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

    Studying the effects of omega-3 on children with autism

    Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna think “omega-3 fatty acids may be an effective treatment for children with autism.”

    First, the details.

    • 13 children with autistic disorders accompanied by severe tantrums, aggression, or self-injurious behavior were randomly assigned to receive omega-3 fatty acids or placebo treatment for 6 weeks.
    • Neither the researchers nor the children knew (blinded) their treatment.

    And, the results.

    • The researchers observed a significant advantage of omega-3 fatty acids on hyperactivity and stereotypy (persistent repetition of speech or movement).
    • There was a trend (not significant) toward superiority of omega-3 fatty for hyperactivity.

    The bottom line?
    On its own, results based on 13 children tell us little except that another study might be warranted.

    However, Dr. Maureen Williams writing on the Bastyr Center website quotes the researchers: “The findings are interesting because they are consistent with 3 other strong studies on omega-3 supplementation that showed beneficial effects on the behavior of children with developmental-coordination disorder, people with borderline personality disorder, and incarcerated young men.”

    10/31/07 21:05 JR

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