Alternative Medicine Review : a Journal of Clinical Therapeutic

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Copaiba oil-resin is widely used in traditional medicine due to its anti-inflammatory, healing, and antiseptic activities. This research aims to extract and evaluate the qualitative and quantitative composition of copaiba essential oil from the oil-resin, and test its effects, after incorporation in a gel applied in volunteers with acne, in a double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial. The essential oil was extracted by steam distillation, and purified by freezing to remove the residual remnant water. The density of the essential oil was gravimetrically determined by weighing 1 mL of liquid at 20 degree C...

INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to determine whether a three-week complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approach integrating several therapies from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) along with neural therapy (injection of 1% procaine as local anesthesia) reduces the level of unresolved pain associated with herpes zoster. METHODS: The design was a randomized controlled clinical trial in a community-based primary care clinic in Toronto, Ontario. We studied individuals 18 years of age and older with a confirmed diagnosis of herpes zoster of at least 30 days duration and with at least moderate postherpetic neuralgia pain (≥4) on a 10-point Likert scale...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of nutritional supplement therapy on oxidant-antioxidant status, inflammation and immune system responses, pulmonary function, and health-related quality of life in patients with mild to moderate allergic asthma. METHODS: Adult asthma patients (n=30) received daily multiple nutrient supplements for two months. Age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n=30) did not receive any supplements. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant status, malondialdehyde (MDA), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), immunoglobulin E (IgE) and T-lymphocyte subsets, pulmonary function indices, as well as scores for asthma control and quality of life, were assessed at baseline, at one month of treatment, and at two months of treatment, which was also the end of the study...

Echinacea preparations are extensively used for the prevention and the management of the common cold. Despite this popularity, the clinical studies on Echinacea have produced mixed results, possibly in part because of the poor characterization of the extracts investigated and the use of different species and/or plant parts for the preparations investigated in the various trials. To address this issue, Polinacea, a highly standardized extract from a well-defined botanical source (roots of Echinacea angustifolia) with a specific phytochemical profile (presence of the complex polysaccharide IDN5405, the phenylethanoid echinacoside, and substantial lack of alkamides) was developed...

Stress and anxiety have been implicated as contributors to many chronic diseases and to decreased quality of life, even with pharmacologic treatment. Efforts are underway to find non-pharmacologic therapies to relieve stress and anxiety, and yoga is one option for which results are promising. The focus of this review is on the results of human trials assessing the role of yoga in improving the signs and symptoms of stress and anxiety. Of 35 trials addressing the effects of yoga on anxiety and stress, 25 noted a significant decrease in stress and/or anxiety symptoms when a yoga regimen was implemented; however, many of the studies were also hindered by limitations, such as small study populations, lack of randomization, and lack of a control group...

The rates of asthma and allergy (Type 1 hypersensitivity disorders) have been increasing worldwide for the last few decades. Various theories have been proposed to account for this alarming trend. One of these is the impact of environmental toxicants. Epidemiological research has correlated exposure to environmental chemicals (such as pesticides, solvents, and air pollutants) with increasing rates of both asthma and allergies. Research has documented chemicals as causal agents capable of producing immune system imbalances characteristic of type 1 hypersensitivity...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Astaxanthin, a xanthophyll carotenoid, is a nutrient with unique cell membrane actions and diverse clinical benefits. This molecule neutralizes free radicals or other oxidants by either accepting or donating electrons, and without being destroyed or becoming a pro-oxidant in the process. Its linear, polar-nonpolar-polar molecular layout equips it to precisely insert into the membrane and span its entire width. In this position, astaxanthin can intercept reactive molecular species within the membrane's hydrophobic interior and along its hydrophilic boundaries...

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of L-theanine as an aid to the improvement of objectively measured sleep quality in a population of 98 male children formally diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted involving boys, ages 8-12 years, who had been previously diagnosed with ADHD. An experienced physician confirmed the diagnosis of ADHD in each subject...

BACKGROUND: A tea made from Eucommia ulmoides leaves and bark is part of the Japanese diet. Eucommia is an herbal medicine that, by increasing nitric oxide, reduced blood pressure (BP) in rats and humans in an uncontrolled clinical trial. OBJECTIVE: A controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate an aqueous bark extract of Eucommia standardized to eight percent pinoresinol di-beta-D-glucoside (PG) for BP reduction in humans. METHODS: Study 1: Twenty-four healthy adult subjects with a BP between 120-160/80-100 mmHg were randomized to Eucommia extract 500 mg three times daily for eight weeks...

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed childhood disorder characterized by impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity. ADHD affects up to 1 in 20 children in the United States. The underlying etiologies of ADHD may be heterogeneous and diverse, and many possible risk factors in the development of ADHD have been identified. Conventional treatment usually consists of behavioral accommodations and medication, with stimulant medication most commonly being prescribed. Parents concerned about the side effects and long-term use of conventional medications are increasingly seeking alternatives to pharmacologic treatment...

Mercury (Hg) occurs naturally in the environment and has been used in numerous medicinal, commercial, and industrial applications over many centuries. Also, it has played significant historical, as well as current, ethno-medical and magico-religious roles in a number of different cultures. In recent times, awareness has emerged that exposure to mercury can have serious adverse health consequences. Accompanying this, contamination of the environment by mercury is causing public health and environmental concerns...

Rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), both in the United States and worldwide, have been rising at an alarming rate over the last two decades. Because this disease is viewed as primarily being attributable to unhealthy lifestyle habits, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on encouraging increased exercise, better dietary habits, and weight loss. Recent studies reveal that the presence of several persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can confer greater risk for developing the disease than some of the established lifestyle risk factors...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

A 53-year-old female presented with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Additional conditions and symptoms included Raynaud syndrome, fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome associated constipation (IBS-C), gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), menopausal symptoms, chronic urinary tract and upper respiratory infections, and weight gain. She was taking Arthrotec (a combination of diclofenac and misoprostol - for pain and inflammation), Fosamax Plus D (alendronate with vitamin D3 - recently prescribed because of low bone density), and Catapres (clonidine - for menopausal symptoms)...

Silymarin, a flavonolignan derived from Silybum marianum, possesses diverse pharmacological activities, including hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and cardioprotective. Although clinical trials have shown silymarin is safe at high doses (>1500 mg/day) in humans, the pharmacokinetic studies over the past three decades related to absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of silymarin have revealed poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and ultimately poor oral bioavailability...