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

    The value of the consultation in treating cardiovascular disease

    Research from California and Iowa support the value of added time with a qualified healthcare professional.

    First, the details.

    • From California, the contribution of a nurse- and dietitian-led patient care program for reducing major cardiovascular disease risk factors in 49 low-income, primarily ethnic minority patients in a county health care system, 63% of whom had type 2 diabetes mellitus.
      • Examples of risk factor for cardiovascular disease include smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity and overweight, diabetes mellitus, and too much alcohol.
    • In Iowa, a physician and pharmacist collaborated to improve blood pressure control in 402 patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure.

    And, the results.

    • In California, the Framingham risk score was significantly better among patients under the care of the nurse and dietitian vs patients that didn’t have this component of care.
    • In Iowa, the average decreased in blood pressure was 21/10 mmHg in the physician/pharmacist group compared to 7/5 mmHg in the other patients.

    The bottom line?

    In both studies the contribution of added time with healthcare providers who have expertise the treating cardiovascular disease resulted in better patient care.

    I see a parallel with homeopathy where the consultation is itself a therapeutic intervention that contributes to the positive outcome of homeopathic treatments.

    1/16/10 23:53 JR

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