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Results for search "Alternative Medicine: Misc.".

Health News Results - 74

When settling into your senior years, you need to be especially careful when taking medicines, herbal remedies and supplements, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

That's because older adults are likely to use more prescription and over-the-counter medications, which increases the risk of harmful side effects and drug interactions, the FDA said in a

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • February 19, 2024
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  • Acupuncture may protect people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from stroke, new research suggests.

    The study indicates that a course of acupuncture treatment may lower blood levels of inflammatory proteins called cytokines that are linked to heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in people with RA.

    "Inflammation is a consistent and independent predictor of cardiovascular disease in...

    Medical marijuana might help ease chronic pain, but it also slightly increases a patient's risk of a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm, a new study says.

    Patients treated with medical cannabis had a nearly 1% increased risk of being diagnosed with a heart rhythm problem that required monitoring and possible treatment, results show.

    The risk was more than double that of chronic pain pa...

    Heart failure can make everyday activities and exercise tough to carry out, but yoga might be a beneficial add-on to standard care.

    A new study from India finds this ancient practice improves quality of life and cardio functioning.

    “Our patients observed improvement in systolic blood pressure and heart rate compared to patients who were on medication without yoga,” said lea...

    Ginger supplements may help those with certain autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, control inflammation.

    New research has added evidence to support the impact of ginger on white blood cell function, particularly a type of cell called a neutrophil.

    The researchers were particularly interested in neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, also called NETos...

    Cannabinoid products may interfere with some prescription medications, so people who use them should add these to the list of supplements they tell their doctors about.

    This interference could have serious health consequences, according to Penn State Health, which offered some additional advice as legal medical and recreational cannabis becomes more common.

    “Whether it's recreatio...

    Stroll past the supplements in any drugstore and you'll find broad claims about fish oil helping everything from heart and brain health, to joints, eyes and immune systems. But you just might be wasting your money, according to a new study.

    “We know from recent large, randomized trials that fish oil supplements do not prevent heart disease in the general population, but yet they are one...

    The centuries-old practice of mindfulness is having a moment in present times, and a new study finds the therapy can improve mental health for at least six months.

    Analyzing the results of 13 prior studies, U.K. researchers concluded that in-person, teacher-led mindfulness courses were tied to reduced stress and anxiety.

    Mindfulness "was the seventh step of the Noble Eightfold...

    Athletes using ketone supplements to boost their performance may be kidding themselves, researchers say.

    The literature on the benefit of ketone supplements is mixed. Some studies have shown the supplements improve performance, but others say they have no effect or even worsen performance.

    Natural ketones fuel the brain and muscles. A ketogenic diet of very low carbs and high fat c...

    When the late Brown University researcher Catherine Kerr had cancer, she benefited from an ancient Chinese practice known as qigong and began looking into its impact on others.

    Now, her colleagues are building on Kerr's work, studying how practicing qigong affects a person's perception of fatigue in...

    Depression is a debilitating condition that can leave its millions of sufferers in despair.

    Globally, an estimated 5% of adults suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organization.

    Luckily, there are a variety of depression treatments that can help manage and ease symptoms. Thes...

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is once again warning consumers to avoid muscle-building "supplements" that are anything but a safe alternative to steroids.

    In an advisory sent out last week, the agency said it continues to ...

    Anxiety disorder can make it hard to navigate life, but lately CBD has been touted as a natural treatment for the nerve-wracking condition.

    You can buy CBD almost anywhere -- gas stations, spas, farmers markets and grocery stores. It comes in many forms -- from gummies to tablets to tinctures to lozenges and patches.

    But is CBD good for anxiety?

    Here, experts share their thou...

    You toss, you turn, you can't fall asleep.

    Certainly, there are sleep medications that can be prescribed by a doctor. And with some investment of time, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia is considered to be an effective option.

    Yet, there are also a lot of healthy s...

    Not all prescription drugs and dietary herbal supplements work well together.

    It's important to be aware of possible drug/supplement interactions that could be harmful, according to the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), a part of the National Institutes of Health.

    The ...

    It's tempting to follow the latest trend when it comes to health care, but for patients who live with heart failure, some alternative treatments could have serious consequences.

    To address the issue, the American Heart Association (AHA) has published a new scientific statement covering a wide range of alternative therapies and their impact on heart failure. It also offers guidance for he...

    Many women experience back pain during pregnancy and a new study review suggests an ancient treatment can help.

    Acupuncture provided significant relief of lower back and pelvic pain, according to an analysis of 10 trials from various parts of the world. The findings were published Nov. 21 in BMJ Open.

