Massage Found To Reduce Inflammation Following Strenuous ExerciseMost athletes can testify to the pain-relieving, recovery-promoting effects of massage. Now there's a scientific basis that supports booking a session with a massage therapist: On the cellular level massage reduces inflammation and promotes the growth of new mitochondria in skeletal muscle...
Pomegranate Seed Oil For Menopause No Better Than PlaceboWomen who took pomegranate seed oil pills to relieve symptoms of the menopause, such as hot flashes, were found to receive no significantly better benefits than those who were given a placebo pill which contained sunflower oil, researchers from the Medical University of Vienna wrote in the journal Menopause...
Migraine - The Enigma Of Trial ResultsIn order to find out the effect of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture in treating migraines, a team of investigators carried out a randomized controlled human trial. 480 individuals at 9 hospitals in China who experienced migraines for over one year, with two or three migraines in the 3 months prior to the investigation, were enrolled to participate in the study...
Difficulties In Treating Migraines Highlighted By Two Randomized Controlled TrialsAcupuncture and sham acupuncture appear equally effective in treating migraines, according to a clinical trial published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). An international team of researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture in treating migraines in 480 patients at nine hospitals in China...
Low Vitamin D Levels Linked To Depression, UT Southwestern Psychiatrists Report Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center psychiatrists working with the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. It is believed to be the largest such investigation ever undertaken. Low levels of vitamin D already are associated with a cavalcade of health woes from cardiovascular diseases to neurological ailments...
Scientists Examine Toxicity Of Medicinal Plants In PeruMany developing countries rely on traditional medicine as an accessible and affordable treatment option for human maladies. However, until now, scientific data has not existed to evaluate the potential toxicity of medicinal plant species in Peru. Scientists from the William L. Brown Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden in St...
JAMA Commentary Contends Vitamin Therapy Can Still Reduce Stroke A commentary by Dr. David Spence of The University of Western Ontario and Dr. Meir Stampfer of the Harvard School of Public Health in today's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) argues that vitamin therapy still has a role to play in reducing stroke. Vitamin B therapy was once widely used to lower homocysteine levels...
Tuberculosis - How Effective Is Cod Liver Oil?In the Christmas issue published on bmj.com today, Professor Sir Malcolm Green explains: "a review of a historical study from 1848 reveals that cod liver oil was an effective treatment for tuberculosis." 1,077 individuals with consumption (tuberculosis) were enrolled to participate in the study conducted by physicians at the Hospital for Consumption, Chelsea (now the Royal Brompton Hospital)...
Vitamin D For Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, And Bone Fracture Protection? Evidence Is LackingDoes vitamin D supplementation protect people from bone fractures, cancer and cardiovascular disease? Researchers wrote in Annals of Internal Medicine in two separate articles that so far there is no compelling evidence to support any of these claims. Article 1 - studies have indicated that vitamin D supplementation may play a role in reducing the risk of developing cancer and bone fractures...
FDA Approves First Supplemental Test For Chagas DiseaseThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first test for use as an additional, more specific test on human serum or plasma specimens found to be positive for antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). T. cruzi causes Chagas disease, a serious and potentially fatal parasitic infection. The test, called the ABBOTT ESA Chagas [Trypanosoma cruzi (E...