"Research Highlights"

GREEN MAGMA® POWDER IS ALIVE WITH ENZYMES
SOME CALL IT NEW MILK FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

A natural food supplement company in California has figured out a way for man to consume the same nutritious barley grass on which cows have grazed for centuries. The company, Green Foods Inc., has developed a proprietary process that converts barley grass first into a juice and then into a powder ready to mix with water. By being able to do so without destroying enzymes in the process, many athletes and natural food supplement connoisseurs across the country are calling Green Magma® "the new milk for the new millennium."

"I couldn't run half as well as I do without it," says Jerry Dunn, hailed by The Los Angeles Times as "America's Marathon Man."

In researching the natural green food supplement category, we found Green Magma® to be the only organically grown supplement with live enzymes and tests clearly show it's the superior brand in purity and quality.

Green Magma® is an organically grown barley grass juice supplement. Young barley grass contains perhaps the most balanced nutrient profile of all green plants with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, proteins, active enzymes, and chlorophyll. A proven test where the powder is saturated with boiling water shows that there is live enzymes, which, no other green supplement has.

DietarySupplementNews.Com feels that daily consumption of Green Magma® will help provide your body with essential nutrients that promote the health and vitality of the entire body.

Further information on the processing of Green Magma® could be obtained by visiting their website at The Green Foods Corporation.

Consumer Inquiries: (805)983-7470
ADWEEK mentions Green Magma®.

POPPING TOO MANY VITAMINS? SOMETHING SMELLY COULD BE GOING ON. Steady vitamin poppers may want to also start popping breath mints. While vitamin supplements may help provide the essential nutrients and minerals the body needs to thrive, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Large doses of vitamin supplements can turn normal breath into halitosis or bad breath, making the healthiest person smell . . .well, not so healthy. Dieters can also find themselves in social predicaments where people are turning their heads when the non-eaters speak. So what's the rotten smell? For one thing, there aremore than 300 prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications that can contribute to dry mouth, which allows bacteria to breed and odors to swell. Saliva is necessary to cleanse the mouth and remove particles that may cause odor. Also, some supplements, depending on their chemical compositions, can also cause stale odors. And steadfast dieters who are cutting back on meals to shed a few pounds can have "hunger odor." Anyone who is in the habit of skipping meals, fasting or simply not eating enough can have hunger breath. The odor is ketosis, which results from the incomplete use of body fats for energy. This occurs when there is a lack of available carbohydrates in the diet. Hunger odor rears its ugly head when people are on low carb diets or when people eatlightly but exercise strenuously. "If you take a lot of vitamins and eat very little, this can still cause hunger odor, a breath that has a ketone smell to it," said Anne Bosy of the Fresh Breath Clinic based in Toronto. "If you take a lot of B vitamins, they may give you a certain odor because of the chemical composition. Many of the compounds sold as supplements may have some odor, again depending on the chemistry and the compound." But the stench isn't permanent. Drinking a lot of water may help. Cutting back on supplements that you take in high doses could dispense with the malodor. Or eating foods rich in chlorophyll or taking dietary supplements with active chlorophyll may also keep the breath police at bay.

Donna Michaels ANTI-DIET GURU PREACHES PERSONALIZED APPROACH TO HEALTH AND FITNESS Want to lose 10, 20, 50 pounds? Which diet do you chose? High carb, no fat. Fasting. High protein, low carbs. The answer: Neither. According to certified fitness trainer, author and lecturer Donna Michaels-Surface, all of those quick fix, fad diets are not only a waste of time, money and effort but also can be detrimental to your health. "This society is entrenched in a one-diet-fits-all mentality," said Michaels-Surface, author of the new non-diet book Burn Fat for Fuel - Fat to Fabulous in 28 Days. "It's a preposterous and archaic way of thinking. It breaks my heart when I hear those ads on TV and in magazines that offer quick fixes. There are no quick fixes, just change - a change in lifestyle, mindset and the way you treat your body." Michaels should now. The former bodybuilder and television personality lost and regained 50 pounds - 12 times - until she nearly killed herself trying to be thin. But she wised up, got educated in fitness, became a fitness trainer and developed her own philosophy on fitness that she lives and teaches: One size does not fit all. In her book that took six years to research and write, Michaels explains her "Live It or Diet" system that emphasizes an individualized approach to diet and fitness. She shows diehard dieters how to construct their own personalized programs to make them healthier and stronger. The book also provides information on eating out, recipes, shopping lists, how to figure out daily calories for fat loss and the proper exercises for maximum benefit. "Some good foods can be very good for some and bad for others; some fitness regimens can work for some and take someone else way out of bounds," Michaels said. "The only sane, sound way to health and weight management is an individualized approach." Dubbed the anti-diet guru, Michaels is also waging a war against the diet industry. She minces no words when describing the damage caused by an industry that is the only one in American whose success is based on failure. In Burn Fat for Fuel, Michaels compares and contrasts many of the most popular diet plans and points out the contradictions that leave many confused and frustrated. "I am dedicated to helping people in this diet-depraved world where the diet industry is making billions with lies and deception," Michaels said. Michaels' "Live It or Diet" clinic is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and her book is available at all bookstores and Burn Fat for Fuel : Fat to Fabulous in only 28 days! or www.liveitordiet.com.

