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Welcome to the Cushing's Help and Support Newsletters!
If it appears
that the entire newsletter is not here, or you prefer to
read the HTML version of this newsletter on the Internet,
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http://www.cushingsonline.com/newsletters/4-18-2007.htm.
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There's Good News and Bad News...
The last emailed Newsletter will be May 30, 2007.
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Robin writes: Getting "Flakey" in a geeky way,
Research, bookmarks, and general info to share
I've been having a lot of fun "flaking"..... I'm
exploring the new Web 2.0 technologies which include wiki's, podcasts, newsfeeds,
and flakes.....
I've built a flake for Cushing's to share what info I have with anyone who wants
to use it. I'm still working on it and have a lot more to add, but I'll do it as
I can. A lot of things I've put there point back to this site, and if it's a
link to the boards, only board members will be able to see it.
http://www.pageflakes.com/staticnrg.ashx?
I've put a feed of my bookmarks on the flake site, but I also have another
public site for them, too:
http://del.icio.us/staticnrg
The neat thing about all this is you can do this, too, and we can "network",
sharing with each other. You can incorporate my stuff in to your flake, and I
can incorporate yours. It's a way for us to share info with each other. MaryO
may want to put links to all this on here...I don't know. But it's the "new"
thang, and predicted to be how things are going.
• Testimonials http://www.cushings-help.com/testimonials.htm
Thank you, Mary! I appreciate the quick response...Your Cushings site is a god-send. I stayed up all night (literally--till 6 am) reading last night....Anyway, thank you so much for providing this valuable resource! I look forward to participating on the forums (after a long nap today...LOL).
Thank you Mary the list is fantastic. The work that you put into this site is really appreciated more than you will ever know. Saying THANK YOU one million times would not be enough to show how much this site means to me. You are a living angel Mary and deserve the very best of everything good in this world.
Thanks Mary - I must say these boards bring a smile to my face each day...you continue to surprise me with all the new features - me being a gadget person - I am in my element. Thanks a bunch you wonderful lady!!!!
I have been reading for a while now and I thank God for this website and every last one of you who make this like the family I never knew existed.
From Amy's Bio
Take the time to go through the information at this site. It includes how to get to the best resource site on the web, Mary O's Cushing's Help and Support website at http://www.cushings-help.com. She includes a lot of information in her site, and a message board for you to join and ask questions, share information, and meet others who are doing the same.
From Robin's Flake
News Items:
Dr. Theodore Friedman from Charles R. Drew University, Division of Endocrinology is currently seeking patients to participate in a research study of pituitary dysfunction. More info.
Ages 18-55. To Undergo Baseline Studies to Evaluate Consequences of Low Testosterone and
To Receive Testosterone Replacement for 2 Months. Subjects Will Be Compensated.
Dr. Friedman or Dr. Zuckerbraun
Recruiting men with pituitary disease who have testosterone
and growth hormone deficiencies. Both testosterone and growth hormone individually improve bone density in men
who have deficiencies of these hormones. The purpose of this research study is
to determine if the combination of testosterone and growth hormone improves bone
structure more than testosterone alone. Thirteen outpatient visits over a 2-year period are required. Bone structure
will be evaluated three times (at the beginning, after 12 months, and after 24
months). Three kinds of tests will be performed: DEXA, MRI and p-QCT. All three
are non-invasive tests of bone quality and low risk. By participating in this study you will learn more about the health of your
bones and other aspects of your health. Reports will be provided to you and to
any physician you wish. The study covers the cost of all study procedures and
medications. Study Criteria: elen Peachey, RN, Research Coordinator • From
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/555284 Abnormal Uterine Bleeding
May Be Best Evaluated by Menopausal Status
News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD April 17, 2007 — The best approach to evaluating and treating abnormal
uterine bleeding is to stratify women by premenopausal, perimenopausal, or
postmenopausal status, according to a review published in the April issue of the
Southern Medicine Journal. This review describes the differential
diagnosis and diagnostic workup of abnormal uterine bleeding, defines an
approach to etiology, and discusses treatment options. "Disorders of the menstrual cycle are a common problem in ambulatory
medicine, accounting for up to 30% of outpatient visits to gynecologists," write
Sara B. Fazio, MD, and Amy N. Ship, MD, from the Harvard Medical School in
Boston, Massachusetts. "Abnormal uterine bleeding describes bleeding that is
excessive or outside the normal menstrual cycle. In the premenopausal woman, the
differential diagnosis is broad, and pregnancy must always be considered." In premenopausal women, after pregnancy has been excluded, the most important
branch point is determining whether the bleeding is ovulatory or anovulatory.
