Allied Health News in Review

Allied Health News in Review (AHNR) is an initiative featured monthly on the iCAHE website.
Consumers of health care are often presented with large volumes of information. Often much of this information is misleading, biased or technically inaccurate.
The aim of AHNR is to inform and educate clinicians, patients and other stakeholders about the quality of research underpinning news articles and websites.

Do you know of an allied health related research finding that has been reported in the media?
Are you confident that these research finding have been accurately reported?

Email your AHNR ideas to iCAHE staff member Luke Perraton.

Allied Health News in Review Reports

AHNR Edition 19 Stop! Have you washed your hands?

AHNR Edition 18 Whole body vibration: An example of how to find and evaluate research evidence

AHNR Edition 17: Can an inexpensive blood pressure drug reverse Multiple Sclerosis symptoms?

AHNR Edition 16: Are women more likely to hurt their knees at different times in their menstrual cycle?

AHNR Edition 15: Cough CPR: How to survive a heart attack when alone

AHNR Edition 14: The effects of acupuncture on pain management

AHNR Edition 13: Does eating less help with weight loss?

AHNR Edition 12: Does Tai Chi help diabetes?

AHNR Edition 11: AHNR physiotherapy vs arthroscopic knee surgery

AHNR Edition 10: AHNR vitamins for adults

AHNR Edition 9: AHNR PT treatment resolves symptoms of urinary incontinence in women

AHNR Edition 8: AHNR music therapy improves strokes outcomes

AHNR Edition 7: AHNR lifting and back pain

AHNR Edition 6: AHNR acupuncture and IVF

AHNR Edition 5: AHNR acupuncture for chemotherapy nausea

AHNR Edition 4: AHNR strength training for knee arthritis

AHNR Edition 3: AHNR acupuncture and lower back pain

AHNR Edition 2: AHNR tennis elbow treatments

AHNR Edition 1: AHNR acupuncture and knee osteoarthritis

If you are unable to open the PDF links please visit http://www.adobe.com to download ADOBE.

Summaries of AHNR reports

AHNR Edition 18: Whole body vibration: A guide for clinicians

Whole body vibration (author: Luke Perraton). This special edition AHNR guides clinicians through the process of searching for an evaluating research evidence for a clinical question.

AHNR Edition 17: Can an inexpensive blood pressure drug reverse Multiple Sclerosis symptoms?

Blocking angiotensin-converting enzyme induces potent regulatory T cells and modulates TH1 and TH17 mediated autoimmunity. Available at: http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/37/3/588

Blood Pressure Medication for Multiple Sclerosis (author: Zuzana Machotka). This web report was based on laboratory tests conducted by health researchers at the Stamford University Medical Centre, USA.

AHNR Edition 16: Are women more likely to hurt their knees at different times in their menstrual cycle?

Changing hormone levels during the menstrual cycle affect knee laxity and stiffness in healthy female subjects. Available at: http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/37/3/588

Alterations in knee joint laxity during the menstrual cycle in healthy women leads to increases in joint loads during selected athletic movements. Available at: http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/early/2009/03/13/0363546508330146.long

Relationship between knee joint laxity and knee joint mechanics during the menstrual cycle. Available at: http://bjsm.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/43/3/174

Menstrual cycle affecting knee joints (author: Luke Perraton). This health news article from Medical News Today reports on a series of studies published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine and the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The authors of these studies are based at the faculty of kinesiology at the University of Calgary in Canada.

AHNR Edition 15: Cough CPR: How to survive a heart attack when alone

Deep coughing will assist with heart attack symptoms when alone, uploaded to www.scrbd.com on 6 April 2007.

How to survive a heart attack when alone (author: Luke Perraton). This website reports on research cited in No 240 of the Journal of General Hospital Rochester . A spokesperson for Rochester General Hospital provided an online statement which denied any knowledge of this article. A link to this statement is provided in the PDF.

AHNR Edition 14: The effects of acupuncture on pain management

‘Acupuncture treatment for pain: systematic review of randomised clinical trials with acupuncture, placebo acupuncture, and no acupuncture groups’ Reported on-line, at virtual medical centre on 11th of March 2009:
http://virtualmedicalcentre.com/news.asp?artid=13326. The findings suggest that acupuncture has only a small pain relieving effect when compared to placebo acupuncture.

The effects of acupuncture on pain management (author: Luke Perraton). This article reports on a systematic review published at BMJ.com in March 2009. The authors are based at the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark. No external funding was receiving by the authors to complete this review.

AHNR Edition 13: Does eating less help weight loss?

Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates’. Reported by Serena Gordon for US News and World Report, February 25, 2009: http://health.usnews.com. The findings support the premises that irrespective of the diet you choose, eating less will result in short-term weight loss.

Does eating less help with weight loss? (author: Luke Perraton). This news report is based on a study conducted by researchers from the U.S.A. The principal author is based at the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. Funding was received from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the General Clinical Research Centre, National Institutes of Health (U.S.A).

