Browse Integrative Medicine General Articles by Topic

Can Antidepressants Help Patients Manage Chronic Pain?

Antidepressant medications have been widely used for treating a variety of chronic pain disorders, but strong evidence to support their efficacy is lacking. Some patients may respond, but available data do not help us determine which agents may be helpful in a specific type of chronic pain condition.

Can Internet Use Prevent Dementia?

In an ongoing longitudinal survey of a nationally representative sample of dementia-free adults age 50 to 64.9 years, regular internet users experienced approximately half the risk of dementia compared with non-regular users.

Running to Keep Ahead of Coronary Artery Disease

In this cross-sectional review of the Master Athlete Heart study, the authors found lifelong endurance sport participation was not associated with a more favorable coronary plaque composition vs. a healthy lifestyle. Lifelong endurance athletes exhibited more coronary plaques.

Exploring the Relationship Between Alcohol and Cardiovascular Events

Researchers reported consuming two to 14 alcoholic drinks per week was associated with fewer major adverse cardiovascular events, which the authors noted could be explained in part by less stress-related neural activity demonstrated on PET and CT scans.

Can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Help with Insomnia?

In this randomized clinical trial, telephone-administered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia significantly outperformed education alone in alleviating insomnia and reducing daytime fatigue in older adults with osteoarthritis pain.

Is Cannabis Abuse During Pregnancy Associated with Poor Neonatal Outcomes?

Cannabis use disorder is associated with small but significant increased risks measured in multiple neonatal outcomes.

Comparing the Effects of Electroacupuncture and Auricular Acupuncture on Pain Control?

This randomized clinical trial involves 360 cancer survivors and found that two types of acupuncture demonstrated superior pain control compared to usual care during a 12-week follow-up period.

A Closer Look at the Effects of Screen Time on Adolescent Mental Health

This systematic review of 50 studies reveals a correlation between increased social media usage and decreased mental well-being in adolescents of both genders, more significant depression in girls, and an association of high weekday smartphone usage with reduced mental well-being across both sexes. However, the inconsistency of the findings necessitates additional studies before generalization.

A Component of Tea to Promote Sleep: A Review of L-theanine as Treatment for Insomnia

This review of eight studies encompassing 417 patients assesses the effectiveness of L-theanine on sleep disorders. Results were inconsistent, but avenues of future study were identified.

Using an Online e-Health Program to Improve Postpartum Depression

This study demonstrated that combined use of universal depression screening and MomMoodBooster2, a cognitive behavioral therapy-based e-health program, were effective tools for treating women with depression in the perinatal period.