    "Acupuncture significantly improved pain, functional status, and quality ...

    Ayahuasca, a powerful psychoactive drug derived from a South American plant, is a traditional Amazonian-based medicine and an increasingly popular hallucinogenic brew used by devotees worldwide.

    But what is the ayahuasca experience really like?

    An

  • Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
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  • November 17, 2022
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  • A new study harnesses the power of mindfulness to help overanxious people calm themselves -- and the benefit may equal the use of an antidepressant, according to researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

    Olga Cannistraro said practicing mindfulness certainly helped her. "There was something excessive about the way I responded to my environment," she explaine...

    Folks taking dietary supplements intended to help their heart health are just wasting their money, a new clinical trial suggests.

    Six supplements widely promoted as heart-healthy — fish oil, cinnamon, garlic, turmeric, plant sterols and red yeast rice — didn't do a thing to lower “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or improve heart health, researchers found.

    “C...

    A single psychedelic trip with psilocybin -- the mind-altering component of magic mushrooms -- appears to lift the fog of major depression in some hard-to-treat patients, a new clinical trial reports.

    A 25-milligram dose of a synthetic psilocybin compound called COMP360 caused a "rapid and durable response" in more than a third of patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression, sa...

    Yoga, meditation and other mindfulness practices may help people with type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar — nearly to the degree that standard medications like metformin do, a new analysis suggests.

    That does not mean people should swap their medication for

  • Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
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  • October 5, 2022
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  • Use of the over-the-counter sleep aid melatonin is increasing among young people, and calls to poison control centers and visits to the emergency room are also on the rise.

    This is mostly because young children and teens are accidentally ingesting more of the supplement than is safe, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    In response, the American Academ...

    Lori McClintock, the wife of Northern California congressman Tom McClintock, died late last year after taking white mulberry leaf, a herb used to treat diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol, a recently released report shows.

    The cause of death listed in the report was dehydration due to

  • By Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 25, 2022
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  • Cancer patients who use cannabis to relieve pain and improve appetite may be getting bad advice from dispensary staff, a new study suggests.

    Doctors usually offer only spotty advice about pot to their patients and, although well-intentioned, st...

    Most Americans swear by dietary supplements, with nearly 3 of 4 people taking some type of supplement on a daily basis, a new HealthDay/Harris Poll has revealed.

    But many have a mistaken belief in the effectiveness of these supplements, which for the most part don't help folks live longer or healthier live...

    Lots of older folks are turning to alternative medicine to help them with the pains of aging -- but they don't necessarily think that's any of their doctor's business.

    About 40% of older adults use at least one alternative medicine practice to help w...

    Customers buying creams, patches or lotions containing cannabidiol (CBD) to reduce pain or inflammation may get much more or much less than they expected.

    Topical CBD products are gaining popularity in the United States, and the authors of a new ...

    For thousands of years, people have used meditation to help diminish their pain -- but how the process works has always seemed rather mysterious.

    Today, advanced brain scan technology has revealed how this ancient practice alters brain function and provides pain relief to its practiti...

    You might be getting a little unwanted something extra when you buy a CBD product at your local grocers or supplements store, a new study warns.

    About 60% of CBD products tested in the lab also contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the chemical in pot that causes intoxication, researchers report in the journal

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • June 24, 2022
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  • Tension headaches can make you feel like a vice is squeezing your entire head, and if you're among the millions prone to these crushing headaches, a new study brings some welcome news.

    Acupuncture may help prevent tension

    Millions of people pop vitamins and supplements every day in hopes of staving off heart disease and cancer, but a new report finds the evidence to support that strategy is largely lacking.

    While there is some research showing that a daily multivitamin may slightly reduce cancer risk, the bigger pictur...

    Patients with advanced cancer often suffer crippling fatigue, but there has been little in the way of relief for them as they battle their disease.

    Now, a new investigation may have landed on a surprising solution -- a dummy pill that contains no medication of any kind.

    "Cancer-related fatig...

    It's a startling statistic: A new study finds the number of kids accidentally poisoned by the over-the-counter sleep aid melatonin has soared by 530% over the past decade.

    For most children, the overdose only causes excessive sleepiness, but for some it can result in hospitalization and even ...

    A middle-aged woman learned the hard way that herbal supplements can cause harm.

    The 56-year-old suffered a dangerous heart rhythm disorder after taking high doses of hemp oil containing CBD (cannabidiol), and CBG (cannabigerol) and berberine supplements. She told doctors she was using the supplements to help her manage a stressful work schedule.

