Not according to the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Care Products.
L. Ramon Cuesta Laso and Mara Teresa Alfonso Galn reviewed Spanish and European Union legislation and other sources regarding this topic.
Their conclusion? Continue reading Can homeopathic products contain active substances not in homeopathic dilutions?
An article published by John Borneman and Robert Field on the Hyland’s website (and here) provides insight to the regulatory differences between these drug categories in the US.
It’s instructive to appreciate the similarities and differences. The authors believe the guidelines for homeopathic medicine could serves as a model for approval and postmarketing oversight of dietary supplements. Continue reading Dietary supplements, allopathic, and homeopathic medicines
According to Dr. William McCloskey, the likelihood of drug:grapefruit juice interactions having a negative effect on a patient’s response to the drug has not been clearly established.
This might be due to the fact that many drugs affected by grapefruit juice have a wide therapeutic index. In other words, toxic blood levels are so much higher than the blood levels needed to achieve an effective treatment dose that any increase caused by grapefruit juice is not sufficient to reach toxicity.
That’s not to say there is no risk of a grapefruit juice:drug interaction.
Unfortunately, the source article has been deleted, but here’s the bottom line. If you take any of the drugs listed below and feel you must drink grapefruit juice, first discuss it with your doctor.
3/19/08 11:13 JR
Boston on Thursday became the latest city to ban artificial trans fats from food served in restaurants and grocery stores.
It’s no longer news, except for this quote. Continue reading Banned in Boston
The premier congress on nutraceuticals and functional foods runs from March 12th to 13th in Anaheim, California.
If you work in the health and nutrition industry, it will be a better use of your time than another day a Disneyland. Continue reading NUTRACON 2008
Reminiscence music reportedly reduces the symptoms of depression in patients with dementia. It’s also effective for agitation and disruptive behavior in patients with dementia, and makes it easier to provide care.
Now, researchers from the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Santa Clara, California report that music therapy makes fiscal sense as well. Continue reading Cost-effectiveness of music therapy in palliative care
Airborne, the “natural” product that claims to prevent the onset of the common cold has agreed to pay $23.3 million to settle a lawsuit over false advertising. Continue reading “No credible evidence” for Airborne
LiveSmarter is a blog for “improving daily living through insight into health, wellness, finance, and education.”
I thank them for listing The C.A.M. Report among their top 3 sites for alternative medicine research. Continue reading Top 3 research blogs in alternative medicine
NaturalNews.com reports that the BBC discontinued the complementary medicine section of its Health Website. Continue reading BBC cancels CAM website
Researchers from Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia evaluated a milk product containing probiotics and prebiotics (Cupday Milk) on the incidence of diarrhea in children in daycare centers. Continue reading Probiotics reduce diarrhea in children
 This qualifies for mention here because this product contains menthol. Continue reading Consumer alert: IcyHot
First published in 1966, CONSORT (CONsolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) is intended to improve the reporting of medical research. Authors use it as a checklist when they submit articles for publication. By standardizing the information that must appear in a research article, this should help assure that the studies are well designed and the results are useful to readers.
Has it helped improve acupuncture studies? Continue reading Improved quality of acupuncture studies
Medscape printed an article last year that was critical of CAM and any role it might have in the education of medical students. I summarized it here.
Now, a reasoned reply has been published. Continue reading More on teaching CAM in medical schools
Researchers from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas focused on breast cancer information. Continue reading The inaccuracy of CAM information on the Web
Dr. Tod Cooperman, who is president of the third-party product analysis company, ConsumerLab, states that one in 4 products tested by his company is problematic in one way or another, and more than half of multivitamins tested do not meet what is printed on the labels.
So, which companies reliably provide quality products? Continue reading Which brands of herbals and supplements should you trust?
Over the past decade, several British universities have offered bachelor of science (BSc) degrees in alternative medicine, including 6 that offer BSc degrees in homeopathy.
Many scientists and advocates of evidence-based medicine claim that giving homeopathy scientific status is unjustified.
In a previous post I quoted from a Chinese medicine website that proclaimed “after sifting through more than 1,000 plants for 13 years, the researchers found 150 herbs with medicinal properties that appeared active in fighting HIV … From there, they selected the bark from white mulberry roots and four other Chinese plants as basic elements of their compound drug.” Continue reading How long does it take to get a CAM to market?
A special issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies questions the validity of evidence-based medicine (EBM) for evaluating CAM.
Continue reading Determining the best options to evaluate CAM
Here’s a CBS video on the subject.
It saddens me, but it’s instructive regarding the bias at CBS. Notice there’s no attempt to balance the report with any of the risks of marijuana or the lack of science on its “benefits.”
Go here for balance. Continue reading Marijuana available from vending machines in California
In 2000, the House of Lords Select Committee’s Report on CAM recommended familiarization with CAM for medical students and doctors.
According to this article, little has been done. But it confirms an interest in greater exposure to CAM education among medical students in Wales. Continue reading Medical students in Wales want more education on CAM