Can Pain Treatments Kill you? In one lady's case it sure did.

Funeral services for Kacey Fine Furniture president Leslie Fishbein, who died Wednesday, were held Friday at Temple Emanuel in Denver.

Fishbein, 55, was widely known for her television commercials touting her furniture stores and for her philanthropy.

The Denver retailer was hospitalized March 4 after complications arose from treatment for back pain at a doctor's office.

Fishbein reportedly suffered an unexpected reaction to pain-killing injection and went into cardiac arrest.

RESEARCH SHOWS ACUPUNCTURE CAN LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE AS MUCH AS 40 PERCENT

From the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at UC Irvine

IRVINE, Calif. - The Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, dedicated to advancing patient care through education, evidence-based research and applied integrative medical therapies, today released findings that show acupuncture can help normalize blood pressure - lower pressure when it is elevated or raise pressure when it is too low - and complements treatments for cardiovascular patients. The Center found that acupuncture combined with low levels of electrical stimulation can lower elevations in blood pressure by as much as 40 percent.

In treating patients at their clinics, the Center also found once-weekly
30-minute acupuncture sessions will give substantial pressure reductions of 15-25 mmHg in three to four weeks. Acupuncture is a 3,000-year-old form of Chinese medicine that involves inserting needles at specific points on the body to help cure disease or relieve pain.

"At the Samueli Center, we are dedicated to promoting the integration of ancient healing practices with modern medical treatments to help develop optimum treatment solutions for patients," said Dr. John Longhurst, director of the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine and study leader. "We believe these new findings on acupuncture and hypertension will help educate both Western and alternative medical practitioners while encouraging dialog on developing integrative treatment solutions."

An Alternative Solution

Though drug therapy and healthy lifestyle changes related to diet, exercise and weight loss are typically employed to treat high blood pressure, some patients are looking for alternative solutions. "In our real world of clinical practice, we're encountering patients who find it difficult to make these changes or who continue to have high pressure despite making real changes. They're looking for something else, and acupuncture is a potential solution that's relaxing and relatively painless," said Dr. Longhurst.

Slow Onset, Prolonged Effects

The Samueli Center's research also found that acupuncture has a slow onset and prolonged effect. If treatments were stopped, the pressure would stay down for another month or so, and then comes back up over a period of weeks.

How it Works

Elevated blood pressure is due to either increased vascular constriction and stiffness, or to the heart pumping excess volume into the blood vessels. Diuretics and other antihypertensives typically help with the latter; acupuncture appears to help with the former. Other recent studies from the Susan Samueli Center indicate that acupuncture relaxes vessels mainly through action in the central nervous system. For additional information on the Center's research findings or to schedule an interview with Dr. Longhurst, please contact the Center's public relations' agency listed below.

About SSCIM

Founded in 2000, The Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at UCI successfully promotes integrative medicine by conducting rigorous fundamental and clinical research on complementary healing practices;
educating medical students, health professionals and the public about these practices, and creating a model of clinical care that emphasizes healing the whole person. The Center is rapidly becoming recognized for providing new knowledge bridging complementary and conventional treatments - all for the singular purpose of achieving better health. For more information, contact the Center at (949) 824-5763 or visit www.sscim.uci.edu

Released Dec. 17, 2007

Health Benefits of A Happy Marriage

FROM BLOG: Psych Central News - Psychology, psychiatry and mental health news and research findings, updated every weekday.

The following blog post is from an independent writer and is not connected with Reuters News. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by Reuters.com.

The relationship between what happens in one’s life and the development of illness is well documented. Stressors that rank high for increasing the probability of illness include the death of a spouse and divorce. Conversely, a new research study finds that happily married adults have lower blood pressure than singles with supportive social networks, suggesting marriage may literally be a matter of the heart.

Brigham Young University professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad found that men and women in happy marriages scored four points lower on 24-hour blood pressure than single adults.

Having a network of supportive friends did not translate into improved blood pressure for singles or unhappily marrieds, which surprised Holt-Lunstad and her two student collaborators.

