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Chronic Disease

Japanese Researchers Find Ampelopsis Vine Harbors Potential Hepatitis Therapy

By Janet Gulland | Contributing Writer - Vol. 8, No. 4. , 2007

Ampelopsis brevipedunculata aka Porcelainberry, a rapidly growing vine in the grape family, has become a bane of many American gardeners and landscapers, owing to its rapid and invasive growth. In Japan, it has been used as a medicinal for centuries. Recent research suggests the “grapes” from this plant can halt liver fibrosis and improve liver function in people with hepatitis.

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Is Acupuncture Useful in Treating Hypertension?

By John C. Longhurst, MD, PhD | Contributing Writer - Vol. 8, No. 4. , 2007

Acupuncture can be a valuable tool for normalizing blood pressure, particularly systolic blood pressure, and it could play a much greater role in our clinical management of patients with early-stage elevations who are at cardiovascular risk, but are reluctant to accept drug therapies.

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Hypothyroidism: Very Common But Easily Missed

By Michael Traub, ND - Vol. 8, No. 4. , 2007

Hypothyroidism is very common, and it has serious health consequences, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, menorrhagia, infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, depression, psoriasis, and urticaria. But you’ll often miss it if you rely solely on conventional diagnostic criteria.

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Ecology and Public Health: Healing the Web of Life

By Erik L. Goldman | Editor in Chief - Vol. 8, No. 4. , 2007

PORTLAND, OR—Environmental issues are inseparable from health care issues, and holistically minded physicians need to step up and assume leadership in the effort to reverse environmental degradation.

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Is Diabetes an Environmental Illness?

By Staff Writer - Vol. 8, No. 4. , 2007

PORTLAND, OR—Few people think of type 2 diabetes as being an “environmental” disease. But new data, recently published in prominent diabetes journals, point to an etiologic connection between exposure to “persistent organic pollutants (POPs)” and risk of diabetes, said John Peterson “Pete” Myers, at the annual meeting of the American Holistic Medical Association.

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Sustainable Weight Loss: Understanding Famine Physiology and the Psychology of Obesity

By Erik L. Goldman | Editor in Chief - Vol. 8, No. 3. , 2007

In 2001, Jon Abrams was a successful fast-track Wall Streeter. He was also morbidly obese, weighing over 400 lb. Despite disciplined dieting on everything from Atkins to Zone, he couldn’t lose weight, until he began to understand why his body wanted to be fat. Speaking at the American Holistic Medical Association’s annual conference, he shared lessons learned on his journey back to fitness.

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Mostly Ocean: A New Wave of Interest Quinton’s Marine Therapy

By August West | Contributing Writer - Vol. 8, No. 3. , 2007

More than 100 years ago, French physiologist Rene Quinton described similarities between human blood plasma and ocean water, and he established a whole system of “marine therapies,” making use of specially harvested seawater to treat everything from skin rashes to tuberculosis. Today, a new generation of clinicians worldwide are discovering the salutary effects of Quinton’s “Marine Plasma.”

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Obesity in Women: Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Calcium May Be Valuable Allies

By Tori Hudson, ND | Contributing Writer - Vol. 8, No. 3. , 2007

Obesity is especially common among women. Recent studies show that women can lose small but clinically meaningful amounts of weight through the Atkins, Zone, Ornish or LEARN diet regimens. Conjugated linoleic acid may be a valuable ally in weight loss. Calcium supplementation may also help.

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The Naturopathic Approach for Psoriasis

By Michael Traub, ND & Monica Scheel, MD - Vol. 8, No. 2. , 2007

Psoriasis is thought to be the result of T-cell activation initiated by unidentified antigens. These activated T-cells release cytokines like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) that lead to keratinocyte proliferation. This hyper-proliferative response decreases epidermal transit time from the normal 28 days to 2–4 days, ultimately leading to the erythematous scaly plaques that characterize the disease.

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