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

    Yoga to help ease low back pain

    It has been suggested that yoga has a positive effect on low back pain and function.

    Now, Prof. Ernst and colleagues have reviewed the evidence.

    First, the details.

    • 7 studies were included in the review.
    • Their methodological quality ranged between 2 and 4 on the Jadad scale.

    And, the results.

    • 5 studies suggested that yoga leads to a significantly greater reduction in low back pain than usual care, education, or conventional therapeutic exercises.
    • 2 studies showed no differences between treatment groups.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “Yoga has the potential to alleviate low back pain.”

    “However, any definitive claims should be treated with caution.”

    A summary and links to several positive studies of yoga for chronic low back pain are here.

    Johns Hopkins Health Alerts tells us, “Not all yoga is the same. If your doctor gives you the green light, make sure you know exactly what type of yoga is being taught before you sign up. Some schools of yoga like Kundalini, Ashtanga and Bikram (“hot”) yoga are fairly specialized and may be too challenging for beginners. Viniyoga and Iyengar yoga are appropriate for newcomers and those with physical limitations such as back pain.”

    6/25/11 19:48 JR

    Leave a Comment

    You must be logged in to post a comment.