 For many patients, navigating the US healthcare system is daunting.
Continuity of care with a familiar healthcare provider helps patients get the most out of the system, according to researchers from several US schools of medicine. Continue reading The importance of knowing your healthcare provider
Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar is the former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research in India.
During the Second World Ayurveda Congress he shared his thoughts about bhasmas — the Ayurvedic “supplements” with the highest reported heavy metal (lead, tin, iron, arsenic) content. Continue reading Making ayurveda an international medical system
It’s recognized that doctors’ relationships with their patients can have healing effects, but the skills in this area of medical practice are understudied.
How does one recognize a “healer?” Continue reading Skills of the healers
Have them take a class, of course.
Here’s a report card from 5 colleges of pharmacy in Canada. Continue reading How can we improve students’ knowledge of herbals?
 Why have chiropractors been unable to establish themselves as a well-respected, highly used group of professionals who are recognized by the public as offering essential services to society?
Chiropractic practitioners from around the country weigh in.
Continue reading Making chiropractic mainstream
Considering how often I quote his research and writings, it’s appropriate to present background on this researcher, author, and critic of CAM.
A reader has a different view, and comments accordingly.
Continue reading Just who is Edzard Ernst?
 Here are some CAM highlights for migraine and fibromyalgia from the American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM) 19th Annual Clinical Meeting. Continue reading Recommended CAM for chronic pain
A series of focus group discussions across Canada help define today’s consumers of herbals, vitamins, and homeopathic medicines.
Here’s a summary of consumer views of natural health products (NHP) and the role of the pharmacist. I think there are insights for other healthcare professionals too. Continue reading Profiling consumers of natural health products
Teaching children to recognize stroke. Continue reading “Hip-Hop” Stroke
In 2000, Dr. Stephen Kaye from the University of California in San Francisco reported on Computer and Internet Use Among People With Disabilities. The survey included about 50,000 people nationwide.
Now, the Pew Internet & American Life Project has released a report titled E-patients with a Disability or Chronic Disease. The results come from 268 surveys of users of the Internet with chronic conditions were compared to 1711 healthy people.
Let’s see how far we’ve come. Continue reading Changing role of the Internet among people with chronic diseases and disabilities
Dr. Janine Blackman is a family physician and co-founder of The Gilbert Clinic, a private integrative health care practice in the Washington, DC area.
In a Medscape article she writes, “For experienced family physicians who are not able to commit the time to an academic program, learning about CAM can be challenging.”
Here’s what she suggests. Continue reading How to learn from CAM practitioners
Few treatments for back pain are supported by strong scientific evidence. Conventional treatments have limited success and often result in dissatisfied patients who turn to CAM.
A review from the Cochrane Collaboration concluded, “massage might be beneficial for patients with subacute and chronic non-specific low-back pain, especially when combined with exercises and education.”
Continue reading Evidence for massage to treat low-back pain
Several years ago I was asked to lecture on evaluating the reliability and usefulness of medical information on the Web. During this meeting of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in New York City, I listed three guidelines plus an additional one for CAM.
The article based on this lecture is listed here.
7/23/96 11:03 JR
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. Continue reading How to encourage people to walk more
I try to avoid jargon when blogging, but sometimes it’s necessary in order to present the results of clinical trials and their implications clearly.
Continue reading Understanding the jargon of medical research
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has launched an educational campaign to encourage the discussion of CAM use.
The program is aimed at patients, healthcare professionals, and professional and community organizations. Continue reading Time to Talk
In addition to cutting hair, barbers once performed surgery (blood letting) and dentistry. Today, they’re making a comeback as lay prostate educators.
Medscape reports on an abstract presented by researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida during the Cancer, Culture & Literacy Conference. Continue reading Barbers Against Prostate Cancer
Pharmacy students at Charles University in Prague, The Czech Republic were surveyed for their views of CAM. Continue reading Thoughts on CAM from Czech pharmacy students
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
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