Children, Depression: Omega-3 Fatty Acids. The Answer's

A small, double blind, placebo controlled study, published in the American Journal of psychiatry (2006) looked at supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and its effect on childhood depression. The subjects of the study were 20 children between the ages of six and 12 suffering with depression. They were randomly assigned to receive either an omega-3 fatty acid supplement or a placebo. The children were evaluated using the Children's Depression Rating Scale, the Children's Depression Inventory and the Clinical Global Impression. Evaluations were taken at the beginning of the stuy and at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16. At the end of the study, 70% of the supplemented children showed at least a 50% reduction in depression scores.

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Probiotic and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Research

Research appearing in the Korean Journal of Gastroenterology (2006) looked at 40 subjects with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and the effect treatment with probiotics had on the condition. The sugjects were randomly divided into two groups. One group was given a probiotic supplement and the second group was given a placebo. Subjects were evaluated at two weeks and at four weeks. The group receiving the probiotics (which consisted of Streptococcus faecium and Bacillus subtillis) had fewer episodes of abdominal pain and a reduction in the severity of the pain. The amount of intestinal gas produced remained the same in both groups.

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Probiotics and the Common Cold

Research appearing in the journal, Vaccine (Volume 24, 2006) looked at probiotic supplementation and its effect on upper respiratory tract infections (colds and the flu). The double blind, placebo controlled study took place during two winter/spring periods.

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Acupuncture for Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Breast Cancer

A recent paper in the American Society of Clinical Oncology entitled 'Acupuncture for Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Breast Cancer: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial' was published in 2012. The purpose of the research was to asses the effectiveness of acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients with breast cancer. The researches set up a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial comparing acupuncture with enhanced usual cancer care. The participants included 302 outpatients with breast cancer. There was a random assignment of 1:3 ratio with 75 participants receiving the usual cancer care and the remaining 227 participants received usual care plus acupuncture treatments.

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Today's My Birth Celebration Day

Since it is my birthday today I decided this morning I would contemplate life. During my contemplation I was reminded of a news program I saw last night where the talking head discussed the statistics of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. I decided to write a short commentary on the insanity of this years tree. Please read and really think about all of the living things that have been here much before you were born and will hopefully be here much after you are born. This I wrote on my facebook page:

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