ZEN MACROBIOTICS Thousands of years ago great sages realised that the food we eat not only sustains life, but also underlies our health and happiness. They compiled religious or medical laws -- the Code of Manu in India, the Hebrew code, the Nei Ching and the Hon.so Komoku (the first medicinal herb book) in China; the Zen diet in Japan, are just some examples. Around the end of the last century a Japanese army doctor, named Sagen Ishizuka, established a theory of nutrition and medicine based on the traditional Oriental diet, to which he applied the Western medical sciences of chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and physiology. He had been born weak and suffered from kidney and skin disease. In order to restore his health he studied both Western and Eastern medicine extensively. He compiled the information and conclusions of his lifelong study in two books -- Chemical Theory of Longevity, published in1896 , and Diet For Health, published in1898. In 1907 a group of his followers started an association, called Shoku-Yo-Kail in Japanese. lshizuka was an Army doctor of the highest rank, and the co-founders of this association consisted of noblemen, congressmen, councillors, representatives, and successful businessmen of the day. At this time Japan was being strongly influenced by European culture and science. Going against this trend, Ishizuka criticised the adoption of the West's modern medicine and dietary theories, and recommended the Japanese traditional diet -- whole, unrefined foods, with very little or no milk or animal foods. He cured many patients by having them eat a traditional diet based on brown rice, and a variety of land and sea vegetables. Since his method was unique at that time, and effective, many patients visited his clinic; so many in fact that he had to limit his practice to 100 persons per day. There were also many inquiries by mail which, because of his fame, would reach him addressed only "Vegetable Doctor, Tokyo," ` `Daikon (Japanese radish) Doctor, Tokyo"; or "Anti-Doctor Doctor, Tokyo." His healing technique was based on the recognition of five very important principles: 1. Foods are the foundation of health and happiness. 2. Sodium and potassium are the primary antagonistic and complementary elements in food. They most strongly determine its character-or "yin/yang" quality. 3. Grain is properly the staple food of man. 4. Food should be unrefined, whole, and natural. 5. Food should be grown locally and eaten in season. Suffering "incurable" diseases at the age of 18 , George Ohsawa learned about this approach to diet from two of Mr. Ishizuka's disciples, Manabu Nishibata and Shojiro Goto. After completely restoring his own health, Ohsawa joined ShokuYo-Kai. He was later elected the association's President. Before Ohsawa started his prolific writing career there were only a few books in Japan on the subject of diet and health. Mr. Akira Iida was a director of Shoku-Yo-Kai, and one of the editors of the magazine published by that organisation. In about 1925, Mr. Ohsawa wrote many articles for the magazine, and in 1928 his first books, Physiology of Japanese Mentality and Biography of Sagen Ishizuka, were published. When Ohsawa's activities started to gain recognition he was excluded from the association, which I believe was due mainly to the jealousy of some of the directors. He then established his own organisation, where he devoted himself more to the teaching of the yin and yang philosophy rather than the direct treatment of the sick. From that point on Mr. Ohsawa devoted his life to lecturing around the world and to writing on macrobiotic philosophy and its application, until his death at the age of 74. George Ohsawa first mentioned the term macrobiotic in his Japanese translation of Alexis Carrel's Man, the Unknown. It did not appear in the main text but rather in his postscript. His first textual usage of the term was in Zen Macrobiotics, which he wrote in English in1959 . It was published in English by Nippon Centre Ignoramus, (Nippon C. I). in1960. In Greek, macro means big or great and biotic means concerning life, so the word refers to the "big view of life." This meaning suggests that we should relax our small, rigid views of the world so that the underlying unity of nature can be sensed. The word macrobiotic was originally used in literature by the German scholar in Das Makrobiotik (1796). George Ohsawa met a descendant of Hufeland in Germany in 1958. After Ohsawa died his disciples continued to teach macrobiotics in Japan, Europe, North America, and South America. It is currently being practised virtually all over the world, including the Eastern European countries. During his lifetime Ohsawa wrote more than 300 books and pamphlets, in Japanese, French, English, and German. He also published a monthly magazine for more than 40 years, and today more than 30 of his books have been translated into English, German, French, Swedish, Flemish, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. In America thousands of people are using the principles of macrobiotics in their daily lives in all the major cities, and the number of people practising this way of life is increasing across the country. Thousands of health and natural food stores throughout the nation now sell the basic foodstuffs commonly used in macrobiotics -such as organically-grown grain and produce, sea vegetables, and special condiments. A growing number of macrobiotic publications are also appearing. A positive sign is that some medical doctors are now recommending the macrobiotic diet to their patients. Since the publication of Dr. Anthony Sattilaro's recent book, Recalled By Life, many people have opted for this natural method of healing, which simply involves providing the proper material and allowing the body to heal itself. Many of these people have had good results. However, macrobiotics is not primarily a diet for curing sickness, nor is it a new fad. Macrobiotics is a way of life, based on an understanding of the rhythm, the ebb and flow of nature. Its roots can be traced back through civilisation to the beginning of human tradition. Although it requires study and seemingly very big adjustments, macrobiotics is a practical way of living towards happiness. Nippon C. I. or M. I. (Maison Ignoramus). Many of them went abroad and started macrobiotic centres in Europe, U.S.A. and Brazil. Michio Kushi was the first such student who left Japan from his school.)

