The Calcium Key

The Calcium Key is a weight loss book focusing on calcium via dairy foods that the author says, “increase fat burning and decrease fat making and fat storage by 50% or more than obtaining calcium from non-dietary sources.”

If you are interested, here is a scathing review.

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Measuring the effect of folic acid on homocysteine and the risk of heart disease

High blood levels of the amino acid called homocysteine are thought to increase the risk for heart disease by damaging the lining of blood vessels and increasing blood clotting.

Despite this, the American Heart Association doesn’t recommend widespread use of folic acid to lower homocysteine blood levels.

Does this make sense?

Here’s the latest information.

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Use of soy and herbals to treat menopausal symptoms

“More than half of women who treat their symptoms of menopause take soy supplements or herbal products as part or all of their therapy.” states The New York Times, which reported on a recently published article in the journal Menopause.

However, the women in this online survey generally felt illinformed about proper doses and use of herbal products.

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Acupuncture effective in fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a “chronic pain illness characterized by widespread musculoskeletal aches, pain and stiffness, soft tissue tenderness, general fatigue and sleep disturbances.” Approximately 3% to 6% of the U.S. population have FM, with women at greatest risk.

Successful treatment often requires combined therapies, and the results of this study in the The Mayo Clinic Proceedings support acupuncture in this regard.

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Advertising claims for more dietary supplements “cross the line”

It”s illegal for supplements to be promoted as a “treatment” for a disease. They can “support” health, or “boost” the immune system, or use other vague claims. But before any product can legally state that it can treat a specific disease it must pass US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for drugs.

The dietary supplements listed below have crossed the line by claiming to treat cancer, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and seizures.

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Prevalence of diabetes in the US in 2006

The Centers for Disease Control has just published the latest data on the prevalence of diabetes in the US.

  • 11% of adults aged 40 to 59 years
  • 23% of those 60 and older have diabetes

Is it any wonder that so many CAM therapies are studied in people with diabetes?

A quick listing of CAM entries for diabetes on this blog is provided below. Or, click the button on the right sidebar to see all of the diabetes entries.

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