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

    Modest exercise is good for chronic pain

    The main problem is motivating people to stick with the program.

    During the American Academy of Pain Medicine meeting, Dr. Amy Burleson from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio reported that 28 patients (out of a group of 54) completed a 3-week aerobic training program. On average, patients received 5 hours of conditioning each week (10 minutes per session), in addition to routine daily activities.

    And, the results.

    • There was a significant reduction in exercise-induced acceleration of the heart rate (a sign of better conditioning) over the 3-weeks of conditioning.
    • The brief exercise protocol also produced significant immediate antidepressant effects and reduced anxiety.

    The bottom line?
    For those who are motivated, brief exercise is a safe, cost-free, nonpharmacological strategy to quickly reduce depression and anxiety.

    Dr. Todd Sitzman, president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, told Medscape that he hopes future studies will be show that pain relief can be obtained with longer-term exercise programs.

    2/23//08 13:30 JR

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