EAT BETTER, EAT LESS and LIVE LONGER [American College of Cardiology and World Science staff , January 15, 2006] A new study is the first to associate a low-calorie diet with delayed signs of aging in humans. The hearts of people who follow a low-calorie, yet nutritionally balanced, diet resemble those of younger people when examined by sophisticated ultrasound function tests. They also tend to have more desirable levels of some markers of inflammation and excessive fibrous tissue. The study appears in the Jan. 17 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. “Eating less, if it is a high-quality diet, will improve your health, delay aging, and increase your chance of living a long, healthy and happy life,” said Luigi Fontana of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri and the Italian National Institute of Health in Rome, Italy. “This is the first report ever to show that calorie restriction with optimal nutrition may delay primary aging in human beings.” Many studies have shown that animals can live longer when they eat fewer calories, but human study has been difficult. The caloric restriction model requires a strict diet regimen, both to keep the total number of calories low and to insure that participants consume the right balance of nutrients. Rather than try to randomize volunteers to different diets and then hope that they will stick to them for years, the researchers compared 25 people who already had been following caloric restriction for an average of six years, consuming about 1,400 to 2,000 calories per day, with 25 similar control subjects who were eating typical Western diets, about 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day. Hearts tend to stiffen and pump less effectively as people get older, but ultrasound examinations showed that the hearts of the people on caloric restriction appeared more elastic than those of the control subjects; that is, the hearts relaxed between beats in a way that is similar to the hearts of younger people. In addition, several heart disease risk factors and inflammatory markers were lower in the caloric restriction group than in the Western diet group. Fontana, who designed and led the study, emphasized that caloric restriction does not mean simply eating less. “Calorie restriction is associated with longevity only when is coupled with optimal nutrition. On the other hand, calorie restriction coupled with malnutrition accelerates aging and causes severe diseases. Therefore, eating half a hamburger, half a bag of French fries and half a can of soft drink is not healthy caloric restriction and is harmful,” he said. “The caloric-restriction subjects ate a healthful balanced diet with at least 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of each nutrient, providing approximately 1,671 plus or minus 294 kilocalories per day. The average diet was 23 percent protein, 49 percent complex carbohydrates, and 28 percent fat, including 6 percent saturated fat. Daily salt intake was lower in the caloric-restriction group compared to the Western diet group.” Fontana said the diets of people on caloric restriction resemble the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is based on a wide variety of vegetables, olive oil, beans, whole grains, fish and fruit. The diet avoids refined and processed foods, soft drinks, desserts, free sugars, white bread and white pasta. While many people could adopt some of these diet practices, Fontana cautioned that anyone attempting to follow a strict caloric-restriction diet should have expert guidance, because of the risk of malnourishment if the diet does not include the right amounts of key nutrients. The authors noted that the study design had some limitations. The “study design does not allow us to assign causation,” he said, because to do so, researchers would have to first assign volunteers randomly to one diet or the other, and later see its effects. “The lower levels of some inflammatory proteins may indicate that caloric restriction helps to reduce damage from chronic inflammation in the body. It is well known that overweight and obese people have a low-grade chronic inflammatory state. This is due to the fact that hypertrophic [overgrown] fat cells chronically produce inflammatory molecules that are released in the blood stream. This means that body tissues in overweight and obese subjects are chronically exposed to inflammatory stimuli. It is our hypothesis that this chronic inflammation causes chronic tissue damage and… accelerated tissue and organ hardening,” Fontana said.

