agreed to hold further meetings with the committee.
The companies will start following the American Medical Association's guidelines about using actors to portray doctors, and at least one marketer -- J&J -- said it will not use doctors in ads to discuss the benefits of a drug.
The drug companies said in their letters that the six-month moratorium formalized industry practice, which is to educate doctors before moving to consumer communications. "We have adopted internal guiding practices on direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs [that] requires that our operating companies spend at least six months after approval of a new medicine educating health professionals before commencing a direct-to-consumer advertising campaign," wrote William C. Weldon, chairman-CEO of Johnson & Johnson.
He added that the company "does not believe a particular fixed period of time for an advertising moratorium is appropriate in all circumstances."
Mr. Dingell and Mr. Stupak said they were pleased with the response, but wanted the drug companies to go further, with a two-year limit.
"Although we appreciate the drug companies' willingness to change some of their business practices, they have not agreed to all of our requests, which would protect consumers from misleading and deceptive advertising," said Mr. Stupak.
"We accept PhRMA's offer to discuss these issues seriously. We hope the discussions with PhRMA will result in an industry position that addresses the concerns that Pfizer, Merck, Schering-Plough and Johnson & Johnson continue to ignore."
Bonnie - this is a baby step. Nothing more, Nothing less. How can any drug be marketed without sufficient long-term safety studies? Here is what I would want Senators' Dingel and Stupak to ask for: each commercial and advertisement must explain or list every side effect and contraindication that is listed on the insert. You know why they would never ask for this? Because it would take up the entire commercial or ad space!
NY Times piece looks at nondrug ADHD options
A piece written by New York Time's reporter Tara Parker examines nondrug treatments for ADHD. While most of the piece was more of the same, the slant was more transparent than we expected with regard to the dangers of ADHD drugs.
What was most interesting to us was the quote she chose from a physician's group when discussing the link between diet and A.D.H.D. “The overall findings of the study (link between artificial colors and behavior) are clear and require that even we skeptics, who have long doubted parental claims of the effects of various foods on the behavior of their children, admit we might have been wrong,” reported a February issue of AAP Grand Rounds, a publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
We also found this comment interesting. "The challenge is finding a doctor who will help explore the range of options. For instance, the best way to tell whether dietary changes may help is to eliminate the foods and then reintroduce them, monitoring the child’s behavior all the while." She is not a doctor, but I know a licensed dietitian nutritionist who does this kind of work, and has been doing it for almost 25 years. Who could she be :)
Flavonols may reduce colorectal cancer risk
An increased intake of antioxidant flavonols from tea, onions, beans, and apples may slash the risk of colorectal cancer by a whopping 76 per cent, according to findings published in this month's Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.
The study adds to a growing body of science linking increased consumption of flavonol-rich foods, such as fruit and vegetables, to risk reductions for a range of cancers, including lung, pancreatic, and breast cancer.
Flavonoids, found in certain wine, fruits, vegetables, tea, nuts, and chocolate, have received extensive research due to their potent antioxidant activity and purported health benefits. Many have also been implicated in possible protection against diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The researchers, led by Gerd Bobe from the National Cancer Institute, used data from the flavonoid database from the US Department of Agriculture to quantify the intake of 29 individual flavonoids, total flavonoids, and six flavonoid subgroups among participants of the Polyp Prevention Trial.
The trial studied the effect of a low-fat, high fibre diet, rich in fruit and vegetables on the recurrence of pre-cancerous polyps in the colon and rectum. Over 2,000 men and women were randomly assigned to either the 'healthy' diet, or a normal diet.
Using food frequency questionnaires, Bobe and co-workers analysed dietary consumption of the polyphenols, and, after adjusting for potential confounding factors such as age, fibre intake, BMI, sex, and the use of regular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, they found that an increased intake of flavonols was linked to a 76 per cent reduction in the recurrence of advanced tumors.
The study adds to a growing body of science linking increased consumption of flavonol-rich foods, such as fruit and vegetables, to risk reductions for a range of cancers, including lung, pancreatic, and breast cancer.
Flavonoids, found in certain wine, fruits, vegetables, tea, nuts, and chocolate, have received extensive research due to their potent antioxidant activity and purported health benefits. Many have also been implicated in possible protection against diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The researchers, led by Gerd Bobe from the National Cancer Institute, used data from the flavonoid database from the US Department of Agriculture to quantify the intake of 29 individual flavonoids, total flavonoids, and six flavonoid subgroups among participants of the Polyp Prevention Trial.
The trial studied the effect of a low-fat, high fibre diet, rich in fruit and vegetables on the recurrence of pre-cancerous polyps in the colon and rectum. Over 2,000 men and women were randomly assigned to either the 'healthy' diet, or a normal diet.
Using food frequency questionnaires, Bobe and co-workers analysed dietary consumption of the polyphenols, and, after adjusting for potential confounding factors such as age, fibre intake, BMI, sex, and the use of regular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, they found that an increased intake of flavonols was linked to a 76 per cent reduction in the recurrence of advanced tumors.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Foods set switches for better health
Everyone reacts differently to foods, but the reasons for this have become clearer only recently.
