Alternative Medicine News and Research

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Physical therapy best for musculoskeletal pain relief

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging patients with musculoskeletal pain to consider treatment by a physical therapist, in light of a new federal survey showing that more than one-third of American adults and nearly 12 percent of children use alternative medicine - with back and neck pain being the top reasons for treatment.

15 Dec 2008

12 percent of U.S. children use alternative medicine

Approximately 38 percent of adults in the United States aged 18 years and over and nearly 12 percent of U.S. children aged 17 years and under use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to a new nationwide government survey.

10 Dec 2008

New biosensor could help the search for new drugs

Chalmers researcher Andreas Dahlin has developed a biosensor with an artificial membrane, which means that membrane-bound proteins can retain their natural structure and function.

10 Dec 2008

Misleading media coverage of clinical trials

Media coverage of clinical trials does not contain the elements readers require to make informed decisions.

26 Nov 2008

Non-white med students reject therapies associated with their culture

Non-white medical students are more likely to embrace orthodox medicine and reject therapies traditionally associated with their cultures.

17 Nov 2008

Alternative health treatments get a boost from WHO

A declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) could raise the profile of traditional or alternative health treatments such as acupuncture and herbal medicine.

10 Nov 2008

Urgent need for research into medication overuse headaches

There is a critical need to review current treatment strategies for the increasingly common problem of medication overuse headaches (MOH), according to a series of international papers in the November issue of Cephalalgia.

4 Nov 2008

Selenium and vitamin E supplements do not prevent prostate cancer

Initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other institutes that comprise the National Institutes of Health shows that selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, did not prevent prostate cancer.

28 Oct 2008

Birth control has long term effect on hormone exposure

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine may be one step closer to understanding why past oral contraceptive use dramatically lowers the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers later in life.

20 Oct 2008

Arthritis treatments glucosamine and chondroitin shown to be no better than placebo

According to the latest research, the popular supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, used to fight arthritis and joint pain, do not seem to work any better than a placebo in slowing the loss of knee cartilage in osteoarthritis.

30 Sep 2008

High levels of toxic metals found in Ayurvedic medicines

Alternative medicine is in the news again with scientists in the U.S. saying they have found high levels of toxic metals in popular herbal medicines sold online.

27 Aug 2008

How are homeopathic products used in childhood?

Despite recent questions concerning the efficacy of homeopathic medicine, it continues to be one of the most popular forms of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in use today. Jackie Bishop of the Children of the 90s study looks at the use of homeopathic products in the early years of life.

13 Jul 2008

Australian naturopaths in favour of regulation

Naturopaths are strongly in favour of regulation of their industry, a University of Queensland researcher has found.

10 Jul 2008

Farm-raised tilapia fish contains potentially dangerous fatty acid combination

"Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

8 Jul 2008

Healing touch therapy

Often, a gentle hand on your shoulder when you're upset is all it takes to ease your mind and calm your nerves. Now, University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers are looking at a similar occurrence by pairing a complementary therapy known as Healing Touch with mild sedation to see if the technique truly calms patients undergoing minor procedures.

1 Jul 2008

Polyphenolics derived from red grapes may help treat Alzheimer's disease

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered that polyphenolics derived from red grape seeds may be useful agents to prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease (AD).

17 Jun 2008

Pomegranate extract may provide humans with relief of chronic inflammatory conditions

Oral ingestion of pomegranate extract reduces the production of chemicals that cause inflammation suggests a study published in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Inflammation. The findings indicate that pomegranate extract may provide humans with relief of chronic inflammatory conditions.

15 Jun 2008

News on complementary and alternative medicine in Australia often inaccurate

Research into the news reporting of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Australia, has revealed that much of the information the public receives through the media is inaccurate or incomplete.

11 Jun 2008

St. John's wort not effective for treating ADHD

Children and teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were treated with the herb St. John's wort did not have any greater improvement in ADHD symptoms compared to those who received placebo, according to a study in the June 11 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

11 Jun 2008

Calls for tougher rules on complementary medicines in Australia

Pressure from a consumer group has prompted the Australian Federal Government to consider the introduction of far more stringent disclosure rules regarding complementary medicines.

10 Jun 2008