Good-quality studies on aromatherapy are rare. One 2023 randomized trial from the University of California, Irvine had “astonishing” findings. One group of study participants aged 60 to 85 used a diffuser every night for six months (two hours of exposure to natural oil infusions of rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender), while the other received a sham treatment (trace scent amounts). Participants then underwent…
A new, year-long study (University of Illinois) compared the impact on weight loss of a compressed eating day (between noon and 8 PM) vs. cutting calories by 25% each day (and having to constantly count them). The finding: It’s just as effective to watch the clock as it is to watch what you eat. Both groups lost about 5% of their body weight after a…
A 2023 study from University of Rochester medical researchers found that yoga has a powerful, positive effect on inflammation in cancer patients. The high-quality randomized control trial had 500 cancer patients do twice-weekly yoga or health education classes for a month. Blood tests showed that those practicing yoga had “significantly lower levels of pro-inflammatory markers” compared with patients in the education group. The researchers’ conclusion: “Clinicians…
Helping You Navigate the Complex and Confusing Evidence on CBD The esteemed WellnessEvidence.com portal just added CBD to its growing list of wellness approaches with the aim of empowering consumers to make more informed decisions. Evidence on CBD is the latest addition to the WellnessEvidence.com portal, created by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) to provide wellness seekers with independent scientific research on 30+ popular wellness…
A new study from Newcastle University-UK found that heart attack patients treated with a compound derived from a plant long used in traditional Chinese medicine, astragalus, experienced significantly reduced inflammation (up to 62%, and 30% more than with traditional anti-inflammatory medications.) Patients also experienced less chest and joint pains. Unlike current post-heart-attack treatments, the herbal treatment not only did not compromise patients’ immune systems, it actually…
A small new study from the University of Victoria compared the impact of “green exercise” vs. the same exercise done indoors (in this case, a short walk). Using electroencephalography to measure the impact on cognitive function across almost all brain measures, exercise in nature proved the winner. It had a significantly bigger impact on memory, concentration and thinking speed. The researchers concluded that with growing…
