Vitamin D, of course.
A PubMed search revealed 146 studies in humans during 2008 for a dizzying list of conditions. Continue reading Biggest winner in CAM for 2008
Monthly Archives: December 2008
Biggest loser in CAM for 2008
Airborne.
Unfortunately, the biggest losers are the people who were coned into taking a “health product” with insufficient supporting scientific evidence. Continue reading Biggest loser in CAM for 2008
Acupuncture for exercise-induced muscle soreness
 Patients with exercise-induced delayed-onset muscle soreness felt better after acupuncture, according to researchers at Goethe-University in Frankfurt, Germany. Continue reading Acupuncture for exercise-induced muscle soreness
Acupuncture for opiate-withdrawal symptoms
 Researchers from Peking University in China reviewed the use of acupuncture combined with opioid receptor agonists for treating opiate-withdrawal symptoms. Continue reading Acupuncture for opiate-withdrawal symptoms
Frankincense and myrrh
 Laura Christman and Deb Peterson have written interesting articles on these resins, which became forever famous more than 2 centuries ago.
Highlights follow. Continue reading Frankincense and myrrh
Mistletoe and cancer treatment
Mistletoe preparations are sometimes used as CAM to treat solid cancers such as breast cancer.
Here are statistics on the use of mistletoe to treat cancer, the results of a recently published clinical study in women with breast cancer, and a review of the medical literature.
Mistletoe
Not to be a scrooge, but at this time of the year it’s worthwhile to review the safety of mistletoe. Continue reading Mistletoe
Caution taking fish oil supplements in people with implantable defibrillators
A group of Canadian researchers reviewed the medical literature on this topic.
Not all patents benefit from omega-3 fatty acids. Continue reading Caution taking fish oil supplements in people with implantable defibrillators
Consumer Alert: More tainted weight loss products
 Some of the weight loss products listed below claim to be “natural†or to contain only “herbal†ingredients.
The FDA found they actually contain potentially harmful ingredients not listed on the product labels or in promotional advertisements. Continue reading Consumer Alert: More tainted weight loss products
Update on vitamin D
Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston have published a detailed review.
Their interest relates to the needs of vitamin D in the breastfeeding mother and her infant and child, but they also present a detailed and well-referenced review. Continue reading Update on vitamin D
Creatine supplementation in healthy young adults
 It reportedly improves certain aspects of cognitive (reasoning) and psychomotor function in older individuals and in young people following sleep deprivation, according to researchers at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.
But what about in healthy young people? Continue reading Creatine supplementation in healthy young adults
New recommendations to treat IBS
 The American College of Gastroenterology has published new guidelines for the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Let’s focus on their view of herbals, acupuncture, and diet. Continue reading New recommendations to treat IBS
Prof. Ernst’s negative view of chiropractic
This review by Professor Edzard Ernst from the Universities of Exeter & Plymouth in the UK is an outspoken negative critique. Continue reading Prof. Ernst’s negative view of chiropractic
Glucosamine sulfate on hip osteoarthritis
After 2 years of treatment, glucosamine sulfate had no effect on the symptoms and the progression of hip osteoarthritis, according to researchers from the Netherlands. Continue reading Glucosamine sulfate on hip osteoarthritis
Hip protectors fail to protect the elderly from fracture
That’s the finding from a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Dr. Douglas Kiel of Hebrew SeniorLife and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Continue reading Hip protectors fail to protect the elderly from fracture
Using zinc to treat diarrhea
Giving zinc tablets reduces the duration and severity of diarrhea in children, according to researchers from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Continue reading Using zinc to treat diarrhea
Evaluating the role for omega 3 to treat Crohn’s disease
Here’s what the Cochrane Review reports. Continue reading Evaluating the role for omega 3 to treat Crohn’s disease
Which is more important: fitness or fatness?
 Researchers studied the relationship among fitness, adiposity, and mortality in older adults. Continue reading Which is more important: fitness or fatness?
CAM benefits in cancer patients
Dr. Brent Bauer (photo) who practices in the Division of General Internal Medicine and is Director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic was interviewed as part of their ongoing series of podcasts.
Here are the highpoints. Continue reading CAM benefits in cancer patients
Soy isoflavones in the elderly
 The benefits of isoflavone depend on converting soy foods and supplements to biologically active compounds such as equol, which occurs in the intestines and is altered by age-associated conditions.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin in Madison studied the effects of soy in older nondemented men and women. Continue reading Soy isoflavones in the elderly