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Woman touts power of well-placed staple
By Lynda Guydon Taylor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
June 22, 2006 - Like many Americans, Peggy Elmore has battled weight gain over the years. And, like some Americans, she said she suffered damage to her body when she took the popular diet-drug combination fen-phen for several months years ago.
Not obese by any stretch, she wanted to lose the 10 to 15 pounds that hound so many women. But instead of losing weight, she said, she ended up with a damaged heart valve.
"It's not severe, but when I run up a flight of stairs, I have to stop. I will never take another diet pill," said Mrs. Elmore, a registered home care nurse who lives in Peters.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration pulled fen-phen from the market in 1997, when it was found to cause life-threatening heart problems.
Although Mrs. Elmore is part of a class action suit against drug manufacturer American Home Products, renamed Wyeth, she was advised because her damage is mild that she was not eligible for money. Settlement of the case is pending.
After the fen-phen scare, Mrs. Elmore began researching natural weight loss alternatives and learned about ear stapling, a method that has been around for about 20 years but has surfaced only recently in the Pittsburgh region.
Robert J. Pavuchak, Post-Gazette
Carol DeVitis, of Hickory, winces as Peggy Elmore, RN, staples her ear at Euphoria Mind-Body Center in Peters.
Click photo for larger image.
Called auricular therapy, the method works on the principle that different pressure points in the ear are related to organs of the body. A surgical staple is placed on the inside of the ear at a specific point related to the stomach, and is believed to curb the appetite and decrease cravings through continuous stimulation, she said. The staple is left in place for up to three months.
Convinced of its effectiveness, Mrs. Elmore became a practitioner. She charges $50 for each procedure and uses the same sterilizing agents hospitals do to clean the ear and a germicidal cloth for the staple "gun."
The procedure exacts a momentary sting similar to ear piercing. The $50 fee includes staples in both ears.
Although some liken the procedure to acupuncture, Mrs. Elmore, who also is a cosmetologist, said the FDA forbids her from calling it that.
Since January, she has stapled 75 to 80 people, working out of Euphoria, a new mind-body center in Peters which promotes alternative treatments. She has a Web site, www.thinpin.com. People have reported back to her, relating varied levels of loss, anywhere from no loss to 18 pounds.
"One thing I consistently hear from people is that they eat half as much," Mrs. Elmore said.
Patricia Williams, of Canonsburg, noticed an acquaintance had lost weight and learned stapling was responsible. She decided to give it a try, even though she was suspicious "that I would get it done and nothing would happen."
To her surprise, she lost about 10 pounds in the first two weeks.
Ms. Williams said she had tried other weight loss methods, including hypnotism and diet pills, joined a fitness center and had a gym membership, all to no avail.
Since the stapling procedure, however, Ms. Williams said, "I feel full all the time. When I eat, I eat very small portions."
It took about two days for the new-found fullness to kick in, Ms. Williams said. She would like to lose another 10 pounds.
Still, there are no scientific studies addressing ear stapling as far as Nicolle Bazant, a Washington Hospital nutritionist, can tell. Neither the Centers for Disease Control nor the National Weight Control Registry have reported studies.
Mrs. Elmore conceded she, too, knew of no scientific study and could go only by what her clients report back to her.
"I think it's just a fad," Ms. Bazant said. "I think everyone's looking for a quick fix and it's not there. If they're going to spend $50 or $60, they could spend it on fruit or vegetables or shoes to walk."
Although there is no proof ear-stapling works, there are plenty of studies and research saying that diet and exercise play a serious role in weight loss, Ms. Bazant said.
Mrs. Elmore, however, disputes that ear stapling is a fad, saying it has been used for weight loss about for about 20 years. She agrees, however, that sensible eating still is important in weight loss.
"I think, to lose weight, you have to take in fewer calories. [Stapling] will help curb your appetite and decrease cravings. You have to try a little bit. Increased activity helps, too," she said. She added she had had her own ears stapled and had lost about a pound a week.
Last week, after visiting Euphoria during an open house, Carol Devitis, of Hickory, sat for the procedure, wincing slightly when the staple pierced her ear.
"I've tried every diet that comes down the road. I figure this can't hurt a thing," Ms. Devitis said.
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(Lynda Guydon Taylor can be reached at ltaylor@post-gazette.com or 724-746-8813. )
Treprostinil Treatment Appears to Improve Health of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Patients: Presented at CHEST
By Ed Susman
SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- October 26, 2006 -- Patients can handle safely be treated for up to 1 year with subcutaneous treprostinil (Remodulin) for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), researchers reported here at CHEST 2006, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.
"There is limited information on the long-term use of treprostinil for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension," said Francisco Soto, MD, assistant professor of pulmonary/critical care medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In his oral presentation on October 24th, Dr. Soto reviewed the changes in patients' distance on the 6-minute walk test, finding significant improvement at both 6 months and 1 year of treatment.
At baseline, 32 evaluable patients were able to walk an average of 226 m, but increased that distance to 277 m after 6 months of treprostinil therapy (P = .001). After 12 months, the 23 evaluable patients had increased their distance on the 6-minute walk test from a baseline of 243 m to 329 m (P = .0009).
In the 1-year follow-up of 31 patients on treprostinil who, at the start of the study, had an average World Health Organization Class of 3.12, the average was reduced to 1.83 (P = .001), Dr. Soto said. After 1 year, among 20 patients evaluated for cardiac index, the difference from an average of 2.92 to 3.44 reached statistical significance (P = .02), he said.
Most patients who discontinued use of the drug complained of pain at the site of injection, but in 41 patients who began using the drug in 2002 at his institution, 7 patients stopped their treatment -- and 2 of these patients stopped because of pain at the site of injection. Three other patients died, 1 was incarcerated and 1 received a transplant.
"Subcutaneous administration of treprostinil is an excellent alternative for severe pulmonary arterial hypertension," Dr. Soto concluded. "It has a safe profile, good tolerance and clinical and hemodynamic benefits."
Dr. Soto said the retrospective study was initiated by the investigators, who did not receive any funds from pharmaceutical or other industry sources.
[Presentation title: Clinical and Hemodynamic Impact of Subcutaneous (SQ) Treprostinil (Remodulin(R)) in the Management of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH): Single-Center Experience. Abstract 4597]
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