Some of the answers are coming from the new field of nutrigenomics, now the focus of a nationwide research program in New Zealand. The term is a truncation of nutritional genomics.
"It's the interaction between your food and your genetic make-up," said Matthew Barnett, who has been working in the field since 2004. "Different foods can affect different people in different ways, and that's because they have slight variations in their genes." Coffee is an obvious example. While some people can drink several cups a day with only minor effects, a single cup will keep others awake all night. It comes down to how fast your body breaks down caffeine and your genetic make-up plays a large part in that. "If you don't metabolise it quickly it floats around in your bloodstream for longer, whereas some people metabolise it extremely quickly and within an hour they're ready for their next cup." Dr Barnett is a research scientist in AgResearch's food, metabolism and microbiology section.
The nutrigenomics program is investigating whether whole foods can be targeted to population groups.
"We might genotype someone and say, on the basis of your genetic variation maybe you should eat blueberries, or drink green tea or something like that. But also, can we add something to a food? We may be able to make a milk-based shake that has desirable ingredients. Enhancing sports performance is another possibility."
But genes are only the beginning of the story. Although there are hundreds of different cell types in the human body, they all carry the same genes. But in each cell only a subset of the genes is turned on the genes all have switches which can be set by other chemical substances within the cell. The study of how some of these switches can be modified to change gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence is known as epigenetics. "If you look at development, you don't want certain genes turned on in certain organs. Your eye is quite different from your kidney and so you never want some genes turned on in your eye. There are systems that make those genes unable to be turned on there. And that could be an epigenetic change."
There are many ways in which genes can be switched on and off. One common way is to attach a small molecular subunit called a methyl group next to the gene. This acts as a marker which tells the cell's DNA-reading mechanisms to ignore the gene or, in a few cases, to transcribe it into a protein. What's exciting about these epigenetic switches is that, unlike the genes themselves, they can be altered, and this is what Dr Barnett's work is now focusing on.
"We're trying to find out how food interacts with the epigenetic machinery. Because with epigenetics there's no change to the genetic sequence, there's the potential for it to be reversed. So an epigenetic change that might cause you to be more at risk of diabetes might be reversible, and it's possible that a food can do that because there are certain foods that act through the mechanisms of the epigenetic machinery."
Folate (vitamin B9) is one example. This plays an important role in methyl metabolism and a shortage of folate at a key stage of development may mean that methyl groups are not attached to the correct genetic switches. "So what we're trying to understand is when does that happen and how does it happen?"
Some of these epigenetic changes can be inherited. The children of mothers who have grown up in a nutrient-poor environment, for example, may have genetic switches set to make the most of any available food. If those children grow up in a nutrient-rich environment they may be prone to obesity.
The disease model Dr Barnett is working on is crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease believed to have a strong genetic component. The work is centered around varieties of mice which have symptoms similar to the human disease and studying the genetic make-up and food preferences of human crohn's sufferers. Foods which are identified as either helpful or aggravating are tested on cells containing a genetic variant commonly associated with the disease, to see whether they switch the gene's activity on or off. "If a food component is harmful, one explanation might be that the gene isn't metabolising that food and it's causing an inflammatory reaction, but if the food is beneficial it may be turning on an epigenetic switch, which is allowing people to deal with their condition more easily.
"Essentially we're trying to see whether the foods `fix' the gene to make it function as it would in a person who doesn't have crohn's disease."
The data so far are preliminary, but there are indications that some fruits seem to be helpful. Nutrigenomics is about making people as well as they can be, as naturally as possible through food and nutrients. "Ultimately it's less about disease and more about health, but it's easier to diagnose a disease than to diagnose a degree of healthiness. Essentially our long-term goal is to learn how foods might reverse or prevent certain conditions, and how to either change a food or select the right food for a given person.
Steve - this is what we have been talking about for the last several years. How these researchers differ from the rest are that instead of looking to create chemicals to block or cut epigenetic messages, they are looking to harmonize or calm the messages. This is exactly what we try to do in our practice.
Some of the answers are coming from the new field of nutrigenomics, now the focus of a nationwide research program in New Zealand. The term is a truncation of nutritional genomics.
"It's the interaction between your food and your genetic make-up," said Matthew Barnett, who has been working in the field since 2004. "Different foods can affect different people in different ways, and that's because they have slight variations in their genes." Coffee is an obvious example. While some people can drink several cups a day with only minor effects, a single cup will keep others awake all night. It comes down to how fast your body breaks down caffeine and your genetic make-up plays a large part in that. "If you don't metabolise it quickly it floats around in your bloodstream for longer, whereas some people metabolise it extremely quickly and within an hour they're ready for their next cup." Dr Barnett is a research scientist in AgResearch's food, metabolism and microbiology section.
The nutrigenomics program is investigating whether whole foods can be targeted to population groups.
