Integrative Medicine

Use Caution With Ayurvedic Products

2008-10-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

FDA Consumer Update
Use Caution With Ayurvedic Products
http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/ayurvedic101608.html

Aromatherapy Falls Short, Study Finds

2008-03-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

It didn't heal wounds, relieve pain or boost immune status

HealthDay

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Researchers are reporting that two of the most commonly used scents in aromatherapy do nothing to heal wounds, relieve pain or enhance immune status, although one did briefly improve mood.

In fact, in some cases, distilled water showed more of a salutary effect, the study found.

To read this medical news, please go to MedlinePlus News at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_61886.html

Music Therapy Improves Stroke Outcomes

2008-02-26T08:14:00.000-08:00

Study finds enhanced alertness, mood in those who listened just a few hours a day

HealthDay
By Robert Preidt
Wednesday, February 20, 2008

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Listening to music for a few hours a day can help boost a stroke patient's early recovery, according to Finnish researchers.

Their study of 54 patients who'd suffered a stroke of the right or left hemisphere middle cerebral artery found that those who listened to music for a few hours a day showed better improvements in verbal memory and focused attention, and had a more positive mood than those who listened to audio books or listened to nothing at all. To read the detail of the study, please go to MedlinePlus News at: <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_61381.html>

UCI Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine Colloquium Lecture

2008-02-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

The Colloquium Lecture for Today from 4:30 – 5:30, has been canceled. The speaker has just learned of a family emergency and must fly out of the country tonight. We are unable to make other arrangements due to the short notice.

Presents
Tahseen Mozaffar, MD
Associate Professor (Neurology)
Director, UC Irvine Neuromuscular Program
Director, UC Irvine-MDA ALS and Neuromuscular Center

“Economic Burden from the use of Complementary and Alternative Methods of Treatment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is often a fatal neurodegenerative disorder. There are no effective cures for this disease and in majority of cases there is relentless progression of symptoms and signs. Average survival from the time diagnosis is given is roughly around 36 months. The purpose of this study was to study the pattern of use of complementary and alternative methods of treatment in this disorder. We then wanted to calculate the economic costs associated with such use and the factors surrounding use of these methods in ALS.

Thursday, March 6th, 2008
4:30 – 5:30 pm

Hitachi Conference Room, Plumwood House, UCI Campus

This talk and opportunity for discussion is part of a monthly series offered by the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine. Additional information: http://www.sscim.uci.edu or 949-824-5763.

Study Suggests Glucosamine Won't Ease Hip Arthritis

2008-02-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

Research adds to debate on the supplement but doesn't settle it, one expert says

MONDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Glucosamine sulfate, a popular dietary supplement purported to ease the pain and inflammation of arthritis, does not seem to help people with arthritis in their hips.

For more detail about the study, please go to MedlinePlus news at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_61289.html

Harnessing the Mind to Manage Irritable Bowel Syndrome

2008-02-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

Cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnosis may help ease symptoms, research shows

HealthDay

Friday, February 15, 2008

FRIDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- When drugs and dietary changes don't provide relief from the pain, bloating and other unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, patients may want to try a different approach.

Detail can be found at MedlinePlus news: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_61234.html

HealthDay

Copyright (c) 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Frontiers in the Integration of Eastern and Western Medicine

2008-01-26T21:45:00.000-08:00

Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine

Presents
Shin Lin, PhD
Professor of Cell Biology, Neuroscience, & Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Lin is on the faculty of the Samueli Center and a long-time collaborator with researchers at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He is currently a member of the National Advisory Council on Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine and the journal Chinese Medicine.

“Frontiers in the Integration of Eastern and Western Medicine”

After a brief introduction to the fundamental differences between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine, Dr. Lin will give an overview of how modern biomedical technologies are applied in the mechanistic research on herbal medicine and Eastern mind-body practices. This will be followed by examples of the integrative use of Eastern and Western therapies to treat complicated diseases such as diabetes and cancer, and an inside look into some of the largest and most advanced hospitals for integrative medicine in China.

Thursday, February 7th, 2008
4:30 – 5:30 pm

Hitachi Conference Room, Plumwood House, UCI Campus

This talk and opportunity for discussion is part of a monthly series offered by the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine. Additional information: http://www.sscim.uci.edu/ or contact Jodi Montano at jymontan@uci.edu
949-824-0087

Lack of Vitamin E Linked to Physical Decline --Age, but not other vitamins, also associated with poor physical function

2008-01-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

HealthDay

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

TUESDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- If you don't get enough vitamin E in your diet, you may have a greater risk of declining physical function as you age, according to the findings of a new study.

Yale researchers report that people with the lowest blood levels of vitamin E have about 60 percent greater odds of a decline in physical function when compared to people with the highest levels of vitamin E.

