HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: kaminski@netcom.com (Peter Kaminski)
Subject: Re: Vaccinations?
Organization: The Information Deli - via Netcom / San Jose, California
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 06:21:43 GMT

wright@duca.hi.com (David Wright), in <1iicddINNkau@duca.hi.com>:

>What are "OMD" and "CA"?

Doctor of Oriental Medicine, and <something> Acupuncture.  From the
bio in the back of _The Immunization Decision_:

  Dr. Neustaedter practices homeopathic medicine in Palo Alto,
  California, specializing in child health care.  As a well recognized
  author, his works include an authoritative text of _Homeopathic
  Pediatrics_ and many articles in the homeopathic medical journals.
  Dr. Neustaedter was past director of the homeopathic medicine
  department at Pacific College of Naturopathic Medicine and presently
  lectures at the Hahnemann Colleg of Homeopathy.  He is a licensed
  acupuncturist and received his Doctorate in Oriental Medicine in
  Hong Kong.  His practice integrates homeopathy, acupuncture, and
  modern diagnostic medicine.
From: richter@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (C. Richter)
Subject: Titha - medicinal herb 
Organization: UTCS Public Access
Distribution:  world     
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 19:54:42 GMT

Has anyone heard of the Indian plant called "titha" (_Coptis teeta_)?  I am 
not sure whether it is an ayurvedic plant or not, but it apparently grows 
in the state of Arunchal Pradesh.  According to a government publication, 
exports of the root and seeds are "virtually banned," so it is likely to  
be a threatened species (although it is not on the CITES list). 
 
According to a recent Indian magazine article, the tribals of A.P. regard 
it as an "excellent" medicinal herb; but the article gives no clue as to 
what it is used for.  
 
There is a North American species _Coptis trifolia_ ("goldthread") which 
is has well known medicinal properties. 
 
 

-- 
Conrad Richter                     richter@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca
Richters Herbs                     71550.3411@compuserve.com
Goodwood, ON L0C 1AO Canada        Tel 416-640-6677 / Fax 416-640-6641
From: bochner@das.harvard.edu (Harry Bochner)
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Subject: RE: Vitamins
Date: 8 Jan 93 23:19:40 GMT
Article-I.D.: das.1993Jan8.231940.5536
Organization: Aiken Computation Lab, Harvard University

In article <8JAN93.01301705@nerus.pfc.mit.edu>,
mrl@nerus.pfc.mit.edu writes:
|> Why did they use beta-carotene instead of plain vitamin A?

Overdosing is a serious consideration with plain vitamin A. The dose mentioned
(25,000 units per day) is probably safe for short periods, but it's high enough
that it might make some people quite sick if they kept it up for a long period of
time.

I haven't heard figures of how much beta-carotene you can safely take, but my
understanding is that there's much less danger of toxicity.

|> Aren't there factors
|> which inhibit the conversion of beta-carotene into vitamin A?

Well, that's the trade-off, of course.
The factor I've heard of is that even an iron-defficiency too mild to cause
anemia will decrease the efficiency of the conversion.

-- 
Harry Bochner
bochner@das.harvard.edu
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: rkaplan@netcom.com (Richard Kaplan)
Subject: Re: LIFE EXPECTANCy
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 04:14:54 GMT

In article <1993Jan9.021223.6850@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
 msmith@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Michael A Smith) writes:

>A Minnesota native recently told me that her state had the highest
>life expectancy.  I doubted this.  She couldn't find information to
>back up her claim.  I would think that a warm climate such as ARIZONA,
>TEXAS, or HAWAII would have the longest L.E.'s.  She disagrees and
>states that cold weather increases L.E.

I do not have the exact statistics, but I would not be
surprised if your friend were right.  More importantly,
though, this does not necessarily mean that YOU would live
longer if you moved to Minnesota.  There are quite a 
number of other confounding variables.  For example,
there are quite a number less homeless and medically
uninsured people in Minnesota than in Texas, due in 
part to climate, state politics, and immigration
patterns.  The homeless and/or medically uninsured may
have shorter life expectancies and thus it may appear
that Minnesota is a "healthier" place to live.  Numerous
other political and other factors may complicate this
analysis, not the least of which is that sick people
often choose to move to a warm climate, thus artificially
shortening the life expectancy in warm climates.

You can prove anything you wish with statistics.  Be
careful out there.

