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The Alternative Medicine & Natural Health Newsletter is sponsored by ALTERNATIVE HEALTH INSURANCE SERVICES.

Since 1985, Alternative Health Insurance Services has helped businesses and individuals find the best value in health insurance with an emphasis on coverage for alternative medicine and natural therapies. Please visit www.AlternativeInsurance.com to learn about options for your personal or group health insurance.

January 2006

Welcome to the January 2006 edition of our newsletter.

Our goal is to provide you with information and articles that are of interest to you and may be of value to you.  Information we include is gathered from a variety of publications. 

If you have not read our previous newsletters, they are also posted on our website.

A Special Message from Steve Gorman, Founder of Alternative Health Insurance Services:

Since our previous newsletters where I mentioned my wife's battle with breast cancer, we still receive many encouraging calls and e-mails.  Both Elaine and I appreciate the positive feedback and I personally want to thank everyone for their continued support.

We hope that 2006 brings you health and prosperity.

Plant Foods Linked to Better Blood Pressure
According to a Reuters Health article citing a study involving 4,680 adults aged 40 to 59 from the UK, US, China and Japan, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, those who ate more vegetable protein -- from grains, vegetables, beans and fruit - tended to have lower blood pressure. The study found that average blood pressure dropped as vegetable protein increased, possibly attributed to high amounts of fiber, magensium, or specific amino acids in the vegetable protein.
Internet Resources:
Reuters Health article

Tea drinkers have lower ovarian cancer risk
Drinking more than two cups of tea daily can reduce the risk of ovariancancer by half, according to a Swedish study... Read

Nutrient Supplementation Reduces Irregular Heartbeat (Arrhythmia) in Patients
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study, published in the November 2005 issue of JANA, indicates that nutrient supplementation led to a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of clinically apparent arrhythmic episodes, with further improvement in frequency over time.
Internet Resources:
Press Release on NPIcenter

University Study Validates Patented Maitake Extract's Superior Immunostimulating Properties
[2005/12/15][]
Study published in the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association compared the immunostimulating properties of two different maitake mushroom glucan extracts, one being MaitakeGold 404®, against Lentinan, a pharmaceutical which contains a standard, well-researched mushroom derived glucan.

Vitamin D Can Play Role in Lung Health
According to a study in the December issue of CHEST, researchers from the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand have determined that vitamin D may play a role in keeping lungs healthy, with greater concentrations of vitamin D resulting in greater lung health benefits. According to the release, the researchers used 14,091 people aged greater than or equal to 20 years, from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) carried out during 1988 to 1994.
Internet Resources:
Press Release on NPIcenter

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Can Improve Lung Function
Research appearing in the December issue of the journal Chest, indicates that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can have anti-inflammatory effects and improve the exercise capacity for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). According to the brief, Japanese researchers followed 32 patients with COPD for 2 years using both an omega-3 acid rich diet and a control, observing that dyspnea scores and exercise capacity significantly improved and inflammatory mediators significantly decreased for patients in the treatment group.
Internet Resources:
News Brief on NPIcenter

Calcium supplements seen to have no effect on body fat
Eating more dairy foods, but not calcium supplements, could reduce body weight and body mass, claim researchers from Denmark... Read

Vitamin D Supplementation During Pregnancy Could Reduce Osteoporosis In Children
Research published in the January 7th issue of the Lancet indicates that children whose mothers were lacking in vitamin D during pregnancy grow up to have weaker bones. Researchers at Southampton General Hospital, UK studied 198 children born in 1991-2, where body build, nutrition and vitamin D supplementation of their mothers was measured, following up at age 9 to relate these results to body size and bone mass.
Internet Resources:
Press Release on NPIcenter

Whole Foods Buys Renewable-Energy Credits for U.S. Operations
According to an article in the San Antonio Business Journal, natural and organic retailer Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI) has bought enough renewable energy credits from wind farms to offset 100% of the electricity used in all of its stores, warehouses, baking operations, distribution centers, regional offices and national headquarters in the United States and Canada.
Internet Resources:
Article in San Antonio Business Journal
Whole Foods Website

China: AIDS Patients Receiving TCM Treatment
According to a Xinhuanet news piece on Chinaview.cn, more than 5,800 AIDS patients in China are currently receiving traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment in China with plans in place to extend treatment programs to 14 provinces form the current 11 in 2006.
Internet Resources:
Article on Chinaview.cn.

Tomato juice prevents emphysema in animal models
Drinking tomato juice completely prevented emphysema in mice exposed to tobacco smoke, report researchers from Japan... Read

More support for benefits of fish oil for asthmatics
A new report claims omega-3 supplements can protect against EIB in asthma sufferers, adding to previous studies linking fish oil to lung health... Read

High Intake Of Dietary Fiber Not Associated With Reduced Risk Of Colorectal Cancer
A study published inn the December 14 issue of JAMA, researchers evaluated the association between dietary fiber intake and risk of colorectal cancer by reanalyzing the primary data from 13 prospective cohort studies which totaled 725,628 men and women who were followed-up for 6 to 20 years. According to the researchers, there was no association between dietary fiber intake and risk of colorectal cancer or adenomas, and randomized clinical trials of dietary fiber supplementation have failed to show reductions in the recurrence of colorectal adenomas.
Internet Resources:
Press Release on NPIcenter

Carbohydrate-rich diets may improve insulin control
A new review claims that a diet rich in carbohydrates may help improve insulin control, supporting a high-carbohydrate diet with low GI foods... Read

