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

    Caution taking fish oil supplements in people with implantable defibrillators

    A group of Canadian researchers reviewed the medical literature on this topic.

    Not all patents benefit from omega-3 fatty acids.

    They searched for studies of patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator a year after placement.

    And the results.

    • 3 studies of 573 patients who received fish oil and 575 who acted as a control group were found.
    • Reanalysis of the results (meta-analysis) showed no overall effect of fish oil on the relative risk of implantable cardioverter defibrillator discharge.
    • One study showed a significant benefit of fish oil.
    • However, the smallest study reported negative results among patients with ventricular tachycardia (a rapid life-threatening heart rhythm by the lower chambers of the heart).

    The bottom line?
    The findings reveal that not all patients respond the same to omega-3 fatty acid treatment.

    Caution in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators who have a history of ventricular tachycardia and who are not taking antiarrhythmic medications.

    2/16/08 16:00 JR

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