SJW and depression

February 17, 2005

> I do not know what this study truly indicates.

you can review the entire study here:

>

> First of all the Hypericum was also given as an extract , which was

> manufactured by another pharmaceutical company, albeit an "

> alternative pharmaceutical company".

irrelevant - all herbal medications are extracts, except those that are

directly picked from the plant and immediately consumed

> Then, the treatment was not without problems.

also irrelevant - all therapies are associated with adverse events of

one kind or another, at one time or another, in one patient or another:

even placebo you have to look at the types and incidence of events -

in this study they are considerably less for SJW

> Thirdly, "statistically" significant only means the p-value is 5 % or

> below.

> But, the incidence of all the problems in these patients may also be

> below 5 %., even otherwise.

read the study, the authors concluded:

"This double blind randomised clinical trial showed that hypericum

extract WS 5570 is at least as effective as paroxetine in ameliorating

the symptoms of moderately or severely depressed patients"

> Whether given hypericum as a drug, or paroxitene, it is definitely not

> the same as saying enough family support will decrease the incidence

> of depression.

no - of course not - but try stuffing grandma in a little gelatin

capsule - i am sure she will complain ;-)

it can be very difficult to convince a patient and their doctor to get

off of SSRIs

SJW is a therapy that can be a catalyst to the kind of profound changes

that truly promote mental wellness

Caldecott

todd

Recommended Posts