“There seem to be some unique health benefits from marriage,” said Holt-Lunstad, whose findings will be published March 20 in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. “It’s not just being married that benefits health - what’s really the most protective of health is having a happy marriage.”

The study also found, unsurprisingly, that unhappily married adults have higher blood pressure than both happily married and single adults.

Holt-Lunstad, a psychologist who studies relationships and health, arranged for 204 married and 99 single adults to wear portable blood pressure monitors, mostly concealed by their clothes, for 24 hours.

The monitors recorded blood pressure at random intervals throughout the day – even while participants slept. Each participant’s blood pressure level was recorded about 72 times.

“We wanted to capture participants’ blood pressure doing whatever they normally do in everyday life,” Holt-Lunstad said. “Getting one or two readings in a clinic is not really representative of the fluctuations that occur throughout the day.”

All participants completed a roster of friends in their social network and answered questions about the quality of those relationships. Married participants also completed questionnaires on the quality of the relationship with their spouses.

With the monitors recording blood pressure both day and night, the researchers could see that blood pressure for married adults – especially those happily married – dipped more during sleep than happens with singles.

“Research has shown that people whose blood pressure remains high throughout the night are at much greater risk of cardiovascular problems than people whose blood pressure dips,” Holt-Lunstad said.

Holt-Lunstad said that spouses can promote healthy habits, such as encouraging each other to see a doctor and to eat healthy. The marriage relationship is also a source of emotional support in good and bad times. Sharing good news, for example, generates positive emotions, which in turn boosts the body’s functioning.

The study was funded by the Anthony Marchionne Foundation, which supports research on the well-being of the never-married. Funding also came from BYU’s Family Studies Center.

A next step in the research for Holt-Lunstad is to study couples participating in marriage counseling to see if improvement in the marriage translates into improved health.

The study is titled “Is There Something Unique about Marriage? The Relative Impact of Marital Status, Relationship Quality, and Network Social Support on Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Mental Health.”

Source: Brigham Young University

Stressed parents 'make kids ill'

Bad blood may impact on children

Parents with stressful lives may be making their children as well as themselves vulnerable to illness, research suggests.

A University of Rochester study, reported by New Scientist, found sickness levels were higher in children of anxious or depressed parents.

It also found links between stress and immune system activity in the children.

A UK scientist said children were "highly resilient", and urged parents not to worry about the findings.

I believe that children are highly resilient, and their systems are sufficiently robust to cope with this Dr David Jessop Bristol University

It has long been known that stress can cause immune system changes that make a person more prone to infections and other illnesses.

However, the new study, first published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, is the first to provide evidence that the problem can be transmitted from parent to child.

The researchers, led by Dr Mary Caserta, followed the parents of 169 children over a three-year period, with the parents recording instances of childhood illness, before undergoing six-monthly psychiatric evaluations.

The total number of illnesses was significantly higher in the children of parents with higher levels of "emotional stress".

In addition, immune cells in the blood of the children was measured, and those with more stressed parents had raised levels.

The researchers conceded that allowing parents to measure the illness in their children could skew the results, as over-anxious parents were more likely to record higher levels.

However, they said that the findings still strongly suggested a connection between parental stress and children's health.

Stress relief

Dr David Jessop, a researcher in stress and health at Bristol University, said that longer-term studies were needed to measure both the immediate impact of the stress, and how children recovered in periods of less parental anxiety.

He said that it would be wrong for the research to worsen the plight of parents already suffering from stress.

"The 64,000 dollar question is, once this stress is alleviated, do the children's immune systems return to normal, or are they scarred for life?

"I believe that children are highly resilient, and their systems are sufficiently robust to cope with this.

"Although it is a good study, parents should not let it worry them unduly."

**********************

This is a good reason to be treat with Acupuncture and Chinese medicine. It is very good at relieving stress.

Do Herbal Remedies Work?

Today in the Parade magazine there was an article By Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld. The first paragraph sums up the effectiveness of acupuncture from the direct observations of a Wester Medical Doctor.

