JULY-AUGUST 2011 NEWS

July 5 - A study by Cherkin and others examined the use of two types of massage for chronic low back pain (Ann. Intern. Med. 155, 1-9 (2011) Paper) Summary for patients. Subjects received 10 weekly treatments with either structural massage or relaxation massage; controls received only usual care. Both types of massage produced improvements that lasted at least six months, with little difference between the two types.

July 7 - A News feature in Nature (Maxmen, 475, 23-25 (2001)) reports on the debate over whethervitamin D supplementation is useful in preventing disease. The Institute of Medicine has recommended intakes of 600 IU per day, which usually would not require supplements. In contrast, the Endocrine Society has recommended intakes of about 1500 to 2000 IU per day.

July 13 - In an editorial entitled “The Scam of Integrative Medicine” (BMJ 343, d4446 (2011)), M. McCartney wrote: “It isn’t fair that professional, compassionate care is seen as something of a specialist competency to be available only to those who consort with non-evidenced based medicine. Interest in the whole person is what good doctors have always had...Real integrated care can only be provided by evidence based doctors. Anything else is a grave disservice.”

July 14 - Wechsler and others reported an interesting study on the placebo effect (New Engl. J. Med. 365, 119-126 (2011) Paper). Patients with asthma were treated with an albuterol inhaler, treated with one of two types of placebo (placebo inhaler or sham acupuncture), or given no treatment. When judged by an objective measure of breathing, there was greater improvement with the real inhaler, and the other three groups did not differ. However, when patients gave subjective evaluations of their improvement, the real inhaler and the two placebos gave the same amount of improvement. An editorial by D. Moerman (pp. 171-172) discussed the results.

August - Mishori et al. published an article entitled “The Dangers of Colon Cleansing” (J. Fam. Pract. 60, 454-457 (2011) Paper)) News story. In colon cleansing, large amounts of fluid, with added substances, are introduced into the colon with the aim of removing alleged “toxins.” However, there is no good evidence that the procedure has any benefits, and there are numerous potential dangers. E. Ernst provided additional Commentary in The Guardian’s “Notes & Theories” blog.

August - The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), in its Clinical Digest, included an Article entitled “High Cholesterol and CAM: What the Science Says.” For red yeast rice, flaxseed, and soy protein, there is some evidence of effectiveness in lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL). For garlic, green tea, noni, and red clover, results are inconclusive or lacking.

August - An Article in Louisville Magazine was entitled “Abraham Flexner: the Educational Lion of the Early 20th Century.” Work by Flexner, a Louisville native, was important in putting medical education on a scientific basis.

August 8 - A study by Levis and others (Arch. Intern. Med. 171, 1363-1369 (2011) Paper) showed thatsoy isoflavones did not prevent bone lose in menopausal women News story. Moreover, there was an increase in hot flashes in the soy group compared to control. Participants were followed for two years. A commentary by K. Newton and D. Grady accompanies the article (pp. 1369-1370).

August 25 - The Institute of Medicine has released a report on “Adverse Effects of Vaccines” Summary News story. In particular, the report rejected the idea that vaccines can cause autism.