The surest way to know that there is no truly effective treatment for a condition is to count the number of treatment recommendations. The more recommendations, the less likely it is that any of them have a significant effect. I’m not sure if there is a tipping point. Whether 6 or 12 or 20 recommended treatments guarantee that you will have less than complete cure.

Here are some of the recommendations from just one article.

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Researchers in South Carolina conducted this review. (more…)

Really? (more…)

Researchers at Catholic University of Daegu, in Gyeongbuk, South Korea, examined how pressing flowers, planting, and making topiaries affected stress. (more…)

Dr. Timothy McCall, writing at YogaJournal.com, makes the case for yoga.

Here’s what we know. (more…)

Researchers at National Taiwan University, in Taipei, conducted a meta-analysis on the effects of yoga in patients with cancer. (more…)

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

Studies commonly report less stress among people who practice yoga. Examples are here in pregnancy, here among musicians, and here in healthy women and cancer survivors.

This study, by Ohio State University researchers searched for the mechanism underlying the benefit. (more…)

Researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, DC, investigated its potential value in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (more…)

Researchers at Orebro University Hospital, in Sweden, evaluated the effect of bed rest + music on the first day after surgery in order to decrease stress. (more…)

Researchers at Deakin University, in Australia reviewed the evidence. (more…)

Physical activity and exercise appear to improve psychological health.

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine, in Boston review the evidence for tai chi. (more…)

In this study, researchers at the University of Montreal, in Quebec, evaluated the response to alternative sources of omega-3 fatty acids (krill vs fish) in women with premenstrual syndrome.

A reader comments, and I reply. So, it’s back to the top of the queue for this post. (more…)

Prolonged physical exertion and environmental stress may depress immune cell function and increase the risk of an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).

Researchers from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia studied the response to vitamin C under these conditions. (more…)

National Pet Week is May 2-8.

Nurse Janet Eggiman reports a 10-year-old girl with post-traumatic stress disorder and a history of physical and sexual abuse. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) was used as part of a broader cognitive behavioral therapy, with a dramatic change in behavior.

Interesting, but of greater interest is the literature review of the history of AAT presented by Ms. Eggiman.

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Millions of postmenopausal women use multivitamins.

Does it matter? (more…)

The effects of music therapy on stress, anxiety, and depression in pregnant women were studied by researchers at the National Tainan Institute of Nursing in Taiwan. (more…)

Dr. Darrell Hulisz from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio has written a continuing education article on herbals.

Here are the author’s take-away points, with additional references added. (more…)

In college students, meditation-based stress-management practices reduce stress and enhance forgiveness, according to this study by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley. (more…)

Here’s a follow-up to earlier posts here and here on the use of CAM in the US.

The findings come from a survey by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (more…)