It's funny how many people, especially doctors will say that acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is un-proven and just a placebo. Sorry folks, but after thousands of years of EFFECTIVENESS, it has proven it is NOT a placebo, but a Natural, Safe and Effective form of true health care.

Another interesting fact, is that people accept western anesthesia, however scientist today still don't know exactly how it works. I have been told there are six theories on how it works, but nobody knows for sure. They just know how to make it work. It's the same thing with acupuncture. When we look through the eyes of Western science we don't know exactly how acupuncture works, however we Acupuncturists know how to make it work!

*************************

Published: March 16, 2008

Years ago, I witnessed an open-heart operation at the University of Shanghai in China. The surgeons opened the chest of a young woman using acupuncture as the only “anesthesia.” This experience left me with an open mind about the possibilities of what was then called “alternative medicine.”

Natural remedies have been used for centuries. In fact, many of the prescription drugs we take are plant-based. Some 5 billion people worldwide rely solely on traditional plant-based treatments to heal what ails them, and more than half of Americans take dietary supplements, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Sinus bug antibiotics 'no good'

Sinusitis can be very painful

Doctors should cut down on antibiotic prescriptions for a common infection because the drugs do not work, researchers say.

Around 90% of people with sinusitis in the UK are prescribed antibiotics.

But an analysis of nine trials published in The Lancet shows the drugs make no difference even if the patient has been ill for more than seven days.

Sinusitis is very common - often occurring after colds or flu - with 1-5% of adults diagnosed every year.

The infection of the sinuses - small air pockets inside the cheekbones and forehead - causes a high temperature, pain and tenderness in the face and forehead, and a blocked or runny nose.

Antibiotics really don't look as if they work Dr Ian Williamson

Several guidelines advise doctors to prescribe antibiotics only when the patient has been ill for seven to 10 days.

It has been thought that this length of illness may indicate a bacterial rather than viral infection which would be susceptible to antibiotics.

Not justified

The latest research, which looked at how long 2,600 patients were ill before they received treatment, found time of illness is not a good indicator of whether antibiotics will be effective.

Because of side-effects, costs, and the risk of resistance, antibiotics are not justified even if patients have been ill for longer than a week, the researchers concluded.

The figures showed 15 patients would need to be treated before one would be cured with antibiotics.

Study leader, Dr Jim Young, from the Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology in Switzerland, said: "If a patient comes to the GP and says they have had the complaint for seven to 10 days that's not a good enough reason for giving them the antibiotic."

He added it would be reasonable for GPs to advise patients to come back if symptoms got worse or went on for another week.

The National Institute for Clinical and health Excellence (NICE) published draft guidance this week advising GPs not to prescribe antibiotics or issue delayed prescriptions which patients can use if they do not get better.

Co-author, Dr Ian Williamson, a GP in Southampton and researcher at Southampton University, said sinusitis was a horrible condition and people expected to get antibiotics from their GP to help them.

"Antibiotics really don't look as if they work.

"We have found that antibiotics aren't effective for sore throats and ear infections but sinusitis, which is similar, is the one that people are slightly more die hard about."

Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said doctors had been working hard to reduce antibiotic use for sinusitis in recent years but there was probably still too many prescribed.

"This gives reassurance to GPs that even if patients have specific symptoms, it's unlikely antibiotics are going to make a dramatic difference."

He those suffering from the infection to relieve symptoms with steam, paracetamol and rest.

"You don't need to see the GP unless you've been ill for a week."

Medications In Drinking Water Prompts Congressional Hearing

Denver Water Officials: ‘Drinking Water Is Safe’

DENVER -- Two U.S. Democratic senators said they plan to hold hearings in response to an Associated Press investigation into the presence of trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in drinking water supplies for more than 40 million Americans.

Barbara Boxer and Frank Lautenberg said the oversight hearings would likely be held in April.

