The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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  • Recent Comments

    Ayurvedic drug reported effective to treat osteoarthritis of the knee

    RA-11 (Artrex, Mendar) is a standardized multiplant Ayurvedic drug that contains Withania somnifera, Boswellia serrata, Zingiber officinale, and Curcuma longa. In a 32-week study of 90 people with osteoarthritis of the knee, it was more effective than placebo for pain relief.

    OK, but I have some questions.

    First, why have there been no other studies of this drug published since 2004?

    Second, almost one-third of the patients (28) dropped out of the study. I only have access to the abstract, but it isn’t unclear whether the reported results are based on the 90 patients who started the study (the intent-to-treat group) or just the patients who completed the study. Strictly speaking and considering the high percentage of drop-outs, the results should be based on the former, which would make it harder to show statistically significant differences between treatments.

    It’s true, I’m much more critical about these results than I was last night in the post about animal-assisted therapy.

    Go here for more information on the components in RA-11.

    10/18/06 21:17 JR

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