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

Archive for the 'Obsessive Compulsive' Category

CAM treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Standard therapies are of limited value for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology, in Australia, reviewed the value of CAM, self-help techniques, and lifestyle interventions. (more…)

Cognitive behavior therapy to treat OCD

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has improved significantly with the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia, examined the effects of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) as a way to augment the response to SRIs. (more…)

Review: CAM for anxiety and related conditions

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Researchers at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, in Greenville, North Carolina tell us, “The number of people with psychiatric disorders who use CAM is on the rise,… estimates of CAM use range from 8% to 57%.” Most of this is to treat anxiety and depression.

Is it worth the effort? (more…)

Inositol to treat anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

Several nutritional supplements are purported to treat anxiety. However, only inositol has evidence of superiority vs placebo and comparability with the SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) fluvoxamine (Luvox; not available in the US).

That’s the conclusion from Dr. Sy Atezaz Saeed and 2 coauthors from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. (more…)

Brain changes in OCD associated with CBT

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an established treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is equal or perhaps superior to pharmacotherapy.

Now researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles and San Diego have identified changes in the brain that might explain how this happens. (more…)