Prince Charles urges old remedies for modern world 05/23/2006
GENEVA (Reuters) - Prince Charles told a meeting of the world's health ministers on Tuesday that ancient cures like acupuncture and herbal medicines should be used alongside modern treatments to improve global health.

In a keynote address to the World Health Organization's annual assembly, Charles said patients ought to seek "the best of both worlds" when treating chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

"It is tragic, it seems to me ... that in the ceaseless rush to modernize, many beneficial approaches, which have been tried and tested and have shown themselves to be effective, have been cast aside because they are deemed to be old fashioned," he told a packed meeting hall at the U.N.'s European headquarters.

The WHO's annual meetings, which run until Saturday, have been darkened this year by the unexpected death of the U.N. health agency's leader Lee Jong-Wook of South Korea.

The 61-year-old died on Monday morning, two hours before the talks were due to begin, after undergoing emergency surgery on the weekend to remove a blood clot on the brain.

In his remarks to the assembly, which carried on after a brief pause in Lee's honor on Monday morning, the prince stressed the need for policy-makers to focus on chronic ailments as well as infectious diseases like bird flu and AIDS.

He said "increasingly robust evidence" had shown that acupuncture could effectively treat conditions such as osteoarthritis of the knee, and alleviate the nausea associated with anti-cancer drugs.

The Prince also referred to clinical trials of the herbal remedy St. John's wort, which he said "have shown some positive effects in treating non-severe depression, with a remarkably low incidence of side effects."

Charles, whose Foundation for Integrated Health aims to promote both conventional and traditional health methods, said chronic conditions such as lower back pain, stress, anxiety and depression could be eased in a cost-effective way with alternative therapies.

"Complementary approaches could help to fill gaps in some orthodox treatments," he said, citing the findings of a report he commissioned from economist Christopher Smallwood.
SOURCE: Reuters.UK

Secret herb in tests to stop breast cancer patients' hot flushes and night sweats  04/27/06
Researchers at the University of Manchester are testing a secret herb in a bid to stop the severe hot flushes that besiege breast cancer patients on hormone treatment.

Professor Alex Molassiotis, of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, says the herb - one of the mint family, found in any kitchen - is thought to stop the hot flushes and night sweats which can be so bad that some women have to change their clothes three or four times a night.

It is traditionally used by Mediterranean women undergoing the menopause, but Professor Molassiotis cannot name it as he and his team are carrying out a double blind trial (neither the patient nor the doctor is allowed to know whether they are in the group taking the herb or a placebo).

The women are taking hormone treatment to lower oestrogen and progesterone levels as these affect the growth of some breast cancer cells. This can lead to early or revisiting menopause with symptoms such as anxiety, dry skin, bone thinning and hot flushes, with some women having up to 30 flushes a day. It is too risky for them to take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) as this will increase the hormone levels again. Instead they are advised to cut out tea, coffee and nicotine, try alternative remedies or a certain type of anti-depressant.

Professor Molassiotis said: "It is hoped that the herbal remedy will be simpler and cheaper to take, as well as more effective, thus improving the lives of women who need all their energy to fight the disease."

He and his team are now recruiting 170 volunteers for the randomized trial, half of whom will take the phytooestrogen herb in the form of a pill and half of whom will take a placebo, from Greater Manchester and Cheshire. Only breast cancer patients who have or are receiving hormone treatments for their cancer are allowed to take part, and only if they experience at least one hot flush a day of moderate and above severity for at least a month. The treatment will be for a total of three months, taking one pill a day. The team will assess the volunteers' hot flushes four times over six months from starting the trial with questionnaires and a blood sample.
SOURCE: Manchester University

HOLISTIC NEWS

Ginger, pepper may treat difficult cancers  05/11/2006
WASHINGTON - Ginger can kill ovarian cancer cells while the compound that makes peppers hot can shrink pancreatic tumors, researchers told a conference.

Their studies add to a growing body of evidence that at least some popular spices might slow or prevent the growth of cancer.

The study on ginger was done using cells in a lab dish, which is a long way from finding that it works in actual cancer patients, but it is the first step to testing the idea.

Dr. Rebecca Liu, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues tested ginger powder dissolved in solution by putting it on ovarian cancer cell cultures.

It killed the ovarian cancer cells in two different ways — through a self-destruction process called apoptosis and through autophagy in which cells digest themselves, the researchers told a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“Most ovarian cancer patients develop recurrent disease that eventually becomes resistant to standard chemotherapy, which is associated with resistance to apoptosis,” Liu said in a statement.

“If ginger can cause autophagic cell death in addition to apoptosis, it may circumvent resistance to conventional chemotherapy.”

Ovarian cancer kills 16,000 out of the 22,000 U.S. women who are diagnosed with it every year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Ginger has been shown to help control inflammation, which can contribute to the development of ovarian cancer cells.

“In multiple ovarian cancer cell lines, we found that ginger-induced cell death at a similar or better rate than the platinum-based chemotherapy drugs typically used to treat ovarian cancer,” said Dr. Jennifer Rhode, who helped work on the study.

Peppers fight pancreatic cancer?
A second study found that capsaicin, which makes chili peppers hot, fed to mice caused apoptosis death in pancreatic cancer cells, said Sanjay Srivastava of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

“Capsaicin triggered the cancerous cells to die off and significantly reduced the size of the tumors,” he said.

The spicy compound killed pancreatic tumor cells but did not affect normal, healthy pancreas cells, researchers told the AACR meeting.

Last year the same team reported similar results with pancreatic cells in lab dishes. Pancreatic cancer is highly deadly, killing 31,000 of the 32,000 it will be diagnosed in this year.

Last month researchers in Los Angeles reported that capsaicin killed prostate tumor cells. Other studies have shown that turmeric, a yellow spice used widely in Indian cooking, may help stop the spread of lung cancer and breast cancer in mice.

Experts point out that many compounds shown to stop cancer in mice are not nearly as effective in human cancer patients.
SOURCE: MSNBC.com, Reuters.UK

SUCCESS STORY for Karen Martinez (HL Patient for 7 months 10/04 to 05/05)

When I first came to see Dr. Jenny Lee, I was tired all the time, sleeping 10-14 hours a day was normal for me. I had constant weight gain; extreme hair loss and my emotions were running crazy each month. Mentally I was in a fog all the time and thought I was going to have a breakdown. my mind and body was just not responding. All these problems were due to my hypo-thyroid condition that I have suffered with for the past 8 years.

I have seen many Medical doctors only to be given more and more synthetic medicine, unfortunately the medication had to be adjusted monthly and my eight gain never stropped! This was deeply depressing for me.

For close to 20 years I also have suffered from lower back pain being over weight didn't help either. I have been treated by dozens of therapists over the years but the pain was never stopped! This too was not only depressing but stopped me from enjoying so many activities with my family.

Dr. Jenny Lee switched me from synthetic drugs to herbs and supplements for my thyroid condition. I am 51 years old but you wouldn't know that by looking at me. I look and feel incredible! I am losing weight without any form of exercise. My constant back pain is diminishing too.

I am feeling wonderful and am loving life again!!

Thank you Dr. Jenny Lee.

Karen K. Martinez

Jenny C. Lee, L. Ac.          Master Acupuncturist, Herbalist, and Nutritionist

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