Kim Stewart 
Millions of Americans fall ill with influenza each winter season. Yet, many clinicians are still seeking out factual information about the efficacy of the flu vaccine and prescription medications. Practitioners are also looking for specific guidance about how to best utilize botanical medicine and supplements for the prevention and treatmentRead
Rapid antigenic evolution in an influenza virus increases the likelihood of emergence of novel strains. Under the circumstances, if vaccines are not yet available, treatment plays a crucial role in control of the disease. In this meta-analysis, the authors have compared the efficacy and safety of Lianhuaqingwen capsule (LHQW-C) and oseltamivir in treating influenza A virus infection. By Pan Zhao MD et al, published in Alternative Therapies, Vol. 20, No. 2.
If it seems like more of your patients are allergic to, or intolerant of, more and different kinds of foods than ever before, there might be a reason why. A new research published in November 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists show, for the first time, that there is a link between perinatal exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) at low doses and the risk to develop food intolerance in later life. By Sadrine Menard et al, The FASEB Journal, November 2014.
Many years ago, one of our children brought home a canvas he decorated in his school art class. He filled the entire canvas with the word “words.” As a surgeon, what immediately struck me was that each of us can “kill” or “cure” with a sword, or scalpel. We canRead
OP/ED I was recently in a YMCA board meeting with visiting guests from our local school board. The topic was early childhood development and narrowing the achievement gap for preschoolers. In our community alone there are at least 700 children who are not prepared to start school. The solution was something our school board calls small talk. It’s not a complicated system of education preparedness, it’s simply talking to infants in full sentences from birth to age three. Brilliant idea.Who will be the teacher? You the doctor. Are you prepared to teach parents baby talk?
This study was a pilot study to assess the effect of perioperatively administering oral cystine and theanine in gastric surgery patients and suggested that oral administration of these amino acids may reduce inflammation and promote recovery after gastric surgery. This study postulated that cystine and theanine would reduce excessive inflammation and immune suppression during the perioperative periods of abdominal surgeries, which decreases GSH levels in blood and skeletal muscle. The researchers examined the effects of perioperatively administering cystine and theanine on the postoperative course of gastric cancer patients undergoing distal gastrectomies as a pilot study. By Tomohiro Miyachi MD, Takashi Tsuchiya, MD et al., published in J of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 2012.
An estimated that more than 2.5 million people suffer from at least one pressure injury each year. There are ways to reduce the risk. A new clinical study by researchers at Stanford Health Care looked at whether a wearable patient sensor could improve patient outcomes at risk for pressure injuries.Read
Intense exercise induces increased blood neutrophil counts and decreased lymphocyte counts, and leads to inflammation and immunosuppression. It was previously reported that cystine and theanine (CT) supplementation by long-distance runners before training camp suppressed changes of these blood parameters observed in unsupplemented control subjects after the camp. This study examined the effects of CT supplementation on the inflammatory response and the immune state before and after intense endurance exercise in long-distance runners at at training camp. By Shigeki Murakami et al, published in J or the Int’l. Society or Sports Nutrition, Vol. 7, No. 23
The Cefaly® Acute medical device, cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) two months ago for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura, was also successful in a recent trial for migraine abortion; and predominantly outperformed published data on triptans as well as medical drugs currentlyRead
