Newsletter - December 22, 2004

December 22, 2004 - In this Issue

Study: Stress Accelerates Aging
Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet
by Michael S Donaldson
Swiss Voters Back Stem Cell Law
HIV rising among U.S. gay, bisexual men
Longevity Evaluations Available at Frontier Medical Institute
The Fox Guarding the Chicken Coop - FDA and the Drug Companies
Stem Cells Part 2 -- Creating embryonic stem cells without the embryo
Possibile neurotoxicty of shampoos
The Flu Scare Game
by John Keller
Free Wireless Internet Service Now Available at FMI

The immune cells of women under extreme mental stress age faster than those in women not facing such pressure, a new study reports. While previous reports have linked physical effects with stress, the new analysis helps pinpoint an important focus for these problems. The study focused on the telomeres in the chromosomes of particular immune cells of 58 women between the ages of 20 and 50. Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes and shorten as cells reproduce, a measure of age. When they reach a minimum level the cells can no longer reproduce.

Dr. Grossman's Comments: We have all suspected for years that stress accelerates aging. This article explains how and why. The ends of our chromosomes are capped with segments of DNA called “telomeres.” Each time the DNA of the cell unravels to reproduce itself, some of the telomere material is lost. When all of telomere material is gone, the cell dies. So far, we haven’t found a way to replace telomeres, and this is a very hot field in longevity research. But what this research shows is that stress causes telomeres to disappear much more quickly, accelerating aging and, by extrapolation, shortens lifespan. So, control the stress in your life. Relax, take more vacations, meditate, exercise, enjoy nature, do yoga, etc. You’ll age less quickly.

Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet
by Michael S Donaldson

It has been estimated that 30–40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone ... When a diet is compiled according to the guidelines here it is likely that there would be at least a 60–70 percent decrease in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, and even a 40–50 percent decrease in lung cancer, along with similar reductions in cancers at other sites. Such a diet would be conducive to preventing cancer and would favor recovery from cancer as well.

Dr. Grossman's Comments: The effect of diet and nutritional supplementation on the prevention and treatment of cancer have been hotly debated. This well-referenced review article presents a clear argument for a sensible nutritional program that could help avoid over two-thirds of common cancers like breast cancer and colon cancer. The suggestions in this article closely track the recommendations made in the Cancer prevention chapter of our new book, Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Liver Forever. The anticancer diet as outlined in this article would have:

adequate, but not excessive calories,
10 or more servings of vegetables a day, including cruciferous and allium vegetables; vegetable juice could meet part of this goal,
4 or more servings of fruits a day,
high in fiber,
no refined sugar,
no refined flour,
low in total fat, but containing necessary essential fatty acids,
no red meat,
a balanced ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 fats and would include DHA,
flax seed as a source of phytoestrogens,
supplemented with ~200 mcg/day selenium,
supplemented with 1,000 mcg/day methylcobalamin (B-12),
very rich in folic acid (from dark green vegetables),
adequate sunshine to get vitamin D, or use 1,000 IU/day supplement,
very rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals from fruits and vegetables, including the carotenes, bneta-cryptoxanthin, vitamin C (from foods), vitamin E (from foods),
very rich in chlorophyll,
supplemented with beneficial probiotics,
supplemented with oral enzymes."

Swiss Voters Back Stem Cell Law

Voters in Switzerland on Sunday, November 28, overwhelmingly supported a new law already approved by Parliament that will allow extraction of stem cells human embryos up to seven days old to be used for research. The law, approved last December by the Swiss Parliament, was challenged by the Green Party and by anti-abortion groups, who collected enough signatures to force a nationwide referendum on the issue. On Sunday, 66.4% of voters backed the new law after an aggressive campaign by the government the past 2 months encouraging citizens to vote in support of the law, which will take effect in March.

Dr. Grossman's Comments: As the U.S. falls further and further behind in the sphere of stem cell research, other countries are "picking up the slack." In China doctors have begun to inject embryonic stem cells directly into the spines of spinal cord injured, paralyzed patients. These patients have begun to walk again. Because of inability to use embryonic stem cells, U.S. scientists have turned to working with adult stem cells. Although it is hoped that adult stem cells (stem cells taken from adults and which do not require destruction of embryos) will have many of the same benefits of embryonic stem cells, so far embryonic stem cells are easier to work with. It appears that the U.S. will be the leader of adult stem cell research, while much of the rest of the world does embryonic stem cell research. Patients will ultimately reap profound benefits from the combination of these therapies.

