Archive for August, 2007
Selenium and muscle strength in older adults
Friday, August 31st, 2007FDA wants to rate UVA protection in sunscreen products
Thursday, August 30th, 2007 Using a scale of 1 to 4 stars, the proposed regulation will help consumers identify the level of UVA protection offered by a product. (more…)
Omacor becomes Lovaza
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 My pharmacist tells me that the prescription strength omega-3 fatty acid product called Omacor is having its name changed. (more…)
Deadly depression in people with heart failure
Friday, August 24th, 2007How might spinal manipulation lower blood pressure?
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 Reports from chiropractic journals say that manipulating the neck region helps reduce blood pressure in some people.
Prof. Jim Deuchars from the University of Leeds in the UK and coworkers have examined pathways between the neck and the brain to help define how neck muscles could play a crucial role in controlling blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. (more…)
Safety report on cannabis oral spray
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 A spray has been developed from the major components of marijuana (cannabis), including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in alcohol. The formulation is sprayed under the tongue or in the cheek to relieve pain in multiple sclerosis.
This small study examined effects on the mucus membrane of the mouth. (more…)
Have you noticed a rise in the cost of vitamin C?
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 Bulk prices of vitamin C have quadrupled since the first quarter of the year. It’s mainly due to cutbacks in production by Chinese suppliers who control as much 70% to 90% of the market. (more…)
NCCAM Fellowships
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007Australian Safari Rally: The ultimate off-road adventure
Friday, August 17th, 2007 This is way off topic for this blog, but my son-in-law, Jason LaFortune of Temper-Mental Racing, will participate in this rally at the end of this month.
The rally starts Friday, August 24th near Darwin and heads south to Perth finishing September 1st.
They will blog the rally here.
Please enjoy it with us.
8/17/07 19:40 JR
Follow-up: Reported cost-savings with CAM-oriented primary care
Friday, August 17th, 2007 In a previous entry it was reported that over 7 years, patients visiting chiropractors and other CAM-oriented primary care doctors had 60% fewer hospitalizations, 62% less outpatient surgery, and 85% lower pharmaceutical costs compared with total network HMO (health maintenance organization).
These findings are important, but there were some questions, which lead researcher, Dr. Richard Sarnat, graciously agreed to address. (more…)
Contaminated botanicals and dietary supplements
Friday, August 17th, 2007Adding acupuncture to physiotherapy to treat osteoarthritis of the knee
Friday, August 17th, 2007High-dose probiotic + prebiotic to treat Crohn’s disease
Thursday, August 16th, 2007Are you ready for probiotic chocolate?
Thursday, August 16th, 2007 “We expect that the trend towards high-end [chocolate] products, especially those touting wellness benefits, will be the life force in this market for the next several years.”
That’s the conclusion from Tatjana Meerman, publisher of the report, The US Market for Chocolate.
What’s this got to do with probiotics? (more…)
Potential benefits of fish oil supplements given to pregnant mums
Thursday, August 16th, 2007 Relatively high doses of omega 3-rich fish oil supplements during the second half of pregnancy appear safe and beneficial to the baby.
Weight loss study uses the Internet
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 This is for residents of San Diego County in California. (more…)
Homeopathy and the memory of water
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007 A long-time reader and valued critic of this site believes this post was not fair. OK. I accept the criticism and challenge him to do better, as stated in the comments below.
The preparation of treatments in homeopathy is based on extremely high dilutions (low concentrations) of substances in water — far lower than detectable. For this reason, it has been suggested that water could retain a “memory” of substances that have been dissolved in it before the successive dilutions.
The journal, Homeopathy has dedicated an entire issue to try to explain the concept. (more…)
Some benefit from antioxidant vitamins on the risk of cardiovascular disease
Monday, August 13th, 2007 About 23% or 62 million Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD; eg, heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, angina, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, or heart failure).
The Women’s Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study concluded, “There were no overall effects of ascorbic acid [vitamin C], vitamin E, or beta carotene on cardiovascular events among women at high risk for CVD.”
But read on to see those who did benefit. (more…)