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

    Naseleze

    It’s a plant cellulose-based organic powder. One squeeze, according to the manufacturer, into each nostril and it “naturally” enhances nasal mucus to filter out allergens so that only clean air reaches the lungs.

    I found one dissatisfied customer and two studies.

    MalieKai, writing from Canada says, “I’ve pretty much given up on this stuff. For one thing, it’s really difficult to keep up with using it every single time you blow your nose (as recommended in the directions). And, despite using it a lot and having it do what it’s supposed to do (create a gel-like lining in your nasal tract), it has proved no match for the allergens I breathe.”

    Now, the studies.

    2003

    • 102 volunteers, using a 5-point scoring system, graded their general well-being and severity of any hay fever attacks.
    • Overall average score was 3.85, which the authors claim indicated that “Nasaleze was able to control hay fever very well.”
    • Symptom relief occurred within minutes after inhalation in some volunteers.
    • 77% of volunteers reported a significant reduction in the number of “challenges,” and “most graded Nasaleze as more effective and reported fewer side effects than with a wide range of chemical treatments.”

    Considering Naseleze was not compared to a placebo and there was no attempt to conceal treatment from the volunteers (blinded), it’s impossible to determine that the results weren’t simply due to chance.

    Next study.

    2007

    • This study compared the response to Nasaleze with and without combined use of powdered garlic extract.
    • Volunteers used a 5-point scale as in the other study.
    • Using Nasaleze plus powdered garlic extract was associated with significantly fewer infections and fewer days with an “obvious” infection.

    Based on these results, we still don’t know if Nasaleze is any different from placebo.

    11/24/07 22:36 JR

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