(CBS News) 

Some new scientific research is causing quite a stir in the medical community.

The fight is over antidepressants, and whether they work any better than a simple placebo.

In an report airing this Sunday, “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl spoke to the psychologist behind the study, Irving Kirsch, associate director of the Placebo Studies Program at Harvard Medical School.

Preview: Treating Depression

He says that his research challenges the very effectiveness of antidepressants. Kirsch says the difference between the effect of a placebo and the effect of an antidepressant is minimal for most people.

In her interview with Kirsch, Stahl asks, “You’re saying if (patients taking antidepressants) took a sugar pill, they’d have the same effect?”

Kirsch replied, “They’d have almost as large an effect, and whatever difference it would be, would be clinically insignificant.”

Stahl presses, “But people are getting better taking antidepressants, I know them. we all know them.”

“People get better when they take the drug, but it’s not the chemical ingredients of the drugs that are making them better,” Kirsch said. “It’s largely the placebo effect.”

Kirsch’s specialty has been the study of the placebo effect — the taking of a dummy pill without any medication in it, that creates an expectation of healing that is so powerful, symptoms are actually alleviated.

In addition to an interview with Kirsch, Stahl interviewed doctors who don’t agree with Kirsch’s study.

On “CBS This Morning,” Friday Stahl called the report “explosive.”

She said, “Basically (this report) is saying that — except for those very severely depressed, because everybody says that these antidepressants do work if you’re — if it’s a depression that you just can’t get over. But if you’re moderately depressed or mildly depressed, a sugar pill would be just as good.”

“It’s the placebo effect,” Stahl continued. “And part of our story involves how the mind is so powerful over the body that the placebo effect shows up even if you have knee surgery, with osteoporosis, if you have Parkinson’s disease. All these diseases that somehow involve the mind and it’s not just in the mind. A sugar pill can actually change your blood pressure, they’ve monitored the brain, it can change the brain chemistry and the doctor giving you the pill, if it’s a sugar pill, just telling you he cares and, ‘Yes, I know you’re sick and here’s something to help you, that doctor is part of the placebo effect.’”

So are doctors prescribing sugar pills?

Stahl said she asked that question throughout her reporting, but learned it’s not an ethical practice.

“There are side effects with antidepressants,” she said. “It’s not ethical. But you know, in my head, to give a pill that is as good as a placebo with side effects isn’t ethical either. So I think why not give a sugar pill. But they don’t do it, they won’t do it.”

For more with Stahl on her upcoming report, including what it means for people taking antidepressants and the companies that make these prescription drugs, watch the video in the player above.

Novartis AG (NVS – Snapshot Report) recently announced that its once-daily long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) Arcapta Neohaler (75 mcg) was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the long-term maintenance bronchodilator treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. With the approval, Arcapta becomes the first therapy in the LABA class to be approved for the indication in the US.

Arcapta is already available in 150 and 300 mcg versions, under the brand name of Onbrez Breezhaler (also known as QAB 149), in the European Union. Onbrez Breezhaler (150 mcg) was also cleared in Japan recently for relief of symptoms due to airway obstruction in COPD (chronic bronchitis and emphysema). it is now approved in more than 60 countries and available in more than 30, with launches continuing throughout 2011. in the US, the inhaler is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2012.

The US approval was based on data from studies which demonstrated improved lung functioning on a sustained basis in patients treated with Arcapta compared to those treated with placebo. The improvement became visible in just 5 minutes after the first dose and was maintained over 12 weeks.

it should be noted that the higher dose (150 mcg) of the Arcapta inhaler was not approved in the US unlike Japan. As a reminder, in early March 2011, an advisory panel of the US regulatory body though recommending approval of Arcapta at 75 mcg dosage, voted against approving the candidate at the 150 mcg dosage. The decision against the 150 mcg version was based on the panel’s belief that treatment with the higher dosage does not result in any additional benefit.

COPD is the third leading cause of death in the US with more than 12 million people afflicted with the disease in this country alone. it is life threatening and can lead to serious long-term disability.

Novartis is banking on new drug approvals and successful label expansions to overcome the adverse impact of the upcoming patent cliff. Positive developments like this can bolster the company’s plans. The inhaler is already doing well in the countries where it is already marketed and the US approval will come as a further fillip for Novartis.

Our Recommendation

currently, we have a Neutral recommendation on Novartis. The company carries a Zacks #3 Rank (“Hold” rating) in the short run. Though pleased with Novartis’ wide range of products and its efforts to diversify further, as is evident by the acquisition of eye-care company Alcon, we prefer to remain on the sidelines due to the imminent patent cliff faced by the company.

