Integrative Medicine Alert
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Intravenous Nutrient Therapies — Worth the Cost?
Intravenous nutrient therapies are gaining in popularity to help patients maintain overall wellness, enhance weight loss, boost immune function, increase athletic performance, cure hangovers, and treat particular conditions. However, the increase in the use of these therapies in both healthy individuals and those with health conditions has not translated into increased published research studies investigating efficacy and safety.
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High-dose Biotin Shows Promise for Arresting Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Disability
In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients with primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis were randomized to receive 100 mg of pharmaceutical-grade biotin or placebo thrice daily for 12 months. The primary endpoint of an improvement in the Expanded Disability Status Scale or a decrease in timed 25-foot walk time was achieved in 12.6% of the biotin-treated patients compared to no one in the placebo group (P = 0.005).
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Do Facebook Friends Count — for Health and Longevity?
An observational examination of California Facebook users suggested this population has a lower mortality rate than non-Facebook users; the lowest mortality risk is for Facebook users who combine a moderate degree of online social interaction with high offline social activity.
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Mind-Body Intervention for Neurofibromatosis
Participants in a randomized, controlled trial of a videoconferencing mindfulness intervention for neurofibromatosis experienced improvement in measures of physical and psychological quality of life when compared to placebo.
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Free Probiotics for Winter Infections and Reducing Antibiotic Prescriptions
A randomized, controlled trial of recommendations that asthmatics (5 years of age and older) take free daily probiotics over a winter season failed to show any benefits in terms of antibiotic usage or overall respiratory health.
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Cranberries for Urinary Tract Infection
Cranberry capsules containing 72 mg of proanthocyanidins administered by mouth daily to women residing in nursing homes for one year did not have a significant effect on bacteriuria plus pyuria.
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Zinc Supplementation for Prediabetes
Thirty milligrams of zinc sulphate over six months improved a variety of metabolic parameters in a Bangladeshi population with prediabetes.
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Pediatrics: Diet Matters
Specific diets show evidence of efficacy in the treatment of several common pediatric disorders.
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Supplements Instead of Food? A Specific Case for Yes
A nutritional supplement helped malnourished nursing home residents gain weight and improve quality of life, more so than dietary advice and counseling.
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Chocolate Consumption and MI Risk
A prospective cohort study and confirmatory meta-analysis on Swedish adults determined chocolate consumption is associated with lower risk of myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease.