Copyright 2012 Medical News TodayLatest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/complementary_medicine/admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin)editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors)en-us Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241439.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241439.phpMild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease patients who practice Tai Chi were found to experience significant benefits, including better posture, fewer falls, and improved walking ability, researchers from the Oregon Research Institute (ORI) reported in NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine)...Parkinson's Disease Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241370.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241370.phpA study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, reveals that breast cancer cell proliferation was not lowered with soy isoflavone supplements in a randomized human trial. Isoflavone are components of soy foods believed to have anti-estrogen activity...Breast Cancer Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241200.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241200.phpCould the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (CJPP) found that rats given regular multivitamin and mineral supplements showed a significantly lower risk of developing colon cancer when they were exposed to carcinogens...Colorectal Cancer Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241059.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241059.phpMost 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...Bones / Orthopedics Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240638.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240638.phpWomen 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...Menopause Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240131.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240131.phpTraditional Chinese medicine has long been used to ease pain, treat disease, boost fertility, and prevent miscarriage. Known in the Western medical community by its acronym TCM, these traditional remedies include herbal preparations and acupuncture...Fertility Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240139.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240139.phpIn 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...Headache / Migraine Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240094.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240094.phpAcupuncture 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...Headache / Migraine Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239991.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239991.php UCLA researchers have identified how a component of an ancient Chinese herbal anti-hangover medicine called dihydromyricetin, isolated from the plant Hovenia, counteracts acute alcohol intoxication and withdrawal symptoms...Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239992.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239992.php 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...Depression Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239262.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239262.phpMany 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...Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239580.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239580.php 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...Stroke Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239469.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239469.php Acupuncture significantly reduces levels of a protein in rats linked to chronic stress, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have found. They say their animal study may help explain the sense of well-being that many people receive from this ancient Chinese therapy...Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239486.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239486.phpIn 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)...Tuberculosis Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239460.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239460.phpDoes 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...Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239147.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239147.phpWhile many consumers equal 'natural' with 'safe', botanicals and botanical preparations such as plant food supplements may contain compounds, like the so called alkenylbenzenes, that are of concern for human health. At high doses these chemical compounds can cause liver cancer in experimental animals...Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238295.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238295.phpThe FDA has for the first time taken legal action against a dietary supplement manufacturer and owner, which has substituted ingredients and products and failed to note the changes on the final product labels. The U.S...Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238114.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238114.phpThe 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...Tropical Diseases Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238017.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238017.phpUsing acupuncture to treat children is generally safe as long as the practitioner is properly trained, researchers from the University of Alberta, Canada, reported in the journal Pediatrics. Even when adverse events associated with acupuncture were detected, they were mostly mild in severity, the authors added...Pediatrics / Children's Health Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237669.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237669.phpNatural health products and medicinal foods should be subject to the same regulations as pharmaceutical drugs to ensure safety and efficacy, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)...Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237520.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237520.phpWhen given alongside radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, acupuncture has shown for the first time to reduce the debilitating side effect of xerostomia, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center...Cancer / Oncology Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236902.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236902.phpYoga can provide more effective treatment for chronic lower back pain than more conventional methods, according to the UK's largest ever study into the benefits of yoga...Back Pain Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236530.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236530.phpYoga classes were linked to better back-related function and diminished symptoms from chronic low back pain in the largest U.S. randomized controlled trial of yoga to date, published by the Archives of Internal Medicine as an "Online First" article on October 24. But so were intensive stretching classes...Back Pain Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236369.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236369.phpSpas that offer massage therapy using fragrant essential oils, called aromatherapy, may have elevated levels of potentially harmful indoor air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ultrafine particles, according to an article in Environmental Engineering Science, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc...Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/236115.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/236115.php Ginger root supplement is worth investigating as a potential strategy for colon cancer prevention, according to a phase II study published in the 11 October issue of Cancer Prevention Research...Colorectal Cancer