"We might genotype someone and say, on the basis of your genetic variation maybe you should eat blueberries, or drink green tea or something like that. But also, can we add something to a food? We may be able to make a milk-based shake that has desirable ingredients. Enhancing sports performance is another possibility."
But genes are only the beginning of the story. Although there are hundreds of different cell types in the human body, they all carry the same genes. But in each cell only a subset of the genes is turned on the genes all have switches which can be set by other chemical substances within the cell. The study of how some of these switches can be modified to change gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence is known as epigenetics. "If you look at development, you don't want certain genes turned on in certain organs. Your eye is quite different from your kidney and so you never want some genes turned on in your eye. There are systems that make those genes unable to be turned on there. And that could be an epigenetic change."
There are many ways in which genes can be switched on and off. One common way is to attach a small molecular subunit called a methyl group next to the gene. This acts as a marker which tells the cell's DNA-reading mechanisms to ignore the gene or, in a few cases, to transcribe it into a protein. What's exciting about these epigenetic switches is that, unlike the genes themselves, they can be altered, and this is what Dr Barnett's work is now focusing on.
"We're trying to find out how food interacts with the epigenetic machinery. Because with epigenetics there's no change to the genetic sequence, there's the potential for it to be reversed. So an epigenetic change that might cause you to be more at risk of diabetes might be reversible, and it's possible that a food can do that because there are certain foods that act through the mechanisms of the epigenetic machinery."
Folate (vitamin B9) is one example. This plays an important role in methyl metabolism and a shortage of folate at a key stage of development may mean that methyl groups are not attached to the correct genetic switches. "So what we're trying to understand is when does that happen and how does it happen?"
Some of these epigenetic changes can be inherited. The children of mothers who have grown up in a nutrient-poor environment, for example, may have genetic switches set to make the most of any available food. If those children grow up in a nutrient-rich environment they may be prone to obesity.
The disease model Dr Barnett is working on is crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease believed to have a strong genetic component. The work is centered around varieties of mice which have symptoms similar to the human disease and studying the genetic make-up and food preferences of human crohn's sufferers. Foods which are identified as either helpful or aggravating are tested on cells containing a genetic variant commonly associated with the disease, to see whether they switch the gene's activity on or off. "If a food component is harmful, one explanation might be that the gene isn't metabolising that food and it's causing an inflammatory reaction, but if the food is beneficial it may be turning on an epigenetic switch, which is allowing people to deal with their condition more easily.
"Essentially we're trying to see whether the foods `fix' the gene to make it function as it would in a person who doesn't have crohn's disease."
The data so far are preliminary, but there are indications that some fruits seem to be helpful. Nutrigenomics is about making people as well as they can be, as naturally as possible through food and nutrients. "Ultimately it's less about disease and more about health, but it's easier to diagnose a disease than to diagnose a degree of healthiness. Essentially our long-term goal is to learn how foods might reverse or prevent certain conditions, and how to either change a food or select the right food for a given person.
Steve - this is what we have been talking about for the last several years. How these researchers differ from the rest are that instead of looking to create chemicals to block or cut epigenetic messages, they are looking to harmonize or calm the messages. This is exactly what we try to do in our practice.
Friday, June 13, 2008
La Leche League Pioneer, Is Dead
Edwina Froehlich, who was inspired to help found La Leche League to support breast-feeding after being told at the age of 35 that she was too old to make breast milk for her baby, died Sunday in Arlington Heights, Ill. She was 93 and lived in Inverness, Ill. Her death followed a stroke two weeks earlier, said her son, Assemblyman Paul D. Froehlich.
Edwina made the controversial decision to forgo giving birth in a hospital in favor of a more natural delivery in her Franklin Park, Ill., home, with an obstetrician attending. At a time when most pediatricians encouraged formula and bottle-feeding and when there were few scientific studies demonstrating the health benefits of breast milk, Mrs. Froehlich chose to breast-feed all of her babies.
In 1956, when Mrs. White and a friend, Marian Tompson, decided to start a community organization to support and educate local breast-feeding mothers, Mrs. Froehlich was one of the first women they approached. Soon, monthly meetings were being held in Mrs. Froehlich’s home, and a new phone line was installed so she could answer questions coming in from mothers across the country, Mrs. White said. “We didn’t have any information,” said Mrs. Tompson, another of the original group of seven La Leche League founders. “There weren’t any books out there, and women just didn’t talk about these things. Only 18 percent of women in the U.S. left the hospital breast-feeding at that time.” As La Leche League of Franklin Park grew, becoming La Leche League International in 1964, Mrs. Froehlich took on additional roles, including serving as assistant executive director for many years and, more recently, as a board member and a member of the Founders’ Advisory Council. Mrs. Froehlich donated her body to the University of Illinois for research; her children think she wanted to continue serving science even after her death.
Bonnie - Edwina was a courageous woman who should be honored for her vision and steadfast beliefs. La Leche League has been instrumental in creating the high numbers of women now breastfeeding in the United States.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Low levels of key brain chemical sparks anger
Serotonin, the brain chemical linked to mood, plays a key role in regulating emotions such as aggression, according to a study in the journal Science. The chemical's precise role in impulse control has been controversial but this study is one of the first to actually show a causal link. The research also helps explain why some people become combative or aggressive when hungry because the essential amino acid needed for the body to create serotonin is only obtained through diet.
