Archive for August, 2010
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices produce electrical currents to stimulate nerves through unbroken skin.
Here’s the Cochrane review. (more…)
Cancer, Cochrane Library, Pain, TENS/FNS/VNS | Comments Off on TENS for cancer pain
Monday, August 30th, 2010
Researchers at Tufts Medical Center, in Boston reported their findings in that bastion of allopathic medicine, The New England Journal of Medicine. (more…)
Exercise, Fibromyalgia, NCCAM, Tai Chi | Comments Off on NCCAM-sponsored study of tai chi to treat fibromyalgia
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
It’s labeled as “100% natural” and consumers may mistakenly assume the product is harmless and poses no health risk.
The FDA says, Not so fast, all you erectilely challenged people out there. (more…)
Consumer Alert, Erectile Dysfunction, FDA/FTC/CDC | Comments Off on Consumer Alert: TimeOut
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
According to the distributor, it will awaken your magical power.
But he FDA says Mr. Magic contains hydroxythiohomosildenafil and sulfoaildenafil, an analogue of sildenafil (Viagra), the FDA-approved drug for male erectile dysfunction (ED), making this product an unapproved drug. (more…)
Cholesterol/Lipids, Consumer Alert, Erectile Dysfunction, FDA/FTC/CDC, High Blood Pressure | Comments Off on Consumer Alert: Mr. Magic
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
This Medscape review covers orthoses, exercise, calcium and vitamin D therapy, and kyphoplasty from an academic perspective. (more…)
Exercise, Osteoporosis, Vitamins | Comments Off on Nonpharmacologic management of osteoporosis
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
Men with prostate cancer who consumed the active compounds in green tea demonstrated a reduction in test results that predict prostate cancer progression, according to researchers at LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, in Louisiana. (more…)
Cancer, Prostate, Tea | Comments Off on Preventing prostate cancer progression with green tea
Saturday, August 21st, 2010
It’s commonly used to treat chronic sinusitis, though there’s little documentation for any effect.
Researchers from Norway looked for evidence of improved quality of life. (more…)
Acupuncture/ pressure, Asthma/Allergy, Common Cold | Comments Off on Acupuncture for chronic sinusitis. Worth the cost?
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Done properly, it’s “one of the best ways to avoid getting sick,” according to MayoClinic.com.
(more…)
Alcohol Sanitizers, Infection | Comments Off on Wash your hands
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
Researchers from Australia and the UK reviewed the evidence. (more…)
Bone Fracture, Calcium, Vitamin D | Comments Off on Vitamin D supplementation and hip fracture risk
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
Blueberries contain anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Researchers at Tufts University, in Boston studied the effects of drinking wild blueberry juice in older adults with early memory changes. (more…)
Alzheimer's Dementia, Elderly | Comments Off on Changes in memory afer drinking blueberry juice
Monday, August 16th, 2010
This article by researchers at Freiburg University Medical Center in Germany reviews cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana.
Let’s focus on the one purported CAM, marijuana. (more…)
Marijuana (Cannabinoids), Sleep (Insomnia) | Comments Off on Effects of recreational drugs on sleep
Monday, August 16th, 2010
Two published studies conclude it is not. (more…)
Diabetes Mellitus, Elderly, Obesity, Sleep (Insomnia) | Comments Off on Is napping “bad” for nighttime sleep?
Sunday, August 15th, 2010
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, hypothesized that cannabis use (or a cannabis use disorder) at a younger age relates to a high-risk symptoms at a younger age.
And a second study comes to rather odd conclusions about marijuana and schizophrenia severity. (more…)
Marijuana (Cannabinoids), Schizophrenia | Comments Off on Cannabis and the risk for developing psychosis
Sunday, August 15th, 2010
It’s a challenge.
In this Cochrane review, researchers at the Military Dental Centre in Seeb, Oman, reviewed the evidence for hypnosis (with or without sedation). (more…)
Children, Cochrane Library, Hypnosis | Comments Off on Hypnosis to help manage children in the dentist’s chair
Saturday, August 14th, 2010
It’s the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age. The cause is unknown, but afflicted women have difficulty becoming pregnant.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia reviewed the evidence for acupuncture. (more…)
Acupuncture/ pressure, Pregnancy, Uterine Bleeding | Comments Off on Acupuncture treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome
Friday, August 13th, 2010
The distributor of this product recommends to, “Be ready when the time is right!”
The FDA says not so fast. Prolatis contains “sulfoaildenafil, an analogue of sildenafil [Viagra],… making Prolatis an unapproved drug.” (more…)
Cholesterol/Lipids, Consumer Alert, Diabetes Mellitus, Erectile Dysfunction, FDA/FTC/CDC, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure | Comments Off on Consumer Alert: Prolatis
Friday, August 13th, 2010
The English commonly combine CAM with prescription drugs.
Let’s compare these findings by Prof. Ernst and colleagues to CAM use in other countries. (more…)
Acupuncture/ pressure, Aromatherapy, CAM Politics, CAM Use, Massage, Prof. Ernst | Comments Off on Prevalence of CAM use in England
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Researchers at the University Medical Centre Utrecht and De Hoogstraat, in The Netherlands surveyed the use of CAM in a large group of Dutch patients with spinal cord injury. (more…)
Acupuncture/ pressure, Exercise, Magnets, Marijuana (Cannabinoids), Massage, Pain, Physiotherapy, Spinal Cord, TENS/FNS/VNS | Comments Off on CAM for spinal cord injury pain
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Prof. Ernst reviewed the evidence and finds that more is needed. (more…)
Aromatherapy, High Blood Pressure, Prof. Ernst | Comments Off on Review of aromatherapy to treat high blood pressure
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Wikipedia states, “Claims of homeopathy’s efficacy beyond the placebo effect are unsupported by the collective weight of scientific and clinical evidence.”
But this study from Germany concludes that the evidence doesn’t support this belief. (more…)
CAM Politics, Homeopathy | Comments Off on Placebo effect with homeopathic vs conventional drugs