Read more... Swiss support stem cells

HIV rising among U.S. gay, bisexual men

The number of newly diagnosed HIV infections in gay and bisexual men has risen in many U.S. states, according to a federal study which stoked concerns AIDS may be poised for a resurgence in the country. In a study of HIV/AIDS data from 32 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 11 percent more infections were diagnosed from 2000 through 2003 among men who have sex with men.

Dr. Grossman's Comments: Last year the U.S. government adopted a policy of emphasizing programs focusing on testing and counseling people already infected with AIDS. This is a lot like closing the barn door after the horses have run out. Emphasis needs to be on prevention: education on safe sex practices and abstinence.

Some AIDS activists have attacked the new approach, saying it will lead to reduced funding for many programs that emphasize condom use and other safe-sex practices for uninfected people.

Longevity Evaluations Available at Frontier Medical Institute

We are entering a new frontier of medicine wherein you can now take control of your health, discover your genetic tendencies, and make INDIVIDUALIZED lifestyle choices that will extend your life. Dr. Grossman, our medical director, developed our longevity program after working with thousands of patients from all over the world during the past 10 years. By undergoing one of our Longevity Evaluations, you will join individuals who have come to visit us from all parts of the U.S. and around the world to gain the knowledge and tools to live longer, healthier, and younger lives. You will accomplish this by undergoing a comprehensive series of the latest medical tests available.

The Fox Guarding the Chicken Coop - FDA and the Drug Companies

When federal drug officials suspected in 1992 that a popular allergy pill might cause heart problems, they turned to their own scientists. Their trial confirmed the danger, and the drug was pulled from the market.

Ten years later, similar worries surrounded the arthritis pill Vioxx. But by then, the Food and Drug Administration had shifted gears, slashing its laboratories and network of independent drug-safety experts in favor of hiring more people to approve experimental drugs -- changes that arose under an unusual deal that has left the agency increasingly reliant on drug-company money. Discovering Vioxx's dangers would take years.

Dr. Grossman's Comments: "The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to the pharmaceutical company Merck for misrepresenting the safety of their blockbuster anti-inflammatory drug, rofecoxib (Vioxx).

Rofecoxib [Vioxx] ... , was approved by the administration in May 1999 for the relief of acute pain, osteoarthritis, and dysmenorrhoea. The drug was heavily promoted by Merck and touted as safer than and superior to non-selective, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen.

In its letter the FDA criticized Merck for playing down the possible risk of stroke associated with rofecoxib and for minimizing potential drug interactions of rofecoxib with warfarin...

The FDA charged that Merck was aware of the cardiovascular risk associated with rofecoxib and minimized it in a press release and in its promotional materials."

The only thing that's newsworthy about the above is that it was published over 3 years ago in October 2001. The FDA warning was in reaction to the VIGOR (Vioxx gastrointestinal outcomes research) trial, which demonstrated the increased cardiovascular risks of Vioxx one year earlier in November 2000, in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/343/21/1520 .

The potential danger of Vioxx has been known by the FDA since 2000, yet even late in 2004 when Vioxx was pulled from the market, it was done so as a voluntary recall by Merck, the drug's manufacturer, not because the FDA demanded it.

"Indeed, the agency now relies almost entirely on the willingness of drug makers to report problems that crop up after a drug has been approved to ensure safety. Some critics say the dependency has worn away at the agency's willingness to confront drug makers, leaving patients vulnerable.

"This is not just about dollars," said Dr. Jerry Avorn, a professor at Harvard Medical School and the author of "Powerful Medicines." "It's a cultural issue in which the agency feels it can't pressure drug makers."

Stem Cells Part 2 -- Creating embryonic stem cells without the embryo

A trick that persuades human eggs to divide as if they have been fertilised could provide a source of embryonic stem cells that sidesteps ethical objections to existing techniques. It could also be deployed to improve the success rate of IVF.

