supplements
Sufficient evidence concerning the impact of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on clinical outcomes for breast cancer patients in Taiwan is not available. This study sought to examine the association between TCM integration and post-operative outcomes among women undergoing mastectomies.
Utilizing a large insurance database, the Taiwanese researchers identified a cohort of adult women who underwent breast cancer surgery during the 2010–2019 period. They compared sociodemographic profiles and comorbidities between TCM users and non-users. Multiple logistic regression models were employed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for both mortality and postoperative complications.
Among 91,298 eligible patients, the one-year pre-operative prevalence of TCM utilization was 40%. Compared to the control group, TCM users demonstrated:
- a significantly lower likelihood of postoperative stroke (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.62–0.93),
- and a reduced requirement for intensive care (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59–0.91).
Moreover, the cumulative exposure of more than 4 TCM consultations within the year preceding surgery was linked to a decreased risk of stroke (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61–0.95).
The authors concluded that “our findings indicate that integrating TCM during the year preceding breast cancer surgery is correlated with lower risks of postoperative stroke and a reduced requirement for intensive care. Nevertheless, these observed benefits warrant further verification through prospective and large-scale clinical investigations. Based on these results, we suggest that both Western medical practitioners and public health administrators should be mindful of TCM’s role in the comprehensive care of patients with breast cancer.”
In the paper itelf, the authors “hypothesize that pre-operative TCM integration contributes to the observed reduction in stroke risk and intensive care requirements following mastectomy. These prior insights provide a plausible biological foundation for the favorable outcomes observed in our study”. In other words, they believe that the associations is causal.
I beg to differ!
Much research has demonstrated that people who use so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) in addition to conventional therapies differ from those who don’t. In general, they tend to be more health concious – if not, they would not go to the trouble of using and paying for SCAM. This difference alone suffices to bring about the observed outcomes – even if TCM has no or perhaps a slightly negative overall health effect.
But let’s be generous!
Let’s assume the authors are correct in assuming that the association is causal and that TCM brought about the observed outcomes.
What does that actually mean?
TCM consists of many different modalities. If we just focus on oral medications and assume that there are 1000 different ones [in fact, the number is about 6 times higher], which one do we take to experience the observed outcome? Perhaps all of them?
What I am trying to point out that such research is meaningless; it has zero practical consequences, even if its results were real – which they probably are not.
In the end, it boils down to one main thing: the promotion of unproven (and occasionally dangerous) TCM.
Large-scale randomized trials have found that multivitamin–multimineral (MVM) supplements and cocoa flavanols may benefit several age-related chronic conditions among older adults, but it remains unclear whether these two supplements directly slow the biological aging process. This prespecified ancillary study evaluated the 2-year effect of a daily MVM (Centrum Silver) and cocoa extract (500 mg cocoa flavanols per day, including 80 mg (−)-epicatechin) on five DNA methylation measures of biological aging (PCHannum, PCHorvath, PCPhenoAge, PCGrimAge and DunedinPACE) among 958 participants (482 women and 476 men) in the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS).
Compared with placebo, daily MVM supplementation modestly reduced the rate of increase of second-generation epigenetic clocks, with a between-group difference in yearly change of −0.113 years (95% confidence interval (CI) −0.205 to −0.020; P = 0.017) for PCGrimAge and −0.214 years (−0.410 to −0.019; P = 0.032) for PCPhenoAge. MVM had a stronger effect on PCGrimAge among those with accelerated biological aging at baseline (−0.236 [−0.380 to −0.091]).
Compared with those with normal or decelerated biological aging (−0.013 [−0.130 to 0.104]; P = 0.018 for interaction). Cocoa extract did not have an effect on the five epigenetic clocks tested. Although the statistically significant but small effects of daily MVM supplementation on slowing biological aging are encouraging, additional studies are needed to determine the clinical relevance of daily MVM supplementation on epigenetic clocks and whether such effects can help explain the beneficial effects of MVM supplementation on aging-related chronic conditions.
Experts who were not involved in the new study urged caution. While the researchers saw an effect with two epigenetic clocks, three other epigenetic clocks included in the study showed no statistically significant change to their speed. “The multivitamin produced small favorable changes in two epigenetic aging markers, but not across all the clocks that were measured,” says José Ordovás, a professor of nutrition and genetics at Tufts University. “That makes the finding interesting, but it is still far from showing that multivitamins broadly slow aging or improve longevity.”