HATHA YOGA FOR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING

Hatha yoga, pronounced [ˈhʌθə], also known as Hatha vidya, is a particular system of Yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. In this treatise Swatmarama introduces Hatha Yoga as 'a stairway to the heights of Raja Yoga', hence a preparatory stage of physical purification that renders the body fit for the practise of higher meditation. This practise is called shatkarma. The word Hatha is a compound of the words Ha and Tha meaning sun and moon and refers to the principal nadis (energy channels) of the subtle body that must be fully operational to attain a state of dhyana or samadhi. In other respects Hatha yoga follows the same principles as the Raja Yoga of Patanjali including moral restraint yama and spiritual observances niyama. Hatha Yoga is what most people in the West associate with the word "Yoga" and is practiced for mental and physical health throughout the West. Some traditions associate the origins of Hatha Yoga with Gorakhnāth, a yogin of the 10th/11th century CE but the oldest surviving comprehensive text of Hatha Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Yogi Swatmarama. This work is nonetheless derived from older Sanskrit texts on Yoga besides Yogi Swatmarama's own yogic experiences. It includes information about shatkarma, asana, pranayama, chakras, kundalini, bandhas, kriyas, shakti, nadis, and mudras among other topics. Many modern schools of Hatha Yoga derive from the school of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who taught from 1924 until his death in 1989. Among his students prominent in popularizing Yoga in the West were Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, famous for popularizing the vigorous Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga style, B.K.S. Iyengar who emphasizes alignment and the use of props, Indra Devi and Krishnamacharya's son T.K.V. Desikachar who developed the Viniyoga style. Desikachar founded the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, with the aim of making available the heritage of yoga as taught by Krishnamacharya. Another major stream of influence was Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh (1887-1963) and his many disciples, including Swami Vishnu-Devananda -- founder of International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, Swami Satyananda -- of the Bihar School of Yoga, and Swami Satchidananda -- of Integral Yoga, among others. Traditional Hatha Yoga is a holistic yogic path, including moral disciplines, physical exercises (e.g., asanas (postures) and Pranayama (breath control), and meditation. The Hatha yoga predominantly practiced in the West consists of mostly asanas (postures) and exercise. Hatha Yoga is one of the two branches of Yoga that focus on the physical culture, the other one being Raja Yoga. Both of these are commonly referred to as Ashtanga Yoga, i.e., Yoga of eight parts ('ashta' meaning eight and 'anga' meaning limbs). The eight limbs are described below in detail. The main difference is that Raja Yoga uses asanas to mainly get the body ready for prolonged meditation, and hence focuses more on the meditative asana poses: Lotus Pose (Padmasana), Accomplished Pose (Siddhasana), Easy Pose (Sahajasana) and Pelvic Pose (Vajrasana); Hatha Yoga utilizes most of the asana poses. Similarly, Raja Yoga's use of Pranayama is also devoid of extensive locks (Bandha). Hatha represents opposing energies: hot and cold (fire and water, following the same concept as the yin-yang), male and female, positive and negative. Hatha yoga attempts to balance mind and body via physical exercises, or "asanas," controlled breathing, and the calming of the mind through relaxation and meditation. Asanas teach poise, balance & strength and are practiced to improve the body's physical health and clear the mind in preparation for meditation in the pursuit of enlightenment. The Yoga of Patanjali is Ashtanga or composed of 8 limbs, Yama and Niyama, which are ethical obligations, Asana, Pranayama, which is breath control, Pratyahara, which is sense withdrawal, Dharana, which is concentration, Dhyana, which is meditation, and Samadhi, which is the experience of unity with God. The eight limbs are more precisely viewed as eight levels of progress, each level providing benefits in and of itself and also laying the foundation for the higher levels. NOTE: In some schools of thought, only Raja Yoga is considered to be Ashtanga Yoga, and Hatha Yoga is thought to consist of six limbs focused on attaining Kundalini. In this scheme, the six limbs of Hatha Yoga are defined as Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Mudra (specific postures to help lock in the breath), Nadanusandhana (hearing of the eternal sound within the body), the whole process cultiminating in the attainment of Kundalini. Due to this, this version of Hatha yoga is also sometimes referred to as Kundalini Yoga. Yama is a "moral restraint" or rule for living virtuously. Ten yamas are codified in numerous scriptures, including the Hatha Yoga Pradipika compiled by Yogi Swatmarama, while Patanjali lists five yamas, and five niyamas (disciplines) in the Yoga Sutra. The ten