The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for April, 2011

Hemp Seed Pill to treat functional constipation

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

Functional constipation doesn’t have an anatomical or hormonal cause.

Researchers at Hong Kong Baptist University, in China studied ma zi ren wan (Hemp Seed Pill), which is a branded product. (more…)

Using mobile phones to improve HIV drug thearpy

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

Researchers in Kenya and Canada studied the effects of mobile phone communication between healthcare workers and patients starting antiretroviral (antiviral) therapy in Kenya. (more…)

Review: Probiotics to treat diarrhea

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

Here are 2 Cochrane reviews that evaluate the evidence for using probiotics to treat persistent diarrhea, and the value of probiotics + rehydration to treat diarrhea.

(more…)

Dalcroze eurhythmics reduces falls in the elderly

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Falls occur mainly while walking or performing concurrent tasks.

Researcher in Switzerland studied whether a music-based multitask exercise program (Dalcroze eurhythmics) improves gait and balance and reduces fall risk in elderly individuals. (more…)

Music therapy

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Uplifting.

Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill.

4/27/11 22:23 JR

 

Vitamin D3 vs D2: Comparison of potency

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

This year, 2 studies concluded that vitamin D3 is more potent. (more…)

Qigong for women with breast cancer

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, Texas, looked for evidence that external qigong treatment could shrink breast cancer tumors and improve quality of life in women with breast cancer awaiting surgery. (more…)

Yoga for women with primary dysmenorrhea

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Researchers at Islamic Azad University, in Rasht, Iran, studied the effect of yoga on  dysmenorrhea — cramping pain in the lower abdomen occurring just before or during menstruation, in the absence of other diseases. (more…)

Dietary factors and the risk of atrial fibrillation

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Researchers in Boston tell us there are conflicting reports about an association between dietary factors and the risk of atrial fibrillation — the most common type of irregular heartbeat found in about 2.2 million Americans.

They evaluated the potential associations between atrial fibrillation and several dietary factors. (more…)

Product review: CoQ10 and ubiquinol

Monday, April 25th, 2011

CoQ10 and its activated form, ubiquinol, are popular supplements for treating or preventing a range of conditions including congestive heart failure, migraine headache, high blood pressure, and Parkinson’s disease — although none of the evidence is conclusive.

ConsumerLab.com tested 31 products for content and dosing. (more…)

Orange juice as a source of vitamin D

Monday, April 25th, 2011

There’s a short list of food sources of vitamin D.

Researchers from Boston compared the bioavailability of vitamins D2 and D3 from orange juice vs capsules. (more…)

Ten-Cha to treat house dust mite allergic rhinitis

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

In Japan and China, Ten-Cha is a commonly used complementary alternative medicine for allergic rhinitis.

Researchers in China studied Ten-Cha (Rubus suavissimus), which is commonly known as either Sweet Tea Extract or Chinese Blackberry Extract. (more…)

Limits of the benefits of exercise on depression

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

Researchers at Bispebjerg University Hospital, in Denmark, looked for long-term benefits of exercise in adults with clinical depression. (more…)

Traditional Chinese herbals to treat stable angina

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

Here’s a summary of a Cochrane review of herbals to treat stable angina — aka chronic angina.

In stable angina, chest pain occurs with activity or stress. The pain begins slowly and gets worse over several minutes before going away. (more…)

False labeling casts a shadow on OTC vitamin D products

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

During the meeting of the Joint Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and America’s Committee on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, reported that actual content ranges between 1% and 82% of what’s on the label. (more…)

Teleconferencing for fatigue managment in MS patients

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

Fatigue is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) that challenges patients in their daily activities.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago compared teleconference to face-to-face, group-based fatigue self-management. The results were reported during the Joint Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and America’s Committee on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis meeting. (more…)

Sleep to help lose weight

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

Researchers in California and Wisconsin tell us, “Sleep duration may be an important regulator of body weight and metabolism.”

So, they studied changes in metabolic hormones and their potential relationship to weight loss. (more…)

Lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol with diet

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

A healthy diet should be rich in vegetables and fruits, whole-grain, high-fiber foods, and fish, and should contain a small amount of saturated and trans fats.

Researchers at Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, in France, reviewed dietary approaches proven to be associated with lowering LDL-cholesterol. (more…)

The final word on the warfarin-cranberry interaction?

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

“The warning that there is a potential to enhance the effect of warfarin… with cranberry juice intake is mostly based on faulty reports.”

That’s the conclusion by researchers at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City. (more…)

FDA warns companies to stop making MRSA claims

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

FDA is warning companies to stop making MRSA claims.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria can cause an infection that’s highly resistant to some antibiotics. MRSA cause infection after they enter the body through a cut or sore.

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued 4 warning letters to companies that manufacture and market over-the-counter (OTC) drug products (including hand sanitizers) that claim to prevent infection by MRSA. (more…)