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

    Consumer alert: Shark cartilage recall

    The FDA has recalled some shark cartilage capsules.

    The brands are listed below. Look here for the relevant lot numbers.

    • Puritan’s Pride
    • Good and Natural
    • Nature’s Bounty
    • Natural Wealth
    • Physiologics
    • Rexall Sundown
    • Vitamin World

    Yeah, yeah. It’s “nature” this, and “natural” that. It’s a “bounty” and “physiologic.”

    And it’s contaminated with Salmonella.

    Return the contaminated products to the place of purchase for a full refund. Or, contact the company with questions and to obtain information on how to return the product at 1-800-217-7668.

    And then there’s this.

    The Mayo Clinic reports that in a study of 83 patients there was no difference in overall survival between patients receiving standard care plus a shark cartilage product versus standard care plus placebo.

    Likewise, there was no suggestion of improvement in quality of life for patients receiving the shark cartilage, compared with those receiving placebo.

    The notion that it has some value because sharks don’t get cancer is — at best — unsubstantiated.

    5/20/07 22:06 JR

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