A truly groundbreaking study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine titled, "Acupuncture vs intravenous morphine in the management of acute pain in the ED," reveals that acupuncture -- one of the oldest techniques to treat pain -- is more effective, faster in relieving pain, and with less adverse effects, than intravenous morphine.

The study was conducted over the course of a 1-year period at the Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital in Tunisia, a tertiary care facility with over 100,000 Emergency Department (ED) visits per year.

300 ED patients with acute pain were included in the study: 150 in the morphine group (administered up to 15 mg a day) and 150 in the acupuncture group. The two groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, and co-morbidities, with the only significant difference being that there were more abdominal pain patients in the morphine group and more low back pain cases in the acupuncture group.

In an age where millions of people are flocking to the internet and seminars to discover the latest about health because they feel doctors may not be up to date, The Medical Medium stands out as a popular go to for many.

With a radio show on Hay House, Anthony William draws from his astounding connection to a 'high-level' spirit, as he calls it, and shares incredible health information to many. In his book Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal Anthony talks about the unknown reasons behind some of the many popular illnesses that plague people today. He also provides great insight into how one can treat and heal their bodies back to a healthy state - something that is rather refreshing in this day and age.

Dr. Alejandro Junger, who wrote the forward in William's book, writes "As a man of science, I have been taught to the point of indoctrination that I must only trust what I can observe, measure, test, and reproduce." A typical view of western medical professionals. Interestingly, Dr. Junger also has a fascination with healers. Those who appear to perform amazing feats of healing like bringing sight back or instantly healing a disease. How do these things work? Dr. Junger does what many health professionals need to do more of, question the status quo and keep an open mind.

We all know how critical sleep is in our lives and we've all suffered from the occasional restless night. You're probably aware that caffeine and alcohol can affect your ability to get a good night's sleep, but there are also several other medications you might not be aware of that can lead to sleep disturbances. When it comes to fitful sleep and bad dreams, the monster may be in your medicine cabinet!

5 Common Medicines That Cause Sleeplessness

• Cipro: This commonly prescribed antibiotic (full name ciprofloxacin) belongs to the category of fluoroquinolones, which are used to treat urinary tract infections and gastroenteritis. Cipro is extremely effective as an antibiotic, but it has also been linked to vivid, violent dreams in adults and agitated sleep walking in young children.
• 
  Comment: A fluoriquinolone, Cipro has been associated with some very nasty side effects including tendonitis, tendon rupture, peripheral neuropathy, C. difficile infections, liver injury, DNA and mitochondrial damage. Sleep disturbance would be the least of your worries with this medication.
  
  

Nearly eight out of 10 people are coffee drinkers, according to the National Coffee Association's 2016 report. And like anything that's part of our daily ritual, we have burning questions -- like, is coffee good for you or bad for you, or both? USC experts weigh in.

Over the years coffee has been blamed for causing everything from high blood pressure and high cholesterol (and thus heart disease) to pancreatic cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, and bone loss. The main focus has been on caffeine, one of the most extensively studied substances in food. But in nearly every instance early research linking coffee or caffeine to health problems has been refuted by better subsequent studies. "Not guilty" has repeatedly been the verdict. The pendulum has swung so far that some researchers now suggest that coffee may actually have health benefits.

Just five sessions of Swedish massage is enough to improve the symptoms of anxiety, new research finds. Levels of cortisol — known as the stress hormone — were also reduced. People who took part in the study also saw reduced depression symptoms.

Foods carrying health claims have only slightly better nutrition profiles than products without, and they often carry a greater percentage of food additives, preservatives and artificial sweeteners.

Publishing its findings in Nature an Oxford University Study found foods carrying health claims had, on average, lower levels, per 100 g, of energy (29.3 kcal), protein (1.2g), total sugar (3.1g), saturated fat (2.4g), and sodium (842mg) but higher levels of fibre (0.8g).

