Traditional Chinese herbal remedies for asthma and food allergy.

Posted on June 17, 2007 by Maurice Preter MD
 
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jun 7; [Epub ahead of print]
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Traditional Chinese herbal remedies for asthma and food allergy.

Li XM.

From the Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

The increasing prevalence of allergic diseases in Westernized countries is a significant health problem. Curative therapies for these diseases are not available. There are also significant concerns regarding the potential side effects from the chronic use of conventional drugs such as corticosteroids, especially in children. Many patients with chronic allergic conditions seek complementary and alternative medicine therapies including traditional Chinese medicines. This trend has begun to attract interest from mainstream health care providers and scientific investigators and has stimulated government agencies in the United States to provide support and guidance for the scientific investigation of complementary and alternative medicine. This effort may lead to improved therapies and better health care/patient outcomes. This review presents an update on the most promising Chinese herbal remedies for asthma and food allergy.

PMID: 17560638 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

Posted in Events |

Well-being of institutionalized elders after Yang-style Tai Chi practice

Posted on June 17, 2007 by Maurice Preter MD

Well-being of institutionalized elders after Yang-style Tai Chi practice

  • Kuei-Min Chen PhD, RN,
  • Ya-Chuan Hsu MS, RN,
  • Wen-Ting Chen MS, RN and
  • Hung-Fu Tseng PhD
  • Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
  • Instructor, Department of Nursing, Meiho Institute of Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
  • Instructor, Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
  • Associate Professor, Institute of Medical Research, Chang-Jung Christian University, Taiwan, Taiwan
Kuei-Min Chen
Department of Nursing
Fooyin University
151 Chin-Hsueh Rd.
Ta-Liao Township
Kaohsiung 831
Taiwan
Telephone: +886-931378188
E-mail: ns148@mail.fy.edu.tw
chen k-m, hsu y-c, chen w-t & tseng h-f (2007)  Journal of Clinical Nursing 16, 845–852
Well-being of institutionalized elders after Yang-style Tai Chi practice

Abstract

Aims and objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Tai Chi on the physical and psychological well-being of elders who resided in long-term care facilities.

Background. The beneficial effects of Tai Chi on elders’ well-being have been well-documented; however, most of the studies focused on community-dwelling or healthier elders.

Design and methods. In this longitudinal, time-series, quasi-experimental study, a convenience sample of 28 institutionalized elders was recruited. A six-month Yang-style Tai Chi intervention was administered twice a week for 60 minutes per practice. The well-being outcome variables, including physical and mental health status, blood pressure, quality of sleep, occurrence of falls and fear of falling, were measured before the intervention and then at one-month, two-month, three-month and six-month intervals.

Results. Results indicated that the physical health status and social functioning of frail elders were significantly improved after Tai Chi practice [F(4,24) = 3·42, p = 0·038; F(4,24) = 9·66, p = 0·001 respectively].

Conclusions. Tai Chi practice is beneficial for frail older people.

Relevance to clinical practice. The findings provide a basis for using Yang-style Tai Chi as a floor activity in long-term care facilities to promote the well-being of the older residents.

Posted in Aging |

The association between soy nut consumption and decreased menopausal symptoms.

Posted on June 17, 2007 by Maurice Preter MD
 
J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2007 Apr;16(3):361-9. Related Articles, Links
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The association between soy nut consumption and decreased menopausal symptoms.

Welty FK, Lee KS, Lew NS, Nasca M, Zhou JR.

