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Doctors Debate Value of 'Patch Adams' Role in Medicine
Helping patients laugh can be a great way to help them heal. It also can be a great way for doctors to get in trouble in these days of micro-managed medicine, political correctness and a love-to-litigate society. Just how much trouble became clear last summer when a patient at New England Medical Center who lost 300 pounds sued a physician she says placed a rubber pig nose on her to advertise the weight-loss program. All of which is why doctors are likely to applaud the spirit, if not the specifics, of Robin Williams' movie "Patch Adams," according to a collection of Boston health care providers who saw the movie. It tells the true story of a misfit medical student who a generation ago risked his career by promoting the then-unheard-of notion that humor is a key to healing.

Women Urged to Get More Knowledgeable About Folic Acid
Some 4,000 pregnancies in the United States every year are affected by neural tube defects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. Roughly 2,400 babies are born with major defects, such as spina bifida, which can cause paralysis, mental retardation, and a fatal condition called anencephaly (incomplete formation of the brain). In Georgia, 292 babies were born with spina bifida and anencephaly between 1990 and 1996, state statistics show. Some 50 percent to 70 percent of these defects could be prevented if women consumed adequate daily amounts of folic acid in their diet or through vitamin supplements, the CDC estimates.

Sedentary Web Surfers Can Find Fitness Advice
There's something a little silly about turning to your PC for advice about exercise. After all, if you didn't spend so danged much time sitting at the keyboard, cruising the Web and sending e-mail, you'd get outside more. But since the PC and the Internet are facts of life now, you might as well use some of the resources of the World Wide Web to find ways to get in shape.

Dr. Galland's Integrated Medicine
We all age, but the deterioration associated with aging (called, senescence) is partly under our control. Senescence is speeded up by toxicity and our bodies' response to it. The human body has many natural defenses against environmental toxicity. These include the constant shedding of the skin and the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, which slowly dispels environmental and intestinal toxins from the body; the activity of protective immune responses which limit the attachment of toxins to the surfaces of the lungs or the gastrointestinal tract; enzyme systems in the liver which destroy toxins and prepare them for excretion in the bile or the urine; enzymes which repair damaged cells and promote healing.

In this column Detoxification: The Key to Longevity , Dr. Galland discusses strategies for limiting free-radical induced damage through dietary antioxidants which help to bolster the body's defense system, including vitamins, minerals, biodflavonoids and carotenoids.

Mind Body Health Newsletter
When was the last time you laughed really hard - a hearty, sidesplitting belly laugh that suddenly grabbed you and sent you reeling out of control? Or you laughed so hard that you forgot what triggered it, leaving you laughing without reason? Modern science is beginning to confirm that this kind of laughter is not only enjoyable, it's also health-promoting, reports Dr. David Sobel his latest column, Rx: Good Humor, Good Health. Laughter is an invigorating tonic that heightens and brightens mood, gently releasing us from tensions and social constraints. Dr. Sobel brings us up to date on what the research on humor shows and how we can use humor to stay healthy.

Natural Medicine Research Update
Ginkgo biloba has been approved by German health authorities for the treatment of degenerative dementia, a term often used to indicate the gradual loss of mental abilities with age. This herb has also shown to provide slight benefit in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The only drugs currently approved in the United States for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are Tacrine and donepezil. A recent trial was conducted to determine whether ginkgo or tacrine had noticeable pharmacological effects on elderly subjects diagnosed with Alzheimer's, reports Dr. Sahelian in his latest column, "Ginkgo's immediate mental effects ." The results indicated that ginkgo and, to a lesser degree, tacrine enhanced arousal type brain wave activity. More patients responded to ginkgo than to tacrine.

The Healer Within
The presence of special breathing practices in the ancient cultures has always been a mystery to people in the Western world. In this column, Every Seventh Breath Full and Relaxed, Dr. Jahnke describes a method is similar to the previous method described in our last Healthy Update, Full Chest and Abdominal Breathing. However, this technique brings the consciousness of the breath and the benefits of breath practice to as much of one's daily activities as possible. Rather than the concentrated but brief effects of doing breathing exercises for a specific period of time this method spreads the benefits of breath practice, pervasively, throughout the day. Take a deep, full, relaxed breath. As you exhale allow yourself to deeply relax. Then breath as usual. As you exhale allow yourself to deeply relax. Then breath as usual. After seven regular breaths, initiate another deep and full breath. For further descriptions click on the full column above.

Keeping Fit with Dr. Wayne Westcott
During the past year our research studies at the South Shore YMCA have produced a lot of valuable information for professionals, practitioners, and participants in the field of fitness, reports Dr. Wayne Westcott in his latest column, "Lessons Learned in 1998 ." The results have contributed to a better understanding of the conditioning process and the training results in the following areas: strength training protocols for preadolescent youth; effects of physical conditioning on golf performance; optimal order of strength training and endurance exercise; and general effects of sensible exercise in sedentary adults and seniors. This column takes a brief look at our findings and conclusions in each of these projects.

