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

    Which treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome?

    Researchers from Catholic University in Washington, DC searched the literature for treatments of carpal tunnel syndrome.

    33 published studies were reviewed.

    There is?

    • Strong evidence (level I) for the effectiveness of local and oral steroids.
    • Moderate evidence (level II) that splints are effective.
    • Moderate evidence (level II) that vitamin B6 is ineffective.
    • Limited or conflicting evidence (level III) that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), diuretics, yoga, laser and ultrasound are effective.
    • Limited or conflicting evidence (level III) that exercise therapy and botulinum toxin B injection are ineffective.

    For future reference, here’s the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force system for ranking evidence about the effectiveness of treatments.

    • Level I: Evidence obtained from at least one properly designed randomized controlled trial.
    • Level II-1: Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization.
    • Level II-2: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies, preferably from more than one center or research group.
    • Level II-3: Evidence obtained from multiple time series with or without the intervention. Dramatic results in uncontrolled trials might also be regarded as this type of evidence.
    • Level III: Opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical experience, descriptive studies, or reports of expert committees.

    7/7/07

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