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Yoga as therapy in neuropsychiatric disorders

Yoga is commonly seen as a practice beneficial to body and mind. Increasingly, yoga is being taken a step further and applied as a form of complementary and alternative medicine in treating psychiatric disorders.

31 Aug 2011

Study: U.S. health care workers often use complementary and alternative medicine

U.S. health care workers, especially doctors and nurses, use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) far more than do workers in other fields, according to a new study. CAM includes diverse therapies outside the realm of conventional medicine.

19 Aug 2011

Scientists demonstrate how Modified Citrus Pectin enhances immune function

Groundbreaking research demonstrates the ability of a specific form of Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) to greatly enhance immune function.

16 Aug 2011

Herbal remedies fail to provide safety information on labels

According to a new study many herbal remedies are not free from side effects as commonly believed. Herbal medicines may not contain all the information that consumers need to use them safely said the study.

11 Aug 2011

Dangers of colon cleansing: More harm than good

According to a new study released today in the Journal of Family Practice colon cleaning may be harmful. Researchers from Georgetown University Medical School looked at 20 studies published in the last decade and found little evidence of benefit to colon cleansing. But they did find dozens of cases of problems: cramping, bloating, vomiting, electrolyte imbalance, renal failure, and even death.

1 Aug 2011

Fish oil consumption helps reduce inflammation, anxiety in healthy young people

A new study gauging the impact of consuming more fish oil showed a marked reduction both in inflammation and, surprisingly, in anxiety among a cohort of healthy young people.

14 Jul 2011

Dummy inhalers trick asthma patients to breathe easier: Study

A new study shows that dummy pills or placebo can act in asthma patients effectively making them think that real and fake drugs were doing the same level of good, even though the real medication actually had a much greater physical effect on their lungs. The effect was so strong that it convinced patients they were breathing much better even if they hadn't taken a real drug and hadn't actually improved much, as measured by a breathing test.

13 Jul 2011

Massage therapy more effective for patients with chronic low back pain

Massage therapy helps ease chronic low back pain and improve function, according to a randomized controlled trial that the Annals of Internal Medicine will publish in its July 5 issue.

5 Jul 2011

Longer looks: Turning doctors' views of alternative therapies; a male birth control pill; teenagers and tanning beds

Medicine has long decried acupuncture, homeopathy, and the like as dangerous nonsense that preys on the gullible. Again and again, carefully controlled studies have shown alternative medicine to work no better than a placebo. But now many doctors admit that alternative medicine often seems to do a better job of making patients well, and at a much lower cost, than mainstream care — and they're trying to learn from it.

18 Jun 2011

Fluorinated glucosamine blocks synthesis of key sugar linked to skin inflammation, cancer progression

Charles J. Dimitroff, MS, PhD and colleagues in the Dimitroff Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital, have developed a fluorinated analog of glucosamine, which, in a recent study, has been shown to block the synthesis of key carbohydrate structures linked to skin inflammation and cancer progression. These findings appear in the April 14, 2011, issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

24 May 2011

Probiotic bacterial protein could offer new oral therapeutic option for inflammatory bowel disorders

A protein isolated from beneficial bacteria found in yogurt and dairy products could offer a new, oral therapeutic option for inflammatory bowel disorders, suggests a study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researcher Fang Yan, M.D., Ph.D.

24 May 2011

Medicine, osteopathy, physical therapy and chiropractic colleges collaborate to study safety in spinal manipulation

A recent team grant by the Canadian Institute for Health Research is providing an innovative approach to researching patient safety for those who provide and receive spinal-manipulative therapy. The $2-million grant over five years brings together health researchers from across Canada and will involve input from four regulatory colleges in Alberta.

21 May 2011

Bitter cumin contains high levels of antioxidants and protects against DNA damage

Bitter cumin is used extensively in traditional medicine to treat a range of diseases from vitiligo to hyperglycemia. It is considered to be antiparasitic and antimicrobial and science has backed up claims of its use to reduce fever or as a painkiller. New research published in BioMedCentral's open access journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows that this humble spice also contains high levels of antioxidants.

20 May 2011

Complementary and alternative health practices show promise for management of pain

A variety of complementary and alternative health practices —including meditation and relaxation techniques, manual therapies such as massage and spinal manipulation, meditative exercise forms such as yoga, Tai Chi, and ancient health practices such as acupuncture—show promise for contributing to the management of pain according to research presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, www.ampainsoc.org.

20 May 2011

New autism research findings presented at 10th annual IMFAR

Much about autism is unknown, but researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) are working to learn more about the neurodevelopmental disorder and its most effective treatments. A team of researchers from URMC joins researchers from across the world in San Diego this week for the 10th annual International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR).

16 May 2011

One in 30 Americans use mind-body therapies due to provider referral

More than a third of Americans use some form of complementary and alternative medicine and that number continues to rise attributed mostly to increases in the use of mind-body therapies like yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises.

10 May 2011

Herbal remedies commonly used in infants without efficacy & safety guarantees: Study

According to a new U.S. government study parents commonly give infants teas or herbal supplements said to soothe “fussiness” even though there's no good evidence that the products work. The market is flooded with these teas and botanical products with ingredients like chamomile, ginger and fennel that are marketed for easing infants' tummy troubles, fussiness and sleep problems. However there is no evidence that these are effective and safe.

4 May 2011

Many herbal medicines banned under EU directives

According to the new EU rules that came into force over the weekend, hundreds of herbal remedies are now banned. The laws are aimed at protecting consumers from potentially damaging “traditional” medicines.

1 May 2011

Tai chi exercise linked to improved quality of life in CHF patients

Tai chi exercise appears to be associated with improved quality of life, mood and exercise self-efficacy in patients with chronic heart failure, according to a report in the April 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

26 Apr 2011

Complementary alternative medicine may improve quality of life in urban adolescents with asthma

A new study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati shows that urban adolescents with asthma may experience worse outcomes when not using spiritual coping and often use complementary and alternative medicine, or integrative medicine, like prayer or relaxation, to manage symptoms.

16 Apr 2011