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

    Garlic: What’s it good for?

    Garlic (Allium sativum) is one of the most commonly used supplements.

    But based on the results of this review by Professor Ernst at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in the UK, it’s most useful to simply season food.

    Literature searches identified 6 relevant systematic reviews and meta-analysis and double-blind randomized trials. Conditions to treat included cancer, common cold, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, peripheral arterial disease (narrowed arteries with reduced blood flow to the limbs), and pre-eclampsia (a form of toxemia of pregnancy).

    What they found.

    • The evidence based on rigorous clinical trials of garlic was not convincing.
    • Cholesterol: Reported effects were small and of questionable relevance to patient care.
    • Blood pressure: Few studies were available and the effects were too small to be clinically meaningful.
    • Other conditions: Not enough data were available to permit recommendations.

    The bottom line?
    Summaries of other studies with the same conclusions regarding cholesterol and garlic were published earlier here and here.

    10/7/07 12:59 JR

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