One of the most common causes of abnormal uterine bleeding is anovulation. In
patients with anovulatory bleeding, treatment goals are to regulate cycles,
minimize blood loss, and prevent iatrogenic complications from chronic unopposed
estrogen treatment. After determining the etiology of oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea, management
should include maintenance of adequate estrogen to support bone health. The
increasing incidence of endometrial hyperplasia and malignancy in the
perimenopausal and postmenopausal population mandates a low threshold for
endometrial assessment and referral to a gynecological specialist. "Abnormal uterine bleeding is a common condition, and evaluation is best
approached by stratifying into pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal status," the
authors conclude. "Utilizing a systematic approach to the differential diagnosis
will help to avoid a misdiagnosis. Much of the evaluation and treatment can be
done in the office of the internist." The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships. South Med J. 2007;100:376-382. Clinical Context According to the authors of the current study, abnormal uterine bleeding
accounts for up to 30% of outpatient visits to gynecologists and is described as
bleeding that is excessive or outside of normal cyclic menstruation. A typical
cycle interval is 21 to 35 days with an average flow duration of 2 to 8 days and
estimated blood loss between 30 and 80 mL. Predictors of heavy bleeding include
passage of clots, iron deficiency anemia, and volume depletion. While estrogen
increases thickness and vascularity of the endometrium, progesterone increases
the glandular secretions and vessel tortuosity, and withdrawal of sex steroids
results in endometrial sloughing and bleeding. This is a review of the differential diagnosis of abnormal uterine bleeding
and treatment in premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women. Study Highlights Pearls for Practice • From
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2265.2007.02865.x Clinical
Endocrinology To cite this article: Giuseppe Reimondo, Anna Pia, Barbara
Allasino, Francesco Tassone, Silvia Bovio, Giorgio Borretta, Alberto Angeli,
Massimo Terzolo SUMMARY
Objective: Recent studies showed that a relatively high
number of diabetic patients might have unsuspected Cushing's syndrome (CS).
The aim of the present study was to screen for CS in adult patients with
newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus who were not selected for clinical
characteristics, such as poor control and obesity, which may increase the
pre-test probability of CS. Design, patients and measurement: We prospectively
evaluated 100 consecutive diabetic patients at diagnosis from 2003 to 2004.
No patient had clear Cushingoid features. Screening was performed by using
the overnight 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) after complete
recovery from acute concomitant illnesses and satisfactory glycaemic control
attained. The threshold of adequate suppression after DST was set at 110
nmol/L. Results: Five patients failed to suppress cortisol after
DST and underwent a repeated DST and a confirmatory standard two-day 2-mg
DST after 3-6 months from the baseline evaluation. In one woman, a
definitive diagnosis of CS was made by a surgically proven pituitary adenoma
and glycaemic control improved after cure of CS. Conclusions: The results of the present study support the
view that unknown CS is not rare among patients with diabetes mellitus. This
is the first demonstration that screening for CS may be feasible at the
clinical onset of diabetes in an unselected cohort of patients. Therefore,
early diagnosis and treatment of CS may give the opportunity to improve
the prognosis of diabetes.
Full Text PDF (73 KB) (Subscription)
• From
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/92/4/1358
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism,
doi:10.1210/jc.2006-2674 Adrenal Gland Volume and Dexamethasone-Suppressed Cortisol Correlate with
Total Daily Salivary Cortisol in African-American Women Departments of Medicine (S.H.G., G.S.W., F.L.B., D.F.), Psychiatry (G.S.W.),
and Radiology (K.H.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and
Department of Epidemiology (S.H.G., F.L.B., D.F.), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205; and Department of Medicine (S.M.),
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr.
Sherita Hill Golden, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of
Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2024 East Monument Street, Suite 2-616, Baltimore,
Maryland 21205. E-mail:
sahill@jhmi.edu.
Context: Population-based studies of associations between subclinical hypercortisolism and risk for disease states, such as type 2
diabetes mellitus, have been difficult to assess because of imprecise
measures of glucocorticoid exposure. Alternative measures (salivary
cortisol and adrenal gland volume) have not been systematically
compared with 24-h urine free cortisol (UFC) in a healthy population.
Objective: Our objectives were: 1) to determine whether 24-h UFC and total daily salivary cortisol correlated with each other, adrenal gland volume, and salivary cortisol after dexamethasone
suppression and 2) to evaluate the association of adrenal gland
volume with salivary cortisol after dexamethasone suppression. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a cross-sectional study of 20 healthy, premenopausal African-American women aged
18–45 yr. Main Outcome Measures: Salivary cortisol was assessed at six time points throughout the day simultaneous with 24-h UFC collection. Adrenal gland volume was measured by computed tomography scan.