-- 
Richard Kaplan M.D.           Medical Software Exchange BBS
806 2nd St. SW # 104          (507) 281-1989 14,400 HST
Rochester, MN  55902          (507) 281-1689 Voice
PP-ASEL-IA     N4VRB          rkaplan@mayo.edu|netcom.netcom.com  
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: echristo@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Elena A Christofides)
Subject: Re: Vaccinations?
Organization: The Ohio State University
                         ^^
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 02:09:42 GMT


Arthritis IS joint pain.
Defn: Inflammation of the joints.

And actually, temporary arthritis, particularly of the cervical vertebrae is 
quite common!

Enough to be listed in Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine

(specific references later if anyone asks)

It's also quite annoying - I had it when I received my MMR vaccination.
That's when I cracked open my Harrison's  - the God of Internal Medicine.

Elena
From: traub@rtf.bt.co.uk (Michael Traub)
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Subject: Re: Vaccinations?
Date: 8 Jan 93 11:15:59 GMT
Organization: BT Customer Systems, Brighton, UK

In article <1993Jan7.085017.589@news.wesleyan.edu> RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Ruth Ginzberg) writes:
>A developing problem is this:  since the MMR vaccine is not given until the age
>of 1 year, and since there are now many infants being born to women
>who never had measles but who acquired their immunity from vaccination, there
>are now many infants who are totally unprotected from measles prior to the age
>when they receive their own MMR vaccinations (usually 1 year).  25 or 30 years
>ago, measles prior to the age of 1 year was almost unheard of (because most
>infants were born with their mother's natural immunity).  Now measles prior to
>the age of 1 year is becoming a problem, as new generations are born to women
>who never had the disease.  I believe this is one of the newest problems facing
>measles researchers -- what to do about this phenomenon...

This is interesting. I just checked and luckily my wife also had measles
as a child (she was 2 when she had it). That should protect our daughter
for a while then. I see you make no mention of breastfeeding. I thought
breastfeeding increased a child's immunity by passing anitbodies in the
milk?



-- 
Michael Traub
BT Customer Systems, Brighton Systems Centre. traub@btcs.bt.co.uk

    JOE, taxi driver: Unemployment will rise and sooner or later the
    masses will revolt against it. There'll be civil disorder and the
    further breakdown of civil society. The end result I hope will be
    the triumph of the people over capitalism. I also wouldn't mind
    if a few more people used taxis this year - '92 was rotten.

(Taken from "Hopes and Fears" in The Guardian, December 31st 1992, a
section which looked at what people saw 1993 bringing)
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: npm@dale.cts.com (Nancy Milligan)
Subject: Re: Alternative Medicine Challenged, Modern Medicine Challenged
Organization: Titan Linkabit Corporation
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 19:18:55 GMT

George Horwath (horwath@rtsg.mot.com) wrote:
> She said that after the three weeks, her back problems vanished.

Maybe just resting and relaxing at home would have done the
same thing.
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: london@sunSITE.unc.edu (Larry London)
Subject: Re: Juicers
Organization: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 16:53:26 GMT

In article <1993Jan4.192931.1311@cbnewsl.cb.att.com> 
rkaren@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (robert.karen) writes:
>I am interested in buying a juice maker and I have no idea what to
>look for. I see prices ranging from $39 to the sky is the limit. The 
>only feature that I know I want is that it should be easy to clean.
>Can anybody give me some simple guidelines or refer me to any publication
>similar to Consumer Reports. Please email to rkaren\@hlwpw.att.com.

Champion Juicer, preferably the industrial model (a little more costly
but has a heavier-duty motor which allows more flexibility when processing
fruit, nuts, vegetables, herbs). Around $325 I would guess. I have one of
these and am very satisfied with it; it's easy to clean and is versatile
enough to juice parsley. A grain mill is available for it too.

Lawrence
london@sunsite.unc.edu
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: london@sunSITE.unc.edu (Larry London)
Subject: Re: Juicers
Organization: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 05:23:50 GMT

In article <1993Jan6.001415.4730@sol.ctr.columbia.edu> bobp@msi.com 
(Bob Pitha) writes:
>So, is it really worth my time/effort to dig one up?  

Absolutely. Fresh juice is really good for you.

Just think of it, a tall cool quart of juiced:

scallion
brocolli
lemon
parsley
beet
cucumber
romaine
tomato
green pepper
carrot
celery

Or you can do the old colander & knife routine. Peel/pare/cut up
the above vegetables; put them in a colander; eat them all; 
enjoy, feel great the next day.

