Sugar compromises the immune system

[Guest guest]

Family nurse practitioner Gail Vanark, ARNP, of the Center for

Preventative Medicine in Amherst uses compounds to treat a wide

variety of chronic infections.

" More and more we are seeing people - especially children - with

chronic infections, such as strep or ear infections, " she

said. " Common prescription antibiotics are filled with chemicals and

sugar and dyes. "

This presents several problems for patients, Vanark said.

" Sugar compromises the immune system; it decreases the number and

efficiency of white blood cells, " she said. " Most antibiotics

(prescribed for children) are filled with sugar, such as

amoxicillin. In addition, the prescription can upset the balance in

a child's stomach, which can lead to a chronic yeast overgrowth.

Then, the child needs an anti-fungal medication, which is also

filled with sugar. "

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20041116/STYLE/111160003 & SearchID=73190171240082

Custom made

Compounds meet some patients' needs

By JENNIFER HORN, Telegraph Correspondent

Published: Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004

ENLARGE PHOTO

Staff photo by us

Wingate Pharmacy compounding technician Maura Riley formulates a

chewable medicinal tablet for a veterinary prescription. Order this

picture

A man stands at a counter mixing powders and other ingredients with

a pestle in a marble bowl. He measures and weighs, mixes and sifts.

This is not the typical scene at a chain pharmacy, where pills are

counted and bottled. Instead, it is a compounding pharmacist,

filling a prescription for a custom medicine.

Compounds are the precursors to modern pharmaceuticals. In the days

before major drug companies, pharmacists made medications " from

scratch, " much like Grandma used to make oatmeal raisin cookies. In

recent years, compounding pharmacists or fully trained pharmacists

who also offer compounding services, are making a comeback on the

medical scene. According to Professional Compounding Centers of

America, an accrediting association for compounding pharmacists,

there are more than 3,000 such pharmacists in the United States,

Canada, Australia, Europe and New Zealand.

Compounding has earned respect throughout the medical and

governmental communities. In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration

relied on the PCCA for information about a pediatric dosage for

doxycycline, a drug that can be used to treat anthrax. Compounding

pharmacists, however, most often offer hope to individuals and

families.

According to Nashua pharmacist Wingate, owner of Wingate

Pharmacy on Main Street in Nashua, more and more families are

turning to compounds to address their unique medicinal needs. A

compound, Wingate said, is a customized formulation for a specific

patient, for a specific disease state, which might not be

commercially available.

MORE INFORMATION

If you believe you could benefit from a compounding pharmacist, talk

to your doctor, or contact the International Academy of Compounding

Pharmacists at 1-800-927-4227 or go to www.iacprx.org.

To learn more about compounding pharmacists, go to www.pccarx.com.

Common compounding applications include, but are not limited to:

- Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

- Hospice care.

- Pediatric conditions.

- Dermatology.

- Chronic pain management.

- Neuropathies.

- Infertility.

- Wound therapy.

- Gastroenterology.

" What we do is take bulk chemicals, and then from these we actually

formulate a lot of medicines, " said Wingate recently, as he gave a

tour of the compounding room at the pharmacy. " There are individual

workstations, a sterilization room . . . everything is made right

here. "

If you've never heard of compounding, the reason may be cultural,

according to Dr. Boris Golosarsky of St. ph's Family Medical

Center.

" Compounding prescriptions are severely underutilized in the United

States, " he said. " Compound medicines are used widely in Europe,

especially in Germany, and have been for over 100 years. There is a

culture here to just pop a pill to make everything better. "

There are multiple circumstances that might require a compound

rather than a traditional prescription, according to Wingate, such

as patients who are allergic to preservatives or dyes that are

present in many commercially available medications. A compounding

pharmacist can customize the strength of a particular medication to

suit a patient with a specific need, such as an infant who would

need a lesser dosage than normally available. " For example,

Ranitidine, prescribed for an infant with gastric reflux, where you

don't have the right strength, the right flavor and you have too

much alcohol in the commercially made product. That's an example

where you need a certain dosage, and without the alcohol. "

Family nurse practitioner Gail Vanark, ARNP, of the Center for

Preventative Medicine in Amherst uses compounds to treat a wide

variety of chronic infections.

