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

    Allopathic recommendations for non-drug treatment of low back pain

    Researchers from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland have published an article on the evidence supporting treatment guidelines from the American Pain Society and American College of Physicians.

    The recommendations are based on a review of published studies.

    Chronic or subacute (greater than 4 weeks’ duration) low back pain

    • Good evidence that cognitive-behavioral therapy, exercise, spinal manipulation, and interdisciplinary rehabilitation are moderately effective.
    • Fair evidence that acupuncture, massage, yoga (Viniyoga), and functional restoration are effective for chronic low back pain.

    Acute low back pain (less than 4 weeks’ duration)

    • Superficial heat (good evidence for moderate benefits)
    • Spinal manipulation (fair evidence for small to moderate benefits).

    The bottom line?
    A summary of the guidelines by these associations is here.

    There are lots of options, but no information on the optimal sequencing of therapies. In addition, according to the authors, methods for tailoring therapy to individual patients are in early stages of development.

    1/23/08 10:39 JR

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