Mining of Ancient Herbal Text Leads to Potential New Anti-Bacterial Drug

A Mayo Clinic collaboration has revived the healing wisdom of Pacific Island cultures by testing a therapeutic plant extract described in a 17th century Dutch herbal text for its anti-bacterial properties. Early results show that extracts from the Atun tree effectively control bacteria that can cause diarrhoea, as claimed by naturalist Georg Eberhard Rumpf, circa 1650. He documented his traditional healing methods in the book Ambonese Herbal.

The Mayo Clinic-led team's report appears in the Dec. 23 edition of The British Medical Journal, http://www.bmj.com. In their report, Mayo Clinic researchers demonstrate the feasibility of using sophisticated data mining techniques on historical texts to identify new drugs.

Significance of the Mayo Clinic Research
The study provides a creative new model for drug discovery. It integrates nontraditional, ancient medical information with advanced technologies to identify promising natural products to investigate as drugs for new and better therapies.

‘Natural products are invaluable sources of healing agents - consider, for example, that aspirin derived originally from willow bark, and the molecular basis of the anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agent Taxol(tm) was derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree. So it's not so far-fetched to think that the contributions of an ancient text and insights from traditional medicine really may impact modern public health,’ explains Brent Bauer, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Programme.

For thousands of years, people around the world have lived intimately with botanical healing agents and evolved effective healing traditions. ‘Our work shows just how much we can learn from them. But to make the most of what is fast becoming lost knowledge, we have to respect, preserve and work with traditional healing cultures,’ adds Eric Buenz, Ph.D., researcher for Minnesota-based BioSciential, LLC.

Ancient Text
Rumpf referred to himself as Rumphius, in the Latinised scientific manner of the day. Rumphius was a German-born naturalist who worked for the Dutch East Indies Company. His book is an account of the herbal healing traditions on the Indonesian island of Ambon. Rumphius' description of Atun kernels' therapeutic properties is what modern medicine calls "antimotility agents,’they stop diarrhea. Writes Rumphius: ‘... these same kernels ... will halt all kinds of diarrhea, but very suddenly, forcefully and powerfully, so that one should use them with care in dysentery cases, because that illness or affliction should not be halted too quickly; and some considered this medicament a great secret, and relied on it completely.’

Authors
Dr. Buenz was formerly an investigator in Mayo Clinic's Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, and is now a private researcher with Minnesota-based BioSciential, LLC. Working with Dr. Bauer, Dr. Buenz went to the Independent State of Samoa in January 2005 and accompanied a shamanistic healer to Atun tree groves. The Atun leaves and nuts Dr. Buenz picked were brought back to Minnesota and analysed in Mayo Clinic laboratories.

Global involvement
Scientists and others in the Mayo Clinic collaboration included:
-- in the Independent State of Samoa, shamanistic healer.
-- in Rochester, Minn., a Mayo Clinic neuroscientist, a physician, laboratory analysts and a bioinformatics text-mining expert, who oversaw the Mayo Vocabulary Server concept-indexing application to closely examine the text for detailed and relevant information.
-- in Kalaheo, Hawaii, ethnobotanists (persons who study the plant lore of a race or people) at the Institute for Ethnomedicine, National Tropical Botanical Gardens, to validate the correct botanical specimens.
-- in Boston, Mass., experts in technology to digitise the text so names, symptoms or ailments associated with a given plant could be extracted.
-- in New York, N.Y., a botanist at the New York Botanical Gardens to reconcile ancient plant names with modern plant names.
-- in Chicago, Ill., experts using a natural products database to compare the therapeutic plants identified by Rumphius with modern botanical healing agents in use. Plant names found in Rumphius' text -- but not found in the database -- were considered promising leads to investigate.
-- in Amherst, Mass., a professor of Germanic languages who translated the work written in Dutch and Latin by Rumpf (1627 1702).

Collaboration and Support
Authors also include Kristi Frank and Charles Howe, Ph.D, at Mayo Clinic. Other collaborators include botanists Holly Johnson and Gaugau Tavana, Institute for Ethnomedicine, National Tropical Botanical Gardens, Kalaheo, Hawaii; and E.M. Beekman, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Funding was provided by Mayo Clinic.

The report is illustrated with photos taken of prints contained in a rare early version of the Ambonese Herbal, housed in the University of Minnesota's Owen H. Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, Minneapolis, which was published in a six-volume set between 1741 and 1750. Electronic files of the prints are available on request.

Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
United States
Web: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Homeopathic/Herbal Remedies Prescribed by 60% of Surgeries in Scotland

Sixty per cent of doctors' surgeries in Scotland prescribe homeopathic or herbal remedies, according to a study of nearly two million patients, published in the December issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen analysed official prescribing data from 2003-4, covering 1.9 million patients from 323 practices.

Their findings have led them to call for a critical review of homeopathic and herbal prescribing in the UK National Health Service, particularly the high levels given to babies and children under 16.

The research team discovered that:
* 49 per cent of practices prescribed a total of 193 different homeopathic remedies and 32 per cent prescribed 17 different herbal remedies.

