The use of marijuana early in life increases the risk of less adequate performance on some developmental tasks that are important to becoming an independent young adult.
More than 1000 African American and Puerto Rican young people completed questionnaires in their classrooms. Five years later they were each interviewed.
Early users of marijuana were more likely to have the following experiences.
Continue reading Negative effects of marijuana on young adulthood
An earlier post summarized the Cochrane Collaboration’s positive assessment of acupuncture to treat chronic neck pain. Now, there’s additional support based on a study of more than 14,000 patients.
Continue reading Acupuncture: Effective and possibly cost effective in treating chronic neck pain
It’s designed to support yogis and yoginis (men and women) from low-income backgrounds to attend the 2007 conferences without financial burden. The conferences are scheduled for San Francisco; Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; and Estes Park, Colorado.
The application form is here. Hurry, the deadline for San Francisco is November 15, 2006.
11/11/06 17:03 JR
Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those who are at high risk of heart disease or already have it. And I suppose when it becomes a prescription drug, it’s no longer complementary but integrated into mainstream medicine.
So, here’s one last (maybe) entry on N-3 PUFA (omega-3) taken from the American Heart Association (AHA).
Continue reading Recommendations for taking omega-3 fatty acids
Spinal manipulation (SM) is a traditional treatment practiced by chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists, and other healthcare providers mostly (but not exclusively) to treat musculoskeletal problems. SM can be described as the use of hands or force applied to the patient to achieve a therapeutic outcome.
The literature supports SM for treating back pain, but not much else.
After eating a meal, blood sugar levels increase and then peak before coming down, as shown on the graph above. This blood sugar “excursion” is exaggerated in people with diabetes compared to those who are not diabetic.
OK, but what’s this got to do with yogurt?
Continue reading Improving diabetes control with soy yogurt and blueberries
Scientists at the University of Utah have invented a chemical-free, hairdryer-like device called the LouseBuster. And they have a study showing that it eradicates head lice infestations on children by exterminating the eggs or “nits” and killing enough lice to prevent them from reproducing.
Here are the details.
Continue reading Treating infestations of head lice with hot air
The available evidence suggests, “Ginger may be an effective treatment for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.”
Researchers from the University of Naples in Italy came to this conclusion based on their review of the medical literature, and the results of 6 well-designed clinical studies of 675 pregnant women.
Continue reading Treating pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting with ginger
Lumbrokinase is an anticoagulant (blood thinner) that can be purchased in North America without a prescription. This enzyme comes from earthworms and has been used extensively in Asia since 1992.
There are published laboratory studies that support its anticoagulant action. So far however, it has been formally studied in just 51 people — 31 patients with stroke and in 7 healthy volunteers (the rest got placebo).
The company that sells lumbrokinase has a product information sheet that lists its “possible benefits.”
Continue reading Lumbrokinase: A blood thinner from earthworms
A new study adds to the mystery of policosanol. Past posts here have summarized the ongoing debate over its effectiveness as a treatment for high cholesterol levels. Studies conducted by the Center of Natural Products at the National Center for Scientific Research in Havana report a dose-dependent reduction in LDL (bad) cholesterol of up to 29%.
Outside of Cuba, the results are inconsistent. One proposed reason is the source of the policosanol.
But wait!
Continue reading McGill researchers report policosanol is ineffective in lowering cholesterol
A recent review of published studies concludes that practicing biofeedback is associated with a reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks. And better results are achieved when biofeedback is combined with home sessions.
OK, but let’s get specific.
Continue reading The status of biofeedback for treating migraine
Historically, a poultice was a soft moist mass of bread, meal, clay, or other adhesive substance. It was usually heated, with the active ingredient spread on cloth, and applied to warm, moisten, or stimulate an aching or inflamed part of the body. The poultice has been used to reduce fever, treat rattlesnake bites, and any condition of the skin that requires direct application of medicine.
Now, the poultice is being used with honey, Medihoney to be precise, in the treatment of wounds.
Largely associated with Buddhism, the practice of mindfulness has been advocated by medical researchers such as Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn who developed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. MBSR is a form of complementary medicine offered in over 200 U.S. hospitals.
In 2003, Dr. Kabat-Zinn and colleagues published the results of a study where an eight-week program of mindfulness meditation produced demonstrable effects on brain and immune function.
Continue reading The effects of mindfulness on brain and immune function
One of the major complications of diabetes mellitus is the change in small blood vessels called microangiopathy. It’s associated with kidney failure and blindness, as well as other conditions such as diabetic ulcers.
Here are the results of a study of pycnogenol in people with diabetic ulcers.
Continue reading Improvement in diabetic ulcers with pycnogenol
Here are the results from two studies that support the role of pycnogenol (pronounced pick-nah-geh-nol) to treat ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder).
Continue reading Positive effects of pycnogenol in children with ADHD
There are few studies of homeopathic treatment for pain in children. Here is the best of the lot, according to two pain specialists from UCLA.
Continue reading Homeopathic treatment of acute otitis media in children
A study of 30 patients found that regular classes of tai chi gave patients with heart failure better movement and significantly reduced BNP levels.
Here’s why lowering BNP is important.
Continue reading Tai chi really does improve congestive heart failure
The objective here is to illustrate how not to conduct a study on the value of homeopathy — or anything else for that matter.
This study does more to hurt the credibility of homeopathy than to support it.
Here’s why.
Continue reading A flawed study of homeopathy to treat anxiety, depression, and IBS
It’s the typical scenario that insults our intelligence but is craved by the popular press. A study in Science reports that “the loss of biodiversity is profoundly reducing the ocean’s ability to produce seafood, resist diseases, filter pollutants, and rebound from stresses such as over fishing and climate change.”
“It looks grim,” reports the news article. “Projections into the future are even grimmer.” “The results reveal global trends.” We must “fundamentally change the way we manage all the oceans.”
Enough already! Let’s get some perspective.
Continue reading ?Mind-boggling stupid? prediction about the future availability of seafood
In a previous