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

    Don’t rely on garlic to lower high cholesterol

    Several studies suggest that garlic has beneficial effects on risk factors associated with heart disease. MayoClinic.com even gives it a “B” rating (good scientific evidence for this use) based on studies lasting up to 12 weeks.

    Others are not impressed.
    Most recently, overweight adults who smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day took garlic powder (2.1 grams per day), the statin atorvastatin (Lipitor; 40 mg per day), or placebo.

    As expected, atorvastatin lowered blood levels of C-reactive protein, total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).

    Powdered garlic and placebo had no effect.

    This isn’t new. Several other studies have reported the same results with garlic products, here, here, and here.

    The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a good review. Garlic might be good for some things, but long-term reduction in cholesterol levels is not one of them based on available studies.

    12/15/06 22:27 JR

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