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New Deloitte report: Consumers spend $363 billion on health care

As health care reform marks its one-year anniversary, a new Deloitte report reveals that consumers are spending $363 billion, or 14.7 percent more, on health care than traditionally reported in official government accounts.

23 Mar 2011

Rubini black elderberry extract can inhibit flu and respiratory tract infections

Historically, black elderberries were among the most regarded folk remedies for coughs, colds, and flu. Now modern science has authenticated these therapeutic properties. In February 2011, researchers at Justus-Liebig University in Geissen, Germany reported that a concentrated liquid extract of black elderberries, commercially available as Rubini - Elderberry Extract 3.2%, inhibited the growth of influenza A and B viruses and bacteria associated with upper respiratory tract infections.

18 Mar 2011

Healthcare professionals need evidence-based education, guidance about CAM use in maternity care

Complementary and alternative medicine is increasingly popular in maternity care, but healthcare professionals need formal evidence-based education and guidance about its use, according to a review in the March issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

23 Feb 2011

Old folk remedy revived: How Tansy may be a treatment for herpes

For centuries tansy has been used as a folk remedy, but now scientists from Britain and Spain believe the plant may have medical benefits after all, as a treatment for herpes. The team’s findings, published in Phytotherapy Research, are the result of joint work between two teams to established scientific evidence for traditional medicines.

22 Feb 2011

CAM therapies are more pronounced among whites than racial and ethnic minorities

The use of complementary and alternative medicine therapies experienced a significant growth in the United States in the last decade, and a new analysis finds that CAM use becomes more likely when access to conventional care has been restricted.

1 Feb 2011

Placebos work

According to a new study people who knowingly take a dummy pill or placebo may benefit from it. These pills are usually made from sugar or other inert non-harmful materials. Usually when used in clinical trials patients are unaware whether they are taking the tested drug or a placebo to ensure the medical benefits of a potential new drug are assessed rigorously. However this new study published in the science journal PLoS ONE, found placebos may work even when patients are aware that they are taking them.

27 Dec 2010

Echinacea only offers modest benefit in common cold: study

In a large clinical trial involving more than 700 adults and children researchers showed that the popular herbal remedy Echinacea can cut only half a day from a week long common cold. Echinacea has been marketed for a long time for the common cold. Echinacea, also known as purple coneflower has been shown to have benefits in some earlier studies while some show no benefits.

21 Dec 2010

Scientists discover key molecular events in immune system that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease

Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered some of the key molecular events in the immune system that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease.

13 Dec 2010

Some key molecular events in immune system contribute to inflammatory bowel disease: Scientists

Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered some of the key molecular events in the immune system that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease. The results, which help researchers move one step further in their efforts to develop new drugs to treat inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases, are reported in the November 2010 edition of the journal Mucosal Immunology from the Nature Publishing Group.

10 Dec 2010

New study evaluates use and safety of complementary medicine for children's asthma

Approximately 13 percent of parents turn to alternative therapies to treat their children's asthma, according to a new study from the Universit- de Montr-al. The findings, published recently in the Canadian Respiratory Journal, suggest that this trend is associated with a two-fold higher rate of poor asthma control in children.

1 Dec 2010

Group drumming can improve social, emotional behavior in low-income children: NAMM Foundation

The NAMM Foundation today announced the findings of a recent study that shows how group drumming can improve social and emotional behavior in low-income children.

30 Nov 2010

Scientologists target Aborigines with “drug bombs”

The Northern Territory (NT) Health Department of Australia last Saturday warned the Church of Scientology that its drug detoxification therapy, being promoted to Aborigines in Australia by the church was dangerous for people with kidney problems.

21 Nov 2010

Combination of Chinese herbal formula and conventional treatments may help treat food allergies

Complementary and alternative medicine may give allergy and asthma sufferers new options for treating symptoms, according to allergists at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Phoenix, Nov. 11-16. Allergists discussed how herbal treatments may be integrated into conventional allergy treatments, including a novel Chinese herbal formula for treating all types of food allergies.

15 Nov 2010

Think treatments for cancer, diabetes don't grow on trees? Think again

Supported by thousands of years of use, a new wave of polymolecular botanical drugs (PBDs), backed by strong biomedical research and clinical trials, are growing in acceptance as a viable new drug category for the treatment and prevention of a wide spectrum of diseases from cancer to obesity.

11 Nov 2010

MSU awarded $4.2M to develop clinical research tools for osteopathic manipulative medicine study

A multidisciplinary team of Michigan State University researchers has been awarded $4.2 million to develop accurate clinical research tools for studying osteopathic manipulative medicine, a hands-on approach to the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders.

3 Nov 2010

AAAOM, NCCAOM respond to report on cause of deaths due to improper acupuncture treatments

The American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) and the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) are collaborating to respond to a recent report by British professor Edzard Ernst, published in The Guardian, claiming improperly trained acupuncture treatments have been the cause of deaths over the past 45 years.

2 Nov 2010

Dr Sartori’s contentious alternative therapy: inquest date set

The Medical Practitioner's Board of Western Australia is looking into the case of a doctor and her role in an alternative cancer therapy program. Five cancer patients have died after apparently being given industrial solvents and dangerous minerals as a part of an alternative therapy program by Alexandra Boyd, a well-known Mosman Park breast cancer specialist. She along with two registered nurses administered the concoctions to the people in question.

1 Nov 2010

Some herbal remedies for anxiety disorders effective

Two herbal remedies from passion flower extract and kava have shown to be effective in alleviating anxiety say scientists. The results came from an analysis of 24 studies involving more than 2,000 participants which also showed that combinations of the amino acids L-lysine and L-arginine may be useful anxiety remedies.

10 Oct 2010

BMC researchers receive grants to study effectiveness of integrative medicine in underserved patients

Two Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers have each been awarded grants from the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) to study the effectiveness of integrative medicine in underserved patients.

4 Oct 2010

Many health plans offer only limited coverage - if at all - for alternative therapies

"Most individuals with private insurance have little, if any, coverage for alternative medicine." People with "employer-based insurance often have some coverage," but it is typically limited to only certain treatments "and comes with more stipulations — like higher deductibles and preauthorization — than traditional care.

28 Sep 2010