AHNR Edition 12: Does Tai Chi help Diabetes?

The article Tai chi gentle on diabetes was published on the ABC Health and Wellbeing website. The article suggests that tai chi may be helpful for people with Type 2 Diabetes and improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

AHNR Does Tai Chi help Diabetes? (author: Yamini Deenadayalan) The evidence that this article was based on was on a randomised controlled trial of 6 month duration, published in the Australian Family Physician and conducted by Australian researchers.

AHNR Edition 11: AHNR Physiotherapy vs arthroscopic knee surgery

“Physical therapy as effective as arthroscopic knee surgery, New Research Finds” was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

AHNR Physiotherapy vs arthroscopic knee surgery (author: Yamini Deenadayalan) Based on a review published in the New England Journal of Medicine based on a single-centred trial conducted by Alexandra Kirkley and colleagues at the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic, University of West Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

AHNR Edition 10: AHNR Vitamins for Adults

The article: Journal of the American Medical Association announces recommendation that all adults should take vitamins was published in Healthy Life magazine, Spring 2008. This AHNR looks at a topic close to many adults hearts – that of the vitamin – do they actually make a difference?

AHNR Vitamins for adults (author: Yamini Deenadayalan) Based on a scientific review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) conducted by researchers from the Harvard medical school (Boston).

AHNR Edition 9: AHNR PT treatment resolves symptoms of urinary incontinence in women

To synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of non-surgical clinical interventions used to treat UI in community-dwelling women. This news report was based on a systematic review conducted by researchers from the: University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research (USA). Funding was received from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (USA).

AHNR PT treatment resolves symptoms of urinary incontinence in women (author: Peter Lekkas) University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research (USA).

AHNR Edition 8: AHNR Music therapy improves strokes outcomes

To evaluate whether regular, self-directed music listening during the first two months after middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke can enhance the recovery of cognitive functions and mood, as reported by R Preidt for HealthDay, 20 February 2008 (www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_61381.html)

AHNR Music therapy improves stroke outcomes (author: Peter Lekkas) R Preidt for HealthDay, 20 February 2008 (www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_61381.html)

AHNR Edition 7: AHNR lifting and back pain

determine whether advice and training on working techniques and lifting equipment can prevent back pain in occupations that involve heavy lifting tasks, as reported by P Crosta for Medical News Today, 5 February 2008, (www.medicalnewstoday.com): Back pain not prevented by instructing people how to lift heavy objects'.

AHNR lifting and back pain (author: Peter Lekkas) P Crosta for Medical News Today, 5 February 2008, (www.medicalnewstoday.com)

AHNR Edition 6: AHNR acupuncture and IVF

Reviews the hypothesis that acupuncture improves rates of pregnancy and live birth when used as an adjuvant treatment to embryo transfer in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation, as reported by Dr N Swan, Health Minutes, ABC News Radio, 5 March 2008: Acupuncture helps IVF.

AHNR acupuncture and IVF (author: Peter Lekkas) Dr N Swan, Health Minutes, ABC News Radio, 5 March 2008

AHNR Edition 5: AHNR acupuncture for chemotherapy nausea

Investigates the premise that acupuncture can help bring some relief from chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (author: Dr Caroline Smith), Reuters Health Information 1 May 2006.

AHNR acupuncture for chemo nausea (author: Dr Carolyn Smith) Reuters Health Information 1 May 2006

AHNR Edition 4: AHNR strength training for knee arthritis

Explores the idea that strength training can possibly slow knee arthritis, as reported in The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 October 2006.

AHNR strength Training for knee arthritis (author: Dr Saravana Kumar) Sydney Morning Herald, 5 October 2006

AHNR Edition 3: AHNR acupuncture and lower back pain

Assesses an article based on the hypothesis that acupuncture relieves low back pain over long-term as reported by Reuters Health Information on 15 September 2006.

AHNR acupuncture and lower back pain (author: Dr Saravana Kumar) Reuters Health Information 15 September 2006

AHNR Edition 2: AHNR tennis elbow treatments

Reviews a publication on Forbes.com, investigating the efficacy of physiotherapy compared with a 'wait and see' approach or corticosteroid injections over 52 weeks in tennis elbow.

AHNR tennis elbow treatments (author: Dr Saravana Kumar) Forbes.com, 29 September 2006

AHNR Edition 1: AHNR acupuncture and knee osteoarthritis

Explores an article on acupuncture, in true and placebo form, and its effectiveness in relieving knee pain caused by Osteoarthritis (OA), as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald on 6 July 2006.

AHNR acupuncture and knee osteoarthritis (author: Dr Saravana Kumar) Sydney Morning Herald, 6 July 2006

If you are unable to open the PDF links please visit http://www.adobe.com/ to download ADOBE.

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