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HealthWorld Online's NPICenter.com to Present at Natural Products Expo West
NPICenter.com, HealthWorld Online's Business-to-Business Internet Network for the Natural Products Industry, will present a complimentary breakfast seminar at Natural Products Expo West entitled, "Selling Smarter, Sales Strategies for Retailers and Suppliers to Take Advantage of the Booming Natural Products Industry." The seminar will take place Saturday, March 13, 1999 from 8:00-10:00 a.m. in the Veranda Room, Anaheim Marriott Hotel. NPICenter.com offers a variety of opportunities for industry companies to maintain their leadership positions in this rapidly growing and changing industry by maximizing their exposure on the Internet. Featured speakers will be HealthWorld Online President and Vice-President, Dave Robertson and James Strohecker, and Nichole Hastings, newly appointed NPICenter.com director. For more information email us at nhastings@NPICenter.com or call us toll-free (888) 809-NPIC (6742).

Dr. Galland's Integrated Medicine
Although the body readily makes most of the fat that it needs from dietary starch or sugar, humans lack the ability to make essential fatty acids (EFAs) and must get them in food. EFAs are found in all foods but are most abundant in certain oils, according to Dr. Leo Galland, in his column, Essential Fatty Acids--The Key To Health, They come in two distinct families, based upon their chemical structure. The two EFA families are not interchangeable and, in fact, tend to compete with one another in the body's metabolic pathways.

The larger family, called "omega-six" EFAs, are abundant in many vegetable seed oils, including corn, sunflower and safflower. Deficiency of omega-six EFAs causes impairment of growth and fertility, hormonal disturbances and immunologic abnormalities. An excess of omega-six EFAs may promote the development of cancer. People living in North America and Europe have rela-tively high levels of omega-six EFAs in their diets, because of the increasing consumption of vegetable oil during the twentieth century.

Natural Medicine Research Update
Pregnenolone is a hormone made by the adrenal glands, brian, and other organs. It is made from cholesterol and then used by the body to convert into DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, and other hormones. Supplements of pregnenolone became available over the counter in 1995. Many laboratory studies performed on rodents have shown this hormone to be an extremely powerful memory enhancer, reports Dr. Sahelian in his latest column, "Pregnenolone and memory ." The mechanism for this action is not fully known but probably involves a number of mechanisms. One possibility is the effect of Preg on the brain chemical acetylcholine, which is known to be involved with memory.

Ask Annie: Solutions for Less Toxic Living
Instead of using commercial disinfectants that may cause drug resistance, try this powerfully antiseptic cleanser for trouble spots in your home. While not registered by the EPA as a pesticide as commercial disinfectants need to be, this Vineger of the Four Thieves formula has been passed down through the ages as an excellent antispetic. In this column by author and environmental tips expert Annie Berthold-Bond, "Some Tips for the Home," find this and other less toxic formulas - one for chapped lips and the other wall-paper paste.

The Healer Within
A classic breath practice that is common to both the Yoga tradition of India and the Qigong tradition of China is the subject of Dr. Roger Jahnke's current column - Rapid Abdominal Breathing. The central activity of this breath technique, called bastrika in India, is the rapid expansion and contraction of the abdomen. The breath enters and exits rapidly through the nose.

This method has a major effect on the function of the organs in the abdominal and pelvic cavities. There is a massive concentration of lymphatic tissue in these areas and because of the one way nature of the lymphatic vessels this vigorous activity moves large amounts of lymph forward toward the elimination organs. It can be done in a few moments, requires no special attire or equipment. Benefits of breath practice are just a breath away.

Medical Cybrarian Service
Need help in researching a difficult health issue? Want to be able to effectively search Medline and other medical databases? Let an experienced medical librarian do it for you. HealthWorld Online's innovative Medical Cybrarian Service searches the Internet and and other databases, provideing you with information on diseases, treatments (alternative and/or mainstream), drugs, statistics, and patient information that is summarized for your research needs. This "Cybrarian" carefully gathers and selects bibliographic citations, points you to useful Web sites, and annotates or summarizespages or documents that would be useful to you for reasonable fees.

Healthy Travel
Join us on an exciting cruises to enter the new millennium with an empowered committment to health. The cruise, "Healthy 2000- Learn to Manage Your Own Health - Naturally," (December 22, 1999 to January 3, 2000) is 12 Day Caribbean Cruise with top experts in Integrated health care, including Leo Galland, MD, Janet Zand, OMD, LAc, Michael Janson, MD and Dana Ullman, MPH. The speakers will give you all the tools for you to learn to manage your own health and to develop your Natural Medicine Chest for the New Millennium through workshops, lectures and panel discussions throughout the cruise.

Online Discussion Forums
Looking for an answer to a tough health question? Looking for support from others who have faced the same health challenges. HealthWorld Online's forums provide you with the opportunity to participate in discussions and find answers to a wide range of health concerns. Visit our forums on, "Vaccination," "Mind/Body Approaches to Chronic Illness," "Issues in Integrated Health Care," "Legal/Legislative Issues," and Qigong." Interact with our other visitors and forum leaders: Elliot Dacher, MD; William Collinge, PhD, MPH, Emmett Miller, MD; Randall Neustaedter, OMD; Roger Jahnke, OMD; and William Dailey, Esq.

Children's Health Update
Like birth, menstruation and menopause, the unfolding of childhood is an inherently natural process. Nevertheless, every morning before going to school, 3 to 5 percent of American schoolchildren take a mind- and behavior-altering prescription drug called Ritalin (methylphenidate). They do so because they have been diagnosed as having a "disease," called "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" (ADHD). It may seem paradoxical to give stimulants to children who are hyperactive in order to calm them down. But this is done because these drugs often have the reverse effect on children than they do on adults. Although the actual impact of Ritalin and similar substances on the brain and mind of young people is poorly understood, children diagnosed with ADHD often continue to take it for years.

In his startling article, "Hugs, Not Drugs," from his groundbreaking book, Reclaiming Your Health: Exploding the Medical Myth and Embracing the True Source of Healing, John Robbins once again cuts to the core of tragic practice in our contemporary culture, as he did in his Pulitzer Prize nominated bestseller, Diet for a New America.

Association Network -- Hot Pick
The California Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CAAOM) is a professional organization of Licensed Acupuncturists and supporters of Oriental Medicine dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the practice of Oriental Medicine in a caring and ethical manner in order to enhance the health and well-being of the general public.

Visit the CAAOM.

Global Health Calendar -- Hot Picks

Natural Products Expo West. Natural and Organic Products Trade Show. 3/11-3/14/99. Anaheim, CA. New Hope Communications - 303-939-8440.

Whole Foods Expo. Seventh Annual Event Honoring Natural Nutrition Month Philadelphia, PA. Contact: Center for Advancement in Cancer Education - 610-642-4810

Conference on Nutraceuticals and Medicine. Continuing Education Program for doctors, dentists and chiropractors San Diego, CA. Contact: American Nutraceutical Association - 888-729-4997

Fourth Annual Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine. Tempe, AZ. Contact: Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences - 800-252-0688

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Editor, Healthy Update: James Strohecker

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