E Ernst

..The evidence for this approach is still preliminary but, generally speaking, promising. The challenge for the future is to obtain reliable evidence and to identify those approaches that do more good than harm...

..It is concluded that adverse effects of herbal medicines are an important albeit neglected subject in dermatology, which deserves further systematic investigation...

..This article is an attempt to systematically review the evidence from randomised clinical trials for or against effectiveness of external TTO in dermatological conditions...

..To summarize the data from randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for temporomandibular joint dysfunction...

..The best way forward, it seems, would be a campaign to clarify the risk-benefit profile of immunisations for both users and providers of CAM...

..The data for aloe vera gel and tea tree oil indicate that for neither is there compelling evidence of effectiveness. The use of CAM treatments is not free of risk; direct and indirect risks associated with CAM must be considered...

..St John's wort causes a decrease in cyclosporine levels, thus endangering the success of organ transplantations...

..Acupuncture is commonly used to treat back pain, but there is no published meta-analysis of trials of its effectiveness for this condition...

..In certain instances they may, however, require some adaptation to fit the special needs of CM. It is concluded that key questions in CM remain unanswered and research efforts to find these answers should be increased...

..It is concluded that phyto-anti-inflammatories have considerable, albeit under-researched, potential in the symptomatic treatment of rheumatic disorders...

..There is a need for further research involving randomized controlled trials into the efficacy of complementary and alternative therapies in the treatment of depression...

..Thus location of trials in terms of journal type and impact factor should be taken into account when the literature on complementary therapies is being examined...

..With this high level of prevalence, research into the potential risks and benefits of CM is urgently needed. Dermatologists should consider discussing CM openly with their patients...

..K., CAM has become a respectable area of scientific investigation only during the last decade. In this article, we review the 10 years of CAM research in Britain...

..69; 95% confidence interval, 3.54-15.83). These data imply that kava extract is superior to placebo as a symptomatic treatment for anxiety. Therefore, kava extract is an herbal treatment option for anxiety that is worthy of consideration...

..This trial was aimed at assessing the efficacy of one form of distant healing on common skin warts...

..Sauerbruch are briefly discussed as examples of medical resistance...

..Numerous pre-clinical and clinical investigations seem to suggest that Ukrain is pharmacologically active and clinically effective. We wanted therefore to critically evaluate the clinical trial data in the form of a systematic review...

..Complementary medicine has become an important aspect of palliative cancer care. This overview is primarily aimed at providing guidance to clinicians regarding some commonly used complementary therapies...

..The German and Austrian medical profession may have forfeited the chance to learn an important lesson relating to its own past...

..The aim of this article is to compare the evidence relating to the effectiveness of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) in palliative cancer care as it existed in 2000 and 2005...

..The efficacy of homeopathic remedies has remained controversial. The homeopathic remedy most frequently studied in placebo-controlled clinical trials is Arnica montana...

..The reviewed herbal medicines appear relatively safe. CONCLUSIONS: Some herbal medicines may offer a much-needed alternative for patients with osteoarthritis...

..Many of these apparent responses could have been due to other factors including the use of herbal (non-diluted) Arnica, placebo response and natural course of disease...

..To evaluate the effectiveness of chiropractic and massage therapy for the reduction of any type of pain...

..The majority of rigorous trial data available to date suggest that ASU is effective for the symptomatic treatment of OA and more research seems warranted. However, the only real long-term trial yielded a largely negative result...

..This, in turn, would be to the detriment of future patients. Through discussing the strengths and weaknesses of both sets of arguments, both sides might learn valuable lessons...

..However, the literature indicates that T. wilfordii is associated with serious adverse events which make the risk-benefit analysis for this herb unfavourable. Therefore, we cannot recommend its use...

..It is concluded that recent clinical trials strengthen the case for hypericum as an antidepressant, but more work needs to be done to answer the remaining questions...

