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

    Biofeedback: Constipation and fecal incontinence

     Researchers from the University Hospital, in Tübingen, Germany, reviewed the evidence.

    First, the details.

    • For constipation, 8 studies were identified.
    • For fecal incontinence, 11 trials were identified.
    • The data were pooled and a meta-analysis conducted.

    And, the results.
    Constipation

    • Biofeedback training was significantly better than non-biofeedback (laxatives, placebo, sham training, and botox injection).
    • Biofeedback was as effective as electromyographic biofeedback.

    Fecal incontinence

    • Biofeedback was as effective as non-biofeedback therapy.
    • There were no differences among various modes of biofeedback.

    The bottom line?
    The authors commented that the studies were flawed, with variable endpoints and a lack of quality.

    Despite this, they concluded, “Biofeedback training for pelvic floor dyssynergia [aka anismus: failure of pelvic floor muscles to relax, or a paradoxical contraction of these muscles, with defecation] shows substantial specific therapeutic effect.”

    By comparison, “Biofeedback training for incontinence is still lacking evidence for efficacy.”

    “In both conditions, biofeedback seems to play a minor role.”

    More positive reports on biofeedback and fecal incontinence are here and here.

    7/2/09 18:13 JR

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