Dexamethasone-suppressed salivary cortisol was measured at 0800 h
after administration of 0.5 mg dexamethasone at 2300 h the prior
evening. Results: Dexamethasone-suppressed salivary cortisol levels correlated strongly with individual, timed salivary cortisol measurements,
total daily salivary cortisol (rs = 0.75; P = 0.0001; n = 20), and adrenal gland volume (rs = 0.66; P = 0.004; n = 17).
Total daily salivary cortisol and adrenal gland volume also
correlated (rs = 0.46; P = 0.04; n = 19). In
contrast, 24-h UFC levels did not correlate with any of the other
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis measures. Conclusion: A dexamethasone suppression test or adrenal gland volume may be alternative measures for characterizing subtle
subclinical hypercortisolism in healthy adults. • From
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/lifestyle/health_and_beauty/ LOOKING back at photos taken over the last 20 years it's clearly
visible that Christine Fletcher and her twin sister, Susan Lamb are not
identical as they once were. However, the changes were so gradual that no-one really noticed. As always,
friends and family told them that they could tell who was who when they were
together but not when they were apart. Even the pair themselves didn't really notice the changes. "It's something
that creeps up so slowly you tend not to think much about it," explains
Christine, a 57-year-old shop assistant from Manchester. "We were always more or less the same size, but then I started to need bigger
shoes than Susan - she is a size 8 and I'll take a 9 or 10. I put having big
hands and feet down to being tall because I'm nearly 5ft 10, but I did notice my
hands were bigger than they were because my rings were getting tight." The growth in Christine's hands and feet as well as slight enlargement of her
facial features not seen in her twin, Susan, is due to a rare condition called
acromegaly. Slow diagnosis It is the controlling gland through which the brain instructs all the other
major endocrine glands, producing hormones which are distributed in the body via
the blood stream to control the stress response; metabolic rate; growth; milk
production; sexual function and fertility. Not ill In Christine's case it was the production of growth hormone in her body which
was disturbed. “I never felt ill with it at all,” Christine explains. “That's why it's hard to diagnose. You can see the symptoms but they develop
over such a long time I can't say how long I've had it until I look at old
photographs. Looking at 20 years ago I was the just same as my sister, but exactly when
the tumour began to affect me, I don't know.” Christine's acromegaly was picked up after the thickening of tissues in her
wrist caused her to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, a common condition that
occurs when there is too much pressure on a nerve in the wrist. “I had an operation for carpal tunnel one wrist and came away not thinking
any more of it,” Christine remembers. “Then the other hand started so I had to have that one done as well. It's day
surgery under local anaesthetic so when I saw the surgeon I asked if he could
have a look at my hands because they seemed to have got bigger.” Being a twin it was easy for Christine to see her probable growth by
comparing the size of her hands and feet with Susan. Tests However, a blood test followed by an MRI scan confirmed she had a tumour on
her pituitary and she was diagnosed with acromegaly. “At first I was treated with injections to brings my growth hormone level
down,” she says. “It did make my growth hormone level more normal, but it
doesn't get rid of the tumour. “I tried the injections for over a year and I knew at the end of the day the
only alternative was surgery.” Under the care of Mr Kanna Gnanalingham, a consultant Neurosurgeon at Hope
Hospital, Christine underwent endoscopic pituitary surgery, a keyhole surgical
technique which removes the tumour through the nose. “I was nervous, but Mr Gnanalingham and the staff at Hope Hospital were
fantastic. They were very positive and explained everything that was going to
happen. Stay over “Afterwards I had to stay in hospital for six days while they monitored my
hormone levels had gone back to normal but I didn't need any painkillers. All I
had was a runny nose and I couldn't blow it for a couple of weeks so I felt a
bit bunged up. “The tumour has gone and I've got to have an MRI scan every 12 months and
have check up blood tests to make sure it doesn't come back.” Checks After removal of the tumor hormone levels usually return to normal straight
away. Patients often find that enlarged features improve, however, where acromegaly
has affected height, as in the case of actor, Richard Kiel, bone, once grown,
will not reduce in size. “I've been told that sometimes hands and feet can go back to normal but it
can take as long for this to happen as it took the change to happen in the first
place,” Christine adds. “Since the operation I haven't really seen any change, but I'm keeping an
open mind about it, as long as the tumour's gone that's all I'm bothered about.”
Acromegaly Masquerading as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome • From
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/business/yourmoney/
Aging: Disease or Business Opportunity?
