Every day we are challenged in many ways: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. As we have seen in previous issues, these challenges can effect our health. Our goal then, is to establish the maximum health state possible for ourselves and our loved ones, which is a state of wellness. In addition, we want you to be prepared for the many health conditions that occur in your family.

A Fresh Perspective on Exercise and Cancer – The True Meaning of Victory
by Eric Durak, MSc, nationwide Director of Cancer Wellness Programs

Like most Americans, I had took great pride in the victory of Lance Armstrong in last year's Tour de France. His victory was especially taken to heart because I understood the seriousness of his [testicular] cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent return to competitive athletics. Over the past five years, the Santa Barbara Athletic Club has instructed an exercise and wellness program whereby persons diagnosed with cancer can participate in small group exercise sessions with their peers and lift weights, perform yoga, train on aerobic machines, and relax with meditation sessions. The results have been as remarkable as a Tour de France win.

Participants on average improved strength and endurance by over 25% over their initial ten weeks of exercise. They improved their fatigue levels by over 30%, and reduced pain by over 20%. More importantly, they improved their quality of life scores (well-being, daily-living scores) by almost 40%. This is important, because according to many oncologists, survivability and quality of life ARE the two most important areas of cancer treatment today. Dr Kerry Courneya from the University of Alberta in Canada has done some of the best research on the effects of exercise and quality of life. His recent review of over 20 studies concludes that three quarters of these reports had significant results in quality of life improvements for patients. That means that most published reports favor the use of exercise to improve quality of life.

A very recent report presented by Dr. Barbara Anderson from the Ohio State University found that patients who attended regular support groups actually increased their survivability significantly. Unlike previous psychosocial interventions, the OSU group looked at stress hormones such as cortisol, and proteins such as Mucin (MUC1) and their relationship to breast cancer progression. It now seems that support and regular physical activity (which was also monitored) have a tremendous impact on survivorship by regulating hormones and proteins that may have deleterious effects on the immune system.

Click the title for the full article.

St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States, was founded by a Spanish admiral. The city boasts the oldest house, the Gonzalez-Alvarez House, a claim similar to Santa Fe NM explored in last year's November 26th "Places" article. It is located in northeast Florida, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal Waterway.

Larry Layne's Organizations

We visited with multi-talented holistic practitioner, Laurence Layne, in his quiet Healing Waters Clinic, north of St Augustine. He has worked with other organizations to help expand the holistic healthcare model, and encourages medical practitioners to adapt to this model. His clinic provides an example of several modalities working together, with six primary practitioners and several other associated practitioners.

Sister organizations to the Clinic, managed by Mr Layne, are:

For more information, go the article in the Wellness eJournal.

Avalon: Bed, Breakfast and Bodywork

We also had an enjoyable visit to Avalon, a "bed and breakfast retreat in a quiet and peaceful country setting." The owners, Ginny LaRue and Ian Abarbanel, gave us a tour of their unique, private rooms and facilities. Not only it is a peaceful out-of-the-way location, it offers sessions in Aromatherapy, Aromassage, Reflexology and Hatha Yoga onsite, as well as kayaking and canoeing on the water only 12 minutes away.

Learn more about the facilities at Avalon, as well as the historical and enjoyable travel and tourism aspects of in St Augustine, in Jo Hehnke's travel section in the Wellness eJournal.

HealthQuest Database, by Diana C Bright, MS, RD

The HealthQuest Database is primarily designed for healthcare professionals, and you can ask about the use of this database by your practitioners. However, if you are a healthcare professions student or are investigating your own multiple health problems to better understand and coordinate your therapies, you may want to invest in this database yourself.

The HealthQuest Database, from Standard in Natural Solutions in Ft Collins CO, has been an invaluable resource that I have incorporated into my practice. I believe it is one of the top nutrition databases available in the US, being well-referenced and providing quality education at a very competitive price.

There are many features that sold me on this extremely user-friendly program, including the Health Concerns section, which has over 200 health conditions (definition, signs and symptoms) and natural solutions (nutritional recommendations), along with dietary and lifestyle applications.

