Alternative Medicine News and Research

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Most U.S. residents do not examine source, date of health care data posted online

Three-fourths of U.S. adults who search for health care information online regularly do not examine the source and date to determine the quality of the data, according to a survey released on Sunday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, Reuters/Boston Globe reports.

30 Oct 2006

Health drugs recommended for depression lack sound scientific backing

According to a new study the majority of drugs recommended by health shops to treat depression have no sound scientific backing.

5 Oct 2006

1.6 million American adults use some form of complementary medicine to treat insomnia

A recent analysis of national survey data reveals that over 1.6 million American adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat insomnia or trouble sleeping according to scientists at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.

19 Sep 2006

Teen wins right to refuse chemo

A teenager in the U.S. who has Hodgkins' Disease, has won a court battle which aimed to order the boy to undergo a second course of intensive chemotherapy.

20 Aug 2006

The n-of-1 trial: An opportunity for complementary and alternative medicine evaluation

It is an extremely interesting rationale for the use of n-of-1 randomized trials, particularly for complementary and alternative medicine evaluation in the treatment of chronic, difficult to treat disorders.

13 Jun 2006

Asthma sufferers reduce need for inhalers by breathing exercises

Scientists in Australia say that people with mild asthma benefit from exercises that focus on shallow breathing through the nose, as well as non-specific upper body exercises, and can reduce the need to use a bronchodilator inhaler by as much as 86 per cent.

6 Jun 2006

Malaria - the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing!

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is quite rightly patting itself on the back because it has persuaded as many as 13 drug companies to abandon the marketing and promotion of monotherapy in the treatment of Malaria.

16 May 2006

Combining old with new could resolve fertility problems

Many women with fertility problems could have a significantly better chance of having a baby if modern IVF techniques are combined with more traditional surgical interventions, according to a leading fertility specialist.

From Sheffield Hallam University 21 Mar 2006

Ethnicity the most important personal characteristic in predicting complementary medicine use

A survey of older adults in rural North Carolina shows that they widely use complementary medicine therapies, but tend to focus on folk or home remedies, such as taking a daily "tonic" of vinegar or using Epsom salts.

1 Mar 2006

Efficacy of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate may depend on level of osteoarthritis pain

The popular dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate proved no better than a placebo in relieving osteoarthritis knee pain in most participants of a major national trial.

23 Feb 2006

Enter Prince Charles! into the obesity debate

Prince Charles has entered the obesity debate and has cautioned the British public against becoming like the 'super size' Americans.

29 Jan 2006

Echinacea can treat, but not prevent, common colds

Nine of 16 trials found that extracts from the aerial parts of the plant Echinacea purpurea could reduce the symptoms of colds in adults if started early enough.

25 Jan 2006

Herbal medicines may improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome

Traditional herbal medicines may improve symptoms of abdominal pain, disturbed bowel movements, and/or bloating and distension caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This was the conclusion of a systematic review of clinical studies that is published in the latest update of The Cochrane Library.

25 Jan 2006

Heart patients, do you tell your doctor you're using alternative medicines?

Doctors, do you ask your patients if they're using alternative medicines?

21 Nov 2005

Middle-age people more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine

"Midlife adults entered adulthood at a time of more widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the population and when public health policy was shifting attention toward individual responsibility for health and health promotion," said Joseph G. Grzywacz, Ph.D., and his colleagues, writing in the October issue of the Journal of Aging and Health.

25 Oct 2005

$4.4 million, 4-year grant aims to bridge gap between Western and African medicine

Described as a hotspot of botanical diversity, there are more than 20,000 indigenous plant species in South Africa. Several thousand of them are used by traditional healers every day in that country for treating a range of problems from the common cold to serious diseases such as AIDS.

17 Oct 2005

Complementary medicine represents an additional cost to usual care with questionable clinical benefit

The cost-effectiveness of using complementary treatments in the United Kingdom has been the subject of much speculation and controversy.

13 Oct 2005

Canadian adolescents and complementary or alternative medical treatment

While the study does not look at the effectiveness of these treatments, "what's concerning is that young people across the country have different levels of access to alternative therapies as publicly-funded services," says Dr. McColl. "There are noticeable differences in access and utilization based on education, income and geographic location."

13 Oct 2005

Researchers have found a way to keep students awake during class

Whether it's triggered by the monotone of an instructor or insufficient rest the night before, students at all ages and grade levels sometimes have trouble staying awake in class.

26 Sep 2005

Leading medical journal says homeopathy no better than dummy drugs

Leading medical journal The Lancet has rubbished homeopathy and says it is no more value than dummy drugs.

29 Aug 2005