Booths advertising
vitamins,
hormones and
pharmaceutical drugs, along with an array of oxygenating or detoxifying
paraphernalia, filled the exhibition hall of the Venetian Resort Hotel
Casino. Lectures and workshops were offered on a bevy of “wellness” topics,
including the alluring idea that human growth hormone could be deployed to
beat back old age. Several thousand attendees, mostly physicians, crowded the Venetian, a
testament to what analysts say is now an industry that snares $50 billion a
year in sales by catering to Americans’ obsession with looking and feeling
younger. This spring, though, the anti-aging industry has come under a
harsher light. The authorities have indicted 20 people, including four
doctors, in three states as part of an investigation into what federal and
state prosecutors describe as a booming and illegal trade: Internet
trafficking in human growth hormone and anabolic
steroids. More than half of those indicted thus far in the case worked for
companies that peddled their wares at the Las Vegas convention or that
belonged to the trade group that organized it, the American Academy of
Anti-Aging Medicine. Most of the publicity surrounding the investigations
has focused on sales to athletes. But experts in government, law enforcement
and the industry say human growth hormone, or HGH, is actually used much
more often, and increasingly so, to slow aging. While it has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the investigations,
the academy is one of the leading preachers of growth hormone’s anti-aging
powers and has as its core gospel the idea that HGH can, as its literature
states, “produce striking improvements” in patients’ “health, energy level
and sense of well-being.” Since two osteopathic physicians in Chicago, Ronald M. Klatz and Robert
M. Goldman, founded it 15 years ago, the academy has spun its teachings into
a lucrative enterprise that claims 20,000 members, runs a Web site (www.worldhealth.net),
worldwide conventions and medical education programs that award board
certifications in “anti-aging regenerative medicine.” Along the way, the
academy has also become a consistent focus of criticism, derided by an
establishment that calls anti-aging medicine quackery or hype, says growth
hormone is dangerous and labels the academy’s promotions as medically and
legally specious. “The whole idea of anti-aging medicine is controversial,” said Dr. Robert
N. Butler, who was director of the National Institute on Aging, a federal
agency, from 1976 to 1982. “On the good side, it encourages healthy
behaviors. On the other side, it sells things like human growth hormone,
which is harmful.” Medical research has tended to support the view that growth hormone’s
risks outweigh any potential anti-aging benefits. Under federal law, the
substance is illegal to use except for treating childhood growth disorders,
AIDS and a rare adult hormone deficiency. But Dr. Klatz and Dr.
Goldman have argued that aging is a disease that causes the pituitary gland
to gradually produce less growth hormone. Therefore, they say in books,
articles and speeches that hormone replacement therapy at low doses is legal
and beneficial in “properly diagnosed deficient adults.” Dr. Klatz, who is 51 and the academy’s president, and Dr. Goldman, 52,
its chairman, declined to be interviewed for this article. But in response
to written questions through their lawyer, they said the 1990 federal law
making it a felony to prescribe growth hormone for “off label” uses was
aimed specifically at athletic abuse and nothing else. Neither of the
doctors is mentioned in the recent indictments, and they also have not been
accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the investigation. But many of the individuals and companies cited in the indictments have
been involved with the academy and its conventions over the years. Dr. Klatz
and Dr. Goldman would not comment on the investigations, saying they barely
knew the suspects or the nature of their businesses. They say they neither
prescribe nor distribute growth hormone, and advocate doing so only in
accordance with state and federal laws and after a proper physical
examination, not as an Internet purchase. They also say that pharmacies and individuals indicted in the
investigation will no longer exhibit, sponsor or advertise at academy
conventions and have already been removed from the academy’s Web site.
Pharmacies and individuals had been paying $150 to $750 to be listed in the
academy’s directory and $3,695 to $22,000 to buy display booths at its
conventions. Despite the controversy surrounding them, Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman have
grown wealthy through their stewardship of the academy and as leading
anti-aging evangelists, building their business on books like “Grow Young
With HGH,” disputed science and on people’s perennial — indeed, ageless —
fear of growing old. They recently sold an 80 percent stake in their
conventions business for as much as $49 million to the
Tarsus Group, a London media concern. Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman are not afraid to take on their critics. In the
last few years, they have been embroiled in legal disputes — with the State
of Illinois, over offshore medical degrees they received in the late 1990s,
and with professional critics whom they sued for giving them a “silver
fleece” award in 2004 for promotion of questionable anti-aging products.
