• HORMONAL DRUGS TO TREAT ENDOMETRIOSIS: DÅÐÎ – PROVERA

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    23 Apr 2009 /  Women's Health

    Depo-Provera is the long-acting injection form of Provera, also manufactured by Upjohn, which is sometimes used in the treatment of endometriosis. It is also used to treat endometrial cancer (cancer of the uterus), breast cancer and, in some countries, is used as a contraceptive agent.

    An injection of Depo-Provera consists of thousands of very small crystals of the drug suspended in a solution of water. When the drug is injected into the body the crystals are slowly released into the bloodstream over a period of weeks or months. The time that the drug remains in the body depends on how fast it releases the crystals and how fast the body removes the drug from the bloodstream.

    There has been considerable controversy over the last decade regarding the unapproved use of Depo-Provera for contraceptive purposes. However, Depo-Provera has long been approved in this country for the treatment of endometriosis.

    How Depo-Provera works

    Depo-Provera presumably eradicates endometrial implants in the same way as Provera.

    Dosages of Depo-Provera generally used

    Dosages vary. Some gynecologists recommend one injection every two weeks for the first two to three months followed by one injection every month for the rest of the course of treatment. Others recommend one injection every two weeks throughout the course of treatment. The recommended length of treatment may vary from six months to a year.

    It is important to remember that because Depo-Provera is a long-acting injection, any side effects will persist until all the crystals of the drug have been removed from the body. There is no way to remove the drug from your body once you have had an injection and there is no antidote.

    Some gynecologists suggest that you try taking a short-term course of Provera tablets before you embark on a long-term course of Depo-Provera as this should enable you to find out how your body responds to the drug and whether or not the side effects are likely to cause problems.

    Side effects of Depo-Provera

    Side effects of Depo-Provera include vaginal bleeding, weight gain, depression, headaches, nausea, lethargy and tiredness, decreased libido, acne, abdominal discomfort and breast tenderness.

    Vaginal bleeding is common and may be troublesome. The bleeding may be heavy and prolonged, or erratic with episodes of light bleeding or spotting. The bleeding may sometimes persist after the course of treatment has finished.

    Weight gain is also common — usually only about two or three kilograms but sometimes more.

    Most women will start ovulating and menstruating again within several months of their last injection. Depo-Provera sometimes causes a prolonged delay in the return of menstruation and a few women will not menstruate for more than a year following their last injection. Depo-Provera is not recommended for women who may wish to become pregnant soon after their treatment has ceased.

    How effective is Depo-Provera

    Studies indicate that Depo-Provera relieves the symptoms of endometriosis in 60% to 80% of women and that approximately 50% of women desiring pregnancy will conceive. There are no figures on the rate of recurrence of endometriosis following treatment.

    Depo-Provera, pregnancy and breastfeeding

    The manufacturers state that Depo-Provera should not be used if there is any possibility that you may be pregnant, as progestogens may cause abnormalities in the developing foetus. However, some gynecologists believe that Depo-Provera causes no risks to the foetus.

    The use of Depo-Provera while breastfeeding is probably safe.

    Interaction with other drugs, alcohol or foods

    There are no known interactions of Depo-Provera with any foods, alcohol or other drugs.

    *41/41/5*

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  • DRUG THERAPY FOR ANOREXIA NERVOSA: ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS

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    23 Apr 2009 /  Weight Loss

    Unfortunately, the few good studies on the use of antidepressants in treating self-starvation have produced nothing like the results seen in bulimia. The specific antidepressants studied so far include clomipramine and amitriptyline. Clomipramine, recently approved for use in this country and sold under the brand name Anafranil, is used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, which has some features in common with anorexia. The theory was that the same drug might prove effective in both. So far, however, results have been inconclusive. We need more studies, especially ones looking at the use of clomipramine in higher doses.

    If we can one day find the right antidepressant, we may help anorexics in two ways. First, these medications can improve depressed mood. When that happens, the patient’s attitudes may improve not just about eating but about life in general. Second, such drugs may correct the underlying biological malfunctions that produce the symptoms of the disorder.

    Depression by itself can cause weight loss. Conversely, weight loss can lead to depression. If her mood improves, fine; no medication is needed. If not, I will think about using an antidepressant. In certain circumstances I may try these products before the patient regains weight if her mood disturbance is severe, or if she engages in compulsive rituals that interfere with her ability to function.

    Even so, antidepressants pose risks, such as lowered blood pressure or problems with the way electric signals travel through the heart. One common side effect may be weight gain. As you might expect, an anorexic who is aware of this may resist taking her medication.

