Ben Goldacre: What doctors don't know about the drugs they prescribe

When a new drug gets tested, the results of the trials should be published for the rest of the medical world -- except much of the time, negative or inconclusive findings go unreported, leaving doctors and researchers in the dark. In this impassioned talk, Ben Goldacre explains why these unreported instances of negative data are especially misleading and dangerous.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

www.ted.com

Study Finds Link Between Stress And Physical Pain

Scientists believe they have discovered why psychological stress can lead to physical pain.

A research team at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found that chronic psychological stress is associated with the body losing its ability to regulate the inflammatory response....

Continue reading on Huffington Post:  http://goo.gl/IWcFw0

In Eyes, a Clock Calibrated by Wavelengths of Light

"Researchers like Dr. Brainard hope the science may lead to a new generation of lights and screens designed with wavelengths that adjust according to the hour of the day."

click here to read full article on nytimes.com 

Otto Steininger

 

NEW STUDY: Cranial electrical stimulation (CES) and insomnia

Efficacy of cranial electric stimulation for the
treatment of insomnia: A randomized pilot study

R. Gregory Lande, Cynthia Gragnani
Click here for full study. 

Summary
Objectives: This pilot study examined the potential efficacy of cranial electric stimulation for
the treatment of insomnia.
Design: The researchers tested the hypothesis through a randomized, double-blind, and placebo
controlled clinical trial. The researchers approached eligible subjects who scored 21 or above
on the Pittsburgh Insomnia Rating Scale. The researchers then randomly assigned the subjects
to receive either an active or sham device. Each study subject received 60 min of active or
sham treatment for five days. Following each intervention the subjects completed a sleep log,
as well as three and ten days later.
Setting: The researchers conducted the study among active duty service members receiving
mental health care on the Psychiatry Continuity Service (PCS), Walter Reed National Military
Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.
Main outcome measures: The study’s primary outcome variables were the time to sleep onset,
total time slept, and number of awakenings as reported by the subjects in the serial sleep logs.
The researchers identified a nearly significant increase in total time slept after three cranial
electric stimulation treatments among all study subjects. A closer examination of this group
revealed an interesting gender bias, with men reporting a robust increase in total time slept
after one treatment, decay in effect over the next two interventions, and then an increase
in total time slept after the fourth treatment. The researchers speculate that the up and
down effect on total time slept could be the result of an insufficient dose of cranial electric
stimulation.

Published by Elsevier Ltd

Click here for full study.

NEW STUDY: Cranial Electrical Stimulation on Fibromyalgia

The latest research using Alpha-Stim technology! 

 

A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study of the Effects of Cranial Electrical Stimulation on Activity in Brain Pain Processing Regions in Individuals with Fibromyalgia http://ow.ly/gC34k

Electroacupuncture Helps With Chronic Stress in Laboratory Rats

 "In a laboratory study, researchers found that electroacupuncture was able to affect a key stress response in rats—by blocking a sympathetic pathway that is stimulated during chronic stress. Electroacupuncture (acupuncture combined with electrical stimulation) has been proposed as a complementary therapy in the treatment of chronic stress in people; however, the existing data on its effectiveness and how it works are unclear. This study, funded in part by NCCAM, was published in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine."

Continue reading here...

Alpha-Stim and depression

Newscast from San Antonio on the Alpha-Stim 100 and how it has helped a man treat his depression without taking antidepressants.

Treating Depression: Is there a placebo effect?

Harvard scientist Dr. Irving Kirsch (no relation to Dr. Daniel Kirsch of EPI) says the drugs used to treat depression are effective, but for many, it's not the active ingredient that's making people feel better. It's the placebo effect. Irving Kirsch is Associate Director of the Program in Placebo Studies and a lecturer in medicine at the Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is also a professor of psychology at Plymouth University in the United Kingdom, and professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Hull, United Kingdom, and the University of Connecticut in the United States. Kirsch is noted for his research on placebo effects, antidepressants, expectancy, and hypnosis. He is the originator of response expectancy theory, and his analyses of clinical trials of antidepressants have influenced official treatment guidelines in the United Kingdom.