Active Projects

1. The Echinacea Cold Study is testing the effects of the herbal medicine Echinacea and placebo on the severity and duration of the common cold.

   Placebo: Physician or Pill? A randomized trial in a common cold model (2003-2007) Role: Principle Investigator. Co-investigators: J. Bobula, K. Bone, R. Brown, B. Chewning, D. L. DeMets, L. Marchand, M. P. Mundt, D. Rabago, D. Rakel, and C. D. Ryff. Funded April 2003 to January 2007 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. 1-R01-AT-1428-01. http://nccam.nih.gov/research/announcements/rfa/at02-001.htm.

2. Validation of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS) (1999-2005). The goal of this project is to assess the reliability, responsiveness, and external validity of a questionnaire instrument designed to measure the severity and impact of the common cold. Also see: WURSS Instrument Validation Info.
3. Meditation and Exercise for Prevention of Acute Respiratory Infection is a newly funded R01 study sponsored by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. The overarching goal of this project is to determine whether mind-body practices such as meditation or exercise can reduce the public health burden of acute respiratory infection. A major secondary goal is to determine whether mindfulness meditation or moderately strenuous exercise can enhance immune processes such as antibody response to influenza vaccination (flu shots). Finally, we want to investigate the influence of stress, optimism, anxiety and positive and negative emotion on immunity and resistance to respiratory infection.