Medical Cybrarian Service
Free Health Collection on Alzheimer's Disease from our Cybrarian Service! The other Health Collections will basically follow this form and function. Out of the hundreds of web sites now available, the Cybrarian Service has gleaned those thought to be most helpful to you for a general inquiry on a healthcare or medical topic. Hot Beds will include annotated URL's that point to newsgroups, news services, and consumer and professional sites. They will offer selected Medline citations. Whether you are a parent, patient, practitioner, administrator or professional, there will be something here for you.

Online Discussion Forums
HealthWorld Online's discussion forums provide you with the opportunity to participate in discussions and find answers to a wide range of health concerns. Visit our forums on, "Vaccination," "Mind/Body Approaches to Chronic Illness," "Issues in Integrated Health Care," "Legal/Legislative Issues," and Qigong." Interact with our other visitors and forum leaders: Elliot Dacher, MD; William Collinge, PhD, MPH, Emmett Miller, MD; Randall Neustaedter, OMD; Roger Jahnke, OMD; and William Dailey, Esq.

Children's Health Update
Coughing is a natural protective mechanism designed to clear bacteria, viruses, dust, and pollen out of the body. Coughing clears the lungs and throat of irritants and fluids. A productive cough forces sputum from the breathing tract, thereby clearing the air passages and allowing oxygen to reach the lungs. A cough is also a common symptom of diseases of the ear, nose, and throat. Coughing may be related to a bacterial or viral infection of the respiratory tract, such as bronchitis, laryngitis, pneumonia, or croup. A cough can also be caused by inhaling irritating substances, such as dust, chemical fumes, or cigarette smoke. Food sensitivities and environmental allergies can cause a cough, as can inhaling very cold or very hot air. If your child has a persistent cough, emotional stress is another important factor to consider.

In her article "Cough," excerpted from her book, Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child, Dr. Janet Zand outlines a comprehensive program for helping to deal with your child's cough, including guidelines for conventional treatment, as well as dietary guidelines, recommended nutritional supplements, herbs, and homeopathic remedies.

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We are not winning the war against cancer. We are losing the war. The number of Americans getting cancer each year has escalated over recent decades, while our ability to treat and cure most common cancers has remained virtually unchanged. In his book, The Politics of Cancer Revisited, world-cancer-expert Dr. Samuel Epstein indicts the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society for responsibility in losing the cancer war. "The National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society have misled and confused the public and Congress by repeated false claims that we are winning the war against cancer - claims made to create public and Congressional support for massive increases in budgetary appropriations," states Dr. Epstein. The Politics of Cancer Revisited will make headlines as Dr. Epstein again comes head-to-head with the cancer establishment, disputing their claims with thorough documentation, clarifying misleading statistics, exposing budgetary shell games, and defining the political and economic reasons, rather than lack of scientific information, for the losing cancer war. Highly recommended.

Association Network -- Hot Pick
The American Institute for Preventive Medicine is an international developer and provider of healthpromotion programs, self-help kits, and self-care publications. The Institute's services are in the areas of medical self-care, smoking cessation, weight control, stress management, self-esteem enhancement, nutrition, fitness, back care, wise health consumerism, and EAP.

Visit the American Institute for Preventive Medicine.

Global Health Calendar -- Hot Picks

United Plant Savers Conference. 1/23/99 Captain Cook, HI. United Plant Savers - 802-479-9825.

Transformational Pathways: The Challenge of Self-Healing. 1/30/99-1/31/99. San Francisco, CA Contact: H.A.P.P.E.N. and St. Luke Hospital - 650-991-6922.

3rd Annual International Congress on Bioenergetic Medicine with National Institute of Oriental Medicine, Florida School of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, Institute of Quantum & Molecular Medicine. 2/5/-2/7/99. Orlando, FL. Institute of Quantum & Molecular Medicine - 800-476-6149.

1999 International Somatics Congress. Body Wisdom. 2/25-2/28/99. Arrowhead Springs, CA. Association for Humanistic Psychology - 415-339-8606.

Alternative Medicine: Implications for Clinical Practice: State-of-the-Science-Symposia. 2/28-3/3/99. Boston, MA. Harvard Medical School, Department of Continuing Education - 781-279-9887.

45th Annual Meeting of the American Society on Aging. San Francisco, CA. 3/4-3/7/99. American Society on Aging - 800-537-9728.

Natural Products Expo West. Natural and Organic Products Trade Show. 3/11-3/14/99. Anaheim, CA. New Hope Communications - 303-939-8440.

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