Bonnie - while not exactly ground breaking news, it is nice to see it proven in research. There are numerous mood-boosting foods that I commonly recommend. In addition, I have found magnesium and 5-HTP to be safe serotonin-boosters. Do not "self-medicate" with these supplements, however, especially if on medication. Seek the advice of a licensed health professional.
Bonnie - while not exactly ground breaking news, it is nice to see it proven in research. There are numerous mood-boosting foods that I commonly recommend. In addition, I have found magnesium and 5-HTP to be safe serotonin-boosters. Do not "self-medicate" with these supplements, however, especially if on medication. Seek the advice of a licensed health professional.
Vitamin D may protect against heart attack in men
Men classified as deficient in vitamin D were about 2 1/2 times more likely to have a heart attack than those with higher levels of the vitamin. "Those with low vitamin D, on top of just being at higher risk for heart attack in general, were at particularly high risk to have a fatal heart attack," study author Dr. Edward Giovannucci of the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston said in a telephone interview. The study involved 454 health professionals ages 40 to 75 who had suffered a nonfatal heart attack or died of heart disease, as well as 900 other men with no history of cardiovascular disease. They were followed for 10 years after providing blood samples to measure their vitamin D levels. The researchers compared those who were deficient in vitamin D -- no more than 15 nanograms per milliliter of blood -- to men who were in at least the lower end of the normal range -- at least 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood.
Giovannucci said there is enough evidence about the value of vitamin D to encourage people to ensure they have normal levels. He said people can learn their vitamin D levels by having their doctor give them a blood test. Those whose levels are too low can take vitamin D supplements, he said. "Many people have low vitamin levels," Giovannucci said. "Traditionally, physicians have only been concerned about the bone effects. But perhaps having these chronically low levels of vitamin D may be having these subtle physiological changes in a lot of tissues," Giovannucci added.
The study was published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
Bonnie - as I have said many times before, like magnesium, vitamin D is a catalyst for almost every function in the human body. So is it a surprise that those with low levels are more susceptible to chronic disease?
Giovannucci said there is enough evidence about the value of vitamin D to encourage people to ensure they have normal levels. He said people can learn their vitamin D levels by having their doctor give them a blood test. Those whose levels are too low can take vitamin D supplements, he said. "Many people have low vitamin levels," Giovannucci said. "Traditionally, physicians have only been concerned about the bone effects. But perhaps having these chronically low levels of vitamin D may be having these subtle physiological changes in a lot of tissues," Giovannucci added.
The study was published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
Bonnie - as I have said many times before, like magnesium, vitamin D is a catalyst for almost every function in the human body. So is it a surprise that those with low levels are more susceptible to chronic disease?
Niacin's cholesterol-lowering mechanism proposed
The cholesterol-lowering effects of niacin may by located in the liver, suggests new research that fills in the gaps in our understanding of the heart healthy benefits of the B vitamin.
The cell study indicates that niacin may reduce the removal of HDL 'good' cholesterol by about 35 per cent, according to findings published in the Journal of Lipid Research.
"Although niacin has been commonly used to increase plasma HDL levels, the mechanism(s) by which niacin exerts its action is not clearly understood," wrote the authors from the University of California, Irvine and the Atherosclerosis Research Center, VA Healthcare System in Long Beach.
In simple terms, the results indicate niacin hinders the liver from removing HDL from the blood, thus maintaining high plasma HDL levels.
Interestingly, the researchers did not document any affect on another major pathway known as "Reverse Cholesterol Transport", which allows for the removal of other cholesterol types.
The B vitamins act as coenzymes in numerous biochemical reactions in the body. They are essential for proper growth and maintenance of cells, tissue and organs.
Bonnie - niacin has been used for decades by preventive Cardiologists as a great, safe way to increase HDL levels.
The cell study indicates that niacin may reduce the removal of HDL 'good' cholesterol by about 35 per cent, according to findings published in the Journal of Lipid Research.
"Although niacin has been commonly used to increase plasma HDL levels, the mechanism(s) by which niacin exerts its action is not clearly understood," wrote the authors from the University of California, Irvine and the Atherosclerosis Research Center, VA Healthcare System in Long Beach.
In simple terms, the results indicate niacin hinders the liver from removing HDL from the blood, thus maintaining high plasma HDL levels.
Interestingly, the researchers did not document any affect on another major pathway known as "Reverse Cholesterol Transport", which allows for the removal of other cholesterol types.
The B vitamins act as coenzymes in numerous biochemical reactions in the body. They are essential for proper growth and maintenance of cells, tissue and organs.
