Proponents of controversial Complementary and Alternative Medicines, such as homeopathy, argue that these treatments can be used with great effect in addition to, and sometimes instead of, 'conventional' medicine. In doing so, they accept the idea that the scientific approach to the evaluation of treatment does not undermine use of and support for some of the more controversial CAM treatments. ...

COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERnative medicine (CAM) encompasses a wide range of popular treatment modalities that are outside conventional practice and generally lack sufficient scientific evidence of their safety and efficacy. These treatments include herbal agents, homeopathic preparations, chiropractic manipulations, massage, acupuncture, meditation, and prayer. Use of CAM in the United States is w...

device. Introduction Acne vulgaris is a common skin disorder that affects w70% to 87% of adolescents and young adults. (1) The pathogenesis of acne is multifactorial and complex, and is thought to be due to androgen-stimulated sebum production. This production leads to follicular occlusion and hyperkeratinization, with comedo formation, as well as microbial colonization of pilosebaceous follicl...

Water available for irrigation is declining in many rice-growing regions around the world. Global populations continue to rise increasing crop production demand. Rice production systems must face the dilemma of maintaining or increasing yields with less water available to irrigate. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) has shown to be an effective tool for water conservation in irrigated rice syst...

Most burns are thermal and can be treated on an outpatient basis with conventional care that includes daily dressing changes, debridement, and infection control. These treatments can exacerbate pain associated with burns. Noncontact, low-frequency, nonthermal ultrasound therapy is delivered via sterile saline mist and has been used to cleanse and debride a variety of acute and chronic wounds, i...

The key to better nutrient efficiency is to simultaneously improve uptake and decrease losses. This study sought to achieve this balance using sorbent additions and manure nutrients (spent poultry litter; SL) compared with results obtained using conventional sources (Conv; urea nitrogen, N; and phosphate-phosphorus; P). Two experiments were conducted. Firstly, a phosphorus pot trial involving t...

Rotational radiotherapy treatments such as volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) can have superior overall quality while having shorter delivery time with respect to conventional intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). As with conventional treatments, intrafractional tumor motion is a major source of uncertainty in dose application. To ensure full tumor coverage the planning target volume (P...

Eccentric exercise continues to receive attention as a productive means of exercise. Coupled with this has been the heightened study of the damage that occurs in early stages of exposure to eccentric exercise. This is commonly referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). To date, a sound and consistent treatment for DOMS has not been established. Although multiple practices exist for th...

Naturally, considering how often human cancer patients seek alternative health care, veterinary clients hunger for safe and effective options that would allow them to circumvent conventional and risky cancer treatments or at least lessen their side effects. They may be disappointed to learn that currently no alternative therapies constitute proven, effective cures for cancer, although many natu...