During the past 6 months there has been a significant increase in the readership of this site and in the number of people who signed up for weekly emails. Thanks.

Therefore, a brief review of my modus operandi is in order.

The objective here is to provide a quick way to keep abreast of CAM research. Emphasis is placed on studies in humans that show outcomes relevant for day-to-day healthcare. Laboratory, animal, and theoretical research are of little interest, except as they might help explain outcomes in humans.

The information is top-line because the posts are usually based on information taken from medical journal abstracts. This makes it possible to cover a broad range of topics relatively quickly. Although, as one reader recently observed, details might be omitted, which can make interpretation and application of the results problematic.

To address this deficiency, additional articles are used to supplement most blog entries. Articles aimed at a general audience are often a source of quotes from researchers. While information from earlier research and in scientific reviews provide perspective.

The bottom line?
Ultimately, the best approach would be to review the entire published article before making each blog entry. I take advantage of this option when articles are available gratis from the publisher. However, as you might expect, paying for a PDF of every research article selected for this site is cost prohibitive.

Everything written here is referenced. Before making decisions that might affect your health (or a patient’s health), use the links to dig deeper into the article.

And feel free to use the comments section of each blog entry to share what you find with other readers.

7/8/08 08:51 JR