Antibiotics are commonly used to treat sinusitis, but a new clinical trial has found that a placebo works just as well.

Scientists randomized 166 adults, all of whom met the diagnostic criteria for sinusitis, to receive the antibiotic amoxicillin or a placebo three times a day for 10 days. On the third, seventh and tenth days, the participants recorded their symptoms.

There was no significant difference between the two groups in the amounts of time missed from work or everyday activities, relapse or recurrence rates, adverse effects or satisfaction with the treatment. Nor was there any difference in self-reported improvement in symptoms, except on the seventh day, when 74 percent of those taking amoxicillin reported improvement, compared with 56 percent of those on the placebo.

The authors acknowledge that it is possible that not all patients in the study had bacterial sinusitis, since the diagnosis is made clinically, not by a laboratory test. (Antibiotics, of course, are ineffective against a viral infection.)

“I hope that the results here will give doctors evidence to use in discussions with patients about avoiding unnecessary antibiotic treatment,” said the lead author, Dr. Jane M. Garbutt of Washington University in St. Louis.

The study appeared last week in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Original published story ran here: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/health/research/in-sinusitis-antibiotics-are-as-effective-as-placebos-study-finds.html?_r=1&ref=science

In late 2011, the Swiss government's report on homeopathic medicine represents the most comprehensive evaluation of homeopathic medicine ever written by a government

It is therefore not surprising that more than 50 percent of the Swiss population surveyed prefer a hospital that provides CAM treatments rather to one that is limited to conventional medical care.

Beginning in 1998, the government of Switzerland decided to broaden its national health insurance to include certain complementary and alternative medicines, including homeopathic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, anthroposophic medicine, and neural therapy. This reimbursement was provisional while the Swiss government commissioned an extensive study on these treatments to determine if they were effective and cost-effective. The provisional reimbursement for these alternative treatments ended in 2005, but as a result of this new study, the Swiss government's health insurance program once again began to reimburse for homeopathy and select alternative treatments. In fact, as a result of a national referendum in which more than two-thirds of voters supported the inclusion of homeopathic and select alternative medicines in Switzerland's national health care insurance program, the field of complementary and alternative medicine has become a part of this government's constitution (Dacey, 2009; Rist, Schwabl, 2009).

Read the full article by Dana Ullman here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/homeopathic-medicine-_b_1258607.html

Ray Lewis reaches into the black leather briefcase on the floor in front of his locker and pulls out a clear plastic bag.

It is show-and-tell time.

Stamped "P.M.," the bag is filled with multicolored vitamin supplements. Before noon, the iconic Baltimore Ravens linebacker already had consumed a protein shake, egg whites, an apple, 2 gallons of water and a similar bag of "A.M." supplements.

Lewis, 36, is explaining why he believes he has survived 16 NFL seasons -- and still is playing at a Pro Bowl level as the Ravens prepare for Sunday's AFC divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans -- in such a physically demanding sport.

In addition to a relentless year-round conditioning regimen and aggressive therapy for the toe injury that sidelined him for four games this season, Lewis estimates he swallows 50 pills a day.

Then the veteran, hardly ready to declare this playoff run a prelude to retirement, reaches into the briefcase to show off his afternoon snack -- another apple.

"I'm watching these guys, with their cheeseburgers and stuff," he says. "And you're going to compete against me? Even if you're younger and faster, your fuel won't let you beat me."

His obsession for healthy eating is notorious in the locker room.

"His diet is so ridiculous, even the people around him have to adjust," linebacker Terrell Suggs says. "It's crazy. Last week, I'm eating a bag of chips, and he throws 'em away."

Lewis is a fish-and-vegetable man who hasn't touched pork in 12 years and has eaten beef twice during that span. He also doesn't drink soda or eat bread or sugar -- except for scant exceptions. Like his cheat snacks, Twizzlers and Gummy Bears.

Conversations with Lewis -- a passionate, spiritual man and maybe the greatest middle linebacker ever -- can branch into myriad directions...

