Dr. Norman Allan's
Newsletter

Vol 2, No. 4,
April 2006


 

*   newspaper clippings ! 
*
   open house (treatment available by donation)
*   archives
*   what's new in my "practice"

 
 
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  Again, the bulk of this newsletter is made up of items I've seen in the press, related to health, that you might have missed, that I found interesting.

It's also an opportunity for me to remind you of my
open house on Thurs. from 3 to 6 pm. (Treatment is available, by donation, at the Open House.)
 
 
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Newspaper clippings
 
 
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The Safety of Aspartame
New York Times, editorial 21 February 2006

"... new alarm was raised by a large study in laboratory rats conducted at the European Ramazzine Foundation in Italy. The study found a statistically significant increase in lymphomas, leukemias and other cancers in rats that were fed aspartame for a lifetime and compared with rats that were not. Excess cancers were found even in rats fed doses equal to 20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, well below the 50 milligram level currently deemed acceptable for humans in the United States.

[recall here the item in January's newsletter: "Combining food additives may be harmful, say researchers" (Guardian, 21 Dec 2005 )

"Researchers at the University of Liverpool ... reported that when mouse nerve cells were exposed to MSG and brilliant blue or aspartaine (Nutrasweet) and quinoline yellow in laboratory conditions, combined in concentrations that theoretically reflect the compound that enters the bloodstream after a typical children's snack and drink, the additives stopped the nerve cells growing and interfered with proper signaling systems. The mixtures of the additives had a much more potent effect on nerve cells that each additive on its own." ...
"... 'The results indicate that both combinations are potentially more toxic than might be predicted from the sum of their individual compounds,' "
]

    
 
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Wireless Frequencies as Pollution
from an article by Adria Vasil, Now 9-15 March 2006, "Wi-Fi's electric shock".

"According to stats from sweden and Briton, about 2 or 3 percent of the population suffers from potentially debilitating electro-hypersensitivity, or EHS. Symptoms are all over the map and include nausea, headache, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, tinnitus and rashes, to name a few." (I think that this list includes all the most common symptoms.)
   "Researchers also say that many more, over a third of us, are a little electro-sensitive and just don't know it, blaming restless nights (etc. While I agree with the opinion of these researchers, the author here is again a little misleading. It is some researchers, the researchers that he is quoting, not "researchers" in general. Sorry to be picky/pedantic.)
...
    A professor of environmental science at Trent, Magda Havas, found... "her work with people with MS, diabetes and other illnesses documents how many found their symptoms improved when their environments were electrically cleaned, so to speak, by placing capacitors (filters) throughout the homes.
...
     "A report by Britain's Health Protection Agency's radiation division last fall was publicly smeared by the Department of Health there for suggesting that those with EHS stay away from electrical appliances. ..."

 
 
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Record Sales Of Sleep Pills cause Worry
New York Times, 7 February 2006

"About 42 million sleeping pill prescriptions were filled last year ... up nearly 60% since 2000...
     
"Ten percent of Americans report that they regularly struggle to fall asleep or to stay asleep throughout the night. And more and more are turning to a new generation of sleep aids like Ambien, the best seller, and its competitor, Lunastra. Drugs in the class are frequently referred to a "Z" drugs...
      (T)he new generation of sleeping aids can sometimes cause strange side effects. The reported problems include sleepwalking and short-term amnesia.
     "Drug makers spent $298 million in the first 11 months of 2005 to convince consumers that the sleep aids are safe and effective. That was more than four times such ad spending in all of 2004."

    There are questions around functioning the next day and fears of increased accidents.

Sleeping Pill Wars
New York Times, editorial, 18 February 2006

"... any implication that they (the Z pills) are a huge breakthrough must be viewed skeptically. Roughly speaking, the recommended staring doses of two brand-name Z pills seem to cut only 15 minutes or so from the time needed to fall asleep after taking a placebo, while extending the duration of sleep by a half-hour or less.

 
 
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"... Studies sponsored by the National Eye Institute found that daily consumption of a high-dose formula of antioxidants and zinc could reduce the risk that early macular degeneration would advance. ..."
New York Times, 28 February 2006
 
 

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"Studies suggest B Vitamins Don't Prevent Heart Attack"
New York Times, 13 March 2006

Actually, we are talking folic acid, B12 and B6 here. This combination of vitamins reduces blood levels of homocysteine. High blood levels of homocysteine correlate with the incidence of heart attack (it is a "risk factor). However, recent studies showed "no clinical benefit of the use of folic acid and vitamin B12 (with or without vitamin B6) in patients with established vascular disease."

Homocysteine is an amino acid, but is is not found in proteins. It is an intermediary substance in the transition of the two sulphur containing amino acids, methionine and cysteine, when the body changes the one into the other. "Homocysteine is a variant of the amino acid cysteine, differing in that its side-chain contains an additional methylene (-CH2-) group before the thiol (-SH) group.Homocysteine is formed from S-adenosyl methionine by a two step reaction pathway. It can be converted back to methionine, or converted to cysteine or taurine via the transsulfuration pathway." (source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homocysteine)

 
 

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Archives:

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, March 2006: snippets from newspapers, various, which I hope are of interest.

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, February 2006: as above

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, January 2006:

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, December 2005:

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, November: 2005

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, October: 2005

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, August/September: 2005

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, June/July 2005:

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, May 2005:

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, March/April 2005: an essay on immune tonics published in "Healthy Directions" - and snippets from newspapers, various, which I hope are of interest.

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, February 2005: snippets from newspapers, various, which I hope are of interest - and a discussion of "C Reactive Protein" as an indicator of risk for heart disease.

Dr. Norman Allan's Newsletter, January 2005: snippets from newspapers, various.

 
 
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  Not new, but still noteworthy:-  
 

Office Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday

8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Open House
Thursdays, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Allan is available on Thursday afternoons to answer questions and to demonstrate techniques.

Treatments are available during these times on a donation basis.

 
     
 
visit Dr. Allan's home page at
www.normanallan.com