* Five per cent of the practices included in the study prescribed 50 per cent of the remedies and accounted for 46 per cent of the patients receiving them.

* 4160 patients (2.2 per 1000 registered patients) were prescribed at least one homeopathic remedy during the study period. 73 per cent were female and the average age of patients was 47.

* Children under 12 months were most likely to be prescribed a homeopathic or herbal remedy (9.5 per 1000 children in that age group), followed by adults aged 81-90 (4.5 per 1000). 16 per cent of homeopathic prescribing was to children under 16.

* 361 patients were prescribed at least one herbal remedy during the study period (0.2 per 1000 registered patients) and 12 per cent of these were children under 16 years old. 72 per cent of prescriptions were issued to females and the average age was 61.

* Doctors who prescribed patients a homeopathic remedy also prescribed them a median of four conventional medicines during the study period. This figure went up to five for people prescribed herbal remedies.

* Four per cent of patients prescribed a herbal remedy were, at the same time, prescribed conventional medication that has been documented to interact with herbal treatments.

* The top five prescribed homeopathic remedies were Arnica montana (for injury, bruising), Rhus toxicodendron (joint symptoms, headache), Cuprum metallicum (cramp, poor circulation) Pulsatilla (PMT, menopausal symptoms, breast feeding problems) and Sepia (PMT, menopausal symptoms, fatigue).

* The top five prescribed herbal remedies were: Gentian (poor appetite, digestive problems), Cranberry (urinary tract infection), Digestodoron (indigestion, heartburn, constipation), Evening primrose (PMT) and Laxadoron (constipation).

‘Our study shows that a substantial number of Scottish family doctors prescribe homeopathic and herbal remedies’ says co-author Dr James McLay from the University's Department of Medicine and Therapeutics.

‘This level of prescribing raises important questions about homeopathic and herbal provision in the UK's National Health Service.

‘The major problem with homeopathic preparations is the lack of scientific evidence that they are effective.’

‘Given the rise of evidence-based medicine and the trend toward prescribing guidance in the UK, should therapies with no convincing positive clinical trial evidence be prescribed and funded by the health service.

‘Or are proponents of such remedies correct in stating that the difficulties inherent in trialling such therapies make evidence irrelevant.

‘Whatever the arguments, our study shows an apparent acceptance of homeopathic and herbal medicine within primary care, including extensive use in children and young babies. We believe that these findings underline the need for a critical review of this prescribing trend.’

‘The research by the University of Aberdeen adds an important dimension to the ongoing debate about homeopathic remedies, as it shows what is actually happening at grass roots in Scottish general practice,’ adds Dr Jeffrey Aronson, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal and Reader in Clinical Pharmacology at Oxford University.

‘In September 2006 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) introduced new rules to regulate homeopathic medicines, allowing manufacturers to specify the ailments for which they can be used.’

‘This move has been criticised by a number of leading UK scientific institutions, who argue that homeopathic medicines should not be allowed to make 'unsubstantiated health claims' and that the policy is damaging to patients' best interests.’

‘We hope that this paper will further inform the debate, as it provides clear evidence on prescribing patterns within the NHS and raises a number of important issues, particularly about prescribing homeopathic and herbal remedies to children.’

* Homeopathic and herbal prescribing in general practice in Scotland. Ross S, Simpson C R and McLay J S. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Volume 62.6. Pages 647 to 652. (December 2006).

* The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology is published monthly on behalf of the British Pharmacological Society by Blackwell Publishing. It contains papers and reports on all aspects of drug action in humans: invited review articles, original papers, short communications and correspondence. The Journal, which was first published in 1974, enjoys a wide readership, bridging the gap between the medical profession, clinical research and the pharmaceutical industry.

Web: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/bjcp

Folic Acid may Prevent Age-Related Hearing Loss

Supplements of folic acid may prevent age-related hearing loss in older men and women, says a new double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial from the Netherlands.

The study, published in the new issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, followed 728 men and women between the ages of 50 and 70 randomly assigned to receive either a folic acid supplement (800 micrograms per day) or placebo for three years.

Lead author Jane Durga and her colleagues from Wageningen University and Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences, and University Hospital Maastricht, reported that the folic acid-supplemented group exhibited lower age-related hearing loss in the low frequency region.

‘Considering that the folate status of older adults is generally low in countries without folic acid fortification programmes, our findings suggest a possible way to diminish the public health burden of hearing loss in those countries,’ wrote Durga.

However, it is not known if such benefits would be observable in countries like the US and Canada where mandatory fortification occurs.

Folate is found in foods such as green leafy vegetables, chick peas and lentils, and an overwhelming body of evidence links has linked folate deficiency in early pregnancy to increased risk of neural tube defects (NTD) - most commonly spina bifida and anencephaly - in infants.

This connection led to the 1998 introduction of public health measures in the US and Canada, where all grain products are fortified with folic acid - the synthetic, bioavailable form of folate.

While preliminary evidence indicates that the measure is having an effect with a reported 15 to 50 per cent reduction in NTD incidence, parallel measures in European countries, including the UK and Ireland, are still on the table.