Read More: http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=12130&Section=VITAMINS

The research team found that dihydromyricetin blocks the action of alcohol on the brain and neurons and also reduces voluntary alcohol consumption, with no major side effects, in an early study with rats. Specifically, dihydromyricetin inhibited alcohol's effect on the brain's GABAA receptors, specific sites targeted by chemicals from brain cells. Alcohol normally enhances the GABAA receptors' influence in slowing brain cell activity, reducing the ability to communicate and increasing sleepiness - common symptoms of drunkenness.

The next stage of the research will involve human clinical trials, the researchers said.

IMPACT:

The research team determined that dihydromyricetin may provide a molecular target and cellular mechanism to counteract alcohol intoxication and dependence, leading to new therapeutic treatments - all based on an ancient "folk medicine" treatment that has been used by humans for at least 500 years.

Alcohol use disorders are the most common form of substance abuse, affecting more than 76 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Only an estimated 13 percent of people identified as having an alcohol use disorder receive medical treatment, partly due to a lack of effective medications without major side effects. Although alcohol impacts most organ systems, its effect on the brain in developing intoxicating, sedative and addictive properties is critical.

Keywords: Central Nervous System, University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences.

This article was prepared by Clinical Trials Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2012, Clinical Trials Week via NewsRx.com.

from Everyday Health 

MONDAY, Jan. 23, 2012 — A British company has submitted the first drug developed from marijuana to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval. Called Sativex and administered in oral spray form, the drug contains two of the best-known components of marijuana, delta-9-THC (better known as just THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) and cannabidiol, which has been found to have pain-fighting properties.

Sativex has already been approved in Canada, New Zealand, and eight European nations (including the United Kingdom) for relieving muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis. According to the Associated Press, the developers of the drug, GW Pharmaceuticals, are hoping to have the drug on the U.S. market by 2013, with an indication for treating cancer pain.

If Sativex is approved in the United States, it could increase pressure on the government to encourage American companies to develop other drugs based on marijuana. A synthetic version of THC, Marinol (dronabinol), is FDA-approved to treatchemotherapy side effects like nausea and vomiting, as well as loss of appetite and weight loss in people with AIDS.

But medical marijuana advocates, like the group Americans for Safe Access (ASA), are worried that having more prescription products available will give the government justification to prohibit marijuana use. Speaking to the Associated Press, Kris Hermes of the ASA said, "To the extent that companies can produce effective medication that utilizes the components of the plant, that's great. But that should not be the exclusive access for people who want to be able to use medical marijuana."

According to a 2011 Institute of Medicine report, about a third of all Americans, or more than 116 million people, are currently living with chronic pain. But despite many studies showing the benefits of medical marijuana in helping pain patients, its use is still a hot topic in the United States — most recently in California, where the state's supreme court will review whether cities and counties can ban medical marijuana stores, despite the drug's legalization there.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/ pain-management/0123/a-marijuana-based-spray-for-pain-treatment-seeks-fda-approval.aspx

from the NY TIMES: 

Their experiment required having people exercise to exhaustion and undergo five incisions in their legs in order to obtain muscle tissue for analysis. Despite the hurdles, the scientists still managed to find 11 brave young male volunteers. The study was published in the Feb. 1 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

On a first visit, they biopsied one leg of each subject at rest. At a second session, they had them vigorously exercise on a stationary bicycle for more than an hour until they could go no further. Then they massaged one thigh of each subject for 10 minutes, leaving the other to recover on its own. Immediately after the massage, they biopsied the thigh muscle in each leg again. After allowing another two-and-a-half hours of rest, they did a third biopsy to track the process of muscle injury and repair.

Vigorous exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, leading to an immune reaction — inflammation — as the body gets to work repairing the injured cells. So the researchers screened the tissue from the massaged and unmassaged legs to compare their repair processes, and find out what difference massage would make.

They found that massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair. “The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky.

 

Read the full original article here: 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/how-massage-heals-sore-muscles/

Tai Chi helps ease Parkinson's Disease Symptoms: 

NEW YORK -- The ancient Chinese exercise of tai chi improved balance and lowered the risk of falls in a study of people with Parkinson's disease.

Symptoms of the brain disorder include tremors and stiff, jerky movements that can affect walking and other activities. Medications and surgery can help, and doctors often recommend exercise or physical therapy.

