As use of herbal medicines continues to grow, supplement industry trade groups are implementing a number of self-regulation systems to try and improve the quality and reliability of botanical medicine products.
The federally funded clinical trials in natural medicine now underway are essential for evolution of the field, but they do not go far enough, according to Marc Micozzi, MD, PhD, director of the newly formed Policy Institute for Integrative Medicine. His goal is to translate findings from clinical trials into actionable public health policy.
Even mild elevations in blood and tissue acid levels may have detrimental effects over the long term. A growing body of research indicates that hyper-acidity, due largely to over-consumption of foods that are metabolized into acidic compounds, can contribute to osteoporosis, arthritis and inflammatory disease. A guide on how to shift diet toward alkalinizing foods, and a look at supplements that can help reverse acidic stress.
Exposure to sunlight, brisk exercise, and ample supplies of B vitamins can go a long way in reducing menopausal symptoms, regardless of whether a woman takes conventional or natural hormone therapy. The LEVITY program (Light, Exercise, and Vitamin Intervention Therapy) provides women with a multi-modal, hormone-free approach to controlling midlife symptoms.
“From diabetes to hypertension, cancer to drug addiction, stroke to intestinal motility, memory and learning disorders to septic shock, sunburn to anorexia, male impotence to tuberculosis, there is probably no pathological condition where nitric oxide does not play an important role.”
A brighter future awaits autistic children, as clinicians learn how to apply the tools of neurotransmitter assessment, detoxification protocols, and nutritional therapies to this increasingly common problem.
It’s not just what herbs you take but how you take them. The form in which an herb is taken has a big impact on its clinical effects. Teas, tinctures, decoctions, standardized extracts and pills containing the same herb may have somewhat different effects. Tieraona Low Dog, MD, a physician and herbalist, defines the different forms of herbal therapy and their merits and faults.
In the interest of drawing experienced medical researchers into the field of natural medicine research, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is offering a number of financial aids, including loan repayment programs and special stipends.
Recently, the Big Yellow Clown said “Bye-bye” to his longstanding habit of “supersizing,” and “Hello” to a new series of adult “Go Active Happy Meals.” But a closer look at those supposedly healthy alternatives reveal some facts that are hard to swallow.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to managing menopausal symptoms. The extent of symptoms and the ideal treatment strategy depends very much on an individual woman’s endocrine patterns. Women’s health experts including Tori Hudson, ND, and Marie Annette Brown, PhD, offer insights on individualizing treatment.
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