Healthy Update is a bi-monthly electronic newsletter from HealthWorld Online providing you the latest information, news and resources from the world of natural health. All summaries in Healthy Update link to full articles or expanded resources and services in HealthWorld Online: http://www.healthy.net
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HealthWorld Online Founders to Speak at World Whole Health Forum on Promoting Integrated Health via the Internet
HealthWorld Online founders Dave Robertson and James Strohecker will speak at the World Whole Health forum in Los Angeles on Saturday March 28 from 1-3 pm on the subject, "Promoting Integrated Health Via the Internet." The Internet, providing immediate global access to health information and resources has emerged as the ultimate medium for presenting a new vision of Integrative Health--the integration of the best of alternative/complementary and conventional medicine. Key resources and databases from the great systems of traditional medicine--practiced by 80% of the world's population and considered "alternative" in the U.S.--can now be positioned side-by-side with Medline and conventional medical information. This "virtual" proximity will facilitate a truly integrated approach to maintaining health which will help educate consumers in the principles of healthy living and provide informed choice in the delivery of health care.
HealthWorld Online will also sponsor an Internet Health Pavillion at the conference which will provide attendees an opportunity to explore how the Internet is contributing to the development of Integrative Health. You will be able to access leading online health services such as HealthWorld Online and "Ask Dr. Weil" which support the vision of Integrative Health and Self-Managed Care. Search the Internet-at-large for health questions and search HealthWorld Online's 30,000 pages of Integrative Health information. Explore cutting edge Internet health delivery: free Medline search, a Medical Cybrarian Service, alternative medicine practitioner referral databases, online discussion groups, and Natural Medicine Audio Library. Come join us at the World Whole Health Forum.
Medical Cybrarian Service Aids Congressman
HealthWorld's Cybrarian, Micaela Sullivan-Fowler recently helped Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio collect background information for testimony given to the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. Jessica Zufolo, DeFazio's assistant, had Micaela research the subjects of therapeutic acupuncture, St. John's Wort and depression, and Germany's Commission E "Therapeutic Monographs on Medicinal
Plants for Human Use" for the DeFazio's "Subject of Patient Access to Unapproved Therapies and Treatments" on February 12, 1998. You too can profit from the Cybrarian's experience in finding and summarizing alternative as well as conventional therapeutics by visiting the Service at www.medicalcybrarian.com
Health News
Antidepressant use on the Rise, Study Shows
In a study that examined prescribing patterns of psychiatric drugs from 1985 to 1994, researchers found that the number of doctor visits in which a psychotropic drug was prescribed jumped from 32.73 million in 1985 to 45.64 million in 1994. Psychotropic
medications include all drugs that have an effect on the mind, from antidepressants like Prozac to stimulants like Ritalin. The rise in prescriptions is primarily due to increased use of a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs), reported lead researcher Dr. Harold Alan Pincus of the American Psychiatric Association in Washington, D.C. SSRIs, including Prozac and Zoloft, alleviate depression and anxiety by boosting brain levels of the mood chemical serotonin.
Doctors Warn Against Too Much Tylenol for Kids
Even slightly higher-than-recommended doses of Tylenol may seriously harm children, Ohio researchers report. In the past two decades, at least 24 children have died and 11 have required liver transplants after being given acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol and many cold medications) in amounts that exceeded the recommended dose, based on the children's weight, according to a study published in the current issue of the Journal of Pediatrics. The research "highlights the dangers of administrating acetaminophen to ill children in doses even slightly exceeding the
weight-based recommendations," said the study's lead author Dr. James Heubi, a gastroenterologist and director of the Clinical Research Center at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati. "It is clearly not safe to take twice the recommended dosage over a number of days."
To keep up-to-date with news in the world of health and medicine, visit our Daily Health News.
Columns from the Experts
Dr. Galland's Integrated Medicine
Iron is unique among essential minerals, because there is no mechanism for its excretion once absorbed into the body. Whatever iron is absorbed must either be used or stored and excessive storage of iron in the body promotes the generation of free radicals. In this column, "Dangers of Iron Supplements," Dr. Galland reports that excess dietary iron has been implicated by some scientists as a cause of cancer and heart disease, and that it also increases the risk of bacterial infection. "No one should ever take iron supplements unless iron deficiency is present, says Dr. Galland, "with the possible exception of pregnant women."
Keeping Fit with Dr. Wayne Westcott
Every year about this time, well-intentioned men and women commit themselves to sprucing up the yard and preparing the garden. Like me, you want your lawn to appear plush, your shrubs to look sharp, and your flower beds to be striking in appearance. You are determined to do it right, and to do it all by yourself. The amount of time it takes is irrelevant and you will spare no effort in achieving your landscaping goals for 1998.
Actually you've tried this before, but every spring you seem to experience an injury that thwarts your progress and prevents you from receiving the Yard of the Year award. But this spring is going to be different. In this column What Not To Do In Your Yard And Garden , Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., shows how a two month program to condition your cardiovascular system, strengthen your muscles, and improve your joint flexibility will put you in really good shape to face your spring gardening and to avoid injury or breakdown.
To read all of our bi-monthly columns visit Columns from the Experts
News from the Village
Children's
Health Update
Headaches can be caused by muscle tension, an underlying illness or infection, or disturbances in the blood vessels in the head. The latter scenario produces migraine headaches, which typically recur periodically and are characterized by severe pain, often concentrated on one side of the head, that is aggravated by light, sometimes preceded by disturbances in vision, and is often associated with nausea and vomiting. Headaches can sometimes be related to disorders that warrant further investigation, such as infections of the scalp, ears, sinuses, or spinal fluid. They can also be caused by allergies, fever, high blood pressure, epilepsy, brain tumors, severe cavities or oral infections, certain drugs, or an injury to the head.
