Today is National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Awareness Day. Many people who suffer from or treat these illnesses are unaware that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) may help. Now a professional journal has reviewed research on several of these treatments.
The March issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine features a systematic review titled “Alternative medical interventions used in the treatment and management of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.” This is the first systematic review of complementary and alternative treatments for these illnesses.
The review includes the results of 70 controlled clinical trials. Sixty (86%) found at least one positive effect. Fifty-two (74%) reported improvement in an illness-specific symptoms. These results do not reflect the individualized approach used by most practitioners, which includes a mixture of methods.
The authors concluded that inconsistencies in the research would not allow them to make firm conclusions. noted that the most promising treatments were:
- acupuncture
- several types of meditative practice
- magnesium
- l-carnitine
- S-adenosylmethionine
- individualized treatment plans that involve several pharmacological agents and natural remedies
CAM treatments have worked for me when nothing else did. I no longer suffer from the agonizing pain and disabling fatigue that kept me confined to my apartment complex for several years. I also help care for a bedridden parent.
Click here to read an abstract of the review.
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