Archive for July, 2007
Should cognitive behavioral therapy be added to antidepressant therapy?
Tuesday, July 31st, 2007 A study in the British Medical Journal concludes that adding weekly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine (Prozac) was no more beneficial for depressed adolescents than medication alone.
A closer look suggests the Adolescent Depression Antidepressant and Psychotherapy Trial (ADAPT) is not the definitive study on this subject.
Here’s why. (more…)
Warning labels on your clothes
Monday, July 30th, 2007 Does this come under the heading of complementary or alternative medicine?
According to Professor Mike Lean (yes, that’s really his name), clothes for fat children should come with information about where they can get advice to help them lose weight.
12/15/06 23:21 JR
Anael, his tumors, and the Hippocrates Health Institute
Sunday, July 29th, 2007 Anael L’Esperance-Nascimento (photo) is the little boy from Quebec whose parents refused a second round of chemotherapy for his brain and spinal cord tumors. Instead, Anael will be treated at the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida.
The intent of this post is to review wheatgrass, “an integral part” of the Hippocrates treatment. (more…)
Experts respond to the negative AHRQ report on meditation
Saturday, July 28th, 2007 The report by the University of Alberta Evidence-based Practice Center (UAEPC) after reviewing the published literature on meditation practices for health were published here and discussed here.
The authors found so many flaws in the design of the studies that “conclusions on the effects of meditation practices in healthcare cannot be drawn based on the available evidence.” The report was funded by the NIH Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (more…)
Natural Products Association will test Chinese raw materials
Saturday, July 28th, 2007Insufficient proof of efficacy for marijuana spray to permit sale in the UK
Saturday, July 28th, 2007The Volcano alternative means of delivery of inhaled Cannabis sativa
Thursday, July 26th, 2007 An earlier study (reported here, discussed here) showed that the Volcano vaporization device is a reliable way to achieve lung concentrations of marijuana.
Now, researchers from the University of California and San Francisco General Hospital confirm that vaporization of cannabis is a safe and effective mode of delivery of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). They think the device should be used in future studies of THC. (more…)
Soft drinks and the risk of the metabolic syndrome
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 Yes, there’s an association. And it doesn’t seem to matter whether the soda pop you drink is “regular” or diet.
But can we rely on these findings? (more…)
Slowing cognitive decline with omega-3 fatty acids
Sunday, July 22nd, 2007Benefits from creatine reported outside sports medicine
Sunday, July 22nd, 2007“China-free” labels for dietary supplements
Saturday, July 21st, 2007 Three months ago, I predicted the China pet food contamination would have implications for the supplements industry.
Now, Food for Health International, which sells through the Internet, has announced it will start labeling boxes for its dietary supplements with a sticker that reads “safe” and “China-free.” (more…)
The placebo component of the homeopathic response
Thursday, July 19th, 2007 There’s increasing awareness that the homeopathic consultation is itself a therapeutic intervention that contributes to the outcome of homeopathic treatments.
So, how important is it?
(more…)
Horny goat weed to prevent bone loss during late postmenopause
Wednesday, July 18th, 2007Coffee and psoriasis
Wednesday, July 18th, 2007Is there any justification to take high doses of vitamin C?
Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 Let’s see what the Cochrane Collaboration reveals. (more…)
More positive results using probiotics to treat irritable bowel syndrome
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007 Probiotics are now used by 35% to 40% of the US population routinely and with increasing frequency in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Dr. Brian Lacy from Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire reports on the latest probiotic research from the recent Digestive Diseases Week meeting. (more…)
What is the effect of vitamin D blood levels on colon and rectal cancer?
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007The pendulum swings away from lycopene as protection from cancer
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007 Here’s what the FDA found in their evaluation of the evidence linking tomatoes or tomato-based foods and lycopene, with reduced cancer risk. (more…)