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.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Chinese herbal medicine plus antipsychotic medication to treat schizophrenia

    The Cochrane Collaboration review of 7 studies suggests the following.

    • The overall response favored combining herbal medicine plus antipsychotic drugs vs using antipsychotic drugs alone.
    • Significantly fewer people getting combined treatment left the study early compared with those given antipsychotics alone.
    • There was less constipation in the combined treatment group.

    The bottom line?
    The available data suggest that “Chinese herbal medicines, given in a Western biomedical context, may be beneficial for people with schizophrenia when combined with antipsychotics,” according to the reviewers.

    Of course you would have to find a western doctor who knows how to use them, or find a traditional Chinese medicine doctor and an allopathic doc who are willing to collaborate.

    Based on the limited evidence and what we know about the ignorance of each practitioner about the other’s specialty, I don’t think there are many who would take the time to get it right.

    5/19/07 18:39 JR

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