JULY-AUGUST 2012 NEWS

July - A review of studies of acupuncture for depression found that it possibly is beneficial, though more studies are needed (Wu et al. (2012) Can. J. Psychiatry 57, 397-405 Paper (pdf file)).

July 9 - P. Cohen has reported on 1,3-dimehtylamylamine (DMAA) (Arch. Intern. Med. 172, 1038-1039 (2012) Paper). The compound appears in numerous sports supplements, and has been allowed because it supposedly is a natural compound. Cohen notes that this relies on a single flawed study, whereas numerous other studies reached the opposite conclusion. As reported in our April 27 news item, the FDA has issued warning letters concerning the dangers of the supplement.

July 17 - Kim and others reviewed studies of acupuncture for tinnitus (BMC Complement. Altern. Med. 12, 97 (2012) Paper). They found that the evidence was “not sufficient for drawing definite conclusions.”

August - The Institute for Science in Medicine has issued a White paper (pdf file) on chiropractic (prepared by J. Bellamy). The paper notes that “Spinal manipulation is a manual therapy employed by a number of health care professionals, including physical therapists, medical doctors, osteopaths and chiropractors...Chiropractors claim that manipulation is safer in their hands than those of other professionals, but there is no scientific evidence to back this assertion. Current evidence shows that spinal manipulation is effective for certain types of back pain, although not necessarily superior to other methods...Many chiropractors employ methods that are unsubstantiated, implausible, and not based on the body of knowledge related to health, disease, and health care that has been widely accepted by the scientific community.”

August 1 - A review by Haber and Gallus concluded that “Polyphenols in dark chocolate may lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension, but trials have found mixed results” (Am. J. Health-Syst. Pharm. 69, 1287-1288, 1290, 1292 (2012)).

August 18 - Fried and others found that silymarin (milk thistle) provided no benefits in the treatment of chronic liver disease (JAMA 308, 274-282 (2012) Paper). Patients studied had chronic hepatitis C virus infections.

August - Posadzki and Ernst reviewed spinal manipulation for tension-type headaches (Complement. Ther. Med. 20, 232-239 (2012) Abstract). They concluded that the evidence of benefit “is encouraging, but inconclusive.”