One of the study’s strengths is that the researchers carefully matched the characteristics of people in the vitamin group to those in the placebo group, says Zachary Clayton, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz, who was also not involved with the research. “However, the magnitude of the observed differences was modest, and their clinical significance remains uncertain,” he says. The study doesn’t take a person’s exact diet or physical activity during the two-year period into account, and those factors can’t be ruled out as having an effect on biological aging, he adds.
Still, in nutrition science, randomized clinical trials of this kind are rare. They aren’t generally required to sell supplements like multivitamins, even if the makers claim specific health benefits. Additional trials, the authors note, “are needed to confirm these findings and determine the role of [multivitamins] in extending healthy aging not only among older adults, but also across the lifespan.”
In addition to these criticisms, I would add a few further points:
- Scientists emphasize that “biological age” as measured by DNA methylation is a biomarker, a surrogate endpoint, but not a direct health outcome. It is currently unknown if a 2-month reduction in an epigenetic clock actually translates into a lower risk of disease, disability, or a longer life.
- The 2-year duration of the study is a great achievement for such a trial; yet it still is considered relatively short for assessing biological aging, which is a process that accumulates over decades. Longer-term data is needed to see if these small changes persist or lead to meaningful health differences.
- The fact that those study participants who started “biologically older” saw the most benefit could be a statistical artifact known as “regression to the mean” rather than a true systemic effect of the supplements.
- The study participants were primarily of Caucasian descent and over the age of 60. This limits the ability to generalize the findings to younger populations or diverse ethnic groups.
- Epigenetic alterations are only one of several “hallmarks of aging.” Because the study did not measure other factors like DNA damage, protein stability, or cellular communication, it provides only a very narrow “snapshot” of the aging process.
- The multivitamin might not have “slowed aging” in a general sense, but could have corrected minor, undiagnosed nutrient deficiencies in some participants, which then reflected positively on their biomarkers. If that were true, supplementation of non-deficient volunteers would have no effect.
Guest post by Ken McLeod
Over the years these pages and many others have reported on the risks of using ayahuasca and kambo, psychoactive substances used by shamans, alt-med practitioners, cranks and downright frauds for spiritual, social, and medicinal purposes. Those risks go so far as an excruciatingly painful death, which has led to bans and severe restrictions in many countries including Australia. [1]
The Australian ban issued by the Therapeutic Goods Administration followed the death of Natasha Lechner who had ingested kambo in 2019. The Coroner’s report of her death said in part ‘it appears to me that a number of vulnerable people are drawn to using Kambo in circumstances where those who administer it may hold themselves out as part of a healing profession, and yet lack training in basic first aid.’ [2]
One report here from 17 February 2024 [3] is that of the death of Jarrad Antonovich who died from a perforated oesophagus after consuming ayahuasca and kambo frog toxin in October 2021, at the age of 46, while attending the ‘Dreaming Arts festival.’ This was a six-day retreat at Arcoora in northern New South Wales, Australia. See our article for more detail on ayahuasca and kambo and how the festival organisers and attendees responded to Mr Antonovich’s worsening condition.
In that article we reported that the New South Wales State Coroner had commenced an inquest into Mr Antonovich’s death and we promised to keep you informed.
So, keeping you informed; the Inquest began in May 2023 and was suspended in May 2024 when the Coroner referred the matter to the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for consideration of whether charges should be laid.[4]
After the DPP’s lengthy consideration, on 5 March 2026 NSW Police arrested and charged ‘Soulore Solaris’, 52, a self-described ‘….Counsellor who facilitates Ayahuasca ceremonies’ with manslaughter over the death of Jarrad Antonovich at the Dreaming Arts Festival.[5] He was granted conditional bail to face Lismore Local Court on March 30 2026.
The media reported at length on the manner of Mr Antonovich’s death and on the reactions of the festival attendees to his worsening condition. Those reactions, as we reported in our article of 17 February2024, included:
– While Jarrad Antonovich‘s condition worsened there was resistance to calling for an ambulance. An ambulance was finally called at 11.30pm and took an hour to arrive because of the remote location.
