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

Archive for the 'I. PROTEIN/ENZYMES' Category

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…)

CoQ10 improves survival in chronic heart failure

Tuesday, May 28th, 2013

beating-heart-150x150During the annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology, in Lisbon, Portugal, researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital, in Denmark, reported for the first time that the dietary supplement coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) cut in half the death rate of patients suffering from advanced heart failure. (more…)

Use of dietary supplements to enhance sports performance

Monday, February 6th, 2012

Researchers at Texas Chiropractic College, in Pasadena, studied children in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in order to estimate their use of supplements. (more…)

Resveratrol flawed science, and more

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

The University of Connecticut reports that Dr. Dipak Das falsified the results of some studies of resveratrol.

But the CAM connection goes deeper. (more…)

Coenzyme Q(10) supplementation in obese people

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Researchers at Yonsei University College of Medicine, in Seoul, Republic of Korea, studied changes in metabolic parameters, inflammatory markers, arterial stiffness, and fatigue. (more…)

CAM treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Standard therapies are of limited value for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology, in Australia, reviewed the value of CAM, self-help techniques, and lifestyle interventions. (more…)

Relationship between functional foods and adherence to statins

Monday, December 12th, 2011

It’s thought that people using functional foods with approved health claims may be less likely to adhere to prescribed drug therapy.

Researchers in The Netherlands assessed the influence of the use of phytosterol/-stanol-enriched functional foods on adherence to statin (cholesterol-lowering) therapy among patients initiating treatment. (more…)

Review: CAM for treating Alzheimer’s disease

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Dr. Keith Wollen at Washington State University, in Port Angeles, has written a review of treatment options.

Let’s focus on CAM. (more…)

Taking “medical food” during pregnancy

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

Researchers in the US and Mexico studied the value of taking supplements with a medical food — bars containing L-arginine + antioxidant vitamins — on the risk of pre-eclampsia. (more…)

Soy vs hormone therapy to treat hot flushes

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Researchers at San Marcos University, in Lima, Peru, conducted a meta-analysis of their effect on the severity of hot flushes in postmenopausal women. (more…)

Herbal and dietary supplements on cognition in menopause

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Prof. Ernst and colleagues evaluated the evidence regarding the effects of herbal and dietary supplements on cognition (ability to reason) in menopause. (more…)

Reviewing non-pharmacological options to prevent migraine

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

At the University of Turin, in Italy, researchers reviewed the evidence.

And contributors to the US Headache Consortium tell us why it’s important. (more…)

CAM options to treat menopausal symptoms

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Prof. Ernst has reviewed the evidence.

Here’s what we know. (more…)

Resveratrol: You don’t always get what you pay for

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

Resveratrol supplements have been popular since 2006, when studies in animals showed “life-extending” and “endurance-enhancing” effects. Similar evidence doesn’t exist for people, which is the reason there are few posts about it on this site.

ConsumerLab.com’s most recent tests revealed that 2 resveratrol supplements provided only 43% and 87%, respectively, of their listed amounts of resveratrol. (more…)

Product review: CoQ10 and ubiquinol

Monday, April 25th, 2011

CoQ10 and its activated form, ubiquinol, are popular supplements for treating or preventing a range of conditions including congestive heart failure, migraine headache, high blood pressure, and Parkinson’s disease — although none of the evidence is conclusive.

ConsumerLab.com tested 31 products for content and dosing. (more…)

Review: CAM to treat menopausal vasomotor symptoms

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, reviewed allopathic and CAM options.

Let’s focus on CAM. (more…)

Huperzine A treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

Most drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s disease are classified as cholinesterase inhibitors.

 

Researchers in California and Washington DC studied huperzine A, a natural cholinesterase inhibitor derived from the Chinese herb Huperzia serrata. (more…)

Review: CAM for anxiety and related conditions

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Researchers at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, in Greenville, North Carolina tell us, “The number of people with psychiatric disorders who use CAM is on the rise,… estimates of CAM use range from 8% to 57%.” Most of this is to treat anxiety and depression.

Is it worth the effort? (more…)

Melatonin cream protects from radiation burns in breast cancer patients

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

Redness, tenderness, and swelling of the skin are common during radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Melatonin-based creams protect from these effects in rats. So, researchers at Tel Aviv University, in Israel, tested it in women with breast cancer. (more…)

First report: St. John’s Wort for autism

Monday, April 4th, 2011

It’s just a report on 3 patients, but it’s important because some people with autism are already taking St. John’s wort. (more…)