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

    What we know about mindfulness meditation in substance use disorders

    Substance use disorders refer to conditions arising from the abuse of alcohol and psychoactive drugs.

    Researchers from the University of Wisconsin in Madison reviewed the existing evidence for using mindfulness meditation — the practice of directing your full attention to the present.

    First, the details.

    • 25 manuscripts (22 published) were found and evaluated to determine the quality of the research.

    And, the results.

    • Preliminary evidence suggests that conclusive data supporting mindfulness meditation are lacking.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “Future trials must be of sufficient sample size to answer a specific clinical question and should target both assessment of effect size and mechanisms of action.”

    In clear English: Poor study design is the problem.

    1/20/10 20:44 JR

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