A century of concern about complementary medicines

Complementary and alternative medicines patients are talking about: melatonin.

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain in response to darkness. Melatonin is made available when tryptophan is converted to serotonin and then enzymatically converted to melatonin in the pineal gland. Serum levels are low during the day, with peak levels occurring from 2-4 am.

A concern about plagiarism

The Biomedical Imaging and Intervention Journal (biij), like all other scientific journals, is concerned with the serious issue of plagiarism. The Publications Committee of the International Organization of Medical Physics (IOMP) has prepared an editorial on plagiarism, which is reproduced here with some modifications, with permission from the IOMP. In addition, this editorial is also consisten...

A concern on phthalate pollution of herbal extracts/medicines and detection methods

Esters of phthalates, mainly applied as plasticizer, cause several human health and environment    hazards. Phthalates are widely used in pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, as well as other plastic commercial products, and can penetrate in foods, water dusts, and air leading to ingestion and inhalation exposure followed by skin absorption for human. These compounds cause serious adverse effect...

Complementary medicines in mental health.

The use of complementary medicines for mental health problems generates wide public interest. Patients, particularly when suffering from chronic mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, may use complementary medicines for a variety of reasons. Some may feel that a complementary approach is more ‘‘integrative’’ balancing mind and body; others may wish to gain control of their menta...

Complementary medicines and weight management.