Herbal Treatment Found as Effective as Antihistamines for Allergies

March 12th, 2002

Butterbur is a traditional European herb with a long history of use for the treatment of cough and a variety of other conditions. In recent decades, this herb had been abandoned when it was found to contain an alkaloid that can cause cancer. More recently, a German company called Weber & Weber found a way to produce an extract of this herb that does not contain the incriminated alkaloid (a naturally occurring chemical). This company has also been funding large-scale studies to prove the effectiveness of their herbal extract in a variety of conditions. Previous studies had shown that it could help both in the prevention and treatment of migraine headaches and certain types of urinary incontinence.

A current double-blind study published in the British Medical Journal (2002;324(7330):144) found it to be as effective as Zyrtec (Cetirizine) in the treatment of allergies. Over a two-week period, those who took the herbal extract reported the same benefits as those taking Zyrtec, a prescription antihistamine. Even though Zyrtec is a non-sedating antihistamine, many of those who received it in this study reported feeling drowsy, while people taking the herb reported no side effects.

Tags: Allergies & Asthma
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Headaches and gluten sensitivity

March 9th, 2002

An article published in the medical journal Neurology (2001; 56(3):385-8) describes ten patients who presented to a clinic complaining of migraine headaches. They all also had other neurological symptoms varying from loss of balance (vertigo), to sensory impairment, however, none of these people had any digestive disturbances.

When tested with MRI and EEG, all of these individuals showed abnormalities in the brain that could explain their symptoms. The author also tested them for intolerance to gluten as part of their evaluation. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, oats, rye and a few other grains. Every one of the ten patients tested positive for gluten intolerance. All recovered completely when they eliminated gluten from their diets. In addition, their EEG and MRI abnormalities vanished. Interestingly, each of these individuals had the same genetic trait, suggesting that there may a genetic predisposition to gluten intolerance. Gluten allergy has been linked with autism, ADHD and migraine headaches in addition to celiac disease, a severe intestinal and neurological disorder.

Tags: Food Allergies
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Alternative Therapies for ADHD Found to be Effective

March 6th, 2002

An article entitled ìAlternative treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: does evidence support their use? (Altern Ther Health Med 2002;8:68-74) points out a need for alternatives to medication in the management of ADHD. Many children do not tolerate medications and the risks associated with long-term use have not been fully evaluated. The authors also noted that there are few studies validating alternative treatments, primarily because none of the significant financial interests that are likely to fund large-scale studies are backing them. Many alternative approaches are also individually tailored and do not lend themselves to current-day study designs in which all the participants must receive the same medication.
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Tags: ADD/ADHD
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