(That suit was settled last November; its terms are confidential.) Self-described mavericks, Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman dismiss their critics
as biased toward “the old-school medical establishment” and say that the
medical establishment’s current gerontology practices pessimistically
promote “a cult of death.” Hormones, including steroids and human-growth treatments, have captured
the imaginations and bodies of athletes and others for many decades now, for
the all-too-visible reason that they promote rippling, strapping muscular
bulk and enhance performance. The hormone movement gained traction after a
1990 article in The
New England Journal of Medicine said that a six-month study of 12 men,
ages 61 to 81, who took HGH had less body fat and more lean body mass
compared with a control group that did not take the hormone. More recently, however, advocates also have promoted growth hormones as
the modern fountain of youth. The expansion of the anti-aging movement is
being fed by several factors — among them, graying baby boomers, growing
enthusiasm for physical fitness, interest in alternative medical treatments,
and, some analysts say, many doctors’ efforts to compensate for income lost
to managed care. The market for drugs to control and treat diseases of aging
and for appearance-related products and services is expected to reach $71
billion a year by 2009, according to BCC Research, a market research company
in Wellesley, Mass. Government and industry officials estimate that 25,000 to 30,000
Americans take injections of growth hormone for anti-aging purposes, paying
up to $1,000 a month. And investigators say that the hormone, like many
pharmaceuticals, is increasingly being bought on the Internet. State and
federal law enforcement officials have focused on doctors who may have
written prescriptions without seeing patients and on businesses that may
have illegally trafficked in HGH. Some of the legal parameters around promoting and dispensing HGH are
nebulous. Steven D. Silverman, an assistant director of compliance at the
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, part of the
Food and Drug Administration, says that people advocating growth hormone
for anti-aging purposes “may be engaged in protected speech.” But, he adds,
“if a doctor or pharmacy is actually dispensing this product for anti-aging
purposes, that’s different and it may be illegal.” Recent research underscores growth hormone’s potential dangers. This
year, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, a review of 31 randomized,
controlled studies concluded that “risks far outweigh benefits when it is
used as an anti-aging treatment in healthy older adults.” Side effects,
according to the
National Institutes of Health, may include
diabetes,
hypertension, hardening of the arteries and abnormal growth of bones or
internal organs. FOR his part, Dr. Klatz challenges the concerns of the Annals of Internal
Medicine about possible risks of HGH, contending that thousands of other
studies showed “clear benefits” at lower doses; he compares using the
hormone to using insulin for treating diabetics. He says HGH slows down aging by improving lean muscle mass, reducing body
fat and increasing energy. The hormone affects metabolic processes in many
ways, according to
Genentech, the company that developed the first synthetic growth
hormone in 1981. But while Genentech and other pharmaceutical suppliers, on
the advice of regulators, emphasize that HGH should be given only for
government-approved uses like dwarfism, Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman have
pushed it onto the frontiers of anti-aging. “They have led the charge to educate in a realm that pharmaceutical
companies won’t,” said Dr. Mark L. Gordon, a family practitioner in Encino,
Calif. Asked how important Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman were in the anti-aging
world, he responded: “as figureheads, extremely.” But Dr. Stephen Barrett, a senior member of the National Council Against
Health Fraud, a nonprofit advocacy group that operates the
quackwatch.org Web site, says
the academy has misrepresented research on growth hormone and promotes
questionable products. Dr. Barrett dismisses the medicinal value of the academy’s work and says
its operations are more akin to Fort Knox than anything else. “I think it’s
basically a money-making machine for Klatz and Goldman,” he said. No mainstream medical association like the American Board of Medical
Specialties or the
American Medical Association recognizes the academy’s board
certification — though Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman say they are currently
asking for A.B.M.S. approval. Doctors seeking certification from the academy
must pay $3,440, study three books partly written or edited by Dr. Klatz and
Dr. Goldman, and pass a multiple-choice test, chart review and oral exam.
While the academy has certified hundreds of doctors, some who were once
involved with the anti-aging movement have distanced themselves from the
work of Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman. Dr. L. Stephen Coles, a researcher at the
University of California, Los Angeles, recalled the excitement when he
first joined the doctors and about 10 other physicians near Cancún, Mexico,
in 1992 to talk about hormones and aging. Growth hormone is legal in Mexico,
and some enthusiastic users lived there at the time. “I remember saying this is really important, this is what medicine will
be in the next five years,” Dr. Coles recalled. He has changed his mind.