" More and more we are seeing people - especially children - with

chronic infections, such as strep or ear infections, " she

said. " Common prescription antibiotics are filled with chemicals and

sugar and dyes. "

This presents several problems for patients, Vanark said.

" Sugar compromises the immune system; it decreases the number and

efficiency of white blood cells, " she said. " Most antibiotics

(prescribed for children) are filled with sugar, such as

amoxicillin. In addition, the prescription can upset the balance in

a child's stomach, which can lead to a chronic yeast overgrowth.

Then, the child needs an anti-fungal medication, which is also

filled with sugar. "

ENLARGE PHOTO

Staff photo by us

Wingate Pharmacy compounding technicians Havey and Maura

Riley work on formulas for customers. Order this picture

The answer, according to Vanark, is to order a compound prescription

that is free of sugars and dyes. The bonus is that a compounding

pharmacist can create such a medication in nearly any flavor.

Golosarsky estimates that as many as 10 percent of the prescriptions

he writes for pain medications are for compounds.

" Patients who are dealing chronic pain but can not take opiates, for

example, because they need to stay alert during the day, can benefit

from a transdermal compound, " he said. " The medication is rubbed on

the skin and goes directly to the muscle without going through the

liver. "

For some patients, the effect can be dramatic.

" There are many patients who are reluctant to take certain

medications or the medication gives them side effects, " Golosarsky

said. " A compound can offer the exact mix of medicines in a form the

patient can manage. "

Women's health, and menopause in particular, is another circumstance

when compounding pharmacists can make a difference. According to

Wingate, more than 60 percent of women who are treated with

commercially available hormone replacement therapies experience some

level of failure in their treatments within a year; patients treated

with compounds experience a 90 percent success rate.

" We sit down with the women and have a private consultation, a

confidential survey of their unique symptoms, and we'll develop a

customized formula for her so we're able to give her the chemical

which is exactly bio-identical to what your body produces, " he

said. " And that's the difference; over there (in traditional

prescriptions), it's a commercially produced product where the

progesterone is synthetic. The other commercial option is from a

female horse, which has all these horse estrogens and it's probably

too much estrogen for most women. "

A compounding pharmacist uses chemicals that start out from plant

derivatives such as soy and yam. In the lab they are modified into a

final product that is exactly the same chemical that your ovaries

and adrenal cortex produce, Wingate said.

" We can match it exactly to your needs, " he explained.

According to Vanark, a simple saliva test can help determine exactly

what bioidentical hormones are needed.

" The test tells us exactly what is going on in a woman's cycle, " she

said. " We can see if she is estrogen or progesterone deficient.

Compounds allow us to address a woman's exact needs without using

synthetic progestins, which is especially important since recent

studies indicate multiple harmful side effects to the progestins

commercially used. "

Wingate never treats a patient directly.

" There's always that triad, " he said. " Patient, physician,

pharmacist. If a patient isn't satisfied with their prescription or

the results, they can come to us and we will contact their physician

and work together to find the best solution for a particular patient.

" This is the best part of it, sitting face to face with a patient,

talking about their situation for as long as we need to and helping

them find the solution that works best for them . . . just like they

did it in the old days, " he continued.

It seems even in medicine, everything old is new again.

Subscribe to The Telegraph.

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the article....

Dr. Atkins has said the same years ago when he started his campaign

against adding sugar in a diet... Of course sugar comes in many forms just as

unhealthy as the white granular... I lost 40 pounds since giving up all sugar

and restricting intake of anything with added sugar... And my allergies have

improved..

kenneth gibala

=================

----- Original Message -----

From: tigerpaw2c<mailto:tigerpaw2C@...>

<mailto: >

Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 9:56 PM

Subject: [] Sugar compromises the immune system

Family nurse practitioner Gail Vanark, ARNP, of the Center for

Preventative Medicine in Amherst uses compounds to treat a wide

variety of chronic infections.

