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.

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  • Recent Comments

    CAM preferences among children with chronic pain

    You won’t be surprised to learn that pain of longer duration and greater impairment make children more willing to use CAM.

    But which CAM options do they choose?

    Researchers from UCLA studied 129 children (average 14.5 years) being treated at a clinic specializing in pediatric chronic pain.

    Here’s what they found.

    • More than 60% of patients elected to try at least one CAM approach for pain.
    • Most popular: biofeedback, yoga, and hypnosis
    • Least popular: art therapy and energy healing
    • Intermediate popularity: craniofacial, acupuncture, and massage
    • Children with fibromyalgia were the most likely (80%) to try CAM vs those with other pain diagnoses.
    • Among the mind-based approaches (hypnosis, biofeedback, and art therapy), pain duration and limitations in family activities were both significant predictors.

    The bottom line?
    According to the authors, “When given a choice children with chronic pain preferred non-invasive approaches that enhanced relaxation and increased somatic [physical] control.”

    Juvenile fibromyalgia is an uncommon disease. More information is here.

    9/16/07 11:07 JR

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