July 7, 2006

Traditional folk medicine being studied

Researchers from both the National Institutes of Health and the cosmetics industry are studying folk medicine to come up with new products and treatments.

Ancient Chinese medicine is yielding everything from hay fever relief to aiding in vitro fertilization, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

According to data from the alternative medicine division of the National Institutes of Health, a 2004 survey showed that more than a third of Americans over 18 use some form of alternative medicine.

"The reality is existing Western medicine can't meet current medical needs," says Edmund Lee, executive director of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Institute of Chinese Medicine which is looking into traditional treatments thanks to a $64 million endowment.

In Vietnam, the government has opened a traditional medicine and pharmacy institute to study both traditional and Western medicines while a government-run Forestry Research Institute in Malaysia is developing health supplements based on the medicine of a local tribe.

Healthcare researchers aren't the only ones interested in traditional medicines.

Cosmetics companies like America's Estée Lauder and Shiseido of Japan have jumped on the bandwagon, incorporating ingredients from Chinese medicine into their cosmetics lines.

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Traditional folk medicine being studied

Active military service may heighten women's risk of having low birthweight babies

Significant global variation in COVID-19 guidelines: Most countries recommend at least one treatment that doesn't work

Study connects enjoyment of nature to lower inflammation levels

Bacteria in the intestine that change in response to inflammation could have an impact on our immune system

Researchers develop deep-learning model capable of predicting cardiac arrhythmia 30 minutes before it happens

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Study finds COVID-19 pandemic led to some, but not many, developmental milestone delays in infants and young children

Common antibiotic may be helpful in fighting respiratory viral infections

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Traditional folk medicine being studied

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