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...million Americans battling alcoholism, the holiday season--with its office parties and champagne toasts--presents a special challenge. Campral, the first new drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in almost a decade for helping drinkers remain abstinent, could help. Taken as part of an addiction-treatment program that includes psychosocial support, Campral helped 16% to 38% of alcoholics who had already stopped drinking avoid imbibing for up to four months. Unlike current abstinence aids, which either dampen the alcohol high or make people violently ill if they drink, Campral works by restoring nerve activity in the brain...
...dozen years after Barney Clark received the first experimental artificial heart, the FDA finally approved a similar device for broad use. The CardioWest, which is surgically implanted in the chest, fills in for the heart's pumping chambers, shunting blood throughout the body. But because it remains connected to a power console outside the chest, the device is only a temporary fix, intended to buy time for the sickest patients while they wait for a heart transplant. Still, it has proved effective. Patients put on CardioWest were more than twice as likely to survive for a year, increasing their chance...
...might otherwise have thought about killing themselves, the latest studies show that the drugs actually increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in about 4% of children. Months after the British government decided to ban use of most antidepressants in children and teens, the U.S. finally took action. In October, the FDA directed manufacturers of all 32 antidepressants now on the market to add black-box warnings--its strongest caution--to doctors, alerting them to the risk...
Sales of fish-oil supplements--one source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids--are booming and poised to climb even higher. The FDA says sellers of food products that contain two types of fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which are found in oily fish like salmon, herring and lake trout, can now add labels listing their EPA and DHA contents and touting their health benefits. But there are limits to how much fish oil you should eat. The FDA recommends no more than 3 g of the fatty acids a day, and only 2 g should come from supplements...
...that have been linked to cancer, kidney or liver damage and heart problems and some of which have been banned in Europe and Asia. What to avoid: aristolochic acid, comfrey, androstenedione, chaparral, germander, kava, bitter orange, organ or gland extracts, lobelia, pennyroyal oil, scullcap and yohimbe. In addition, the FDA says, consumers should steer clear of supplements called Actra-Rx and Yilishen, which contain prescription-strength levels of sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra. It can lower blood pressure to dangerous levels...