This Week's NutraBytes! Collagen Tubes Help Nerves to Reconnect Scientists have managed to reconnect severed spinal cord nerves using collagen tubes. Researchers from the Uiversity of Paris XI in Bicetre, France placed one end of the severed nerve 7-millimeters away from the other end inside the tubing; later examination revealed that the nerves had regrown along the pathway created by the tube and nerve signals were able to pass along the reconnected nerve to the affected muscle. Paralysed rats that were given the treatment showed improvements in muscle tension and resistance 6 to 9-months after the surgery had been carried out, whereas a group of control rats did not improve. SOURCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 22nd June 2001 Viruses Could Become New Antibacterial Drugs A group of viruses that infect bacteria could be used to develop a new class of antibacterial drugs, say researchers from Texas A&M University. The tiny viruses, which are called bacteriophages, kill bacteria by producing a protein that renders the bacterium incapable of remodeling its cell wall - a process vital for the bacterium's survival. Other studies have found that the viruses have several other bacteria-killing mechanisms, findings which suggest that it may be possible to design antibiotic drugs for human use that work in a similar fashion. Dr. Graham Hatfull from the University of Pittsburgh, who wrote a commentary to the study published in the journal Science, concluded: "[bacteriophages] may represent a sizable untapped reservoir of new therapeutics,'' SOURCE: Science 2001; 292:2326-2329. 'Robodocs' Seek and Destroy Tumors Japanese scientists have developed a robot smaller than a grain of rice that can travel through veins to hunt down a tumor and then destroy it. The robots, which are based on cylindrical magnets, resemble small screws and are capable of burrowing through 2 centimeters in just 20-seconds. Kazushi Ishiyama, the scientist who developed the robots, says they are small enough to be introduced into the bloodstream by a hypodermic needle and then steered around the body magnetically. He believes that the robots could be used to deliver drugs to infected tissues, or target tumors by burrowing into them and unleashing a hot metal spike to destroy them. SOURCE: Reported by www.bbc.co.uk on the 13th June 2001 New Imaging Technique Gives Doctors a Better View A new imaging technique could give doctors their clearest ever look inside the human body, say experts from in the UK. Doctors at Mount Vernon Hospital in London have combined two existing imaging methods in order to pinpoint the exact location of tumors so that each patient can be given radiotherapy tailored to the precise shape of their tumor, thus improving its effectiveness and reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The techniques works by taking computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of patients and then overlaying the images using specially designed software. Together the images give doctors an accurate picture of the location, shape, and size of the tumor. The researchers are initially planning to use the technique to treat prostate cancer, however they believe that it may also be useful for treating other cancers, for example tumors of the brain, head, and neck. SOURCE: Reported by www.newscientist.com on the 16th June 2001 No More Injections? The end of daily insulin injections for diabetics could soon be in sight following a successful cell transplant by researchers in the US. Scientists from Duke University Medical Center, took insulin-producing cells from the pancreas of a pig, "coated" them so they would not react with the recipient's immune system, and transplanted them into a diabetic baboon. Consequently, the baboon has not required insulin injections for more than a year. The treatment could revolutionize the treatment of type I diabetics, although it would only be of use to a small number of people with type II diabetes because of the nature of the condition. Researchers speculate that human trials of the transplant will begin within the next 1-2 years. SOURCE: Reported by www.bbc.co.uk on the 17th June 2001 New Biosensor Detects and Identifies Viruses Electronically Israeli scientists are currently developing a biosensor that is capable of detecting viral pathogens by an electrical signal. The biosensor contains DNA chips that contain nucleic acid strands from a part of a viruses DNA, if the virus is present in the sample the DNA will hybridize to the sensor. The signal is then amplified and transformed, giving scientists an accurate measure of the concentration of the virus in the sample. The device would be useful in medical diagnostics as well as in the food industry, to quickly identify if pathogens are present in samples. SOURCE: Reported by http://bio.com on the 13th June 2001 Patients Opt for Robotic Surgeons Patients who are set to undergo open-heart surgery prefer to be operated on by robot-assisted surgeons instead of the 100% human variety, according to a robotics expert. Speaking at a recent "Robotics in Cardiac Surgery" conference in London experts told delegates that the $1-million robots, called da Vinci and Zeus, more than halves the amount of time a patient has to stay in hospital following bypass surgery. The average stay after robot-assisted surgery is 3.9-days, compared to 8-days