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

    Linking vitamin D and depression

    Researchers at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, investigated the association between vitamin D blood levels and depression.

    First, the details.

    • 12,594 clinic patients were studied.
    • Blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were analyzed.
    • Depression was defined as a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) score of 10 or more.
    • Those with and without a history of depression represented 2 distinct populations with respect to CES-D scores and were analyzed separately.

    And, the results.

    • Higher vitamin D levels were associated with a significantly decreased risk of current depression based on CES-D scores.
    • The finding was stronger in those with a prior history of depression and not significant in those without a history of depression.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “Low vitamin D levels are associated with depressive symptoms, especially in persons with a history of depression.”

    “These findings suggest that primary care patients with a history of depression may be an important target for assessment of vitamin D levels.”

    2/14/12 22:02 JR

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