Andrew A. Nierenberg, M.D., is the Associate Director of the Depression Clinical and Research Program and Medical
Director of the Bipolar Programs at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School.
He has published more than 150 original articles, chapters, and reviews.
To follow up on Dr. Buring's presentation on alternative medicine, Dr. Nierenberg discusses the various studies
involving some of the most widely used of alternative and complementary treatments. In discussing the process of determining the
efficacy of alternative medicines, Dr. Nierenberg explains that "at the beginning, we are neither believers nor non-believers. We
believe in data."
Dr. Nierenberg focuses on alternative forms of anti-depressants that have recently become popular in America and Europe.
Although the use of St. John's Wort as an herbal alternative anti-depressant was very popular in Europe, surprisingly, scientists are
still uncertain about what the active ingredient is, and whether or not it is actually effective. A recent large-scale study that found
that the effectiveness of St. John's Wort was no better than the placebo caused pre-study sales "to go down 40%" when the inconclusive
results were sprawled across the headlines. For substances such as folate and SAMe (S-Adenosyl Methionine), there have been some data to
suggest that they are effective, but definitive claims are still unsubstantiated. Finally, Dr. Nierenberg addresses Omega-3 fatty acids
and the suggestion that reaching an optimal balance of this substance may be effective in treating depression.
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