A series of focus group discussions across Canada help define today’s consumers of herbals, vitamins, and homeopathic medicines.
Here’s a summary of consumer views of natural health products (NHP) and the role of the pharmacist. I think there are insights for other healthcare professionals too. Continue reading Profiling consumers of natural health products
Dr. Hans Baer from the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia thinks he knows.
It might be a window on what would occur with government funded universal healthcare in the US. Continue reading Why does the Australian government support CAM?
It’s the first state to outlaw a vegetable oil. Continue reading California bans trans fats
Teaching children to recognize stroke. Continue reading “Hip-Hop” Stroke
In 2000, Dr. Stephen Kaye from the University of California in San Francisco reported on Computer and Internet Use Among People With Disabilities. The survey included about 50,000 people nationwide.
Now, the Pew Internet & American Life Project has released a report titled E-patients with a Disability or Chronic Disease. The results come from 268 surveys of users of the Internet with chronic conditions were compared to 1711 healthy people.
Let’s see how far we’ve come. Continue reading Changing role of the Internet among people with chronic diseases and disabilities
Dr. Janine Blackman is a family physician and co-founder of The Gilbert Clinic, a private integrative health care practice in the Washington, DC area.
In a Medscape article she writes, “For experienced family physicians who are not able to commit the time to an academic program, learning about CAM can be challenging.”
Here’s what she suggests. Continue reading How to learn from CAM practitioners
Few treatments for back pain are supported by strong scientific evidence. Conventional treatments have limited success and often result in dissatisfied patients who turn to CAM.
A review from the Cochrane Collaboration concluded, “massage might be beneficial for patients with subacute and chronic non-specific low-back pain, especially when combined with exercises and education.”
Continue reading Evidence for massage to treat low-back pain
Since 1990 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warnings about botanical products and dietary supplements containing aristolochic acid.
Now, The Lancet reports a 30 year-old Chinese man who was diagnosed with a bladder tumor after taking the Chinese herb Longdan Xieganwan for at least 5 years. (Use this link if you are not a subscriber to The Lancet.)
Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia have reviewed the evidence in children and adolescents.
The authors include data from adults, because if they limited the discussion to children and adolescents it would be a very short article.
That’s not a problem here. Continue reading CAM for psychiatric disorders in kids
Several years ago I was asked to lecture on evaluating the reliability and usefulness of medical information on the Web. During this meeting of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in New York City, I listed three guidelines plus an additional one for CAM.
The article based on this lecture is listed here.
7/23/96 11:03 JR
Dr. Iris Penner from the University of Basel in Switzerland has reported the results of a computer-based cognitive training program called BrainStim that appears to increase working memory in healthy elderly people.
Here are the highlights based on the Medscape report from the European Neurological Society meeting. Continue reading BrainStim
During the past 6 months there has been a significant increase in the readership of this site and in the number of people who signed up for weekly emails. Thanks.
Therefore, a brief review of my modus operandi is in order. Continue reading The M. O. for posting in The CAM Report
Earlier this year, a study published by researchers at Texas A&M Health Science Center concluded, “Consistent with other studies of the liberalization of cannabis laws, medical cannabis laws do not appear to increase use of the drug.”
Gee wiz. I guess that’s the end of that debate. Not really, as I debate the issue with a valued reader of this blog. Continue reading Debate: Don’t be fooled into legalizing marijuana
Although walking has health benefits, 80% of American adults report walking only 10 minutes at a time at least 1 day per week.
From Medscape, here’s what works to get them moving. Continue reading How to encourage people to walk more
23 American and 2 foreign companies that market phony cancer cures on the Internet have been told to stop this activity by the FDA. Continue reading Consumer Alert: FDA stops fake cancer cures
Medical News Today reports that the Department of Health Steering Group recommends to regulate acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine.
It’s recommended that this happen as soon as possible. Continue reading Regulating CAM in the UK
Geoff Woodin, a homeopathic physicians from the UK, has an us-vs-them view of homeopathy and allopathic medicine.
It’s not surprising given the onslaught of criticism targeting his field in the UK. However, his perspective of allopathic medicine is inaccurate, I believe. Continue reading Misperceptions by a homeopathic physician
Lead, mercury, and (oh yeah) arsenic intoxication have been associated with Ayurvedic herbal medicines.
Here’s an account of one patent’s experience. Continue reading Arsenic toxicity from Ayurvedic
I try to avoid jargon when blogging, but sometimes it’s necessary in order to present the results of clinical trials and their implications clearly.
Continue reading Understanding the jargon of medical research
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has launched an educational campaign to encourage the discussion of CAM use.
The program is aimed at patients, healthcare professionals, and professional and community organizations. Continue reading Time to Talk