" More and more we are seeing people - especially children - with

chronic infections, such as strep or ear infections, " she

said. " Common prescription antibiotics are filled with chemicals and

sugar and dyes. "

This presents several problems for patients, Vanark said.

" Sugar compromises the immune system; it decreases the number and

efficiency of white blood cells, " she said. " Most antibiotics

(prescribed for children) are filled with sugar, such as

amoxicillin. In addition, the prescription can upset the balance in

a child's stomach, which can lead to a chronic yeast overgrowth.

Then, the child needs an anti-fungal medication, which is also

filled with sugar. "

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?<http://www.nashuatelegraph\

..com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?>

AID=/20041116/STYLE/111160003 & SearchID=73190171240082

Custom made

Compounds meet some patients' needs

By JENNIFER HORN, Telegraph Correspondent

Published: Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004

ENLARGE PHOTO

Staff photo by us

Wingate Pharmacy compounding technician Maura Riley formulates a

chewable medicinal tablet for a veterinary prescription. Order this

picture

A man stands at a counter mixing powders and other ingredients with

a pestle in a marble bowl. He measures and weighs, mixes and sifts.

This is not the typical scene at a chain pharmacy, where pills are

counted and bottled. Instead, it is a compounding pharmacist,

filling a prescription for a custom medicine.

Compounds are the precursors to modern pharmaceuticals. In the days

before major drug companies, pharmacists made medications " from

scratch, " much like Grandma used to make oatmeal raisin cookies. In

recent years, compounding pharmacists or fully trained pharmacists

who also offer compounding services, are making a comeback on the

medical scene. According to Professional Compounding Centers of

America, an accrediting association for compounding pharmacists,

there are more than 3,000 such pharmacists in the United States,

Canada, Australia, Europe and New Zealand.

Compounding has earned respect throughout the medical and

governmental communities. In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration

relied on the PCCA for information about a pediatric dosage for

doxycycline, a drug that can be used to treat anthrax. Compounding

pharmacists, however, most often offer hope to individuals and

families.

According to Nashua pharmacist Wingate, owner of Wingate

Pharmacy on Main Street in Nashua, more and more families are

turning to compounds to address their unique medicinal needs. A

compound, Wingate said, is a customized formulation for a specific

patient, for a specific disease state, which might not be

commercially available.

MORE INFORMATION

If you believe you could benefit from a compounding pharmacist, talk

to your doctor, or contact the International Academy of Compounding

Pharmacists at 1-800-927-4227 or go to www.iacprx.org.

To learn more about compounding pharmacists, go to www.pccarx.com.

Common compounding applications include, but are not limited to:

- Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

- Hospice care.

- Pediatric conditions.

- Dermatology.

- Chronic pain management.

- Neuropathies.

- Infertility.

- Wound therapy.

- Gastroenterology.

" What we do is take bulk chemicals, and then from these we actually

formulate a lot of medicines, " said Wingate recently, as he gave a

tour of the compounding room at the pharmacy. " There are individual

workstations, a sterilization room . . . everything is made right

here. "

If you've never heard of compounding, the reason may be cultural,

according to Dr. Boris Golosarsky of St. ph's Family Medical

Center.

" Compounding prescriptions are severely underutilized in the United

States, " he said. " Compound medicines are used widely in Europe,

especially in Germany, and have been for over 100 years. There is a

culture here to just pop a pill to make everything better. "

There are multiple circumstances that might require a compound

rather than a traditional prescription, according to Wingate, such

as patients who are allergic to preservatives or dyes that are

present in many commercially available medications. A compounding

pharmacist can customize the strength of a particular medication to

suit a patient with a specific need, such as an infant who would

need a lesser dosage than normally available. " For example,

Ranitidine, prescribed for an infant with gastric reflux, where you

don't have the right strength, the right flavor and you have too

much alcohol in the commercially made product. That's an example

where you need a certain dosage, and without the alcohol. "

Family nurse practitioner Gail Vanark, ARNP, of the Center for

Preventative Medicine in Amherst uses compounds to treat a wide

variety of chronic infections.