The researchers report that, at the start of the study, the average threshold for hearing in the low frequency range (0.5 to 2 kHz) was 11.7 decibels (dB), and 34.2 dB in the high frequency range (4 to 8 kHz). At the end of the study the thresholds had increased for both folic acid and placebo groups, meaning a louder noise was required before the participants registered the noise. However, the increase was lower in the supplemented group in the low frequency range (1.0 versus 1.7 dB increase for folic acid versus placebo groups, respectively).
No significant difference in threshold decline in the higher frequency region was observed.

The researchers suggest that hearing loss may be linked to homocysteine levels, which could be reduced by folic acid supplementation.

Durga, currently with the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, focussed on older men and women with average plasma total homocysteine concentrations of 13 micromoles per litre or more and vitamin B12 levels of at least 200 picomoles per litre.

Normal homocysteine levels are defined as between five and 15 micromoles per litre of blood, placing the study participants at the upper end of the 'normal' bracket.

However the focus of the study on people with these homocysteine levels limited the researchers from extending the findings to a general population.
The authors also note that no mandatory folic acid fortification was present in the Netherlands during the study, and that the baseline levels of folate in the blood was about 50 per cent that of the US population, where mandatory folic acid fortification is present.

‘Folic acid supplementation slowed the decline in hearing of the speech frequencies associated with aging in a population from a country without folic acid fortification of food. The effect requires confirmation, especially in populations from countries with folic acid fortification programmes,’ concluded the researchers.

In an accompanying editorial, Robert Dobie from the University of California, Davis said that if such a benefit could be applied generally then a five-decibel decrease in age-related hearing loss might be observed over a 20-year period. This would lead to a subsequent significant reduction in the need for hearing aids.

The research was supported by grants from the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, Wageningen University, and Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences.

Source: Annals of Internal Medicine
2 January 2007, Volume 146, Issue 1, Pages 1-9
‘Effects of Folic Acid Supplementation on Hearing in Older Adults - A Randomized, Controlled Trial’
Authors: J. Durga, P. Verhoef, L.J.C. Anteunis, E. Schouten, and F.J. Kok

Editorial: Annals of Internal Medicine
2 January 2007, Volume 146, Issue 1, Pages 63-64
‘Folate Supplementation and Age-Related Hearing Loss’
Author: R.A. Dobie

High Risk Patients use Alternative Therapies for Asthma

In depth interviews with a group of low income mostly female African Americans, all of whom had severe asthma, revealed that all participants used some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in combination with conventional medicine.

Writing in this month's issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School Nursing researcher Maureen George, PhD, RN notes that ‘While most subjects trusted prescription asthma medicine, there was a preference for integration of CAM with conventional asthma treatment. CAM was considered natural, effective and potentially curative.’

Among the reasons CAM was chosen as an addition to or substitute for conventional care were beliefs that treatment was ‘more natural’ than manufactured agents; could reduce the need for conventional pharmacologic treatment such as steroids; provided protection from illness or for relief of systems; and offered some hope of a cure. While participants denied substituting CAM for prescription medication, most (63%) also reported they had not adhered to their conventional therapy in the two weeks prior to the interviews or that they had missed doses, some as many as ten or more.

The researchers also found that many participants did not disclose their CAM use to providers. When CAM therapies were preferred but covertly used, patients could be at increased risk for poor clinical outcomes due to drug-CAM interactions; unnecessary delays in seeking appropriate medical attention; and insufficient adherence to the patient's medical plan leading to an unnecessary intensification of conventional therapies. George and colleagues also determined that some patients were using herbs and over-the-counter products in ways that could be harmful, including ingesting camphor-based or mentholated topical salves, dissolving cough lozenges as many as ten at a time in herbal tea, and taking Echinacea, an herb that could result in a worsening of asthma due to allergic reactions.

Studies Contribute to Better Understanding Pain, Reducing its Physical, Economic Consequences - Faculty member Fannie Gaston-Johansson, PhD, RN has, in collaboration with researchers at Goteborg University, Sweden, recently published two articles in BMC Nursing focusing on better understanding and managing pain.

In ‘Pain, psychological distress and health-related quality of life at baseline and three months after radical prostatectomy,’ Gaston-Johansson, notes that inadequate management of postoperative pain is common and is a risk factor for prolonged pain after surgery. In addition to medical and technical factors, psychological factors may also influence the experience of postoperative pain. The study found that patients who experienced the highest postoperative pain levels also had the longest hospital stay.

A second study examined unexplained chest pain (UCP), an increasing phenomenon often seen in Emergency Departments. In the article ‘Coping strategies, stress, physical activity and sleep in patients with unexplained chest pain’ Dr. Gaston Johansson, examines coping strategies in patients with UCP and examines the relationships between these strategies, negative events, sleep problems, physical activity, stress and pain intensity.

Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
525 North Wolfe St, Rm 525
Baltimore, MD 21205
United States
Web: http://www.son.jhmi.edu/

Can Fish Intake Predict Chances of Developing Dementia?

People who ate the most fish on a weekly basis - putting them in the top quarter of a study population - were nearly 50 percent less likely to develop the mental deterioration known as dementia over time than participants in any of the other three quarters.