>Does anyone have any
>suggestions on how I could find one 

I'll try to find addresses for you. 

london@sunsite.unc.edu
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: rkaplan@netcom.com (Richard Kaplan)
Subject: Analysis of Homeopathy Literature
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 05:51:15 GMT


 Bernie Simon writes [in multiple articles]:

>Homeopathy has been tested in double blind trials and in most
>of these trials it has been shown to be effective.  For a good
>summary of the evidence see the following study:
>[Reference to Brit Med J v302 p316] 

>It the usual thing in medicine for studies of a new drug to be funded
>by the company that is planning on selling the drug. If you throw out
>all studies that have been funded by drug companies, you are throwing
>out most of the research on allopathic medicines. I don't know who has
>funded most of the research on homeopathic medicine, but absent any
>evidence of fraud, I am willing to accept it just as I accept similar
>research on allopathic medicines.

I looked up this reference, as well as the others on your
list that you posted in the past.  The authors' own
conclusions are significantly less favorable than you
paint them above, and the author of the review article
above which you say is "good" admits himself that there
may be publication bias (i.e. fraud).  If you wish to
debate the details of the specific papers I would be glad
to, but for now I believe the following direct quotes from
the review article you mention summarize things
well:

     "Most trials seemed to be of very low quality, but
     there were many exceptions.  The results showed a positive
     trend regardless of the quality of the trial or
     the variety of homeopathy used.  Overall, of the 105
     trials with interpretable results, 81 trials indicated
     positive results whereas in 24 trials no positive effects
     of homeopathy were found.   The results of this
     review may be complicated by publication bias, 
     especially in such a controversial subject as
     homeopathy.

     "Conclusions -- At the moment the evidence of
     clinical trials is positive but not sufficient to
     draw definitive conclusions because most trials
     are of low methodological quality and because of
     the unknown role of publication bias.  This 
     indicates there is a legitimate case for further 
     evaluation of homeopathy, but only by means of
     well performed trials."


What this means to me is that there may, indeed, be some
efficacy to SOME homeopathic treatments but that the
current standard of knowledge/research within homeopathy
is not sufficient to warrant the degree of legitimacy
for homeopathy its advocates seem to desire.  There
does, indeed, appear to be a role for future research
in homeopathy, but by no means is homeopathy advanced
sufficiently IMHO to warrant its representation to patients
as an established-effective treatment methodology.
  
-- 
Richard Kaplan M.D.           Medical Software Exchange BBS
806 2nd St. SW # 104          (507) 281-1989 14,400 HST
Rochester, MN  55902          (507) 281-1689 Voice
PP-ASEL-IA     N4VRB          rkaplan@mayo.edu|netcom.netcom.com
From: jgreene@Bonnie.ICS.UCI.EDU (Kevin Greene)
Subject: HYSSOP? (where can I get it)
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Date: 10 Jan 93 20:12:00 GMT

Could someone refer me to some place I can get hyssop products?
I believe there is some sort of hyssop foundation (in LA?).  Also,
if someone could point me to references for its use, it would be
greatly appreciated.
If possible, email.  Thanks.
Kevin
jgreene@bonnie.ics.uci.edu

Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: gfavelle@muug.mb.ca (Gord Favelle)
Subject: Re: LIFE EXPECTANCy
Organization: Manitoba Unix User Group, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 06:41:53 GMT

In <1993Jan9.081404.602@news.wesleyan.edu> RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu
Ruth Ginzberg notes:
> ..........  [rest deleted] ............  It is interesting to note
>that the LE of the Native American population of Minnesota (which is something
>like 4% of the state population) is an abysmal 42 years.  Since descendants of
>Scandinavian ancestors (in Minnesota) and descendants of Native American
>ancestors (in Minnesota) all experience the same cold weather (in Minnesota),
>one might speculate that cold weather may not be much of an explanation in this
>case, and that other factors account for Minnesotans' longevity.

>------------------------
>Ruth Ginzberg <rginzberg@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
>Philosophy Department;Wesleyan University;USA

Using a comparison between the aboriginal population and "Minnesotans"
doesn't make any sense since "Native Americans (in Minnesota)" ARE
Minnesotans.  To anyone who knows the plight of the aboriginal population
in almost any state (or country for that matter) it is blatantly obvious
why their longevity is so low compared to the rest of the population. 
"Cold weather" is a totally irrelevant factor in comparing these populations.

