Herbal medications—harmless or harmful?

Nesiritide: harmful or harmless?

Nesiritide is the recombinant form of human B-type (brain) natriuretic peptide (BNP), and its amino acid sequence is identical to that of endogenous human BNP. Administration of nesiritide results in venous and arterial vasodilation, as well as enhanced diuresis. Given the many limitations of therapies previously available for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure, the anticipation...

Herbal remedies and children: do they work? Are they harmful?

More parents are considering the use of herbal remedies to maintain their children's good health and to treat their illnesses. They look to pediatricians and other primary care clinicians for advice concerning the safety and efficacy of herbal products for children. This article reviews principles for the clinician to keep in mind while investigating the literature on herbal medicine and addres...

IMSI, Useful, Useless or Harmful?

Since the birth of the first test-tube baby in 1978, Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART) has been performed all over the world to alleviate human infertility. In 1991 with the advent of the Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) technique, a reasonable rate of male infertility cases due to severe oligospermia were successfully solved. However, several concerns about the safety and impact o...

Cancer Screening, Effective or Harmful?

Once a widely accepted notion, mammography screening is now called into doubt, in some cases rendered unjustifiable, by studies in developed countries. In spite of the fact that screening cannot prove to be effective may seem meaningless at the first glance, in practice, the procedures and strategies are to be reconstructed. In Iran, for instance, 40% of diagnosed breast cancer in women are loc...

medication: herbal or non-herbal?