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March 2009 — Alternative Medicine 
Alternative medicine has evolved and grown over the years – it’s not just a few supplementing herbal remedies for prescription drugs. It’s a widespread practice commonly referred to as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and integrative medicine. It combines conventional Western medicine with alternative or complementary treatments, such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, and yoga. According to a nationwide government survey released in December 2008, approximately 38 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over, and approximately 12 percent of children use some form of CAM. With Epocrates*, you can help ensure that your patients who are taking these medicines do so safely. We offer authoritative information on more than 600 complementary and alternative medicines including reported uses and doses, interactions with prescription drugs, adverse reactions, and more. *Available with Epocrates Rx Pro®, Epocrates® Essentials, Epocrates® Essentials Deluxe mobile software and Epocrates Online Premium. Also in this issue: |
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Test your knowledge! Can you identify the disease in this image? Brought to you by Epocrates Online, featuring at-a-glance disease overviews, detailed diagnostic and treatment recommendations, and national medical society guidelines. |
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Purchase a Palm TX or HP iPAQ 210 and get two years of Epocrates software at a special discounted rate through March 31, 2009. This offer starts at $329, which is the lowest we have seen. It's perfect if you've been waiting to upgrade your old Palm device!
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Are you receiving DocAlert messages? Just update (sync) your handheld or visit our help page to learn more. Integrative Medicine Editorial: Dr. Anne Meneghetti, Internist, Epocrates' senior medical editor Some patients are delighted to learn that a solution to their medical problem might be found in a pill. Other patients are not. Patients attracted to alternative medicine often seek to understand the root cause of their condition and perhaps even discover meaning on the path to self-healing. Many physicians are perplexed when patients choose to forego proven standardized therapies from licensed practitioners and instead forge ahead into the untested territory of natural healing.
A randomised interventional trial of omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids on endothelial function and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus Objective: To determine the clinical effect of dietary supplementation with low-dose omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids on disease activity and endothelial function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Probiotics may improve irritable bowel syndrome Bottom line: This systematic review/meta-analysis of randomized trials found a significant benefit of probiotics (number needed to treat [NNT] = 12) for improving symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Given the frequent difficulty in adequately treating this illness and the generally benign effects of probiotics, clinicians should strongly consider them for their patients with IBS. (LOE = 1a)
Probiotics decrease antibiotic-associated diarrhea in children Bottom line: A probiotic consisting of several strains of a Lactobacillus species is effective in preventing prolonged diarrhea (greater than 48 hours) in children receiving antibiotics. It did not decrease the likelihood of developing diarrhea related to Clostridium difficile, although the study may have been too small to detect a benefit if one exist. (LOE = 1a)
Effect of fibre, antispasmodics, and peppermint oil in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis Results: 12 studies compared fibre with placebo or no treatment in 591 patients (relative risk of persistent symptoms 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.76 to 1.00). This effect was limited to ispaghula (0.78, 0.63 to 0.96). Twenty-two trials compared antispasmodics with placebo in 1778 patients (0.68, 0.57 to 0.81). Various antispasmodics were studied, but otilonium (four trials, 435 patients, relative risk of persistent symptoms 0.55, 0.31 to 0.97) and hyoscine (three trials, 426 patients, 0.63, 0.51 to 0.78) showed consistent evidence of efficacy. Four trials compared peppermint oil with placebo in 392 patients (0.43, 0.32 to 0.59).
PML Cases Associated With Use of Raptiva |
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Acute Pain Management Mobile Resource Center The Acute Pain Management Mobile Resource Center is now available as a FREE download. You’ll receive the most important and current clinical news and research on acute pain. The articles are carefully selected and commented upon by Perry G. Fine, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. And don’t forget! Mobile Resource Centers are also available for Leukemia, Hypertension, IBS & Chronic Constipation, Epilepsy, Allergy & Asthma, Diabetes, Chronic Pain Management, Fibromyalgia, ADHD, and Infection Management. Mobile Resources Centers are available on Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) and Palm OS. Wal-Mart’s $4 Generic Prescription Drug List Now Available! Epocrates is happy to announce the addition of Walmart’s $4 generic drug program to its formulary hosting service. Before writing a prescription, prescribers can quickly check and compare the Walmart drug list using Epocrates to see if a less expensive alternative is available. This can better equip healthcare professionals looking to identify lower cost medication options available for their patients at Walmart, Neighborhood Market and Sam’s Club pharmacies nationwide. With the program, customers can get up to a 30-day supply of more than 350 generic prescriptions for only $4 and a 90-day supply for $10.
Upcoming Meetings — Meet the Epocrates Team! Pri-Med Midwest: March 5-7 — Rosemount, IL Updates at a Glance
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How to Install Epocrates Essentials for the iPhone Are you looking to add Epocrates Essentials to your iPhone or iPod® touch? Just order through our site, enter your login information, and follow the instructions. It’ll only take about five minutes, but the benefits will last a lot longer than that! Do you have other questions? Maybe you want to know if you can transfer your existing subscription? Maybe you already have Epocrates Rx and want to upgrade to Epocrates Essentials? We’re here to help! Please contact customer support with any additional questions. |
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We’re giving away three copies of the new reference book, How To Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care by Drs. Richard P. Brown, Patricia L. Gerbarg, and Philip R. Muskin. To enter, tell us which herbal remedy was found to soothe IBS in a systematic study. [Hint: it’s referenced in the DocAlert messages above.]
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Epocrates, Inc., 1100 Park Place, Suite 300, San Mateo, CA 94403 | www.epocrates.com |