The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for the 'Multiple Sclerosis' Category

Up in smoke: Medical marijuana debunked

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

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Proponents of the use of medical marijuana like to start speeches and articles by quickly stating that cannabinoids are of proven value in treating many diseases.

Poppycock. This site has stated repeatedly: not true, not true, not true.

Now the evidence is in, and we were right. JAMA confirms that the evidence supporting the effectiveness of cannabinoids is tenuous at best. And risk of side effects with cannabinoids to treat anything is high.

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Diets for multiple sclerosis

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

Diets and dietary supplements are often used by people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

This updated Cochrane review reports on studies of dietary habits as an effective treatment for MS patients. (more…)

Cognitive effects of street cannabis in MS patients

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

Given that multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with cognitive (reasoning) deterioration, researchers at the University of Toronto, in Ontario, determined the neuropsychological effects of cannabis use in these patients.

Listen up, Montel Williams. (more…)

Relationship between vitamin D and learning in MS

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), but few studies have examined this relationship.

Researchers at MidAmerica Neuroscience Institute in Lenexa, Kansas, reported their findings during the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers 24th Annual Conference and the Third Joint Meeting of Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. (more…)

Teleconferencing for fatigue managment in MS patients

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

Fatigue is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) that challenges patients in their daily activities.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago compared teleconference to face-to-face, group-based fatigue self-management. The results were reported during the Joint Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and America’s Committee on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis meeting. (more…)

Neuropsychological effects of cannabis in patients with MS

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Researchers at the University of Toronto, in Ontario studied the relationship. (more…)

Mechanisms underlying the actions of vitamin D

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Dr. Christine Gonzalez from Los Angeles, California, has written a thorough review of vitamin D.

Let’s focus on the actions of vitamin D thought to contribute to disease prevention. (more…)

Effects of the Wii Balance Board in patients with multiple sclerosis

Monday, October 18th, 2010

During the 26th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), researchers at the AISM Rehabilitation Center in Genoa, Italy, compared Wii to a traditional rehabilitation program in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). (more…)

The status of marijuana in multiple sclerosis

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Researchers from the University of Patras Medical School in Greece have reviewed the data.

(more…)

Do cannabinoids reduce multiple sclerosis-related spasticity?

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

marijuana_leafResearchers from Mayo Clinic, in Scottsdale, Arizona reviewed the evidence. (more…)

Marijuana: Politics trumps reality

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

Attorney General Eric Holder says the US Justice Department will no longer raid medical marijuana clubs. His declaration is a fulfillment of a campaign promise by Barack Obama, and marks a major shift from the previous administration.

In fact, there’s scant support for medical marijuana based on medical science.  Here’s what’s been published in just the past 6 months. (more…)

Treating spasticity in MS with THC and CBD extracts

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Researchers from the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation, in Los Angeles, California reviewed the effectiveness of combined delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) extracts on spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS). (more…)

What motivates people with MS to use CAM?

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

In a word, “frustration.” People with multiple sclerosis (MS) use CAM because conventional treatments have many side effects and they are dissatisfied with the results. (more…)

Multiple sclerosis week, 2009

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

National MS Awareness Week runs from March 2nd to 8th.

Lets review the past year of CAM research in MS. (more…)

Should mothers with MS breast-feed?

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

During the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology this April, researchers from Stanford University, in California will report, “Women who have multiple sclerosis (MS) may reduce their risk for relapse after pregnancy if they breast-feed.”

The findings will stir debate. (more…)

Update on vitamin D

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston have published a detailed review.

Their interest relates to the needs of vitamin D in the breastfeeding mother and her infant and child, but they also present a detailed and well-referenced review. (more…)

Negative effects of marijuana in multiple sclerosis

Saturday, December 13th, 2008

In contrast to the anecdotal reports of benefit with cannabis, this study from researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada uncovers the downside of street cannabis in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). (more…)

Response to cannabis by non-smokers with MS

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

Researchers from Italy and the US studied changes in psychological symptoms, reasoning, abuse, tolerability, quality of life, fatigue, and ability to control movement in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who had never before been exposed to cannabis. (more…)

Michigan voters say OK to medical marijuana

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

Another result from Tuesday’s US election — 63% of voters in Michigan approved of letting people who are ill grow their own pot. (more…)

CAM use in multiple sclerosis

Sunday, October 5th, 2008

 Up to two-thirds of patients with MS use CAM. (more…)