The observational study was led by Ernst J. Schaefer, an Agricultural Research Service-funded scientist. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. Schaefer is a physician specialising in nutrition and health with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Mass.

He and co-authors were looking for a relationship between blood levels of the fatty acid DHA and the risk of developing dementia. DHA is short for docosahexaenoic acid, a so-called ‘heart-healthy’ omega-3 fatty acid. Several different studies have linked either low DHA, or low fish intake levels, with the incidence of dementia.

The study was published in the November 13 issue of the Archives of Neurology. Schaefer and colleagues analysed available dietary questionnaires and blood levels of DHA of nearly 900 men and women, aged 55 to 88, who participated in the longitudinal Framingham (Mass.) Heart Study.

At the beginning of a nine-year period, all of the participants were found to be free of dementia. Using proportional regression analysis, the researchers determined the relative impact not only of blood levels of DHA, but also of potential ‘confounding’ variables such as age, gender, homocysteine and apolipoprotein-E levels, genotype and education.

They found that the participants who reported consuming an average of about three servings of oily fish a week - equivalent to blood levels of DHA at 180 milligrams daily - were associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing dementia of all types, including Alzheimer's disease. No other fatty acid blood level was independently linked to the risk of dementia.

The study suggests that relatively higher fish consumption over time correlates with a lower incidence of dementia in the over-55 set.

Fish Oil Given to Pregnant Women Found Helpful to Babies

Fish-oil supplements given to pregnant women boost the hand-eye coordination of their babies as toddlers, reveals a small study published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood (Fetal and Neonatal Edition).

The researchers base their findings on 98 pregnant women, who were either given 4gm of fish oil supplements or 4gm of olive oil supplements daily from 20 weeks of pregnancy until the birth of their babies.

Only non-smokers and those who did not routinely eat more than two weekly portions of fish were included in the study. Eighty three mothers completed the study.

Once the children had reached two and a half years of age, they were assessed using validated tests to measure growth and development.

These included tests of language, behaviour, practical reasoning and hand-eye coordination. In all, 72 children were assessed (33 in the fish oil group and 39 in the olive oil group).

There were no significant overall differences in language skills and growth between the two groups of children.

But those whose mothers had taken fish oil supplements scored more highly on measures of receptive language (comprehension), average phrase length, and vocabulary.

And children whose mothers had taken fish oil supplements scored significantly higher in hand-eye coordination than those whose mothers had taken the olive oil supplements.

This finding held true even after taking into account other potentially influential factors, such as the mother's age and duration of breast feeding.

High cord blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids at birth (from fish oil) were strongly associated with good hand-eye coordination, while low levels of omega 6 fatty acids, found in many vegetable oils, were not.

Prompted by concerns about mercury content in certain types of fish, pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements are becoming increasingly popular, say the authors.

The findings show that relatively high doses of omega 3 rich fish oil supplements in the second half of pregnancy do not seem to have any adverse effects on neurodevelopment or growth, they add.

Prebiotics could Reduce Artery Hardening, Boost Heart Health

Dietary supplementation with the prebiotics inulin and oligofructose reduced the build up of fatty plaques associated with atherosclerosis, reports an animal study from France.

Writing in the British Journal of Nutrition, researcher Marie-Hélène Rault-Nania and her colleagues from the Auvergne Human Nutrition Research Centre (UMR1019, INRA) and the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Besancon, report that mice fed a diet containing long-chain inulin or an oligofructose-enriched inulin had significantly reduced levels of triacylglycerol and atherosclerotic plaque was reduced by about 30 per cent.

Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and is reported to cost the EU economy about €169bn ($202bn) per year.

The researchers used male apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice, putting the animals at an increased risk of heart disease. Apolipoprotein-E (Apo-E) is essential for the normal breakdown of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein constituents.

Rault-Nania and her colleagues randomly assigned 32 mice to one of four dietary intervention groups: a semi-purified sucrose-based diet (control group), or diets in which sucrose was replaced in part by various inulin-type fructans (10 g/100 g): long-chain inulin (Beneo HP, Orafti), oligofructose (Beneo P95, Orafti), or an oligofructose-enriched inulin (Beneo Synergy1).

After 16 weeks of supplementation, the researchers found that the atherosclerotic plaques in the mice fed the long-chain inulin or an oligofructose-enriched inulin were 35 and 25 per cent lower, respectively, compared with the control group.

It is also reported that the long-chain inulin-fed group had significantly decreased plasma cholesterol concentrations, and all three inulin-type fructans significantly reduced triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations compared with the control group.

‘Both the long-chain inulin and an oligofructose-enriched inulin significantly lowered hepatic cholesterol concentrations compared with the control diet. Hepatic triacylglycerol concentrations were significantly lower in all three groups fed the fructan-supplemented diets versus the control group,’ wrote the researchers.

‘The results of the present study suggest that inhibition of atherosclerotic plaque formation is more potent in the presence of long-chain inulin, either alone or in combination with oligofructose (an oligofructose-enriched inulin), and that this probably is related to changes in lipid metabolism,’ they concluded.

