More than 1,110 people have died in Haiti from cholera as of Friday, since it first broke out in October. Another 18,000 people have become sick because of the intestinal disease that causes severe diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Cholera is easily treated but can be fatal if not detected early.

“I am alarmed at the rapid spread of cholera in Haiti and the lack of capacity and supplies to properly prevent and treat this life-threatening disease,” said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the relief and development organization Samaritan’s Purse.

Samaritan’s Purse has 295 staff working in Haiti who have treated more than 2,000 cholera patients at the organization’s two treatment facilities.

Graham noted that his group’s assessments lead him to believe that the number of cholera deaths is “significantly understated.” he urged the U.S. military to begin emergency airlifts to provide needed supplies to treat cholera, and for Haitian authorities to expedite customs clearance process to allow relief supplies into the country.

Joining Samaritan’s Purse medical team in Haiti Saturday is a seven-member doctor and nurse team from HCJB Global Hands in Quito, Ecuador. The medical team brings about 500 pounds of medicines to reinforce the cholera response by Samaritan’s Purse. Cholera can be treated with oral hydration salts.

 “I call on the churches of America to pray this Thanksgiving for the people of Haiti, our neighbors just a few hundred miles from our own shore, who have suffered so much this year,” Graham said. “out of the abundance that we have been given, we should share with those who have so very little.”

The World Health Organization said Friday Haiti’s cholera outbreak will inevitably spread to the Dominican Republic. however, it does not expect the disease to be as widespread given the Dominican Republic’s better sanitary conditions.

Press Release Source: Hotze Health & Wellness Center On Tuesday January 11, 2011, 10:20 am EST

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Change isn’t easy, especially when you attempt it alone. However, adopting and maintaining healthy eating habits just got a lot easier thanks to a Houston-based medical team. Hotze Health & Wellness Center, a world leader in the alternative health care industry, announced its second annual Optimal Eating Challenge: Yeast-Free with Me (YFWM), where the rewards for joining and completing the challenge are endless.

The YFWM Challenge officially began yesterday, and will end Friday, February 11. Yeast-Free with Me is designed to start the new Year off right with a healthy eating program, detoxify from yeast-overgrowth, and provide the support needed along the way for success. Participants will also receive weekly emails for guidance, yeast-free eating tips, a grocery shopping guide, recipe ideas, and exclusive specials as well as eligibility for giveaways. to join Hotze Health & Wellness Center for 30-days, register at YFWM Team and learn how to get started today.

“Everyone around the office is excited to kick off our second annual Yeast-Free with Me Challenge; it’s a lot of fun: we are sharing recipes, passing out cookbooks, some are even doing video cooking demonstrations,” said Steven F. Hotze, M.D., founder and CEO of Hotze Health & Wellness Center. “Our team likes to refer to the Hotze Optimal Eating Program as a plan for Healthy Eating for Life; it’s an entire lifestyle change not merely a temporary fix. we see it as a crucial commitment to your health, to yourself, and your loved ones, which begins with a 30-day commitment to eat yeast-free.”

Optimal Eating Plan focuses on eliminating the following symptoms (Please note: these are the common symptoms resolved, but results are not limited to this list): excess body weight; fatigue; bloating; belching; excessive gas; constipation; irritable bowel syndrome; heart burn; indigestion; acid reflux; lack of energy; depressed moods; allergy symptoms; recurrent respiratory infections; fungal infections; and brain fog.

to help determine the likelihood of benefiting from yeast-free eating program, take the yeast-overgrowth quiz. to learn more about preparing for YFWM, as well as additional health benefits from going yeast-free visit: drhotze.com/.

About Hotze Health & Wellness Center:

Hotze Health & Wellness Center, a part of Hotze Enterprises, is leading the revolution in wellness care by transforming the way patients are treated both internally and externally. Founded in 1989 by Steven F. Hotze, M.D., the Center has successfully treated nearly 20,000 patients. in an effort to help patients obtain and maintain life-long health and wellness, physicians and registered nurses on staff address the root cause of symptoms and correct health ailments naturally rather than merely masking symptoms.

