Because they do not rank highly in the hierarchy of evidence and are not frequently cited, case reports describing the clinical circumstances of single patients are seldom published by medical journals. However, many clinicians argue that case reports have significant educational value, advance medical knowledge, and complement evidence-based medicine. Over the last several years, a vast number...

Before 1998, extracts of kava kava, Piper methysticum, were considered to be very safe alternatives to anxiolytic drugs and to possibly exert a wide range of other benefits. Major reviews published through the end of 2002 continued to confirm kava's safety and efficacy. Nevertheless, by January 2003 kava extracts had been banned in the entire European Union and Canada, and were subject to cauti...

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Christopher S. Graffeo was an Undergraduate at the University of Virginia, where he studied literature, art history, and philosophy. After returning to York City working for several years as editor a musician, enrolled in Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program Columbia went on medical school NYU.