The database has been a real time-saver, allowing me to customize patient nutrition protocols utilizing the graphable questionnaires which recommend nutrition, and the "Patient Fact Sheets" have saved me from "reinventing the wheel" every time I answer questions about my nutritional recommendations. Laboratory test values can also be used as a tool in the assessment of nutritional protocols.

There is a virtual encyclopedia of information available on various nutrients, from vitamins and minerals to herbs and specialty nutrients.

The extensive Drug-Nutrient section, which covers interactions and depletions, offers credibility and assurance of responsibility in a growing area of concern. Drugs can be accessed by generic name, trade name, or category.

The Wellness Information section encompasses a variety of information and tips, including special diets and wellness advice (e.g. detoxification baths).

A search engine can be employed to determine all areas where specific items are located in the database.

All in all, I have found this database to be a helpful adjunct to my practice, and I would highly recommend it to any health practitioner who is interested in improving the quality and efficiency of their healthcare services.

You can review it on the following web site: www.hquest.com. A single user is $595 while a multi-user (more than one PC or networked) is $695. Call (970)204-4950 or email: sales@hquest.com for more information. Let them know how you found them.

One of the authors of HealthQuest, Lynn Toohey, MS, PhD, publishes another website, www.Nutri-Notes.com, on which she provides nutritional and lifestyle advice to health professionals and enthusiastic individuals who have an avid interest in up-to-date research and alternative medicine.

Diana C Bright, MS, RD, has a private nutritional practice in Golden, CO. She has helped clients with arthritis, allergies, diabetes, weight problems, and several other conditions. She helps her clients searching for natural alternatives to explore dietary and lifestyle modifications based on scientific research. You may email or call her, (303) 274-6743.

News reports summaries on Healthcare and Wellness follow. We have most of the articles on file in case you look for the web references after they are cleared.

America's Healthiest Cities, Natural Health Magazine, January/February. "What does it take to be chosen one of America's Natural Healthiest Cities? Certainly not what it takes to make most mainstream lists of healthy cities. While those lists give cities high marks for access to doctor-centered care, our list gives high marks for self-care practices like yoga and good nutrition. And while some lists hold childhood immunization rates in high esteem, a natural healthy city wins points for natural birthing centers and holistic veterinarians.

"Of the eleven categories we measured, those specific to a natural healthy city (Acupuncturists, natural food stores, birthing centers, holistic Veterinarians, Yoga studios, vegetarian restaurants and farmers' markets) were weighted more than general health categories like air and water quality and green space. Statistics on health behaviors and lifestyle-related disease (including numbers of smokers, diabetics, and couch potatoes by state) were used as tie breakers. [In the full article] you'll find more details about each category, including what we measured, where we got our data, and where to turn for more information.

Of the 30 largest cities in the USA evaluated and listed in the article, the top 11 cities that rated three out of five stars or better were:

Click title for the complete article, including write-ups on the top five cities.

PricewaterhouseCoopers: Net to Radically Change Healthcare Industry, Nua Internet Surveys, November 2, 1999. The results of a global survey, 'HealthCast 2010,' find that the Internet will be responsible for creating massive change in the healthcare industry in the next few years.

The survey, conducted by the healthcare division of PricewaterhouseCoopers, questioned 400 industry thought leaders from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Finland, New Zealand and Spain. 89 percent of those surveyed said they believed that Internet consulting services would reduce the number of real time visits, and 71 percent said they believed the Internet would force improvements in healthcare industry.

In addition, access to medical information online will result in a more educated patient who expects higher standards in disease prevention as opposed to treatment. The ability to communicate directly with patients via email or IRC will help increase efficiency and result in less home visits.

The report concludes that the Internet is very conducive to the healthcare industry, that healthcare web sites will mirror online retail outfits and begin placing more importance on customer service issues and brand awareness. Speed of delivery, quality of service and levels of customization will differentiate one online health store from another, not size.

Click title for full article.

Make your immune system invincible, Tedd Mitchell, MD, USA Weekend, January 7-9th. "If you're like most people, you probably don't even think about your immune system – until you get sick. The human immune system is an elegant, effective tool for protecting us from environmental marauders. When it's functioning normally, it helps defend your body from things you're never even aware of. When functioning abnormally, it can lead to annoying or even deadly illnesses.