- -One ambulance officer reported that a female told them to “move away from Jarrad because it was affecting his aura” and no one told them he had consumed Kambo. [6]
- -The event organiser Soulore “Lore” Solaris described Jarrad Antonovich’s death as ‘beautiful.’ [7]
- -Fred Woller, the site manager at Arcoora, was unaware those running the event did not have any medical training. [8]
- -Soulore “Lore” Solaris said Mr Antonovich ”…. had good support, a couple of kinesiologists with him and they couldn’t find anything wrong.” [9]
- -Mr Antonovich “was surrounded by people who loved him and an Aboriginal elder called Uncle Andrew who was chanting sacred songs and calling the spirit out of his body” and “the koalas were making a special sound that is known to the elders when the land accepts a spirit”. [10]
As usual, the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission conducted a thorough investigation and issued a comprehensive report. That is in their Statement of Decision on their imposing a Permanent Prohibition Order on ‘Soulore Solaris’. That Statement is so thorough, and their report of the events leading up to and following Mr Antonovich’s death are so harrowing, that readers should go that Statement. [11] How such an excruciating death can be described as ‘beautiful’ beats me.
What is not in the Statement is the mind-set of ‘Soulore Solaris,’ his gullible acolytes and festival attendees. The Courts will examine that of the accused, Solaris, but what I am interested in is how do all these others, ayahuasca and kambo practitioners and their supporters, come to the belief that they know more than all the health and medical experts and regulators in the world.
Surely they score 15 on the Richter Scale of ‘Dunning-Kreuger Effect.’
References
[1] https://tinyurl.com/4t6kpm35 and https://tinyurl.com/59mxe38m and NSW Coroners Report para 70 at https://tinyurl.com/2xxf26ac and ‘Shamanic Kambô Frog Hyponatremic Toxicity Leading to Brain Death: A Case Report’ Tran et al NLM https://tinyurl.com/59mxe38m
[2] Coroners Report paragraph 72 at https://coroners.nsw.gov.au/documents/findings/2024/Inquest_into_the_death_of_Natasha_Lechner.pdf
[3] https://edzardernst.com/2024/02/inquest-into-ayahuasca-and-kambo-death/
[4] ABC https://tinyurl.com/mr22yjah
[5] ABC https://tinyurl.com/bdz7nwty
[6] The Guardian http://tinyurl.com/328manjt
[7] ABC http://tinyurl.com/5n7ejydy
[8] The Guardian http://tinyurl.com/59wa3rmn
[9] ABC http://tinyurl.com/5n7ejydy
[10] ABC https://tinyurl.com/bdfb3y4y
[11] See their Statement of Decision at https://tinyurl.com/4ad4aju3. (The Statement of Decision gives a lot of useful material about these poisons and their ceremonies and the people who use them).
Ita Wegman (22 February 1876 – 4 March 1943) was born 150 years ago today. Together with Rudolf Steiner, she was a central figure in the development of anthroposophic medicine, an approach that interprets illness through spiritual–cosmological concepts. In 1921, Wegman founded the Klinisch-Therapeutisches Institut in Arlesheim, Switzerland—today the Ita Wegman Clinic—the first hospital dedicated to anthroposophic medicine. Practices developed there included rhythmical massage, a gentle bodywork technique intended to “harmonize” physiological rhythms, and mistletoe-based cancer therapy derived from Viscum album, later marketed as Iscador, as well as many other remedies influences by homeopathy. Wegman also co-founded Weleda, which remains a major producer of anthroposophic remedies and cosmetics.
Despite its continued use in parts of Europe, mistletoe therapy (including Iscador) has not demonstrated reliable clinical efficacy in improving cancer survival or tumor outcomes in well-controlled trials. Major systematic reviews conclude that evidence for benefit is inconsistent, methodologically weak, and often biased, with any reported improvements largely limited to subjective quality-of-life measures. It is therefore regarded by mainstream oncology as an unproven therapy rather than an evidence-based treatment. For Wegman’s other therapeutic innovations the evidence is even less convincing.
Her collaboration with Steiner was both professionally formative and personally intense. They met in the early 1900s, and Wegman later credited Steiner with inspiring her decision to pursue medicine relatively late, enrolling at the University of Zurich. From 1919 onward, their cooperation deepened: Steiner supplied esoteric frameworks derived from anthroposophy, while Wegman sought to translate these ideas into clinical practice. Their collaboration culminated in the book “Fundamentals of Therapy” (1925), published shortly after Steiner’s death.
Speculation about a romantic relationship between Wegman and Steiner has persisted for decades. Purported “love letters” dated to 1924 describe expressions of affection, but most scholars regard them as forgeries, citing factual errors, the absence of originals from Steiner archives, and stylistic inconsistencies with Steiner’s documented correspondence. Steiner himself described their bond in karmic terms, claiming a debt from a past incarnation that explained their closeness despite his marriage to Marie von Sivers. Historian Peter Selg and others interpret the relationship as an intense spiritual and intellectual partnership rather than a conventional affair, though contemporaries did circulate rumors.