A comparable model was seen in foods with accompanying nutrition claims. When the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (FSANZ NPSC), which was designed to regulate health claims, was used, 43% of foods passed.

Foods carrying health claims were more likely to pass than foods carrying nutrition claims or foods that did not carry either type of claim.

Each year during the anniversary week of Mercola.com, we recognize a Game Changer; someone whose work stands as a great service to humanity by making a significant contribution to improving people's health.

This year, we present the Game Changer Award to Thomas Seyfried, Ph.D.,¹ a professor of biology at Boston College and a leading expert and researcher in the field of cancer metabolism and nutritional ketosis.

His book, "Cancer as a Metabolic Disease" is an important contribution to the field of how cancer starts and can be treated. Seyfried's work is also heavily featured in Travis Christofferson's excellent book, "Tripping Over the Truth: The Metabolic Theory of Cancer."

Each day, some 1,600 people die from cancer in the United States alone. Worldwide, we're looking at a death toll of about 21,000 people daily. So many of these deaths are unnecessary — they're preventable and treatable.

Seyfried is one of the pioneers in the application of nutritional ketosis for cancer; a therapy that stems from the work of Dr. Otto Warburg, who was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant biochemists of the 20th century. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1931 for the discovery of metabolism of malignant cells.

Warburg also held a doctorate in chemistry and was personal friends with Albert Einstein and many of the most prominent scientists of his time. His life's mission was to find a cure for cancer, and he actually did. Unfortunately, few were able to appreciate the importance of his findings.

Seyfried has followed in Warburg's scientific footsteps, and is conducting important research to advance this science. He has in fact exceeded Warburg's initial supposition, shedding important light on the metabolic underpinnings of cancer.

Cancer as a Metabolic Disease

The traditionally held view or dogma is that cancer is agenetic disease, but what Warburg discovered is that cancer is really caused by a defect in the cellular energy metabolism of the cell, primarily related to the function of the mitochondria, which are the little power stations within each cell.

After months of anticipation, the Zika virus has finally arrived to the continental U.S., with 15 non-travel cases being reported in Florida as of August 2. The virus is carried primarily by a species of mosquito called Aedes aegypti.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued its first-ever warning for within the U.S., urging pregnant women to avoid travel to a Miami neighborhood where the Zika investigation is centered.

CDC and the Florida Health Department recommended an aerial spraying program to cover a 10-square-mile area just north of downtown Miami. The state is spraying a chemical called Naled, which is an organophospate pesticide that causes severe skin and eye irritation; it also contains an inert ingredient called napthaline which is classified by the EPA as a "possible human carcinogen."

When this chemical was recommended to be sprayed in Puerto Rico, protests erupted from residents concerned about their health and the environmental impacts. Organophosphate pesticides also devastate bee populations and other beneficial insects, which affects agriculture as well as ecosystem health.

At a futuristic new coffee shop here you can get a cup of joe with a pat of grass-fed butter and a teaspoon of "brain octane oil."

Welcome to California, folks. This is biohacking central.

The Bulletproof Coffee stores will sell you more than just alternative caffeine. The in-store chairs omit an electromagnetic field, the lighting changes by the time of day, and a panel on the floor is specially designed to decharge guests' static electricity.

People with gluten sensitivity - whereby gluten intake triggers symptoms similar to celiac disease, but without the associated intestinal damage - are often told that the condition is "all in the mind." But a new study may turn this perception on its head, after uncovering a biological explanation for gluten sensitivity.

In a study published in the journal Gut, researchers led by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in New York, NY, suggest gluten sensitivity may arise as a result of a weakened intestinal barrier, which triggers an inflammatory immune response when gluten is consumed.

Proteins found in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale all fall under the gluten category. They are present in a variety of foods, primarily breads, cereals, and pasta.

It is estimated that around 1 in 141 Americans have celiac disease- an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the small intestine in response to gluten intake, causing symptoms such as bloating, constipation, chronic diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, and chronic fatigue.