The study was welcomed by Dr Anne Franck, Orafti's executive vice president of science and technology: ‘This exciting new study on atherosclerosis suggests that the proven benefits delivered by inulin and oligofructose extend to heart health. While further research is needed, these results support evidence from clinical trials that inulin and oligofructose can modulate cholesterol and triglycerides levels in the blood.’

Belgium's Orafti has been influential in building the science behind inulin and oligofructose, backing research into potential benefits for a variety of health conditions ranging from bones to colorectal cancer, from immunity to satiety and weight management.

Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Volume 96, Number 5, Pages 840-844
‘Inulin attenuates atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice’
Authors: M-H. Rault-Nania, E. Gueux, C. Demougeot, C. Demigné, E. Rock, A. Mazur

Probiotic Supplements - Lack of Bacteria Found by ConsumerLab

Sales of supplements containing beneficial organisms (probiotics) have grown rapidly, but recent tests by ConsumerLab found seven with fewer viable organisms than claimed or generally known to be effective. And one of these was contaminated with mould.

‘In this Review, you'll get ConsumerLab's test results for 22 probiotic products and help in choosing carefully among nineteen products for people and three more for pets so you'll understand the potential benefits and risks,’ says the company.

Brands in Report
Advocare Natural Factors
Ark Naturals Nature's Secret
Culturelle Nature's Sunshine
DDS Nature's Way
Enzymatic Therapy Nutravite
Flora Source Nutrition Now
Garden of Life Pharmanex
Jarrow Formulas Tishcon
Kal Rite Aid
Kyo-Dophilus Webber Naturals
Mitomax Vita-Treat

Probiotic products contain helpful bacteria and/or yeasts that assist in balancing the levels of indigenous microorganisms in the human body. Probiotics are available in varied forms such as yogurt and other cultured milk foods, capsules, tablets, beverages, and powders. Probiotics should not be confused with prebiotics, which are complex sugars (such as inulin and other fructo-oligosaccharides) that are ingested as fuel for bacteria already present in the gastrointestinal tract. Prebiotics and probiotics are sometimes combined in the same product and termed synbiotics. Neither the FDA nor any other federal or state agency routinely tests probiotics for quality prior to sale.
However, quality issues for probiotic supplements can include the following:

* The viability of organisms in the product - how many organisms are alive (in the case of active cultures) or can ‘come alive’ from their inactive state when purchased and used? Some products make no claim at all and others only claim the amount at the time of manufacture.
* Lack of contaminating organisms - the product should contain the bacteria and/or yeast that it claims on the label while potentially pathogenic microorganisms and other microbial contaminants should not be present.
* Enteric protection of the product - some types of bacteria cannot survive as they pass through stomach acid and into the small intestine where the bacteria would grow
Ideally the product should contain bacteria that research shows can survive passage through the stomach or it should be enteric coated if they cannot survive the stomach acid. Products in tablets (with and without enteric coatings) should also be able to properly disintegrate so as to release the probiotic bacteria and not pass through the body intact.

ConsumerLab.com, as part of its mission to independently evaluate products that affect health, wellness, and nutrition, purchased many leading probiotic products sold in the U.S. and Canada and tested them to determine whether they 1) possessed the claimed amount of viable bacteria listed on the label and at least 1 billion live organisms per suggested daily serving, 2) were free of contamination with other yeast, mould, or types of bacteria with disease-causing potential, and 3) disintegrated properly (if in tablet form) so that their contents would be released, or if enteric-coated, their contents would be released after passing through the stomach.

ConsumerLab selected thirteen probiotic products sold in the U.S. and/or Canada. Only eight of these were found to contain at least 1 billion organisms per daily dose (a generally recommended minimum) and any higher amounts that they may have claimed on their labels. An additional six products tested through CL's Voluntary Certification Programme also met these criteria. Some products provided several billion or tens of billions of organisms per day.

Web: http://www.consumerlab.com

Former Vicar Punished for Illegally Selling Unlicensed Medicines

Walter Wright (63) of South Wales recently received 120 hours of community service and fined £1,000 costs at Swansea Crown Court for illegally selling unlicensed medicines claiming to treat a number of medical conditions, including strokes and heart disease. This follows an investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Mick Deats, Head of Enforcement & Intelligence at the MHRA said, ‘Mr Wright was blatantly deceiving the public and putting their health at risk by selling these unlicensed medicines. He sold medicinal products to vulnerable members of the public - all for his own profit and gain. These medicines have absolutely no guarantee of safety and quality and no evidence to show that they alleviate the conditions they claimed to treat.’

Mr Wright had been running a mail order company called Ynoddfa Marketing supplying unlicensed medicines from his home. This was linked to a number of websites, such as goodbye2cancer and healing4all, where a number of unlicensed medicines were sold. These products were B17 tablets, pots of Quikheal Green, Omega UR tonic, AO Heart Drops, Eczema and Myco+. MHRA enforcement officers visited Mr Wright's house on 19th May 2005 and searched his home. They later seized a number of these products that had been stored in his garden shed.

