NCAHF Newsletter articles from July 2000

NCAHF Newsletter archives from July 2000

HERBAL MEDICINES: WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?
July 1, 2000... Sales of herbal medicines are soaring. In the United States, sales of herbal supplements are approaching $4 billion a year. St. John's Wort, a herbal antidepressant, sales increased 2800% in one year. Faced with such figures, physicians need to...

THE HERBAL HYPE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS AMONG THE ELDERLY.
July 1, 2000... The elderly are taking dietary supplements in record numbers. The products have mushroomed into a $15-billion-a-year pharmaceutical industry. Supplements include vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs. It seems manufacturers are promising...

ENERGY BARS WITH EPHEDRA MAY BE RISKY.
July 1, 2000... Stimulant can cause seizures and strokes By Gary Gamely HealthScout Reporter July 29 (HealthScout) -- If you grab an energy-boosting bar or drink for a quick lift, you might get more than you expect. Some popular energy boosters sold at health...

IS SOME ALTERNATIVE THERAPY RESEARCH GOING UNPUBLISHED?
July 1, 2000... Are Medical Journals biased in the studies they publish concerning alternative medicine? It seems the Journals themselves have been the subject of a study concerning their publishing practices when it comes to alternative medicine. Dr. M....

STUDY RESULTS DO NOT BACK AROMATHERAPY CLAIMS.
July 1, 2000... Aromatherapy, a complementary medical therapy, is rapidly growing in popularity. Yet a review of the published studies indicates that using plant oils to treat diseases shows little evidence of any real healing powers. Dr. Edzard Ernst and...

NEWLY REDESIGNED ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE WEB SITE MYSS.COM ANNOUNCED.
July 1, 2000... Caroline M. Myss, Ph.D., considered a pioneer in the field of energy medicine and human consciousness, announced her redesigned web site www.myss.com. Myss states that "The site's goal and vision is to serve as a primary Internet gateway for...

EU TO TIGHTEN RULES ON DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS.
July 1, 2000... Finally the EU Commission in Brussels may standardize dietary supplement labeling across the European Union. Under recently proposed regulations, labels on bottles or packages of vitamin pills must include a recommendation for a daily dose, a...

NEW STUDY EXPOSES THE DYNAMICS OF INTERNET HEALTHCARE INFORMATION USERS.
July 1, 2000... Some how we've always suspected this. Consumer Health Sciences (CHS), the major source of consumer healthcare information for the pharmaceutical industry, has announced the results of its Internet Healthcare Project, a national survey of over...

10TH CIRCUIT COURT FINDS STATUTE WORDING INCONCLUSIVE AND REMANDS PHARMANEX CASE TO DISTRICT COURT.
July 1, 2000... In a battle of the courts it looks as though the Pharmanex product Cholestin, will stay on the market. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has upturned a decision from the Utah Federal District Court. The ruling prevented the FDA from classifying...

DEVELOPING RULES FOR THE WEB.
July 1, 2000... Everyone has been struggling with this since the birth of the "Medical Internet". Several groups continue to take on the challenge of developing ethics for medical sites. The need for this really came to the forefront when Dr. C. Everett Koop,...

SOME ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP USERS FAKE ILLNESS.
July 1, 2000... Support groups have been around a long time. Like their face to face counterparts, online support groups can be emotionally uplifting to members suffering from a variety of illnesses. But as with all other facets of the Web, they can also...

TENNESSEE LIMITS USE OF CHELATION THERAPY.
July 1, 2000... On July 11,2000, the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners passed a position paper limiting the use and promotion of Chelation therapy. They found the therapy is in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated 63-6-314 which states it is illegal "to...

JOHN H. RENNER, MD 1932 - 2000.
July 1, 2000... We regret to announce that NCRHI president, Dr. John Rennet passed away following emergency heart surgery on Saturday, September 2, 2000, at St. Joseph's Health Center in Kansas City, Missouri. John is survived by his wife Diana; daughter...