..Yet CAM can play an important role in oncology, and that is in supportive and palliative care. Several treatments can decrease the side-effects of cancer drugs or improve quality of life in other ways...

..Asian HMPs are most often implicated. It is concluded that HMPs are not free of risk. More research and more information are required in order to maximize consumers' safety...

..Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is often recommended for stress/anxiety relief and believed to possess anxiolytic effects...

..Homeopathy is frequently used to treat asthma in children. In the common classical form of homeopathy, prescriptions are individualised for each patient. There has been no rigorous investigation into this form of treatment for asthma...

..The direction of the evidence, however, remained unchanged for all but one therapy. We conclude that the value of complementary therapies in the management of back pain remains encouraging but not fully convincing...

..Anthroposophic medicine (AM) is popular in Europe. This review is an attempt to critically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of AM. The aim is to contribute to a critical discussion of this subject...

..The aim of this systematic review is to summarise and critically evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of reiki...

..Considering its favourable safety profile acupuncture seems an option worthy of consideration particularly for knee OA. Further studies are required particularly for manual or electro-acupuncture in hip OA...

..To systematically collate and evaluate the evidence from recent systematic reviews of clinical trials of spinal manipulation...

..To summarise and critically evaluate the evidence from randomised clinical trials for the effectiveness of individualised herbal medicine in any indication...

..Nonserious adverse effects occur in 7-11% of all patients. In conclusion, acupuncture remains steeped in controversy. Some findings are encouraging but others suggest that its clinical effects mainly depend on a placebo response...

..St. John's wort (SJW) is a popular herbal remedy often self-prescribed for depressed mood. It has recently been associated with psychotic events...

..The revised argument should be 'if it helps my patient, I want research undertaken to find out whether more people could benefit from it'...

..Materials and methods We used a pre-tested search strategy to identify the websites that are most likely to be used by cancer patients and assessed them according to pre-defined criteria...

..Considering the popularity of herbal medicine among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, rigorously designed studies seem warranted...

..It would be foolish not to learn from experiences of the past. Nazi medicine can therefore never be an irrelevant subject of the days gone by...

..This paper provides a systematic review of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with the use of extracts of the herb St. John's wort (Hypericum perfbratum L.) for the treatment of mild to moderate depression...

..On the basis of these findings, a rigorous investigation of the effectiveness, safety and costs of CM in rheumatology seems desirable...

..Iridologists claim to be able to diagnose medical conditions through abnormalities of pigmentation in the iris. This technique is popular in many countries. Therefore it is relevant to ask whether it is valid...

..However, several uncertainties remain and, at present, prevent unreserved recommendations...

..On the basis of current evidence, no complementary/alternative therapy can be recommended as a treatment for premenstrual syndrome...

..It was concluded that a specific effect of face-to-face or distant healing on chronic pain could not be demonstrated over eight treatment sessions in these patients...

..The aims of this systematic review are to update the evidence from rigorous clinical trials for or against the efficacy of feverfew for migraine prevention and to provide a safety profile of this herbal remedy...

..Under certain conditions, the clinical use of placebos might therefore be a realistic option. In the final analysis, however, our knowledge for a conclusive risk-benefit evaluation of placebo is incomplete...

..Any central body overseeing CAM research has to be seen to be rigorous and impartial. Strong opinions which often dominate CAM can be a hindrance to good research. Evidence-based CAM should no longer remain a contradiction in terms...

..We conclude that the 'A + B versus B' design is prone to false positive results and discuss the design features that might prevent or exacerbate this problem...

..The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate evidence from controlled clinical trials testing the effectiveness of tai chi for osteoporosis...

..Tinnitus is a prevalent condition for which patients may seek treatment with acupuncture since no conventional treatment has been shown to be effective...

..The improvement in observer-rated skin condition suggested by this study needs confirmation in larger trials...

..This study was undertaken to determine if there is any evidence for the clinical efficacy of herbal preparations for the treatment of asthma symptoms...

