Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar is the former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research in India.
During the Second World Ayurveda Congress he shared his thoughts about bhasmas — the Ayurvedic “supplements” with the highest reported heavy metal (lead, tin, iron, arsenic) content. Continue reading Making ayurveda an international medical system
Reviewers from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina conclude it’s better than sham acupuncture and even drugs. Continue reading Reviewing acupuncture to treat chronic headache
It’s recognized that doctors’ relationships with their patients can have healing effects, but the skills in this area of medical practice are understudied.
How does one recognize a “healer?” Continue reading Skills of the healers
A negative review of homeopathy published in 2005 reverberates still in blogs, journals, and press releases.
A reader comments, and I wax philosophical. But let’s start with summary of the issues. Continue reading Cooking the books against homeopathy?
The New York Times reports there’s “a new early warning system for fast-spreading flu outbreaks, called Google Flu Trends.” Continue reading Feeling ill? Google “flu”
Researchers from Canada and Scotland studied an automated system designed to assist people with dementia get through activities of daily living –- in this case hand washing -– and reduce caregiver burden. Continue reading COACHing people with dementia to better self care
 Stamford Hospital in Connecticut has launched its Center for Integrative Medicine & Wellness at the Tully Health Center. Continue reading Integrative medicine at Stamford Hospital
An international group of researchers report on the ability of 3 herbal products commonly used in Cuba and Mexico to inhibit the action of the CYP450 system of drug metabolizing enzymes.
It’s relevant considering the millions of illegal aliens who have entered the US and bring their folk medicines with them. Continue reading Potential drug interactions with ethnic herbals
 Three people have died in southwest China after receiving an injection of Siberian ginseng extract.
It’s another example of the chaos that passes for the Chinese pharmaceutical industry. Continue reading Deaths due to Siberian ginseng injections
 The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (the “Regulations”) came into force on May 26, 2008. Douglas McLachlan writes on The Journal website that it represents “the most extensive modernization and simplification of the consumer protection framework for 20 years.”
But what’s the CAM connection? Continue reading Has the UK quietly outlawed “alternative” medicine?
HemOnc Today interviews experts… and me.
They should have asked Dr. Stanton…read on. Continue reading Does mainstream medicine suppress “natural” cures?
Have them take a class, of course.
Here’s a report card from 5 colleges of pharmacy in Canada. Continue reading How can we improve students’ knowledge of herbals?
I was shocked by a recent Cochrane Review that concluded, “There was no evidence that the Chinese medicinal herbal treatment caused harm” in women with breast cancer.
Anyone who has followed the pet food recalls or reviewed the safety literature on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and traditional Indian medicine (TIM) would come to a different conclusion. Continue reading A critical review of traditional Chinese and Indian medicine
Dr. David Bailey from the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada reported the “grapefruit effect” more than 15 years ago — grapefruit juice increases levels of the high-blood-pressure drug felodipine (Plendil), causing potentially dangerous effects.
Now, during the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, he reports more juice-drug interactions. Continue reading Take your medicine with water
 Why have chiropractors been unable to establish themselves as a well-respected, highly used group of professionals who are recognized by the public as offering essential services to society?
Chiropractic practitioners from around the country weigh in.
Continue reading Making chiropractic mainstream
Researchers from Boston and Bangalore, India ask, what’s the risk of getting lead, mercury, and arsenic in the Ayurvedic medicines purchased on the Internet? Continue reading Toxins in Ayurvedic meds on the web
In England, there were more than 31,000 operations to remove a section of the large intestine (colectomy) from 2004 to 2005. These patients average 13 to 26 days in the hospital.
Might chewing gum help? Continue reading Benefit of chewing gum on recovery from colon surgery
The London Free Press has an interesting article on the history of ginseng cultivation in Ontario, Canada and ongoing collaborative efforts by growers, academia, and industry to quantify and improve its properties. Continue reading Going commercial with Ontario ginseng
Considering how often I quote his research and writings, it’s appropriate to present background on this researcher, author, and critic of CAM.
A reader has a different view, and comments accordingly.
Continue reading Just who is Edzard Ernst?
 Here are some CAM highlights for migraine and fibromyalgia from the American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM) 19th Annual Clinical Meeting. Continue reading Recommended CAM for chronic pain