"Low plasma levels of vitamin E are associated with subsequent decline in physical function," said the study's lead author, Benedetta Bartali, a nutritionist and a Brown-Coxe postdoctoral fellow at Yale University's School of Medicine.

"As an antioxidant, vitamin E may prevent or reduce the propagation of free radicals in our body, and this may help to reduce muscle or DNA damage and the development, for example, of atherosclerosis and other pathologic conditions," Bartali said, although she added that this study wasn't designed to identify the reasons why vitamin E might be helpful.

Results of the study are published in the Jan. 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In the past, it was believed that vitamin E could help prevent serious illness, such as heart disease or Alzheimer's. However, more current research found that excess levels of vitamin E, rather than being helpful, could actually be harmful. For that reason, it's recommended that people don't take more than 400 I.U.'s [International Units] of vitamin E daily. And the recommended daily dose is significantly lower than that -- 15 milligrams or 22.5 I.U.'s daily for anyone over the age of 15, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Because poor nutrition has been associated with physical decline in older people, Bartali and her colleagues randomly selected almost 700 adults over age 65 from an ongoing longitudinal study in Tuscany, Italy. They reviewed blood tests to ascertain vitamin levels and reviewed data from physical function exams completed at the start of the study and at the three-year follow-up.

After adjusting the data to account for other factors that could contribute to physical decline, such as smoking or a lack of physical activity, the researchers found two factors were significantly associated with a greater chance of experiencing physical decline -- age and low levels of vitamin E. Levels of B vitamins, vitamin D and iron didn't increase the odds of physical decline, according to the study.

Being older than 81 years increased the odds of physical decline by 84 percent, and low levels of vitamin E in people between the ages of 70 and 80 increased the odds of physical decline by 60 percent, according to the study.

"Because only one person in our study used vitamin E supplements, our results suggest that an appropriate dietary intake of vitamin E may help to reduce the decline in physical function among older persons. Whether the use of vitamin E supplements would yield similar beneficial effects is unknown," Bartali said.

Dr. Kanwardeep Singh, a geriatric specialist at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, said that while this is a very well-done study, it's difficult to "take the effect of age out of what we are trying to identify."

For now, he said, "I would not recommend vitamin E supplements. My recommendations would be based on a good nutritious diet, with adequate caloric intake and adequate exercise. These will take you far beyond vitamin E supplements" in maintaining physical function.

HealthDay

Copyright (c) 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

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2nd Annual Conference on Nutrition & Supplements

2008-01-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

The Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine will hold the “2nd Annual Conference on Nutrition & Supplements: An Evidence-Based Approach” Saturday - Sunday, March 1 - 2, 2008, at the Hilton Irvine/Orange County Airport. Scheduled keynote speaker is Paul Coates, Office of Dietary Supplements director, National Institutes of Health. Conference brochure and more information are available online at http://www.sscim.uci.edu/index_2col.asp?page=16 .

Discounts are available for early registration, full-time students and UCI faculty & staff.

Drink a Little, Stay Active, Save Your Heart

2008-01-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

The combination could add years to your life, Danish researchers find

HealthDayWednesday, January 9, 2008
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking in moderation and keeping physically active is the formula for keeping heart disease at bay, Danish researchers report.
In fact, people who didn't drink and weren't physically active had a 30 percent to 49 percent higher risk of developing heart disease than people who drank, exercised or did both.
"This study is consistent with a number of prior studies which have shown that leisure-time physical activity and moderate alcohol consumption are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality," said Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"However, it is very important to note that these findings, especially with regards to alcohol consumption, have never been confirmed in randomized clinical trials and need to be before any recommendations can be made regarding the use of alcohol for cardiovascular risk reduction," Fonarow cautioned.
In the study, Morten Gronbaek, director of research at the National Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen and his colleagues collected data on 11,914 Danish men and women aged 20 and older who took part in the Copenhagen City Heart Study.
During an average of 20 years follow-up, 1,242 people died from heart disease and 5,901 died from other causes, according to the report in the Jan. 9 issue of the European Heart Journal.
Among both men and women, being physically active was associated with a significantly lower risk for fatal heart disease and dying from any other cause compared with being physically inactive.
In addition, drinking was associated with a lower risk of fatal heart disease than not drinking. Moderate drinking reduced the risk of death among men and women. However, among heavy drinkers the risk of dying was similar to non-drinkers, the researchers found.
Among people who were physical active, those who didn't drink had a 30 percent to 31 percent higher risk of fatal heart disease compared with moderate drinkers.
However, among people who didn't drink but had a moderate or high level of physical activity, their risk of fatal heart disease was reduced up to 33 percent compared to those who didn't exercise or drink.
In fact, those who had at least one drink a week and were physically active had a 44 percent to 50 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who were physically inactive and didn't drink.
Moreover, people who were physically active and had a drink a week had up to a 33 percent lower risk of dying from any cause, Gronbaek's group found.
"Physical activity and a moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of fatal heart disease and all-cause mortality. But neither physical activity alone nor alcohol intake can completely reverse the increased risk associated with physical inactivity and alcohol abstention. Thus, both physical activity and alcohol intake are important to lower the risk of fatal heart disease and all-cause mortality," the researchers concluded.
One expert sees physical activity and moderate drinking as parts of a healthy lifestyle.
"The key messages of this study, based on a large cohort, are reaffirmations of what we already know, not revelations," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine. "Moderate alcohol intake reduces the risk of heart disease. Moderate physical activity does so, too, and even more powerfully. Combine the two, and the benefits are additive."
However, Katz stressed that practices that promote health are most powerful when combined into an overall pattern of healthful living.
"Combing regular physical activity with not just moderate alcohol intake, but a healthful dietary pattern, adequate sleep, effective management of stress, and avoidance of tobacco, and you can slash your risk of heart disease and premature death from any cause, dramatically," Katz said.HealthDayCopyright (c) 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Integrative Medicine Newsletter