    Studies on lithium carbonate haven’t shown that it is of much use in treating anorexia. Some reports state that patients gained a little weight and experienced better moods. However, the weight gain may have resulted from salt and water retention, a known side effect of lithium. I wouldn’t use this drug on an anorexic unless she also happened to suffer from manic-depressive illness.

    *65/35/5*

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  • WIN THE FAT WAR: REFLECTING ON WEIGHT-LOSS SUCCESS

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    23 Apr 2009 /  Weight Loss

    When Adrienne Sussman’s sister-in-law lost weight, it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. “I had always been thinner and fitter than she was,” explains the 52-year-old mom from Silver Spring, Maryland. “Now, she looked better than me.”

    Envious of her sister-in-law’s success, Adrienne was determined to get back her former shapely figure. A svelte 103 pounds for most of her life, she began to gain after giving birth to her son in 1984. Once he started nursery school at age 2, Adrienne turned to food to make her feel better. “I missed my son so much and felt so guilty for sending him to school that I started eating just to calm my nerves,” she recalls. “I went to the bakery every day to buy a pastry for myself, one for my husband, and one for my son, Then, I’d eat all three.”

    Within a year and a half, Adrienne’s weight rose to 139 pounds.”At that point, my self-esteem had hit rock bottom,” she explains. “I looked in the mirror, and I really didn’t like what I saw.” Ironically, that mirror would later become a critical component of Adrienne’s I ^ weight-loss program.

    Determined to get rid of her excess baggage, Adrienne signed up for Weight Watchers. “My sister-in-law had joined, and I figured that if she could do it, I could do it,” she explains. But it wasn’t easy at first. “I didn’t want to go to the weekly meetings, because I felt really self-conscious,” she says. “So I wrote ‘doctor’s appointment’ on my calendar to fool myself into attending.” Eventually, she started looking forward to the meetings, where she learned to use a combination of portion control, exercise, and behavior modification to slim down.

    To monitor her progress, every couple of weeks she’d stand in front of the mirror completely naked and do a head-to-toe body check. Over the course of a few months, she saw her body changing. That’s what kept her motivated. “I stopped looking in the mirror and telling myself that I was destined to be overweight forever,” she says. “I accepted that whatever was broken, I had the power to fix.”

    With this new, positive attitude, Adrienne was able to shed 30 pounds. She has maintained her weight at a healthy 109 pounds for 8 years.

    These days, Adrienne serves as a program leader for Weight Watchers. She constandy reminds people in her group to stop obsessing about the number on the scale. “The most important questions you should ask yourself are, Are you happy with what you look like? Do you like the way you perceive yourself? And do you like the way you carry yourself?’ she says. “It’s what you think when you look in the mirror—not the number on the scale—that matters.”

    WINNING ACTION

    Let your mirror be your friend. Self-acceptance—even when you’re naked—is an important first step of any weight-loss program. Once you feel comfortable with yourself, you’ll have the confidence and patience to achieve lasting weight-loss success. Try the same strategy that worked for Adrienne: Every 2 weeks or so, take off your clothes and stand in front of a mirror completely nude. At first, you may not like what you see. But find one part that you do like, even if it’s your elbows! Over time, as your body changes, you’ll find more to like, and you’ll continue your weight-loss efforts.

    *119\89\8*

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  • WHAT MINERALS CAN DO FOR YOU? CHROMIUM AND COPPER

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    21 Apr 2009 /  General health

    CHROMIUM

    Functions: part of the glucose tolerance factor (GTF) and, as such, helps maintain a normal blood sugar level • helps regulate cholesterol and triglyceride (fat) levels.

    Deficiency signs and symptoms: abnormalities in the body’s handling of glucose, which can lead to diabetes • arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

    Chromium’s enemies: excessive boiling of food • refining of foods.

    COPPER

    Functions: vital for a healthy immune system • necessary for normal development of bone, connective tissue and the central nervous system • vital for production of RNA • assists in absorption of iron • works with vitamin C in forming elastin (part of the elastic muscle fibers) • plays a role in the manufacture of myelin (the fatty sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers)

    • involved with the birth of red blood cells and hemoglobin • necessary for cardiovascular integrity.

    Deficiency signs and symptoms: an anemia and its associated symptoms (fagitue, weakness, shortness of breath). Copper’s enemies: excess dietary zinc.

    *168\80\8*

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  • IMMUNE FOR LIFE: THOUGHTS CAN RAISE ENDORPHINS

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    21 Apr 2009 /  General health

    Love, of course, isn’t the only good feeling that will increase endorphins. Let me tell you about a study conducted at the University of Tennessee a few years ago. The endorphin levels in the spinal fluid of 32 chronic-pain sufferers were measured; then the participants were given a placebo.

