Placebos seem to make a difference in research and clinical practice. For that reason, testimonials and open-label trial results should never be provided as sole evidence of efficacy when a product marketing campaign is challenged by a regulatory authority.

If you have not visited the NutriSupLaw blog in a little while, you should. To celebrate the start of our fifth year, we gave the blog a makeover. Or as they say on the Web, a redesign. We think the new look does a better job of displaying blog entries and organizing our growing lists of resources, links and tags.

The confusion surrounding steroid use in professional baseball has taken another strange turn. The Associated Press and New York Times report that eight of the 104 players who tested positive for steroids in 2003 fall into another category.

The FDA has put supplement companies on notice that violators can expect earlier detection and prosecution. The agency has shifted to a policy of less talk and more action. The industry response must be to get better or get out.

Several hours after our post on increased media coverage of the potential danger of supplement use by high school athletes, the Food & Drug Administration held a press conference and issued a public health advisory on body-building products and steroids. The warning was serious: “Due to the potentially serious health risks associated with using these types of products, the FDA recommends that consumers immediately stop using all body building products that claim to contain steroids or steroid-like substances, ” the FDA said in the advisory.

With public attention shifting to the health of teenagers — steroid use, obesity, etc. — the supplement industry has not been heard loud enough. Who will speak up?