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

Archive for the 'Zinc' Category

Effect of the dose of zinc lozenges on the common cold

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, in Finland, examined whether the total daily dose of zinc might explain part of the variation in the results of previous studies. (more…)

Review: CAM for ADHD

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are frequently given to children and adolescents for reputed benefits for hyperkinetic and concentration disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Researchers in Arizona and Australia assessed the evidence based on the results of studies providing an acceptable standard of evidence. (more…)

CAM for the common cold?

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

While rhinoviruses cause upto half of colds, up to 200 other viruses have been implicated.

Researchers at the University of Ottawa, in Ontario, reviewed the evidence for CAM to treat and prevent the common cold. (more…)

Increasing popularity of dietary supplements

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Dietary supplement use has steadily increased since the 1970s.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health estimated dietary supplement use based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2006, a nationally representative survey. (more…)

Dietary supplements and the risk of death in older women

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Dietary supplements are commonly taken to prevent chronic disease.

Researchers in Finland, Norway, and the Republic of Korea studied the long-term health consequences. (more…)

Review: Zinc to prevent respiratory tract infections

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Zinc supplementation is a potential option to prevent acute lower respiratory infection, especially in developing countries.

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore, Maryland make sense of the discrepant research findings. (more…)

Value of zinc to treat Wilson disease

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Wilson disease is a genetic disorder that affects copper storage, leading to liver failure and neurologic deterioration.

Researchers at the University Hospital of Heidelberg, in Germany, studied the long-term outcomes copper chelators vs zinc salts. (more…)

Vitamin A and zinc to treat tuberculosis

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Low blood levels of vitamin A and zinc are common in tuberculosis patients. But do patients benefit from supplementation during treatment?

Researchers at the University of the Western Cape, in Cape Town, South Africa, looked for changes in adults with sputum smear–positive pulmonary tuberculosis. (more…)

Lack of effect of an Echinacea cocktail on exacerbations of COPD

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

Upper respiratory tract infections frequently exacerbate chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Researchers in Indonesia and Switzerland evaluated the effect of Echinacea purpurea + micronutrients in order to reduce the severity of these infections. (more…)

Importance of zinc supplements in HIV-infected patients

Saturday, April 16th, 2011

Zinc is critical for immune function. However, zinc deficiency occurs in more than 50% of HIV-infected adults.

Researchers at Florida International University examined the effects of long-term zinc supplementation in relation to HIV disease. (more…)

Is it possible to prevent prostate cancer with diet and supplements?

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle, Washington, reviewed the evidence. (more…)

Cochrane reviews zinc treatment for the common cold

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Are there benefits to offset the potential for side effects? (more…)

Does zinc prevent middle ear infections?

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear, usually caused by infection) affects people of all ages, but is particularly common in young children.

This Cochrane review evaluated studies of children younger than 5 years. (more…)

Benefits of zinc supplements in people with HIV

Sunday, January 9th, 2011

Adequate levels of zinc are critical for immune function.

During the XVIII International AIDS Conference, researchers at Florida International University, in Miami, and other institutions in the US reported the benefits and safety of zinc supplementation in nutritional doses to prevent immunologic failure. (more…)

CAM to treat the cold and flu

Saturday, September 18th, 2010

Dr. Mark Moyad (photo) is Director of Preventive and Alternative Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.

His recommendations. (more…)

Zinc improves the response to Botox

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Zytaze is a recently approved prescription drug that contains zinc and phytase (to improve zinc absorption).

During the American Society of Ophthalmic, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery meeting, researchers from The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, will report that this combination improved the response to injections of botulinum toxin. (more…)

Nuritional supplements to treat age-related macular degeneration

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

It’s a leading cause of visual loss in older adults and has limited treatment options.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland reviewed the evidence for using nutritional supplementation to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD). (more…)

Zinc reduces diarrhea in HIV patients

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Zinc supplementation cut the episodes of diarrhea in half, according to researchers from Florida International University in Miami during the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. (more…)

Zinc treatment in children with cholera

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

This study by researchers in Bangladesh shows that “children with cholera should be supplemented with zinc to reduce its duration and severity.” (more…)

Omega-3, vitamin C, and zinc in asthmatic children

Monday, April 13th, 2009

 Researchers from Tanta University, in Egypt report improved asthma control.

Is this a breakthrough study? (more…)