Infectious colonies of bacteria called biofilms that develop on chronic wounds and medical devices can cause serious health problems and are tough to treat. Now, according to a July 2015 release from the American Chemical Society, scientists have found a way to package antimicrobial compounds from peppermint and cinnamon in tiny capsules that can both… Continue reading Peppermint Oil and Cinnamon to Treat Chronic Wounds
Category: Alternative Health
Study: St. John’s Wort Can Be As Harmful As Prozac
St. John’s Wort, touted as a remedy for depression, can cause serious side effects when it is taken with antidepressants and causes the same side effects as the antidepressant Prozac even when taken alone, according to new research from the University of Adelaide in Australia. In a study published in the journal Clinical and… Continue reading Study: St. John’s Wort Can Be As Harmful As Prozac
Magnolia Compound May Combat Head and Neck Cancers
According to a growing number of studies including one from the Veterans Affairs Research Communications and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, honokiol, a compound derived from the bark of the magnolia tree, is proving to be a potent cancer fighter in lab studies. The study was published online in June 2015 in the journal… Continue reading Magnolia Compound May Combat Head and Neck Cancers
Stress-Busting Strategies From a Reiki Practitioner
By Eve Marx Life, as we know it, is filled with stress. In our younger days, like when we were in our 30s, we imagined that when we (and our children) got older, the things that caused us the most stress – personal relationships, work issues, money – would be go away once we (and… Continue reading Stress-Busting Strategies From a Reiki Practitioner
Roseroot Herb May Effectively Treat Depression
Scientists have found that Rhodiola rosea (R. rosea), or roseroot, could be an effective treatment for major depression. The researchers from the University of Pennsylvania enrolled in their study 57 people who had a “DSM IV Axis 1 Diagnosis” of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) – meaning that they had two or more major depressive episodes,… Continue reading Roseroot Herb May Effectively Treat Depression
FDA: Bee Pollen Products Can Have Dangerous Ingredients
Products labeled to contain bee pollen that promise to help you lose weight or reshape your body could actually harm you, warns the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Bee pollen is the pollen that bees collect from flowers; it is the food that nourishes bee larvae. But it’s not a miracle ingredient, says Gary Coody,… Continue reading FDA: Bee Pollen Products Can Have Dangerous Ingredients
The Benefits of Meditation and Waking Up
by Barb Schmidt, author of THE PRACTICE Waking Up is a daily morning meditation that helps you tap into your inner source of strength and wisdom. These quiet minutes establish your intention to be present and mindful throughout the day. This morning meditation helps to calm, center, and empower you as you establish a peaceful… Continue reading The Benefits of Meditation and Waking Up
What Is Reiki and How Can I Benefit From It?
Reiki (pronounced Ray-Kee) is an ancient hands-on healing technique involving an intelligent healing energy that flows through the hands of a trained professional who has received Reiki attunement and training. The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – Rei, which means “God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power”, and Ki, which translates as “Life… Continue reading What Is Reiki and How Can I Benefit From It?
Keep Your Health Resolutions in 2015
If you’re one of the millions of Americans who will make a promise to improve yourself this New Year, there’s bad news: You’re 92 percent likely to fail in sticking to your resolutions, says a recent study from the University of Scranton’s Journal of Clinical Psychology. About 45 percent of Americans make resolutions. Ranking at… Continue reading Keep Your Health Resolutions in 2015
Hepatitis C and “Natural” Treatments
Approximately 3.2 million people in the U.S. suffer from Hepatitis C, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and 17,000 cases are diagnosed each year. A liver infection caused by a virus, Hepatitis C can lead to serious and even fatal illnesses such as liver cancer or liver failure. Conventional treatments include antiviral… Continue reading Hepatitis C and “Natural” Treatments
Warning Issued About Chinese Wolfsbane Remedy
Editor’s note: Although this item describes a case in Australia, the information could be valuable to anyone who goes to a Chinese herbal medication practitioner.
A preparation prescribed by a Chinese herbal medication practitioner in Melbourne, Australia for back pain resulted in life-threatening heart changes, prompting a team of intensive care and emergency physicians to call for appropriate patient education by practitioners who prescribe complementary medications.
Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia
People who suffer from fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder with symptoms that include musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness, often seek relief from alternative-health practices. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) part of the National Institutes of Health, talks about the research:
Needed: A Better Understanding of Chinese Medicine
Although millions of people in the West use Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and herbs, there aren’t enough physicians who have Chinese-language training so they can understand the nuances of those methods.
Researchers from UCLA’s Center for East-West Medicine say that there are only a few U.S. schools that have Chinese-language training. Additionally, only a few Chinese medical texts have been translated into English.
St. John’s Wort & Drug Interactions
St. John’s wort is the most frequently used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment in the U.S. for depression and similar psychiatric disorders. The many commonly prescribed medications that St. John’s wort can interact with—sometimes with serious consequences such as life-threatening “serotonin syndrome” or heart disease—are reviewed in the July 2014 issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and on the web site.
Finding A Good Alternative Health Practitioner
There are so many “alternative” or “complementary” therapies available today that it can be hard to tell which ones are effective, don’t work at all or can do you harm. It’s just as much of a challenge to choose a complementary health practitioner. Should you want to go to one, it’s best to do the research beforehand or you may end up paying money for “treatments” that don’t work. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is part of the National Institutes of Health and an authority in the field of alternative medicine.
My Acupuncture Treatment
Earlier this year I completed a six-week trial of acupuncture to see if it would banish the pain in my butt from Piriformis syndrome, an inflammation of the sciatic nerve. It didn’t fix that, but it did do something else that I hadn’t experienced with massage or chiropractic treatment (and certainly not with ibuprofen). And I did feel better.