The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for the 'E. DIETARY' Category

Is there a diet-acne connection?

Monday, July 11th, 2016

Drs. Jonette Keri and Rajiv Nijhawan from the University of Miami in Florida have reviewed the evidence.

Here are the highlights. (more…)

Acne: Recommendations are easy; data, scarce

Monday, July 11th, 2016

Herbalists recommend more than a dozen herbal remedies for acne and scarring, according to a recent article.

Unfortunately, only 1 of these herbals is supported by the results of a study in patients. (more…)

Support for the effect of diet on acne

Monday, July 11th, 2016

Acne vulgaris has anecdotally been attributed to diet.

This review by researchers at The George Washington University Medical Center, in Washington, DC, found convincing data supporting the role of dairy products and high-glycemic-index foods. (more…)

Ineffective herbal remedies for treating acne

Monday, July 11th, 2016

I recently came across a website advocating herbals to treat or prevent acne.

The website isn’t important, but the results of my PubMed searches might be useful. (more…)

Acne treatments

Saturday, July 11th, 2015

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.

(more…)

Defining what it means to be “gluten free”

Sunday, January 19th, 2014

gluten-free-logoFollowing a gluten-free diet is the key to treating celiac disease (sprue) — an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people.

One might think that “gluten free” means no gluten, but that’s not correct, according to the FDA.

Here’s what we now know. (more…)

Trade-offs: Comparing supplements vs. exercise

Saturday, January 4th, 2014

little-guy2Drs. Andrew Mendelsohn and James Larrick at the Panorama Research Institute and Regenerative Sciences Institute, in Sunnyvale, California, have complied an impressive list of reviews on the effects of exercise. Here’s the first in a series of summaries of their recent publications.

(more…)

The end of trans fats

Friday, November 8th, 2013

fda_logoThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils — the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods — are not “generally recognized as safe” for use in food.

It wasn’t always so.

(more…)

Review: Vitamin D supplements fail to change bone density

Friday, October 11th, 2013

vitamind-150x150Almost half of older adults take vitamin D with or without calcium.

Researchers at the University of Tasmania, Hobart, in Australia, reviewed the evidence. (more…)

NCB-02 to treat ulcerative colitis

Saturday, September 14th, 2013

turmeric1-150x150NCB-02 is a standardized curcumin (a chemical in turmeric) preparation that has been used with positive results in an animal model of ulcerative colitis.

Now, researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, in New Delhi, tested it in people. (more…)

Does water really improve health?

Thursday, September 12th, 2013

indexFirst lady, Michelle Obama tells us that drinking more water will improve the health of kids and all Americans.

Really? Here’s what we know. (more…)

Is the risk of a cranberry juice and warfarin interaction significant?

Monday, August 5th, 2013

CranberryHoWA researcher from Bangalore, India, reviewed the evidence and sees a difference between what’s seen in the lab and what’s reported in practice.

Here’s what we know. (more…)

Benefits of green tea to control blood sugar

Friday, July 19th, 2013

Diabetes-tool-box2-150x150Researchers in Chongqing, People’s Republic of China, evaluated the effect of green tea on glucose control and insulin sensitivity. (more…)

Effect of prenatal iron on pregnancy outcomes

Saturday, July 13th, 2013

nude-pregnancyIron deficiency is the most widespread nutritional deficiency in the world.

Researchers form Boston and London reviewed the evidence. (more…)

Updated recommendations to prevent and treat osteoporosis

Friday, July 5th, 2013

qf_quadriceps_strain_smAn expert committee of the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) with a multi-specialty council of medical experts in the field of bone health have updated recommendations.

Let’s focus on prevention, which emphasizes many of the CAM topics that dominate this website.

(more…)

The last holdout for trans fat in fast food?

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013

9779_10151634160392836_1148865801_n“Long John Silver’s Big Catch meal deserves to be buried 20,000 leagues under the sea,” said Michael F. Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). (more…)

Benefits of reducing salt intake: Reality sets in

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

salt1The NIH Committee on the Consequences of Sodium Reduction… reports it might be time to entertain second thoughts on the importance of salt restriction.

It was just a matter of time. (more…)

Increased risk of type 2 diabetes associated with sugar-sweetened drinks

Friday, April 26th, 2013

images-104x150It’s been shown in the US.

Now, researchers from Imperial College London and the InterAct consortium report an association with type 2 diabetes in Europeans who drink sugar-sweetened soft drinks. (more…)

Curcumin to treat gingivitis

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

dentalCariesPeriodontal diseases often lead to tooth loss. The most common forms include gingivitis and periodontitis, which are caused by plaque bacteria around the gums.

Researchers at Rangoonwala College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, in Maharashtra, India, studied the effects of curcumin mouthwash. Here are their results and a summary of other recent studies. (more…)

Risk of death due to sugar-sweetened drinks

Thursday, March 21st, 2013

imagesDuring EPI/NPAM 2013 — Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific Sessions — researchers from Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, reported that drinking large amounts of sugary beverages was associated with an increase in body-mass index (BMI), which in turn was linked with BMI-related deaths from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. (more…)