Steiner died on March 30, 1925, after a prolonged illness. The exact cause remains uncertain and not definitively confirmed as stomach cancer. Wegman provided Steiner’s main care from September 1924 until his death, leaving her clinic to nurse him in his studio at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. She is said to have employed anthroposophic approaches, but specific treatments remain sparsely documented in available accounts.
Following Steiner’s death, Wegman’s authority within the movement became increasingly contested. In 1935 she was expelled from the Anthroposophical Society amid internal power struggles and accusations of doctrinal deviation; this expulsion was formally reversed in 2018. Wegman’s political stance during the Nazi period remains controversial. While anthroposophy as a movement was partially suppressed in Nazi Germany, several leading anthroposophists – including Wegman – sought accommodation rather than resistance. Wegman expressed hopes in the early 1930s that National Socialism might support a spiritual renewal of society and did not publicly oppose the regime. Although she was not a member of the Nazi Party and later faced restrictions, her posture is best described as opportunistic accommodation and ideological ambiguity.
Wegman’s collaboration with Steiner created the foundations of anthroposophic medicine. It also generated enduring scientific, ethical, and political controversies – particularly regarding the medical validity of its treatments and its leaders’ responses to authoritarian power after Steiner’s death.
Psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease. By more than a decade of clinical validation, Jueyin granules (JYG) have demonstrated multi-target synergistic immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects, offering a characteristic Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapeutic approach for psoriasis.
Aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of oral JYG in treating psoriasis with blood-heat syndrome. Participants with body surface area (BSA) score less than 10 were allocated to receive JYG or placebo treatment in a 1:1 ratio through central area division and block randomization. The primary outcome is reduction of the psoriasis area severity index (PASI) score and proportion of participants achieving a greater than 50 % reduction in PASI scores (PASI50) at week 8.
Between November 2019 and April 2022, 195 participants were randomly assigned to receive JYG (n = 99) or a placebo (n = 96) at five centers. The JYG group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in PASI and BSA scores than the placebo group at week 8 (both P < 0.001) and maintained these improvements at week 16 (P < 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively). By week 8, 51.09 % of participants in the JYG group achieved PASI50, compared to 20.65 % in the placebo group (P < 0.001). However, there were no statistical differences in dermatology life quality index (DLQI), visual analog scale (VAS) scores, or relapse rate.
The authors concluded that this study provides conclusive evidence that JYG is a safe and effective treatment for patients with mild-to-moderate psoriasis. The current findings support its use as a complementary and alternative therapy for psoriasis.
I think this paper needs a few explanations:
- What are Jueyin granules? This is a formula consisting of eight Chinese herbs (Haliotis diversicolor, Flos Lonicerae Japonicae, Radix Rehmanniae exsiccate, cortex moutan, Herba Hedyotisdiffusae, Folium isatidis, Smilax china L. and Radix Curcumae)
- What is the history? The formula was developed in the 1950s by Han Xia, a Chinese surgeon, and have been used to treat psoriasis for over 50 years by Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.
- How did he develop it? We don’t know.
- Is the formula available outside China? No, not to the best of my knowledge.
- How reliable is this new trial? As we have discussed repeatedly on this blog, there are good reasons to mistrust Chinese studies.
- If we accept the findings nonetheless, are the conclusions valid? No! Firstly, this study cannot establish the safety of the formula. Secondly, a single trial cannot ‘conclusively’ establish the effectiveness of a therapy.
- Why does a respected journal publish such a dubious study? SERACH ME!
This case report details the death of a 59-year-old woman who succumbed to complications from lead poisoning (cerebral edema and encephalopathy) following the use of an herbal cream to treat hemorrhoids.
The patient with a past medical history of prediabetes was admitted to the emergency department after her husband found her experiencing seizure-like activity that morning. She had been in normal health the previous night, but suffered another seizure in the emergency department that lasted about three minutes and was subsequently started on Levetiracetam. During her most recent physical exam one week ago, her lab workup prompted a follow-up with
hematology due to anemia of unknown etiology. This time, her laboratory results indicated an elevated lactate level of 9.3 mmol/L, and her urine drug screen was negative. Additional labs showed elevations in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) while her complete blood count still showed signs of anemia.
