Ten other sources I find Valuable

1. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
2. Science-Based Medicine
3. NSF International
4. National Center for Homeopathy
5. Washington Association for Naturopathic Physicians
6. About.com
7. WebMD
8. Mayo Clinic
9. Alternative Medicine Took a Beating in 2009
10. Medical News Today

I hope you find these sources useful, I have included things from different perspectives, for, neutral and against.

Most importantly, in order to make sure that my bias is not the only one you get information from, here is a link to a classmate's blog, Kristin Musch.

Two easy, opposite Point of Views of CAM

Skeptic: http://www.skepdic.com/compmed.html

Pro-CAM: Natural Solutions

Hope you enjoy these reads!

Glossary of Terms

Acupuncture- The term "acupuncture" describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.

Alternative Medicine- Used in place of conventional medicine. An example of an alternative therapy is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of undergoing surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy that has been recommended by a conventional doctor.

Complementary Medicine-used together with conventional medicine. An example of a complementary therapy is using aromatherapy to help lessen a patient's discomfort following surgery.

Dietary Supplement-also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a product intended to provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids or amino acids, that are missing or are not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person's diet. Some countries define dietary supplements as foods, while in others they are defined as drugs.

Ozone- Triatomic Oxygen that is somewhat unstable and is a strong oxidizing agent. What this translates to is its a strong disinfectant that must be made on site do to it's inability to be stored. Ozone works similarly to Chlorine in its ability to disinfect.

Timeline of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

1990-Responding to increasing illicit traffic, Congress passes the Anabolic Steroid Act of 1990, which identifies anabolic steroids as a class of drugs and specifies over two dozen items as controlled substances. In addition, a four-part definition of this class is established to permit new, black market compounds to be assigned to this category, and thus subject to regulation as controlled substances.

1990-U.S. Congress passes Nutrition Labeling and Education Act requiring standardized listing of ingredients and serving sizes on food products.

1994-Dietarty Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994; New set of rules separate from those covering “conventional” food and drug products. These new rules state that the FDA has only post marketing responsibilities, which include monitoring safety.

1998-National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine established; NCCAM sponsors and conducts research using scientific methods and advanced technologies to study CAM. CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. NCCAM is one of 27 National Institutes of Health, which is a part of the Department of Human Health Services

2004-Deeming such products to present an unreasonable risk of harm, FDA bans dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids based on an increasing number of adverse events linked to these products and the known pharmacology of these alkaloids.

2004-A ban on over-the-counter steroid precursors, increased penalties for making, selling, or possessing illegal steroids precursors, and funds for preventive education to children are features of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004.

Suggested Readings with Summaries

Here are five suggested readings, aiming to help you, the consumer to make an informed decision. Below each link is a short summary delivering the gist of each article.


Dietary Supplements


"The sheer number and type of supplements available is overwhelming, and it’s hard to know which offer health benefits and which are merely giving false promises". However it is still up to the consumer to decipher what supplements are, and if one or more will help or hurt them. Vitamin and mineral supplements help the body perform certain functions, while herbal supplements have a medicinal purpose. Dietary supplements may not be risk-free under certain circumstances. some supplements are known to be dangerous when used along with some prescription drugs, always consult your doctor.


Finding a Doctor Who Understands Complementary and Alternative Medicine


If you are considering using CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) it is very important to find a knowledgeable doctor that does not blatantly endorse or refuse to use CAM. Doing so before needing care is best. Finding a Doctor that fits your needs is becoming easier and easier. The traditional way of selecting Doctors was asking friends, relatives, neighbors, but now there is sites like American Medical Association Free Physician Select Service that include specific information on Doctors. When making the Final decision, try to interview several Doctors.


Acupuncture-Like Treatments Improve Outcomes Compared to Usual Care for Low Back Pain


"People suffering from chronic low back pain who received acupuncture or simulated acupuncture treatments fared better than those receiving only conventional care according to a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine." This trial was funded by was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a component of the National Institutes of Health. 638 patients with chronic lower back pain were divided into four groups, Individualized Acupuncture, Standardized Acupuncture, Simulated Acupuncture, and Usual (traditional) care. All Acupuncture groups seen similar results which questions the mechanisms of acupuncture, other than piercing the skin. Acupuncture Improved patients conditions.


Why Choose Certified Products?


The Dietary supplement industry continues to grow each year as consumers look for products that will help them live better lives. With the fast pace that new products are entering the marketplace and numerous reports claiming that supplements do not contain the ingredients listed, NSF certification allows consumers to know which products are true to their claims, by testing for ingredients not on the labels and cor the correct quantities of ingredients present. NSF is a truly independent program, not-for-profit, and fully accredited. When shopping, be sure to look for the NSF mark. A list of NSF Certified Supplements is available online.


Dietary Supplement Alerts and Safety Information


This is a FDA site that has a list of ingredients and herbs that may cause adverse affects. This is really helpful to the self-caring type, who need to know the potential risks of certain ingredients before they make a decision of which products to purchase when considering using an element on CAM.

Weekly Posting 5 Airborne

The story of Airborne is an example of what is wrong with our supplement regulation. Airborne was a popular supplement that "boosts your immune system to help your body combat germs", however the Center for Science in the Public Interest and others filed a class-action law suit claiming false advertising.

In settlement to the suit, the manufacturer - Airborne Health, Inc - Agreed to pay 23.3 million to refund consumers who purchased the product (if they have proof of purchase). The company fooled the consumers in the first place because the regulation surrounding supplements was too lax, allowing the company to make structure/function claims under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. The company could make claims that their product would help a consumer live a better life without any FDA oversight as long as on the product and in advertising they included a disclaimer stating that the claims have not been reviewed by the FDA.

Overall, including the cost to settle the suit, Airborne still was a money maker, and as long as products like this can actually make money by fooling consumers the problem will never leave. after all how do we know that supplements do what they say anyways?

What do you guys think about this? should we require testing by law? or should an organization offer certification like NSF International?

Weekly Posting 4 Ozone Therapy

While most of us see Ozone as a toxic gas that is good as a part of the ozone layer and bad at the local level, some therapists in other countries are using it to treat or prevent many diseases, mostly infections. The subject of the safe use of ozone and it's effects has been debated greatly over the years.

In the US, the FDA holds the position that Ozone is not safe for medical use and some forms of application are illegal. However, ozone is commonly used as a strong disinfectant in the field. It is an alternative to chlorine in the water treatment industry to destroy micro-organisms and viruses. Ozone is even used in the kidney dialisis field to clean the dialysis machine between patients.

One study actually showed some evidence of ozone's ability to destroy cancerous cells, while not destroying healthy cells.(1) Published in Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science, this may actually have some weight.

Ozone therapy has been embraced more openly by other countries mostly europe. The "European Cooperation of Medical Ozone Societies" at http://www.ozone-association.com provides a ton of information and links to more societies throughout Europe.

Why not in the US? some articles I have read say it is a classic case of follow the money, while some constantly argue that there is no safe application for ozone. What do you think? Would you consider using ozone for treatment?

References:
1.
Ozone Selectively Inhibits Growth of Human Cancer Cells
Frederick Sweet, Ming-Shian Kao, Song-Chiau D. Lee, Will L. Hagar and Wileen E. Sweet
Science, New Series, Vol. 209, No. 4459 (Aug. 22, 1980), pp. 931-933
Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

2.
http://www.ozone-association.com