The FDA has sent letters to 21 companies of natural products regarding making unsubstantiated treatment claims — including H1N1 cures. (more…)

That’s the conclusion by researchers at Tufts Medical Center who presented their research at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting. (more…)

Low blood levels of vitamin D may account for much of the increased risk for end stage kidney disease among black individuals, according to this study by researchers in the US. (more…)

Ever heard someone say that drinking fruit juice is no better than drinking sugar water, and it just makes you fat?

Researchers from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas say there’s no association between consumption of 100% fruit juice and overweight in children or adolescents. (more…)

To manage vasomotor symptoms, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia recommend “lifestyle changes in all women.” (more…)

Maintenance therapy for Crohn’s disease includes immunosuppressive drugs, with an associated risk of infection.

Might omega-3 fatty acids be an alternative? (more…)

Exercise is an important part of diabetes treatment, but when insulin is involved — even in a person with type 2 diabetes — precautions should be taken.

Nurse Theresa Pearson from Fairview Health Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota has recommendations for diabetics who are taking insulin. (more…)

Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) is used in China to treat several diseases, including acute heart attacks.

The latest Cochrane Review is unimpressed. (more…)

Researchers from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, in West Haven tell us, “Outpatient palliative care can provide significant benefits to seriously ill patients, but several barriers to appropriate referrals remain.”

Will grandma’s doctor consider outpatient palliative care for her? (more…)

This is a follow-up to an earlier study of chronic and recurrent back pain by researchers from the University of Bristol in the UK. (more…)

Diabetes-induced damage to peripheral nerves culminates in peripheral diabetic neuropathy, one of the most devastating complications of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of foot amputation.

Researchers from Chang Gung University, in Taiwan studied the effect of tai chi chuan exercise on the action of peripheral nerves in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. (more…)

The following is a guest article.

According to an eight-year long study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, a moderate consumption of alcohol, and a Mediterranean diet consisting of vegetables, nuts, fruits, and legumes is a good way to reduce the incidence of mortality due to coronary heart disease and strokes in women.

What should women who want to live longer do? (more…)

That’s the finding by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine reported during the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting. (more…)

Omega-3 failed to increase the effect of sertraline (Zoloft, Lustral) in treating major depression in patients with coronary heart disease, in this study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis, Missouri. (more…)

The American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology offers tips for creating a safe Halloween for food-allergic children. (more…)

Cochrane Review has assessed the benefits and harms of Huangqi and Huangqi type formulations to treat the nephritic syndrome — a nonspecific disorder where the kidneys are damaged, causing them to leak large amounts of protein from the blood into the urine. (more…)

Reporting at the American College of Rheumatology annual scientific meeting, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in Pennsylvania found no benefit for preventing joint damage in the knees caused by osteoarthritis. (more…)

That’s the conclusion from a Cochrane review. (more…)

It includes cognitive psychotherapy, sleep hygiene, stimulus control, sleep restriction, paradoxical intention, and relaxation therapy.

Drs. Parul Harsora and Jennifer Kessmann from Dallas, Texas reviewed all of these nonpharmacologic approaches. Let’s focus on patient education. (more…)

That’s the conclusion from reviewers at the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark.

But a flaw in the review raises doubt about the validity of their findings. (more…)