In her article "Headaches," excerpted from her book, Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child, Dr. Janet Zand outlines a comprehensive program for helping your child when he or she is suffering from a headache, including guidelines for conventional treatment, as well as dietary guidelines, recommended nutritional supplements, herbs, homeopathic remedies and acupressure.
Women's
Health Update
Menstrual cramps, or dysmenorrhea (as physicians call it), are one of the most common healthcare problems that women suffer during their reproductive years. It has been estimated that as many as 30 to 50 percent of all women suffer from pain during their menstrual period, with the incidence being highest in younger women, from teenagers to women in their thirties. In fact, at least 10 percent of younger women have symptoms so severe that they are unable to handle their normal range of activities. Many women have to miss days of work and important social functions because any movement or activity is too painful. For the first day or two of menstruation, only bed rest or curling up on the floor in the fetal position is tolerable until the
symptoms finally pass. This often happened to me during my teens and twenties.
In her article
What are Menstrual Cramps, excerpted from her book The Menopause Self-Help Book
women's health expert Susan Lark, M.D. discusses the normal menstrual cycle as well as the types and causes of menstrual cramps including primary spasmodic dysmenorrhea, primary congestive dysmenorrhea, and secondary dysmenorrhea.
Disease Center Update
HealthWorld Online has two valuable resources for those suffering from the perplexing condition known as fibromyalgia in the Fibromyalgia section of the Disease Center. Dr. Leon Chaitow of London, England has authored a four-part series on Fibromyalgia which explores the connection of the fibromyalgia syndrome to chronic fatigue syndrome as well as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME):
Fibromyalgia: The Muscle Pain Epidemic - Is it ME by Another Name?
Understanding and Treating Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia
Chronic Fatigue/Fibromyalgia: The Brain/Sleep Connection
What Treatment Seems Most Effective in Treatment of Fibromyalgia
Our Medical Cybrarian, Micaela Sullivan-Fowler, has also searched Medline and the Internet for her exception Health Collection Report on Fibromyalgia
Alternative Medicine Center Update
One of the Internet's most comprehensive resources on herbal medicine is HealthWorld Online's Herbal Medicine Center, with over 200 articles from leading experts such as Donald Brown, N.D., Mark Blumenthal, Executive Director of the American Botanical Council, Christopher Hobbs, L.Ac., David Hoffmann, Steven Foster, Janet Zand. O.M.D. as well as a full illustrated Herbal Materia Medica. The Center includes online archives of the two leading journals, HerbalGram and Quarterly Review of Natural Medicine, as well as web sites for the American Herbalist Guild, American Herbal Products Association, United Plant Savers and Herbs for Health magazine. Utilize the Herbal Medicine Center as your authoritative herbal resource on the Internet.
New Releases in our Bookstore
A beauty makeover only lasts until you wash off the make-up, but a Natural Health Makeover helps you achieve that inner glow and youthful vitality that comes from good health. In
Your Natural Health Makeover: The dynamic new head-to-toe rejuvenation program for lifelong health and beauty, Dr. Lauri Aesoph shows you how to identify signs of lagging health, then quickly and painlessly "make over" body systems that need help through a variety of natural techniques - all based on valid scientific studies and her own experience as a natural health practitioner. You’ll see how a simple two-day cleansing diet can help strengthen your liver, kidneys, digestion, circulation, and immune system. You’ll learn how to reduce stress, protect your skin, and restore sexual vitality.
Whether you’re looking to quickly address a particular condition, slow the aging process, or just improve your general day-to-day health, you’ll find a variety of real-world solutions here. And for those times when you need extra help, Dr. Aesoph shows you how to find a good naturopathic physician. Intriguing case histories, lively anecdotes, and over 100 Makeover Hints help you incorporate your own personal Natural Health Makeover into even the busiest daily life.
Association Network -- Hot Pick
Psychosynthesis is a holistic type of psychology that includes the healing
of the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual parts of each of us.
Psychosynthesis International offers a three-year Independent Study Program
in which one is taught to apply the healing principles of Psychosynthesis
to oneself and one's exterior world. "A very cathartic and enlightening
experience."
Visit Psychosynthesis International.
Health Events
Global Health Calendar -- Hot Picks
World Whole Health Forum. March 26-28, 1998. Los Angeles, CA, Century
Plaza Hotel. Presented by Casa Colina. An unbiased, objective
examination of unconventional therapies and treatments. Focus on
integrating complementary therapies to enhance conventional care and to
empower individuals in the pursuit of optimal healing. Keynoters: Andrew
Weil, Joan Borysenko, Bernie Siegel, Herbert Benson, Rachel Naomi Remen,
Loretta Laroche. Over 70 expert presenters. Public and professional
tracks. Register online at web site: http://www.worldhealthforum.com
(617) 630-1330.
Alzheimers Care: Moving Toward a Holistic Approach. April 20, 1998, Shoreline Conference Center, Seattle Washington. Co-sponsored by Bastyr University, Washington State Department of Social & Health Services, Northwest Geriatric Education Center. (206) 543-6450
Healing the Whole Self: Learn how to care for your body, mind, heart, and
spirit for greater vitality, wisdom, happiness, and inner peace. April
17-19, 1998, New York, NY -- presented by Omega Institute - 800-944-1001
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Editor, Healthy Update: James Strohecker
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