June 26, 2000 Research Update

Pesticide Dangers

It is well known that certain types of cancers are more common in more affluent people, and one of the links that ties this together is increased exposure to pesticides and other toxic chemicals. wjm -- Thier 172 (5): 296

Magnesium and Pediatric Heart Surgery

This study was terminated early because of the damaging events occurring when magnesium was NOT used. This simple and very safe approach to heart health should be in every patient's medicine cabinet.

Am Heart J 139(3):522-528, 2000 Although this study was originally targeted to include 100 patients, the protocol was terminated because of the unacceptable incidence of hemodynamically significant junctional ectopic tachycardia that was present in the placebo group. Thus low magnesium levels in pediatric patients undergoing heart surgery are associated with an increased incidence of junctional ectopic tachycardia in the immediate postoperative period.

HMO Executive Pay Strong Despite Poor Showing

Read to see some of the unbelievably high salaries of some executives (first # is salary, second is bonus, third is "other" compensation)...

Wilson Taylor, Chairman Cigna Corp. $1,173,100 $4,000,000 $286,987 H. Edward Hanway, President and CEO $711,500 $2,500,000 $82,815 Richard Huber, Former Chairman/CEO/President Aetna Inc. $1,000,000 $680,800 $73,513 Leonard Schaeffer, Chairman and CEO WellPoint Health Networks, Inc. $999,992 $2,200,000 $138,444 Alan Hoops, CEO, Corporate President PacifiCare Health Systems, Inc. $920,000 $1,104,995 $580,992 Norwood Davis, Chairman Trigon Healthcare, Inc. $764,000 $917,280 $352,651 Thomas Snead, President and CEO $405,940 $463,777 $24,528 Anthony Marlon, M.D., Chairman and CEO Sierra Health Services, Inc. $654,320 $327,600 $99,487 Jay Gellert, President and CEO Foundation Health Systems, Inc. $500,000 No Bonus $68,971 Thomas Barbera, President and CEO Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Inc. $499,994 $163,695 $3,200 Mark Groban, Chairman $497,859 $163,267 $3,200 Norman Payson, MD, Chairman and CEO Oxford Health Plans, Inc. $350,000 $350,000 $64,058 David Jones, Chairman Humana Inc. $205,000 No Bonus $776,961 Michael McCallister, President and CEO $350,000 $250,000 $172,820

Sugar Handling and Pacreatic Cancer

Dysglycemia (sugar handling problems) have been linked to just about every other disease known to man, so what's one more?? Abnormal Glucose Metabolism and Pancreatic Cancer Mortality

Easy on the Antioxidants

This editorial suggests dangerous side effects of high levels of antioxidants. Such as diarrhea with more than 2000 mg of Vit C. First of all, how "dangerous" is diarrhea (which is purely from osmotic pressure holding water in the colon and stops once the Vit C is removed) compared to the some 98,000 deaths from prescription drugs?? We need to keep things in perspective here. Herbs and vitamins are held to a much, much higher standard than pharmaceutical agents. And besides, it is a very rare occurrence to get diarrhea from a dosage of Vit C as low as 2000 mg. Granted, care needs to be taken with high levels of anything, but the medical profession is notoriously uninformed about what these levels are. Easy on the Antioxidants

Eli Lilly Identifies 12 Genetic Regions Linked to Diabetes, Obesity

Why must we always, always look for drugs to solve society's ills? Genetic structures have not changed appreciably in eons, and yet the rates of many diseases is going up and up. If genetics have not changed, the key must be environmental influences. The genetic defects have always been there, but now, with poor lifestyle choices, the diseases are manifesting themselves. The Pima Indians are the perfect example...

Eli Lilly's Consortium for Diabetes and Obesity has identified a dozen genetic regions that it believes are "keys to unlocking what makes individuals susceptible to type-2 diabetes and obesity," the Indianapolis-based company announced on Friday. "We now know that there are 12 little pieces of the chromosome where susceptibility genes are found," Lilly Vice President of Endocrine research and Clinical Investigation Jose Caro told Reuters Health. "In the next 2 years, we will identify among these 12 little regions two or three that we want to study very deeply." The whittled down list will give Lilly novel targets against which to develop therapeutic drugs, he said.

Very delayed reactions to cow's milk in cow's milk-intolerant patients

Why do we still insist of drinking cow's milk when allergy, chemical and hormonal additives are such an issue? Many studies even suggest that cow's milk may INCREASE risk of osteoporosis. This study suggests allergic reactions as late as 72 hours after ingestion. And pay attention to the list of symptoms of allergy--not things many would expect...

Allergy 55 (6), 574-579 In patients with cow's milk protein intolerance (CMPI), delayed clinical reactions to cow's milk (CM) ingestion may be misdiagnosed if the clinical symptoms are not “classical” and there is a long time lapse between ingestion of CM and the clinical reaction. The “very delayed” CMPI manifestations in these subjects were constipation (five cases), wheezing (two cases), dermatitis plus constipation (two cases), and dermatitis alone (one case); in 6/10 patients, the symptoms observed at the “cure challenge” were different from those at CMPI onset. Very delayed clinical reactions to reintroduction of CM in the diet can occur in CMPI patients; thus, accurate follow-up and frequent outpatient observation in patients with a long history of CMPI are probably more useful and safer than prolonged CM challenge.

Ear infections and allergy

The relationship between ear infections and food allergy is a very important one, and should be evaluated in EVERY child with ear infections.

Allergy 55 (5), 435-441 The inflammatory response by eosinophils, neutrophils, and mast cells in the middle ear was distinctly different between atopic and nonatopic patients (P<0.001). This study provides evidence that eosinophils and mast cells, both essential to a Th–2 driven immune response, are present in the majority of ears with chronic OME, and supports the hypothesis that middle–ear mucosa, like that of the rest of the upper respiratory tract, is capable of an allergic response.