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

Archive for May, 2011

End of the food pyramid

Monday, May 30th, 2011

In San Diego, CBS 8 reports that the Obama Administration is getting ready to ditch the Food Pyramid, a symbol of healthy eating for the last 2 decades. (more…)

Theater to improve quality of life in Parkinson’s disease

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Medical treatments of Parkinson’s disease are intended reduce motor symptoms, but many patients still report a deterioration of their daily lives.

Researchers at IRCCS Neuromed, in Pozzilli, Italy hypothesized that participation in theater might reduce clinical disability and improve quality of life. (more…)

Vitamin A supplements prevent morbidity and mortality in children

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem in low and middle income countries and can lead to many adverse health consequences, including death.

This Cochrane review evaluated the effect of vitamin A supplementation in children aged 6 months to 5 years. (more…)

Drinking green tea and the risk of depression

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Green tea reportedly has various beneficial effects (eg, anti–stress and anti-inflammatory).

Japanese researchers conducted the first study designed to assess the relationship between green tea and depressive symptoms in a community population. (more…)

Influence of prosody when speaking with persons who have Alzheimer’s

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Prosody is the study of rhythm, intonation, stress, and related attributes in speech.

So, does the pitch and loudness of your voice influence your success in communicating with your demented grandmother? Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver wanted to know. (more…)

Review: Herbal treatments for prementrual syndrome

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Some herb remedies seem useful, according to researchers at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, in Italy. (more…)

Reducing the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Researchers at the University of Sydney, and Royal North Shore Hospital, in Australia reviewed the possible role of omega-3 fatty acids. (more…)

Treating mastitis with probiotics

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Mastitis is an infection of breast tissue that results in breast pain, swelling, warmth, and redness of the breast. It’s a common infection during lactation.

Researchers at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, in Spain compared 2 lactobacilli strains isolated from breast milk to antibiotic therapy of lactational mastitis. (more…)

Group music therapy for agitation in dementia

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Researchers at Taipei Medical University, in Taiwan, explored the effectiveness of group music sessions to manage agitation in elderly persons with dementia. (more…)

Omega-3 to treat major depression

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

This may be the largest study of its kind, according to the authors.

Researchers at the Université de Montréal, in Quebec, studied the short-term effect of omega-3 supplementation in reducing depressive symptoms in patients experiencing a major depressive episode. (more…)

The value of nutritional supplements in older adults

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

We commonly take them, but studies show mixed results regarding their health benefits, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, North Carolina. (more…)

Lowering blood pressure with music-guided slow breathing

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Bradypnea (slow breathing) was studied by researchers at the University of Florence, in Italy. (more…)

Synbiotics and the risk of common winter diseases in kids

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

Daily supplementation with a synbiotic preparation lowered this risk, according to researchers at Universita di Roma Tor Vergata, in Italy. (more…)

Consumer Alert: Pentrexyl Forte Natural

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

FDA has recalled Pentrexyl Forte Natural because the packaging is believed to be misleading — causing it to be confused with an antibiotic.

(more…)

Chiropractic care of infants with colic

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Researchers in Pennsylvania and California reviewed the evidence on the chiropractic care of patients with infantile colic. (more…)

Benefits on cholesterol of eating nuts

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Researchers at Loma Linda University, in California reviewed the effects of nut consumption on blood lipid levels and the ability of different factors to modify the response. (more…)

Lack of effect of an Echinacea cocktail on exacerbations of COPD

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

Upper respiratory tract infections frequently exacerbate chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Researchers in Indonesia and Switzerland evaluated the effect of Echinacea purpurea + micronutrients in order to reduce the severity of these infections. (more…)

Fatty acids, vitamin D, and the risk of psychotic-like symptoms

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Low intake of fish, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and vitamin D deficiency has been suggested to play a role in the development of schizophrenia.

Researchers from Scandinavia evaluated the association between the intake of different fish species, PUFA, and vitamin D, and the prevalence of psychotic-like symptoms in Swedish women. (more…)

High percentage of supplements are contaminated

Friday, May 20th, 2011

The New York Times reports, “Nearly all herbal dietary supplements tested in a Congressional investigation contained trace amounts of lead and other contaminants, and 16 of the 40 supplements tested contained pesticide residue that exceeded legal limits.

Here are the details of what the Government Accounting Office found. (more…)

Drug interactions with St John’s wort

Friday, May 20th, 2011

It’s a long list compiled by researchers at RMIT University in Victoria, Australia. (more…)