Bonnie - niacin has been used for decades by preventive Cardiologists as a great, safe way to increase HDL levels.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Food Allergies Trigger Multibillion-Dollar Specialty Market
Consumers with food allergies are increasingly coveted by corporations and entrepreneurs who see an economic opportunity in catering to the needs of people who have food allergies or celiac. Marketing to the food-sensitive has become so widespread that the Girl Scouts now sell three kinds of milk-free cookies, Anheuser-Busch has a gluten-free beer and Kellogg's makes Pop-Tarts in nut-free factories.The market for food-allergy and intolerance products is projected to reach $3.9 billion this year, according to Packaged Facts, a New York research firm. And the market for gluten-free foods and drinks is expected to hit $1.3 billion by 2010, up from $700 million in 2006, according to research firm Mintel.
Bonnie - gone are the days where one with food allergies had to make everything from scratch! Those of you who have recently been diagnosed don't know how good you have it :)
Number of FDA warning letters have plunged
Over the past 10 years, there was a drop by about half, in fact, Dow Jones reports. A big falloff began in 2002, when the agency began requiring all warnings go through its chief counsel office, which was supposedly designed to make the letters legally consistent and credible, the wire notes. The year before this change took effect, in fiscal year 2001, the FDA issued 1,032 warning letters. In 2006, the FDA sent 538 letters, and in 2007 it sent 471, FDA data show.
Some members of Congress, FDA staffers and former FDA officials have criticized the change, suggesting it favored industry. “The number of warning letters has always been one of the surrogate measures of FDA’s enforcement performance,” David Kessler, who was FDA commish from 1990 to 1997, tells Dow Jones. “It’s not the only measure, but any significant drop raises significant questions of what’s going on.” Andy von Eschenbach, the current FDA commish, tells Dow Jones that letters now going out are for transgressions “that we think are going to be important.”
Other findings: the FDA has ordered more product recalls From 1996 to 2000, the agency recalled an average of 3,500 products annually. From 2001 to 2006, that average rose to 4,700 a year. Foreign and domestic plant inspections by the FDA have fallen in the last 5 years, data from the agency’s Web site show. In 2003, the FDA conducted 22,543 inspections. In 2004, that figure was 21,805, in 2005 it was 19,803 and in 2006, the agency inspected 17,641 plants.
Some members of Congress, FDA staffers and former FDA officials have criticized the change, suggesting it favored industry. “The number of warning letters has always been one of the surrogate measures of FDA’s enforcement performance,” David Kessler, who was FDA commish from 1990 to 1997, tells Dow Jones. “It’s not the only measure, but any significant drop raises significant questions of what’s going on.” Andy von Eschenbach, the current FDA commish, tells Dow Jones that letters now going out are for transgressions “that we think are going to be important.”
Other findings: the FDA has ordered more product recalls From 1996 to 2000, the agency recalled an average of 3,500 products annually. From 2001 to 2006, that average rose to 4,700 a year. Foreign and domestic plant inspections by the FDA have fallen in the last 5 years, data from the agency’s Web site show. In 2003, the FDA conducted 22,543 inspections. In 2004, that figure was 21,805, in 2005 it was 19,803 and in 2006, the agency inspected 17,641 plants.
Consumers not seeking Pharmacist's advice
As new prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies migrate into medicine cabinets across the United States, consumers should be asking pharmacists more about dosage and interactions. Yet many aren't talking to pharmacists at all, according to a recent survey of more than 40,000 Consumer Reports readers. CR found that readers sought pharmacists' advice about prescription drugs at just 38 percent of walk-in visits during the course of a year, and they asked about over-the-counter remedies at just 29 percent. That's far less than in CR's 2002 survey, when the figures were 50 percent and 37 percent, respectively.
Steve - this is disturbing but not surprising. It is a pharmacist's job to know these things. Use them! You cannot rely on your doctor for this information. If you choose not to speak with your pharmacist, at least read the medication insert before you take any medication.
The other side of the coin is: doctors and pharmacists could be offering up their assistance in these matters, not waiting for us to ask. A simple sentence such as, "Would you like me to discuss the potential side effects and contraindications that may occur with this medication," would suffice. Does this ever happen? Rarely. But it should be commonplace.
Co-ops growing as demand for organic veggies rises
Courtesy of the Daily Herald
Side dishes took on a whole new sense of urgency last year in the Riemer household. There was steamed squash, raw squash, squash in salads, squash mixed with other vegetables and even -- for dessert -- squash pie. If they ate it, it likely contained a vegetable. Like thousands of families across the area, the Riemers discovered the abundance of fresh produce that hails from Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. "I can't buy tomatoes and peppers (at the store) anymore," said Jen Riemer of Crystal Lake. "They just don't taste the same."