West Midlands Man Guilty of Selling 'Spiritual Creams'

Harminder Johal pleaded guilty to two Medicines Act offences on Monday 18th December and was ordered to pay £7,000 in fines and costs. Mr Johal was selling creams loaded with steroids which he was recommending for use to treat eczema in children. Mr Johal claimed that the creams contained 'spiritual qualities', in fact they were plain moisturisers laced with the prescription only medicine Clobetasol Propionate. This prescription only medicine contains corticosteroids and is only prescribed under normal circumstances to those with severe eczema and is usually prescribed by an expert in that area.

Mick Deats, Head of Intelligence & Enforcement said 'this result sends a clear message to those who are intent on abusing such potent medicines for financial gain. I cannot over-emphasise just how dangerous this kind of activity is. We will continue to clamp down on people who flout the laws under the Medicines Act and pose a threat to public health'.

Charity Wall-Planner Hits the Final Wall

Jones & McGovern Ltd has been wound up in the High Court following an investigation by the Companies Investigation Branch (CIB) of the Insolvency Service.

Manchester-based Jones & McGovern Ltd represented that fees paid by advertisers on wall-planners would be applied to a charity or other good cause when no such purpose was planned or intended.

Despite receiving fees from numerous advertisers the company officers applied to dissolve Jones & McGovern Ltd without it having produced any wall-planners.

It was only after the commencement of the CIB investigation that the company produced any wall-planners at all and these were not, in any event, distributed. In addition the company failed to produce accounting records capable of explaining its income and expenditure and flouted legal requirements not to contact businesses and individuals registered with the Telephone Preference Service.

Jones & McGovern Ltd is one of a series of such companies, under common control, which have been wound up by the Department of Trade & Industry on the grounds that they have solicited funds from advertisers based on false representations.

Dahab in Sinai to Become Egypt's Top Destination

Dahab in Sinai Egypt is now becoming Egypt's top destination for alternative and new you holidays. Once a Bedouin village with Oasis and then a diver's paradise, Dahab is now becoming just as famous for its land based activities including yoga retreats and much more.

In 2006 over 150 yoga holidays have been held in Dahab with in excess of 2500 participants. In 2007 this looks set to double with several excellent companies offering yoga holidays, many all year round, in several hotels around Dahab. Some of these include Sunrayoga, Yogatravel and Yoga on a shoestring. There are also new combinations of yoga holidays being held that were developed first in Dahab including Yoga Diving, Yoga & Free Diving, Yoga and Detox.

What makes Dahab perfect for these activity and new you holidays is its combination of the natural elements - Earth (Sinai's rugged Mountains and Desert Landscapes), Air (clear blue skies most days of the year), Fire (the heat of the sun and the warmth of a Bedouin fire in the winter evenings), Water (the red sea and its wonderful coral reefs). The scenery is magnificent, with the mountains of Sinai to the west and the Mountains of Saudi Arabia to the east, the views around Dahab are like paintings which change everyday, and are especially beautiful at sunset and sunrise. Dahab's Bedouin culture also adds another element to Dahab's delights making it an ideal choice for those who want to combine a sun and fun or alternative holiday, with a chance to experience Arabian Culture.

But it is not just yoga that is putting Dahab on the map as Egypt's new you holiday destination. There are other holiday combinations being planned for 2007 that will aim to bring more unique visitors to Dahab. These include Belly Dance Holiday Workshops, Reiki and Crystal Healing, Meditation and Painting holidays. This is just for starters and more variations on the activity and holistic holiday themes are being planned for 2007.

Dahab’s mix of western expatriates, Egyptian and Bedouin People gives it a distinctive flavour and character that really can not be matched by any other resort in Egypt. Its relaxed and easy going atmosphere is ideal for single travellers, males and females of all ages. The town is small, so it’s not long before you have made friends with many of the people in this beautiful place, and you are never very far from a familiar face. Despite the troubles in April 2006, Dahab is still one of the safest places to visit in the world to visit especially for women visitors.

Web: http://www.bbc.co.uk/holiday/destinations/egypt_best2/

NZ Doctors more Accepting of Alternatives

Alternative medicine is becoming more accepted by mainstream doctors, with more than 95 per cent of New Zealand GPs referring patients to therapies such as acupuncture, naturopathy and osteopathy.

A study of general practitioners' attitudes to alternative medicine was published in the New Zealand Medical Journal recently.

It said the most common alternative referrals were acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation and osteopathy. More than 70% of GPs recommended them.
One-fifth of GPs practised a form of natural or complementary medicine along with conventional treatments.

GPs were also asked to rate whether certain forms of medicine were alternative or conventional. Acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, and osteopathy created a split, with similar numbers of doctors rating them as conventional and alternative.

The study suggested that because these three forms were funded by the Accident Compensation Corporation they may have acquired a more mainstream reputation.

The most distrusted alternative therapies were reflexology (78%), aromatherapy (67%), and homeopathy (62%).

Christchurch School of Medicine Professor of General Practice, Les Toop, said the results fitted with his experience of the profession but ‘it depends where you draw the line between alternative and conventional’.

Toop said acupuncture was considered to be fairly mainstream as it had established an evidence base.

But Toop said he would like more regulation and training in alternative therapies.
New Zealand Register of Acupuncturists vice-president, Paddy McBride, said acupuncture was becoming mainstream because it was so effective.