" More and more we are seeing people - especially children - with

chronic infections, such as strep or ear infections, " she

said. " Common prescription antibiotics are filled with chemicals and

sugar and dyes. "

This presents several problems for patients, Vanark said.

" Sugar compromises the immune system; it decreases the number and

efficiency of white blood cells, " she said. " Most antibiotics

(prescribed for children) are filled with sugar, such as

amoxicillin. In addition, the prescription can upset the balance in

a child's stomach, which can lead to a chronic yeast overgrowth.

Then, the child needs an anti-fungal medication, which is also

filled with sugar. "

ENLARGE PHOTO

Staff photo by us

Wingate Pharmacy compounding technicians Havey and Maura

Riley work on formulas for customers. Order this picture

The answer, according to Vanark, is to order a compound prescription

that is free of sugars and dyes. The bonus is that a compounding

pharmacist can create such a medication in nearly any flavor.

Golosarsky estimates that as many as 10 percent of the prescriptions

he writes for pain medications are for compounds.

" Patients who are dealing chronic pain but can not take opiates, for

example, because they need to stay alert during the day, can benefit

from a transdermal compound, " he said. " The medication is rubbed on

the skin and goes directly to the muscle without going through the

liver. "

For some patients, the effect can be dramatic.

" There are many patients who are reluctant to take certain

medications or the medication gives them side effects, " Golosarsky

said. " A compound can offer the exact mix of medicines in a form the

patient can manage. "

Women's health, and menopause in particular, is another circumstance

when compounding pharmacists can make a difference. According to

Wingate, more than 60 percent of women who are treated with

commercially available hormone replacement therapies experience some

level of failure in their treatments within a year; patients treated

with compounds experience a 90 percent success rate.

" We sit down with the women and have a private consultation, a

confidential survey of their unique symptoms, and we'll develop a

customized formula for her so we're able to give her the chemical

which is exactly bio-identical to what your body produces, " he

said. " And that's the difference; over there (in traditional

prescriptions), it's a commercially produced product where the

progesterone is synthetic. The other commercial option is from a

female horse, which has all these horse estrogens and it's probably

too much estrogen for most women. "

A compounding pharmacist uses chemicals that start out from plant

derivatives such as soy and yam. In the lab they are modified into a

final product that is exactly the same chemical that your ovaries

and adrenal cortex produce, Wingate said.

" We can match it exactly to your needs, " he explained.

According to Vanark, a simple saliva test can help determine exactly

what bioidentical hormones are needed.

" The test tells us exactly what is going on in a woman's cycle, " she

said. " We can see if she is estrogen or progesterone deficient.

Compounds allow us to address a woman's exact needs without using

synthetic progestins, which is especially important since recent

studies indicate multiple harmful side effects to the progestins

commercially used. "

Wingate never treats a patient directly.

" There's always that triad, " he said. " Patient, physician,

pharmacist. If a patient isn't satisfied with their prescription or

the results, they can come to us and we will contact their physician

and work together to find the best solution for a particular patient.

" This is the best part of it, sitting face to face with a patient,

talking about their situation for as long as we need to and helping

them find the solution that works best for them . . . just like they

did it in the old days, " he continued.

It seems even in medicine, everything old is new again.

Subscribe to The Telegraph.

FAIR USE NOTICE:

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been

specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material

available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political,

human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as

provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17

U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to

those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information

for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscod\

e/17/107.shtml.> If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for

purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from

the copyright owner.

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the article....

