Back to: News & Events
Press Releases 2002
- 12/18/02
FDA Announces Initiative to Provide Better Health Information for Consumers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announces a major new initiative to make available more and better information about foods and dietary supplements, to help American consumers prevent diseases, and improve their health by making sound dietary decisions. - 12/17/02
NCCAM Announces Opportunities for New Research Centers on Complementary and Alternative Medicine
NCCAM will establish new centers for research on CAM. This initiative includes three companion programs: Centers of Excellence for Research on CAM; Developmental Centers for Research on CAM; and Planning Grants for International Centers for Research on CAM. - 10/30/02
Leading Medical Anthropologist to Speak at NCCAM's Distinguished Lecture Series
Arthur Kleinman, M.D., Esther and Sydney Rabb Professor of Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University will present "The Global Transformation of Health Care: Cultural and Ethical Challenges to Medicine." - 10/21/02
NIH Announces Institute of Medicine Study of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
NCCAM and 16 Federal co-sponsors announce the launch of an Institute of Medicine (IOM) study of the scientific and policy implications of the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the American public. - 10/14/02
Study Suggests Coenzyme Q10 Slows Functional Decline in Parkinson's Disease
Results of the first placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial of the compound coenzyme Q10 suggest that it can slow disease progression in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD). While the results must be confirmed in a larger study, they provide hope that this compound may ultimately provide a new way of treating PD. - 08/23/02
NCCAM Welcomes Six New Members To Advisory Council
NCCAM welcomes six new members to its National Advisory Council on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The Council is the principal advisory group to NCCAM, a component of the National Institutes of Health. - 08/13/02
Sites Chosen for Public-Private Osteoarthritis Initiative
The Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) will bring together new resources to help find biological and structural markers (biomarkers) for development and progression of this joint disease. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and the major cause of activity limitation and physical disability in older people. - 08/13/02
FDA Warns Public About Chinese Diet Pills Containing Fenfluramine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting the public about Chinese weight-loss products, Chasu (Jianfei) Diet Capsules and Chasu Gempi, because they pose a potential public health risk. The agency is alerting the public to this health risk because several people in Japan have become ill, and some have died, after consuming these diet products. - 08/07/02
NIH Launches Large Clinical Trial on EDTA Chelation Therapy for Coronary Artery Disease
NCCAM and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have launched the first large-scale clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of EDTA chelation therapy in individuals with coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. - 07/25/02
NIH Funds Botanical Center in Iowa to Study Health Effects of Echinacea and St. John's Wort
National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces a 5-year, $6 million grant for the establishment of a research center based in Ames, Iowa to study two botanical dietary supplement ingredients, Echinacea and Hypericum (St. John's wort). - 07/24/02
Company Touting Unproven Cancer Treatment Agrees to Settle FTC Charges
BioPulse, Inc. has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges. In addition, the Commission announces the results of the latest "Operation Cure.All 2002" health claims surf that uncovered questionable Internet claims for health-related products or services. - 07/12/02
Preeminent Medical Historian To Speak at Inaugural Complementary and Alternative Medicine Lecture
Harvard University history professor Charles E. Rosenberg, Ph.D.will speak at NCCAM's new lecture series highlighting key issues regarding complementary and alternative medical practices, an approach millions of Americans are exploring to satisfy their personal health needs. - 06/14/02
DHHS Announces Plans to Study Ephedra; Steps Up Enforcement of Illegal Ephedrine Marketing
The Department of Health and Human Services (DDHHS) announces new efforts to expand research on the safety of ephedrine alkaloids and to aggressively pursue the illegal marketing of non-herbal synthetic ephedrine alkaloid products. - 06/12/02
Electroacupuncture Trial Is NCCAM's First Intramural Study
NCCAM’s first intramural trial will study use of electroacupuncture to treat chemotherapy-induced delayed nausea. - 05/28/02
NCCAM Launches Redesigned Web Site
NCCAM announces the launch of its newly redesigned Web site, nccam.nih.gov, which houses an array of information on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices and research. - 05/16/02
World Health Organization Publishes Traditional
Medicine Strategy
The World Health Organization (WHO) releases a global plan to address traditional medicine issues. The strategy provides a framework for policy to assist countries to regulate traditional or complementary and alternative medicine to make its use safer, more accessible to their populations, and sustainable. - 05/01/02
Placebo, Antidepressant May Lift Depression Via
Common Mechanism
Whether it's a widely prescribed medication or a placebo, a successful treatment for depression must trigger a common pattern of brain activity changes, suggests a team of researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). - 04/09/02
Study Shows St. John's Wort Ineffective for Major Depression of Moderate Severity
An extract of the herb St. John's wort was no more effective for treating major depression of moderate severity than placebo, according to research published in the April 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. - 03/08/02
Exploring the Scientific Basis of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Stephen E. Straus, M.D., Director of NCCAM, will give a presentation at the NIH Director's Lecture on March 11, 2002. He will announce NCCAM's Distinguished Lecture Series in the Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. - 02/19/02
National Town Hall Meeting on Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Be Held in Portland, Oregon
The public is invited to take part in a town meeting on complementary and alternative medicine research, sponsored by NCCAM.
