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

Archive for the 'Spinal Cord' Category

Acupuncture for treating patients with spinal cord injury

Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

There are about 253,000 people living with spinal cord injury in the United States, with approximately 11,000 new cases each year.

Researchers at Pusan National University, in Yangsan, South Korea, reviewed the evidence for acupuncture to facilitate recovery. (more…)

Things to contemplate when reviewing acupuncture studies

Saturday, December 11th, 2010

acupuncture circleResearchers from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and Eastern Center for Complementary Medicine, in California reviewed the literature on pediatric acupuncture research.

You can review the details of their findings here. But more interesting are their insights into the research process and clinical practice. (more…)

Review: Cranberry and urinary tract infections in spinal cord injury patients

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Urinary tract infections are the most common medical complication in people with spinal cord injury.

Researchers at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, reviewed the evidence for cranberry to prevent or treat these infections and found it lacking. (more…)

CAM for spinal cord injury pain

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Researchers at the University Medical Centre Utrecht and De Hoogstraat, in The Netherlands surveyed the use of CAM in a large group of Dutch patients with spinal cord injury. (more…)

Review: Exercise for diseases that limit movement in the elderly

Friday, June 4th, 2010

elderly fallResearchers from Keio University School of Medicine, in Tokyo, Japan make concise conclusions.

Here are the highlights. (more…)

Safety of chiropractic

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

“There is no robust data concerning the incidence or prevalence of adverse reactions after chiropractic,” according to reviewers from Portugal. (more…)

Coenzyme Q10 fails in treatment of ALS

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Dr. Petra Kaufmann (not in the photo) at Columbia University Medical Center, in New York reports that high-dose coenzyme Q10 (coQ10) is not promising enough to warrant further study as a treatment for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease). (more…)

Cranberry extract prevents urinary tract infection

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

It’s almost as good as low-dose trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra) with fewer side effects, according to researchers at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

Although, based on these results, it is as good. (more…)

Cranberry tablets prevent UTI in neurogenic bladder

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

Researchers from VA Boston Health Care System in West Roxbury, Massachusetts report that “cranberry extract tablets should be considered for the prevention of urinary tract infections (UTI) in spinal cord injured (SCI) patients with neurogenic bladder.” (more…)

Mechanical traction for neck pain

Friday, October 17th, 2008

Neck pain is a frequently reported complaint, and mechanical traction is often used to aid outpatient rehabilitation.

In this Cochrane review by researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, the effects of mechanical traction for neck disorders is assessed. (more…)

Treating orthostatic hypotension after spinal injury

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

Researchers from Belgium and Norway reviewed the evidence for non-pharmacological management of orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure upon standing) during the early rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury.

Here’s what they found. (more…)