CAM has been in the news this week!! To begin, things really got stirred up when the NY Times broke their article about natural options to ADHD (See Charles Hua’s blog on this site for more information on this).

In addition, there has been some really exciting research that bodes well for those of us that prefer not to medicate. One such research study, led by well-known author and researcher Dean Ornish, showed that healthy changes in lifestyle and diet may improve the prognosis for men suffering from prostate cancer. In this study, Ornish found that a healthy diet and exercise regime effectively increased the activity of disease-preventing genes while shutting down disease-promoting genes. These genes are linked to both prostate and breast cancer. The implications of this study, I think, are most promising.

Another study that I think is worth pointing out focused on the use of testosterone gel in the treatment of men with diabetes. According to the results, treatment with this gel not only improved sexual function in these men (always a plus), it also improved insulin-sensitivity which can prevent against cardiovascular and other complications associated with diabetes. The study was performed by researchers at Barnsley Hospital and the University of Sheffield.

Lastly, I was glad to read the latest on coffee in the LA Times. Apparently research from a study which followed over 100,000 people for over 15 years found that women who consume two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day have a “25% lower risk of death from heart disease” and an “18% lower risk of death caused by something other than heart disease or cancer.” Also interesting is the fact that it doesn’t seem to make any difference at all for men. Sorry guys.