Read the full analyst report on NVS

Homeopathy as an Alternative Medicine For ADHD

Article by R.D. Hawkins

Homeopathy as an alternative medicine for ADHD has been growing in popularity in recent years due to its effectiveness, safety, and non addictive qualities. While one can’t argue that conventional medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are effective they also come with a number of negatives including the potential of long term addiction.

The combination of addictive characteristics combined with the fact they improve mental performance in almost all people has led to these types of medications gaining an ominous place on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) list of drugs which have the highest abuse potential out of all the drugs that have a medical use. Some estimates have college campus abuse at one out of every five students. It seems making sure you take your medication ( Ritalin and Adderall) may have more to do with improving test scores than with managing ADHD symptoms.

Homeopathy as an alternative medicine for ADHD on the other hand does not share in these addictive qualities. There also have been a number of recent small studies pitting homeopathic alternative treatment for ADHD in various forms against a placebo. The finding confirmed that a significantly fewer number of ADHD symptoms were observed. Homeopathic alternative medicine for ADHD seemed to be particularly effective in the treatment of the primary symptom of inattention/distractibility.

On ingredient found to be particularly helpful was hyoscyamus. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a condition of inattention/distractibility, impulsivity, and hyperactivity/restlessness. in a nutshell it could be described as a problem with self regulation. Hyoscyamus has shown effectiveness in reining in poor self regulation problems such as impulse control and disruptive hyperactive behavior. Hyoscyamus can also be of benefit to people who have a propensity for foolish behavior, who may display facial tics and/or grimaces, and fidgeting of the hands or feet.

While hyoscyamus is perhaps the best of the lot of homeopathic alternative medicine for ADHD it by no means is the only homeopathic ingredient that has show efficacy in the battle against this troubling condition. other examples of safe and effective homeopathic ingredients are verta alb, cina, arsen iod, stramonium, and tuberculinum.

In summary, homeopathic alternative medicine for ADHD is not for everyone. nevertheless, if you have been searching for a non addictive way to manage such problematic symptoms as inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Homeopathic natural remedies for ADHD have proven to be a safe and effective alternative to conventional prescription offerings such as Ritalin and Adderall and are particularly effective when combined with other non prescription options.

R.D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field.Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at purchase Remedies.com

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Some of the studies reviewed also found that those who used zinc had less severe symptoms compared with those who took a placebo. two other studies, which included nearly 400 participants, found that those who took zinc lozenges daily for at least five months developed 36 percent fewer colds than those who took a placebo.

Children who took zinc prophylactically had fewer missed days of school and fewer prescriptions for antibiotics.

“I think the results are interesting and show significance for the use of zinc to shorten or prevent the common cold,” says Dr. Richard Zane, vice chair of emergency medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Does it convince me to take zinc? Probably not.”

Zinc appears to have antiviral properties and may have some immune boosting effects. over the past 25 years, however, clinical trials of zinc supplements have had conflicting results: 11 have shown zinc to be useful for colds whereas seven have found no benefit. 

(The Cochrane Review only included trials in which people took zinc for at least five days during a cold or at least five months to prevent a cold.)

Part of the problem, experts say, is that it’s tough to design studies where participants don’t know that they’re taking zinc versus a sugar pill. That’s because zinc tastes chalky and bitter and often causes nausea.

Those are two downsides you’d have to consider if you decide to take zinc for cold prevention or to manage any cold you catch. the Cochrane researchers stopped short, though, of recommending this, given that none of the trials were large enough on their own to determine an exact dose or formulation that should be used.

Also, the review didn’t include studies involving zinc nasal swabs like Zicam, which don’t have the bad taste and nausea problem. But the US Food and Drug Administration has warned against using Zicam after receiving reports of users losing their sense of smell from the product.

Zane predicts the finding will spur a host of new cold products on the market containing zinc.”But it’s important to emphasize that the common cold is usually self-limiting” and, unlike the flu, doesn’t pose much risk of turning into something life-threatening.

On Thursday January 20, 2011, 11:20 am EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Forest Laboratories Inc. said Thursday its depression treatment levomilnacipran failed in a late-stage clinical trial, as the drug was no more effective than a placebo at treating depression.

Forest and its partner, French drugmaker Pierre Fabre Medicament, said the patients treated with levomilnacipran and patients treated with placebo had similar results, and the difference between them was not statistically significant. in the trial, 362 patients were treated with 40 milligrams to 100 milligrams of levomilnacipran per day or a placebo. The 11-week study compared the change in patients’ symptoms on a clinical rating scale.

The companies said 8 percent of the levomilnacipran patients left the study due to side effects, compared to 2.2 percent of patients who took the placebo. The most common side effects of treatment with levomilnacipran were nausea and headache. Forest and Pierre Fabre are running two other late-stage trials of the drug, and they expect results from those studies in the second half of 2011.

Shares of Forest fell 30 cents to $31.58 in morning trading.

