Doomed to prove nothing from the start (Stephen Gordon, 18 February 2013)
I welcome this very apposite critique from Petter Viksveen of the above named paper. The research project the authors set up was very poorly conceived and doomed from the start to prove nothing about homeopathy one way or the other. What is disappointing is that so much time, energy and money went into such a project when it could have been invested in a far better piece of methodology that could have given useful results in a field that needs the investment.
read full comment
Comment on: Dean et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12:167
Homeopathy for mental fatigue ¿ another trial of poor external and model validity (Petter Viksveen, 01 February 2013)
Homeopathy for mental fatigue ¿ another trial of poor external and model...
read full comment
Comment on: Dean et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12:167
Glad to read about this property of Ginger (Sudah Yehuda Kovesh Shaheb, 16 July 2012)
Ginger is used as part of Folk Medicine in many cultures and lately we hear a lot about its anti inflammatory, anti glycating properties....
read full comment
Comment on: Rahnama et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12:92
Test protocol (Carol Granger, 03 November 2011)
I was dissappointed to read the technique used in this study, and even more so when I read the authors' call for more rabbits to use to repeat in a larger study. There are a range of other assays that can be used to assess anti-inflammatory activity of substances. These include ex vivo corneas and other tissue culture methods. As scientists, we should all be trying to work towards the three R's: Refine, Reduce, Replace. We shouldn't be doing experiments just because we can, but rather should be doing good meaningful science without unnecessary suffering.
read full comment
Comment on: Bashkaran et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 11:90
CAM does not save money (Alexander Aviram, 12 May 2011)
This is clear, but the real proof would be if CAM users were shown to use more medical services AFTER using CAM than before....
read full comment
Comment on: White et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 11:27
Interesting start for a long term study, however.. (Mary Miller, 15 March 2011)
I just wanted to make comment that one feature that seemed to be missing in your publication was discussing the form of onset of Fibromyalgia, as well as years of condition being present at time of study.
Since all persons with Fibromyalgia do not react identically to treatments usually based on type of onset of the condition: accident induced fibromyalgia reacts well to exercise, versus viral inducted fibromyalgia rarely does. The same can also be said of PTSD based Fibromyalgia has its own issues on what treatment works versus the other two known forms, hence Fibromyalgia being referred to as a syndrome rather than from one specific etimology, with same treatment responses.
Since we don't know how your subjects "got Fibromyalgia" nor how long they have suffered from...
read full comment
Comment on: Donaldson et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 1:7
"Sham" procedure in this experiment may be not "real" placebo. (Mikhail Glibitsky, 11 January 2011)
If acupoints were illuminated by visible light (red LED) both in "laser" and "sham" experiments, this may question the results of the experiments.
It is well known that red light can be used to influence the acupoints. Looking on Fig. 1, one can see that the skin is illuminated by visible light. If this was true during the experiments, this may mean that authors distinguished not between "true" and "sham" procedures, but between "strong" and "weak" influences. That is, there were no "true placebo" experiments.
From this point of view, it would be better to fix the laser on a support at least 10 cm away from the skin, and do not illuminate the acupoints by visible light at all.
Another source of errors may be the influence of the therapist (i.e. the...
read full comment
Comment on: Salih et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10:81
it's O.K. (Petko Kiriazov, 05 May 2010)
The proposed approach is very good. I have verified it on myself. It works efficiently!
read full comment
Comment on: Bock et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10:14
Potentially misleading patient numbers in Table 2 (Harald Johan Hamre, 17 July 2009)
In Table 2 in this paper, five publications from the AMOS study [1-5] are listed. I am the first author of these publications and would like to point out the following: In the column "number of patients" 898, 97, 419, 233, and (34+28) patients, respectively, are listed for these five publications. Without further explanation, the reader might think that these are non-overlapping patient samples, which is not the case. The numbers are explained as follows: 898 patients started anthroposophic treatment (eurythmy therapy, art therapy, rhythmical massage therapy or anthroposophic medical therapy) [1] for depression (97 patients) [2], low back pain (34 patients + 28 control patients) [5] and other chronic indications. Of these 898 patients, 419 were referred to eurythmy therapy as primary...
read full comment
Comment on: Büssing et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 8:8
Response to Howard Moffet (harry wright, 11 January 2008)
Howard Moffet makes several misleading comments.His first, regarding the necessity, or otherwise, of obtaining a de qi response is covered by the authors in the Background information when they clearly state in the first sentence that 'Acupuncture stimulation elicits deqi, a composite of unique sensations that is essential for clinical efficacy according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).' They do not indicate their intention to study other non-invasive forms of acupuncture, or indeed any methods which do not rely upon obtaining a de qi response such as Japanese acupuncture, merely TCM acupuncture.The use of an experienced acupuncturist was clearly important for the study and 25 years of clinical experience of acupuncture would, I suggest, equip him to elicit the appropriate de qi...
read full comment
Comment on: Hui et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:33
The truthiness of deqi (Howard Moffet, 10 December 2007)
Hui et al[1] reported on their investigation into sensations elicited by acupuncture needling which are known as deqi. The authors have previously made significant contributions to our understanding of how the brain responds to acupuncture stimulation.[2] The present study of deqi is motivated by the premise that “this state [sic] is essential for clinical efficacy,”[1] but two years ago, they professed merely that deqi is “related to clinical efficacy.”[2] In fact, there is little evidence for the necessity of deqi, in part because “there is lack of adequate experimental data to indicate what sensations comprise deqi.”[1] Non-invasive forms of acupuncture point stimulation, including acupressure, moxibustion and Toyo Hari acupuncture, are not...
