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

Archive for the 'Walking' Category

Hospitalization rate based on changes in physical activity in people with COPD

Wednesday, March 12th, 2014

asthma-150x150Emphasis in this study by researchers in Spain was on walking, the most common form of physical activity. (more…)

Walking vs weights for the metabolic syndrome

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

During the Endocrine Society meeting, researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City presented the results of a comparison of aerobic training (eg, walking) vs resistance training (eg, weights). (more…)

Watch your “step count”

Saturday, January 15th, 2011

Researchers in Australia and the US investigated the association between the change in daily step count and adiposity and insulin sensitivity. (more…)

Any benefits of strength training in cerebral palsy?

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Not in children and adolescents according to this review by researchers at The University of Sydney, in Australia. (more…)

Pedometers help improve glucose intolerance

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

WalkingResearchers from the University of Leicester, in the UK put the pedometer through its paces.

(more…)

Health behaviors can affect your longevity

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK looked at the potential combined impact of 4 health behaviors. (more…)

Let’s chronicle the health benefits of walking

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Dr. James Levine from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota has reviewed the evidence. Here are the benefits. (more…)

Non-pharmacological treatments for breathlessness

Monday, March 16th, 2009

 Here are the results of a Cochrane review of non-drug options in advanced stages of malignant and non-malignant diseases. (more…)

OARSI recommendations for treating osteoarthritis

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

The OsteoArthritis Research Society International (OARSI) is a nonprofit scientific professional organization that promotes research in osteoarthritis. (more…)

Music helps breathing in people with COPD

Saturday, November 15th, 2008

Get out your MP3 player if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

As the researchers from the University of Hamburg state in their ivory tower way, “Auditory distraction might… serve as an intervention for the reduction of dyspnea [difficulty breathing] during exercise in this patient group.” (more…)

Recommendations from Harvard for bone health

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch has published recommendations to lower the risk of fractures due to osteoporosis.

I supplemented their recommendations with references. (more…)

More positive news about pedometers and weight loss

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

Pedometer-based walking programs — even without going on a diet — result in modest weight loss. (more…)

A stepwise approach to fibromyalgia therapy

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

Dr. Don Goldenberg from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts has a video and print slide program on Medscape that reviews evidence-based treatments for fibromyalgia.

The emphasis is on drugs, but more interesting is his support for a combined drug/CAM approach to treatment. (more…)

Status of CAM to treat the frailty syndrome

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

There’s a need, but no well-documented evidence.

Researchers from the Miami VA Medical Center in Florida have complied a detailed review. (more…)

Are walking and yoga beneficial during menopause?

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

It’s controversial, but Dr. Steriani Elavsky, assistant professor of kinesiology at Penn State University, claims that a walking or yoga program can have a positive effect — including fewer hot flashes — in women in menopause.

Here is an article about the study and here is the abstract.
(more…)

Pram walking to treat postpartum depression

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

A pram is a baby carriage and an abbreviation of “perambulator” — a person who tours on foot.

Anyway, pram walking is popular in Australia as a way for groups of women with postpartum depression to go out with their babies, get some exercise, talk, and hopefully make progress to resolve their depression. (more…)

How to encourage people to walk more

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

Although walking has health benefits, 80% of American adults report walking only 10 minutes at a time at least 1 day per week.

From Medscape, here’s what works to get them moving. (more…)

CAM preferences among children with chronic pain

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

You won’t be surprised to learn that pain of longer duration and greater impairment make children more willing to use CAM.

But which CAM options do they choose? (more…)

The value of physiotherapy following stroke

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Physiotherapy (or physical therapy) is defined as the treatment of disease by physical exercise, massage, or other manipulative body-based methods — not drugs. Wikipedia has a good overview.

Cochrane has judged the evidence. (more…)

Getting “enough” exercise

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

It’s the eternal argument: How do we get the benefits while minimizing the risks?

For those of us in middle age, I think this article at USNews.com by Helen Hobson brings reason to the debate. (more…)