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

    Update: Acupuncture and in vitro fertilization

    Here are highlights from the 2006 conference of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in New Orleans.

    Writing in Medscape, Dr. Peter Kovacs from the Kaali Institute IVF Center in Budapest and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York says, “Increasing numbers of patients ask about and/or turn to alternative medical solutions when traditional medicine fails.”

    With respect to 2 studies of acupuncture?


    Needle acupuncture, laser acupuncture, relaxation, and sham laser acupuncture, vs no treatment in 481 women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

    • Chemical, clinical pregnancy, and implantation rates were highest in the needle acupuncture group.
    • But differences failed to reach statistical significance.

    A retrospective analysis of IVF outcomes with acupuncture vs no acupuncture.

    • No benefit associated with acupuncture use

    Dr. Kovacs concludes, “Although acupuncture might improve IVF outcome, convincing evidence is not yet available.”

    Despite this, there is a trend towards using acupuncture in fertility clinics, as summarized here.

    4/29/07 19:29 JR

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