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

    Review of auricular acupuncture for insomnia

     Prof. Ernst and colleagues reviewed the effectiveness of acupuncture administered to the ear to treat sleeplessness.

    First, the details.

    • Among 433 articles, 10 were worth reviewing.

    And, the results.
    Magnetic pellets auricular acupuncture (AA) vs placebo AA in 3 studies

    • Results suggest beneficial effects on sleep efficiency compared to placebo AA.

    Needle AA vs placebo AA in 1 study

    • No effectiveness of AA.

    Semen vaccariae (Wang bu liu xing) or magnetic pellet AA vs conventional drugs (estazolam or diazepam) in 4 studies.

    • Favorable effects for AA were found.
    • Info on semen vaccariae is here.

    Thumbtack needle AA vs. no treatment in 2 studies

    • Beneficial effects of AA on a sleep score reported.

    The bottom line?
    Yes, there are some positive studies.

    But the authors concluded, “because of the paucity and … poor quality of the data, … rigorously designed trials are warranted to confirm these results.”

    8/31/08 09:19 JR

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