At 08:36 PM 9/28/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Ellie Rotunno asked me to post the below to this list. She is not a
>subscriber here, but is an active subscriber on the raw-food list. Don.
>
>Written by: Ellie Rotunno <[log in to unmask]>
>
>This is the gist of a letter I wrote to Robert Atkins. I'm into
>confronting people about their claims.
>
>"Dear Dr. Atkins,
>
>I am a retired neurophysiologist formerly with the Rockefeller University
>and NYU Medical School.
>
>I have been following your radio program with interest. I too follow a
>diet low in carbohydrates and high in animal food, except that I eat
>everything raw, and I have experienced similar health benefits to those
>you describe.
>
>Perhaps you are already familiar with the Picower Institute studies on
>AGE's, Advanced Glycation Endproducts. These substances, which are formed
>non-enzymatically from proteins and lipids that come in contact with
>glucose or other sugars in the body and in cooked foods, were thought to
>be harmless but have been shown to be toxic and may pose a new risk not
>only in complications in diabetics, but in aging. While your patients
>enjoy a lowering of blood sugar levels as a result of your diet and may
>not form many of these toxic substances endogenously, it is possible that
>AGE's could accumulate in their tissues as a result of diets high in
>cooked foods, especially cooked meats.
>
>The body of course adapts to toxicosis, and it may take years before
>serious disease develops. You have mentioned a number of times that some
>of  your patients develop hypothyroidism, yet I have not heard you
>correlate this with your diet. My friend Elaine Ullman once telephoned
>you, and according to her, you yourself have taken thyroid hormone. Is
>this true? As you know, the symptoms of most diseases represent
>detoxification events.
>
>The body always has more than one physiological mechanism  for doing
>things. When the body needs to detox, the sympathetic nervous system
>becomes hyperactive. Epinephrine increase cellular metabolic rate to such
>an extent that not as much thyroid hormone is needed to increase the
>metabolic rate. The thyroid can become sluggish when there is no
>pathology in the thyroid itself, and exogenous thyroid hormone would not
>be indicated. People generally go the doctor when they are sick, that is,
>when they are having detox symptoms, and may be diagnosed with
>asymptomatic hypothyroidism. Upon retesting when such a patient is not
>experiencing a detox crisis, the thyroid can be found to be quite
>normal. It is possible that your patients who develop idiopathic
>hypothyroidism are in a phase of detoxing AGE's or some other toxins.
>
>I realize the damage from AGE's or other toxins in cooked foods could
>take many years to surface, but I am concerned when I hear you use a
>term such as "life-long" in recommending your diet. Are you doing
>follow-up studies on your patients? If so, I would be interested in
>hearing your results.
>
>Do you think it might be a good idea to alert your patients to the
>potential risks? Perhaps you will look into the new findings with diets
>high in raw animal foods. Aajonus Vonderplanitz is getting some exciting
>results with a diet high in raw animal fat. People are naturally flocking
>to Sushi restaurants, perhaps for good reason.
>
>I look forward to hearing from you and to your continued efforts to help
>your patients enjoy better health."
>
>My best, Ellie
>