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

    Reviewing the research on acupuncture for low back pain

    acupunctureMan“There is a paucity of high-quality research,” according to reviewers at the University of Miami, in Florida.

    First, the details.

    • 50 years of research were reviewed and the data combined to conduct a meta-analysis.

    And, the results.

    • There have been multiple, generally poor quality studies on the efficacy of acupuncture for low back pain.
    • Newer studies show promise, but effectiveness hasn’t been clearly demonstrated.

    The bottom line?

    Despite the lack of supporting scientific data, acupuncture plays “a significant role in our clinical practice, not as a sole therapeutic modality but rather as an adjunct to a multidisciplinary integrative approach of low back pain management,” concluded the authors.

    More thoughts about acupuncture for treating low back pain and factors that affect its effectiveness are here.

    12/24/09 11:41 JR

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