Tai chi (ty-CHEE'), with its slow, graceful movements, has been shown to improve strength and aid stability in older people, and has been studied for a number of ailments. In the latest study, led by Fuzhong Li of the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene, tai chi was tested in 195 people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's.

The participants attended twice-weekly group classes of either tai chi or two other kinds of exercise – stretching and resistance training, which included steps and lunges with ankle weights and a weighted vest.

The tai chi routine was tailored for the Parkinson's patients, with a focus on "swing and sway" motions and weight-shifting, said Li, who practices tai chi and teaches instructors.

After six months of classes, the tai chi group did significantly better than the stretching group in tests of balance, control, walking and other measures. Compared with resistance training, the tai chi group did better in balance, control and stride, and about the same in other tests.

Tai chi training was better than stretching in reducing falls, and as effective as resistance training, the researchers reported. The improvements in the tai chi group continued during three months of follow-up.

Li said the study showed tai chi was safe. It's easy to learn, and there's no special equipment, he added.

 But something else has been lost as well; general well being and health of many who occupy an isolated community bereft of diversity, exercise and social interaction. 

From the NY Times: 

Developers in the last half-century called it progress when they built homes and shopping malls far from city centers throughout the country, sounding the death knell for many downtowns. But now an alarmed cadre of public health experts say these expanded metropolitan areas have had a far more serious impact on the people who live there by creating vehicle-dependent environments that foster obesity, poor health, social isolation, excessive stress and depression.

As a result, these experts say, our “built environment” — where we live, work, play and shop — has become a leading cause of disability and death in the 21st century. Physical activity has been disappearing from the lives of young and old, and many communities are virtual “food deserts,” serviced only by convenience stores that stock nutrient-poor prepared foods and drinks.

According to Dr. Richard J. Jackson, professor and chairman of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, unless changes are made soon in the way many of our neighborhoods are constructed, people in the current generation (born since 1980) will be the first in America to live shorter lives than their parents do.

Although a decade ago urban planning was all but missing from public health concerns, a sea change has occurred. At a meeting of the American Public Health Association in October, Dr. Jackson said, there were about 300 presentations on how the built environment inhibits or fosters the ability to be physically active and get healthy food.

In a healthy environment, he said, “people who are young, elderly, sick or poor can meet their life needs without getting in a car,” which means creating places where it is safe and enjoyable to walk, bike, take in nature and socialize.

“People who walk more weigh less and live longer,” Dr. Jackson said. “People who are fit live longer. People who have friends and remain socially active live longer. We don’t need to prove all of this,” despite the plethora of research reports demonstrating the ill effects of current community structures.

 So, in this new era of urban sprawl, and a decentralization of urban centers, it all but forces an individual, young or old to put forth a redoubled effort in just basic health needs. But for youth that grow up in a surrounding of car rides to everywhere, and no parks, playgrounds or sidewalks, the paradigm of sentient living can become inherent, and set the grounds for poor health for years to come. 

“We’ve become the victims of our own success,” Dr. Jackson said of the public health mission that cleared cities of congested slums. “By living far from where we work, we reduced crowding and improved the quality of our air and water, which drove down rates of infectious disease.” But as people have moved farther and farther from where they work, shop and socialize, the rates of chronic diseases have soared.

Public transportation has not kept pace with the expansion of suburbs and exurbs. Nor are there enough sidewalks, nearby parks and safe places to walk, cycle or play outdoors in many, if not most, towns. Parents spend hours in cars getting to and from work; children are bused or driven to and from school; and those who can’t drive must depend on others to take them everywhere or risk becoming socially isolated.

In 1974, 66 percent of all children walked or biked to school By 2000, that number had dropped to 13 percent.

“Children who grow up in suburbia can’t meet their life needs without getting a ride somewhere,” Dr. Jackson said. “The average teen in suburbia says it’s boring.”

Read the full article here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/communities-learn-the-good-life-can-be-a-killer/

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fish-farming-20120129,0,5847757.story

Still a timely and excellent story and worth the read if you have not read previously. 

-CMJ