Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Among the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches used by Americans, natural products are the most popular. Shelves at health food stores and supermarkets are full of natural products that claim to improve health. But what do we know about their claims of benefit? And are these " natural " remedies safe and do they work? NCCAM-funded investigators are studying safety and probing whether and how natural products might affect health, including three that have attracted public interest and show scientific promise—fish oil, cranberry juice, and probiotics. Recent estimates are that more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, the most common age-related dementia. Past the age of 65, the number of people with Alzheimer's doubles every 5 years. As the population of the United States ages, interest is high in finding approaches, including from complementary and alternative medicine, that could prevent, slow the progression of, and treat cognitive impairments of aging. After its founding in 1999, NCCAM sought to advance knowledge on the safety, efficacy, tolerability, and acceptability of a short list of 12 NIH Web portal: " talking to your Doctor " in this issue