The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Acupuncture for chronic neck pain

    I ask, “Does it matter where the needles go?”

    Well, this review by the Cochran Collaboration suggests it does matter — at least for chronic neck pain.

    Overall, people receiving acupuncture had better pain relief immediately after treatment than those getting sham treatments such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) or laser with the machines switched off, or acupuncture with the needles inserted in the wrong place.

    Furthermore, people who had acupuncture also reported better pain relief than those on a waiting list for treatment. In one small trial, acupuncture provided better pain relief in the short-term than massage therapy.

    These results are based on a reanalysis of 10 studies of more than 600 patients. The lead author, Dr. Kien Trinh from McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada says the next step is to look at the long-term response to acupuncture.

    Sounds like a plan.

    7/22/06 10:21 JR

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