Alternative Medicine

The Oriental Art of Qigong helped chronically ill people to cope with the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, by combining gentle exercise with breathing techniques, meditation and visualisation. Study in latest Journal of Clinical Nursing highlights the significant emotional pressures faced by people regarded as a high infection risk during the crisis. »»»

Patients suffering from chronic illness can take six-to-nine different medications a day -- oftentimes more. Skipped doses, misinterpretation or labels, or confusion over what pills to take at what time can be fatal. Thanks to the services provided by the Rutgers Camden Technology Campus (RCTC Inc.), the Medi-Sure Medication Dispensing System, an automated device programmed by a pharmacist and used in the patient's home, is on the fast track to save lives. »»»

Individuals with some forms of heart failure are treated with drugs that are known as beta-blockers because they target proteins known as beta-adrenergic receptors (beta-ARs). Now, a potential alternative strategy to treating heart failure by targeting molecules downstream of beta-ARs is suggested by mouse studies conducted by researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. »»»

Knee osteoarthritis affects 30 million people worldwide, causing pain and joint stiffness and in severe cases restricted mobility. The limited ability of this tissue to repair itself means that surgical intervention is usually required and over 600,000 surgical procedures are performed each year in the US. Researchers have now developed an economical tissue engineering approach which could offer new possibilities for restoring damaged or lost knee cartilage tissue. »»»

Where there is cigarette smoking there is probably misuse of alcohol too, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the Archives of Internal Medicine. »»»

How plant-based phytochemicals, including antioxidants and herbal supplements, can be useful in the promotion of health and prevention of chronic diseases. »»»

Changing one's diet to lose weight is often difficult. There may be physical and psychological effects that reduce the chances for success. With nearly 65 percent of the adult population currently classified as overweight or obese investigating factors that contribute to dieting failures is an important effort. In a recent study, researchers found that mice withdrawn from high-fat or high-carbohydrates diets became anxious and showed changes in their brains indicating higher stress levels. »»»

Newborn infants who are cup-fed as at least part of their feeding regime, are more likely to be exclusively breast-fed when they leave hospital, but are no more likely to be breast-fed three or six months later, a team of Cochrane researchers have found. Moreover, cup-fed babies stay an average of 10 days longer in hospital. The lack of clear benefit, combined with the additional cost of the extended hospital, stay means that cup feeding cannot be recommended. »»»

Researchers have released a study suggesting that specific laboratory and clinical tests can predict outcome of antibiotic therapy for infections in persons with diabetes. »»»

A new study in PLoS Medicine has shown that children who have rotavirus, a very common cause of diarrhea in children, and who have antigens (protein fragments from the surface of the virus) in their blood, also have infectious virus in their blood. »»»

Cancer is a natural consequence of human evolution. Our genes have not developed to give us long and happy lives. They are optimized to copy themselves into the next generation - irrespective of our personal desires. »»»

Researchers have identified a new imaging technique that can measure the effectiveness of treatment for prostate cancer that has spread to the bones. The technique involves measuring diffusion of water within tumors. »»»

A new study confirms a surprising fact -- men who have undergone chemical castration for conditions such as prostate cancer experience hot flashes similar to those experienced by menopausal women. Using a technique called sternal skin conductance, doctors were able to positively identify hot flashes in males, a positive step toward providing therapy for those patients in need. »»»

The acid form of vitamin A (retinoic acid; RA) is used to treat a type of leukemia known as acute promyleocytic leukemia (APL). It works by binding to its receptors (retinoic acid receptors, RARs) and driving the leukemic cells to mature and die, rather than remain blocked at a highly proliferative immature stage of development. Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have now shown that a protein complex known as CaMKII inhibits RAR activity and that CaMKII inhibitors drive leukemic cells to mature and die. »»»

Parents and practitioners should know more about garlic before using it to treat children. »»»

Members of the public urged not to buy or use a proprietary Chinese medicine called Xiaokeshuping Jiangtangning Jiaonang. »»»

A convenient, easy to use, and rapid alternative to blood-based HIV testing may become the new standard for field testing according to a new study. The study shows that the oral fluid-based OraQuick HIV1/2 test is 100 per cent accurate and patients' preferred choice. »»»

Taking excessive doses of a common vitamin in an attempt to defeat drug screening tests may send the user to the hospital -- or worse. Researchers in Philadelphia reported on two adults and two adolescents who suffered toxic side effects from taking large amounts of niacin, also known as vitamin B3, in mistaken attempts to foil urine drug tests. »»»

More than half of physicians believe that religion and spirituality have a significant influence on patients' health, according to a recent report. Physicians who are most religious are more likely to interpret the influence of religion and spirituality in positive ways. »»»

Nutritionists have long endorsed fish as part of a heart-healthy diet, and now some studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids found in the oil of certain fish may also benefit the brain by lowering the risk of Alzheimer's disease. »»»