Author: Staff (Page 11 of 158)

      Placebo Or Not Acupuncture Is Effective

      September 11, 2012 /

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      Ancient Chinese medicine has utilized acupuncture for thousands of years and the West has caught on.

      For decades, now, acupuncture has been used to treat a variety of maladies with glowing testimonials from those who have benefitted from this mysterious practice.

      Anecdotal evidence aside, a new study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine appears to validate the legitimacy of acupuncture therapy to alleviate pain.

      Acupuncture, which originated in China, involves placing needles in specific locations or “meridians” of the body in order to treat various ailments, especially pain. Acupuncture practitioners claim the technique relieves pain by modifying energy flow through the body.
      “Acupuncturists talk about concepts coming from outside traditional biomedicine,” Vickers explains. “Doctors will say, ‘I didn’t learn about energy flow in Physiology 101.'”
      Health.com: Natural remedies for arthritis
      The energy-flow theory has met with a great deal of skepticism in the United States and other Western nations, and researchers have failed to identify other, biological underpinnings for the treatment.

      Quality Control, Research, Wellness

      Rhodiola Rosea May Be The Answer To Depression

      September 10, 2012 /

      This herb may be natural way to beat depression.

      While psychotropic drugs have side affects, some harmful, Rhodiola rosea has no significant side affects.

      Rhodiola rosea, also known as Golden Root or Arctic Root, derives from Siberia and Northwestern China. I have studied the herb in both places, have seen it harvested in the wild, and have also taken an extract of this herb regularly for years, to ward off fatigue from a heavy travel schedule. Found on the training tables of athletes across northern Asia, Rhodiola rosea is considered an adaptogen – an agent that allows a person to adapt to both physical and mental stress, while improving energy, endurance and stamina.

      If you are struggling with stress or depression see your doctor and decide if the natural way is the way for you.

      Quality Control, Research, Resources, Wellness

      Is Organic Always Better?

      September 9, 2012 /


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      It seems that buying organically produced food does’t provide all of the solutions that we are looking for.

      Researchers at Stanford University help shed some light on this debate.

      In this interview the most common questions are asked and answered to help you understand what you’re paying for and what you’re getting when you choose organic.

      So if you ask people, they say that the two main reasons they eat organic food are because it’s nutritious, and because it’s good for the environment. But she also finds there are a whole bunch of emotional values that are tied up with eating organic food. So people who eat organic food tend to value altruism. They tend to value benevolence. They tend to value spirituality. And organic food has gotten wrapped up in all of these values that don’t necessarily have to do with the very specific things that science studies.

      Nutrition, Quality Control, Research, Wellness

      Marketing Of Testosterone Replacement Therapy Comes Under Suspicion

      September 9, 2012 /


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      Is it normal aging or low testosterone?

      This is the question being asked by government researchers, specifically, the National Institute on Aging, which has seen big advertising dollars spent pharmaceutical companies hoping to turn old age into a treatable disease.

      There is no real agreement on what the effects of low testosterone as one ages has on the body.

      The normal range of 300 and 1,000 nanograms per deciliter fluctuates during the day and what seems low for one individual produces no adverse affects in another.

      Unknown side affects, and dubious claims made by research funded by drug makers calls into question the validity of treatment claims.

      Baby boomers are also pushing an industry to supply the “fountain of youth” when real vitality is better obtained through lifestyle choices than through medicine.

      Adding to the confusion over what defines “low testosterone,” there’s not much understanding of whether testosterone replacement therapy actually improves men’s symptoms. Evidence of the benefits of testosterone is mixed, and the potential health risks are serious. The largest study conducted to date, a 2008 trial involving 230 patients in the Netherlands, found no improvement in muscle strength, cognitive thinking, bone density or overall quality of life among men taking testosterone. Muscle mass increased 1.2 percent, but not enough to improve physical mobility.
      The National Institute on Aging is currently conducting an 800-man trial to definitively answer whether testosterone therapy improves walking ability, sexual function, energy, memory and blood cell count in men 65 years and older. But those results aren’t expected until 2014.
      In addition to concerns about testosterone’s effectiveness, the long-term side effects of the hormone are not entirely understood because most trials to date have only followed patients for a few months. But the most serious risks include heart problems and prostate cancer. In fact, all testosterone drugs carry a warning that the hormone should not be given to men who have a personal or family history of prostate cancer.

      Doctors, Quality Control, Research, Resources, Wellness

      Spread Of West Nile Virus Won’t Let Up Until October

      September 9, 2012 /


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      Outbreak of West Nile Virus is unusually high this year, however, in 2003, 9,862 cases were reported and 264 people died, according to the CDC’s records.

      This year’s outbreak is far from that, however, with human cases reported in 44 states it is still cause for alarm.

      Although the disease can be deadly, not everyone will develop serious, neuro-invasive illnesses.

      Some will have such light symptoms that they may not know that they are infected at all.

      The nationwide numbers were up from 1,590 cases and 65 deaths reported Aug. 28, said Dr. Lyle R. Petersen, director of the CDC’s division of vector-borne infectious diseases.
      “We expect this increase to continue for the next several weeks, probably until October,” said Petersen, who added that he was infected with the virus himself a few years ago. Many cases have not yet been logged because of the lag in reporting time, he said.
      More than half the cases — 54 percent — are the serious neuroinvasive variety, which can lead to encephalitis or meningitis. The vast majority of West Nile infections, some 80 percent, are so mild that people don’t know they’re infected. About 20 percent develop symptoms and about 1 percent may develop serious, neuro-invasive illnesses.

      The disease is spread by infected mosquitos which breed in water.

      Unusual weather patterns, light winter and a hot, wet summer have contributed to a rise in the mosquito population.

      See you physician if you feel that you may have any symptoms.

      Health Care Policy, Quality Control, Wellness

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