Kushi, Lawrence H.
Research interests include nutritional epidemiology.
Avins, Andrew L.
Research interests include musculoskeletal and cardiovascular diseases.
Evaluation of a Pilot Perioperative Smoking Cessation Program: A Pre-Post Study
Surgical clinic and perioperative settings are critical touchpoints for treating smoking, yet health care systems have not typically prioritized smoking…
Acute Pulmonary Embolism in Emergency Department Patients Despite Therapeutic Anticoagulation
Emergency department (ED) patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) despite therapeutic anticoagulation at the time of diagnosis are uncommonly encountered…
Being Present: A single-arm feasibility study of audio-based mindfulness meditation for colorectal cancer patients and caregivers
A metastatic cancer diagnosis is associated with high levels of distress in patients and caregivers. Mindfulness interventions can reduce distress…
Being Present: A Feasibility Study of Audio-Based Mindfulness Meditation Intervention for Metastatic Cancer Patients and Caregiver
Based on our previous pilot study of CD-based mindfulness intervention for cancer patients, we propose to develop a mobile application…
Mobile App-Based Mindfulness Pilot Study for Cancer Patients and Caregivers
This pilot randomized trial will test the feasibility of a mobile-app based mindfulness intervention for cancer patients and their caregivers…
Mindfulness and Migraine: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The goal of this study is to conduct a randomized clinical trial of a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention versus a…
BMI, Lifestyle Factors and Taxane-Induced Neuropathy in Breast Cancer Patients: The Pathways Study
Lifestyle factors may be associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). We examined associations between body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle…
Comparison of continuation of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy: transdermal versus oral estrogen
OBJECTIVE: To determine possible differences in the rate at which hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is continued among postmenopausal women treated…
Effect of age on reasons for initiation and discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine age-related differences in reasons that postmenopausal women began and stopped hormone…
Initiation of osteoporosis treatment after bone mineral density testing
The aim of the study was to describe initiation of osteoporosis drug therapy after bone mineral density (BMD) testing and…
Outcomes of a disease-management program for patients with recent osteoporotic fracture
INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes of a disease-management program designed to increase rates of bone-mineral-density…
A yoga & exercise randomized controlled trial for vasomotor symptoms: Effects on heart rate variability
Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects the integration of the parasympathetic nervous system with the rest of the body. Studies on…
Assessing the Value of High-Quality Care for Work-Associated Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in a Large Integrated Health Care System: Study Design
Little is known about quality of care for occupational health disorders, although it may affect worker health and workers' compensation…
Prevalence and Predictors of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in a Large Insured Sample of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
The purpose of the present study was to examine the prevalence and predictors of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use…
Minilaparotomy vs. laparoscopic hysterectomy: comparison of length of hospital stay
To compare length of hospital stay for minilaparotomy vs laparoscopic hysterectomy. Retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). Kaiser…
A Novel Telemonitoring Device for Improving Diabetes Control: Protocol and Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial
Telemedicine is one approach to managing patients with chronic illness. Several telephone-based monitoring studies of diabetes patients have shown improved…
Safety and Toxicity of Saw palmetto in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Urological Symptoms (CAMUS) Trial
PURPOSE: Extracts of the saw palmetto berry are used by many men in the United States as self-treatment for lower…
Does the Diagnosis of Breast or Ovarian Cancer Trigger Referral to Genetic Counseling?
OBJECTIVE: Kaiser Permanente Northern California is a large integrated health care delivery system in the United States that has guidelines…
Audio recordings of mindfulness-based stress reduction training to improve cancer patients’ mood and quality of life-a pilot feasibility study
PURPOSE: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), typically taught in eight weekly classes, helps patients cope with illness, including cancer. Current research…
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use, Patient-reported Outcomes, and Treatment Satisfaction Among Men With Localized Prostate Cancer
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use, satisfaction with treatment, and patient-reported outcomes after treatment.…
Study Protocol: The Back pain Outcomes using Longitudinal Data (BOLD) Registry
BACKGROUND: Back pain is one of the most important causes of functional limitation, disability, and utilization of health care resources…
Performance of the American Urological Association Symptom Index with and without an additional urge incontinence item
OBJECTIVE: To examine the value of adding an urge incontinence question to the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI) among…
Lung Cancer Survival With Herbal Medicine and Vitamins in a Whole-Systems Approach: Ten-Year Follow-up Data Analyzed With Marginal Structural Models and Propensity Score Methods
Complementary and alternative medicines are used by up to 48% of lung cancer patients but have seen little formal assessment…
What do I tell patients about saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia?
Saw palmetto is widely used to treat lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Although there…
Yoga for heart failure patients: a feasibility pilot study with a multiethnic population
BACKGROUND: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is highly prevalent and the most costly cardiovascular illness in the United States. Yoga is…
Complementary and alternative medicine use in chronic liver disease patients
GOALS: To examine a wide range of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics as potential predictors of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)…
Do multivitamin supplements modify the relationship between prenatal alcohol intake and miscarriage?
