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

    Massage vs music therapy to relieve labor pain

    During labor, women experience intense, stressful, and steady pain.

    Researchers at Ilam University of Medical Sciences, in Iran compared 2 nonpharmacologic treatment options.

    First, the details.

    • 101 women who were pregnant with their first baby and hospitalized for vaginal delivery were randomly assigned to a treatment group.
      • Massage therapy
      • Music therapy
    • Pain was measured using a visual analog scale.

    And, the results.

    • Massage was associated with a significantly lower level of pain vs the music therapy.
    • There was also a significant difference between the groups in pain severity after treatment.
    • The most severe labor pain was significantly relieved after massage therapy.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “Massage therapy was an effective method for reducing and relieving labor pain compared with music therapy.”

    Furthermore, they would recommend it as an alternative, safe, and affordable method of pain relief.

    The benefits of massage in pregnant women have been know for at least 10 years. Dr. Tiffany Field who is Director of the Touch Research Institutes tells us that research in pregnant women has documented fewer perinatal complications and reduce prematurity.

    5/1/10 20:22 JR

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