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

    Cochrane review of nasal irrigation for upper airway infection

    It’s commonly used to manage symptoms, but why is there so little research supporting it?

    First, the details.

    • 3 studies (618 participants) were included in the review.

    And, the results.

    • Most results showed no difference between nasal saline treatment and control.
    • Support of benefit with nasal saline irrigation in adults included…
      • An insignificant difference of 0.3 day (7 hours out of 8 days) for symptom resolution — 1 study
      • Less time off work — 1 study.
    • Minor discomfort was not uncommon.
    • 40% of babies did not tolerate nasal saline drops.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded there are too few studies, and the risk of bias was too great to permit confident conclusions.

    3/18/10 18:24 JR

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