Experts concerned about excessive acetaminophen use
Excessive use of acetaminophen -- contained in products such as Tylenol and Theraflu -- make the drug the leading cause of acute liver failure, and physicians warn that just doubling the recommended maximum dosage printed on the drug's bottle can be fatal. The FDA is concerned enough about the problem, supported by a recent study and new statistics, that it is considering a way to standardize warning labels.   The Philadelphia Inquirer/Associated Press (free registration)

Fruit compound fights prostate cancer in lab
A compound found in fruits like olives, mangoes, strawberries and grapes fights cancer in human and animal cells, shows recent research... Read

Soy could worsen heart disease, study
New research published today reveals that consuming soy could have a "severe" impact on a genetic heart condition that affects one in 500 people... Read

L-arginine may be harmful for heart attack patients
L-arginine amino acid supplements for heart attack patients may do more harm than good, according to a new study... Read

Half of Australians use alternative remedies
More than half of Australians use alternative medicines, suggests new research... Read

Selenium, Carotenoids Lower Mortality in Older Women

Higher serum levels of selenium and carotenoids are linked with a reduced risk of death in elderly women.

Study: Pre-colonoscopy preparations could damage kidneys
New research suggests taking Visicol tablets or using solutions such as Fleet-Phosphosoda and similar products could cause severe damage to the kidneys of people who use them in preparation for a colonoscopy. Experts believe the risk is small, but they caution that people in other risk groups for kidney problems should avoid the products, which are based on sodium phosphates.

Dietary Antioxidants Reduce AMD Risk

A population study in The Netherlands found above-median intake of zinc, beta-carotene, and vitamins C and E reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration by up to 35 percent.

Milk Thistle Studied for liver Disease - Found Ineffective
According to a Reuters Health article citing research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, Danish researchers have examined 13 clinical trials of milk thistle for liver diseases, concluding that the herbal does not appear to be effective and that there is inadequate evidence to confirm its safety. According to the article, researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark focused on double blind, placebo-controlled studies, and in these studies found that no effect of milk thistle versus placebo on mortality rates or liver disease complications and that while no increased risk of adverse events was seen, the researchers concluded that this did not mean the herbal is harmless.
Internet Resources:
Reuters Health Article
Abstract

Anti-malaria herb also fights cancer in animals
The Chinese herb Artemisinin may prevent breast cancer, say researchers... Read

Study Shows Pine Tree Bark Improve Blood Circulation, Treats Venous Ulcers
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study, published in the November/December 2005 issue of Angiology, investigated the healing of venous ulcers in three groups with one group received placebo tablets, another group receiving Pycnogenol tablets and the final group receiving both Pycnogenol tablets and local topical treatment of the wound with Pycnogenol powder. Over a six week period, the researchers observed that in the group receiving Pycnogenol tablets, the ulcer size was reduced to just 11.6 percent of the original size, while the combination of Pycnogenol supplementation and use of the topical Pycnogenol powder resulted in complete healing of the ulcer.
Internet Resources:
Press Release on NPIcenter

FDA to Require Food Manufacturers to List Food Allergens
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a formal press release reminding food manufacturers that they, as of January 1, 2006, are required to identify in plain English the presence of ingredients that contain protein derived from milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, or soybeans in the list of ingredients or to say "contains" followed by the name of the source of the food allergen after or adjacent to the list of ingredients. The regulation does not affect products labeled before January 1st.
Internet Resources:
Press Release on NPIcenter
FDA Website

Medical discount programs accused of fraud
Health care discount programs, which appear to be health insurance but really just offer discounts for care, are sparking controversy around the nation. Illinois and Texas have filed lawsuits against the International Association of Benefits for a program they claim misled consumers into thinking they were insured, and as many as 17% of the country's 40 million temporary and part-time workers reportedly say they have health insurance when they actually only have discount cards.   BusinessWeek (12/15)

Alternative Health Insurance Services now includes a free benefit for our individual and group clients that provides up to 20 acupuncture and/or chiropractic visits per year with a $20 co-payment for each visit. This complimentary benefit is a bonus for doing business with us and is included with most of the health insurance plans we offer.

We have contracted with Landmark Healthplan of California, Inc. to provide a combined chiropractic and acupuncture benefit that utilizes Participating Chiropractors and Acupuncturists. A directory of these providers may be found on the Landmark website at www.LandmarkHealthcare.com or from Alternative Health Insurance Services.

Participants will have a co-payment of only $20 per visit and can receive up to 20 visits per year. Treatments must be medically necessary to treat an injury or illness. After an initial visit, subsequent visits need to be pre-authorized by Landmark. Each participant will receive a Schedule of Benefits and other materials that fully describe their benefits, limitations, and exclusions.

This benefit is being provided at no cost to California clients of Alternative Health Insurance Services who are actively participating in a permanent health insurance plan where commissions are being paid to either Alternative Health Insurance or Steve Gorman. These benefits are being provided only to each primary policyholder and their spouse/partner.

This program is only available as a complimentary benefit to clients who have purchased their health insurance plans through Alternative Health Insurance Services and can not be purchased as a "stand-alone" benefit.

NEW VISION BENEFITS are now available from America's largest provider of eyecare coverage.  Normally these benefits are only available to employees of large companies, but you can participate through our special program.  For more details, click on the Vision Benefit link on our website.

Alternative Health Insurance Services
Providing Health Insurance Benefits for Groups and Individuals since 1985
117 Bernal Road #70-205
San Jose, CA 95119
California Insurance License #0F27218 / 0B98166

Virginia Insurance License for Health and Life
Toll-free: (800) 331-2713
Fax: (208) 567-2507
www.AlternativeInsurance.com