The Risk–Benefit Profile of Commonly Used Herbal Therapies
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IN RESPONSE:
I could not include the negative trial of St. John's wort by Shelton and colleagues (1) because it was published after I submitted my article to Annals. However, I do not agree that this trial, although rigorous, calls into question the results of previous meta-analyses. First, one trial cannot outweigh dozens of previously published studies. Second, and more important, Shelton and colleagues examined severe depression, while the vast majority of the previous investigations included only patients with mild to moderate depression. St. John's wort may well work for one type of depression but not for the other.
Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD, FRCP(Edin)
University of Exeter; Exeter EX2 4NT, United Kingdom
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
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