CAM Therapies

CAM for Arthritis: Is There a Role?

Editor’s Note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to 50 million US adults have some form of arthritis, including one half of those older than 65 years. With lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapies often only providing partial relief, many patients turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, despite limited efficacy and […]

What to Do When a Patient Wants ‘Alternative’ Medicine

Leigh Page June 12, 2013 Treatments That Are Still Controversial Physicians are deeply divided over the efficacy of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). Many believe that such treatments have a place within everyday medical treatment; others feel that prescribing or condoning them is not responsible medicine. Whatever their own belief, doctors are regularly faced with […]

Relationship between complementary and alternative medicine use and incidence of adverse birth outcomes

Relationship between complementary and alternative medicine use and incidence of adverse birth outcomes: An examination of a nationally representative sample of 1835 Australian women Amie Steel, PhD, MPH, BHSc(Nat) (Postdoctoral Research Fellow (UTS), Associate Director, Research (Endeavour College of Natural Health)) Objective there is evidence of high use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by […]

CAM and Cognition: Does It Work?

Désirée A. Lie, MD, MSEd DisclosuresApril 23, 2013 WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Mrs. Lee is a 50-year-old Asian woman with normal cognitive function and a family history of Alzheimer disease (AD). She wishes to delay cognitive decline and to prevent or delay dementia but wants to avoid medications and use “natural” therapies instead. How would you advise […]

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use for Headache and Migraine

A Critical Review of the Literature Jon Adams, PhD, Gaery Barbery, MPH, Chi-Wai Lui, PhD Headache. 2013;53(3):459-473. Abstract and Introduction Abstract Contexts.—An evidence base for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) consumption within general populations is emerging. However, research data on CAM use for headache disorders remain poorly documented. This paper, constituting the first critical review of […]

The association of complementary and alternative medicine use and health care expenditures for back and neck problems.

Med Care. 2012 Dec;50(12):1029-36. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e318269e0b2. Martin BI1, Gerkovich MM, Deyo RA, Sherman KJ, Cherkin DC, Lind BK, Goertz CM, Lafferty WE. Abstract BACKGROUND: Health care costs associated with use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by patients with spine problems have not been studied in a national sample. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the total and […]

Parsley and Immunomodulation

Mohammad Hossein Karimi, Padideh Ebadi, Zahra Amirghofran Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2012;8(4):295-297. Abstract and Introduction Introduction Throughout history, herbs have been utilized as an important constituent of foods, industry and folk medicine. One of the widely used vegetal species in various nations’ medicine is parsley (Petroselinum crispum), which has remedial effects as a powerful diuretic […]

Complementary and alternative therapies for back pain II

Furlan AD, et al. Show all Journal Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep). 2010 Oct;(194):1-764. Abstract BACKGROUND: Back and neck pain are important health problems with serious societal and economic implications. Conventional treatments have been shown to have limited benefit in improving patient outcomes. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies offer additional options in the […]

Nonpharmacologic therapies for acute and chronic low back pain

A review of the evidence for an American Pain Society/American College of Physicians clinical practice guideline Chou R, Huffman LH; American Pain Society; American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2007 Oct 2;147(7):492-504 PubMed Reference Abstract BACKGROUND: Many nonpharmacologic therapies are available for treatment of low back pain. PURPOSE: To assess benefits and harms of […]

TMD Patients Report Relief With Chiropractic

A new study reveals that patients with temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) benefit from holistic therapies, especially “hands on” approaches such as chiropractic. The analysis pooled data on 192 patients with TMD. A total of 62.5% of subjects reported using a holistic therapy for relief of jaw problems. Along with massage and acupuncture, chiropractic was among […]