Alternative Medicine News and Research

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Longer looks: Chinese medicine; revolutionary doctors; frozen embryos

A few years ago, while visiting Beijing, I caught a cold. My wife, who is Chinese, and wanted me to feel better, took me to a local restaurant. After we sat down, she ordered a live turtle.

5 Oct 2013

Doing yoga during menopause linked to less insomnia

Taking a 12-week yoga class and practicing at home was linked to less insomnia-but not to fewer or less bothersome hot flashes or night sweats. The link between yoga and better sleep was the only statistically significant finding in this MsFLASH (Menopause Strategies: Finding Lasting Answers for Symptoms and Health) Network randomized controlled trial.

29 Sep 2013

Memorial Sloan-Kettering initiates to reduce cancer and cardiovascular health disparities in U.S. South Asian

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is leading an innovative initiative to reduce cancer and cardiovascular health disparities in South Asian immigrant communities in the United States.

20 Sep 2013

Alert to CAM use in asthma

Researchers from Canada say that physicians should be aware of the high prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use among patients with asthma.

11 Sep 2013

New manual by psychologist explains basics of hypnotherapy

Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy: Principles and Applications (Springer Publishing) is a new training manual by Gary Elkins, Ph.D., director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory at Baylor University.

3 Sep 2013

NAMS announces recipients of Society's 2013 awards for clinical, research and humanitarian contributions

The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) is pleased to announce the recipients of the Society's 2013 awards. The awards are given in recognition of exceptional contributions to menopause research, practice, and education; community service; and media.

29 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 23, 2013

Today's headlines include reports on what's becoming of the potential for a deficit deal, as well as the political posturing related to the House GOP efforts to block health law funding even if it means shutting down the government.

23 Aug 2013

Phase III trial evaluates impact of Wisconsin Ginseng on fatigue levels of cancer patients

Millions of cancer patients find themselves exhausted completing the most mundane of tasks, and extra sleep doesn't seem to help. Today, they find hope in a supplement that medical researchers have shown to be effective in boosting their energy levels: Wisconsin Ginseng.

20 Aug 2013

Women diagnosed for menopause after breast cancer may vary with type of doctors

Hormonal treatment for breast cancer causes menopause in over 80% of women in the first year of therapy, but now new research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Climacteric, has found that how these women are diagnosed and treated for menopausal symptoms can vary substantially according to which type of doctor a woman sees.

13 Aug 2013

Clinicians should be aware of use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding

In an article published in this month's issue of Pediatrics In Review, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) stress the importance of physicians recognizing that many mothers use herbal supplements while breastfeeding in order to make accurate health assessments for both mother and child.

2 Aug 2013

Exercise can improve overall health but does not reduce hot flashes in midlife women

Exercise has proven health benefits, but easing hot flashes isn't one of them. After participating in a 12-week aerobic exercise program, sedentary women with frequent hot flashes had no fewer or less bothersome hot flashes than a control group.

31 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about an effort by some GOP lawmakers to force a showdown over health law funding.

26 Jul 2013

New approaches provide lifetime support for individuals with ASD

More than 300 parents, healthcare providers and educators from across the U.S. and around the world, will come together July 26 through July 27, 2013 at the second annual national conference for families and professionals, "Treating the Whole Person with Autism: Care Across the Lifespan." The conference — sponsored by Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism and advocacy organization, with our educational partners at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the U.S.

24 Jul 2013

Study shows integrative approach reduces pain severity, improves mood and quality of life

An integrative approach to treating chronic pain significantly reduces pain severity while improving mood and quality of life, according to a new study from the Bravewell Practice-Based Research Network (BraveNet) published last month in BioMed Central Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal.

23 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Health care's hidden consensus; Examining the fee-for-service payment system; Alternative medicine's allure

The politicians' consensus is that health care reform shouldn't alter or disrupt the way the majority of Americans get their insurance today. ... The policy consensus, though, is that the status quo is actually the problem, and that it deserves to be threatened, undermined and replaced as expeditiously as possible. Wonks of the left and right disagree on what that replacement should look like. But they're united in regarding employer-provided coverage as an unsustainable relic (Ross Douthat, 7/6).

9 Jul 2013

Weekly yoga class provides similar lower back pain relief as twice weekly classes for low-income patients

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center have found that a weekly yoga class provided similar lower back pain relief and reduced the need for pain medication as twice weekly classes in lower income minority patients.

3 Jul 2013

Research: Older adults who volunteer for work decrease their risk of hypertension

New research from Carnegie Mellon University shows that older adults who volunteer for at least 200 hours per year decrease their risk of hypertension, or high blood pressure, by 40 percent.

14 Jun 2013

Women experience memory problems during hot flashes

Don't doubt it when a woman harried by hot flashes says she's having a hard time remembering things. A new study published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), helps confirm with objective tests that what these women say about their memory is true.

24 May 2013

For health law backers, part of challenge is managing expectations

Some Democrats worry they will face political repercussions if there are snags that can be exploited by Republicans.

8 May 2013

Auricular point acupressure shows promise for chronic back pain

Auricular point acupressure may have potential for the treatment of chronic low back pain, findings from a feasibility study show.

25 Apr 2013