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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: alternative medicine

alternative medicine stories: 10 news summaries
OPINION

Huffington Post: A Hotbed of Junk Medicine

Unpaid bloggers push enemas for swine flu, vaccine hokum

Jul 30, 09 7:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - During the height of swine flu panic, a Huffington Post blogger advised dumping the Tamiflu and sticking with "deep-cleansing enemas," which will supposedly keep you influenza-free and help you lose weight, too. HuffPo is a hotbed of junk medicine, Dr. Rahul K. Parikh writes in Salon, with... More »

MORE ABOUT:
vaccination • Arianna Huffington • alternative medicine • Huffington Post • blogs • junk science • swine flu

Anti-Chemo Dad: Son, Wife Have Left US

Says family would accept low doses with alternative treatment

May 20, 09 2:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - The father of a Minnesota 13-year-old ordered to undergo cancer treatment says his son and wife have fled the US, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. “I have an opinion where they are, but I can’t say I know,” said Anthony Hauser, noting that wife Colleen’s disappearance... More »

MORE ABOUT:
cancer • flight • chemotherapy • alternative medicine • Hodgkin's disease • Daniel Hauser • Colleen Hauser • Anthony Hauser

 Study: Even 'Fake' 
 Acupuncture 
  Eases Back Pain 

Back pain sufferers reported less pain with or without needles being used

May 12, 09 9:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Acupuncture without the puncture helped relieve back pain in a new study, Reuters reports. Researchers divided patients with chronic back pain into several groups and discovered that the groups who received conventional acupuncture with needles and those who received simulated acupuncture with toothpicks reported greater—and almost identical—pain relief... More »

MORE ABOUT:
acupuncture • alternative medicine • back pain • pain relief • Chinese medicine

 Placenta Drip: 
 Fad or Fantastic? 

Afterbirth consumption risky, unproven to boost health

Dec 30, 08 2:47 PM CST
(Newser) - Feeling tired? A Tokyo clinic offers relaxation drips containing human placental extract as a pick-me-up. Long used by the Japanese to treat liver disease and menopause symptoms, placenta—with its immune molecules and nutrients that sustain the fetus during pregnancy—is symbolic, if not utterly scientific. The idea of a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Japan • aging • birth • placenta • fatigue • alternative medicine • experimental drugs

Economy, Science Take Toll on Cold Remedies 

Use of supplements continues steady fall

Dec 29, 08 2:48 PM CST
(Newser) - Americans looking to save money are increasingly doing without alternative therapies for colds, MSNBC reports. The popularity of supplements like zinc, echinacea, and Vitamin C have waned in recent years, in part due to studies that have questioned their effectiveness. The percentage of Americans using them fell from 9.5%... More »

MORE ABOUT:
FTC • alternative medicine • cough medicine • cold • cold cure • coughing • dietary supplement

Pentagon's New Painkiller:
Ancient Chinese Medicine

Military doctors will start training medics in 'battlefield acupressure'

Dec 11, 08 1:00 PM CST
(Newser) - US Air Force doctors deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan next year will have a new medical weapon in their arsenal: acupuncture. Military physicians, pleased with the success of treating wounded troops at home, will begin teaching battlefield medics how to fight severe or chronic pain by inserting tiny needles under... More »

MORE ABOUT:
military • chronic pain • acupuncture • alternative medicine • US Air Force

 Move Over, Apples: 
 It's a Mandarin a Day Now 

Satsumas provide natural antihistamine for colds and allergies

Nov 20, 08 11:44 AM CST
(Newser) - Satsuma mandarin oranges from northern California’s Placer County aren’t in the medicine aisle, but the citrus packs a potent dose of a natural antihistamine that can relieve cold and allergy symptoms, the Sacramento Bee reports. A study found that a glassful of the fruit’s juice has six... More »

MORE ABOUT:
agriculture • California • allergy • cold medicine • alternative medicine • antihistamine • mandarin • satsuma mandarin • synephrine

Patients Could Polish Their Bedside Manner, Docs Say

Lousy rapport impairs treatment, survey finds

Sep 27, 08 2:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - Odds are you're annoying your doctor, according to a Canadian study that asked nearly 300 physicians about their daily frustrations. As the Globe and Mail reports, many had difficulty establishing rapports with patients, who routinely resisted or flouted their advice —which can lead to patient safety problems. “When... More »

MORE ABOUT:
medicine • drugs • patient • communication • doctor • alternative medicine

Cold 'Remedy' Firm Settles
Suit for $23M

Airborne ends class action with promise of consumer refunds

Mar 4, 08 3:10 PM CST
(Newser) - Herbal supplement company Airborne will pay $23.3 million to settle a class-action suit alleging false advertising but won't say it did anything wrong, CNNMoney reports. At issue was the company's claim its pills could cure colds. Airborne denies “any wrongdoing or illegal conduct,” but it will give... More »

MORE ABOUT:
drugs • immune system • lawsuit • common cold • herbal medicine • false advertising • alternative medicine • Airborne • refund

'Nose Bidet' Gives Sinuses Alt Relief

'Stuffy' people turning to ancient Indian neti pots to clear nasal passages

Jan 6, 08 3:56 PM CST
(Newser) - Sufferers of stuffy sinuses are turning to an ancient remedy to clear their nasal passages: the neti pot. Also called the "nose bidet," the neti pot is filled with non-iodized salt water, the spout is placed in one nostril, and water is poured in and streamed out the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
health • yoga • meditation • neti pot • sinuses • nasal passages • alternative medicine

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