traditional yamas are: * Ahimsa: Abstinence from injury, or harm to any living creature in thought, word, or deed. This is the "main" Yama. The other nine are there in support of its accomplishment. * Satya: Truthfulness in word and thought (in conformity with the facts). * Asteya: No stealing, no coveting, no entering into debt. * Brahmacharya: Divine conduct, continence, celibate when single, faithful when married. * Kshama: Patience, releasing time, functioning in the now. * Dhriti: Steadfastness, overcoming non-perseverance, fear, and indecision; seeing each task through to completion. * Daya: Compassion; conquering callous, cruel and insensitive feelings toward all beings. * Arjava: Honesty, straightforwardness, renouncing deception and wrongdoing. * Mitahara: Moderate appetite, neither eating too much nor too little; nor consuming meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs. * Shaucha: Purity, avoidance of impurity in body, mind and speech. Patanjali's five yamas, or moral restraints, are ahimsa (non-injury), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (continence or chastity) and aparagriha (abstinence from avarice). He also lists five niyamas, or disciplines, which include shauca (purity), samtosha (contentment), tapas (asceticism), svadhyaya (study), and ishvara-pranidhana (devotion to the Lord). Asanas: are contemplative in nature and were originally intuited by yogis during meditation; the Kundalini naturally brings forth these postures or movements, called Kriyas, during deep meditation. These movements are meant to help to remove blockages (disease) in the causal, subtle, and physical bodies. In the ancient author Patanjali's work, Asana is classified as the third rung of 8 in the ladder of the practice of Raja Yoga. Hatha yoga in the west primarily concerns itself with asanas or postures. Pranayama The words 'Prana' (life-force) and 'Ayama' (to prolong or regulate) make up Pranayama. Pranayama seeks to control & regulate the breath. In one variation, the Rechak (exhaled air), Poorak (inhalation) and Kumbhak (Retention during normal inhaling and exhaling) are the 3 parts of the breath that are regulated. Pranayama is practised to develop mental, physical and spiritual strength. Though the beginner's Pranayama is relatively harmless, safely progressing to more advanced practices requires the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher. Listed below are traditional directions for performing Hatha Yoga. * A glass of fresh water should be taken before performing asanas. * Stomach should be empty. Asanas can be performed 8 hours after a meal, 2 hours after a glass of milk and one hour after eating fruit. * Always perform asanas early in the morning. If this is not possible, the next best time would be evening around dusk. * Rich, very dry, left-overs, very hot or too much food should be avoided. * Force or pressure should not be used while performing asanas. * One must not go out in the cold after performing asanas. * Lower the head and other parts of the body slowly; in particular, raised heels should be lowered slowly. * The breathing should be controlled and should always be through the nose. The benefits of asanas increase if pranayama is performed simultaneously. * If the body is stressed, perform Shavasana. * Asanas should be performed in a well-lit, clean and ventilated room. The atmosphere should be peaceful. * Light physical exercises, followed by yogasana, pranayama and meditation is the ideal sequence. * Yogasanas, especially inverted poses, are to be avoided during menstruation. In contrast, modern teachers do recommend Yogasana for relief from cramps during this period.Although it is traditionally taught not to invert against the flow, there is no medical evidence supporting the statements on the reference site link. The only condition that might be worsened by inversions during the menses is Endometriosis and even this is said to be unsupported medically. * During pregnancy, after the first 3 months, exercises that require lying on stomach are to be avoided. (Inverted poses should be avoided especially in the third trimester - This site recommends it for pregnancy [2] - not too sure, clarification requested.). Seasoned yoginis (female practitioners) can invert the entire time during pregnancy. It is not recommended for new practitioners as they are not physically accustomed to the subtle adjustments necessary to align and lift against gravity - with the additional weight and pressure on the diaphragm, even if they have the ability to align, they might not be able to breathe effectively. Rule of thumb for pregnancy: "When in doubt, don't." Health Benefits ascribed to Yogasana practice Different asanas are recommeded by practitioners to cure or prevent problems ranging from constipation to cancer. It is known to reduce stress and other mental worries. Etymology Hatha yoga, pronounced [ˈhʌθə], is also known as hatha vidya or the "science of hatha" yoga. The word Hatha comes from combining the two sanskrit terms "ha" meaning sun and "tha" meaning moon. The word "ha" refers to the solar nadi (pingala) in the subtle body and "tha" the lunar channel (ida). ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO YOGA POSES