For a one-time fee or weekly installments, customers with CSAs sign up for weekly bushel baskets of fresh, predominantly organic vegetables and fruits from farms throughout the region. Most of the delivery seasons start in early June, but some begin as early as mid-May, depending on whether farms are able to grow food in protected hoop houses. Generally speaking, the household cost for a season share ranges between $500 and $700. And with a continuing rise in demand for chemical-free and locally grown food, the popularity of CSAs is escalating. Wellhausen Farms, which distributes throughout DuPage County, began as an effort to provide healthy food for members of the Wheaton family themselves. "Dad started reading and hearing stuff on the news about grocery stores and sprayed and unhealthy (food)," said Jamie Wellhausen. "We started growing vegetables for our family, then decided to share with our neighbors. Then we put together the idea of the CSA program. We wanted to share with other people. We started with 16 clients, then 25, then 40, 50, then 100." That sort of growth isn't uncommon. In fact, many of the same small growers who dedicated themselves to farmers markets are turning to selling shares. Gray Wiechern's Mother Earth Organic Farm in Plainfield is in its second year as a cooperative. And frankly, it's a much better deal for Wiechern. There's no weekly setup, no tiring travel, and she's got a prepaid audience.
Then there's the help. "I offer an incentive for those that want to put some work in," she said. Essentially, share owners can work off the equivalent of about $7.50 an hour by helping out in the field or greenhouse. Most folks, however, choose simply to pay full price for their vegetables and wait eagerly for their weekly delivery.
Many cooperative farmers limit themselves to the number of households, or shares, they'll sell. They could grow much more if they wanted, but practicality requires they scale back. Sixteen years ago, John Peterson started Angelic Organics in Caledonia, Ill., with an experimental 30 shares. Now the farm -- which delivers across the suburbs as well as in Chicago -- capped its limit at 1,200 shares. "Most people come to us because we're local and we're organic," General Manager Bob Bower said. They're expanding their farm operations now to focus on biodiversity, or the concept of being self-sustaining. It's not that their market has slowed. Elliot Hamilton can attest to that: His Arlington Heights house serves as a regional drop-off site for Angelic where about 80 customers pick up their weekly deliveries. That usually means between 20 and 30 pounds of produce per box. Hamilton said he's been a CSA convert for more than a decade, and his wife, Tenja, helped put together recipes and a cookbook for other shareholders to help get their money's worth out of their purchases. That tends to be one of the bigger problems newbies face: Simply eating all the fresh food. "I suppose that's why we give away a third of the box," Hamilton said.
Most of the cooperatives send out newsletters with suggested recipes and even explanations about the identities of the food. "Some people are used to buying the food in the grocery and they're not used to seeing vegetables that aren't already chopped up and prepared," Jamie Wellhousen said. "Some people will put (squash) on the counter for decoration, and when they see (our weekly) e-mail they'll be like, 'Oh, I can eat it?' " There's a whole new range of food education involved with cooperatives, said Peg Shaeffer, of Sandhill Organics in Grayslake. Not only do buyers learn new ways of cooking old standbys and discover new vegetables, but they appreciate the times of year when the food truly grows. Shopping in grocery stores gives people a distorted perception of the growing process because food is shipped in from all over the world year-round, Shaeffer said. "One of the things people talk about is it's a joy to learn to eat with the seasons," she said. "You learn so much about the world and what grows when." Riemer's family helps out each week at their cooperative of choice, Walkup Farms in Crystal Lake. It gives them a better feel for what they're eating and makes the entire effort even more fun. Their season's already started for 2008 and she's looking forward to finding out what will arrive in their box. "I was surprised at the number and variety of vegetables we got," she said. "I got things I'd never cooked. We really tried to eat it all."
Steve - as being a proud participant of the Sandhill Organics CSA, there are many more positive aspects to it than just the produce (which is great by the way). The emotional attachment about your food being grown close to home as well as the education, for parents and children, is invaluable.
Side dishes took on a whole new sense of urgency last year in the Riemer household. There was steamed squash, raw squash, squash in salads, squash mixed with other vegetables and even -- for dessert -- squash pie. If they ate it, it likely contained a vegetable. Like thousands of families across the area, the Riemers discovered the abundance of fresh produce that hails from Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. "I can't buy tomatoes and peppers (at the store) anymore," said Jen Riemer of Crystal Lake. "They just don't taste the same."
For a one-time fee or weekly installments, customers with CSAs sign up for weekly bushel baskets of fresh, predominantly organic vegetables and fruits from farms throughout the region. Most of the delivery seasons start in early June, but some begin as early as mid-May, depending on whether farms are able to grow food in protected hoop houses. Generally speaking, the household cost for a season share ranges between $500 and $700. And with a continuing rise in demand for chemical-free and locally grown food, the popularity of CSAs is escalating. Wellhausen Farms, which distributes throughout DuPage County, began as an effort to provide healthy food for members of the Wheaton family themselves. "Dad started reading and hearing stuff on the news about grocery stores and sprayed and unhealthy (food)," said Jamie Wellhausen. "We started growing vegetables for our family, then decided to share with our neighbors. Then we put together the idea of the CSA program. We wanted to share with other people. We started with 16 clients, then 25, then 40, 50, then 100." That sort of growth isn't uncommon. In fact, many of the same small growers who dedicated themselves to farmers markets are turning to selling shares. Gray Wiechern's Mother Earth Organic Farm in Plainfield is in its second year as a cooperative. And frankly, it's a much better deal for Wiechern. There's no weekly setup, no tiring travel, and she's got a prepaid audience.