-- 
Internet: gfavelle@muug.mb.ca	| Condoms aren't completely safe.  A friend	
GEnie:	  xtx24081		| of mine was wearing one and got hit by a
AOL:	  Cpt Canada		| bus.   (Bob Rubin)

Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: pedwards@csli.stanford.edu (Paul N Edwards)
Subject: tinnitus - ringing in the ears
Organization: CSLI, Stanford University
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 18:32:48 GMT

Does anyone know any remedies for tinnitus (ringing in the ears)? 
Mine isn't related to hearing loss. Western docs basically say
there's nothing they can do about it, but ignore it and it will go
away. This is true in one sense - if I stop thinking about it I
stop noticing it - but it's still very unpleasant when I want to
sit outside under the stars on a quiet night and all I can hear is
this loud ringing sound.

Anyone know if acupuncture works, and if so, does anyone have
an acupuncturist in the Peninsula area they recommend? Herbal
remedies? Supplements? I'll try anything.


Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: bsimon@elvis.stsci.edu (Bernie Simon)
Subject: Re: homeopathy
Organization: None. This saves me from writing a disclaimer.
	<1992Dec29.183006.1832@netcom.com> <1hssu9INNgpt@rave.larc.nasa.gov>
	<1993Jan4.225950.16830@klaava.Helsinki.FI>
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 12:52:20 GMT

In article <1993Jan4.225950.16830@klaava.Helsinki.FI> 
vhalkka@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Vesa Halkka) writes:

   The ugly side of the story is, that there are Homeopathic gurus
   who tell the patient to throw away all conventional medicines,
   because they make homeopathic stuff uneffective.
   And what we do we get ? Children dying to diabetes, for example.

Homeopathic gurus? There's nothing to prevent an ignorant person from
using homeopathic medicines. However, when this ignorant person gives
bad advice the fault lies with the person and not with the system of
medicine he or she practices. However, its hard to imagine someone
being so ignorant that they would tell someone with juvenile diabetes
to stop taking insulin. Do you know of any case where a homeopathic
physician told someone with juvenile diabetes to stop taking insulin?

--
Bernie Simon			New Year's Resolution:
(bsimon@stsci.edu)		I promise not to call anyone a bonehead.

Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
From: Harvey Newstrom <hnewstrom@hnewstrom.ess.harris.com>
Subject: Re: re. anti-oxidants
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 16:18:07 GMT
X-Xxdate: Mon, 11 Jan 93 16:18:49 GMT
Organization: Harris
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A7770819A4020C03@hnewstrom.ess.harris.com>
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d16

Subject: Re: re. anti-oxidants
From: Steve Dyer, dyer@spdcc.com
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 06:36:18 GMT
In article <1993Jan7.063618.21034@spdcc.com> Steve Dyer, dyer@spdcc.com
writes:
>In article <1993Jan6.190814.19561@Csli.Stanford.EDU>
pedwards@csli.stanford.edu 
>(Paul N Edwards) writes:
>>One prescription-drug antioxidant is Hydergine, also well known as
>>a "smart" drug. Among other effects it improves oxygen metabolism in
>>the brain. In Europe it is given intravenously during operations
>>in which heavy blood loss is possible - a person without Hydergine
>>will die in less than 5 minutes if blood flow to the brain stops,
>>while one with Hydergine can survive for 30 minutes!
>
>Snort.  This is nonsense.

Actually, there are many substances that can help inhibit oxygen-
deprivation degradation in the brain.  They act similarly to the cold-
effect in drowning victims, where they last longer without brain damage
than would otherwise be expected.  This effect has only been noted with
immediate cranial injections of high amounts.  I don't think that oral
suppliments would be enough to have any effect.  The effect of
anti-oxidants
is not the same as "improves oxygen metabolism", however.  The
utilization of oxygen be the brain is not affected by Hydergine.

>>Hydergine is also extremely safe, with no known toxic dose. It's the
>>5th most prescribed drug in the world (often for old people, for
>>whom it's thought to improve memory).

This is where I expected Steve to say "Snort.  This is nonsense."
One has to start slowly with Hydergine, because it causes headaches,
slight dizziness, and decline in mental acuity at first.  The only studies
I have seen, seem to indicate that it works to reverse the mental
decline caused by aging in the brain, meaning that young people probably
cannot get much benefit as an intelligence inhancer.  It is a strong
anti-oxidant, which is good, but there are other anti-oxidants which
don't mess with the brain chemistry.

