This study aimed to determine the effect of a green tea supplement on anthropometric (measurement of the size and proportions) and inflammatory factors in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Here’s what they did.

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CAM is frequently used by children with pain in the USA and many parents report benefits for their child’s symptoms.

What we know

Chronic pain is reported by 15-25% of children. The objective of this study was to provide estimates of CAM use by children with pain in the United States.

The study revealed

CAM use among children with pain was associated with female sex, higher income, and presence of 4+ comorbidities.

The 2 most commonly used CAM were biologically-based therapies (47.3%) (e.g., special diets and herbal supplements) and manipulative or body-based therapies (46.3%) (e.g., chiropractic and massage).

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, determined the effect of oral zinc supplementation on the efficacy and duration of botulinum toxin treatments. (more…)

The diet-acne relationship is considered important in traditional Chinese medicine.

Researchers from The Chinese University of Hong Kong identified several associations. (more…)

Drs. Jonette Keri and Rajiv Nijhawan from the University of Miami in Florida have reviewed the evidence.

Here are the highlights. (more…)

Herbalists recommend more than a dozen herbal remedies for acne and scarring, according to a recent article.

Unfortunately, only 1 of these herbals is supported by the results of a study in patients. (more…)

Acne vulgaris has anecdotally been attributed to diet.

This review by researchers at The George Washington University Medical Center, in Washington, DC, found convincing data supporting the role of dairy products and high-glycemic-index foods. (more…)

I recently came across a website advocating herbals to treat or prevent acne.

The website isn’t important, but the results of my PubMed searches might be useful. (more…)

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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Following a gluten-free diet is the key to treating celiac disease (sprue) — an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people.

One might think that “gluten free” means no gluten, but that’s not correct, according to the FDA.

Here’s what we now know. (more…)

Drs. Andrew Mendelsohn and James Larrick at the Panorama Research Institute and Regenerative Sciences Institute, in Sunnyvale, California, have complied an impressive list of reviews on the effects of exercise. Here’s the first in a series of summaries of their recent publications.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils — the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods — are not “generally recognized as safe” for use in food.

It wasn’t always so.

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Almost half of older adults take vitamin D with or without calcium.

Researchers at the University of Tasmania, Hobart, in Australia, reviewed the evidence. (more…)

NCB-02 is a standardized curcumin (a chemical in turmeric) preparation that has been used with positive results in an animal model of ulcerative colitis.

Now, researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, in New Delhi, tested it in people. (more…)

First lady, Michelle Obama tells us that drinking more water will improve the health of kids and all Americans.

Really? Here’s what we know. (more…)

A researcher from Bangalore, India, reviewed the evidence and sees a difference between what’s seen in the lab and what’s reported in practice.

Here’s what we know. (more…)

Researchers in Chongqing, People’s Republic of China, evaluated the effect of green tea on glucose control and insulin sensitivity. (more…)

Iron deficiency is the most widespread nutritional deficiency in the world.

Researchers form Boston and London reviewed the evidence. (more…)

An expert committee of the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) with a multi-specialty council of medical experts in the field of bone health have updated recommendations.

Let’s focus on prevention, which emphasizes many of the CAM topics that dominate this website.

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“Long John Silver’s Big Catch meal deserves to be buried 20,000 leagues under the sea,” said Michael F. Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). (more…)