VITAMIN C -- IT'S AMAZING HEALING ABILITY

A review of the book: “Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins: Curing the Incurable, by THOMAS E. LEVY, M.D., J.D., Philadephia, USA. The effectiveness and safety of megadose vitamin C therapy should, by now, be yesterday’s news. Yet I never cease to be amazed at the number of persons who remain unaware that vitamin C is the best broad-spectrum antibiotic, antihistamine, antitoxic and antiviral substance there is. Equally surprising is the ease with which some people, most of the medical profession, and virtually all of the media have been convinced that, somehow, vitamin C is not only ineffective but is also downright dangerous. Therefore I am always glad to find yet another impeccably qualified physician who publishes to set things straight. Thomas E. Levy, a practicing physician for 25 years, is a board-certified internist and a fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He is also an attorney. What’s more, he’s a really fine writer. Dr. Levy’s new book, Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins: Curing the Incurable has immediately made my most select list of absolutely required reading. That list is rather short, and here’s why. When you pick up a health or nutrition book and need to know really fast if it is any good or not, just look for these three key words: Klenner, Stone, and Pauling. If a book has negative things to say about Linus Pauling, you are not likely to find a fair hearing for vitamins. Irwin Stone, the biochemist who first put Dr. Pauling onto vitamin C, is the author of The Healing Factor: Vitamin C Against Disease (1972). Pauling cites Stone thirteen times in his landmark How to Live Longer and Feel Better (1986), a recommendation if there ever was one. But the key figure, chest specialist and ascorbic acid megadose pioneer Frederick R. Klenner, M.D. is usually omitted entirely from most orthodox nutrition, health or medical texts. To me, that is tantamount to deleting all the Shakespeare from an English Literature course. The importance of Klenner’s clinical observations showing vitamin C’s power against infectious and chronic disease is extraordinary. Dr. Levy intends that you become familiar with Klenner’s work, and Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins accomplishes this purpose with distinction. Without hedging, Dr. Levy explains why, even in his subtitle, he uses the word "cure" as boldly as Dr. Klenner ever did: "It is completely appropriate to use the term "cure" when, in fact, the evidence demonstrates that a given medical condition has clearly and repeatedly been cured by a specific therapy. . . Avoiding the use of a term such as "cure" when it is absolutely appropriate does as much harm as using it inappropriately. Not realizing the incredible ability of vitamin C to cure a given infectious disease just perpetuates the usage of so many other needlessly applied toxic drugs and clinical protocols. If the shoe fits, wear it, and if the treatment works, proclaim it." (p 15) And this is precisely what Dr. Levy does. "Properly dosed vitamin C will reliably and quickly cure nearly all cases of acute polio and acute hepatitis. Polio babies are completely well in less than a week and hepatitis patients are sick for only a few days, not several months." (p 19) Knowing full well how the medical profession will react to such statements, Dr. Levy writes: "Unquestioning faith in the "established" medical knowledge is so deeply ingrained that many doctors simply will not even consider reading something that comes from sources that they do not consider worthy of producing new medical concepts. And if they do, they quickly dismiss it as just being ridiculous if it conflicts with too many of the concepts that most of their colleagues and textbooks embrace." (p 22) Aside from personally conducing their own mostly pre-Medline journal search, the primary way patients (and through them, their physicians) have been exposed to Dr. Klenner’s work has been through Lendon Smith’s 68-page Clinical Guide to the Use of Vitamin C: The Clinical Experiences of Frederick R. Klenner, M.D. (1988) My college students’ avoidance response when I trot out "old" megavitamin studies is nothing compared to the sheer hostility I have received from academic colleagues. Once one of my undergraduates submitted a paper in another class discussing some 20 fairly old medical references she had found on vitamin C as a cure for polio. That course’s instructor told me privately that the student’s work was absurd, and he literally described her a "dial tone." I recall a nutritional presentation I made to a hospital staff. All was going well until I mentioned using vitamin C as an antibiotic, as Dr. Klenner did. The mood changed quickly. And how many of us have heard this old saw: "If vitamin C was so good, every doctor would be prescribing it!" Acceptance is not helped by the fact that most of Dr. Klenner’s papers were published between 25 and 55 years ago. Says Dr. Levy: "Many physicians have outright disdain for any medical literature that is more than a few years old. It almost seems that even the best scientific data is considered to