Q: There appear to be contradictory statements in the willow bark article, on page 4 of the June 2002 Nutrition & Healing. It says “you can avoid all of these side effects [associated with Vioxx] and still alleviate your back pain by unlocking willow bark’s pain relief potential.” But then it says “After four weeks there was no difference between the results of the two products in terms of pain, requirement for additional analgesics, or side effects.” This last statement appears to negate the whole thesis of taking a natural substance, which supposedly doesn’t have all the side effects of drugs.

Q: I have a comment to make on Clinical Tip No. 72 from Vol. 7, Issue 7, regarding chrysin. As per your recommendation, I took 500 mg three times a day for several months only to discover that my testosterone did not raise while my estrogen levels raised substantially-to within the “red flag” levels. I think it important that you know this so you can warn other readers about the possible risk.

Q: I read about [gastroesophageal reflux disease] GERD in your newsletter. I have a friend who has it, and he was told it was caused by the drug Cardozyme that he took for his high blood pressure. He was advised and took the advice-I quote-”to have Botulism injected into the esophagus which was weakened by the drug.”

Women come in to the Tahoma Clinic nearly every day and tell me that they’ve taken enough Midol® and Advil® every month to relieve their menstrual cramps to last a lifetime. And I’ve gotten more than one look of surprise when I tell them that they can prevent the cramps in the first place by taking fish oil and improving their omega-3 fatty acid intake. It’s really that simple. Honestly, I wouldn’t joke about something like this–not when I’ve seen the agony some women experience every month.

It’s about time! After more than 30 years of being called every name in the book (“quack” was one of the milder ones) by mainstream medical doctors, someone actually did some research on the Atkins diet and discovered that it works. Imagine that! The diet that Bob Atkins derived from mainstream sources…the diet followed successfully by literally millions of Americans over the last 30 years…the diet plan that sold tens of millions of books and persuaded millions of us to buy a dozen or more Atkins products repeatedly…why, it actually works! Perhaps Atkins was on to something after all…and perhaps mainstream medicine still has a lot to learn about nutrition and health.

If you wait around long enough in the health world, eventually ancient treatments seem to creep back into the limelight. Take galantamine, for example. It’s a natural alkaloid from flowers that was first used to restore memory over 2,000 years ago. Now, “modern” research is finally rediscovering what our ancestors knew centuries ago. This is great news for people struggling with Alzheimer’s disease.

I suppose I should expect it by now, but I’m still amazed when people doubt nature until some published study comes along “proving” that a natural treatment is safer and more effective than the synthetic version. My all-time least favorite are the studies “proving” that nursing your baby is better than jamming bottles of cow’s milk or soy milk into his or her little face. “Proving” that nursing is better-something anyone with an ounce of common sense could have easily concluded on their own-cost us taxpayers at least $100 million. But I guess it kept some scientists employed.

If you haven’t heard of Forteo® yet, get ready. It’s the latest “miracle” on the patent medicine scene, so I have no doubt the media frenzy is on its way. Especially since the mainstream just hasn’t found many options for osteoporosis, the condition for which Forteo supposedly works wonders.

IN THIS ISSUE: Fight-even prevent-osteoporosis with the hidden secrets of this bone-building miracle mineral; How much are you paying to “prove” nature is best?; Boost brain power or slow Alzheimer’s disease with one natural supplement; The verdict is in: After all these years, Atkins comes out on top; Get rid of menstrual cramps for good; Botox for acid reflux: Bad joke, or just bad medical advice?; A chrysin crisis to watch out for; Willow bark-still safer than Vioxx for pain relief