Division of Cardiology, Beth Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. fwelty@bidmc.harvard.edu

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies suggest a low incidence of hot flashes in populations that consume dietary soy. The present study examined the effect of soy nuts on hot flashes and menopausal symptoms. METHODS: Sixty healthy postmenopausal women were randomized in a crossover design to a therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) diet alone and a TLC diet of similar energy, fat, and protein content in which one-half cup soy nuts divided into three or four portions spaced throughout the day (containing 25 g soy protein and 101 mg aglycone isoflavones) replaced 25 g of nonsoy protein. During each 8-week diet period, subjects recorded the number of hot flashes and amount of exercise daily. At the end of each 8-week diet period, subjects filled out the menopausal symptom quality of life questionnaire. RESULTS: Compared to the TLC diet alone, the TLC diet plus soy nuts was associated with a 45% decrease in hot flashes (7.5 +/- 3.6 vs. 4.1 +/- 2.6 hot flashes day, respectively, p < 0.001) in women with >4.5 hot flashes/day at baseline and 41% in those with <or=4.5 hot flashes/day (2.2 +/- 1.2 vs. 1.3 +/- 1.1, respectively, p < 0.001). Soy nut intake was also associated with significant improvement in scores on the menopausal symptom quality of life questionnaire: 19% decrease in vasomotor score (p = 0.004), 12.9% reduction in psychosocial score (p = 0.01), 9.7% decrease in physical score (p = 0.045), and a trend toward improvement in the sexual score, with a 17.7% reduction in symptoms (p = 0.129). The amount of exercise had no effect on hot flash reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Substituting soy nuts for nonsoy protein in a TLC diet and consumed three or four times throughout the day is associated with a decrease in hot flashes and improvement in menopausal symptoms.

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PMID: 17439381 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

Posted in Aging |

Herbal medicines in the treatment of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review.

Posted on June 17, 2007 by Maurice Preter MD
Phytother Res. 2007 Jun 11; [Epub ahead of print] Related Articles
Herbal medicines in the treatment of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review.

Sarris J.

School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

This paper reports a critical review of 27 herbal medicines and formulas in treating a broad range of psychiatric disorders (in addition to anxiety and depression), including obsessive-compulsive, seasonal affective, bipolar depressive, psychotic, phobic and somatoform disorders. Ovid Medline, Pubmed and the Cochrane Library were searched for pharmacological and clinical evidence of herbal medicines with psychotropic activity. A forward search of later citations was also conducted. Whilst substantial high-quality evidence exists for the use of kava and St John’s wort in the treatment of anxiety and depression respectively, currently there is insufficient robust clinical evidence for the use of many other herbal medicines in psychiatric disorders. Phytotherapies which potentially have significant use in psychiatry, and urgently require more research are Rhodiola rosea (roseroot) and Crocus sativus (saffron) for depression; Passiflora incarnata (passionflower), Scutellaria lateriflora (scullcap) and Zizyphus jujuba (sour date) for anxiety disorders; and Piper methysticum (kava) for phobic, panic and obsessive-compulsive disorders. While depression and anxiety are commonly researched, the efficacy of herbal medicines in other mental disorders requires attention. The review addresses current issues in herbal psychotherapy: herbal safety, future areas of application, the relationship of herbal medicine with pharmaceuticals and the potential prescriptive integration of phytomedicines with synthetic psychotropic medicines. Particular attention is given to clinical and safety issues with St John’s wort and kava. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID: 17562566 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

Posted in Health |

The role of sleep in declarative memory consolidation: passive, permissive, active or none?

Posted on June 4, 2007 by Maurice Preter MD
 
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2006 Dec;16(6):716-22. Epub 2006 Nov 7. Related Articles, Links
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The role of sleep in declarative memory consolidation: passive, permissive, active or none?

Ellenbogen JM, Payne JD, Stickgold R.

Center for Sleep and Cognition, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Feldberg 866, Boston, MA 02215, USA. jeffrey_ellenbogen@hms.harvard.edu

Those inclined to relish in scientific controversy will not be disappointed by the literature on the effects of sleep on memory. Opinions abound. Yet refinements in the experimental study of these complex processes of sleep and memory are bringing this fascinating relationship into sharper focus. A longstanding position contends that sleep passively protects memories by temporarily sheltering them from interference, thus providing precious little benefit for memory. But recent evidence is unmasking a more substantial and long-lasting benefit of sleep for declarative memories. Although the precise causal mechanisms within sleep that result in memory consolidation remain elusive, recent evidence leads us to conclude that unique neurobiological processes within sleep actively enhance declarative memories.

Publication Types:

PMID: 17085038 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

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