Volunteers in a study reported on Medscape were told not to do things known to slow the clotting of blood by inhibiting platelet function.
But some just couldn’t stop eating chocolate. Continue reading Chocolate slows your ability to clot blood, a little
According to researchers from Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, the children had “excellent asthma treatment and disease control.”
Here are the details.
Continue reading Internet monitoring and education in asthmatic children
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. Continue reading The value of physiotherapy following stroke
Panda Bear is a blog maintained by an emergency department resident physician. His views on CAM make Dr. Wallace Sampson seem like a believer.
Caution: You are about to enter a stomach-wrenching zone. Continue reading Rantings from a burned out resident
Stress is one of the most commonly reported risk factors for cardiovascular disease among the general public and among patients who have had a heart attack.
Now, a study of 33 adults concludes that 1.5 hours of yoga and meditation three times weekly for 6 weeks, with additional sessions at home, has benefits for people with heart disease.
Continue reading Benefits of yoga in patients with heart disease
The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) is designed to investigate the relationship between diet and cancer. It’s a multicenter study of more than 500,000 adults in 23 centers from 10 European countries.
Here’s what we now know. Continue reading Diet and cancer prevention: What we know
Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus), or monk’s pepper is an herbal medicine that may be effective in treatment of cyclical breast discomfort and premenstrual syndrome. This is the conclusion reached in a review published in American Family Physician.
On the other hand?
Continue reading Chasteberry to treat breast discomfort and premenstrual syndrome
ttmed reports on the 2nd International Conference on Hypertension, Lipids, Diabetes and Stroke Prevention in Prague.
Here are the CAM highlights. Continue reading Meeting highlights
“The wolfsbane I should dread;
Nor will I dreary rosemarye,
That always mourns the dead;
But I will woo the dainty rose,
With her cheeks of tender red.” …Thomas Hood
Wolfsbane (Aconitum napellus, aconite, monkshood) is sometimes included in herbal remedies to treat inflammation, pain, musculoskeletal problems (eg arthritis), and heart problems. Continue reading Wolfsbane: Uses, risks, and admonitions
GW Pharmaceuticals has announced that its major study of Sativex in 339 patients with central neuropathic pain due to multiple sclerosis (MS) failed to provide adequate pain relieve in patients who had failed conventional therapy previously. Continue reading Cannabis drug fails in neuropathic pain due to MS
Two reports from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany support the role of leeches (Hirudo medicinalis) to treat osteoarthritis of the knee. The first included 16 patients who, in addition to other treatments, received four medicinal leeches on the inflamed knee for 80 minutes. The response was compared to 6 patients given conventional pain treatment. The second study was of similar design in 51 patients.
A few years ago I reviewed the safety of acupuncture and concluded that side effects due to acupuncture are uncommon events. This is still the general consensus. However, poor technique and negligence can place patients at risk of side effects that they had not counted on. Continue reading The risk of infection following acupuncture
There’s some evidence that cranberry juice may decrease the number of symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs), particularly in women with recurrent UTIs, according to this Cochrane review.
But what about other groups? Continue reading Cranberries to prevent urinary tract infections
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. Continue reading Getting “enough” exercise
According to this study, you can if they’re n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) enriched eggs. Continue reading Eat eggs and lower your triglyceride levels?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises not to purchase or consume Total Body Formula in the flavors of Tropical Orange and Peach Nectar, or Total Body Mega Formula in the Orange/Tangerine flavor.
There are 43 reports of people in 9 states who experienced serious adverse reactions. Continue reading Consumer alert: “Total Body Formula” and “Mega Formula”
Probiotics are increasingly being used for their health benefits and are advocated by many healthcare professionals.
So, what’s the problem? Continue reading Safety of probiotics and the translocation issue
Dr. Ethan Russo (no relation) is a consultant for GW Pharmaceuticals and a proponent of medical marijuana.
This article is the latest justification that “migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and related conditions display common clinical, biochemical and pathophysiological patterns that suggest an underlying clinical endocannabinoid deficiency that may be suitably treated with cannabinoid medicines.†Continue reading Making a case for an endocannabinoid deficiency
Researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey report that vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) might protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Continue reading Vitamin D and age-related macular degeneration
An enzyme called nattokinase can be extracted from natto, a vegetable cheese-like food that is popular in Japan.
Research in the lab confirms that nattokinase has an anticoagulant effect.
But…
Continue reading Is nattokinase a safe alternative to warfarin?