have a "shelf life," and . . . will never be appreciated unless a "modern" researcher decides to repeat the study and "rediscover" the information." (p 27) And when such modern "reproductions" are done, they commonly use far too little vitamin C: "I could find no mainstream medical researcher who has performed ANY clinical studies on ANY infectious disease with vitamin C does that approached those used by Klenner. Using a small enough dose of any therapeutic agent will demonstrate little or no effect on an infection or disease process. Klenner would often use daily doses of vitamin C on a patient that would be as much as 10,000 times more than the daily doses used in some of the many clinical studies in the literature." (p 28-29) Because there are few families that will not be affected by serious infectious illness, the individual topics Dr. Levy addresses (in Chapter 2, constituting 130 pages) are especially important. These include measles, mumps, viral encephalitis, herpes, mononucleosis, viral pneumonia, chickenpox, Ebola, and of course influenza. He has included a fairly lengthy section on AIDS. Rabies is an intriguing entry, even to those already willing to concede that vitamin C is an effective antiviral. Non-viral diseases discussed include diphtheria, tuberculosis (in considerable detail), strep, brucellosis, typhoid, dysentery, malaria, trichinosis, and the always-controversial subjects of tetanus and pertussis. Not unexpectedly, Dr. Levy seems to incline towards the non-traditional viewpoint on vaccination, although since the book lacks an index, his statements on this specific subject take a moment to locate. As vitamin C is such a good antibiotic and antiviral, a de-emphasis on vaccination can be seen to make sense. Ascorbic acid, that Swiss Army knife among nutrients, has been unjustly dismissed in part because of the implausibility of such very great utility. A human body of tens of trillions of cells operates thousands of biochemical reactions on less than a dozen vitamins. Is it so very surprising that one nutrient would have so many benefits? "The Ultimate Antidote" (Chapter 3, 103 pages) considers vitamin C as an antitoxin. This chapter will, as Mark Twain put it, gratify some and astonish the rest. The effects of alcohol, the barbiturates, carbon monoxide, cyanide, aflatoxin, a variety of environmental poisons including pesticides, even acetaminophen poisoning in cats, mushroom poisoning, and snake venoms are all shown to respond to vitamin C megadose therapy. Mercury, lead, and the effects of radiation receive special and really eye-opening attention. If there is a greater calling than healing the sick, it is teaching people how to do it themselves. Abram Hoffer and Lendon H. Smith are perhaps the two foremost examples of physician-authors who have focused on directly instructing their readers how to use megavitamins correctly and directly. I think Dr. Levy is another of these natural born teachers, and this may be most apparent in the book’s section of "Practical Suggestions" (Chapter 5). General readers, having just learned that high oral doses of ascorbate are effective for self-medication, will appreciate receiving the benefits of Dr. Levy’s professional experience. Physician readers will especially welcome his injection instructions. I would like to see this important chapter greatly expanded. A book this good deserves a more eye-catching, upscale cover to attract bookshelf attention and get to those who most need it. I hope the next edition will also add some visual aids. Opponents to medical use of vitamin C will almost certainly demand expansion of Chapter 4 ("The Safety of High Doses of Vitamin C") to include more negative studies and more commentary on possible negative effects of massive doses of ascorbate. Dr. Levy does in fact devote considerable attention to hemochromatosis, immune system concerns, G6PD deficiency, allegations of DNA damage and kidney stone formation, the rebound effect, and vitamin C’s prooxidant characteristics. I doubt if any chapter of any length would satisfy vitamin therapy’s harshest critics. Furthermore, they can always find abundant (if mostly unfounded) ammunition in practically any medical or nutrition textbook in print. In Levy’s book, there is a welcome emphasis on the positive side of vitamin C megadoses, and that is their power to cure the sick. Cure is by far the best word there is in medicine. It would seem that you cannot spell "cure" without "C." I do not think Dr. Klenner would dispute that. And there is no doubt whatsoever that Dr. Klenner would wholeheartedly approve of Dr. Levy stating this (p 36): "The three most important considerations in effective vitamin C therapy are "dose, dose, and dose. If you don’t take enough, you won’t get the desired effects. Period!" Dr. Levy’s book presents clear evidence that vitamin C cures disease. It contains over 1,200 scientific references, presented chapter by chapter. It does not mince words. It is disease specific. It is dose specific. It is practical. It is readable. It is excellent. [This review, by Andrew Saul, PhD was originally was published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Vol. 18, No. 2, 2003, p 117-118.]

