Treatment with Echinacea Plus tea at early onset of cold or flu symptoms was effective for relieving these symptoms in a shorter period of time than a placebo.

Alteration in sleep function of the elderly is associated with the aging process. Subjective sleep surveys of the elderly commonly reveal a general dissatisfaction with the quantity and quality of sleep. The widespread utilization of sedative-hypnotic drugs in order to alleviate the sleeping complaints of the elderly probably rests on some untested assumptions made by physicians. Music has elicited some strong responses from subjects with Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT), when other means of communication has failed. Music of a serene nature has been shown to lessen anxiety and allow individuals to relax. This study investigates music as an adjunct or alternative to sedative-hypnotic drugs in inducing sleep in “healthy” elderly subjects and patients with SDAT A behavioral assessment chart of sleeping behavior was designed and utilized by nurses on the midnight shift. Combined analysis of variance for the number of hours asleep for all four groups yielded a significant relationship between the numbers of hours asleep and music. A paired comparison between control and experimental SDAT disclosed a significant relationship between the use of music and the number of hours of productive sleep. A paired comparison of the number of hours asleep between control and experimental “healthy” elderly revealed no significant relationship.

Thisstudyfocused on changes in the cognitive abilities of Alzheimer's patients residing in two separate long term carefacilities as they werepart of a group exercise therapyprogram. The researchproblem ofthis study was how to measure possible improvement in cognitive abilities in this population.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the Intense Exercise Therapy (IET) on the cognitive levels offunctioning of elderly persons monitored for three years. The study was based on the premise that daily group exercise enhances physiological as well as psychological processes and consequently may improve cognitive abilities for elderly persons. The study hypothesized that the cognitive functioning level of elderly persons participating in the IET would be significantly higher than the level of those persons in the no treatment control group. A previous study by Lindenmuth and Moose' indicated a positive effect of exercise therapy on cognitive functioning for Alzheimer patients. The sample consisted of 82 elderly (64-98 years old) residents of eight separate personal care facilities in Pennsylvania. Residents who volunteered attended by choice either group exercise therapy or a no treatment control group. A pretest, posttest experimental design was utilized in an attempt to control extraneous variables. Pretreatment, during treatment, and posttreatment measures were collected on the Cognitive Abilities Screening Test (CAST). After participating in the IET, elderly persons were found to have significantly higher (2 < .001) cognitivefunctioning levels. Thesefindings lead to the conclusion that effects of the IETincluded an improvement in cognitive levels offunctioningfor the elderly participants in the treatment group. In addition, elderly persons in the control group showed Alzheimer-like symptoms and demonstrated CAST scores indicative of moderate impairment and organic brain disease. The implication is that a strategy such as the IET used by personal care homes and other institutions caring for the elderly would be of benefit in assisting elderly residents to maintain and improve cognitive levels. The IET is especially practical due to ease of use, low cost, and brevity of actual exercise sessions.