..The ultimate purpose of uncontrolled trials is to facilitate subsequent definitive studies that will help define the place of CAM in health care...

..Most importantly, perhaps, today's CAM is concerned with the welfare of the individual, whereas the 'Neue Deutsche Heilkunde' was aimed at ensuring the dominance of the Aryan race...

..Concern about neurological complications following cervical spine manipulation appears to be justified. A large long-term prospective study is required to determine the scale of the hazard...

..Acupuncture seems, in skilled hands, one of the safer forms of medical intervention...

..The aim of this systematic review was to determine if there is any evidence for or against the clinical efficacy of such interventions...

..To review systematically all reports of economic analysis of complementary and alternative medicine...

..We undertook this study to test whether artichoke extract is effective in preventing the signs and symptoms of alcohol-induced hangover...

..Resources that met the selection criteria and produced high evaluation scores are reviewed in detail. Resources include research databases, clinical databases, online information systems, and print media...

..This article is an attempt to explore some of the more obvious or practical ethical aspects of complementary and alternative medicine...

..Complementary therapies are widely promoted for and used by patients with hepatitis C. The aim is to systematically assess the efficacy of complementary therapies in treating chronic hepatitis C...

..To evaluate the evidence for and against the effectiveness of homeopathy...

..In conclusion, these results suggest that there is a significant benefit from hawthorn extract as an adjunctive treatment for chronic heart failure...

..Although some progress has been made, this field continues to receive too little attention. The future of complementary medicine will depend on whether its modalities can be shown to generate more good than harm for the patient...

..Acupuncture is often used and frequently advocated for the symptomatic treatment of fibromyalgia. A systematic review has previously demonstrated encouraging findings. As it is now outdated, we wanted to update it...

..It is concluded that good evidence in this area is scarce. Vis-à-vis the high prevalence of unconventional cancer treatments, rigorous investigations are mandatory, not least for increasing the safety of future patients...

..The best clinical evidence available to date fails to support its effectiveness. Nevertheless, it is gaining in popularity. One reason for this is that, at least in the UK, it is being promoted by influential people...

..There are few controlled clinical trials of herbal antifungal medicines. The most thoroughly clinically tested is tea tree oil, which holds some promise. All herbal remedies require further investigation in rigorous clinical trials...

..Research in this area is scarce and with numerous therapies we cannot be sure about efficacy or safety. It follows that our current knowledge gaps urgently needs to be filled...

..CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that AT may have a role in reducing anxiety of patients undergoing coronary angioplasty...

..We conclude from these data that CAM research funding by UK medical charities has increased. In relative terms it does, however, remain low and out of proportion to the prevalence of CAM use in the UK...

..Herbal medicinal products are often used for the relief of dyspeptic symptoms...

..Generally speaking, complementary and alternative medicine is grossly underresearched. Because of the popularity of complementary and alternative medicine, adequately defining risk-benefit relationships is an urgent matter...

..biloba) among healthy volunteers...

..It is suggested that this approach is likely to be more productive than the present governmental strategy...

..Flower remedies (also called "Bach" flower remedies) are used by an increasing number of individuals, and many health claims have been made for them. No systematic review of flower remedies has so far been published...

..Serious adverse events have been reported and further research is required to determine the nature and frequency of such events...

..CONCLUSION: UK national newspapers frequently publish articles on CATs for cancer. Much of this information seems to be uncritical with a potential for misleading patients...

..The most encouraging data pertain to garlic, autogenic training, biofeedback and yoga. More research is required before firm recommendations can be offered...

..To systematically review the clinical evidence for herbal medicinal products in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia...

..There were few spontaneous reports of adverse events. A. paniculata may be a safe and efficacious treatment for the relief of symptoms of uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection; more research is warranted...

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..All but one were placebo-controlled. All placebo-controlled trials failed to demonstrate efficacy. It is concluded that the most reliable clinical trials do not show any differences between flower remedies and placebos...