Now, he says, “Growth hormone is risky, and I’d like to see long-term
studies.” Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman are graduates of osteopathic colleges in Iowa
and Illinois, respectively. Osteopaths, who represent about 6 percent of the
nation’s licensed physicians, focus on holistic health treatments and the
muscular-skeletal system and also perform functions of medical doctors like
prescribing drugs and performing surgery. Through his lawyer, Dr. Goldman said that he had received two doctoral
degrees from “distance learning programs,” which he said had required “work
with a mentor, textbook reading and testing.” A fitness buff, he says in a
biography posted on www.worldhealth.net that he has held world records for
one-armed push-ups (321) and consecutive sit-ups (13,500). Dr. Klatz was working at a Wisconsin clinic in 1992 when he was injured
in an automobile accident. After diagnosis of a cervical fracture, severe
headaches, cognitive problems and a wrist injury, he spent the next six and
a half years living in part on about $500,000 in disability payments,
according to court records. During those years, he and Dr. Goldman, whom he
first met in 1981, started the academy, working in a quasi-Gothic building
in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Both men received medical degrees in 1998 from the Central American
Health Sciences University in Belize, without, they acknowledged, ever
having studied in the country. Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman say through their
lawyer that they earned their medical degrees with transfer credit from
previous academic work and a year in clinical rotations in Mexican
hospitals. Licensing authorities in Illinois did not recognize the Belize degrees,
and in 2000 fined the doctors $5,000 each for adding M.D. after their names.
They agreed to a cease-and-desist order with an exception: books already
printed or being reprinted with the contractual requirement that they be
identified as M.D.’s. They were also allowed to continue using the M.D.
designation on their résumés. While the agreement states that they can lose their licenses for
violating its terms, the doctors currently identify themselves as M.D.’s in
recently published books, correspondence, their Web site and promotional
materials for conferences, including one last summer in Chicago. They say
through their lawyer that they are not violating the agreement because of a
confidential superseding accord, but a spokeswoman for the Illinois Division
of Professional Regulation says they are not permitted to designate
themselves as M.D.’s in the state. Despite having their bona fides questioned in Illinois, the doctors have
been able to use the academy and its conventions to promote the anti-aging
wonders of human growth hormone. Along the way, many other companies have
helped make the conventions successful, and some of them have been charged
with illegally trafficking in growth hormone, according to indictments
handed down in state and federal investigations of the HGH business. Among them are an Orlando concern, Signature Compounding Pharmacy, which
was a sponsor and exhibitor at the Las Vegas convention; Dr. Robert G.
Carlson, the medical director of the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center, who
moderated an anti-aging workshop in Las Vegas; and Dr. Claire D. Godfrey, an
obstetrician-gynecologist who runs the Ageless Clinic in Orlando and gave a
lecture on female hormones at the convention. Each of those parties has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Another
sponsor and exhibitor in Las Vegas, Applied Pharmacy Services, is named in a
sealed indictment in Alabama, according to its lawyer, who denied that the
company had engaged in any illegal activity. IN Las Vegas last December, speakers told doctors how to diagnose mild
hormone deficiencies so they could legally prescribe HGH. Dr. Gordon, the
California physician, talked about diagnosing pituitary gland damage from
brain trauma from slips, falls or sports injuries. A Long Island lawyer,
Richard D. Collins, counseled that while growth hormone could not legally be
prescribed for completely healthy people, it is permissible for disease
symptoms stemming from the aging process. Mr. Collins is now a defense lawyer for Signature Pharmacy, one of the
companies indicted in the recent case. (He did not respond to interview
requests.) It is unclear what impact the investigations will have on the academy or
on the careers of Dr. Klatz and Dr. Goldman — or whether it will dent the
two men’s popularity in the anti-aging industry. As recently as two months
ago, just before her business was raided and she was charged with illegal
distribution of prescription drugs, Naomi Loomis, chief executive of
Signature Pharmacy, offered a glowing testimonial saluting the academy on
its Web site. “Since our company aligned with” the academy, she noted, “our success in
the age management business has grown exponentially.”
• From
http://www.virtualendocrinecentre.com/news.asp?artid=9441
Kickboxing Causes Damage To Hormone Producing Area In
Brain • From
http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/19/2/191 ECT
in Patients With Intracranial Masses Add your
Helpful Hints for
Dealing with Cushing's to the website and the email Newsletters.
Associate Professor of Medicine - UCLA
If you have a thyroid condition, you
are not alone. An estimated 13 million Americans suffer from thyroid
disease. The Everything Health Guide to Thyroid Disease,
cowritten by acclaimed thyroid specialist, Theodore C. Friedman, is
the authoritative handbook you need to help you live with this
disease. You'll learn about: Complete with a glossary, additional resources,
and even a section on thyroid disease in children, The Everything
Health Guide to Thyroid Disease is the complete guide for
everyday healthy living. Winnie Yu is a
freelance health writer. She has coauthored many books, including of
The Everything Health Guide to Fibromyalgia. She has written
features for numerous national magazines, including Weight
Watchers, Fitness, Healthy Kids, Cooking Light, and Natural
Health. She holds a B.A. in magazine journalism and psychology
from Syracuse University. She lives in New York.
