Complementary and alternative medicines

Drug interactions with dietary or herbal supplements could be cause of hospital stays

Around 1 in 55 hospital admissions may have been caused by an adverse event triggered by a reaction between a dietary or herbal supplement and another medicine or supplement, according to Israeli research. As a result, the researchers say their findings suggest that medical staff need further …

Companies producing homeopathy medicines in US must state they do not work

Producers of homeopathic treatments sold over the counter (OTC) in the United States must state on their labels and marketing materials that the products do not work or provide evidence of efficacy for any claims made, a US government agency says. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), an agen…

Ending homeopathy funding on the NHS

The funding of homeopathic products on the NHS must stop – and not just for financial reasons.…

Lights, camera, action: my career as a pharmacist and television presenter

Presenting live television to a global audience in two different languages every morning is a positive stress, says Bav Heer.…

Homeopathic teething products licensed in UK are safe, says medicines regulator

Homeopathic teething products licensed in the UK are safe, says the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, after the US Food and Drug Administration issued a safety warning about US products.…

US drug regulator warns against use of homeopathic teething products

Parents in the United States have been warned to stop giving children homeopathic teething tablets or gels in light of an ongoing inquiry into their safety by the US Food and Drug Administration.…

The availability of homeopathy on the NHS is important

I wonder if people such as Michael Marshall ( The Pharmaceutical Journal 2016;297:101), who would refuse patients the option of NHS homeopathic treatment, have considered the plight of people failed by evidence-based medicine? Where are those with chronic, disabling conditions to turn wh…

Vitamin D reduces the rate of severe asthma attacks

Vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk of severe asthma attacks by over a third, a systematic review has found. …

Why on earth is the NHS spending even a single penny on homeopathy?

A recent article in The Independent has, once again, highlighted NHS spending on homeopathic remedies (‘NHS has spent more than £1.75m on homeopathy, despite admitting there is no good-quality evidence it works’, 7 August 2016). Although the piece cited a spend of £1.75m in t…

Omega-3 fatty acids improve recovery after heart attack

Patients taking a high dose of omega-3 fatty acids for six months had a significant reduction in markers of cardiac remodelling, study shows.…