Article title: "Saw Palmetto No Benefit as Prostate Remedy"
Date: September 27, 2011
This article was 'desktop published' in such a way as to spark my interest because of the associated articles presented along side it.... but
first:
The fruit of the saw palmetto tree does not relieve symptoms of an enlarged prostate, even when men take the herbal supplement in very high doses,
a new study shows.
Interestingly, (to me anyway) the following paragraph beings like this (bold is mine):
The research is published Sept. 28, 2011, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Now if this is not an indication that the AMA along with their media associates are coordinating public opinion campaigns. I don't know what is.....
reporting on an unpublished study a day before it's official release seems... disingenuous.
The bias becomes even more evident when you consider this:
Many older U.S. men take saw palmetto extract in an attempt to reduce bothersome symptoms of a swollen prostate, including frequent urination and
a sense of urgency. Its use in Europe is even more widespread because doctors often recommend saw palmetto over more traditional drug
treatments.
I can hear Big Pharma and the AMA at their golf outings now "Damn those stupid Europeans! How are we supposed to make money if they keep providing
remedies that we don't control?"
((Don't worry Big Pharma and AMA, you've got the transnational commerce bunch on your side ... enter the Codex Alimentarius))
Here's the kicker:
Results of the new study may settle an ongoing debate over the effectiveness of saw palmetto for a condition known as benign prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH). Earlier studies of the supplement have produced conflicting results, and none have evaluated the benefits of saw
palmetto in high doses.
There was a time when every enlargement of a man's prostate seemed to be billed as an emergent medical situation - involving surgery and petrochemical
drug treatment..... the word "benign" couldn't be evoked, because it didn't engender the necessary fear in the patient to force the patient to
surrender their judgement to a medical professional's agenda.... revenue.
Why one would have to necessarily study "high doses" as if this were a pharmaceutical I can't fathom ... but I will allow them the liberty of going
down any stray path they choose.... in other words, whatever.
In the current study, however, men took up to three times the standard dose of saw palmetto.
"Now we know that even very high doses of saw palmetto make absolutely no difference," says co-author Gerald Andriole, MD, the Robert K. Royce
Distinguished Professor and chief of urologic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "Men should not spend their money on
this herbal supplement as a way to reduce symptoms of enlarged prostate because it clearly does not work any better than a sugar pill."
The researchers found that among men who took saw palmetto, prostate problems improved slightly but not more than in men taking a placebo.
"We commonly see this in clinical trials," Andriole explains. "Patients often report an improvement in symptoms because they are taking
something, even if it is a placebo. But in this study, there was no benefit to taking saw palmetto over the placebo."
Unfortunately the medical professional seems to have forgotten tot mention that this placebo effect has been seen when compared to drugs they claim
"do" work - as advertised. Nor does he mention the ongoing mystery behind the placebo effect; or that certain placebo studies provide baffling cures
and improvements where none was thought to be possible... by their wisdom.
Several approved medications, such as alpha-blockers* and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors**, are available to successfully treat the
condition.
* - known side effects of alpha-blockers: Runny nose, Dizziness , Decrease in semen, Headache
** "common" side effects include impotence, decreased libido, and decreased ejaculate volume. Rare ADRs include breast tenderness and
enlargement, and allergic reaction.
Evidently they know best, eh?
So who sponsored this monumental work of unbiased scientific inquiry beholden to no agenda, political or otherwise?
National Institutes of Health (NIH);
the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases;
the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine;
and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
Saw palmetto fruit extract and matching placebo were donated by Rottapharm/Madaus, Cologne, Germany. The study was conducted under an
Investigational New Drug Application from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
I don't know that these last two items ... who "donated" the saw palmetto, and what makes a "investigational new drug application" a 'specific' kind
of study, actually means in terms of what was offered up... but along side this article was a list of other articles recommended by the publisher....
check it out....
Do you get the impression they really, REALLY, want to make a point about not using saw palmetto? Not that it's "bad for you" which they haven't
claimed.... I mean for goodness sake! How many anti-saw palmetto articles can you publish in one day? Their point is akin to screaming at the top
of your lungs from the mountain....
Thanks for entertaining my musings... Remember: none of what you see here constitutes any kind of medical advice or contradiction to 'evidence-based
medicine,' it's just food for thought (the kind that hasn't been banned by the Codex yet
)
edit on 29-9-2011 by Maxmars because: (no reason given)
edit on 29-9-2011 by Maxmars because: (no reason given)