Alternative Medicine Alert articles from October 2004

Alternative Medicine Alert archives from October 2004

Coming clean on supplements designated the 'dirty dozen'.(Part 2 Of A Series On Potentially Hazardous Supplements)
October 1, 2004... THE MAY 2004 ISSUE OF CONSUMER REPORTS (CR) DESIGNATED 12 dietary supplements as hazardous. (1) One (aristolochic acid) was categorized by CR as definitely hazardous, while five (germander, comfrey, chaparral, kava, and androstenedione) were...

Ginseng and warfarin.(Clinical Briefs)
October 1, 2004... Source: Yuan CS, et al. Brief communication: American ginseng reduces warfarin's effect in healthy patients. Ann Intern Med 2004;141:23-27. Goal: To evaluate whether American ginseng interacts with warfarin. Design: Randomized,...

CME questions.
October 1, 2004... 42. Essential oils should not be used: a. in or near the eyes. b. around the noses of children younger than age 5. c. orally in those weighing less than 45 lbs. d. topically in those younger than age 2. e. All of the above...

Patient handout: herbal supplements--safety.
October 1, 2004... HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS ARE A TYPE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENT (SEE "About Dietary Supplements") THAT contain herbs, either singly or in mixtures. An herb (also called a botanical) is a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavor, and/or therapeutic...

Folic acid and neural tube defects.
October 1, 2004... Neural tube defects (NTD) constitute an extensive spectrum of disease processes--from relatively mild manifestations to those that have a devastating impact on the individual sufferer, the extended family, and society as a whole....

Soy supplements and cognitive function.
October 1, 2004... This year, an estimaetd 1.35 million U.S. women will become menopausal. The most common symptom experienced by these women besides cessation of menses is hot flashes. (1) Much less attention is paid to the cognitive symptoms of menopause, but...

CE/CME questions.
October 1, 2004... 18. In 1992, the U.S. Public Health Service recommended that all women of child-bearing age take what amount of folic acid daily? a. 0.04 mg b. 0.4 mg c. 4.0 mg 19. What risk factors warrant women of child-bearing age taking a...

NCCAM announces research fellowship program.
October 1, 2004... The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has announced the creation of a new NCCAM Director's Fellowship in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)...

Herbal remedy might raise cholesterol.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... A study has found that an herbal remedy widely used in Asia to lower cholesterol actually might raise it instead. Guggul is the yellowish resin that is produced by the mukul myrrh (Commiphora mukul) tree, a small, thorny plant that grows...

FDA seizes bogus dietary supplement that claims to cure cancer.(Forticel and Forticel Mix )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. marshals have seized the dietary supplements, Forticel and Forticel Mix, from Jean's Greens in Norway, NY. After an investigation of this company and its marketing practices,...