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

    A little known fact in the marijuana debate

    Our very unscientific survey suggests so far that the second most commonly requested entry to this site is marijuana. Believe me, I’m looking.

    In the mean time, here’s a “little known fact” about marijuana from Medical Marijuana ProCon.org.

    “Marijuana extracts were one of the top three most prescribed medicines in the United States each year from 1842 until the 1890s.”

    Interesting, but useless in debating the value of marijuana today.

    Lots of drugs that were popular a hundred years ago are of minimal significance today. For example:

    • “Swaim’s Panacea.” Syrup of sarsaparilla
    • “Doctor Hostetter’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters.”
    • Lydia E. Pinkham’s “Vegetable Compound” to cure “female complaints.”

    Today, drugs become obsolete after just a few years. Newer drugs are more effective and generally safer.

    • Aldomet (methyldopa) to treat high blood pressure
    • Valium (diazepam) to treat anxiety

    What we need are clinical studies that show marijuana is better than standard treatment — or at least complements standard treatments beyond just gettin’ high.

    11/29/06 21:49 JR

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