Then there's the help. "I offer an incentive for those that want to put some work in," she said. Essentially, share owners can work off the equivalent of about $7.50 an hour by helping out in the field or greenhouse. Most folks, however, choose simply to pay full price for their vegetables and wait eagerly for their weekly delivery.
Many cooperative farmers limit themselves to the number of households, or shares, they'll sell. They could grow much more if they wanted, but practicality requires they scale back. Sixteen years ago, John Peterson started Angelic Organics in Caledonia, Ill., with an experimental 30 shares. Now the farm -- which delivers across the suburbs as well as in Chicago -- capped its limit at 1,200 shares. "Most people come to us because we're local and we're organic," General Manager Bob Bower said. They're expanding their farm operations now to focus on biodiversity, or the concept of being self-sustaining. It's not that their market has slowed. Elliot Hamilton can attest to that: His Arlington Heights house serves as a regional drop-off site for Angelic where about 80 customers pick up their weekly deliveries. That usually means between 20 and 30 pounds of produce per box. Hamilton said he's been a CSA convert for more than a decade, and his wife, Tenja, helped put together recipes and a cookbook for other shareholders to help get their money's worth out of their purchases. That tends to be one of the bigger problems newbies face: Simply eating all the fresh food. "I suppose that's why we give away a third of the box," Hamilton said.
Most of the cooperatives send out newsletters with suggested recipes and even explanations about the identities of the food. "Some people are used to buying the food in the grocery and they're not used to seeing vegetables that aren't already chopped up and prepared," Jamie Wellhousen said. "Some people will put (squash) on the counter for decoration, and when they see (our weekly) e-mail they'll be like, 'Oh, I can eat it?' " There's a whole new range of food education involved with cooperatives, said Peg Shaeffer, of Sandhill Organics in Grayslake. Not only do buyers learn new ways of cooking old standbys and discover new vegetables, but they appreciate the times of year when the food truly grows. Shopping in grocery stores gives people a distorted perception of the growing process because food is shipped in from all over the world year-round, Shaeffer said. "One of the things people talk about is it's a joy to learn to eat with the seasons," she said. "You learn so much about the world and what grows when." Riemer's family helps out each week at their cooperative of choice, Walkup Farms in Crystal Lake. It gives them a better feel for what they're eating and makes the entire effort even more fun. Their season's already started for 2008 and she's looking forward to finding out what will arrive in their box. "I was surprised at the number and variety of vegetables we got," she said. "I got things I'd never cooked. We really tried to eat it all."
Steve - as being a proud participant of the Sandhill Organics CSA, there are many more positive aspects to it than just the produce (which is great by the way). The emotional attachment about your food being grown close to home as well as the education, for parents and children, is invaluable.
Salmonella outbreak spreads to 16 states
Salmonella poisoning first linked to uncooked tomatoes has spread to 16 states, federal health officials said Saturday.
Investigations by the state health departments of Texas and New Mexico as well as the U.S. Indian Health Service have tied 56 cases in Texas and 55 in New Mexico to raw tomatoes.
"We're seeing a steady increase," Deborah Busemeyer, New Mexico Department of Health communications director, said Saturday.
An additional 50 people have been sickened by the strain known as Salmonella Saintpaul in Illinois, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Investigators are trying to determine if raw tomatoes also are responsible for the illnesses in those states, said Arleen Porcell, a CDC spokeswoman.
The source of the tomatoes responsible for the illnesses has not been pinpointed, but health officials in Texas and New Mexico said none of them was grown in those two states.
At least 23 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, Porcell said. Patients ranged in age from 1 to 82.
Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and homegrown tomatoes are likely not the source of the outbreak, Busemeyer said.
Steve - another good reason to support local!
Investigations by the state health departments of Texas and New Mexico as well as the U.S. Indian Health Service have tied 56 cases in Texas and 55 in New Mexico to raw tomatoes.
"We're seeing a steady increase," Deborah Busemeyer, New Mexico Department of Health communications director, said Saturday.
An additional 50 people have been sickened by the strain known as Salmonella Saintpaul in Illinois, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Investigators are trying to determine if raw tomatoes also are responsible for the illnesses in those states, said Arleen Porcell, a CDC spokeswoman.
The source of the tomatoes responsible for the illnesses has not been pinpointed, but health officials in Texas and New Mexico said none of them was grown in those two states.
At least 23 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, Porcell said. Patients ranged in age from 1 to 82.
Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and homegrown tomatoes are likely not the source of the outbreak, Busemeyer said.
Steve - another good reason to support local!
Probe: Child experts kept mum on income from drug firms
Courtesy of The New York Times
A world-renowned Harvard child psychiatrist whose work has helped fuel an explosion in the use of powerful anti-psychotic medicines in children earned at least $1.6 million in consulting fees from drugmakers from 2000 to 2007 but for years did not report much of this income to university officials, according to information given to congressional investigators.
