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

    Homeopathic A. montana + B. albain in aortic valve surgery

    Arnica montana and other homoeopathic extracts have been used to control inflammation, swelling, and blood loss, with controversial result, say researchers from Université de Lyon, in France.

    They are the first to study A. montana + Bryonia albain (for irritability and aches) in cardiac surgery, which is often followed by blood loss and involves substantial systemic inflammation.

    First, the details.

    • One day before surgery, 92 adults were randomly assigned to a treatment group until 4 days after surgery.
      • Homoeopathic granules
      • Matching placebo
    • The volume of blood/liquid in the drains at their removal was measured.
    • Also, postoperative blood/liquid losses at 12 and 24 hours, as well as C-reactive protein (CRP, to measure inflammation), pain, temperature, and troponin Ic (a marker of heart injury).

    And, the results.

    • There was no difference between groups in blood loss at any time after surgery.
    • There was no difference in patterns of CRP, troponin, body temperature changes, or pain perception.
    • Transfusions were no different.
    • 2 patients from each group died during the study.
    • The number of serious side effects was not significantly different either.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “There was no evidence of effects of A. montana and B. alba combination on bleeding, inflammation, pain or myocardial ischemia.”

    3/18/10 17:16 JR

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