The latest edition of Yoga Journal tells us, “The social calendar we tend to keep at this time of year falls out of sync with the earth’s natural cycles. If you find quiet, more modest ways to celebrate, you’ll stay in tune with the season and have more time and energy to connect with close friends and family.”

Here are some options
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Winner: If you can stick a pin in it, researchers are eager to study acupuncture.

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Loser: Not only doesn’t it work, but governments all over the world are piling on black cohosh.
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Most disappointing: Why does policosanol reliably lower cholesterol in Cuba but nowhere else?

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Following the lead of Disney, Universal Studios will serve healthier side dishes and aims to eliminate trans-fats from its menus.

It started this Christmas eve. The goal is for all theme parks to be 100% free of trans fats by the end of 2007.

12/30/06 21:05 JR

Here is a profile of CAM users among patients with cancer who live in Washington State. The data come from an insurance survey. So, it’s limited to what people submit for reimbursement.

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Many studies show a correlation between n-3 fatty acids (FAs; aka omega-3 fatty acids) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Now, a review of published studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition gets specific.

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When I first graduated from pharmacy school I worked for a short time at Columbus Hospital in Newark, NJ. There was nothing fancy about this hospital except that it had rugs on all the floors and original art hung on the walls. It was unlike anything I had seen in other New Jersey hospitals.

This small private hospital was apparently 30 years ahead of its time.

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Here’s a study that looked at the feasibility and clinical impact of prescribing several ayurvedic treatments in 60 people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

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North of the (US) border it’s possible to get medical marijuana from the government if you have a “grave or debilitating disease.”

Here’s a report on a group of such patients who reported relief from smoking or taking marijuana by mouth.

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