EFFICACY OF ATKINS DIET UNDER SCRUTINY

[AFP, September 3, 2004] The Atkins Diet followed by millions of people lacks essential proof to show it is effective for more than a year and safe in the long term, according to a review of the scientific data, published in this month’s Lancet. "There is no clear evidence that Atkins-style diets are better than any others for helping people to stay slim and despite the popularity and apparent success of the Atkins diet, evidence in support of its use lags behind," the report says. "Although the diet appears as claimed to promote weight loss without hunger, at least in the short term, the long-term effects on health and disease prevention are unknown." The Atkins diet, named after US doctor Robert Atkins who devised it, is the most popular in a long string of high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets which first appeared nearly a century and a half ago. The premise of the diet is that a carbohydrate-starved body nourished overwhelmingly on proteins starts to burn up stored fat cells, a process called ketosis. Atkins followers are told they can tuck into unlimited fatty meat, butter and other high-fat dairy products -- items that are severely restricted in classic diets -- provided they keep carbohydrates to initially less than 20 grams per day. But Danish nutritionists who claim they have pored over all the major scientific studies say there is no data to prove the regime works beyond six months -- nor that it is free from big health risks if followed over years. Three major studies were carried out in 2003 in which obese female volunteers were put on either Atkins or a classic low-calorie, low-fat diet. One of these studies, which was six months long, found that Atkins dieters lost nearly twice as much weight as the others (8.5 kilos against 3.9 kilos). The other two studies were 12 months long. They found Atkins dieters did lose weight more quickly and were still ahead at six months, but by 12 months, there was an insignificant difference in weight loss between the two groups. The Danish researchers say any weight loss from Atkins is unlikely to come from ketosis, for urinary traces of ketones (the chemical byproduct of this process) are so low that very little energy would be used up this way. What might cause weight loss with low-carb diets is boredom -- the diet is so monotonous and simple that people might just eat less, they suggest. Another possibility is that protein induces a stronger satieting effect than fat or carbohydrates, the authors say. As for safety, the researchers say there is no evidence to either confirm or reject the fears of some doctors that ketotis could cause heart flutter, a condition called arrythmia, or other cardiac problems. But, again, no long-term study has been made into this, nor into concerns that reduced intake of fruit, vegetables and fibrous carbohydrates may boost the risk of cardiovascular and intestinal disease or cancer. "Patients who want to try these diets should be told that, although safety cannot be guaranteed, they seem to be safe for short-term use (up to six months) as long as weight loss occurs," the authors say. From a scientific viewpoint, "the most solid recommendation" a doctor can give for losing weight and keeping it off is to follow a diet that is reduced in calories and low in fat and combine that with physical exercise, they declare. The review, led by Arne Astrup of the Centre of Advanced Food Research at Copenhagen's RVA University, comes amid a flaring controversy over high-protein diets. The Atkins diet books have sold more than 45 million copies and spawned enormous changes in US eating habits in particular, demonising pasta, potatoes and rice and elevating meat and new "low-carb" food and beverages correspondingly.