Fundraising:
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Contact:
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Los Angeles, CA 90059
Telephone: 323-563-9353
Email:
study@goodhormonehealth.com
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Contact:
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Department of Endocrinology
778 Clinical Research Bldg.
415 Curie Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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Fax: 215-573-5809
Email:
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Profile Page: University of Pennsylvania Health System,
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Cushing's:
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Disclosures
Physicians - maximum of 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
for physicians;
Family Physicians - up to 0.25 AAFP Prescribed credit(s) for
physicians
SCREENING OF CUSHING's SYNDROME IN ADULT PATIENTS NEWLY DIAGNOSED TO HAVE
DIABETES MELLITUS
Clinical Endocrinology (OnlineAccepted Articles).
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.2007.02865.x
Corresponding author: Giuseppe Reimondo,
MD
Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Biologiche
Università di Torino
A.S.O. San Luigi
Regione Gonzole, 10
10043 Orbassano, Italy
Tel: ++011 9026292
Fax: ++011 9038655
e-mail:
g.reimondo@virgilio.it
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 92, No. 4 1358-1363
Copyright © 2007 by The Endocrine Society
health_and_beauty_feature/s/1004/1004586_growing_feet_could_mean_tumour_.html
Growing feet could mean tumour
Carmel Thomason
16/ 4/2007
Real change
In acromegaly the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone, the most
noticeable symptoms being hands and feet become larger, while facial features
can become more coarse and prominent.
Other symptoms include sweating, soft-tissue swelling, joint disorders and, in
come cases, extreme height.
Actor Richard Kiel, famous for his role as James Bond's steel-toothed nemesis,
Jaws, has spoken openly about his own experience with the condition.
Like most suffers it took years before the 7ft 2ins star was diagnosed.
However, acromegaly remains very rare, with approximately 60-70 cases per
million people in the UK.
It is not hereditary and can develop at any age, although is predominately found
in patients in the middle age group.
In more than 90 per cent of acromegaly cases the over-production of growth
hormone is caused by a benign tumour on the pituitary gland.
The pituitary gland is located in the base of the skull, immediately under the
brain and behind the eyes.
Renner, Matthew MD., et al. – This case describes a growth hormone-prolactin,
cosecreting pituitary microadenoma that presented with chronic, hyperandrogenic
anovulation. A 37-year-old parous patient presented with 1 year of irregular
cycles unresponsive to clomiphene citrate and a mildly elevated prolactin.
Laboratory evaluation demonstrated hyperprolactinemia with an elevated,
age-adjusted, insulin-like growth factor-1 level, and nonsuppressed growth
hormone following glucose loading
[more...]
15aging.html?em&ex=1176782400&en=cda9a871661bd767&ei=5087
April 15, 2007
FOR four days last December, America’s pleasure dome in the desert, Las
Vegas, played host to a convention dedicated to the proposition that growing
old is “a treatable medical condition.”
Abstract
New research shows for the first time that kickboxing can cause brain damage.
Head injuries in kickboxing can cause damage to an area of the brain called the
pituitary, resulting in decreased production of hormones, which affect the
body's metabolism and response to stress.
Complete Article
13 Apr 2007
Research published in the journal; Clinical Endocrinology suggests that amateur
kickboxers who have suffered head injuries should be screened to ensure their
pituitary is producing enough hormones.
The pituitary is a pea-sized gland, weighing one gram or less, which is found in
the brain. It produces many hormones that are involved in the body's regulation
of metabolism, coping with daily stress, general wellbeing and sex drive amongst
other areas. A team led by Prof. Fahrettin Kelestimur at Erciyes University
Medical School in Turkey measured the levels of these hormones in 22 amateur
kickboxers and compared these to sex-matched healthy controls. They found that
kickboxers (27.3%) suffered more than controls from hypopituitarism, a condition
where the pituitary does not produce enough hormones.
Kickboxing is one of the most popular martial arts, enjoyed by approximately one
million people around the world. The head is one of the most common sites of
injury for both amateur and professional kickboxers. Further studies are now
needed to better understand the mechanisms of hypopituitarism in head trauma
patients and to develop more effective head protection gear for kickboxers.
Researcher Prof. Kelestimur said:
"This is the first time that amateur kickboxing has been shown to cause damage
to the pituitary, resulting in insufficient hormone production. Our study shows
that kickboxers experience an increased risk of suffering from hypopituitarism,
a condition where the pituitary fails to produce enough hormones. In healthy
people, hormones produced by the pituitary fulfil a critical role in helping the
body maintain a healthy metabolism and cope with daily stress.
Extrapolating from our results, potentially a quarter of a million people
worldwide could be producing decreased amounts of hormones as a direct result of
head injuries sustained during kickboxing. We recommend that people who take
part in combative sports, like boxing or kickboxing, and are exposed to repeated
head trauma should be screened to ensure their pituitary is working properly."
