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

    Antiwei to treat influenza

    Antiwei is a traditional Chinese prescription used to treat influenza.

    Researchers at Sichuan University, in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China report it is effective and well tolerated.

    First, the details.

    • 480 adults were recruited for the study within 36 hours of onset of influenza-like symptoms.
    • 225 patients had confirmed influenza.
    • Eligible patients were randomly assigned to a treatment group for 3 days.
      • 6 grams of Antiwei twice daily
      • Placebo
    • All patients recorded their temperature and symptoms on diary cards during treatment.
    • Analyses were performed in both the influenza-like population and the influenza-confirmed population.
    • Neither the patients nor researchers knew the treatment given — double blind.

    And, the results.

    • Antiwei treatment was associated with increased recovery by 17% in both the influenza-like and the influenza-confirmed populations compared to placebo — a significant difference
    • Antiwei was also associated with a 50% reduction in severity of illness in both the influenza-like and the influenza-confirmed populations compared to placebo — a significant difference.
    • The influenza-confirmed patients reported significant reductions in the severity of fever, cough, and expectoration after 1 day of treatment with Antiwei compared to placebo.
    • Side effects were similar for Antiwei and placebo.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “Antiwei was effective and well tolerated in treatment of natural influenza infection in adults. Antiwei represents a clinically valuable intervention in the management of influenza.”

    I believe Antiwei contains a combination of Chinese herbs.

    A PubMed search revealed no other studies of Antiwei.

    9/23/10 18:47 JR

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