A Natural Approach to Sweet Slumber
Sharon Palmer, R.D.

Do you have trouble getting a good night's sleep? If you do, you're not alone. About one-third of Americans complain of sleep disorders. Prescription sleep medications are a common, effective approach to treating sleep disorders, but many people experience unpleasant side effects. So, it's no big surprise that a growing number of people turn to alternative therapies

Tips for Natural Allergy Relief
Dr. Melissa Carr

Allergy season has been upon many sufferers since February this year, but an early start may or may not mean an early finish. If you're one of the sneezing, sniffling, eye-rubbing, worn out masses, here are some simple things you can do to easy your symptoms

Enjoy the Health Benefits of Tea
Katrina Bertol

Tea can be warming, invigorating, soothing, and most importantly, health promoting. With thousands of varieties, tea is a versatile drink and great alternative to coffee or calorie-laden lattes. Many types of tea have outstanding health benefits, so while it's easy to be overwhelmed by the vast amount of tea to choose from, a little knowledge can set you on the right path

Fight Inflammation With the Right Diet
Lisa Tsakos

Arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, periodontitis, prostatitis, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease -- most of us are afflicted by inflammation at one time or another, some of us on a daily basis. We may feel that we're out of options when medications aren't the answer, but nothing could be further from the truth. Julie Daniluk is convinced that diet can impact inflammation

Nicotine Patch May Offer Some Benefit to Ulcerative Colitis
Jonathan Leighton, Mayo Clinic

Paralyzed Limbs Revived by Hacking Into Nerves
MacGregor Campbell, New Scientist Magazine

Pulses of electricity are used to control the muscles of an unconscious patient, as if they were a marionette. It represents the beginnings of a new generation of devices that he hopes will allow people with paralyzed legs to regain control of their muscles and so be able to stand, or even walk again

Deconstructing Detox Treatments: Myth or Health Restorative
Sharon Palmer, R.D.

'Snake oil,' declares Robin Bernhoft, M.D., incoming president for the American Academy of Environmental Physicians, when asked what he thinks about over-the-counter diet detox kits. This is the confusing landscape of the detox diet world, which ranges from books and kits to clinic regimes and protocols.

Supplements to Avoid When Dealing With High Blood Pressure
Brent Bauer, MD, Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic

What are the dangers of taking over-the-counter supplements? I am on blood pressure medication and have heard that there are some supplements that may interfere.

Effectiveness of Laser Spine Surgery for Pain Relief Remains Unproven
H. Gordon Deen, M.D., Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic

Spine surgery can be performed using several different tools, including a laser. Laser spine surgery has been around since the 1980s but it has never been studied in a controlled clinical trial to determine its effectiveness. Most neurosurgeons don't use lasers for spine surgery because there are no clear benefits to laser surgery over more well-established spine surgery techniques

Hybrid Hearts for Transplant: Could Stem Cells Solve Rejection Problems
Andy Coghlan, New Scientist Magazine

Human organs for transplant are scarce. One option is to engineer organs from scratch in the lab, using artificial scaffolds. While bladders and skin can be grown in the lab, growing more complex organs and their intricate blood-vessel networks, has proved tricky.

Surgery Not Only Option for Treating Spinal Stenosis
Mark Dekutoski, M.D., Orthopedic Surgery

Spinal stenosis is a common condition that results from changes to the spine as aging occurs. Symptoms vary in character and magnitude but can most often be effectively treated with nonsurgical therapies, such as medication and physical therapy. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary.

By the Way, Doctor: Can Ginkgo Biloba Slow Dementia
Anthony Komaroff, M.D. - Harvard Health Letters

Ginkgo is prescribed in many parts of the world as a memory remedy and is readily available in the United States as an over-the-counter herbal supplement. It does have some antioxidant properties

Tai Chi Health Benefits

This gentle form of exercise can prevent or ease many ills of aging and could be the perfect activity for the rest of your life.

Tai chi is often described as meditation in motion, but it might well be called medication in motion.

Food Chain: The Gift of Garlic

Garlic is prized as a culinary ingredient and herbal remedy by virtually every culture. The written and unwritten record of its virtues reaches back thousands of years.

Medical Memo - Hearty Humor

Mark Twain may have exaggerated a bit when he claimed that "Humor is mankind's greatest blessing." Still, a chuckle a day may help keep the doctor away and perhaps help stave off heart attacks and strokes.

