Discover the Science of Health
A nationally representative survey shows that natural product use in the United States has shifted since 2007, with some products becoming more popular and some falling out of favor. Overall, natural products (dietary supplements other than vitamins and minerals) remain the most common complementary health approach.
While researchers are busy developing sophisticated laboratory tests to predict who will eventually succumb to Alzheimer’s disease, a seemingly mundane observation may provide one of the strongest predictors yet identified: pain.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that doctors stop prescribing and dispensing prescription drugs that contain more that 325 mg of acetaminophen per tablet or capsule to reduce the risk of severe liver injury.
Scientists have been looking for itch-specific nerves for decades. New research from investigators at Johns Hopkins University and Yale University in the United States and several universities in China has identified sensory neurons in mice that are dedicated to relaying itchy sensations from the top layers of skin to the spinal cord [1].
Back pain is notoriously difficult to treat. This is the result of a combination of factors, including the difficulty in accurately diagnosing the source of chronic pain in many cases, and the failure of interventions, therapies and pharmaceuticals to address an identified source. Furthermore, normal activities of daily living often aggravate the problem, limiting the ability of any intervention to achieve lasting results. Consequently, chronic back pain is the number one reason Americans turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) [1].