And Democratic Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a national task force to investigate the issue and make recommendations to Congress. She said the AP report "raises serious questions about the safety and security of America's water system."

The AP report found that while water is screened for drugs by some suppliers, they usually don't tell their customers that they have found medication in it, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones.

"Denver's water is safe to drink," said Brian Good, Director of Operations for Denver Water.

In a statement, Denver Water said it decided to be proactive and participate in some of the earliest research projects looking for microconstituents (a project with Colorado State University in 2005).

Denver Water said it did not find any estrogenic compounds but did detect trace amounts of antibiotics and pharmaceuticals at part per trillion concentrations.

Good said one part per trillion is equivalent to one drop of water in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. "They pale in comparison to the concentrations found in watersheds in other parts of the country," Good told 7NEWS.

“It kind of makes you wonder where the pharmaceuticals are coming from," said Geoff Morneau, as he rode his bike home along Cherry Creek Monday.

Water experts said drugs that are flushed or not fully metabolized make their way to waste water treatment plants and then to rivers.

What we have to understand is, if some of these substances are harmful, at what level are they harmful," said Steve Frank, Public Information Officer for Metro Wastewater Reclamation District, which serves 1.6 million people in the Denver area.

Frank said the trace amounts were not even detectable using measuring technology that existed several years ago.

Good said some fish in Colorado are being negatively affected.“That definitely is enough reason to keep researching to see if this is going to be a problem for people," Good said.The Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement it will continue to support research on the topic.“To date, scientists have found no evidence of adverse human health effects from pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment,” the release stated.Denver Water said it has spent $100,000 in water research.According to the Associated Press story, trace amounts were found in the water supplies of at least 24 major metropolitan areas, from Southern California to northern New Jersey.

*****************************

And this is why I always advocate that everyone should have a RO system at their tap, not the Brita pitchers, etc. but a good RO system. ~ White-Eagle

Chinese medicine 'eases eczema'

Eczema is linked to inflammatory immune system chemicals

A traditional Chinese herbal medicine consisting of five herbs may ease eczema symptoms, a study suggests.

Researchers found the treatment reduced the need for conventional medicines, and improved the quality of life for young patients with atopic eczema.

The study of 85 patients by the Chinese University of Hong Kong is reported in the British Journal of Dermatology.

However, UK experts warned against using Chinese herbal medicine without first consulting a doctor.

HERBS IN THE MEDICINE Flos lonicerae (Japanese honeysuckle) Herba menthae (peppermint) Cortex moutan (root bark of peony tree) Atractylodes Rhizome (underground stem of the atractylodes herb) Cortex phellodendri (Amur cork-tree bark)

Eczema is a group of inflammatory skin disorders that make the skin dry, itchy, flaky, red and sore. In more severe forms the skin can become broken and weep or bleed.

The Hong Kong team assessed the effects of the "pentaherbs formulation" on patients with atopic eczema - the most common type of the disease which affects at least one in ten children.

The capsules contained extracts of five raw herbs based on a widely used ancestral Chinese concoction.

In the study, 85 patients were either given the medicine, or a placebo.

Patients who took the medicine reported that their quality of life improved by a third, while those who took the placebo reported no improvement.

The researchers also found the herbal remedy reduced patients' needs for the conventional treatment of topical steroids by an average of four days a month, compared to just one day a month in the placebo group.

Inflammatory chemicals

Further analysis revealed that patients who took the herbal remedy showed lower blood levels of four proteins thought to have inflammatory effects linked with eczema.

This finding was confirmed in lab tests in which the pentaherbs formulation was added to blood cells in a test tube.

Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists, said: "These early studies show that children with atopic eczema may benefit from a specific concoction of traditional Chinese herbs, which could eventually pave the way for this remedy to find its way into mainstream medicine.

"However, we would warn against using Chinese herbal medications without first speaking to your doctor.

"Some retailers may not be reputable and the product they sell you may be of a low standard or could contain harmful ingredients."

Yao banking on Chinese medicine

BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese officials are hoping to speed NBA star Yao Ming's recovery with a secret remedy -- traditional Chinese medicine.

