Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain have been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine by the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society.
Here are recommendations #6 and #7. Continue reading Treating low back pain: Guidelines from the mainstream
A recurring theme in acupuncture studies is the difficulty (dare I say inability) in distinguishing between the real thing and sham acupuncture. An example in patients with fibromyalgia (FMS) is here. Other conditions with the same problem are here, and here.
Now, Drs. Thomas Lundeberg and Irene Lund from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden provide a rationale for the conundrum. Continue reading Why is sham acupuncture “effective” in patients with fibromyalgia?
However, said Dr. Anna Enblom during her presentation to the attendees at the 14th European Cancer Conference, “Both groups [sham and real acupuncture] of patients reported that they believed the treatment had been invasive and effective in reducing nausea.” Continue reading Acupuncture does not reduce radiotherapy-induced nausea
Conflicting findings on the effectiveness of acupuncture are often attributed to flaws in study design and methods. The German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC) were intended to demonstrate that it’s possible to design acupuncture studies in accordance with the standards of good clinical practice.
Here’s what they report. Continue reading Surprising results and conclusions from the GERAC acupuncture trials for low back pain
This study by researchers at Meiji University of Oriental Medicine in Kyoto, Japan concludes it’s effective. But what, exactly, is the meaning of “trigger point?” Continue reading Trigger point acupuncture for neck pain
Why do CAM journals publish useless studies?
Case in point. Continue reading A bewildering study of acupuncture treatment of dysmenorrhea
According to Acupuncture.com, “The ideal time to treat seasonal allergic rhinitis using acupuncture is at least one month before symptoms normally begin.”
Here’s a study where acupuncture helped ongoing rhinitis symptoms. Continue reading New study supports acupuncture to treat rhinitis
A study at the University of Uppsala, Sweden reports that qigong (chee-kung) has positive and reliable effects regarding fibromyalgia.
Let’s look at these results and review other positive CAM studies in the past year. Continue reading The benefits of qigong and other CAM for fibromyalgia
Three criteria determine drug reimbursement decisions: therapeutic value, cost effectiveness, and burden of disease. Now, an article from Erasmus University in The Netherlands questions whether it’s sufficient for a drug to meet these criteria, and proposes a 4th hurdle.
Consider how CAM would hold up under such scrutiny based on what we know today. Continue reading Is CAM cost effective treatment?
There are few clinical studies showing the effectiveness of acupuncture for weight loss.
Here’s one that does. Continue reading Electroacupuncture to treat obesity
Other than dietary supplements, the use of CAM for weight loss is relatively low, according to researchers at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.
How low? Continue reading Low use of CAM for weight reduction
About 9% of US children age 8 to 15 meet the diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but fewer than half receive treatment, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
According to an earlier survey of more than 800 parents of children with ADHD. About 12% of children with diagnosed ADHD and 7% of those suspected of having ADHA use CAM.
What do they use?
And how they compare to the fentanyl (Duragesic) patch. Continue reading Comparing CAM options to treat osteoarthritis knee pain
No additional improvement in pain scores was reported in this study. Continue reading Adding acupuncture to physiotherapy to treat osteoarthritis of the knee
According to this study from the National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine in Taiwan there is a response, but the degree of improvement is less than from inhalation bronchodilator therapy. Continue reading The response to acupuncture in people with asthma
Yes, there are benefits for people with irritable bowel syndrome. But it doesn’t seem to matter whether they receive real of sham acupuncture. Continue reading Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome
Researchers from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington survey the use of CAM among people with chronic pain and wonder “whether opioids can be reduced by introducing such therapies.” Continue reading Using CAM to complement conventional pain treatments
Always on the lookout for evidence of an objective response to CAM, here are the results from two studies (two decades apart) on the effects of acupuncture on itchiness caused by histamine.
Continue reading Measuring the histamine response to acupuncture
ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors are a group of drugs used to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. In most cases they are drugs of first choice.
Now, a study by Dr. Frank Flachskampf and colleagues concludes that acupuncture likely represents an attractive option. Continue reading Acupuncture is comparable to ACE inhibitors to lower blood pressure
“When I pushed on it, stuff would come out the holes”
“It was real hard for me to open my mouth; it was hard for me to chew and stuff like that. It was just unbearable; I couldn’t sleep on it or anything.”
Yea, it’s hard to overeat when you can’t open your mouth!
Here’s the bottom line from the Mayo Clinic.