During her hospital stay, the patient developed neurogenic shock and diabetes insipidus. On the fourth day, a serum lead level drawn on the second day returned, showing a level greater than 200 µg/dL Physicians considered various potential sources of her lead exposure, including environmental or occupational contact, accidental ingestion or inhalation of lead particles, unregulated imported cosmetics, or contaminated herbal supplements.
After asking about her use of herbal medications, suspicion arose around a hemorrhoid ointment that the patient had recently purchased from Vietnam through a Facebook advertisement. Consequently, chelation therapy with oral succimer and a continuous infusion of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
was immediately initiated.
Cao Bôi Trĩ Cây Thầu Dầu (Castor Oil Hemorrhoid Extract) was promoted for the treatment of hemorrhoids via intra-rectal application . Testing by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) revealed that the hemorrhoid ointment contained 4% lead (39,000 ppm), a highly lethal concentration. Even minimal lead exposure can be harmful and potentially lead to illness or death; thus, it is advised to avoid products likely to contain lead, especially imported items from other countries with inadequate lead testing standards.
As the patient’s condition continued to deteriorate, concerns for brain death arose. After being informed, the patient’s family consented to proceed with brain death testing. A second exam and a nuclear medicine (NM) brain perfusion scan were completed on the eighth day and it shows the absence of brain perfusion. Despite aggressive management, including seizure control, treatment of cerebral edema, and chelation for severe lead poisoning, the patient passed away on the eighth day due to acute neurological complications from severe lead toxicity complicated by cerebral edema.
As we have often discussed, so-called alternative medicines (SCAMs) can often be contaminated with harmful substances including heavy metals such as lead, e.g.:
- Heavy metal poisoning as a result of using Ayurvedic remedies
- If you ask me, Chinese herbal medicines are best avoided
- Death by homeopathy
- Inadequate regulation of Kratom supplements put consumers at risk
- Another death by homeopathy
- Ayurvedic medicines to die for
- Lead and arsenic intoxications due to ‘natural health products’
- How safe are herbal medicines?
- Ayurvedic medicines: efficacy doubtful with considerable risks
- Contamination and adulteration of herbal remedies
- Another death caused by ‘traditional wisdom’
This case underscores the urgent need for stricter regulations and oversight in the herbal medicine industry to prevent such health hazards. Implementing stronger regulatory measures is essential to ensure that all medicinal and cosmetic products are free from harmful contaminants and to safeguard public health against the significant risks associated with SCAMs.
In my frantic ambition to stay young for ever (just kidding!), I came across an interesting article about the “longevity doctor” Mohammed Enayats who claims to have cut his biological age from 41 to 24, while plugging treatments at his Chelsea-based “futuristic health lounge HUM2N” Dr Enayat is said to be a “rockstar visionary” creating the “tomorrowland of health”. Of course, he lacks any published research into longevity, but he cites a decade of experience as a GP and specialisation in “functional” medicine, the rebranded term for so-called alternative medicine (SCAM).
For longer living – aka “biohacking” – HUM2N offers intravenous ozone therapy. The US Food and Drug Administration has warned against such treatment, saying there isn’t enough evidence that it’s either useful or safe. The journal Archives of Academic Emergency Medicine reported the case of a 36-year-old woman who was admitted to hospital in Australia suffering severe neurological complications shortly after being given IV ozone to “boost immunity”. On this blog, we discussed this treatment several times, e.g.:
- CAM-CANCER: a most valuable source of information
- “Dr” Patrick Vickers and “the world’s premier clinic for the treatment of cancer and advanced disease”
And in my book, I have an entire chapter on it which concludes: “Unless sound positive evidence emerges, the risk/benefit balance of ozone therapy for any condition fails to be positive.”
Furthermore, HUM2N also offers expensive hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which has real life-saving uses for rare situations, such as divers with decompression sickness, but is widely sold by alternative-health practitioners as a SCAM for anything from ADHD to hair loss, despite the risks of serious lung and ear injuries (see Eye 1647). On this blog, we have repeatedly discuused this treatment and its dangers, e.g.:
- Former chiropractor fined after death of MS patient receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- A 5-year old boy has been ‘incinerated’ in an oxygen chamber undergoing alternative treatment for ADHD
- “Dr” Patrick Vickers and “the world’s premier clinic for the treatment of cancer and advanced disease”
When asked about the scientific basis for such treatments, Dr Enayat sent a long list of articles and papers, mostly relating to experimental uses to treat specific health conditions rather than providing evidence of improving longevity. “We are transparent where evidence is emerging rather than conclusive,” he insisted.