A recent study suggests, smokers diagnosed with anxiety disorders had lower quitting rates than smokers who were not diagnosed with anxiety.the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention conducted a study that found an interesting association between anxiety disorders and the likelihood of successfully quitting smoking.

The study consisted of 1,504 smokers. Subjects were eligible to participate if they smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day for 6 months and expressed a desire to quit. the results showed that the participants with anxiety disorders had higher nicotine dependence than the participants without anxiety disorders.

All participants completed surveys concerning demographics, smoking history, and previous attempts to quit. Experts also administered a test to the participants to diagnose their mental health, which determined if they had general anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, or no anxiety.  The participants were randomly assigned to receive different treatments that either consisted of one quitting aid, a combination of aids, or a placebo. Quitting rates were evaluated by following up with the patients 8 weeks and 6 months after quitting.  Additionally, a smokerlyzer device was used to determine the amount of carbon monoxide in the participants’ systems.

Each anxiety group reported more withdrawal symptoms and higher fatigue rates than the non-anxiety group, but the participants with multiple anxiety disorders reported the highest. the non-anxious participants had the highest rate of quitting at the 8 week follow-up and the 6 month follow-up, while the participants with multiple anxiety disorders had the lowest quitting rate at the 6 month follow-up.  And while there was a significant difference in quitting success between the non-anxious participants who received quitting aids and the placebo treatment, there was no difference amongst the anxious participants.

The results of this study demonstrate that habitual smoking may be caused by more factors than nicotine addiction. A study conducted in Australia also found that depressed and anxious teenagers were twice as likely to start smoking than their peers, especially teenage girls.  Another study found that smoking may also increase depressive symptoms in teens.  These studies suggest that it is imperative for smokers diagnosed with anxiety to treat the psychological disorder along with the physical addiction in order to quit successfully.  It is also important to address the negative effects of nicotine use to prevent susceptible individuals from using smoking as an unhealthy psychological and emotional aid.

17 December 2010 last updated at 19:03 ET Share this page People with cystic fibrosis often need regular physio to shift mucus

The build up of sticky mucus in the lungs of some cystic fibrosis patients could be prevented using medication, a study has suggested.

The US study of 350 children and young people found denufosol helped keep airways moist and so clear the mucus.

The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine study said those given the drug and not a placebo for six months fared better in lung tests.

The UK's Cystic Fibrosis Trust said the results were "promising".

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) affects over 8,500 people in the UK.

The condition affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, by clogging them with thick sticky mucus which makes it hard to breathe and digest food.

Patients are believed to be born with normal lung function, but significant damage is seen early on in life.

Breeding ground

In this research, which was funded by Inspire Pharmaceuticals which makes the medication, patients either inhaled denufosol or a dummy version three times a day for 24 weeks, followed by a 24-week period when all received denufosol.

When the study began, virtually all the patients had mildly impaired lung function and were taking drugs to regulate their symptoms.

Denufosol belongs to a class of drugs known as ion channel regulators which help keep the airways moist and aids mucus clearance.

In CF, ion sodium chloride molecules do not flow normally through cell membranes, resulting in thick, sticky mucus which is difficult to cough up.

In addition to causing breathing problems, the mucus is a breeding ground for bacteria and can cause serious respiratory infections.

Currently, breathing exercises or pressure are used to stop the mucus blocking the airways.

The researchers suggest denufosol could help patients whose lung function is still good, or is only mildly impaired.

They say the difference between it and existing drugs is that it targets a cause, rather than symptoms.

Benefits

Dr Frank Accurso, the director of University of Colorado's CF centre who led the research, said: "many patients continue to suffer progressive loss of lung function despite treatment of complications.

"because denufosol can be used early in life, it offers hope for delaying or preventing the progressive changes that lead to irreversible airflow obstruction in CF patients."

A spokeswoman for the UK's Cystic Fibrosis Trust said: "Denufosol is a new type of drug that could delay or prevent lung disease progression in children, teenagers and young adults with CF.

"We have been following the research closely and studies to date have shown promising results in people with CF who have a good lung function.

"Patients could benefit from this new drug in three to four years."

I've been put on methotrexate and sulphasalazine for my crohn's symptoms, a week ago, I've had diarrhoea and sickness for almost a year, it got to the point i couldn't cope with feeling ill, drained and weak any longer. I've been told it will take at least 3 weeks to start working, but after a week I already feel a bit better, it makes me dizzy the new meds, but somehow my 'output' is suddenly thicker (I have a stoma), can it be they are working so soon? I'm also on prednisolone and have been for over a month, but so far have only stopped the arthritic pains, the bowels stayed the same

it could be working or it could be placebo symptoms anyway i hope this works out for you and that it helps your co -worker understand the disease good luck and god speed