MDAnderson.org – Twice weekly acupuncture treatments relieve debilitating symptoms of xerostomia – severe dry mouth – among patients treated with radiation for head and neck cancer, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the current online issue of Head & Neck. Xerostomia develops after the salivary glands have been [...]

UCHospitals.edu – In a small, early clinical trial, researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center have found that combining eight ounces of grapefruit juice with the drug rapamycin can increase drug levels, allowing lower doses of the drug to be given. They also showed that the combination can be effective in treating various types [...]

Eating just one and a half servings of tart cherries could significantly boost antioxidant activity in the body, according to new University of Michigan research reported at the 2009 Experimental Biology meeting in New Orleans.1 In the study, healthy adults who ate a cup and a half of frozen cherries had increased levels of antioxidants, [...]

An herbal extract recently found to kill pancreatic cancer cells also appears to inhibit development of pancreatic cancer as a result of its anti-inflammatory properties, according to researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. The data were presented at the AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009 (Abstract #494). Thymoquinone, the major constituent of the oil [...]

The-APS.org – In his earlier work, Dr. Lee Berk and colleagues discovered that the anticipation of “mirthful laughter” had surprising and significant physiological effects in people. Two hormones – beta-endorphins (the family of chemicals linked to a transiently elevated mood) and human growth hormone (HGH; which helps with optimizing immunity and metabolism) – increased by [...]

The-APS.org – Secondhand tobacco smoke and smoke from cooking oil and wood smoke affected cardiovascular function of men and women who were exposed to small doses of the smoke for as little as 10 minutes, according to a study from the University of Kentucky. The study confirmed previous findings that tobacco smoke could possibly harm [...]