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether multivitamin supplements modify the relationship between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage. STUDY…
Antioxidant supplementation and risk of incident melanomas: results of a large prospective cohort study
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether antioxidant supplement use is associated with melanoma risk in light of recently published data from the…
A randomized trial comparing acupuncture, simulated acupuncture, and usual care for chronic low back pain
BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is a popular complementary and alternative treatment for chronic back pain. Recent European trials suggest similar short-term benefits…
Characteristics of patients with chronic back pain who benefit from acupuncture
BACKGROUND: Although many clinicians believe there are clinically important subgroups of persons with 'non-specific' low back pain, such subgroups have…
Comparing recruitment strategies in a study of acupuncture for chronic back pain
BACKGROUND: Meeting recruitment goals is challenging for many clinical trials conducted in primary care populations. Little is known about how…
A detailed safety assessment of a saw palmetto extract
BACKGROUND: Saw palmetto is commonly used by men for lower-urinary tract symptoms. Despite its widespread use, very little is known…
Initial experience with a group presentation of study results to research participants
BACKGROUND: Despite ethical imperatives, informing research participants about the results of the studies in which they take part is not…
Efficacy of acupuncture for chronic low back pain: protocol for a randomized controlled trial
BACKGROUND: Chronic back pain is a major public health problem and the primary reason patients seek acupuncture treatment. Therefore, an…
Use of complementary and alternative medicine during the menopause transition: longitudinal results from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation
OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether use of complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies during the menopause transition varied by ethnicity. DESIGN:…
Cross-sectional analysis of specific complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by racial/ethnic group and menopausal status: the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships of race/ethnicity, menopausal status, health characteristics, and symptoms with use of 21 types of complementary…
Saw palmetto and lower urinary tract symptoms: what is the latest evidence?
The use of dietary supplements for treating a wide range of health conditions has grown rapidly in the United States.…
Saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia
BACKGROUND: Saw palmetto is used by over 2 million men in the United States for the treatment of benign prostatic…
Spontaneous bleeding associated with ginkgo biloba: a case report and systematic review of the literature: a case report and systematic review of the literature
BACKGROUND: Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo) is a herbal remedy used by over 2% of the adult population in the United States.…
Use of an embedded N-of-1 trial to improve adherence and increase information from a clinical study
Withdrawal of participants from randomized trials can occur because of symptoms thought to be related to the study medicine, but…
Simple computer model for calculating and reporting 5-year osteoporotic fracture risk in postmenopausal women
PURPOSE: To devise, validate, and test a software model that improves how clinicians calculate individual risk for osteoporotic fracture and…
Use of complementary and alternative medicine by the adult membership of a large northern California health maintenance organization, 1999
Data from general health surveys completed by random samples of adult members of a large Northern California health maintenance organization…
Limb fractures in elderly men as indicators of subsequent fracture risk
BACKGROUND: Whether limb fracture in elderly men predicts future fracture is unknown. METHODS: Electronic health records were examined to determine…
Predictors of difficulty when discontinuing postmenopausal hormone therapy
OBJECTIVE: To describe the experiences of postmenopausal women who try to stop hormone therapy and to identify characteristics associated with…
Effect of the Women’s Health Initiative on women’s decisions to discontinue postmenopausal hormone therapy
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether women who were using postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) before publication of Women's Health Initiative findings about…
Nonvitamin, nonmineral supplement use over a 12-month period by adult members of a large health maintenance organization
OBJECTIVE: National survey data show an increase in the prevalence of nonvitamin, nonmineral (NVNM) supplement use among adults over the…
Early discontinuation of treatment for osteoporosis
PURPOSE: To identify factors associated with early treatment discontinuation of three agents commonly prescribed for women with low bone density.…
Phytoestrogen supplements for the treatment of hot flashes: the Isoflavone Clover Extract (ICE) Study: a randomized controlled trial
CONTEXT: Clinical trials demonstrating increased risk of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer among women randomized to hormone replacement therapy have…
Postmenopausal hormonal support: discontinuation of raloxifene versus estrogen
OBJECTIVE: To determine possible differences in continuation among women initiating treatment with the selective estrogen receptor modulator raloxifene, versus those…
Low-dosage esterified estrogens opposed by progestin at 6-month intervals
OBJECTIVE: To estimate incidence of endometrial hyperplasia, vaginal bleeding, and menopausal symptoms in women who changed from standard monthly cyclic…
Who bears responsibility for glucocorticoid-exposed patients in a large health maintenance organization?
OBJECTIVE: High exposure to glucocorticoid drugs is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and fracture. To define the degree…
The North American Menopause Society 1998 menopause survey: Part II. Counseling about hormone replacement therapy: association with socioeconomic status and access to medical care
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine two predictors of women's obtaining hormone replacement therapy (HRT) counseling: socioeconomic…
Diagnosis of symptomatic postmenopausal women by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners
OBJECTIVE: To learn more about the way that practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnose women who have menopausal symptoms.…
Continuation of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy in a large health maintenance organization: transdermal matrix patch versus oral estrogen therapy
OBJECTIVE: To determine possible differences in continuation of postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy among women initiating treatment with transdermal estradiol versus…
Clinic visits and hospital admissions for care of acid-related upper gastrointestinal disorders in women using alendronate for osteoporosis
CONTEXT: About 1 in 3 women taking alendronate for osteoporosis report gastrointestinal symptoms, a rate much higher than that found…
Use of and interest in alternative therapies among adult primary care clinicians and adult members in a large health maintenance organization
During spring 1996, random samples of adult primary care physicians, obstetrics-gynecology physicians and nurse practitioners, and adult members of a…
