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

    Treating primary dysmenorrhea with Chinese herbal medicine

    The Cochrane Library tells us, “Conventional treatment for primary dysmenorrhea (PD) has a failure rate of 20% to 25% and may be contraindicated or not tolerated by some women. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) may be a suitable alternative.”

    Here’s what they found as reported by MedPage Today.

    • 39 studies of 3475 women were reviewed.
    • Most studies used complicated herbal formulas with more than 5 herbs including Danggui (Chinese angelica root), Chuanxiong (Szechuan lovage root), Chishao (red peony root), and Baishao (white peony root), in a traditional cooked decoction.
    • Herbal interventions were usually started 5 to 7 days before menstruation and continued for about 10 to 15 days — until the first or second day of menstruation or throughout menstruation.

    And, the results.

    • CHM resulted in significant improvements in pain relief, overall symptoms, and use of additional medication compared to pharmaceutical drugs.
    • CHM also resulted in better pain relief than acupuncture and heat compression.
    • It was not possible to conclude that one herbal was better than another.

    The bottom line?
    The authors concluded there was “promising evidence supporting the use of CHM for primary dysmenorrhea; however, results are limited by the poor methodological quality of the included trials.”

    10/19/07 20:19 JR

    Leave a Comment

    You must be logged in to post a comment.