Relevant Links

Services and products

Therapist industry articles and latest advice

This section of our website offers daily news articles concerning research within the therapy industry and articles on health advice.

Therapist industry news

Gingko Biloba Not Effective Against Alzheimer's A randomized clinical trial involving over 3,000 elderly people in the US found that the popular herbal supplement Gingko biloba fared no better than placebo at preventing dementia or Alzheimer's disease. The research was the work of the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study Investigators who are based at centers throughout the US, including the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where lead author Dr Steven T DeKosky, was working at the time of the investigation.

Non-White Med Students Reject Therapies Associated With Their Culture Non-white medical students are more likely to embrace orthodox medicine and reject therapies traditionally associated with their cultures. That is one finding from an international study that measures the attitudes of medical students toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). While seemingly counter-intuitive, white students view CAM more favorably than their non-white counterparts, the study authors say.

Treatment Found For Psoriasis In Traditional Chinese Medicine According to a study published in the November issue of Archives of Dermatology, an effective treatment for plaque-type psoriasis can be found in traditional Chinese medicine. Yin-Ku Lin, M.D. (Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan) and colleagues found that an ointment based on the dark-blue, plant-based powder indigo naturalis can be used treat the skin condition.

Vitamin E And C Don't Change Cancer Risk, Long Term Study A large-scale long term study taking up to ten years and involving older American men found that Vitamin E and Vitamin C were no different to placebo in protecting against cancer. The researchers presented their findings at the 7th Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and taking place in National Harbor, Maryland, this week.

Successful IBS Treatment With Peppermint Oil, Antispasmodics, And Fiber According to a study published on bmj.com, doctors should recommend fiber, antispasmodics, and peppermint oil as first-line treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Recent proof of the effectiveness of these treatments should also lead to changes in the national guidelines that specify how to manage IBS. Affecting between 5% and 20% of the population, IBS is a condition that causes abdominal pain and irregular bowel movements.

Health insurance articles

Growing Number Of Companies Provide On-Site Health Care Services For Workers A growing number of businesses are providing workers access to on-site health clinics "that potentially can save employees hundreds of dollars a year," the Wall Street Journal reports. According to a survey by Watson Wyatt and the not-for-profit

UnitedHealth Group To Provide Immediate Resources For Those Affected By The Southern California Wildfires Due to the recent event of ongoing wildfires in Southern California, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) and its family of companies, including UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, OptumHealth and Prescription Solutions, are taking the following immediate actions to help those affected by the fires. Effective Nov. 16, 2008, through Nov.

Coalition Of National Organizations Urges Steps To Reduce Health Care Costs, Improve Quality A coalition of 28 national organizations, such as AFL-CIO, Consumers Union and CDC, has formed the National Priorities Partnership, a group that seeks to reduce health care costs and improve quality of care, the

Several Recent Editorials, Opinion Pieces Address Health Care Reform Summaries of several recent editorials and opinion pieces related to health care reform appear below. Editorials Akron Beacon Journal: The "health care debate at its simplest is about how, as a nation, we ensure optimal health for citizens without going broke in the process," a Beacon Journal editorial states.

More Than Half Of Consumers Going To Doctors Less Due To Rising Healthcare Costs, According To CheckMD Survey CheckMD, an online social network and healthcare information resource, today released the results of a new poll indicating the correlation between increasing healthcare costs and more infrequent doctor visits. More than half of the 247 respondents (54 percent) indicated they are going to the doctor less than they previously were due to rising healthcare costs.