SIDE EFFECTS CAST DOUBT on the ATKINS DIET

[The Australian, September 03, 2004] DIETERS who follow the popular high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins approach lose just as much body fat as those on conventional low-fat plans, but after a while side effects surface, according to a detailed review of the latest evidence. Danish obesity expert Dr. Arne Astrup, whose research is published this week in The Lancet medical journal, concludes that headaches, muscle weakness and diarrhea - which are reported more frequently by Atkins dieters than by those on a conventional weight-loss regime - may be signs that the diet is not healthy in the long term. However, other experts said that although there were more side effects on the Atkins plan, they weren't bad enough to cause people to blow the diet and that Atkins should remain an option. The Atkins diet, which allows unlimited consumption of protein and fat but drastically limits carbohydrates and does not restrict calories, has had a following for decades but only recently has come under serious scientific scrutiny. It has been embraced by an estimated 20 million people worldwide. Several small studies conducted in the last year or two have surprised the experts by showing that people lose more weight on the Atkins diet than on the conventional low-calorie, low-fat diet, at least in the short term, with even better cholesterol improvements. Longer studies have since shown that when dieters are followed for a year, the total weight loss ends up almost the same with the two approaches. The long-term effect on cholesterol has not yet been studied. Scientists are still not sure exactly how low-carb diets work, but skeptics contend these dieters simply must be eating less than those on the recommended low-fat diet. Some studies have found that, and there's evidence that protein might suppress the appetite and that chemical byproducts of the diet, ketones, may also curb hunger. However, a small but well conducted study last year indicated the weight loss occurs with the Atkins diet despite higher calorie intake. One theory is those extra calories are burned by more onerous digestion. In his review, Astrup, director of research in the department of human nutrition at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Frederiksberg, Denmark, examined the evidence from about 60 studies on the Atkins and other low-carbohydrate diets. Although he said it seems Atkins is equally good at producing weight loss over one year, the results are slightly muddy. In one of the studies, he found the two diets equal for weight loss over 12 months. The low-fat diet used provided 33 percent of calories from fat, which is more than the 20 percent to 30 percent recommended for a low-fat diet. If the fat content had been more strict, the dieters in that group may have lost more weight. In another of the 12-month studies, the scientists did not check whether the dieters were sticking to their diets, which means Atkins may have come out better than it should have because the low-fat diet is harder to stick to and people in that group may have cheated more, Astrup's research suggested. Experts have suspected that the weight loss on the Atkins diet may be largely due to water loss, because lots of fluid is bound up in the body's carbohydrate stores that are depleted on the Atkins diet. However, Astrup said studies that measured body composition indicated that the weight loss is a real fat loss, not just water. The most frequent complaints with low-carbohydrate diets are constipation and headache, which is readily explained by the reduced intake of fruit, vegetables and whole grains, Astrup said. Also, bad breath, muscle cramps, diarrhea, general weakness and rashes are more often reported on low-carbohydrate diets than on low-fat diets, Astrup found. "The majority had some of these side effects in the Atkins group. In the control group, almost nothing," he said. These side effects are consistent with carbohydrate deficiency, whereby the brain and the muscle do not get enough sugar from carbohydrates to maintain their function normally, Astrup added. "We have known for many years that there is a minimum intake of carbohydrate necessary to maintain the normal function of your body and that is approximately 150 grams a day," he said. "But, if on the Atkins diet you go down to 20 to 30 grams in the induction phase, then maybe go up to 100 grams, still you are far below what your body needs." The body can coast along for a while with the carbohydrate stores in the liver and the muscles, but eventually problems start to occur, Astrup said. "I think these symptoms are signs that something is wrong," he said. However, Dr. William Yancy, who conducted one of the major studies in the review but was not involved in Astrup's project, said he was not that concerned by the side effects. "More people stayed in the low-carb group than in the low-fat group, so you've got to wonder how severe those side effects were if more people kept to the low-carb diet," said Yancy, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University in the United States. Side effects were seen not just after six months but also at the beginning and could have been from dehydration, which is easily overcome, he said. "We know that it works," Yancy said. "I think it's good that people are acknowledging that this diet might be an option for people. We need to consider that because at this point we need options for people and when we're looking for options we need to consider even things that go against our judgment sometimes."