Archive for June, 2010
Tai Chi Boosts Efficacy of Antidepressant Therapy in Older Adults
June 21, 2010 (Boca Raton, Florida) — Adding an abbreviated version of Tai Chi to antidepressant therapy with escitalopram improved resilience, quality of life, and cognitive function in adults with major depression 60 years and older, according to new research presented here at the New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) 50th Anniversary Meeting. via Tai Chi [...]
Treatment Expectations and Preferences as Predicto… [Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010] – PubMed result
A study of 477 patients with low back pain found that treatment expectations and preferences for acupuncture were not found predictive of treatment outcomes. That is to say, you don’t have to believe in acupuncture for it to work. I’m sure most of my patients have heard me say something like this at one time [...]
Chinese Acupuncture Affects Brain’s Ability To Regulate Pain, UM Study Shows
ScienceDaily (Aug. 11, 2009) — Acupuncture has been used in East-Asian medicine for thousands of years to treat pain, possibly by activating the body’s natural painkillers. But how it works at the cellular level is largely unknown. Using brain imaging, a University of Michigan study provides novel evidence that traditional Chinese acupuncture affects the brain’s [...]
Pulse – Acupuncture improves exercise tolerance
Acupuncture can ‘remarkably’ improve exercise tolerance in patients with heart failure say German cardiology researchers. Their study included 17 patients with congestive heart failure with mild or marked limitation to their activity- all on optimised medication. They were randomised to receive acupuncture or placebo – a needle that simulates the procedure without piercing the skin. [...]
Kidneys and Adrenals In Traditional Chinese Medicine – EmpowHER.com
The author of the article below, Jody Smith, describes in everyday language the Kidney as perceived in Chinese Medicine, and she maintains an excellent website http://www.ncubator.ca/ describing her journey of recovery from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I recommend a visit to those readers who struggle with CFS. “In traditional Chinese medicine, balance is the goal. The kidneys are [...]
Natural Pain Relief for Osteoarthritis
One of the most painful and crippling autoimmune diseases to affect the joints, osteoarthritis is a condition that affects the articular cartilage and the subchondral bones. Symptoms of this disease include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking and at times, effusion. There can be many different causes of osteoarthritis, like hereditary, developmental, metabolic etc. The basic [...]
Brain Scans Show How Meditation Calms Pain
TUESDAY, June 8 HealthDay News — People who routinely practice meditation may be better able to deal with pain because their brains are less focused on anticipating pain, a new British study suggests.The finding is a potential boon to the estimated 40 percent of people who are unable to adequately manage their chronic pain. It [...]
Polyphenols in red wine and green tea halt prostate cancer growth, study suggests
Patients often ask me about the health effects of red wine and/or green tea. This is a great article about some of the new research into these powerful foods: ScienceDaily (June 11, 2010) — In what could lead to a major advance in the treatment of prostate cancer, scientists now know exactly why polyphenols in [...]
Stop Snoring and Save Your Life
People who snore are at a higher risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. In itself, snoring is not a serious condition, but it can affect your quality of sleep and can be very disturbing to your loved ones. Snoring affects more men than women. There are several types of snoring that are [...]
Acupuncture eases pain: Nature Neuroscience
Acupuncture eases pain: Nature Neuroscience English.news.cn 2010-05-31 09:00:04 BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhuanet) — A study conducted by neuroscientists in the U.S. finds that acupuncture can ease pain by triggering a natural painkilling chemical called adenosine, according to the Nature Neuroscience Monday. The ancient Chinese art, which involves sticking needles into the body's "pressure points," has [...]