The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for August, 2007

Comparing probiotics to treat diarrhea

Friday, August 31st, 2007

Not all commercially available probiotics are effective in children with acute diarrhea, according to this study from researchers at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy. (more…)

Selenium and muscle strength in older adults

Friday, August 31st, 2007

Results from the Invecchiare in Chianti (InCHIANTI) Study indicate that low selenium blood levels are independently associated with poor skeletal muscle strength — at least in Tuscany.

But should older people take selenium supplements? (more…)

FDA wants to rate UVA protection in sunscreen products

Thursday, August 30th, 2007

Using a scale of 1 to 4 stars, the proposed regulation will help consumers identify the level of UVA protection offered by a product. (more…)

Omacor becomes Lovaza

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007

My pharmacist tells me that the prescription strength omega-3 fatty acid product called Omacor is having its name changed. (more…)

Deadly depression in people with heart failure

Friday, August 24th, 2007

This report provides a reason to review the past few months of CAM studies and reviews on depression. (more…)

How might spinal manipulation lower blood pressure?

Thursday, August 23rd, 2007

Reports from chiropractic journals say that manipulating the neck region helps reduce blood pressure in some people.

Prof. Jim Deuchars from the University of Leeds in the UK and coworkers have examined pathways between the neck and the brain to help define how neck muscles could play a crucial role in controlling blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. (more…)

Safety report on cannabis oral spray

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

A spray has been developed from the major components of marijuana (cannabis), including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in alcohol. The formulation is sprayed under the tongue or in the cheek to relieve pain in multiple sclerosis.

This small study examined effects on the mucus membrane of the mouth. (more…)

Have you noticed a rise in the cost of vitamin C?

Tuesday, August 21st, 2007

Bulk prices of vitamin C have quadrupled since the first quarter of the year. It’s mainly due to cutbacks in production by Chinese suppliers who control as much 70% to 90% of the market. (more…)

NCCAM Fellowships

Tuesday, August 21st, 2007

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has selected the first 2 fellows for the NCCAM Director’s Fellowship in CAM Research. (more…)

Australian Safari Rally: The ultimate off-road adventure

Friday, August 17th, 2007

This is way off topic for this blog, but my son-in-law, Jason LaFortune of Temper-Mental Racing, will participate in this rally at the end of this month.

The rally starts Friday, August 24th near Darwin and heads south to Perth finishing September 1st.

They will blog the rally here.

Please enjoy it with us.

8/17/07 19:40 JR

Follow-up: Reported cost-savings with CAM-oriented primary care

Friday, August 17th, 2007

In a previous entry it was reported that over 7 years, patients visiting chiropractors and other CAM-oriented primary care doctors had 60% fewer hospitalizations, 62% less outpatient surgery, and 85% lower pharmaceutical costs compared with total network HMO (health maintenance organization).

These findings are important, but there were some questions, which lead researcher, Dr. Richard Sarnat, graciously agreed to address. (more…)

Contaminated botanicals and dietary supplements

Friday, August 17th, 2007

Almost all supplements tested in this study contained measurable amounts of genistein and/or daidzein — known estrogenic agents. (more…)

Adding acupuncture to physiotherapy to treat osteoarthritis of the knee

Friday, August 17th, 2007

No additional improvement in pain scores was reported in this study. (more…)

High-dose probiotic + prebiotic to treat Crohn’s disease

Thursday, August 16th, 2007

Earlier study results have been inconsistent. In this study, researchers from Nippon Medical School in Tokyo use higher doses to treat active Crohn’s disease (CD). (more…)

Are you ready for probiotic chocolate?

Thursday, August 16th, 2007

“We expect that the trend towards high-end [chocolate] products, especially those touting wellness benefits, will be the life force in this market for the next several years.”

That’s the conclusion from Tatjana Meerman, publisher of the report, The US Market for Chocolate.

What’s this got to do with probiotics? (more…)

Potential benefits of fish oil supplements given to pregnant mums

Thursday, August 16th, 2007

Relatively high doses of omega 3-rich fish oil supplements during the second half of pregnancy appear safe and beneficial to the baby.

(more…)

Weight loss study uses the Internet

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007

This is for residents of San Diego County in California. (more…)

Homeopathy and the memory of water

Tuesday, August 14th, 2007

A long-time reader and valued critic of this site believes this post was not fair. OK. I accept the criticism and challenge him to do better, as stated in the comments below.

The preparation of treatments in homeopathy is based on extremely high dilutions (low concentrations) of substances in water — far lower than detectable. For this reason, it has been suggested that water could retain a “memory” of substances that have been dissolved in it before the successive dilutions.

The journal, Homeopathy has dedicated an entire issue to try to explain the concept. (more…)

Some benefit from antioxidant vitamins on the risk of cardiovascular disease

Monday, August 13th, 2007

About 23% or 62 million Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD; eg, heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, angina, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, or heart failure).

The Women’s Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study concluded, “There were no overall effects of ascorbic acid [vitamin C], vitamin E, or beta carotene on cardiovascular events among women at high risk for CVD.”

But read on to see those who did benefit. (more…)

Consumer Alert: 3 red yeast products

Monday, August 13th, 2007

The FDA warns to avoid these “natural” treatments for high cholesterol. (more…)