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PATIENT2PATIENT NEWSLETTER
March 2004
Please visit our Web site: www.Patient2Patient.net
"Because Information is the Best Medicine!"
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In This Issue:
* From the Director
* Quotation of the Month
* Alzheimer's and Parkinson's WebGuides Updates
* Subscription Discounts
* Sponsorships
* Feature Article - "Checking Herbs, Vitamins and Supplements"
* Humor
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~ From the Director ~
Last month I wrote about the importance of checking your medications for
potentially dangerous interactions with other medications, supplements
and even some foods and beverages. We provided our readers with an
Internet link to a drug interaction database that we highlight in our
Patient2Patient WebGuides.
This month we are doing something similar by providing you with a link
from our WebGuides to an herbal database sponsored by Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Medical Center, one of the foremost cancer treatment
centers in the world.
I recently had cause to use this herbal database myself.
After undergoing a bone marrow transplant five years ago to treat
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, I developed Avascular Necrosis, a
condition triggered by the long-term use of high dose steroids, which
cause capillaries in the joints to die. In my case, I've experienced
multiple fractures and a collapsing of the joints. And at this
particular stage of my condition, I am unable to undergo any joint
replacement surgery.
In my search for a remedy, one of my alternative doctors alerted me to a
Chinese medical protocol for treatment of Avascular Necrosis (AVN). This
protocol has been successfully used for thousands of younger patients
with early stage AVN in China. The treatment regime involves a
combination of herbs, acupuncture and massage.
While I am not expecting this regimen to provide a reversal of my
condition, which is advanced, it may provide a "holding action" until I
can undergo joint surgery.
When I discussed this possible course of action with my primary medical
doctor, she was justifiably concerned about possible side effects from
the various herbs I'd be taking. She was also concerned about any
potential interactions between the herbs and my medications.
Fortunately, my medical doctor practices at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Medical Center. She agreed to review the herbs using the hospital's
authoritative database.
So based on my recent experience, and following on last month's
newsletter about medication databases, as a service to our readers we
are providing a link, as well as guidance, to the Sloan-Kettering herbal
database.
By the way, if you should ever need to reference any of the information
provided in the Patient Best Practices portion of our newsletter, or if
you wish to browse our newsletter archives, they are available on our
Web site at www.patient2patient.net. From the Home Page, just click on
the Email Newsletter link.
Andrew Robinson, J.D.
Executive Director
Patient2Patient
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~ Quotation of the Month ~
"It is part of the human spirit to endure and give a miracle the chance
to happen."
-- Jerome Groopman, M.D. --
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~ Alzheimer's and Parkinson's WebGuide Updates ~
A reminder to our Subscribers that the Updated Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's disease WebGuides are now available. To access your
WebGuide, go to the Homepage: www.Patient2Patient.net, click on the
Subsciber's button and enter your login information.
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~ Subscription Discounts ~
If you are a member of a disease-related organization or group, take
advantage of the group discounts offered by Patient2Patient when
purchasing any of our Medical WebGuides.
Patient2Patient WebGuides provide quick access to the best and most
current information on the Internet for your condition. Our Alzheimer's
and Parkinson's disease WebGuides contain more than 200 interactive
pages, organized into more than twenty critical topic areas, including
detailed analysis and quick links to Web sites offering the latest
medical, treatment, support and news as well as valuable caregiver
resources.
The way our group discounts work is: The individual members of eligible
organizations can receive a discount on a one-year WebGuide
subscription. In addition, your organization or group will receive a
percentage from the sale to benefit its ongoing work.
For information, contact Andrew Robinson, Executive Director at
ajrob@Patient2Patient.net
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~ Sponsorships ~
Ideally, we'd like to create a WebGuide for every existing disease. So
if you know of an individual, organization or group that may be
interested in sponsoring a Patient2Patient WebGuide, please contact us
at Sponsorship@patient2patient.net. You'll be helping thousands of
patients in need of critical and credible health information.
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~ Feature Article: Checking Herbs, Vitamins and Supplements ~
More and more patients are becoming interested in understanding the
possible benefits of using herbal supplements and vitamins. However, as
promising as an alternative treatment appears, you shouldn't include it
as part of your regimen without first discussing it with both your
alternative practitioner and your medical doctor.
Because herbal databases are such important tools, Patient2Patient
provides a selection of the best ones, including detailed information
and guidance on how to use them, in all of our WebGuides.
One database we like to recommend is provided by Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, one of the world's top cancer centers.
You can find it at www.mskcc.org/aboutherbs. This database allows you to
check herbs, vitamins and other supplements.
To use the Memorial Sloan-Kettering database:
1. Go directly to the herbal database at: www.mskcc.org/aboutherbs
2. Agree to the disclaimer that automatically pops up in your first
search
3. Use the alphabetical database, or type the name of the substance
you're seeking (e.g., "Ginger") into the search engine
Please note that the information in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering
database is extremely comprehensive, even clinical at times. However,
this can be an advantage when your medical doctor is seeking clinical
information.
Of course, you can't rely on any single database for the most
comprehensive and up-to-date information concerning herbs, vitamins or
supplements. That is why our WebGuides provide you with a selection of
the best Internet databases, geared to different users' levels of
understanding.
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~ Humor ~
Two cows are standing in a field chewing their cud.
One cow says to the other, "What do you think of this Mad Cow Disease?"
The other cow replies: "What do I care? I'm a helicopter."
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Feel Good!
The Staff of Patient2Patient
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We welcome your comments about this newsletter and our WebGuides -
Feedback@patient2patient.net.
(c) Copyright 2004 Patient2Patient, LLC.
296 Eleventh Street, NYC 11215.
You are welcome to forward this issue to someone you know, in its
entirety (without cutting).
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