Archive for the Alternative Treatment category

Can a cup of green tea a day keep the doctor away?

The cold weather is upon us and a cup of something hot is just the thing to drive the chills away. So what is your favorite hot drink?

This report by Greek researchers published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation suggests we should go for green tea.

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Resource post for October: Alternative supplements to lower your cholesterol levels

There are mainstream pharmacological products and there are alternative natural products. There was a time when these two types of products don’t mix. Nowadays, many health experts not only believe but even recommend the use of alternative or adjunctive therapies in the form of acupuncture, yoga, etc. as well as nutritional supplements, nutraceuticals, and herbal medicine.

However, it is always prudent to use these products with caution. While many have been proven to be beneficial to our health and highly effective against certain diseases, there are also many which are suspect and can even have harmful effects.

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Know your medications: Red yeast rice extract- good or bad for the heart?

Red yeast extract also know as Xuezhikang or XZK for short, has been the subject of great controversy. Is it or is not good for cardiovascular health?

On August 9, 2007, the US FDA issued a warning to consumers against the use of red yeast rice products in the treatment of high blood cholesterol. These products which are sold as nutritional supplements (and therefore bought over-the-counter (OTC)) contain lovastatin, the active ingredient of anti-cholesterol prescription drugs such as Mevacor.

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Dance your heart back to health

Those rehab exercises can be a bore sometimes. Treadmill, cycles, weights, sit-ups…I’m sure many cardiac patients on rehab get sick of these exercises and are simply tempted to stop. Well, this Mexican doctor may just have found a better alternative…What about dancing?

Dr Paula Quiroga of the National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez of Mexico City went for dancing steps instead of the usual rehab routine and got better results. More →