    Placebos aren’t medicine; they’re “sugar pills.” Surprisingly, they work just like real medicine for about one third of patients who suffer from chronic pain. In this study, the 14 patients who responded to the placebo were retested: their endorphin levels had increased!

    It wasn’t the placebo that made their endorphin levels rise; it was their belief. They thought the placebo was real medicine, so they believed it would relieve their pain. They felt so good about it that their bodies started producing extra endorphins, which blocked the pain. From belief to relief: it’s a magical, but very real, process you can learn to use yourself.

    Unfortunately, most of us mass-produce unhappy, unhealthy messages, flooding our bodies with chemical doomsayers. The tens of millions of Americans who are unhappy, depressed, angry, bitter, frustrated, feel inadequate, unloved, helpless and hopeless turn negative feelings into negative hormones into disease. That’s the other side of the coin, the one we want to avoid.

    Where Do Our Thoughts Come From?

    “I’d like to think nice thoughts and have lots of endorphins, Dr. Fox,” some of my patients say, “but everyone keeps making me mad. It’s not my fault. It’s my boss, my kids, the traffic, the economy. It’s all those things that make me mad.”

    We’ve been taught that our thoughts come from outside of us: someone or something imposes them on us. For example, we say: “He makes me so mad!” as if “I” have nothing to do with it; “I” am an innocent bystander.

    “He” doesn’t make you angry, calm, happy, or sad. “He” does nothing but provide a stimulus, some data for your brain. You make yourself angry, or calm, or happy, or sad by reacting to the stimulus.

    *126\80\8*

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  • SUPER FOODS FOR IMMUNE: SPAGHETTI SAUCE AND YOGURT DISHES

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    21 Apr 2009 /  General health

    MAMA FOX’S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

    1 onion 6-8 mushrooms

    2 zucchini 3 cloves garlic, crushed

    1 tsp. olive oil 1-15 oz. can peeled tomatoes (no salt or sugar added) 1/3 cup red wine

    oregano to taste

    Wash and chop onion, mushrooms and zucchini. Saute garlic, onion and zucchini in olive oil. When zucchini is almost soft, add mushrooms. Saute 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked to taste. Add tomatoes, wine and oregano. Use a spoon to gently break up tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until thick. Add water as necessary. Serve over wholewheat pasta or whole grains.

    Makes approximately 3 cups.

    YOGURT DISHES

    Here are a few recipes I devised after buying some nonfat yogurt at the market. These are my favorite kinds of recipes: no cooking and no measurements. Nonfat (skim milk) yogurt is preferred because of its low fat content.

    HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY YOGURT

    1 handful plus 6-8 strawberries, fresh 1 6-oz. container yogurt, plain, nonfat

    Crush a handful of strawberries to get the juice, or juice them lightly in a blender. Strain juice from pulp and reserve. Slice 6 to 8 strawberries into thin slices. Mix the sliced strawberries and yogurt in a dish. Pour the strawberry juice over the mixture. Eat chilled.

    If you prefer, use apples, bananas, oranges or any other fruit. Serves 1.

    RODEO AND WILSHIRE YOGURT

    The combination of ingredients is unusual, but I really like it. 1 tomato

    1 peach, peeled

    1 handful uncooked oatmeal

    1 6-oz. container yogurt, plain, nonfat

    Wash and dice the tomato and peach; mix with yogurt and oatmeal. Eat chilled. Unconventional, but nutritious and tasty. This also works well with a pear, a peach or with a dash of vanilla extract. Why is it called “Rodeo and Wilshire”? Because that’s one of my favorite corners in Beverly Hills.

    Serves 1.

    DR. FOX’S FAVORITE

    1/2 cucumber 1 6-oz. container yogurt, plain, low-fat or nonfat cumin, to taste white pepper

    Dice half of a chilled cucumber and mix into a bowl with yogurt. Sprinkle cumin and a pinch of white pepper over the top. Eat chilled.

    Serves 1.

    TOMATO-TUNA COTTAGE CHEESE

    2 tomatoes

    3 slices onion

    4 tsps. tuna

    3 tbls. cottage cheese, low-fat

    3 tsps. Mama Fox’s Spaghetti Sauce

    cumin (optional)

    curry powder (optional)

    Dice onions and tomatoes, break tuna into flakes and combine with cottage cheese and spaghetti sauce. Try adding a pinch of cumin and curry powder.

    Serves 1.

