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.

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  • Recent Comments

    The association between folic acid deficiency and cleft palate

    Norway has one of the highest rates of facial clefts in Europe and does not allow foods to be fortified with folic acid.

    Now, it appears that this decision was a fateful one.

    The study included all families of newborn infants with clefts (377 with cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and 196 with cleft palate only) born between 1996 and 2001 in Norway. They were compared to 763 babies without these birth defects. Questionnaires were used to profile the mothers’ diets.

    The researchers estimated that 22% of babies with isolated cleft lip palate in Norway could be averted if all pregnant women took 0.4 mg of folic acid per day.

    Folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects, including spina bifida. This research suggests that folic acid also helps prevent facial clefts, another common birth defect.

    1/28/07 22:35 JR

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