The Houston Rockets center underwent surgery on Monday to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. Doctors in the United States said after the surgery that he was expected to recover in time to play for China at the Beijing Olympics in August.

However, back home they're taking no chances with Yao's health.

"After the surgery, Chinese medicine will be used to help Yao Ming's recovery," Hu Jiashi, deputy director of the Chinese Basketball Association, told the Beijing News.

"We've hired medical experts to diagnose Yao Ming's condition and communicate with American doctors and we've reached agreement."

Chinese remedies are widely believed across China to be effective, usually made of herbal compounds that have been used for centuries.

Hu also urged caution.

"Yao Ming's absence from the Olympics is something nobody wants to see," Hu said. "However, we have to listen to the doctors advice. We also need to face reality. If Yao doesn't fully recovered from the injury, he can't give his best performance plus it could hurt his career."

Yao is China's best-known athlete and has contracts with several Olympic sponsors including McDonald's and Coca-Cola. He is believed to earn about $25 million alone in sponsorship deals and is being heavily marketed across China in the run-up to the Games.

Acupuncture increases chances of success in IVF by 65%

Women undergoing IVF were 65 percent more likely to become pregnant when they combined the procedure with acupuncture, a recent study has shown.

The remarkable success rate occurred across seven acupuncture trials involving 1,366 women in a systematic review and meta-analysis published in a February, 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal.

Acupuncture was delivered either just before or just after embryo transfer – the moment when the embryo fertilized in the laboratory must attach itself to the wall of the womb to establish a pregnancy.

The research was carried out by scientists from the University of Maryland in America and the VU University Amsterdam in Holland. Researchers claim that because acupuncture costs only about $75 per session compared to $6000 to $10,000 per cycle for IVF, it would be a cost effective, safe and efficient way of boosting success rates in fertility treatment.

It is thought that acupuncture stimulates the neurotransmitters that trigger the production of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, which controls the menstrual cycle and a woman's ovulation.

Acupuncture is also thought to stimulate blood flow to the uterus and boost the production of endogenous opioids, inducing the body to relax.

Acupuncture has been used in China for centuries to regulate fertility. It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for chronic pain as well as many common and uncommon disorders.

Conditions that are commonly treated with acupuncture

Source: British Medical Journal, doi:10.1136/bmj.39471.430451.BE (February 2008)

Acupuncture Relieves Menstrual Pain, Study Finds

A recent German study published in the February, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology confirms that acupuncture can relieve a woman of her menstrual pain.

In the study, 201 women were randomly assigned to acupuncture or no treatment for menstrual pain, severe cramps and discomfort. The majority of patients receiving acupuncture reported at least a 33 percent improvement in their pain level.

It was observed that after three months of treatment the average pain score was 3.1 in the acupuncture group, compared with 5.4 in the control group, using a pain scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain. The treatment included an average of about 10 sessions.

"Patients with chronic dysmenorrhea [menstrual pain] treated with acupuncture as an adjunct to routine care showed significant improvements in pain intensity and quality of life compared to patients who received routine care alone.” Dr. Claudia Witt of Charite University Medical Center in Berlin said.

This study is part of a large acupuncture research initiative of a group of social health insurance funds that provide coverage to approximately 10% of the German population. Until now, women have been using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, to treat menstrual cramps. These drugs, however, come with side effects as mentioned in the report.

Since 2000, the researchers note, Germany’s health insurers have recommended that acupuncture to relieve pain only be covered by insurance if it is delivered as part of a study to investigate its effectiveness.

"Our study showed that acupuncture was beneficial for women if offered as part of the health insurance system," the researchers write in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Based on these findings, the researchers conclude that “acupuncture should be considered as a viable option in the management of these patients.”

Acupuncture is extremely effective at treating menstrual disorders including: painful periods, irregular periods, amenorrhea and PMS.

Source: American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 198, Issue 2, Pages 166.e1-166.e8 (February 2008)