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

    Quality issues for some “natural” menopause products

    ConsumerLab.com has reported the results of quality control tests on black cohosh supplements, soy and red clover isoflavone supplements, and progesterone creams.

    Among the products tested, quality was inconsistent according to an article on HealthNewsDigest.com.

    Quality problems

    • 1 supplement provided 30% of the isoflavones on the label.
    • Another supplement provided 65% of the claimed amount of glycitein — an isoflavone in soy.
    • Lead contamination was detected in 1 supplement.
    • 2 products violated FDA labeling requirements by not specifying the plant parts used as ingredients.

    Black cohosh

    • 6 supplements met quality standards.

    Progesterone creams

    • 3 creams provide their listed amount of progesterone.

    Brands tested included Balance, Herbalife, Kevala, Life-flo, LifeWise, Natrol, Natures Answer, Natures Bounty, Nature Made, NOW, Nutrilite, Oona, Puritan’s Pride, Rainbow Light, Swanson, TruNature (Costco), Vitamin Shoppe, Vitamin World, and Vitanica.

    You’ll have to buy the report to learn more.

    9/17/08 19:30 JR

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