    According to a new case study, she w...

    A dietary supplement believed to protect against Alzheimer's disease might instead be potentially harmful to the brain, a new study warns.

    L-serine is an amino acid that serves many different roles in the body, and one is to influence the development and function of synapses in the brain.

    Homeopathy's effectiveness may be significantly overestimated because most research supporting this form of complementary medicine is of poor quality, according to a new analysis.

    Homeopathy is a popular alternative t...

    Cannabidiol (CBD) products are wildly popular among older adults for treating chronic pain and anxiety, and a new poll suggests that nearly three-quarters of U.S. parents think CBD might also be a good option for their kids when other meds don't work.

    On the other hand, more than that - 83% - think

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  • February 21, 2022
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  • Women struggling with the change of life often head to the supplements section of their pharmacy to deal with menopause symptoms like hot flashes and sleeplessness.

    But experts say they'd be better off going to their doctor and asking for clinically proven treatments rather than relying on an herbal remedy.

    There's scant clinical evidence that supplements like black cohosh, soy isof...

    Americans have tossed and turned their way through the pandemic, and a new study shows they are increasingly turning to melatonin in an attempt to get some good rest.

    But the researchers also issued a warning, because some folks are using amounts that pose a risk to their health.

    In 2018, Americans were taking more than twice the amount of the over-the-counter sleep aid than a decad...

    Growing numbers of folks are turning to CBD or cannabis products to treat skin conditions like acne or rosacea, but researchers warn that the science on their safety and power hasn't kept up with demand.

    When more than 500 adults were asked about their use of CBD (cannabidiol) or marijuana, fully 17.6% said they used an over-the-counter

  • Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
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  • January 17, 2022
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  • Meditation done at an intense level may bring a significant boost to the inner workings of your immune system.

    The finding follows a blood sample analysis that took pre- and post-meditation snapshots of genetic activity among more than 100 men and women.

    That analysis suggested that

    Pandemic lockdowns may have led fewer Americans to seek pain treatment last year, but folks who did seek help had higher-than-usual odds of receiving dangerous opioid painkillers, a new study says.

    And that could lead to a worsening of the opioid epidemic, researchers suggest.

    "It is likely that more patients may have become addicted to opioids than would have been the case absent t...

    After knee replacement surgery, many patients experience a level of pain that has them reaching for prescription opioid painkillers. Now new research suggests that using acupuncture during the operation may help reduce that pain without raising the risk of addiction.

    "The opioid epidemic has been in the news and on our minds for years and has created an urgency for us to seek alternatives...

    Men with chronic pain from prostate inflammation may get lasting relief from acupuncture, a new clinical trial finds.

    At issue is a condition known as chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, in which the prostate gland becomes inflamed and nerves supplying the area are irritated. That can cause pain in the perineum, penis, scrotum and low belly, as well as urinary problems and s...

    Losing weight is hard, but many weight loss supplements promise to make the journey easy. Unfortunately, there's little high-quality research to back these claims, a new study shows.

    Hundreds of weight loss supplements like green tea extract, chitosan, guar gum and conjugated linoleic acid are being hawked by aggressive marketers. And an estimated 34% of Americans who want to lose weight ...

    You're getting no real benefit from taking weight-loss supplements like garcinia cambogia, green tea extract, glucomannan, conjugated linoleic acid or chitosan, two new reviews show.

    Most of the clinical trials studied didn't show these supplements producing any weight loss among users, the researchers said. In the rare cases where people did lose weight, they didn't drop enough pounds to...

    CBD is all the rage, and millions of people are turning to it for a host of reasons, including pain relief.

    But despite CBD's popularity and widespread use, new research finds it's actual benefits are less clear.

    The bottom line? CBD -- and your expectations about whether it will help (the "placebo effect") -- can make pain feel less bothersome, but it doesn't appear to reduce pain ...

    Mindfulness is all the rage when it comes to boosting mental health, but new research suggests that it may not help everyone equally.

    Practicing mindfulness meditation -- which involves paying close attention to what you are feeling in the moment -- may be better than doing nothing at all to improve anxiety, depression or lower stress, but it is not a cure-all and may not be any better th...

    A growing number of middle-aged women are turning to marijuana to help soothe symptoms of menopause, new research indicates.

    About one-third of older female U.S. veterans said they had either tried to treat their menopause symptoms with cannabis products or planned to experiment with marijuana in the future, according to results presented this week at the virtual annual meeting of the...