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

    A 3-step program to manage belonephobia

    Many people dislike needle-sticks. But once the fear becomes persistent, excessive, and unreasonable, it’s a phobia (belonephobia, needle-phobia, trypanophobia). Although not well recognized, belonephobia affects up to 10% of people.

    In a Medscape article, Dr. Mary Muscari, who is Professor and Director of Forensic Health/Nursing at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, discusses the signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments — which emphasize CAM.

    Step 1: Recognition and relaxation.

    • Identify those at risk and discuss procedures to help alleviate fear of the unknown.

    In people with a score of greater than 3 on a 10-point anxiety scale, the following treatments are recommended.

    • Cognitive behavioral therapy
    • Counseling
    • Distraction
    • Relaxation
    • Hypnosis

    Step 2: Control and preparation.

    • Encourage participation in decision-making and to find the best ways to relieve tension.

    Step 3: Graded exposure.

    • Use toys, diagrams, and graphics to illustrate the procedural steps, graduating to medical equipment.

    Finally, medications might be useful for some individuals.

    5/8/07 20:47 JR

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