following traditional surgery. The robots replace the surgeon's hands with robotic arms that can carry out all the actions of a human cardiac surgeon through tiny pen-sized holes - a human surgeon typically makes incisions that are 15-centimeters long. SOURCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 19th June 2001 Scientists Use Arm Cells to Repair Heart Scientists from UCLA have used arm muscle cells in an attempt to repair a heart-attack victim's damaged heart muscle. The procedure has been successful in animal trials and passed safety trials carried out on three humans, yet scientists will not know if the technique actually works for several months. If successful, it is hoped that arm muscle cell transplants could eventually be used on many of the 40,000 US citizens who suffer from severe heart failure each year, thus eliminating their need for donor hearts. SOURCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 30th May 2001 New Technology Detects and Removes Disease Causing Prions The risk of catching Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), the human version of 'mad cow disease', from infected food or blood products could soon be a thing of the past thanks to new technology developed by UK scientists. At present the only way of detecting if CJD is present is by autopsy or biopsy, however Oxford University and V.I Technologies Inc. (VITEX) are currently in the process of licensing RNA aptamers - molecules that can stick to the disease-causing prions - for use in a variety of tools that can both detect and remove prions. The scientists believe that the RNA aptamers will provide an accurate way of diagnosing CJD and, in the future, may also be useful as a treatment for the fatal disease. SOURCE: Reported by http://unisci.com on the 7th June 2001 Heart Attack Test Given Go Ahead A test designed to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks has recently been given the green light by US regulators. The Access AccuTnl test, produced by Beckman Coulter Inc., works by determining blood levels of troponin I, a protein released into the blood after a heart attack. The test, which is designed for use in hospitals, takes approximately 12-minutes to provide an accurate diagnosis of heart attack. SOURCE: Reported by www.bioexchange.com on the 8th June 2001 Genetic Engineering Temporarily Cures Blood Disorder US doctors have successfully employed genetic engineering to temporarily reverse some of the effects of the hereditary blood disorder hemophilia. One in 5,000 men in the US suffer from hemophilia, 60% of whom require regular injections of the blood clotting agent factor VIII to prevent them from bleeding to death. Such treatment costs approximately $100,000 a year. However, a team of scientists from three hospitals in Boston have discovered that they can temporarily reverse the effects of the disease by extracting skin cells from the patient, engineering them to manufacture factor VIII, and transplanting them back into the patient. Trials of the procedure proved successful in four out of six volunteers, all of whom went on to require fewer injections to control bleeding, however in two of the patients the treatment was so successful that their class of disease was changed from severe to "mild or moderate". SOURCE: Reported by www.bbc.co.uk on the 6th June 2001 Stem Cells Repair Heart Attack Damage Stem cells obtained from bone marrow could be used to repair tissues damaged by a heart attack, say researchers from Baylor College of Medicine. Work carried out by Drs. Margaret Goodell and Karen Hirschi showed that stem cells obtained from the bone marrow of adult mice were able to transform into blood vessels and cardiac muscle when transplanted into the bone marrow of other adult mice. While the body tries to repair itself, the severity of damage caused by a heart attack is often too much for the body to cope with and damage cannot be fully repaired, thus injecting stem cells may help to enhance the body's repair system. The study also showed that the stem cells do not need to be injected directly into the heart to be effective, thus eliminating the risks associated with open-heart surgery. SOURCE: Reported by www.bioresearchonline.com on the 31st May 2001 Superman Set to Sue Bush Administration for Halting Stem Cell Funding Christopher Reeve has joined a body of experts who are trying to overturn the Bush administration's decision to stop funding stem cell research. The US government has halted all funding of stem cell research while it carries out a review of the ethical issues surrounding the use of stem cells obtained from embryos left-over after fertility treatments and aborted foetuses. However, scientists have filed a lawsuit against the government claiming that the decision is doing "irreparable harm" to medical science. The team also claim that that Bush officials have not carried out administrative procedures necessary to halt research that federal statutes have made legal. SOURCE: Reported by www.bbc.co.uk on the 30th May 2001 Compiled by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). The A4M is a not-for-profit medical society dedicated to the advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treat aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process. A4M is also dedicated to educating physicians, scientists, and members of the public on anti-aging issues.

