Treating patients with placebos has a long, complicated, and often controversial history. Nonetheless, little is actually known about U.S. physicians’ current attitudes toward and use of placebo treatments.

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Half of Surveyed Physicians Use Placebo Treatments for Patients

Initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other institutes that comprise the National Institutes of Health shows that selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, did not prevent prostate cancer.

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Review of Prostate Cancer Prevention Study Shows No Benefit for Use of Selenium and Vitamin E Supplements

Hot flashes are a problem for many menopausal women and a common side effect of breast cancer treatment. For many breast cancer survivors, vasomotor symptoms result in discomfort, disrupted sleep, anxiety, and decreased quality of life. Hormonal (estrogen) drugs have been used to treat hot flashes, but because estrogens are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, they usually are avoided by breast cancer survivors.

Excerpt from:
Hypnosis May Reduce Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Survivors

Chiropractic is a health care approach that focuses on the relationship between the body’s structure—mainly the spine—and its functioning. Although practitioners may use a variety of treatment approaches, they primarily perform adjustments to the spine or other parts of the body with the goal of correcting alignment problems and supporting the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Originally posted here:
National Chiropractic Month, October 2008

The National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has added four new Centers of Excellence for Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CERCs) to its research centers program. The new centers will add to knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches and their potential in treating and preventing diseases and conditions that are common among Americans.

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New Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Centers Target Stress-Related Illnesses, Obesity, Cancer, and Other Conditions

Disease risk, progression, and premature mortality—in many types of cancer and in cardiovascular and infectious diseases—have been linked to telomeres, which are protective DNA-protein complexes that keep cells genetically stable.

Excerpt from:
Lifestyle Changes May Affect Cell-Level Processes Related to Disease

Feature Stories Tips for Talking with Your Health Care Provider Are you using—or thinking about using—complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)?

The rest is here:
CAM at the NIH - October 2008

Like many Americans, you may be using or considering some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Here is the original:
Tips for Talking With Your Health Care Providers About CAM