Yes, yes, yes, it was October 20th, and I missed it.

But here’s a summary of CAM research on osteoporosis reported in 2008.

To prevent fractures and safety

  • The effects of long-term treatment with soy isoflavone supplements need to be established.
  • It’s impossible to make treatment recommendations at this time.

Calcium supplements for osteoporosis

  • The authors created a table with the recommended calcium intake for infants to seniors, including pregnancy.

Vitamin C and hip fracture

  • People with the lowest total and supplemental vitamin C intake had more hip and nonvertebral fractures than those with the highest total and supplemental intake.

Cat’s claw

  • Insufficient evidence supporting cat’s claw for any health problem.

The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommendations

  • Evidence for calcium with or without vitamin D is mixed, and the benefit is modest.
  • Compared to most prescription drugs, the effect of calcium alone is less certain.
  • Regardless, ACP recommends calcium and vitamin D in osteoporosis treatment regimens.

Harvard Women’s Health Watch recommendations

  • Get vital nutrients
  • Exercise
  • Don’t smoke
  • Know your risk
  • Watch your weight
  • Avoid falls

11/5/08 21:11 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.