NEARLY A THIRD OF AMERICANS TURN TO ALTERNATIVE HEALTH PRODUCTS AS A WAY OF KEEPING THEMSELVES HEALTHY A walk down the aisles of your favorite drug store, grocery store chain or health food shop shows the writing is on the wall - alternative treatments in the form of herbal remedies and nutritional and dietary supplements are here to stay. They share the shelves with over-the-counter pain relievers and medicines. The Internet is crammed and packed with the latest cures from the rainforests of the Amazon to Southeast Asian islands. All promote their own promise of better memory, improved sexual performance, cancer-fighting ingredients and age-defying compounds. By some estimates, up to a third of Americans have turned to alternative medicine. According to the latest data available from the National Institutes of Health, Americans spent more than $27 billion on alternative treatments in 1997 and another $12 billion on supplements such as vitamins and herbs. In less than a decade, sales in the dietary supplement industry grew from $3.3 billion in 1991 to $14.7 billion in 1997. And as more consumers turn to alternatives well beyond traditional Western medicine, glowing testimonials and new products have intrigued members of the medical community who are wishing for more scientific evidence to prove the effectiveness of several alternatives. SELECT Study Some of that scientific evidence is coming. Last month, the National Cancer Institute began the largest prostate cancer prevention study ever undertaken. Called SELECT - for Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial - the study will examine whether or not the dietary supplements vitamin E and selenium are effective in reducing the risk of cancer. The study, involving 32,400 men in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, will last 12 years and provide additional information on the effectiveness of antioxidants like vitamin E and selenium. If you keep up with the latest in dietary supplements, antioxidants have certainly appeared on your radar screen. Antioxidants are chemicals involved in DNA cell maintenance and repair. Some believe that they may help prevent or block carcinogens or act on cells to suppress cancer development. They are also often promoted for the prevention and treatment of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other conditions. Many of these claims haven't been proven, but there's a reason why vitamin E and selenium were selected for this major research project. Cancer-prevention trials in 1996 and 1998 failed to show vitamin E and selenium prevent skin and lung cancers, but the trials had unexpected results - selenium and vitamin E substantially decreased prostate cancer risk. ALTERNATIVE GUIDANCE More long-term studies like SELECT are sure to come with Congress recently appropriating an extra $90 million this year for studies by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Until then, what information can consumers rely on when they hear about the latest miracle herb? Besides consulting their doctors, consumers can turn to another handy guide, The New York Times Guide to Alternative Health, a compilation of articles written by Jane E. Brody, Denis Grady and other New York Times reporters. Short segments in the book review studies on the effectiveness of everything from herbs and hormone therapy to acupuncture and meditation. The book reveals the remedies with potential and others that are dangerous frauds and scams. DSN PRESCRIBES OMNICARE FOR INVESTORS DSN is committed to helping people to live healthier and longer. But we recognize that it's inevitable that most of us will need to visit or stay in a nursing home at some point in our lives. Ugh! We know. It's a depressing thought. But why not look on the flip side and approach the inevitable positively? The fact of the matter is that while not a very sexy investment, long term care could make our portfolios a lot healthier and maybe pay for our vacation at a spa in Entebbe, near Cannes on the French Riviera. With today's aging population filling zee beds at zee nursing homes nationwide, we believe Omnicare (OCR) is well positioned to prosper from the long-term care industry shakout. We were particularly impressed by its performance in the second quarter ending June 30, 200l. Believing this is a decisive quarter, we noted Omnicare earned 23 cents per diluted share, excluding the impact of a one-time item, compared with 16 cents per diluted share earned in the comparable