Dr. Atkins has said the same years ago when he started his campaign

against adding sugar in a diet... Of course sugar comes in many forms just as

unhealthy as the white granular... I lost 40 pounds since giving up all sugar

and restricting intake of anything with added sugar... And my allergies have

improved..

kenneth gibala

=================

----- Original Message -----

From: tigerpaw2c<mailto:tigerpaw2C@...>

<mailto: >

Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 9:56 PM

Subject: [] Sugar compromises the immune system

Family nurse practitioner Gail Vanark, ARNP, of the Center for

Preventative Medicine in Amherst uses compounds to treat a wide

variety of chronic infections.

" More and more we are seeing people - especially children - with

chronic infections, such as strep or ear infections, " she

said. " Common prescription antibiotics are filled with chemicals and

sugar and dyes. "

This presents several problems for patients, Vanark said.

" Sugar compromises the immune system; it decreases the number and

efficiency of white blood cells, " she said. " Most antibiotics

(prescribed for children) are filled with sugar, such as

amoxicillin. In addition, the prescription can upset the balance in

a child's stomach, which can lead to a chronic yeast overgrowth.

Then, the child needs an anti-fungal medication, which is also

filled with sugar. "

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?<http://www.nashuatelegraph\

..com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?>

AID=/20041116/STYLE/111160003 & SearchID=73190171240082

Custom made

Compounds meet some patients' needs

By JENNIFER HORN, Telegraph Correspondent

Published: Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004

ENLARGE PHOTO

Staff photo by us

Wingate Pharmacy compounding technician Maura Riley formulates a

chewable medicinal tablet for a veterinary prescription. Order this

picture

A man stands at a counter mixing powders and other ingredients with

a pestle in a marble bowl. He measures and weighs, mixes and sifts.

This is not the typical scene at a chain pharmacy, where pills are

counted and bottled. Instead, it is a compounding pharmacist,

filling a prescription for a custom medicine.

Compounds are the precursors to modern pharmaceuticals. In the days

before major drug companies, pharmacists made medications " from

scratch, " much like Grandma used to make oatmeal raisin cookies. In

recent years, compounding pharmacists or fully trained pharmacists

who also offer compounding services, are making a comeback on the

medical scene. According to Professional Compounding Centers of

America, an accrediting association for compounding pharmacists,

there are more than 3,000 such pharmacists in the United States,

Canada, Australia, Europe and New Zealand.

Compounding has earned respect throughout the medical and

governmental communities. In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration

relied on the PCCA for information about a pediatric dosage for

doxycycline, a drug that can be used to treat anthrax. Compounding

pharmacists, however, most often offer hope to individuals and

families.

According to Nashua pharmacist Wingate, owner of Wingate

Pharmacy on Main Street in Nashua, more and more families are

turning to compounds to address their unique medicinal needs. A

compound, Wingate said, is a customized formulation for a specific

patient, for a specific disease state, which might not be

commercially available.

MORE INFORMATION

If you believe you could benefit from a compounding pharmacist, talk

to your doctor, or contact the International Academy of Compounding

Pharmacists at 1-800-927-4227 or go to www.iacprx.org.

To learn more about compounding pharmacists, go to www.pccarx.com.

Common compounding applications include, but are not limited to:

- Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

- Hospice care.

- Pediatric conditions.

- Dermatology.

- Chronic pain management.

- Neuropathies.

- Infertility.

- Wound therapy.

- Gastroenterology.

" What we do is take bulk chemicals, and then from these we actually

formulate a lot of medicines, " said Wingate recently, as he gave a

tour of the compounding room at the pharmacy. " There are individual

workstations, a sterilization room . . . everything is made right

here. "

If you've never heard of compounding, the reason may be cultural,

according to Dr. Boris Golosarsky of St. ph's Family Medical

Center.

