MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'herbal remedies'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:16:50 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174612&cid=t_92579_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fchinese-study-compares-flu-treatments-prescription-drug-vs-herbal-remedy%2F2011.08.29 During the early days of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic, the popular herbal formula maxingshigan–yinqiaosan was used widely by TCM practitioners to reduce symptoms. (It’s hard to pronounce and spell, so I’ll refer to it as M-Y.) A new study was done to test whether M-Y worked and to compare it to the prescription drug oseltamivir. It showed that M-Y did not work for the purpose it was being used for: it did not reduce symptoms, although it did reduce the duration of one sign, fever, allowing researchers to claim they had proved that it works as well as oseltamivir. “Oseltamivir Compared With the Chinese Traditional Therapy: Maxingshigan–Yinqiaosan in the Treatment of H1N1 Influenza” by Wang et al. was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine earlier this month. The stu... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174612 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:00:51 +0100 5174612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560269&cid=t_92579_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbig-herbas-research-deficit-why-it-isnt-about-the-money%2F2011.03.08 This is a guest post from Erik Davis of Skeptic North. ********** Bankers, Buyouts & Billionaires: Why Big Herba’s Research Deficit Isn’t About The Money It’s a scene from the blogosphere that’s become all too familiar. A skeptic challenges a natural health product for the lack of an evidentiary base. A proponent of that product responds that the skeptic has made a logical error — an absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and in such a scenario it’s not unreasonable to rely on patient reporting and traditional uses as a guide. The skeptic chimes back with a dissertation on the limits of anecdotal evidence and arguments from antiquity — especially when the corresponding pharma products have a data trail supporting their safety and efficacy. The pr... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560269 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 22:00:09 +0100 4560269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489673&cid=t_92579_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftreating-the-common-cold%2F2011.02.17 For the last week I have had a cold. I usually get one each winter. I have two kids in school and they bring home a lot of viruses. I also work in a hospital, which tends (for some reason) to have lots of sick people. Although this year I think I caught my cold while traveling.  I’m almost over it now, but it’s certainly a miserable interlude to my normal routine. One thing we can say for certain about the common cold — it’s common. It is therefore no surprise that there are lots of cold remedies, folk remedies, pharmaceuticals, and “alternative” treatments. Finding a “cure for the common cold” has also become a journalistic cliche — reporters will jump on any chance to claim that some new research may one day lead to a cure for the common cold. Just about any re... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489673 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:00:17 +0100 4489673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281455&cid=t_92579_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FnANS4ZTMcmU%2F Trying to cure your pre-Christmas cold with all-natural Echinacea? A new study suggests that the so-called wonder herb, that’s been purported to prevent colds, may not be a miracle worker after all. It seems the herb, which is a wild flower found in the Midwestern plains, doesn’t have much impact on the duration or strength of colds. The study followed more than 700 cold sufferers, and found that people who took Echinacea saw around a 10% reduction in the duration of their cold. That ends up being about seven to ten fewer hours, which is not, according to lead researcher Bruce Barrett, considered a medically significant decrease. But Barrett advised that people who’ve experienced Echinacea’s healing properties should continue taking it, since the study isn’t absolutel... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281455 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:14:53 +0100 4281455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4040565&cid=t_92579_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbook-review-the-mayo-clinic-book-of-home-remedies%2F2010.10.07 I write a lot of critical articles. It’s nice to be able to write a positive one for a change. I received a prepublication proof of The Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies: What to Do for the Most Common Health Problems. It is due to be released on October 26 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com. Since “quackademic” medicine is infiltrating our best institutions and organizations, I wasn’t sure I could trust even the prestigious Mayo Clinic. I was expecting some questionable recommendations for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments, but I found nothing in the book that I could seriously object to. It is organized alphabetically, starting with acne and airplane ear and progressing through bedbugs, boils and bronchitis, dandruff, depression and diabetes to warts, w... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4040565 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:00:43 +0100 4040565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690880&cid=t_92579_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2F10-herbal-remedies-cohosh-or-tosh.html Is there any significant evidence that any of the following herbal remedies actually work in treating the conditions with which they’re associated? Aloe vera for treating minor burns, including sunburn – 2009 review concludes: “some promising results with the use of aloe vera for diverse dermatologic conditions, clinical effectiveness of oral and topical aloe vera is not sufficiently and meticulously explored as yet.” Black cohosh for reducing menopause symptoms – UK NHS clinical knowledge database states: “There is no good evidence that phytoestrogens, black cohosh, evening primrose oil, dong quai, ginkgo biloba, or ginseng are effective for treating menopausal symptoms.” Boswellia (frankincense) for coping with arthritis and joint pain: NHS Choic... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690880 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:00:08 +0100 3690880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231621&cid=t_92579_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FIIIxZFxw9p8%2F Herbal remedies are increasingly common as some people try to limit their consumption of prescription medications and turn to more natural options. The problem is, natural doesn’t necessarily mean safe or safe for you, particularly if you have other issues, such as heart disease. Statistics show that more than 15 million Americans reportedly use herbal remedies or high-dose vitamins. Of course, the number could be higher because not everyone reports what they take. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic decided to review the use of natural supplements and their interaction with heart disease medications to see what types of concerns, if any, doctors and patients should have. In the case of people with heart disease, natural supplements can affect the efficacy of the medications and cause h... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231621 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:51:18 +0100 3231621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1062774&cid=t_92579_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2007%2F12%2Faids-quackery-international-tour%2F Ben Goldacre The Guardian Saturday December 1 2007 If you were going to be actuarial about media coverage - an eighth of a column inch for each premature death perhaps - then this paper would be filled with diarrhoea and Aids. Today is World Aids Day: so come with me on a world tour of Aids quackery. South Africa [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1062774 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:56:33 +0100 1062774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=932016&cid=t_92579_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D543 Ben Goldacre The Guardian Saturday October 6 2007 The news this week that herbal remedies can be ineffective or dangerous is boring: but come with me on a journey through time (time… time…) to the origins of medicine. (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=932016 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 10:50:07 +0100 932016