cam practices

According to a recent review published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the benefits of complementary and alternative therapies for back and neck pain—such as acupuncture, massage, and spinal manipulation—are modest in size but provide more benefit than usual medical care.

While these effects are most evident following the end of treatment, the authors of the report noted that very few studies looked at long-term outcomes.

As many as one in five Americans have symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Many people with IBS turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to help relieve their symptoms.

This fact sheet provides basic information on IBS and "what the science says" about CAM practices that many people with IBS use.

If you are considering a CAM therapy for IBS, this information can help you talk to your health care provider about it.

People who have trouble sleeping may try dietary supplements, relaxation therapies, or other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in an effort to fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and improve the overall quality of their sleep.

This fact sheet provides basic information on sleep disorders and "what the science says" about the effectiveness of CAM practices people use as sleep aids.

If you are considering a CAM therapy for sleep problems, this information can help you talk with your health care provider about it.

If were ever in doubt, that can be now laid aside -- Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) are now thoroughly established as mainstream.

A new survey by the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) shows that nearly 40% of adults in the U.S. used some form of CAM therapy in 2007.

People with chronic health conditions such as fibromyalgia often turn to some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)—a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.

This fact sheet provides basic information on fibromyalgia and "what the science says" about the effectiveness of CAM practices that many people with fibromyalgia use.

If you are considering a CAM therapy for fibromyalgia, this information can help you talk to your health care provider about it.