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

    TENS for cancer pain

    Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices produce electrical currents to stimulate nerves through unbroken skin.

    Here’s the Cochrane review.

    First, the details.

    • Only 2 studies for a total of 64 patients met the study eligibility criteria.
    • The studies differed so much that it was not possible to combine the date and conduct a reanalysis — meta-analysis.

    And, the results.

    • In 1 study there were no differences between TENS and placebo in women with chronic pain secondary to breast cancer treatment.
    • In the other study there were no significant differences between acupuncture-like TENS (AL-TENS) and sham TENS in palliative care patients.

    The bottom line?
    It’s no surprise that the Cochrane reviewers recommend, “Further research is needed to help guide clinical practice.”

    It’s also important to recognize that cancer pain is just one area where TENS might be used.

    A review published in 2007 concluded that TENS is an effective treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain.

    9/17/08 20:28 JR

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