>The drug is very popular in Europe, more so than in the US, though
>it isn't ignored here to the extent it should be.  Controlled studies
>of the cognitive effects of Hydergine have shown that, if anything,
>its use in the elderly leads to neurological declines.

I wouldn't mind seeing references to this.  I have not seen evidence of
neurological decline (after the initial adjustments if the dose is too
high),
although I have noted a failure of American experiments to detect any
significant effects of this drug on brain function.

>Steve Dyer
>dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
__
Harvey Newstrom   (hnewstrom@hnewstrom.ess.harris.com)   Voice:
(407)727-5176
Harris Corp., Box 37, MS 15-8874, Melbourne, FL  32902     FAX:
(407)727-6611
From: wright@duca.hi.com (David Wright)
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Subject: Re: Bates method (natural vision improvement)
Date: 7 Jan 1993 13:08:06 -0000
Organization: Hitachi Computer Products, OSSD division
NNTP-Posting-Host: duca.hi.com

In article <1992Dec29.094246.4472@rtf.bt.co.uk> traub@rtf.bt.co.uk (Michael Traub) writes:
>In article <BzvL60.3M7@ssr.com> sdb@ssr.com (Scott Ballantyne) writes:
>>In article <1h7vu4INNfem@flop.ENGR.ORST.EDU> shreeved@ece.orst.edu (David Shreeve) writes:
>>
>>       "The Art of Seeing" by Aldous Huxley
>>	---Yes!, this is the same Aldous Huxley of Brave New World fame
>>	   who did a good deal to popularize the Bates method in the 40s.
>>	   I guess he was near blind until he discovered Bates.
>>
>>Huxley was not helped by the Bates method - he ended up nearly blind.
>
>That's you into the kill file. Informed scientific rebuttal is one thing,
>but uninformed answers like yours, posted simply because you refuse to
>believe that someone's personal testimony is of any value, even when Aldous
>Huxley clearly did manage to regain a large percentage of his eyesight, are
>simply a waste of bandwidth.

It's far from certain that Huxley did regain that much eyesight.  He
took to delivering lectures on the wonders of the Bates method;
however, a first-person account of one of these that I read showed
rather clearly that Huxley in fact could barely see, and had simply
memorized his lecture (no, I'm not accusing him of fraud -- I'm
confident that he believed what he was saying).

In answer to your next question, no, I can't recall where I read this.
It might have been "The Straight Dope", however.

  -- David Wright, Hitachi Computer Products (America), Inc.
     wright@hicomb.hi.com
From: ()
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Subject: Re: Vitamins
Followup-To: misc.health.alternative
Date: 7 Jan 1993 14:55:32 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Computing, Imperial College, University of London, UK.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: wplmacd-56.doc.ic.ac.uk

In article <1992Dec28.192240.14986@das.harvard.edu>,
bochner@das.harvard.edu (Harry Bochner) wrote:
> 

> how much is too much when taking vit c daily?  can one od on vit C?
im taking 500mg daily but perhaps as a fairly heavy smoker i should up
this to 1000mg - any comments?
From: greg@antizen.EBay.Sun.COM
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Subject: Re: Chiropractic advice
Date: 4 Jan 1993 17:52:07 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Distribution: world
Reply-To: greg@antizen.EBay.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: antizen.ebay.sun.com


In article 14546@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu, thagerma@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Teresa D Hagerman) writes:
> 
> Since I started spending much of my workday at a desk and/or a pc, I've noticed
> an increase in neck, shoulder and upper back pain.  I've tried stretching 
> exercises at work and they do provide some short-term relief...but I still ache
> at the end of the day.
> 
> I am considering chiropractic care. A co-worker gave me a gift certificate for 
> a visit to her doctor, so there won't be any cash at stake for the first visit.
> 
> Suddenly, many well-meaning friends and family members are warning me..."it
> will cost an arm and a leg"..."it does more harm than good"..."they're a bunch 
> of quacks"..."you just need to get more exercise"...and so on.
> 
> Does anyone have any advice?  Any experiences (good or bad) to share?
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> Teresa Hagerman


This depends on the chiropractor. From stories I hear there still are alot
of questionable chiropractors out there. I personally am very happy with mine,
but I never considered going to one until I had injured my back for the second
time.

My chiropractor works with the muscles in addition to adjusting my spine.
Also, she spends alot of time with me in during each appointment and always
recommends exercise and proper nutrition.

Greg


Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative