The July 2008 issue of "CAM at the NIH," the quarterly newsletter of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

The July 2008 issue of "CAM at the NIH," the quarterly newsletter of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), is now posted at http://nccam.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2008_July.

Among the stories in this issue:

* A new campaign from NCCAM, which offers free educational materials, is encouraging dialogue between patients and their health care providers about CAM use.

* Fibromyalgia is a condition involving pain, "tender points" on the body, and fatigue. About 9 out of 10 people with this condition use CAM. What is known from science about CAM's effectiveness for fibromyalgia?

* Visit the NIH Botanical Research Centers "garden" to find out how Russian tarragon, prunella (self-heal), borage oil, and other botanical and dietary supplement ingredients are being examined at these centers to prevent and treat diseases and conditions.

* Which CAM therapies does Dr. Stephen Barnes of NCCAM's national advisory council call "incredible chemical factories?"