Another cornerstone of HUM2N’s offerings is NAD+, a bodily coenzyme it describes as the “miracle molecule”. For £1,995, the treatment is claimed by HUM2N to improve IVF success rates – when asked for evidence of this, Dr Enayat cited a study into mice that itself cautions “highly limited” effects on humans with “numerous questions unanswered” and no human trials. He said NAD+ treatments were “clearly positioned as exploratory, not a proven disease-modifying therapy”.
Controversial skincare treatment intravenous glutathione is sold for £195 a pop. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned consumers earlier this year that the treatments are “not licensed for cosmetic use here and pose significant health risks”, frequently causing nasty side effects especially when administered intravenously, including kidney or liver damage and anaphylaxis. When challenged, Dr Enayat agreed that “strong clinical data” for benefits of this treatment “exist only in specific niches”. Dr David Gems, professor of biogerontology at University College London’s Institute of Healthy Ageing, described it as “surprising that a registered GP would be so relaxed about offering some of these quack treatments”. And Dr Michael Sagner of King’s College London’s ARK ageing research unit described any advertised “biohacking” as a red flag, with most treatments being useless and some dangerous.
So, what should we think about Dr Enayat’s “tomorrowland of health”?
I don’t know about you, but I get the feeling that staying well away from it might be the best chance to reach an right old age.
Saffron, the stigmas of Crocus sativus L., has been used extensively in traditional herbal medicine. Since several years, the research interest in this plant is intense. Thus numerous clinical trials of saffron supplements (in contrast to the spice, supplements are affordable [they use different parts of the plant]) have been published. Almost all of them yield positive results (this invariably makes me suspicious!).
The purpose of this 2-arm, 12-wk, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to examine the effects of supplementation with a saffron extract (Affron) on mood and sleep in adults experiencing subclinical depressive symptoms. 202 adults aged 18-70 with depressive symptoms were supplemented with either 28 mg saffron daily or a placebo. Outcome measures included the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale – 21, Sleep Disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment Scale, World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Scale, and daily depression, stress, and anxiety ratings.
On the primary outcome measure, compared to the placebo, saffron was associated with greater improvements in the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale – 21 depression score (β: -2.92 points; 95% confidence interval: -5.13, -0.71 points; Cohen’s d = 0.39). 72% of participants in the saffron group achieved a clinically significant change (a reduction of ≥ 7 points) compared to 54.3% of participants in the placebo group (P = 0.010). However, in the other secondary outcomes, there was no evidence of between-group differences. In exploratory analyses across various strata and assumptions, improvements in sleep disturbances (β: -2.72 points; 95% confidence interval: -4.99, -0.46 points; Cohen’s d = 0.44) were identified in a subset of participants with a greater severity of sleep disturbance. There were no serious adverse reactions reported.
The authors concluded that this study, the largest conducted to date on saffron, provides evidence supporting the beneficial effects of 3 mo of saffron supplementation on depressive symptoms in adults. Large placebo responses were evident in this study, which require consideration in future trials.
As mentioned above, the body of evidence suggesting that saffron is effective for a surprisingly wide range of conditions is impressive. I looked with some skepticism at some of these studies and have to say that many are of decent or even good scientific quality.
Could it be that we have in saffron a plant-based treatment that shows real promise?
WATCH THIS SPACE!
The connections between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) cult, and the US chiropractic profession are complex and worrying.
Chiropractors’ support for RFK Jr.
The shady love affair had started long before RFK Jr. decided to join Trump. While Kennedy conducted his anti-vaccine campaign before running for president, chiropractors were hefty donors to his actions. In 2019, for instance, they donated nearly half a million dollars to the cause — about a sixth of the organization’s revenue that year. When Kennedy created the MAHA Alliance super PAC for his presidential candidacy, more than half of its initial donors were chiropractors. And when Kennedy’s nomination to lead HHS was questioned, a raft of chiropractors signed a letter of support for him.