2008-01-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2008 Natural Standard
January 2008
In This Issue

Weight Loss Tips
Beer for Alzheimer's
Leadership In Green Helath Care
Integrated Breathing and Relaxation Training for Asthma
Food for the Heart
Leadership and Business Strategies for Integrative Health Care
Faith and Family Caregiving
Salt and Longevity
Inside Natural Standard

Natural Standard provides high quality, evidence-based information about complementary and alternative therapies, diets, exercise and nutrition. For more information, please visit http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BU91DwmbaPZrDDd3fB9UgtkaC1GFxTg2iuhZeQo3awQNyDID_7MzqIbEQSXfH9LsDVU90oqORd6RBTLBBeHuAxosQJc-9GqN_6S8r5QIwC5LVxX0kLFCKA==

Integrative Health Symposium: Early registration ends Jan. 16

2008-01-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

Innovision Health Media is a media sponsor of this important event and encourages you to attend. We’ll be in booth #217 and hope to see you there!The Integrative Healthcare Symposium is right around the corner, taking place January 17-19, 2008 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. Register by January 16th to take advantage of pre-event discounts – click here to see the discounts and to register:Don’t miss out on your opportunity to share best practices, network, and learn about the latest trends, research, clinical trials, protocols and resources in the industry with other practitioners at the Integrative Healthcare Symposium. For the full conference schedule, click here:This program has been approved by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) for 17.0 Contact Hours, CERP Category O, File number 00014179; Naturopathic Physician CE Credits are sponsored by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP); Acupuncture/Oriental Medicine Continuing Education Units/Professional Activity Development Points are sponsored by Pacific College of Oriental Medicine through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine; and 20.0 Chiropractic Continuing Education Credits are sponsored by New York Chiropractic College.P.S. Register by January 16th at www.ihsymposium.com for pre-event discounts!

Music may help patients with lung disease exercise

2007-12-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 19, 2007
By David Douglas
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - By distracting lung disease patients from their breathing symptoms, music delivered via headphones may help them achieve the recommended exercise goals, according to German researchers.
"Our findings show the important influence of psychological aspects on how patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) perceive" their shortness of breath, lead investigator Dr. Andreas von Leupoldt told Reuters Health.
COPD refers to two types of main lung disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Although the diseases differ in some ways, the main problem with both is that the patient has difficulty moving air into and out of the lungs. Both diseases are strongly linked to smoking.
In the medical journal Chest, von Leupoldt, of the University of Hamburg, and colleagues point out that although psychological factors can influence the perception of shortness of breath, little is known about the potential impact of distracting stimuli.
To investigate further, the researchers studied 20 patients with mild to severe COPD who underwent two 6-minute walk tests. In one they were outfitted with MP3 players and headphones, but no music was played. During the other, they listened to "upbeat" classical or pop music.
A similar exercise level was achieved during both of the tests and the intensity of shortness of breath was perceived to be the same. However, scores for unpleasantness of the symptoms showed less of an increase during the music session.
The researchers note that shortness of breath is the primary symptom limiting exercise in these patients and often causes the patient to avoid physical activity, loss of muscle tone and strength, and increases in shortness of breath.
These findings suggest, concluded von Leupoldt, "that in addition to physiological treatments, psychological interventions can help alleviate the burden of (shortness of breath) in these patients."
SOURCE: Chest, November 2007.
Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Related MedlinePlus Pages:
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/copdchronicobstructivepulmonarydisease.html
Date last updated: 20 December 2007

