Vitamins alternative medications

Complementary and alternative medicines A group of practices and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine, including alternative medical systems (e.g., homeopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine), mind-body interventions (e.g., meditation and mental healing), biologically-based therapies (e.g., dietary supplements, vitamins, herbs, and other natural products), manipulative body-based methods (e.g., acupuncture and massage), and energy therapies (e.g., therapeutic touch and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies). 

Complementary (or alternative) medical approaches are used widely by women to treat menstruation-related disorders. " Daily supplementation of vitamins, minerals, and calcium, along with a well-balanced diet, is the first-line therapy for all menstruation-related disorders and helps to reduce deficiency states, particularly in peri-and postmenopausal women. Vitamin E supplementation in doses of 300 and 400 lU/day may be effective in relieving some premenstrual symptoms based on a few controlled studies.Over-the-counter products that contain megadoses of vitamins, as well as minerals and trace elements, have been marketed for PMS without chnical trials to document their effectiveness or safety. There are several brands of products for PMS (e.g., a combination preparation of a rmld diuretic. 

Natural pigment production for food coloration includes the entire spectrum of biotechnologies. For example, biological production of carotenoid pigments has medical implications because carotenoids are nutritive (pro-vitamin A), antioxidant, and photoprotective. Carotenoids are produced alternately in agricultural systems (plants), industrial bioreactors (bacterial and fungi), and marine systems (cyanobacteria and algae). 

Complementary and alternative medicine CAM. Forms of treatment that are used in addition to (complementary) or instead of (alternative) standard treatments. These practices are not considered standard medical approaches. CAM includes dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. [NIH]... 

The medical use of botanicals in their natural and unprocessed form undoubtedly began when the first intelligent animals noticed that certain food plants altered particular body functions. Much information exists about the historical use and effectiveness of botanical products. Unfortunately, the quality of this information is extremely variable. One of the most complete compendiums of clinical recommendations regarding the use of botanicals is the Report of the German Commission E (a committee that sets standards for herbal medications in that country Blumenthal, 2000). Interest in the endocrine effects and possible nutritional benefits of certain purified chemicals such as dehydroepiandrosterone. melatonin, high-dose vitamins, and minerals has led to a parallel development of consumer demand for such substances. These substances, together with the botanicals, constitute a substantial source of profits for those who exploit the concept of "alternative medicine."... 

The foregoing listing is like a Who s Who and What s What in alternative medicine. The gauntlet has been thrown and the joust continues, with medical orthodoxy (still) questioning nutritional supplements such as vitamin E, and their statistics are sure to be contested. It all seems more like a presidential race, the public relations machine of the Republicans vs. that of the Democrats, rather than objective science. 

It may therefore be observed that some of the substances listed in Table 8.2 and Table 8.3 are employed in what may be called medical folklore, that is, in the arena of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). A listing is as follows camp-tothecin, curcumin, melatonin, vitamin A analogs, colchicines, paclitaxels, several of the vinca alkaloids, and acetylsalicylic acid, as well as ascorbic acid or vitamin C, (3-carotene, a certain gallate compound from green tea, folic acid, lycopene from tomatoes, conjugated linoleic acid, quercetin, resveratrol, sodium selenite, and a-tocopherol or vitamin E. 

Alternative methods of treating cyanide intoxication are used in other countries. For example, the antidote used primarily in France is hydroxocobalamin (a form of vitamin B12), which combines with cyanide to form the harmless vitamin Bi2a cyanocobalamin (Baskin and Brewer, 1997 Rotenberg, 2003a). In France, this medication is used for children at a dose of 70 mg/kg. A study of 41 French children with fire smoke inhalation showed a prehospital mortality rate of 4% for those given hydroxocobalamin and not found in cardiac arrest (Geller et al., 2006). The authors of the study noted that for those children found in cardiac arrest by paramedics, administration of hydroxocobalmin did not prevent mortality. 

---