“Embryos” created by the procedure do not contain any paternal chromosomes – just two sets of chromosomes from the mother – and so cannot develop into babies. This should remove the ethical objections that some people have to harvesting from donated human embryos. There are high hopes that stem cells, which can develop into many different cell types, could be used to treat a range of diseases.

Possibile neurotoxicty of shampoos

An antimicrobial agent found in many shampoos and hand lotions and widely used in industrial settings inhibits the development of particular neuron structures that are essential for transmitting signals between cells, according to a University of Pittsburgh study presented today at Cell Biology 2004, the 44th annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology. The meeting is being held Dec. 4 – 8 at the Washington Convention Center.

Prolonged exposure to low levels of methylisothiazolinone (MIT) restricted growth of axons and dendrites of immature rat nerve cells in culture, apparently by disengaging the machinery of a key enzyme that is activated in response to cell-to-cell contact, and may have potentially damaging consequences to a developing nervous system, the researchers report.

Karen Kurtak's Comments: Further research on the popular shampoo and body wash ingredient methylisothiazolinone (MIT) confirms its neurotoxicity. MIT has long been known to cause skin irritation and dermatitis with frequent exposure but is nonetheless used in many cosmetic products. Now it turns out that it interferes with development of brain and nerve cells. This would be of particular concern during fetal growth and childhood development. This chemical is found in some children’s products. For a complete list of the products that contain MIT, please go to the National Institute of Health link http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=chem&id=92. Studies have shown that glutathione, a powerful antioxidant found in the body’s tissues can neutralize MIT’s toxic effects on skin cells. Glutathione levels can be boosted by taking supplements such as N-Acetyl-Cysteine, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Milk Thistle.

New information is coming out all the time about harmful effects of the hundreds of chemicals that we are regularly exposed to. To protect yourself and your family, use more natural products. There are many excellent shampoos available at health food stores containing natural ingredients. A couple of our favorite brands are Nature’s Gate and Avalon.

The Flu Scare Game
by John Keller

When the major manufacturers of flu vaccine get together with the CDC in a closed door summit with the sole purpose of figuring out how to stick 185 million doses of a questionable vaccine into a population in which less than 1,000 people a year die, what should we call it? Yes, Virginia, it is a conspiracy. Luckily the conspirators are foolish enough to believe that their website is safely hidden amidst all the chaff of the Internet, or else, are so brazen in their contempt for the general population that they think we can't do a little math and conclude "The vaccine doesn't work, and the flu is a flim-flam!"

Dr. Grossman's Comments: The conclusions of the enclosed link: "The flu kills fewer than 1,000 people on average, not 36,000. Flu Vaccine is of highly dubious effectiveness. The CDC and Vaccine Manufacturers are in closed door sessions with the primary stated purpose of boosting vaccination numbers by spreading fear."

So, the question is-- do we really need flu shots every year? In my 25 years as a family physician, I have NEVER seen a single one of my patients die of the flu or flu-related illness. I have seen many deaths from the well-publicized major causes of death like heart disease, cancer and stroke, but never from the flu -- or even from flu-caused pneumonia.

Now, I've been busy seeing patients for the past 25 years and have seen a LOT of patients in that time. I have filled out the cause of death on hundreds of death certificates, but don't recall ever listing "influenza" on any of them. If the flu is such a big killer that public health recommendations are that the majority of the population is urged to get flu immunizations, you would think it must be a very serious disease.

Not doubt about it -- getting the flu is no picnic. The aches, cough, and fever which lasts up to a week is miserable. Yet, this article suggests children who get flu shots die from the flu just as often as children who weren't immunized. One wonders if children (and others) who get flu shots actually get the flu less often as well.

The day will come when the flu mutates into a real killer. We will experience a pandemic, a severe form of flu that sweeps around the world and may kill millions. Yet, historically, this only happens every few decades. When faced with a flu pandemic (and we'll know in advance when it's coming), immunizations may make sense for almost everyone. But, for run of the mill flu seasons (which it appears 2004-05 is), I'm not sure the risk: benefit ratio is totally in favor of immunization. Go to the government web site links in the attached article and see for yourself.