‘I think they can't ignore it any longer. It's so obviously effective.’

Christchurch osteopath Will Davies said his profession was becoming more accepted ‘because of results’.

Davies said when results were established the ‘alternative’ tag no longer applied.

Kiwis Will Suffer from Ban on Chinese Medicine

The ANZTPA bill had its first reading in New Zealand's parliament last month. These new laws favour the commercial interests of the establishment and aim to restrict and outlaw much of the flourishing complementary health industry, says the Association of Chinese Medical Herbalists (ACMH).

The proposed Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill would set up a trans-Tasman regulatory regime for all medicines, medical devices and alternative health products.

It would also establish the joint Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Authority.

The new bill, which has the support of New Zealand First and United Future, would regulate:

Complementary medicines such as herbal and traditional medicines, homeopathic medicines and aromatherapy products, vitamins, minerals and dietary and nutritional supplements.
Over-the-counter medicines.
Prescription medicines.
Medical devices, for example bandages, contact lenses, hearing aids, heart valves, pacemakers and endoscopes.
Blood and blood products and tissues and cellular therapies.
Traditional healers and their products would not be included, including rongoa Maori.

The ACMH says that with a failing health system, many kiwis are turning to centuries old medicine and paying privately for their healthcare. This new system will outlaw many herbal products currently in use, despite no deaths and very few adverse reactions. As a result many kiwis will be driven back to the sinking ship of the public health system.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has developed for at least two millenia with over 10,000 different natural products prescribed for every ailment under the sun. In the last decade kiwis have turned to it in droves with an estimated four-fold increase in the number of practising Chinese Herbalists in the country. This takes the load off the public health system but also eats into the profits of the pharmaceutical and other medical companies.

'The risk to the public from trained practitioners is very low', continues the ACMH. 'However there is still some risk and we support the concept of regulating the industry. We do not support regulations that attempt to kill the industry and laws that will in fact increase the risk to public health.'

‘The system is already failing in Australia. Chinese herbal products that do pass the regulations end up with labels in English that list different ingredients to those that the manufacturers have written in Chinese. High Quality FDA (Federal Drug Administration) approved herbal products currently imported from the USA will be effectvely banned. This has created an 'under the table' market in Australia with an estimated 30% of all Chinese herbs now sold in Melbourne outside the law. This black market encourages the use of dangerous products, increasing public health risk. Asians are the fastest growing population group in the country and China our biggest potential market. The NZACMH fails to understand how these racist laws will benefit the people of New Zealand.’

First Round of Herbal Validation takes Place in Western Canada

British Columbia Institute of Technology's Natural Health Products Research Group has announced the completion of the first round of its natural health products analytical laboratory proficiency programme using the herbal goldenseal.

As part of the inter-laboratory collaborative study, blind samples consisting of authenticated and adulterated goldenseal plant material, extracts and finished products were analysed by participating laboratories in Western Canada. The samples were examined for alkaloids via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to distinguish goldenseal from its common adulterants.

The research group says it is developing analytical methods to determine the integrity of natural health products sold for consumption in Canada. It is now recruiting participating laboratories for the second round of the Programme.
Goldenseal is an indigenous North American plant, the root of which has been used as a natural antibiotic, popular for colds and flus, as well as for gastric conditions.

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) says it validated the HPLC methodology and it is suitable for distinguishing goldenseal.

Panax quniquefolius has been selected by the programme for its second round of testing.

Methodology has been selected by an international expert review panel and validation is being conducted by BCIT in collaboration with AOAC International.

The Institute listed the following labs as having met the acceptance criteria for its project and therefore having demonstrated proficiency in testing for alkaloids in goldenseal:

Canadian Phytopharmaceutical Corporation, Richmond, BC
Cantest Ltd, Burnaby, BC
Envirotest Labs, Edmonton, AB
Labs-Mart Inc., Edmonton, AB
Natural Factors Nutritional Products, Coquitlam, BC
Natural Factors R & D, Burnaby, BC
SGS Canada Inc., Vancouver, BC

Web: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com

China's Traditional Medicine Experts for Integrated Hospital

Traditional medical specialists from three renowned universities in China will help out in the implementation of the Integrated Hospital Concept, a special hospital offering a combination of western and traditional medicine treatments, in Kuala Lumpur next year.

The three universities are the University of Beijing, University of Shanghai and University of Nanjing, which are actively involved in herbal research and giving out support for well-established and closely monitored integrated hospital around China.

Health Minister, Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek said during last month's meeting with the republic's Health Ministry, the Chinese had agreed to Malaysia's proposal to send Malaysia's western-educated doctors to attend short-term courses on traditional and complementary medicine at these universities.

‘In exchange, the Chinese will send their experts in traditional medicine from the three universities to help out the Malaysian government in implementing the integrated hospital concept here,’ he told reporters after presenting a government grant amounting to RM2 million to the non-profit making Tung Shin Hospital.

Besides that, he said the universities' experts would also be roped in to introduce traditional medicine modules at the medical faculties of local universities.

