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

    Effects of glucosamine + omega-3 on osteoporosis

    Researchers in Germany conducted the first study of this combination.

    The aim was to see if the combination is more effective than glucosamine alone.

    First, the details.

    • 177 patients with moderate-to-severe hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) were randomly assigned to a treatment for 26 weeks.
      • Group A: Glucosamine sulfate (1500 mg/day) + omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
      • Group B: Glucosamine sulfate alone
    • Neither the patients nor researchers knew the treatment given — double blind.
    • Evaluation was performed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthrosis index (WOMAC) score.

    And, the results.

    • Based on the criterion of at least a 20% reduction in the WOMAC pain score there was no difference between treatments (92% Group A, 94% Group B).
    • Based on the criterion of at least an 80% reduction in the WOMAC pain score, glucosamine sulfate + omega-3 was significantly better than glucosamine alone (44% Group A, 32% Group B).
    • OA symptoms of 1) morning stiffness, and 2) pain in hips and knees at the end of the study were 49% vs 56% Group A, respectively; and 42% vs 55% Group B).
    • Both treatments well tolerated over 26 weeks.

    The bottom line?

    There’s support for each component individually. Now there’s support for the combination, which should be followed by more research.

    4/14/10 21:18 JR

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