According to background information given in the journal, auricular acupuncture therapy is based on the understanding that the outer ear represents all parts of the body and was first used in France in 1956 by a doctor who noticed that a patient’s back-ache was cured after a burn on the ear. But external experts said this research and its apparent conclusions should be viewed with extreme caution. “While it’s good to see attempts to evaluate so-called alternative treatments using the same approach as is used for more conventional treatments, this study has several features that complicate the picture,” said Kevin McConway, a professor of applied statistics at Open University. He noted that more than a third of the study’s small number of starting participants did not complete the course, and yet the main results did not take this into account.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/16/us-acupuncture-weight-idUSBRE9BF1GS20131216
Diabetes drug won’t help obese kids keep off weight
Food and Drug Administration to treat type 2 diabetes in adults and children over 10 years old, but doctors have used it “off-label” to treat obese kids who don’t have diabetes, according to background information included in the study. McDonagh’s team analyzed 14 clinical trials that included nearly 1,000 children between 10 and 16 years old. All were overweight or obese. Based on data in adults, weight reductions of 5 percent to 10 percent are needed to decrease the risk of serious health problems tied to obesity, the researchers said. The additional amount of weight loss among children taking metformin in the review, however, was less than 5 percent on average. “With childhood obesity on the rise — and [its] serious long-term implications for the child’s health as an adult — clinicians and parents are searching for interventions that will provide meaningful weight reduction,” said McDonagh, an associate professor in the department of medical informatics and clinical epidemiology at the Oregon Health & Science University. “Since http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/garcinia-cambogia-extract—crucial-data-released-231403591.html metformin has been used to treat type 2 diabetes for many years — including in older children — and often results in weight loss, it has been used off-label to treat obesity in children,” McDonagh said.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20131216/diabetes-drug-metformin-tied-to-slight-weight-loss-in-obese-kids?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Diabetes Drug Tied to Weight Loss in Obese Kids
In most studies, children who took metformin also engaged in lifestyle changes aimed at helping them lose weight. On average, children who took metformin for six months achieved a 3.6 percent greater reduction in their BMI compared with those who practiced lifestyle changes alone. However, studies garcinia cambogia reviews in adults suggest that, in order for a weight-loss treatment to lead to meaningful improvements in health down the road, it needs to reduce BMI by 5 to 10 percent, McDonagh said. Children in the studies who took metformin for a year saw about the same decrease in BMI as those who practiced lifestyle changes alone. And after one year, both groups started to slip back to their original weight. The researchers would like to see more studies on weight-loss treatments that involve a child’s entire family.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/12/17/diabetes-drug-wont-help-obese-kids-keep-off-weight/
Weight Loss Surgery for Severely Obese Teens
How do we tackle pediatric obesity? he asked. We dont have a great deal of success. Weight Loss Surgery Pros and Cons For obese teens, especially the severely obese, simply trying to eat less and exercise more doesnt seem to work, Inge says. He cites a 2012 Swedish study of 14- to 16-year-olds in which researchers found that after 3 years, lifestyle changes led to a meaningful BMI drop inonly 2% of participants. Meridia had been the most effective weight loss drug, Inge said, but manufacturer Abbott Laboratories took it off the market in 2010 after research raised concerns about risks of heart attack and stroke. Inge says weight loss surgery is costly and does have treatment risks, but studies in adults have found that it has long-term health benefits. While the number of severely obese children and teens has grown for the last decade, the number undergoing weight loss surgery each year has remained stable at about 1,000.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/news/20131210/surgery-obese-teens
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