RFK Jr.’s advocacy for so-called alternative medicine (SCAM)
After his appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), RFK Jr. has proven to be a vocal proponent of SCAM, particularly chiropractic. He has publicly supported chiropractic, for inctance, when speaking at chiropractic colleges and forums. His expressed his belief that chiropractic is a “necessary part of modern healthcare” and that chiropractors treat the “root causes” of disease, while conventional medicine is just masking symptoms. Major professional chiro-organizations, such as the “International Chiropractors Association” (ICA) and the “Georgia Council of Chiropractic” (GCC), have therefore applauded Kennedy’s appointment to HHS, viewing it as a “pivotal moment” for the advancement of chiropractic care and its integration into federal health programs. They anticipate his leadership will lead to expanded insurance reimbursement and greater acceptance by MAHA followers. “People that graduated with me in 2017, probably out of 100 people … around 70 or 80 of them were Kennedy freaks,” says Gabe Padilla, who once studied and worked as a chiropractor but has since left the field. “And I’m talking about, wow, they lived and breathed this man. They would drink his bath water if they could.”
The MAHA Initiative and Holistic Integration
The MAHA cult allegedly aims to tackle the chronic disease epidemic through a strategy that includes a focus on SCAM. It claims that factors like poor diet, environmental chemicals, over-medicalization and even vaccinations are major drivers of chronic illness. This over-emphasis on external and lifestyle factors, and a rejection of conventional medicine and science resonates with the “philosophy” espoused in the chiropractic, SCAM “wellness” spheres. The MAHA framework thus includes the goal of incorporating SCAM, opening the door for increased governmental support for chiropractic. There even is a chiropractic liaison for MAHA now, whose job is to keep chiropractic organizations connected to the larger movement.
Chiropractors are delighted, of course, advocating the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid coverage beyond spinal adjustments. In DD Palmer’s tradition, chiropractors advocate their quackery as a panacea. RFK Jr. and MAHA have developed strong ties to a dubious coalition of wellness influencers, holistic and functional medicine advocates, and anti-vaxers. This alliance favours SCAM and questions the scientific and medical establishment—a sentiment that creates a fertile environment for chiropractic. Spending on wellness in general has hit more than $500 billion in the United States and is projected to continue growing. Meanwhile, the employment of chiropractors is forecasted to rise 10 percent over the next decade, at a higher rate than the average for all occupations.
Conclusion
The connection between RFK Jr./MAHA and chiropractic is a relationship of mutual support and ideological alignment. The chiropractic profession sees Kennedy’s leadership as a political opportunity to achieve greater recognition and financial integration, while Kennedy’s MAHA framework provides an official platform for promoting chiropractic quackery.
The global aging population faces increasing risks of supplement-drug interactions due to rising polypharmacy and widespread use of nutritional supplements. Older adults, particularly those with chronic conditions, frequently combine prescription medications with dietary supplements, yet healthcare providers often overlook these interactions, leading to preventable adverse effects.
This review synthesized evidence from 16 international studies spanning nearly three decades, examining the intersection of supplement and medication use in older adults. Key findings reveal a high prevalence of concurrent use (23-82.5%), significantly increasing the likelihood of adverse interactions, particularly with antithrombotics (e.g., warfarin and ginkgo) and absorption-disrupting minerals (e.g., calcium and levothyroxine). A critical systemic failure in patient-provider communication exacerbates these risks, as clinicians often neglect to inquire about supplement use. Despite widespread potential interactions, actual clinical harm appears concentrated in high-risk combinations. The review calls for proactive clinical strategies, including standardized supplement screening, targeted patient education, and pharmacist-led medication management. Its limitations include cross-sectional study designs and self-reported data, underscoring the need for longitudinal and intervention-based research.
The authors concluded that future studies should prioritize causal evidence, standardized methodologies, and data from low- and middle-income countries to mitigate risks in aging populations.
All of this is true. Yet, I feel that several important points is missing:
THE RISKS OF SUPPLEMENT/DRUG INTERACTIONS ARE BY NO MEANS CONFINED TO THE AGING POPULATION!
On the contrary, many surveys suggest that middle-aged, affluent consumers use more of both and therefore are at an even higher risk than the eldely.
Communication with your physician seems a logical solution, but is it? There is plenty of evidence to show that doctors rarely know much about these interactions (and practitioners of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) know even less). It gets worse: there is a deplorable lack of research into this subject. Consequently, the knowledge in this area is woefully inclomplete.
If I am right, all this means that we need to
- do the necessary research as a matter of urgency,
- inform ourselves (this applies to healthcare practitioners as well as consumers)
- communicate the existing knowledge and warn consumers.
Failing to do this – as we now have done for many decades – means putting millions of consumers at risk.
