Echinacea: Cold, Flu, Immnue Enhancement Clinical Review April 14, 2007
Posted by Mikiko Murakami in * Herbal Medicine, * Nutrition, Cold/Flu, Immune Enhancement.add a comment
1. In a study to assess the effectiveness of Echinacea in the preention of rhinovirus colds, although those receiving Echinacea contracted fewer colds, the difference was insignificant [Turner et al. (2000)
2. 180 flu patients were given
E. Purpurea herb extract (90 drops of 450mg or 180 drops of 900mg) or placebo drops for 10 days. The 450mg dose was no more effective than placebo. The 900mg dose produced significantly more relief of symptoms, including weakness, low energy, chills, sweating, sore throat, muscle or joint aches, and headaches. [Braunig (1992)]
3. 26-controlled clinical trials (18 randomized, 11 double-blinded) evaluated cold and flue prevention or cure, 4 studies assessed reduction of side effects of cancer therapies, and 3 studies assessed Echinacea’s ability to modulate indicators of immune function. Outcomes were positive for 30 or 34 groups (studies evaluated more than one group outcome). Evidenceclearly supported Echinacea’s modulating effect on immunity.
Reference:Freedman, Lynda W, PhD et al. Best Practices in Compelmentary and Alternative Medicine. Maryland:
Aspen Publishers, 2001.
Increased Exposure Tames Childhood Egg Allergy April 12, 2007
Posted by Mikiko Murakami in * Nutrition, Allergy - Food.add a comment
By Dr. Alex Tran (ND)
Children who were allergic to eggs were able to overcome the allergy by gradually increasing the amount of egg they ate, U.S. researchers say.”Participants who took a daily dose of egg product over the two-year study period were able to build up their bodies’ resistance to the point where most of them could eat two scrambled eggs without a reaction,” researcher Dr. A. Wesley Burks, chief of the division of allergy and immunology at Duke University Medical Center, said in a prepared statement. (more…)
Nutrition & Links April 6, 2007
Posted by Mikiko Murakami in * Nutrition.add a comment
Nutrition is “the process of nourishing or being nourished, especially the process by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and replacement of tissues.” The widespread use of food additives, chemicals, sugar, and unhealthy fats are a major cause of many chronic illnesses. The importance of nutrition can be documented back to the days of Hippocrates (400BC), when our Father of Medicine said, “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”
Research on whole foods is difficult to conduct, but various studies have shown the efficacy of specific vitamins, supplements, and minerals. Healthful diets can help reduce the risk for chronic diseases, such as heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, stroke, obesity, high blood pressue, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis.
Nutritional therapy is a form of complementary alternative medicine (CAM), and should not be confused with strict dietics. A strict dietitian’s job is to carry out a doctor’s instructions and advise on healthy eating in accordance with official guidelines. Nutritional therapists address the issue of what is making the patient ill. Nutritional therapists see peopl who have skin ailments, digestive problems, headaches, cancer, heart disease, autism, asthma, mental health, or female complaints, when a doctor may not find an identifiable disease, and see many people when the symptoms begin.
