ME/CFS South Australia Inc supports the needs of sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and related illnesses. We do this by providing services and information to members. Disclaimer ME/CFS South Australia Inc aims to keep members informed of various research projects, diets, medications, therapies, news items, etc. All communication, both verbal and written, is merely to disseminate information and not to make recommendations or directives. Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed on this Web site are not necessarily the official views of the Society or its Committee and are not simply an endorsement of products or services. |
|
|||||||||||
Limited evidence supports use of complementary and alternative medicines for FibromyalgiaWednesday 1 September 2010 From the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants: Limited evidence supports use of CAM for fibromyalgia Clinical question Are complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) effective in treating patients with fibromyalgia? Bottom line In this systematic review of CAM in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia, capsaicin was effective in treating pain or tenderness, anthocyanidins were effective in treating sleep disturbance, soy was no better than placebo, and S-adenosylmethionine was better than placebo in improving several global measures. However, there have been very few studies on this topic and there is a strong potential for publication bias in favor of studies demonstrating benefit. (Level of evidence = 1a–) Synopsis These authors looked for English language studies of CAM in patients with fibromyalgia in multiple databases. They also searched clinical trials registries for unpublished studies. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility and assessed study quality using the 5-point Jadad scale (5 points equals “perfect”). They resolved disagreements by consensus. Ultimately, only seven small studies (12 to 62 patients) were included. The methodologic quality was mixed: three were high quality, three were fair, and one was poor. Three of the studies assessed various homeopathic treatments, one evaluated anthocyanidins, one studied capsaicin, one assessed soy, and one studied S-adenosylmethionine. The studies ranged in duration from 4 weeks to 1 year. Soy was no better than placebo. In each of the studies evaluating anthocyanidins, capsaicin, and S-adenosylmethionine, the intervention was more effective than placebo. However, in each of the studies, a large number of outcomes were assessed. When studying a large number of outcomes, a statistically significant result will be found approximately 5% of the time. Patients treated with anthocyanidins improved only on sleep disturbance and those receiving capsaicin improved only on sleep disturbance and tenderness. Patients taking S-adenosylmethionine had improvements in tenderness, quality of life, global health, and depression. In the studies of homeopathy, patients demonstrated improvements in tender point pain, tender point count, quality of life, global health, and depression compared with patients who received placebo. In none of the reports of these studies can we determine if the improvement in outcomes was clinically important. Most of the CAM compounds were free of major adverse effects; minor effects reported included dizziness, nausea, and stomach upsets and home opathic treatment side effects only included allergic reactions. The small number of studies raises a strong concern for publication bias. De Silva V, El-Metwally A, Ernst E, et al; Arthritis Research Campaign working group on complementary and alternative medicines. Evidence for the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines in the management of fibromyalgia: a systematic review. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2010;49(6):1063-1068. Levels of evidence in Bottom line are explained at www.essentialevidenceplus.com/levels.html. Copyright © 1995-2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. www.essentialevidenceplus.com. The above originally appeared here.
blog comments powered by Disqus |
||||||||||||
|
Registered Charity 3104
Email:
sacfs@sacfs.asn.au
Mailing address:
PO Box 322,
Modbury North,
South Australia 5092
Phone:
1300 128 339
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday,
10am - 4pm
(phone)