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EDITOR'S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet these mostly unproven treatments are now mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans. This is one in an occasional Associated Press series on their use and potential risks.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet these mostly unproven treatments are now mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans. This is one in an occasional Associated Press series on their use and potential risks.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet these mostly unproven treatments are now mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans. This is one in an occasional series examining their use and potential risks.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet these mostly unproven treatments are now mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans. This is one in an occasional series examining their use and potential risks.
From heart-friendly margarines to sugary cereals that strengthen bones, once-demonized foods are being spiked with nutrients to give them a healthier glow — and consumers are biting, even on some that are little more than dressed-up junk food.
Americans spend more than a 10th of their out-of-pocket health care dollars on alternative medicine, according to the first national estimate of such spending in more than a decade.
Arthritis supplements bought by millions of pet owners for their dogs, cats and horses sometimes skimp on the ingredients the makers claim can help aching paws and aging joints, and some contain high amounts of lead, an independent laboratory found.
Here's a sampling of active pharmaceutical ingredients used in homeopathic remedies, but in highly diluted amounts. The homeopathic name is listed first along with its recommended homeopathic use, then the conventional name for the same drug, and a recommended conventional use.
Here is a look at how homeopathic drugs differ from conventional medicines and dietary supplements.
He was like millions of other consumers who sometimes take vitamins or echinacea, hoping to build up his immunity or ward off a cold. He figured alternative remedies were as safe as a spoonful of honey. But that notion washed away with one squirt of a homeopathic cold gel.
The unsettling little secret of Zicam Cold Remedy finally spilled out this week. Though widely sold for years as a drug for colds, it was never tested by federal regulators for safety like other drugs. And that was perfectly legal — until scores of consumers lost their sense of smell. One little word on Zicam's label explains all this: "homeopathic."
Heart attack survivors are again being enrolled in a controversial federal study of an alternative treatment while the government investigates whether they were told enough about possible health risks.
Ten years ago the government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the disappointing answer seems to be that almost none of them do.
Some people who buy supplements to avoid Big Pharma drug companies may find themselves doing business with Big Herba, instead.
The federal Food and Drug Administration does not analyze the content of dietary supplements, which do not need proof of safety or effectiveness before they go on sale. Here are tips from the government on their use:
Lead in ginkgo pills. Arsenic in herbals. Bugs in a baby's colic and teething syrup. Toxic metals and parasites are part of nature, and all of these have been found in "natural" products and dietary supplements in recent years.
Vince Palella's brother got him started on supplements. "His wife is a health food nut," said Palella, a 76-year-old retired contractor who wanted to atone for years of smoking and lunches that were "more drinking than lunch."
As a criminal defense lawyer, Meg Gaines valued evidence. But as a 38-year-old mom with ovarian cancer that had spread to her liver, evidence took a back seat to emotion as she desperately sought a cure.
Leslee Flasch worked in a hospice. She had seen cancer treatments fail. Now doctors were saying she needed her colon removed to treat her rectal cancer. Barely 50 years old, she would have to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of her life.
With much of her lower body consumed by cancer, Leslee Flasch finally faced the truth: The herbal supplements and special diet were not working.
At one of the nation's top trauma hospitals, a nurse circles a patient's bed, humming and waving her arms as if shooing evil spirits. Another woman rubs a quartz bowl with a wand, making tunes that mix with the beeping monitors and hissing respirator keeping the man alive.
Maria didn't mean to poison her children. Quite the opposite. Worried about her daughters' lack of appetite, the young Houston mother was merely following her grandmother's advice when she gave the two girls and a niece a dose of "greta" — a Mexican folk medicine used to treat children's stomach ailments.
Overcoming insomniaSleep is becoming harder to come by these days. Overloaded schedules and the increasing use of electronic gadgets give us enough reasons to stay awake at night. Financial worries are making our national sleep debt worse.
Ouch! How not to be a slave to painWincing and yelling take you only so far. Here's how to stop the suffering.
Bleach Baths May Help Kids With Eczema"His calves were covered in scales and his hands would crack and swell with infection," Jennifer Kieffer tells WebMD. "It was really tough for him, but we saw a big change almost immediately after he joined the study."
With the United States facing a looming and challenging economic crisis, it is time for citizens and politicians alike to come together with pragmatic ideas to solve our ever so growing financial burden. Enter Cheech and Chong.
Cut finger? Try dip in ground coffee / Leg cramps and a bar of soap / Cholesterol Affected by Glucosamine and ChondroitinQ: I have enjoyed reading about home remedies on your Web site and would like to share mine. Dip a bleeding (cut, nicked, sliced or whatever) finger in ground coffee and the bleeding stops. If, after the first dip, it still shows some blood, dip it in again and bandage it.
Yardwork and Air PollutionWith the days getting longer, many homeowners thoughts turn to the work that waits in their yards. Many people associate air pollution with cars, airplanes, energy-producing facilities, and other large fuel consumers.
People use anise to add a hint of licorice to everything from holiday springerle cookies to robust bottles of ouzo and raki.
I am so used to sorting out other people's problems, and mainly dealing with the lives of others, it is easy for mine to go unnoticed. But June 11th could end up being a watershed in my own existence.
Herbal Remedies for DiarrheaHerbal remedies can do wonders for the digestive tract, especially diarrhea.
Colloidal Silver. Is this the true remedy for the ills of Humankind?Since the mists of time Shamans, Medicine Men, Alchemists, and Court Physicians have been searching for a Universal Elixir to treat illness and disease; believing that through the act of distillation and purification, they could create a substance, a solution, for humankind's ill …
Secret Cures for Menstrual CrampsIn the blinding, searing, white-hot moment of the first major cramp of the month — when you're doubled over on the kitchen floor clutching the family-sized bottle of ibuprofen — at that moment you're probably not wondering if there might be an herb you could have taken to pre …
Colds - Alcohol - Medicine and HealthWhen it comes to quick remedies for colds, many people insist that a glass of brandy or a hot toddy — whiskey with hot water and lemon juice — is just what the doctor ordered.
Old School Remedies Part IISome point in everyone's life we have unexpected ailments. We try to find solutions around our home for a quick fix. You would be surprise with the simple every day items could work.
Yahoo! Guide to hangoversTied One On from Freedmont, Wisconsin, asks Yahoo! experts: "What causes hangover symptoms? And what are the best ways to relieve them?"
10 Useless or Even Dangerous First Aid Myths at Ririan ProjectWe all know some remedy myths or old wives tales, but some of them have no effect on conditions, ailments, or illnesses of the human body. If you try any of these myths, you may run the risk of having an adverse reaction or the opposite result of what you would like to happen.
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