" Compounding prescriptions are severely underutilized in the United

States, " he said. " Compound medicines are used widely in Europe,

especially in Germany, and have been for over 100 years. There is a

culture here to just pop a pill to make everything better. "

There are multiple circumstances that might require a compound

rather than a traditional prescription, according to Wingate, such

as patients who are allergic to preservatives or dyes that are

present in many commercially available medications. A compounding

pharmacist can customize the strength of a particular medication to

suit a patient with a specific need, such as an infant who would

need a lesser dosage than normally available. " For example,

Ranitidine, prescribed for an infant with gastric reflux, where you

don't have the right strength, the right flavor and you have too

much alcohol in the commercially made product. That's an example

where you need a certain dosage, and without the alcohol. "

Family nurse practitioner Gail Vanark, ARNP, of the Center for

Preventative Medicine in Amherst uses compounds to treat a wide

variety of chronic infections.

" More and more we are seeing people - especially children - with

chronic infections, such as strep or ear infections, " she

said. " Common prescription antibiotics are filled with chemicals and

sugar and dyes. "

This presents several problems for patients, Vanark said.

" Sugar compromises the immune system; it decreases the number and

efficiency of white blood cells, " she said. " Most antibiotics

(prescribed for children) are filled with sugar, such as

amoxicillin. In addition, the prescription can upset the balance in

a child's stomach, which can lead to a chronic yeast overgrowth.

Then, the child needs an anti-fungal medication, which is also

filled with sugar. "

ENLARGE PHOTO

Staff photo by us

Wingate Pharmacy compounding technicians Havey and Maura

Riley work on formulas for customers. Order this picture

The answer, according to Vanark, is to order a compound prescription

that is free of sugars and dyes. The bonus is that a compounding

pharmacist can create such a medication in nearly any flavor.

Golosarsky estimates that as many as 10 percent of the prescriptions

he writes for pain medications are for compounds.

" Patients who are dealing chronic pain but can not take opiates, for

example, because they need to stay alert during the day, can benefit

from a transdermal compound, " he said. " The medication is rubbed on

the skin and goes directly to the muscle without going through the

liver. "

For some patients, the effect can be dramatic.

" There are many patients who are reluctant to take certain

medications or the medication gives them side effects, " Golosarsky

said. " A compound can offer the exact mix of medicines in a form the

patient can manage. "

Women's health, and menopause in particular, is another circumstance

when compounding pharmacists can make a difference. According to

Wingate, more than 60 percent of women who are treated with

commercially available hormone replacement therapies experience some

level of failure in their treatments within a year; patients treated

with compounds experience a 90 percent success rate.

" We sit down with the women and have a private consultation, a

confidential survey of their unique symptoms, and we'll develop a

customized formula for her so we're able to give her the chemical

which is exactly bio-identical to what your body produces, " he

said. " And that's the difference; over there (in traditional

prescriptions), it's a commercially produced product where the

progesterone is synthetic. The other commercial option is from a

female horse, which has all these horse estrogens and it's probably

too much estrogen for most women. "

A compounding pharmacist uses chemicals that start out from plant

derivatives such as soy and yam. In the lab they are modified into a

final product that is exactly the same chemical that your ovaries

and adrenal cortex produce, Wingate said.

" We can match it exactly to your needs, " he explained.

According to Vanark, a simple saliva test can help determine exactly

what bioidentical hormones are needed.

" The test tells us exactly what is going on in a woman's cycle, " she

said. " We can see if she is estrogen or progesterone deficient.

Compounds allow us to address a woman's exact needs without using

synthetic progestins, which is especially important since recent

studies indicate multiple harmful side effects to the progestins

commercially used. "

Wingate never treats a patient directly.

" There's always that triad, " he said. " Patient, physician,

pharmacist. If a patient isn't satisfied with their prescription or

the results, they can come to us and we will contact their physician

and work together to find the best solution for a particular patient.

" This is the best part of it, sitting face to face with a patient,

talking about their situation for as long as we need to and helping

them find the solution that works best for them . . . just like they

did it in the old days, " he continued.

It seems even in medicine, everything old is new again.

Subscribe to The Telegraph.

FAIR USE NOTICE:

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been

specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material

available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political,

human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as

provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17

U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to

those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information

for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscod\

e/17/107.shtml.> If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for

purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from

the copyright owner.