(Source : Clinical Endocrinology : Erciyes University Medical School, Turkey :
April 2007.)
Journal of Neuropsychiatry (subscription)
- USA
No deviation of the pituitary stalk or significant deformity of the diaphragma
sellae was noted. She received 10 treatments without complications and with ...
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Diagnosed, not sure
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Patients
Stephanie
(StephO)
Stephanie is from Tennessee. She was diagnosed with Cushing's in
October 2004 at the age of 35. She has not been treated and no tumor
has been found but she needs to decide if she wants to go on meds or
have her adrenals out.
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Not Yet Diagnosed
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Christina is not yet diagnosed with Cushing's but
both she and her mother are being tested.
Flint, Michigan
Laura (krafty)
Laura is not yet diagnosed with Cushing's but her
mother thinks that she has many symptoms. She will see an
endocrinologist May 9, 2007.
Bobtown, Pennsylvania
Lyndy (luckylyndy)
Lyndy was just referred to an endocrinologist. She is
not yet diagnosed with Cushing's but has many symptoms.
Chicago, Illinois
Pituitary
Patients
Adam (Adam Caskie)
Adam is from Phoenix, Arizona. He is 13 and was
recently diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. He was diagnosed by a
pediatrician in Phoenix who realized that not only had Adam gained
weight he stopped growing in stature at about the same time the
weight started coming on. He is going for pre-op testing, possibly
including the IPSS.
Phoenix, Arizona
Amy
(MOMMY)
Amy's second MRI did not show the tiny tumor that is supposedly
is in there. She has had a PSS in December 2006. The Neurosurgeon suggests
transphenoidal surgery to take her whole pituitary gland. Another suggestion has
been Gamma Knife. She is going to go to the Cleveland Clinic the week of April
15, 2007.
Amherst, New York
Jennifer C
(Sassy112704)
Jennifer C was diagnosed with Cushing's Disease on
April 3, 2007. She has had the IPSS done which confirmed that the
adenoma is the cause and she has an appointment with a Neurosurgeon
on April 30, 2007 and to schedule surgery.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Trisha
Trisha has finally been diagnosed. Pituitary surgery is on April
24th, 2007 at Swedish Medical Center.
Wylie, Texas
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Radiologist
Dr. Blatter is the
Radiologist that did my IPSS procedure. He was excellent and I would
recommend him to anyone.
Salt Lake City
Utah
Dr. William Couldwell
50 North Medical Drive
Salt Lake City
Utah
Phone: (801) 585-6040
(Pituitary surgery)
Salt Lake City
Utah
Ted Friedman,
M.D. Ph.D., specializes
in treating adult patients with adrenal, pituitary, thyroid and
fatigue disorders.
Endocrinology Division
Charles R. Drew University
1731 E. 120th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90059
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The
Everything Health Guide to Thyroid Disease: Professional Advice on
Getting the Right Diagnosis, Managing Your Symptoms, And Feeling
Great (Everything: Health and Fitness) (Paperback)
by
Theodore C., M.D., Ph.D. Friedman (Author),
Winnie Yu (Author)
About the Author
Theodore C. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor
of Medicine at UCLA School of Medicine and Charles R. Drew
University of Medicine & Science. He is the Chief of the Division of
Endocrinology, Molecular Medicine and Metabolism. Dr. Friedman is
board certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Diabetes,
and Metabolism. He received his undergraduate degree from Stanford
University in Chemistry and Biological Sciences and his M.D.-Ph.D.
from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, with his Ph.D. from City
University of New York in Pharmacology. He completed his internal
medicine residency from University of Michigan and his fellowship in
Endocrinology at the National Institutes of Health, National
Institute of Child, Health and Human Development. He has a private
practice in Los Angeles specializing in hard-to-diagnose and treat
cases of adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid disorders. He is the father
of three children. Dr. Friedman lives in California.
Los Angeles, CA
William H. Ludlam, M.D. Ph.D.
Swedish Hospital
550 17th Ave
Suite #500
Seattle, WA 98122
Phone: (206) 320-2840
Fax: (206) 320-282
Phone: (206) 320-2800
Email:
Bill.Ludlam@swedish.org
Neuroendocrinologist
Clinical Interests/Special Procedures Performed:
Acromegaly, Complex Prolactinomas, Cushing's Syndrome,
Neuroendocrine Disorders, Pituitary Tumors
Education and Certification:
Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY
Residency: Oregon Health & Science University, OR
Fellowship(s): Oregon Health & Science University, OR
Seattle, WA
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