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

    Acne treatments

    The surest way to know that there is no truly effective treatment for a condition is to count the number of treatment recommendations. The more recommendations, the less likely it is that any of them have a significant effect. I’m not sure if there is a tipping point. Whether 6 or 12 or 20 recommended treatments guarantee that you will have less than complete cure.

    Here are some of the recommendations from just one article.

    • Drink six to eight glasses of water daily
    • Avoid foods containing trans-fatty acids: milk products, cookies, chips, margarine, chocolate, shortening and hydrogenated oils
    • Keep bed linens clean,
    • Wash gently twice daily — soap with aloe vera is good
    • Avoid cosmetics associated with new acne outbreaks
    • Don’t touch your face
    • Put your head over steaming water for a few minutes — don’t get burned
    • Avoid birth control pills associated with an outbreak
    • Avoid stress, sun exposure, caffeinated drinks, and certain spices
    • Use products containing benzoyl peroxide — protect yourself from the sun
    • Use tetracycline, or isotretinoin (Accutane), or a vitamin A derivative called Retin-A — protect yourself from the sun
    • Start a cleansing diet
    • Make sure you eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet.
    • Start taking supplements that promote healthy skin
      One by one, each of these non-drug treatments will be examined here.7/20/07 21:54 JR

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