‘Traditional medicine will be introduced as a subject for medical undergraduates. Upon completion, these would-be-doctors will have sound knowledge about traditional medicine,’ he said.

Chua also said that the Integrated Hospital Concept would be implemented after the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Bill was gazetted next year.
‘The government has identified three government hospitals, namely, Kepala Batas Hospital, Putrajaya Hospital and Sultan Ismail Hospital (Johor Baharu) as the pilot project for the Integrated Hospital Concept,’ he said.

‘In these hospitals, traditional medicine complementary treatments will include pain management (acupuncture, massage and reflexology), complementary treatment to build up cancer patients' immune system, health and wellness programme involving enhancing mental health, and dieting,’ he added.

Vanderbilt Mixes Alternative with Conventional to Heal

Dr. Dainia Baugh, owner of Nima Holistic Wellness in Nashville, is one of a handful of local doctors who combine unconventional therapies with Western medicine, such as drugs and surgery, in an approach called integrative medicine.

The recent opening of the Centre for Integrative Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre may signal growing acceptance of the approach.

Internet-savvy patients and people desperate for relief that Western medicine hasn't provided are asking for different therapies than doctors typically offer - but they still want the expertise and credibility of an M.D.

Wheeler came to Baugh because she was dissatisfied with the typical doctor visit.
‘It felt all physical. They never really asked how I was doing,’ she said. ‘They're going to give you a medicine and tell you what to do. I was looking for more.’

Wheeler wasn't sick when she came to Baugh, but she said the Reiki treatment helps her feel more alert and energised. She's also lost 20 pounds.

While a traditional doctor may prescribe medication for high blood pressure, an integrative physician probably will ask about diet, exercise, stress and family life. Such doctors often perform lab tests and take a complete medical history to develop a medical plan.

For advocates of integrative medicine, neither conventional medicine nor complementary therapies are enough on their own.

‘I think our approach to alternative medicine is a little different because it's more scientific,’ Baugh said.Dr. Roy Elam is the centre's medical director and lone doctor, and he believes the integrated approach fills a gap in medicine when people are not helped by conventional means.

‘The system works great if you sail through it and everything works and you feel great,’ he said.

‘But if you're one of those patients who are struggling and the procedures and the medications are not helping, you get lost. There's no place for you to go.’

The approach is catching on nationally. The American Hospital Association reported that the number of hospitals offering these therapies has risen from 7.7 percent in 1998 to 18.3 percent in 2005.

The most popular therapies offered on an outpatient basis are massage, tai chi, qigong, relaxation training and yoga.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, 78 percent of schools require students to take a complementary medicine course compared with 21 percent in 2001. Vanderbilt offers such classes, but Meharry Medical College does not.

While some doctors gravitate toward integrative health care, the trend is largely driven by patient demand.

About 87 percent of the nation's hospitals that offer complementary therapy do it because patients ask for it, according to the American Hospital Association.

Dr. Stephen Reisman owns Mind-Body Medical Centre in Nashville. Patients come to him because they want to take fewer prescriptions or because years of medicine, surgery and testing haven't cured their illness or made them feel better.

Integrative-medicine doctors who are trusted by patients are often trusted by doctors, too. Most of Baugh's patients initially came from recommendations and word of mouth. In the past year, many of her patients are coming from other, more traditional doctors whom she has sent patients to for acute or advanced care.

Elam said most of the integrated health centre's patients come from other Vanderbilt doctors.

‘We don't see ourselves as providing services as an alternative to traditional medicine,’ he said. ‘When research documents that this works and the outcomes are positive, then this is the way medicine will go.’

Nestle Confirms Novartis Medical Nutrition Buy

Swiss food giant Nestle has confirmed its plan to purchase Novartis Medical Nutrition for US$2.5bn - a move that propels it from a minor player in healthcare nutrition to the world number two.

Rumours that Nestle has been discussing the acquisition of the unit, which makes nutritional supplements - both oral and tube delivery - for use in hospitals and nursing homes, have been circulating since November.

In addition to bolstering Nestle's health and nutrition division - a major area of focus and investment - the deal comes with 2000 employees, whose expertise will boost Nestle's R&D capability.

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé, said: ‘I am very pleased that this acqui¬sition allows us to become a very strong player in the strategic core category of nutrition. ... This is a very important step for the Nestlé Group in its strategic trans¬formation process to a nutrition, health and wellness company as it strengthens the core of our globally managed Nestlé Nutrition business.'

Nestle has said that the unit is complementary to its existing healthcare nutrition activities, both in geographical spread and products. ‘The combination of both offers a product portfolio covering all disease specific cases where special nutrition is needed,’ it said. Because of the synergies it does not expect there to be any short term material impact on the earnings.

Nestlé Nutrition is an autonomous unit within the group, and it already has a global presence in infant nutrition, health care nutrition and performance nutrition. For the first nine months of the current fiscal year the nutrition unit reported sales of CHF4.3m (€2.7m), up from CHF 3.8m (€2.4m) for the prior year period.

The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to complete in the second half of 2007.

In its communication about the acquisition Nestle made no mention of speculation that it is also looking to buy Novartis' Gerber baby foods division.

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