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

    Limited value of herbals to lower blood pressure

    Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York, reviewed non-drug treatments.

    Let’s focus on herbals.

     

    Here’s what we know.

    • Mistletoe extract
      • Reduced blood pressure in animal studies.
      • May be toxic at high doses.
    • Extract from Hawthorn
      • Produces a slight reduction in blood pressure.
    • Herbals that my increase blood pressure.
      • St. John’s wort
      • Ephedra/ma huang
      • Yohimbine
      • Licorice

    The bottom line?

    The authors caution, “The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate dietary and herbal supplements the way they regulate traditional pharmaceuticals.”

    It’s important to be aware that the safety of these products is not rigorously established and that formulations can vary.

    For example, the problems with St. John’s wort are summarized here.

    9/6/11 21:54 JR

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