Moderate exercise may stall vascular dementia

2007-12-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 19, 2007
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who regularly walk for exercise may help lower their risk of vascular dementia, the second-most common form of this disorder after Alzheimer's disease, a study published Wednesday suggests.
In a group of 749 adults who were 65 years of age or older, the Italian researchers found that those who regularly walked or got other forms of moderate exercise were less likely to develop vascular dementia over the next 4 years.
Compared with their sedentary counterparts, active adults had about one quarter the risk of developing vascular dementia. Vascular dementia is caused by an impaired blood flow to the brain. Blockages that narrow the blood vessels supplying the brain or complete blockages that cause a stroke, may also lead to vascular dementia. People with conditions that damage blood vessels throughout the body -- such as high blood pressure or diabetes -- are also at increased risk.
The new findings, published in the online edition of the journal Neurology, build on evidence that lifestyle habits are important in dementia risk. A number of studies have suggested that the same habits that are good for the heart -- such as a healthy diet and regular exercise -- may benefit the aging brain as well.
Although moderate exercise had no effect on Alzheimer's disease, the findings do not mean that exercise has no effect on the risk of Alzheimer's, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Giovanni Ravaglia of the University Hospital S. Orsola-Malpighi in Bologna.
The study included Italian adults with no evidence of mental decline at the outset. The patients were interviewed about their physical activity levels, medical history and any depression symptoms, among other health factors.
Over the next 4 years, 86 study participants were diagnosed with dementia, including 27 with vascular dementia.
Ravaglia's team found that, compared with participants who walked the least often at the study's start, those who logged the most miles were 73-percent less likely to develop vascular dementia.
Similarly, those who got the most moderate exercise of any type -- such as gardening, bicycling and housework -- had a 76 percent lower risk of vascular dementia.
Exercise may benefit mental functioning for a number of reasons, according to the researchers. Aside from improving blood from improving the blood flow to the brain, it may also stimulate the release of key brain chemicals, and enhance the development of new nerve cells or the connections among those cells.
It's also possible, Ravaglia and his colleagues note, that an active lifestyle helps protect the aging brain by keeping older adults mentally stimulated and socially active.
In general, experts advise that all healthy adults try to accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week. Older adults who want to start a new exercise routine should talk with their doctors first.
SOURCE: Neurology, online December 19, 2007.
Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Related MedlinePlus Pages:
Dementia - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dementia.html
Exercise for Seniors - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseforseniors.html
Date last updated: 20 December 2007

Green tea may reduce prostate cancer risk

2007-12-23T17:00:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, December 19, 2007
TOKYO (Reuters) - Drinking green tea may reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer, according to a study by researchers at Japan's National Cancer Center.
According to the report, men who drank five or more cups a day might halve the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer compared with those who drank less than one cup a day.
"This does not mean that people who drink green tea are guaranteed to have reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer," said Norie Kurahashi, a scientist who took part in the study.
"We are just presenting our results. But the study does point to the hope that green tea reduces the risk of advanced prostate cancer."
Prostate cancer is much less common among Asian men than Western men, and that may be partly due to the effects of the high consumption of green tea in Asia, the study said.
But it said further studies are needed to confirm the preventive effects of green tea on prostate cancer, including well-designed clinical trials.
The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, compiled data from 50,000 men aged 40-69 over a period of up to 14 years from 1990.
British charity Cancer Research UK says on its Web site that a study of almost 20,000 Japanese men published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2006 found no relationship between green tea and prostate cancer.
Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Related MedlinePlus Pages:
Antioxidants - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antioxidants.html
Prostate Cancer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/prostatecancer.html
Date last updated: 20 December 2007

CME on Nutrition & Supplements

2007-12-21T23:46:00.000-08:00

"2nd Annual Conference on Nutrition & Supplements: An Evidence - Based Approach" Continuing Medical Education ConferenceMARCH 1 - 2, 2008
Hilton Irvine/ Orange County Airport, Irvine, CA

Brochure: http://www.sscim.uci.edu/content/medical_edu/E-brochureCME08.pdf

The University of California, Irvine School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s). Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.CEU Pending Approval

Samueli Center Colloquium Lecture - January 3rd

2007-12-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

UCI Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine presents
Ronald Boyer, MD
President of the Center for Education and Development of Clinical Homeopathy, a subsidiary of the International Foundation for Clinical Homeopathy, Medical Director, Boiron Institute

“Practical Introduction to the use of
Homeopathic Medicines in Women’s Health”

Dr Boyer will discuss the use of homeopathic medicine in the treatment of PMS, Cystitis, and hot flashes. He will talk about the daily practice and regulation of homeopathic drugs. Learn how to treat common pathologies with homeopathic medicines.

Thursday, January 3rd, 2008
4:30 – 5:30 pm

Hitachi Conference Room, Plumwood House, UCI Campus

This talk and opportunity for discussion is part of a monthly series offered by the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine. Additional information: http://www.sscim.uci.edu or contact Jodi Montano at jymontan@uci.edu
949-824-008