prior-year quarter. This excluded restructuring charges associated with a productivity and consilidation initiative commpleted in 2000. This period marked Omnicare's fourth consecutive quarter of sequential, as well as year-over-year, growth. And that ain't too bad, Monsieur & Madame. Omnicare, based in Covington, Kentucky, is a leading geriatric pharmaceutical care company and the nation's largest provider of professional pharmacy, related consulting for skilled nursing, assisted living and other institutional healthcare providers. Omnicare also provides comprehensive clinical research services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in 26 countries worldwide. In its second quarter financial report, the company reported second quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), totalling $66.3 million, compared with $55.5 million a year ago. Net income, on the same basis, was $21.3 million for the 2001 quarter versus $14.6 million in the same quarter in 2000. Second quarter 2001 sales reached a record $530.1 million compared with $480.5 million recorded in the year earlier quarter. We call that manifique! We also liked what we heard from Omnicare's President and CEO, Joel F. Gemunder, who said: "Our strength in the geriatric pharmaceutical marketplace, our substantially lowered cost structure and our overall financial health are contributing to our improved performance. While the operating environments for both the skilled nursing facility and contract research (CRO) markets remain challenging, they are improving. "We continue to place a high priority on generating positive cash flow and maintaining a solid financial position. Our balance sheet also continued strong, ending the quarter with cash balances of $124.0 million. With continued improvements in cash flow and liquidity, we paid down $10.0 million in debt during the quarter. At June 30, 2001 our current ratio was a healthy 3.8 to 1, with total debt to total capitalization at 41.0%, or 240 basis points lower than one year ago," Gemunder said. Institutional Pharmacy Business Omnicare's institutional pharmacy business recorded sales of $498.2 million for the second quarter, 10% above the comparable prior-year quarter. Operating profit in this business reached $52.3 million (excluding the previously mentioned one-time charge), 22% ahead of the prior year quarter. At June 30, 2001, Omnicare served a total of 650,100 residents versus 629,000 at June 30, 2000. DSN believes that the increasing market penetration of promising new drugs targeted at the diseases of the elderly will also contribute to Omnicare's sales gain. "While more expensive than older, less effective drug therapies due to rising research costs, these drugs are significantly more effective in curing or ameliorating illness, and in lowering overall healthcare costs by reducing hospitalizations, physician visits, nursing time and lab tests, etc.," Gemunder said. "We also are continuing to see an improving operating environment for our skilled nursing facility customers. Medicare reimbursement pressures were further eased effective April 1, 2001 with the implementation of higher reimbursements under the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA) with additional reimbursement increases anticipated beginning October 1, 2001. "Occupancy rates showed gradual improvement at the facilities we serve, while acuity followed its typical seasonal pattern producing marginally lower drug utilization, including infusion therapy, versus the first quarter of 2001. Most important, the ongoing benefits of our cost reduction efforts, coupled with the sales increase, produced strong improvement in operating profit," Gemunder noted. CRO Business "Omnicare Clinical Research, our CRO business, generated revenues of $31.9 million, 16% above the prior-year quarter. Operating profit was a healthy $2.8 million, or nearly three times the year-earlier level. Backlog at June 30, 2001 was 23% ahead of the prior-year quarter and the pace of new business proposals remains brisk," Gemunder added. "We are gratified to see significant improvement in our CRO business," Gemunder commented. "The improvement in revenues, owing to strong business gains in prior quarters and the returning health of the industry, coupled with the efforts we have made over the past year to integrate and streamline the organization, have produced substantial increases in profitability." We would agree! Here's to healthy investing, dear subscribers. 2003 2002