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February 25, 1999: Even as complementary and alternative medicines are incorporated into the routine care of patients, researchers are beginning to question the safety and efficacy of herbal remedies themselves.An in vitro study on effects of alternative medicines on sperm and eggs is attracting mass media attention and prompting jokes from radio talk-show hosts. Published in Fertility & Sterility (1999; 71), the study found that high doses of saw palmetto, St. John's wort, echinacea, and gingko biloba produced detrimental effects on human sperm and hamster ova, including genetic mutations in the sperm.
In the American Journal of Medicine, a study shows that echinacea may not be effective for preventing colds and respiratory infections. In the placebo- controlled trial, 109 patients with histories of frequent respiratory infections were followed for two months. Some 65% of subjects receiving echinacea developed colds or respiratory infections, statistically the same as the rate in placebo recipients. Echinacea is the most popular herbal medicine in the U.S., accounting for 12% of all herbal sales in 1997.
Robert C. Atkins, MD, author of a book that advocates use of complementary medicine for prevention, treatment, and reversal of heart disease, is criticizing the American Heart Association for overlooking the agents in its American Heart Month promotions. "The [AHA] focuses on solutions partially based on the concept that most Americans are incapable of modifying behavior that leads to and exacerbates cardiovascular disease," explains a news release from The Atkins Center. "In many cases, complementary medicine allows patients to forgo traditional drug therapy that is all too often accompanied by various kinds of side effects and other complications." Atkins advocates use of "vita- nutrients" in various types of patients with cardiovascular disorders: carnitine, CoQ10, hawthorn, pantethine, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
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