The morbidity of whole gland treatment for prostate cancer is significant. Given the low risk of prostate cancer specific mortality for most men diagnosed with prostate cancer, alternative therapies such as sub-total or hemi-ablation of the prostate and focal ablation of prostate tumors are being investigated. The developing role of imaging for prostate tumors will dramatically change and likel...

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, and is often associated with significant medical, psychological, and social disturbances. Conventional medical treatment for insomnia includes psychological and pharmacological approaches; however, long-term use of frequently prescribed medications can lead to habituation and problematic withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, herbal and other natural sleep a...

Many techniques for management of hypertrophic scars and keloids have been proven through extensive use, but few have been supported by prospective studies with adequate control groups. Several new therapies showed good results in small-scale trials, but these have not been repeated in larger trials with long-term follow-up. This article reports a qualitative overview of the available clinical ...

Prostate cancer is a common malignancy among elderly men and is essentially incurable once it becomes metastatic. Results from clinical trials testing a panel of specific vaccines in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) suggest that alternative therapies may one day substitute or support the current gold standard (docetaxel plus prednisone). Here, we summarize the results o...

The immune network is a complex system comprising several types of inflammatory and regulatory cells. Autoimmune diseases occur because of dysregulation in host defenses caused by a cellular imbalance. The pattern of imbalance depends on the disease. Most autoimmune diseases are chronic, and the mechanism underlying this chronic nature is yet to be determined. Monoclonal antibody therapy is hig...

Historically, large doses of proteolytic enzymes, along with diet, nutritional supplements, and "detoxification" procedures, have been used in alternative therapies to treat all forms of cancer, without formal clinical studies to support their use. A 2-year, unblinded, 1-treatment arm, 10-patient, pilot prospective case study was used to assess survival in patients suffering inoperable stage II...

The development of abdominal surgery represents an alternative therapy for the morbidly obese; however, patients undergoing this surgical procedure often experience postoperative pulmonary complications. The use of alveolar recruitment maneuvers and/or perioperative ventilatory strategies is a possible alternative to reduce these complications, focusing on the reduction of postoperative pulmona...

PURPOSE This paper provides an overview of the evidence for the principal approaches taken to the rehabilitation of patients with fibromyalgia (FM): exercise, psychologically-based approaches, multimodal approaches, self-management approaches, and complementary and alternative therapies. METHOD A review of current published evidence. RESULTS Owing to factors such as methodological shortcomi...

INTRODUCTION The use of aminoglycosides has decreased dramatically over several decades in the United States due to the introduction of safer Gram-negative agents. This study was conducted to assess possibly changing aminoglycoside susceptibility rates between 2006 and 2012 and in reference to 1992 use in the context of aminoglycoside use volume. METHODS Quarterly adult use of amikacin, genta...

Twenty eight patients with classical irritable bowel syndrome completed a double blind placebo controlled crossover trial in which they added to their normal diet a daily supplement of either 12 bran biscuits (1 = 1.3 g fibre) or 12 placebo biscuits (1 = 0.23 g fibre). Each biscuit was given for three months in random order with crossover to the alternative biscuit at three months. After the in...