These data are from a telephone survey of more than 2500 randomly sampled noninstitutionalized Americans, which was published in 2002. The tables can also be found here. Continue reading The most commonly used vitamins and herbals
Category Archives: Garlic
The use of CAM among poor Central Americans
Reported earlier on the site was a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that 36% of Americans use CAM ? 62% if prayer is included.
Now, here is an estimate of the use of CAM in one Central American country.
Continue reading The use of CAM among poor Central Americans
Are you trusting your health to garlic supplements?
Garlic supplements are one of the most popular herbal products in the U.S. Garlic has been described as a wonder food. It reportedly lowers cholesterol, prevents dangerous blood clots, reduces blood pressure, prevents cancer, and protects against bacterial and fungal infections.
Holy nutraceutical, Batman!
Yet, when ConsumerLab tested 16 brands of garlic supplements, they found that one product lacked any of a key garlic compound. Another had less than 1% of the expected amount of this compound. In all, 8 of the 16 products failed testing.
Continue reading Are you trusting your health to garlic supplements?
Risk of herbals and vitamins in HIV/AIDS
 People with HIV/AIDS commonly take herbals and vitamins, often without the knowledge of their doctor.
Here are examples of interactions with antiretroviral drugs that might be harmful. Continue reading Risk of herbals and vitamins in HIV/AIDS
Garlic for prevention of pre-eclampsia?
Pre-eclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy. It occurs in up to 8% of women who experience increased blood pressure and protein in the urine. It’s possible that garlic may lower blood pressure and help reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia.
Or, maybe not.
ConsumerLab.com tests cholesterol-lowering supplements
Three of 16 products failed the content analysis test. One product did not release its ingredients and two others had less than half the expected ingredients.
That’s less than a 20% failure rate, which is better than often reported by this lab.
An article in Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals reports that the following supplements were tested: sterols, policosanol, guggulsterones, fish oil, garlic, niacin, soy protein, red yeast rice, and stanols. I highlighted the supplements discussed at this blog.
Continue reading ConsumerLab.com tests cholesterol-lowering supplements
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) criticized for bias
In a video taped editorial, Dr. Wallace Sampson complains that the NCCAM on its website, “links to trade and unscientific occupational organizations, and presents anomalous methods in a ‘neutral’ light.” Furthermore, Dr. Wallace states, “It contains minimal cautionary, negative information.” This is all the more disturbing because we expect more from a government-sponsored information resource.
The NCCAM counters “while some scientific evidence exists regarding some CAM therapies, for most there are key questions that are yet to be answered through well-designed scientific studies, questions such as whether these therapies are safe and whether they work for the diseases or medical conditions for which they are used.”
As a clinical professor of medicine (emeritus) at Stanford University, and editor of The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, Dr. Sampson’s assessment must not be dismissed. Is it reasonable to expect that studies of CAM be as well designed as those of conventional medicine? I think so.
NCCAM provides a useful service in making CAM data available, but studies of ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, garlic supplements, coffee enemas, and glucosamine, for example, should be held to high study design standards.
6/21/06 22:14 JR