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

Archive for the 'Pre, Pro, Synbiotics' Category

CAM use in the Manitoba IBD Cohort Study

Monday, February 27th, 2012

Researchers in Winnipeg, Manitoba surveyed the prevalence of CAM use in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. (more…)

CAM for the common cold?

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

While rhinoviruses cause upto half of colds, up to 200 other viruses have been implicated.

Researchers at the University of Ottawa, in Ontario, reviewed the evidence for CAM to treat and prevent the common cold. (more…)

Calcium, probiotics, and cholesterol metabolism

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University, in Jena, Germany, studied the influence of a probiotic supplement alone and combined with a calcium supplement on lowering blood cholesterol levels. (more…)

Probiotics improve a person’s health

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

This Cochrane Review assessed the effectiveness and safety of probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory infections (URTIs). (more…)

CAM options to treat eczema

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

Bastyr Center for Natural Health has published a review. (more…)

CAM options to treat menopausal symptoms

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Prof. Ernst has reviewed the evidence.

Here’s what we know. (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…)

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…)

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…)

CAM use among women with vaginitis

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

Researchers in the US and Israel describe the use of CAM in women with chronic vaginitis and the epidemiologic factors associated with these treatments. (more…)

Synbiotics and preventing asthma-like symptoms in infants

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Researchers at the Academic Medical Center, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands studied symbiotic therapy to prevent asthma-like symptoms in infants with atopic dermatitis–chronic inflammation of the skin. (more…)

Synbiotics and the risk of common winter diseases in children

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

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

Preventing recurrent bacterial vaginosis with probiotics, conveniently

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, in China report positive results with a simplified probiotic treatment regimen. (more…)

Effect of diet on irritable bowel syndrome

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Studies suggest that in one quarter of patients, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be caused or exacerbated by diet.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, at Chapel Hill, reviewed the data from a clinician’s perspective. (more…)

Reviewing the potential benefits of probiotics

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

The British Nutrition Foundation reviewed the effect of probiotics on health. (more…)

Nutraceutical therapy to treat juvenile Crohn’s disease

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

Most of patients with moderate-to-severe disease are in a constant catabolic state resulting in poor weight gain and growth failure.

Researchers at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, in New York City studied whether an exclusion diet combined with nutraceutical therapy could induce sustained remission of disease with weight gain, and enhance the ability for growth hormone to reverse growth failure. (more…)

Converting hamburger into a functional food

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

Researchers in Madrid, Spain have developed a new meat product — lycopene-enriched hamburger — by adding dry tomato peel to hamburger meat. (more…)

The status of probiotics to treat functional constipation

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Functional constipation is an umbrella term covering persistent, difficult, infrequent, or seemingly incomplete defecation without a known cause.

Researchers from The Medical University of Warsaw, in Dzialdowska, Poland reviewed the evidence in adults in children. (more…)

Normalizing bowel movements in frail nursing home patients

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Professor Kaisu Pitkala from the Helsinki University Hospital in Finland used fermented oat drinks.

Professor Jeremy Hamilton-Miller of the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London explains why this research is important. (more…)

Cranberry juice to prevent urinary tract infections in children

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

CranberryHoWCranberry juice was compared to Lactobacillus in children with recurrent urinary tract infections by researchers at the Catholic University, in Rome, Italy. (more…)