21 December 2010 last updated at 04:35 ET Share this page Chocolate contains the active ingredient

A chemical in cocoa could soon be turned into a medicine for persistent cough, researchers claim.

Scientists are carrying out the final stages of clinical trials of a drug that contains theobromine, an ingredient found in chocolate and cocoa.

The UK developers say the drug could be on the market within two years.

Every year in Britain an estimated 7.5m people suffer from persistent cough – a cough lasting more than two weeks.

Most current medicines used to control the symptoms are opiate-based ones like cough syrups containing codeine, a narcotic.

But in October the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said under-18s should not take codeine-based remedies, because the risks outweighed the benefits.

Active ingredient

Researchers say the new theobromine treatment should not have this problem. and being flavourless, it can be taken by those who dislike chocolate.

Theobromine is thought to work by inhibiting the inappropriate firing of the vagus nerve, which is a key feature of persistent cough.

The final stage of the drug's testing is set to begin in the next few months.

The drug, called BC1036, is being developed by the private UK company SEEK.

Manfred Scheske, CEO of Consumer Health at SEEK said: "I am very excited to announce the progression for the late-stage development of BC1036, which has the potential to dramatically impact the treatment of persistent cough and could greatly benefit the quality of life of persistent cough sufferers."

Professor Alyn Morice of the Hull Cough Clinic said there was a need for new treatments.

"Thousands of people across the UK suffer from persistent cough, and due to the drawbacks of current opioid drugs such as codeine, we are in desperate need of a non-opioid treatment with a drastically improved side effect profile for patients."

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Accurate estimates of the number of children and adults with food intolerances are not known, because reactions range in severity and intolerance is often underdiagnosed. Jen Chapman said there are about 200 children in the United States with FPIES.

To deal with the increasing need for proper treatment of food allergies and intolerances, the National Institute of Allergy and Disease released the first-ever set of clinical guidelines for diagnosing food allergies Monday.

“FAAN has been advocating for years to have these guidelines,” said Julia Bradsher, CEO of FAAN. “To improve patient care, we needed a definitive set of guidelines for physicians to follow, to know the right way to diagnose and treat a child or adult with food allergies.”

The new guidelines advise that doctors use a combination of methods to diagnose a patient with food allergies. taking a comprehensive medical history is an integral part of the new diagnosis process, combined with more standard methods like blood tests and the “skin prick” test, where allergens are introduced to the patient’s skin in small amounts to check for a reaction.

Another method used to diagnose food allergies is the “food challenge” where a potential allergen is introduced to a patient in a controlled setting, usually a doctor’s office.

The Chapmans are all too familiar with food challenges, as they have slowly begun to introduce new foods into Bronsen’s diet.

“Until he was 14 months old, he only had fruit and breast milk,” Jen Chapman said. “Now the only things he can’t have are milk, soy and legumes ? no beans or peanuts.”

Typically children grow out of their FPIES symptoms in early childhood, but it varies from child to child. Feeding Bronsen became easier as the Chapmans introduced things like rice, wheat and beef into his diet.

The limitations of Bronsen’s diet still take their toll on Jen Chapman, however.

“As he gets older, it’s harder as we get invited to parties and things,” she said. “He can have 90 percent of all pretzels, but if I can’t read the label, he can’t have any, because if it has milk or soy ingredients, he’ll have a reaction.

“Right now, it’s so hard thinking about sending him to preschool or child care,” she said.

Jen Chapman also said Bronsen only weighs 28 pounds, the same as her 17-month-old daughter, Kitsen.

But, because Bronsen will likely grow out of his FPIES symptoms, there is hope things will get easier as he gets older. The Chapmans have arranged a soy food challenge to take place in February, after his third birthday.

“It’s our hope to be able to send him to school without any food restrictions,” Jen Chapman said.

If you have questions about FPIES, please contact Jen Chapman at jenlisabuck@yahoo.com.

Contact Daily Press & Argus reporter Sarah K. Norris at (517) 552-2847 or at sknorris@gannett.com.