By failing to report income, the psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Biederman and a colleague in the psychiatry department at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Timothy Wilens, may have violated federal and university research rules designed to police potential conflicts of interest, according to Sen. Charles Grassley (R- Iowa). Some of their research is financed by government grants.
Like Biederman, Wilens belatedly reported earning at least $1.6 million from 2000 to 2007, and another Harvard colleague, Dr. Thomas Spencer, reported earning at least $1 million after being pressed by Grassley's investigators. But even these amended disclosures may understate the researchers' outside income because some entries contradict payment information from drugmakers, Grassley found.
In one example, Biederman reported no income from Johnson & Johnson for 2001 in a disclosure report filed with the university. When asked recently to check again, he reported receiving $3,500. But Johnson & Johnson said it paid him $58,169 in 2001, Grassley found.
The Harvard group's consulting arrangements with drugmakers were already controversial because of the researchers' advocacy of unapproved uses of psychiatric medicines in children.
In an e-mail, Biederman said, "My interests are solely in the advancement of medical treatment through rigorous and objective study," and he said he took conflict-of-interest policies "very seriously." Wilens and Spencer said that they thought they had complied with conflict-of-interest rules.
John Burklow, a spokesman for the National Institutes of Health, said: "If there have been violations of NIH policy—and if research integrity has been compromised—we will take all the appropriate action within our power to hold those responsible accountable. This would be completely unacceptable behavior, and NIH will not tolerate it."
Alyssa Kneller, a Harvard spokeswoman, said the doctors had been referred to a university conflict committee for review.
Bonnie - this is inexcusable behavior, especially after the supposed steps to "reforms the process" led by the NIH, universities, doctor and research associations, and Big Pharma.
A world-renowned Harvard child psychiatrist whose work has helped fuel an explosion in the use of powerful anti-psychotic medicines in children earned at least $1.6 million in consulting fees from drugmakers from 2000 to 2007 but for years did not report much of this income to university officials, according to information given to congressional investigators.
By failing to report income, the psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Biederman and a colleague in the psychiatry department at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Timothy Wilens, may have violated federal and university research rules designed to police potential conflicts of interest, according to Sen. Charles Grassley (R- Iowa). Some of their research is financed by government grants.
Like Biederman, Wilens belatedly reported earning at least $1.6 million from 2000 to 2007, and another Harvard colleague, Dr. Thomas Spencer, reported earning at least $1 million after being pressed by Grassley's investigators. But even these amended disclosures may understate the researchers' outside income because some entries contradict payment information from drugmakers, Grassley found.
In one example, Biederman reported no income from Johnson & Johnson for 2001 in a disclosure report filed with the university. When asked recently to check again, he reported receiving $3,500. But Johnson & Johnson said it paid him $58,169 in 2001, Grassley found.
The Harvard group's consulting arrangements with drugmakers were already controversial because of the researchers' advocacy of unapproved uses of psychiatric medicines in children.
In an e-mail, Biederman said, "My interests are solely in the advancement of medical treatment through rigorous and objective study," and he said he took conflict-of-interest policies "very seriously." Wilens and Spencer said that they thought they had complied with conflict-of-interest rules.
John Burklow, a spokesman for the National Institutes of Health, said: "If there have been violations of NIH policy—and if research integrity has been compromised—we will take all the appropriate action within our power to hold those responsible accountable. This would be completely unacceptable behavior, and NIH will not tolerate it."
Alyssa Kneller, a Harvard spokeswoman, said the doctors had been referred to a university conflict committee for review.
Bonnie - this is inexcusable behavior, especially after the supposed steps to "reforms the process" led by the NIH, universities, doctor and research associations, and Big Pharma.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Safe solutions for pregnant women with acne
Bonnie - A recent New York Times article explored the difficulty physicians have in treating acne in pregnant women. Medications such as Accutane and Isotretinoin are forbidden because of miscarriages and severe birth defects. Few creams and ointments are effective and some can be harmful. Most doctors prescribe antibiotics because they believe they are safe. However, antibiotics deplete nutrients, are not always effective for acne, disrupt healthy gut microflora, and contribute to the ongoing issue of bacteria-resistant superbug proliferation.
Any decision must be discussed with your physician, but I have several suggestions to try:
Any decision must be discussed with your physician, but I have several suggestions to try:
- Zinc Sulfate Solution - applied 2-3 times daily on affected areas can be helpful
- Milk of Magnesia, applied on affected areas before showering (do not wash off face until the end of the shower), appears to help in some cases.
- Photopneumatic therapy, in which the skin is suctioned with a vacuum-like device, bringing the bad stuff to the surface, then beamed with intense pulsed light. The process stuns and deactivates hyperactive oil glands and kills the bacteria they nourish. The process is performed by dermatologists and takes twenty minutes.
- Nicomide (by prescription only) - nicotinamide has been used by dermatologists for years for acne; the PDR says large doses of nicotinamide (form of the B-Vitamin niacin), zinc, or copper should be avoided during pregnancy. However, if you were to take one pill, it is not too much and is also a great source of folic acid
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