    *82\80\8*

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  • SUPER FOODS FOR IMMUNE/PARSLEY: NOT JUST A CONDIMENT

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    21 Apr 2009 /  General health

    Parsley is a food that gets very little respect. The sprig that’s set on your plate for decoration is often tossed aside. That’s too bad, because parsley is surprisingly nutritious. Parsley contains a large amount of beta carotene, enough to rank it with carrots as a cancer-fighting Super Food. It also contains plenty of calcium, potassium and vitamin C. You need calcium, of course, for strong bones and for many other biochemical functions. Potassium is important for a healthy heart and for energy. When patients tell me they’re tired and “don’t feel well,” I check their potassium level. I’m not surprised to find low levels of blood potassium in many of these patients. As for vitamin C, well, a healthy “doctor within” depends on plenty of this vitamin.

    Nutrient
    Parsley
    (per 3 1\2 oz)
    (raw)
    Beta Carotene
    8,500.0 IU
    Vitamin C
    172.0 mg
    Calcium
    203.0 mg
    Phosphorus
    63.0 mg
    Iron
    6.2 mg
    Sodium
    45.0 mg
    Potassium
    727.0 mg
    Vitamin Bl
    .12 mg
    Vitamin B2
    .26 mg
    Vitamin B3
    1.2 mg

    So eat lots of parsley, the overlooked and undervalued Super Food. The little bit you occasionally find as a garnish isn’t nearly enough. My wife buys it by the bunch, washes it and refrigerates it. I munch on it whole or chop it up and toss it in my salad. I urge you to do the same.

    *39\80\8*

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  • FOOD INTOLERANCE: SLOW REACTIONS

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    20 Apr 2009 /  Allergies

    Unlike food allergy, where the reaction to a food can happen within minutes, food intolerance generally produces very slow responses to food. The symptoms may appear several hours after the food is eaten, or the following day, or even 48 hours later in the case of bowel symptoms. Because the food (or foods) in question are being eaten so frequently, there is no obvious link between the food and the symptoms. This effect was referred to as ‘masking’ by the early clinical ecologists, and the name ‘masked food allergy’ is still sometimes used for food intolerance.

    For many of those with food intolerance, it is difficult to pinpoint a moment when the illness started. The symptoms can begin with mild problems that most of us take for granted, such as headaches or excessive tiredness or frequent bouts of indigestion. Over the years, there is a slow decline into ill-health, but it is often so gradual that the person does not really notice how bad things are getting. For some patients, however, food intolerance has a more definite beginning. It may follow on from a bad bout of influenza or other viral infection. Or it may stem from a course of antibiotics, such as those given before some operations eg hysterectomy. Where people have been exposed to toxic amounts of pesticides, or other synthetic chemicals, food intolerance sometimes sets in immediately afterwards.

    *126\180\8*

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  • TELEVISION AND HEALTH – THE BENEFICIAL RHYTHM OF LIFE (INTRODUCTION)

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    09 Apr 2009 /  Herbal

    In modern times the normal rhythm of life that once was a hallmark of country life has been turned upside down. You can only expect to wake up feeling bright and breezy in the morning if you refuse to follow the spirit of our times and, instead, go to bed early, well before midnight, in order to do justice to the body’s need for rest. Those who fall victim to the modern trend of indulging in nocturnal pleasures will not dream of leaving them to retire early. Radio, television, the cinema and so forth keep them prisoner and demand an even greater amount of their energy and strength than would have been lost in the course of their daily occupation and consequent normal tiredness. These additional nightly demands at the expense of sleep upset the balance that is maintained by a normal pace of life. Even young people who extend the day into the night in order to get more out of life will, in time, suffer from a form of fatigue that manifests itself in irritability, feeling uptight and, in the end, insomnia.

    *1202/28/1*

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  • MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS – ANIMALS AND INSECTS AS CARRIERS OF DISEASE

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    09 Apr 2009 /  Herbal

    Some years ago, on my arrival in La Paz having travelled from Cuzco, the Swiss consul warned me to be careful of the Indians on the Altiplano, saying they were riddled with parasites. However well meant the advice was it actually came too late, since I had been living among the carefree native Indians for quite a while and had seen for myself that many individuals had lice.

    From the reports of German doctors who had accompanied the troops on the German campaign in Russia I knew that lice can transmit typhus. Of course, not all lice are infected with this disease but they are an awful nuisance anyway. I have often had to give medical advice to patients who returned from foreign countries complaining about intense itching, especially in the hairy parts of the body. Mind you, I could not be so blunt as to tell them outright that the itching was caused by lice.

    *1133/28/1*

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