The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

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Comparing electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture

David Mayor is the editor of the book, Electroacupuncture: A Practical Manual and Resource. In The Journal of Chinese Medicine he reviews electroacupuncture and its use to treat peripheral facial paralysis.

I found his comparison between acupuncture and electroacupuncture instructive.

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What’s the long term effect of salt restriction on your health?

Lowering sodium in your diet will lower your blood pressure, but what about other cardiovascular benefits?

New data suggest, “Sodium reduction … may also reduce long term risk of cardiovascular events.”

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Giving equal time to CAM options to manage stress

An article published on Medscape discusses the impact of stress on insomnia. In addition to a brief mention of mindfulness, the author limits the discussion to benzodiazepines or ramelteon (Rozerem), which acts on melatonin receptors.

There are so many other options that the author fails to even mention. So, I’ll mention them here.

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Is organic food healthier?

According to Claire Williamson, a nutrition scientist for the British Nutrition Foundation, “There appears to be a perception among many consumers that organic foods are more nutritious… However, to date there are limited data to support this view.”

But, there are some exceptions.

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Links to surveys of every imaginable user of CAM

I don’t usually post the results of CAM use surveys because the results are predictable. I’ve never found a study that concluded few people use them.

However, some readers use this site for academic reasons. This link is for you.

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Effects of qigong on stress among computer operators

This study suggests, “Qigong [chee-kung] exercise may reduce stress [associated with] computerized work.”

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Complementing dieting with counseling

The authors of this study at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing in Pennsylvania tell us that the type of diet is important.

But there’s more to discuss here than just dieting.

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Almost the definitive study on bone health in postmenopausal women

Treatment with genistein — a naturally occurring estrogen in soybeans — has the potential to regulate bone metabolism without harmful estrogenic activity in the breast and uterus,” says Dr. Herbert Marini from the University of Messina in Italy.

In this study, genistein had positive effects on bone health in postmenopausal women who had evidence of bone wasting.

Unfortunately, they didn’t measure fracture rate.

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The role for marijuana in medical practice

Two Canadian doctors debate the issue. And a reader debates me, so I pushed this post back to the top of the queue. Enjoy!

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