The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for April, 2009

Causes of death in the United States

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston studied dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors.

Toping the list were smoking and high blood pressure. (more…)

Consumer Alert: Libimax

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

 The ingredients are listed here.

But, oops. Nature & Health Co. forgot to mention it also contains tadalafil (Cialis), a prescription drug used to treat impotence (aka erectile dysfunction). (more…)

Do fatty acid supplements prevent allergic disease?

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

 Probably not, according to researchers at the University of Edinburgh, in the UK. (more…)

Best websites for black cohosh info

Friday, April 24th, 2009

 It’s nice when people appreciate your work.

Bessed is a new website that lists the best of this, that, and other things. Here’s their list of the 6 best websites for information about black cohosh. (more…)

Consumer Alert: Turmeric supplements

Friday, April 24th, 2009

 The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recalled 2 brands of anti-inflammatory turmeric food supplements contaminated with nimesulide.

The products are called Fortodol and Miradin. (more…)

The limits of choice in selecting healthy meals

Friday, April 24th, 2009

Simply “adding 1 or 2 healthy items to a menu is essentially the worst thing you can do,” according to researchers from Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina in a press release.

What are the implications for school food programs? (more…)

Caution on folic acid food fortification

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

Folate depletion is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer.

But research from the University of Chile, in Santiago suggests, “A folate fortification program could be associated with an additional risk of colon cancer.” (more…)

Stop testing Chinese and homeopathic treatments

Monday, April 20th, 2009

 For these healing disciplines where the interaction between therapist and patient are so closely entwined and it’s difficult to show consistent benefit over sham or placebo, I propose we stop testing these treatments.

We would do better to test the therapists. (more…)

Qigong therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

The benefit depends on the therapist, according to this study from the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey. (more…)

TENS for pain relief in labor

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

Despite limited evidence, this Cochrane review concludes that women should have the choice of using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) during labor. (more…)

Music therapy for patients with heart disease?

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Some changes are reported.

But from a practical perspective, the benefits of music are unclear, according to this Cochrane review. (more…)

Is homeopathy compatible with cancer therapy?

Friday, April 17th, 2009

This Cochrane review evaluated homeopathic medicines used to prevent or treat side effects of cancer treatments. (more…)

Steroid-sparing nasal irrigation for allergic rhinitis?

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Jala Neti (saline nasal irrigation) involves using a special “neti pot” filled with warm, slightly salted water.

Researchers from Nanjing Medical University, in China report, “It permitted the use of less topical steroids for controlling allergic rhinitis in children.” (more…)

Distinguishing between reiki and therapeutic touch

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Actually, it’s not that easy to do.

Several years ago, Dr. Pamela Potter was supervising Reiki volunteers at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut as a doctoral candidate in the School of Nursing.

She’s qualified, if anyone is, to distinguish between these two disciplines.

(more…)

Marijuana and the risk of COPD

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Researchers from Canada and the US studied the effects of marijuana and tobacco on the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). (more…)

Treating chronic fatigue syndrome with probiotics

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

 This study by researchers at the University of Toronto focused on the management of anxiety. (more…)

Using the Internet to improve diabetes control

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Giving people with type 2 diabetes the opportunity to manage their care through the Internet improved long-term blood sugar control, according to this study by researchers at the University of Washington, in Seattle. (more…)

Walnuts vs fatty fish for cardiovascular protection

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

 Walnuts are a plant source of omega-3, while fatty fish is (you guessed it) a marine source of omega-3.

Here’s a comparison of their effects on cholesterol, and a practical application of walnuts to expand the food supply and create functional foods. (more…)

A pithy review of omega-3 fatty acids

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

 Dr. Eric Chan and Dr. Leslie Cho from the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio waste no words in an excellent review. (more…)

Soy isoflavones and depression during menopause

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Researchers from Paraiba Federal University, in Brazil evaluated the effect of soy isoflavones extract on depressive symptoms in women with climacteric syndrome (menopause). (more…)