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

    Review of acupuncture to treat rheumatic conditions

    Other reviews came to contradictory conclusions.

    So, Prof. Ernst reviewed the reviews.

    First, the details.

    • 30 review articles were included in the… review.
    • They covered the following rheumatic conditions: Fibromyalgia, low back pain, lateral elbow pain, musculoskeletal pain, orthopedic diseases, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, shoulder pain, frozen shoulder, neck disorder, ankylosing spondylitis, and sciatica.

    And, the results.

    • Relatively clear evidence suggests that acupuncture is effective treatment for the following conditions:
      • Osteoarthritis
      • Low back pain
      • Lateral elbow pain
    • Acupuncture is ineffective for the following conditions:
      • Fibromyalgia
      • Rheumatoid arthritis

    The bottom line?

    Prof. Ernst and his coauthor concluded that for osteoarthritis, low back pain, and lateral elbow pain “the evidence is sufficiently sound to warrant positive recommendations of this therapy in routine care.”

    7/5/10 21:18 JR

    Leave a Comment

    You must be logged in to post a comment.