"To truly stay well, it's important to understand how disease attacks your body, and how your immune system defends itself. It's a finely calibrated system. An overactive immune system can lead to allergies, because the body's defenses overreact to environmental substances that are not actually dangerous. Or it can cause arthritis, because it misidentifies the body's own tissues, such as joints, as foreign, then attacks them. (Medicines to treat allergies and rheumatological conditions such as arthritis often are designed to suppress the immune system.) An underactive immune system, which can be caused by everything from excessive exercise to chemotherapy to aging, makes you vulnerable to getting sick – often.

"Although some things that affect the immune system are out of your control, you can focus on three basic areas to keep illness at bay. Stress, diet and activity are the three pillars of the immune system."

Click title for full article. One section recommends immunizations – consider them very carefully, and do some research first. See the next news report.

Hepatitis B Vaccine Exemption Bill Set Aside in Colorado, by Patti Johnson, Colorado State Board of Education

A bill in the Colorado legislature to remove Hepatitis B as a mandatory vaccination for infants and children was "set aside indefinitely" in committee. The Health, Environment, Welfare and Institutions (HEWI) Committee ignored testimony – by MDs, a medical association, other experts and parents of severely injured children – that most children are not at risk. The highest risk populations are IV drug users and people with multiple sex partners. Hepatitis B vaccine has caused adverse reactions and death. France suspended the vaccine recommendation for school children because of repeated reports of autoimmune and neurological disorders after Hepatitis B vaccination. Much more scientific research needs to be done.

Colorado is one of the fifteen or so states that allows a religious or philosophical belief exemption to vaccinations. However, it is kept very quiet, and parents are not being informed of their right to exercise the exemption. Colorado law requires school districts to inform parents of their rights when distributing information to parents regarding immunization, but this is done in "the fine print," and the "requirement" is broadcast loudly and sternly, even by the media covering this bill. In addition, in some school districts, the information on exemptions is not even in the "fine print." These violations have been documented.

The drug companies flew in the big wigs to testify to the HEWI committee with "facts" that cannot be supported by any scientific studies. One allegation was that Hepatitis B virus can live for days on a blood spill, and therefore is more contagious than AIDS. Opponents to the vaccine have been asking for the scientific research that backs up that statement, but there isn't any. The numbers of Hepatitis B cases that they reported cannot be validated. The real reason that Hepatitis B has been declining is not because of the vaccination but because blood products have been screened for the virus.

The drug companies also flew in a woman who claimed that her four year-old daughter, who has Hepatitis B, got a paper cut at Barnes and Noble bookstore and put everybody at risk who picked up a book that had her daughters blood on it. One of the experts who opposes the vaccine has testified around the country and says that different parents have given this exact story to other state legislatures. The parents are always from a different state, so there is no way easy way of knowing if they even have a four year old daughter.

Colorado Action alert, by Pati and Jack Cuputto, DC, Mountain Centre for Healing, Ft Collins CO: The next legislative issue already in the works in relation to vaccines is an expansion of the vaccine tracking registry. Currently, infants are in the tracking system, but Rep. Hagedorn's HB00-1023 proposes to expand this to include all children under 18 years of age. HB00-1023 has already passed out of committee to the House for consideration there. In the opinion of those who supported HB1386, this registry legislation has the potential to be a coercive invasion of our privacy. HB1202 is a related bill which seeks a requirement that information in student school records (including vaccination histories) can be released only with written consent from the parent. Please contact your legislators concerning this issue or log on to the state website for information concerning these bills.

Sites to find more about vaccinations:

Please keep an eye on your legislature, and try to expose the immoral tactics used by the opposition with a large vested interest in continuing to sell vaccines, no matter what the cost to our children.

Note: The paragraph from the Caputtos will be published in The Healing Path On-Line Magazine. Reprinted with permission of the authors.

The two-year evening certificate program in Western Herbalism begins February 16th. Learn the traditions of our ancestors and the latest discoveries in the science of Herbalism. RMCBS is approved by the Colorado Department of Higher Education. The one-year , 600-hour, day program begins March 24, and your application/deposit needs to be in now. To receive an application, or for more information, call or write: RMCBS, PO Box 19254, Boulder CO 80308-2254, 303-442-6861

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