A surgical procedure called a colonectomy removes part or all of the large intestine. A common side effect of this surgery is known as postoperative ileus (POI) in which bowel movement is impaired following surgery and can take 48 to 72 hours to recover.
Common symptoms experienced by patients with POI include bloating, pain, nausea and vomiting, an inability to pass stools, and an inability to eat solid food. There is also a greater risk for other complications that can prolong the time they must stay in the hospital. This, of course, results in higher health care costs.
A recently published study of 66 patients was designed to determine the usefulness of gum chewing to shortening the time to recovery from POI.
Motion sickness (or seasickness) is a common response to real and perceived movement through the environment.
On a recent cruise with my wife, the ocean got choppy one night, so she walked me to the shipboard sundry shop to buy seasickness medicine that she was convinced we would need. I disagreed, but went anyway to supervise the purchase. The choices were Dramamine (diphenhydramine) to treat existing nausea, vomiting, and dizziness from motion sickness, or ginger to prevent it.
We went with the ginger and voila, I didn’t get sick. Other anecdotal reports support our experience but clinical studies are less definitive.
Now that new UVA blockers are being marketed, it’s not surprising to see more research in this area. The UVA sunscreen issue has been discussed here and here.
An article in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that trancendental meditation (also known as TM) may alter the physiological response to stress and improve risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease. In this randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 16 weeks of TM or active control treatment (health education) resulted in improved blood pressure and insulin resistance (two components of the metabolic syndrome) among patients using TM.
When The Washington Post published an article (discussed here) reporting the negative results from a study of acupuncture and other CAM treatments for hot flashes, it elicited an international response in defense of CAM.
For the first time prebiotics lowered the risk atopic dermatitis in a high-risk population of infants.
More than 200 infants at risk for atopy (an allergy involving an inherited immunoglobulin of the IgE type) took part in the study. Those on bottle-feeding were randomly assigned to a prebiotic formula (a mixture of galacto- and long chain fructo-oligosaccharides) or maltodextrine as placebo.
RA-11 (Artrex, Mendar) is a standardized multiplant Ayurvedic drug that contains Withania somnifera, Boswellia serrata, Zingiber officinale, and Curcuma longa. In a 32-week study of 90 people with osteoarthritis of the knee, it was more effective than placebo for pain relief.
Reported earlier on the site was a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that 36% of Americans use CAM ? 62% if prayer is included.
Now, here is an estimate of the use of CAM in one Central American country.
The good news is that all 36 products tested had the claimed ingredients. But the doses varied from 15 mg to 400 mg!
This isn’t surprising and has been discussed here before. Perspective on the value of CoQ10 to treat high blood pressure, angina, and Alzheimer’s disease is provided in this earlier post.
“Many chiropractors and other manipulative therapists purport to treat autism and related disorders with good improvements,” according to a review in Clinical Chiropractic.
Aside from case reports, support for the role of chiropractic is limited to one study in 26 autistic children who were followed for 9 months.
After a single test showing a raised level of prostate-specific antigen, a 75-year-old man became concerned about prostate cancer. He researched prostate cancer on the Internet and discovered that selenium may have a role in its prevention and treatment. He purchased sodium selenite powder and tablets from two separate pharmacies. Overdosed himself, and died in the hospital intensive care unit about 5 hours later.
Morbidity and Mortality just reported the latest prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This survey of more than 90,000 adults between 2002 and 2005 found the following.
Doctor-diagnosed arthritis: 46.4 million persons
More common in women, and older, overweight, and inactive people
Arthritis-attributable activity limitation among adults: 17.4 million persons
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) lists thunder god vine (Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F; TWHF) first among all the CAM options for RA. The reason for this is unclear unless it’s to warn us about its safety.
A review article published in 2001 identified 8 clinical studies in which St. John’s wort was more effective than placebo in treating mild to moderate depression. “The absolute increased response rate with the use of St. John’s wort ranged from 23% to 55% higher than with placebo, but ranged from 6% to 18% lower compared with tricyclic antidepressants.”
A recent study reported that self-acupuncture was associated with long-term relief of vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes) in patients with breast cancer or prostate cancer who are undergoing anticancer therapy.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to apply to women in perimenopause.
“Behind the funny name of horny goat weed stands a time-tested aphrodisiac that increases libido in men and women, and improves erectile function in men.” so starts a pleasant story by Chris Kilham published on the Discovery Health Channel website.
One million of the 35 million patients hospitalized in the U.S. each year develop an infection that can be traced to the hospital environment. Bacterial infections are also responsible for 30% of all cases of food poisoning each year. So it’s important to find simple yet effective ways to reduce this risk.
Here’s a series of quotes from the October (Volume 12, 2006) editorial in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine that I think contrasts the points of view between alternative and mainstream medicine today. Is the alternative perspective too esoteric to be of practical value? Or is the mainstream approach (for chronic diabetes for example) destined to come up short? Or is the answer somewhere in the middle?
According to Eric Jacobs, a senior epidemiologist and vitamin specialist with the American Cancer Society, “There is no vitamin or mineral supplement proven to reduce the risk of cancer.”
A string of negative results summarized in an Associated Press story are depressing.
A review of observational studies has concluded that higher selenium concentrations in blood are associated with a lower risk of heart disease and vice versa.
But the most important statement in the report is the next one.
A surgical procedure called a colonectomy removes part or all of the large intestine. A common side effect of this surgery is known as postoperative ileus (POI) in which bowel movement is impaired following surgery and can take 48 to 72 hours to recover.
Now that new UVA blockers are being marketed, it’s not surprising to see more research in this area. The UVA sunscreen issue has been discussed 
An 
The literature reviews keep piling up. Here are the take home messages from 4 literature reviews of omega-3 fatty acids this year. One positive, three not positive or too soon to tell.
For the first time prebiotics lowered the risk atopic dermatitis in a high-risk population of infants.
RA-11 (Artrex, Mendar) is a standardized multiplant Ayurvedic drug that contains Withania somnifera, Boswellia serrata, Zingiber officinale, and Curcuma longa. In a 32-week study of 90 people with osteoarthritis of the knee, it was more 
Reported earlier on the site was a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that 36% of Americans use CAM ? 62% if prayer is included.
The good news is that all 36 products 
“Many chiropractors and other manipulative therapists purport to treat autism and related disorders with good improvements,” according to a review in Clinical Chiropractic.
Here’s a disturbing 
A review 
“Behind the funny name of horny goat weed stands a time-tested aphrodisiac that increases libido in men and women, and improves erectile function in men.” so starts a pleasant 
One million of the 35 million patients hospitalized in the U.S. each year develop an infection that can be traced to the hospital environment. Bacterial infections are also responsible for 30% of all cases of food poisoning each year. So it’s important to find simple yet effective ways to reduce this risk.
A