Complementary medicine ranges from authentic stress-relieving massage to well-meaning (but expensive) placebo, to outright spurious healing claims. Researchers decided to study its impact on patients with curable cancers.
herbs
Herb popular in China for knee arthritis failed to surpass placebo effect in randomized trial. Many OA patients will remain unconvinced, however, and stick with the soothing belief in its efficacy, as have generations gone by, science notwithstanding.
NYTimes discusses the shady industry of herbal supplements, Caliofrnia's Prop. 65 targets e-cigs for their nicotine, and more support for BPA comes from the European Food Safety Authority
What is complementary-alternative medicine anyway? Alternative to what? If a practice is not science-based, it is not medicine. Now we learn that Cleveland Clinic has sold out this concept for herbal treatments. Sad.
Some people believe that the herbs and botanicals they use as supplements are not drugs, but rather, natural substances. Some believe that prescription drugs are merely synthetic chemicals.
Both groups are wrong.
Although most breast-feeding women would be aghast at the thought of taking drugs that could affect their babies, many are doing just that.