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

    Should L-carnitine be taken to treat angina pectoris?

    Dr. Gayle Nicholas Scott at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, reviewed the evidence on Medscape .

    Here’s what we know.

    • Levocarnitine or L-carnitine is a naturally occurring amino acid.
    • It’s absorbed from dietary sources including red meat.
    • Heart muscle normally contains high levels of L-carnitine, but levels are lower in ischemia, leading to impaired electrical and contractile activities of the heart.
    • The results from 2 studies of poor design conducted more than 10 years ago were positive for L-carnitine.
    • Since then, interest in its use for angina pectoris dwindled.

    The bottom line?

    The author concluded that L-carnitine “remains an unproven approach to the treatment of angina.”

    11/16/10 19:55 JR

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