There have been lots of posts here on probiotics and their effects in a wide range of infections of the GI tract. Probiotics are an appealing concept given their favorable safety profiles.
Now, a summary of clinical trials has been published.
Here are the findings.
Continue reading Current status of probiotics to treat gastrointestinal infections
Any time there is a change in the availability of a statin drug to treat high lipid blood levels, discussions of potential options to these prescription drugs abound.
As Zocor (simvastatin) goes off patent, here is my contribution to the discussion: red yeast rice.
Continue reading Taking red yeast rice to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
I love the studies on repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). It’s magnet therapy for the 21st century — sort of.
Here’s why the results of this latest study are important.
Continue reading Magnetic stimulation lowers use of pain meds following gastric bypass surgery
 People with HIV/AIDS commonly take herbals and vitamins, often without the knowledge of their doctor.
Here are examples of interactions with antiretroviral drugs that might be harmful. Continue reading Risk of herbals and vitamins in HIV/AIDS
Here in Orange County New York with its “black earth’ and proud agricultural heritage there are festivals this time of year honoring just about every food you grow in the ground or herd on the range.
My town, Monroe, has its cheese festival (although no one actually sells cheese). And the local newspaper lists many more, with the notable exception of beets. This is especially strange considering how close we are to the Borscht Belt.
Well, here is my ode to the lowly beet from NutritionData.com and whFoods.com.
It’s not merely a matter of “the more the merrier” for therapeutic probiotic bacteria.
Preliminary evidence reported here and here supports the value of the probiotics Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Now, a study in more than 350 women with IBS reports that the dose of B infantis 35624 has an effect on the ability to improve symptoms.
Continue reading The importance of proper dosing of probiotics
This blog has chronicled the lipid-lowering effects of policosanol, which lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by 20% to 30%. Its mechanism of action differs from statins. However, it’s close enough that for safety, I would be cautious taking policosanol and a statin at the same time. One-A-Day Cholesterol Plus contains policosanol.
Now, a new study reports that policosanol has a positive effect on recovery in patients with ischemic stroke. This might be an overstatement, but let’s take a closer look.
Continue reading Effects of policosanol in patients with ischemic stroke
In 2002, the FDA advised consumers of the potential risk of severe liver injury associated with the use of kava-containing (Piper methysticum) dietary supplements.
In 2003, the U.K.’s medicines regulatory body banned kava when it was linked to a number of deaths and liver damage around the world.
So, where are we today?
Every time I turn around, another agency is warning its constituents to beware of black cohosh.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has now issued a warning to Japanese users of black cohosh. While there are no actual examples of the herb causing health problems in Japan, care should be exercised regarding its intake.
The risk of liver toxicity with black cohosh was reviewed here in an earlier post.
9/26/06 21:08 JR
Medscape just published an article on the benefits of lowering triglycerides, and the use of omega-3 fatty acids. Read it if you’re so inclined, or if you’re an MD and need the continuing education credits. If not, here’s the take-home info.
Continue reading Issues in lowering triglycerides with omega-3 fatty acids
When your leg veins can’t pump enough blood back to your heart, you have chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Today, standardized horse chestnut seed extract (HCSE) is a well-established treatment for CVI and edema. It’s a common ingredient in lotions, creams, massage oils, and other skin care products, often in combination with other herbal ingredients.
How does it work?
Continue reading Horse chestnuts to treat chronic venous insufficiency
Rat research on fucoxanthin presented during the 2006 American Chemical Society meeting in San Francisco is starting to make the rounds in the media.
Don’t hold your breath, fucoxanthin is years from being sold at GNC — if it ever gets that far.
Here’s what we know about fucoxanthin.
Continue reading Fucoxanthin as a potential anti-obesity agent?
Feeling tired, overwhelmed, stress out? Maybe more physical contact with the baby is the answer.
A study of the effects of baby massage on mothers? mood status concluded ?- as we would have guessed — baby massage has a positive effect on the mood status of the mothers.
Yoga practice is associated with positive effects on cholesterol levels in the blood.
For example,
But how does this compare to the LDL cholesterol lowering effects of statins, the most widely used drugs to treat hypercholesterolemia?
Continue reading Comparing yoga to statins for cholesterol lowering
A single session of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the unaffected part of the brain can improve motor function in stroke patients.
Here are the details of the study.
Continue reading Benefits of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in stroke patients
Dr. James Beaulieu, a clinical pharmacist specialist at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, has published an excellent review of this topic.
If you are receiving immunosuppressive treatments and taking or considering taking any herbal medicine, consult this article first.
Immunosuppressive therapy is used for the following reasons.
A list and overview of immunosuppressive drugs are available here.
9/24/06 11:18 JR
Vasomotor symptoms can be extreme in patients with breast cancer or prostate cancer who are undergoing anticancer therapy. At the Royal Marsden Hospital in the U.K., an audit of 159 patients experiencing an average of 16 flushes per day revealed that self-acupuncture is associated with long-term relief of vasomotor symptoms in cancer patients.
Here’s a summary of the results
Continue reading Self-acupuncture to control hot flushes in patients with breast and prostate cancer
Acupuncture is expensive, but self-acupuncture might offer an effective treatment alternative. A retrospective audit of patients in the U.K. with chronic pain who were taught self-acupuncture as a home pain management strategy has been published. Each patient had responded to acupuncture previously and been taught self-acupuncture successfully using three acupuncture points (LI4, ST44, LR3).
Here’s a summary or the results.
Continue reading The long-term value of self-acupuncture for chronic musculoskeletal pain
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston forbids pet visits, because of their concern about infection and allergic reactions. I’s a reasonable position. However, I am unable to find any reports where infections increased in hospitals when animal-assisted activity (AAA) or animal-assisted therapy (AAT) was used.
That’s not to say they don’t carry bacteria.
In an earlier post it was concluded that lavender oil treatments might be helpful for treating insomnia in adults. Children with autism often have sleep difficulties. But this latest study suggests it does not appear that their sleep patterns are altered by this treatment.
Here are the details of the study. Do you agree with the conclusions?
Continue reading Might aromatherapy massage improve sleep in children with autism?