Well, it’s been yet another exciting week in the world of CAM.  To begin, Vitamin D has been cited in two separate studies this week.  In the first, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that children, even those whom are still breastfeeding, receive 400 units of Vitamin D per day in order to prevent several serious diseases.  This is double their previous recommendations.  The second Vitamin D discovery, made by researchers at Emory University, found that 55% of Parkinson’s patients were low in Vitamin D.  That said, more research is necessary to determine whether Parkinson’s is affecting Vitamin D absorption or whether the deficiency is affecting the onset or severity of Parkinson’s.

On another front, researchers at the University of Dundee are reevaluating the common practice of prescribing diabetics aspirin as prevention against heart attacks.  According to their findings, whereas aspirin was shown to have no notable benefits, it does cause gastrointestinal bleeding which is one of the most common causes for hospital admission.

Vitamin B-12 got some face-time this week as well.  According to epidemiological studies, low levels of B12 were linked to bone loss in men and women, frailty, and shrinkage of the brain.  More specific trials are needed to verify these findings.

Lastly, research developments in the areas of spinal cord injury treatment and cerebral palsy prevention are of notable significance this week.

To begin, there may be new hope for people suffering from spinal cord injuries or paralysis.  The “brain machine interface” which was created by scientists at the University of Washington, involves the re-routing of motor cortex control signals from the brains into the arm muscles of temporarily paralyzed monkeys.  Although research is still in its early stages, the aim, say researchers, is to develop implantable circuits which will allow for movement without the need for robotics.

Finally, in a recent article published in the New England Journal of Medicine it was found that giving mothers magnesium sulfate during labor cut the risk of their child developing cerebral palsy in half.  Given the disabling nature of cerebral palsy, this comes as wonderful news to expectant mothers at risk.