Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese form of exercise, may help older adults avoid getting shingles by increasing immunity to varicella-zoster virus and boosting the immune response to varicella vaccine in older adults, according to a new study publishsed in print this week in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Some 50 million Americans have hypertension, that is, blood pressure measuring above the normal range (less than 120/80 mmHg). If untreated, it can lead to heart attacks, strokes, or kidney disease. Lifestyle changes are the first-stage treatment for the disease, but if they fail, medications are prescribed. In a soon-to-be-released study using an animal model, scientists have found that tanshinone IIA, an active ingredient of danshen, reduces blood pressure.
In spite of the high use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among people age 50 or older, 69 percent of those who use CAM do not talk to their doctors about it, according to a new survey conducted by AARP and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health. The survey examined conversations between patients and their physicians regarding CAM use.
In a bid to make alternative medicine more popular in the US, Indian experts may soon start teaching medical students about Ayurveda in some of America?s best colleges.
Evidence-based medicine is widely accepted among researchers as the “gold-standard” for scientific approaches. Over the years, EBM has both supported and denied the value of allopathic medicine practices, while having less association with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices. Since most CAM practices are complex and focus on healing rather than cure the question arises as to whether EBM principles are sufficient for making clinical decisions about CAM.
In an alarming finding about alternative medical institutions, a parliamentary panel has said that 142 colleges of Ayurveda, Unani and Homoeopathy colleges in the country lack minimum infrastructure.
Researchers at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America found that antioxidant therapies such as green tea extract, melatonin, high-potency multivitamins, vitamin C and vitamin E do not interfere with radiation treatment.
A Colorado-based company is launching a line of ‘medical- food’ products for the dietary management of asthma, eczema and other allergic conditions based on discoveries by Floyd H. ‘Ski’ Chilton, Ph.D., of Wake Forest University Health Sciences (WFUHS).
An ancient spice, long used in traditional Asian medicine, may hold promise for the prevention of both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, according to a recently completed study at The University of Arizona College of Medicine. Turmeric, the spice that flavors and gives its yellow color to many curries and other foods, has been used for centuries by practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine to treat inflammatory disorders. Turmeric extract containing the ingredient curcumin is marketed widely in the Western world as a dietary supplement for the treatment and prevention of a variety of disorders, including arthritis.
More than 40 percent of arthritis sufferers in the U.S. report using complementary and alternative medicine, including dietary supplements, and the use of alternative remedies has increased since the FDA issued health warnings about anti-inflammatory drugs such as Celebrex. However, the effectiveness of many supplement ingredients has not been adequately studied. To complicate the matter, over-the-counter supplements are not regulated in the same way as drugs and their composition can vary widely. A new study published in the November 2006 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism examined the effect and mechanism of turmeric (a botanical supplement long thought to have anti-inflammatory properties) on arthritis.