Alternative Medicine Alert articles from August 2002

Alternative Medicine Alert archives from August 2002

Kava: curing or causing anxiety?
August 1, 2002... RECENT REPORTS TYING SERIOUS LIVER DAMAGE WITH THE HERBAL sedative kava (Piper methysticum) have created anxiety for consumers, practitioners, and federal regulators. Although the possible connection was strong enough for the Food and Drug...

Correction.
August 1, 2002... In the July issue of Alternative Medicine Alert, Table 1: Causes of Secondary Insomnia (page 79) should have been divided into two columns: 1) medical causes (delirium [e.g., sepsis or medication-induced], pain syndromes, endocrinopathies...

Role of osteopathic manipulation in the treatment of back pain.
August 1, 2002... ACUTE LOW BACK PAIN IS THE MOST PREVALENT AILment and most frequent cause of disability for persons younger than age 45 in the United States: Back pain injuries comprise 33% of all national disability costs and 21% of all compensable work...

Saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia: an update.
August 1, 2002... WITH THE GRAYING OF AMERICA, MEN ARE PAYING more attention to their health. When bothersome urinary symptoms disrupt a night's sleep, they seek remedies. Saw palmetto extract (SPE) remains one of the top-selling herbal therapies in the United...

CME questions.
August 1, 2002... 8. The FDA issued a warning regarding kava use due to concerns about: a. neurotoxicity. b. hepatotoxicity. c. drug addiction. d. pulmonary fibrosis. 9. Kava extract is contraindicated in patients: a. with Parkinson's...

Evaluationg supplements. (Clinical briefs).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Evaluating Supplements Source: Petersen A. New Seals of Approval Certify Unregulated Herbs, Vitamins. Wall Street Journal July 10, 2002, D1. AT ONE BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL chain Vitamin Shoppe, there are 83 different types of calcium,...

Reading a dietary supplement label.
August 1, 2002... THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA), AS WELL AS HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND THEIR organizations, receive many inquiries each year from consumers seeking health-related information about dietary supplements. Clearly, people choosing to...