Food Sources the Best Choices for Antioxidants
Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic

It is true that antioxidants -- such as vitamins C and E, carotene, lycopene, lutein and many other substances -- may play a role in helping to prevent diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and macular degeneration. However, research indicates that simply taking antioxidant supplements is not the best way to go about getting what your body needs

Vegetarian Diets & Potential Health Benefits

Most people who choose vegetarian diets are motivated by their personal philosophies, ethical beliefs, or religious convictions. But health certainly is a factor, and if a vegetarian eating plan is constructed properly, it can be an asset to health.

Vitamins and Supplements: Do They Work?
Health & Wellness - Katherine Hobson

Some researchers maintain that the diets of many Americans still fall short on several essential nutrients -- not enough to cause debilitating deficiency diseases, but perhaps enough to miss out on their benefits without extra help from supplements. While experts say you should be skeptical of most claims about the disease-preventing power of vitamins, minerals and suuplments, some evidence does support taking a few as a hedge.

Make Food Your First Medicine
Naturally Savvy, John La Puma, M.D.

Food can be and should be your first choice of medicine. With the right recipes and the best quality food, you can actually look forward to filling your prescriptions. Why not spend your hard-earned dollars at the grocery rather than at the hospital?

The best research shows that when measured against prescription pharmaceuticals, some foods and recipes work pretty well. In fact, learning how to cook can save your life.

By the Way, Doctor: A Very Fishy Diet
Seafood Diet Benefits & Risks - Bruce Bistrain, M.D.

I read in an earlier issue of the Harvard Health Letter that one of your nutrition experts eats five servings of fish a week. Why so much? And isn't there a risk from the contaminants?

Calcium pills 'raise' heart risk
Calcium supplements taken by many older people could be increasing their risk of a heart attack, research shows.

Pregnant women rights questioned
The right of women to choose whether they have home births is being questioned by a leading medical journal.

Drug prescribed after web search
A father persuades the NHS to give his sick daughter a "miracle" drug he found on the internet.

Addiction drugs 'aid weight loss'
A combination pill of two drugs used to treat addiction may help people lose weight, say US researchers.

Child heart op ban 'should stay'
Children's heart surgery should remain suspended at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital where four babies died, a report says.

Public health fear in NHS revamp
The overhaul of the NHS may harm the public health drive, a health think tank is warning.

Say fat not obese, says minister
GPs and other health professionals should tell people they are fat rather than obese, England's public health minister says.

Hip hope from stem cell technique
Doctors may soon be able to patch up damaged bones and joints anywhere in the body with a simple shot in the arm.

Alcohol can 'lessen' arthritis
Drinking alcohol can reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, a study has found

Warning for obese mothers-to-be
Obesity levels among pregnant women have reached epidemic levels, putting the health of their babies at risk, experts say.

Friends offer 'a survival boost'
Having good friends and neighbours appears to boost survival chances by 50%, say researchers.

Churchill's teeth fetch £15,200
A partial set of false teeth made for Sir Winston Churchill are sold at auction in Norfolk for £15,200.

Calcium pill value 'pretty poor'
Professor John Cleland, cardiologist at Hull University, explains research that suggests calcium supplements may cause an increased risk of heart disease

Can your doctor call you 'fat'?
Doctors need to be more direct when they are dealing with overweight patients, according to the government's health minister.

Coping with loss of armed forces parent
A special holiday break is helping UK children cope with the loss of loved ones killed in conflict

Royal couple visit new hospital
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have visited Birmingham to take a look around the city's new "super-hospital".

Weight, exercise and pregnancy confusion
NICE have issued new guidelines on women's weight during and after pregnancy.

Can music aid athletic performance?
Music has helped elite tri-athletes in Australia increase their endurance by 15%, researchers say.

What to do if stung by a Weever fish
What should you do if you are stung by Britain's most poisonous fish?

Super-sized school uniforms sold
As more and more children start primary school overweight, retailers are having to expand the waistlines on school uniforms.

Destination Harley Street
Referring patients to a specialist private clinic cheaper than NHS

Child-free by choice
But why do others question the decision?

Mother's grief
Living with the effects of the Oxford heart surgery deaths.

Are we all ill?
New mental health manual could mean we'll all end up diagnosed

Ample bodied
How realistic is it for women to want this actor's shape?

Asian donation
Organs for the community are in short supply

Creative block
Robert Winston on the torment of scientists not just artists