CAM

Can citrus ward off your risk of stroke?
Eating foods that contain vitamin C may reduce your risk of the most common type of hemorrhagic stroke, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014. MedicalXpress

Tamoxifen Found in Bodybuilding Supplement
Bodybuilders have been using tamoxifen for more than 30 years to treat gynecomastia, a side effect of taking too much testosterone. Excess estrogen is produced as a byproduct of having too much testosterone. MedPage Today

Possible safe and novel painkillers from tarantula venom
The researchers screened the toxins from a variety of tarantula species to find one that blocked TRPA1, an ion channel on the surface of pain-sensing neurons that is implicated in inflammation and neuropathic pain. MedicalXpress

Microbial Ecology in States of Health and Disease: Workshop Summary
Microbial Ecology in States of Health and Disease is the summary of a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats in March 2013 to explore the scientific and therapeutic implications of microbial ecology in states of health and disease. Participants explored host-microbe interactions in humans, animals, and plants; emerging insights into how microbes may influence the development and maintenance of states of health and disease; the effects of environmental change(s) on the formation, function, and stability of microbial communities; and research challenges and opportunities for this emerging field of inquiry. NAP

Can marijuana protect the immune system against HIV and slow disease progression?
New evidence that chronic intake of THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can protect critical immune tissue in the gut from the damaging effects of HIV infection is reported in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses website. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 

Garlic counteracts virulent bacteria
Garlic contains a substance that is particularly effective in encounters with even the hardiest bacterial strains. A young researcher at the University of Copenhagen will soon be defending his PhD thesis on the positive properties of the malodorous plant. University of Copenhagen

Social contact, regular exercise key to living longer
Social contact and regular exercise are key to aging well and living a longer life, according to newly presented research.

In fact, feeling extremely lonely can increase an older person's chances of premature death by 14 percent, an impact nearly as strong as that of a disadvantaged socioeconomic status, according to John Cacioppo, psychology professor at the University of Chicago. He noted that a meta-analysis of several studies published in 2010 showed that social isolation had twice the impact on the risk of death as obesity. MedicalXpress

Diet's impact on Alzheimer's dementia tested
A cocktail of ingredients containing omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil is being tested in patients with mild cognitive impairment as a means to slow the progression of Alzheimer's dementia down.  MedicalXpress

Marijuana aids kids with seizures, worries doctors
The doctors were out of ideas to help 5-year-old Charlotte Figi. Suffering from a rare genetic disorder, she had as many as 300 grand mal seizures a week, used a wheelchair, went into repeated cardiac arrest and could barely speak. As a last resort, her mother began calling medical marijuana shops.

Two years later, Charlotte is largely seizure-free and able to walk, talk and feed herself after taking oil infused with a special pot strain. Her recovery has inspired both a name for the strain of marijuana she takes that is bred not to make users high—Charlotte's Web—and an influx of families with seizure-stricken children to Colorado from states that ban the drug. MedicalXpress

Vitamin D Found to Provide Relief for Those with Chronic Hives
 A study by researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center shows vitamin D as an add-on therapy could provide some relief for chronic hives, a condition with no cure and few treatment options. NewsWise