read full comment
Comment on: Hui et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:33
Absence of comparison renders results meaningless (Kenneth Campbell, 18 June 2007)
Nothing in this study remotely justifies the authors closing statment,"...study findings suggest that physician-provided AM therapy may play a beneficial role in the long-term care of patients with chronic diseases." The only thing which can be asserted on the basis of this study is that patients who enjoy extended consultations tend to experience "long-term reduction of chronic disease symptoms and improvement of quality of life."The authors state "A limitation of the study is the absence of a comparison group receiving another treatment or no therapy." This is not a limitation it is a fatal flaw. For this study to provide meaningful evidence about benefits of anthroposophical medicine it would need to have a comparison group offered equally long consultations with practitioners of...
read full comment
Comment on: Hamre et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:10
CAM use in a South African perspective (Neal O'Donnell, 18 June 2007)
There is some anecdotal evidence that CAM use is on the increase in South Africa. There is also anecdotal evidence that there persists a strong antipathy to the use by conventional medical practitioners. This particularly so amongst surgeons and anaesthetists. Shawni's survey is interesting in that it demonstrates the potential of a closing of the gap between CAM and conventional medicine, which could have some benfit in the third-world state of health in South Africa. One would hope that more of the evidence will appear in the future.
read full comment
Comment on: Sawni et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:18
Why do some people on opioid pain relief also seek CAM? (Tom Shillock, 18 May 2007)
The paper backgrounder states: “Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an increasingly common therapy used to treat chronic pain syndromes. However; there is limited information on the utilization and efficacy of CAM therapy in primary care patients receiving long-term opioid therapy.” Yet the authors provide neither statistical evidence for the use of CAM to treat chronic pain nor for its efficacy in relieving pain in people on long-term opioid therapy.One can easily imagine several reasons people would resort to CAM which has little to do with its pain relieving efficacy. The pressure the DEA puts on physicians and medical boards is readily communicated to patients. Simply acquiring and filling prescriptions is difficult. Moreover, pain contracts make people feel...
read full comment
Comment on: Fleming et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:15
Concerns over recommendations made about Cinnamon oil (N Malangu, 18 December 2006)
Prabuseenivasan, Jayakumar, and Ignacimuthu reported the results of their study which clearly show that cinnamon oil and other have antibacterial properties demonstrated in-vitro. 1Though they stated that they have no conflict of interest, the tone of their comments on previous studies about cinnamon oil, is not satisfactory. The impression created is that cinnamon oil is exempt from any potential toxicity, is actually used in treating gonorrhea, and is recommended as a topical preparation against Aspergillus niger. Yet they conclude that it can be used as antibacterial supplement in the developing countries towards the development of new therapeutic agents and that additional in-vivo studies and clinical trials are needed to assess the potential of this oil as an antibacterial agent.Their...
read full comment
Letter to the Editor regarding Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic pain caused by gonarthrosis: A study protocol of an ongoing multi-centre randomised controlled clinical trial [ISRCTN27450856] Konrad Streitberger, Steffen Witte, Ulrich Mansmann (Dieter Wettig, Ph.D., M.D., 18 January 2005)
Letter to the Editor regarding "Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic pain caused by gonarthrosis: A study protocol of an ongoing multi-centre randomised controlled clinical trial [ISRCTN27450856] Konrad Streitberger, Steffen Witte, Ulrich MansmannBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2004, 4:6 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-4-6. The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/4/6 " Dear Madam,Dear Sir,I herewith submit my comment to the "Multi-centre randomised controlled clinical trial gonarthrosis study (GERAC-Gonarthrosis)" and ask you to publish my letter. I also ask you to confirm the reception of this e-mail. Thank you.The German Acupuncture Study (GERAC) for gonarthrosis (osteoarthritis of the...
read full comment
Comment on: Streitberger et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 4:6
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Latest comments
Doomed to prove nothing from the start (Stephen Gordon, 18 February 2013)
I welcome this very apposite critique from Petter Viksveen of the above named paper. The research project the authors set up was very poorly conceived and doomed from the start to prove nothing about homeopathy one way or the other. What is disappointing is that so much time, energy and money went into such a project when it could have been invested in a far better piece of methodology that could have given useful results in a field that needs the investment. read full comment
Comment on: Dean et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12:167
Homeopathy for mental fatigue ¿ another trial of poor external and model validity (Petter Viksveen, 01 February 2013)
Homeopathy for mental fatigue ¿ another trial of poor external and model... read full comment
Comment on: Dean et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12:167
Glad to read about this property of Ginger (Sudah Yehuda Kovesh Shaheb, 16 July 2012)
Ginger is used as part of Folk Medicine in many cultures and lately we hear a lot about its anti inflammatory, anti glycating properties.... read full comment
Comment on: Rahnama et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12:92
Test protocol (Carol Granger, 03 November 2011)
I was dissappointed to read the technique used in this study, and even more so when I read the authors' call for more rabbits to use to repeat in a larger study.
There are a range of other assays that can be used to assess anti-inflammatory activity of substances. These include ex vivo corneas and other tissue culture methods. As scientists, we should all be trying to work towards the three R's: Refine, Reduce, Replace. We shouldn't be doing experiments just because we can, but rather should be doing good meaningful science without unnecessary suffering. read full comment
Comment on: Bashkaran et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 11:90
CAM does not save money (Alexander Aviram, 12 May 2011)
This is clear, but the real proof would be if CAM users were shown to use more medical services AFTER using CAM than before.... read full comment
Comment on: White et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 11:27
Interesting start for a long term study, however.. (Mary Miller, 15 March 2011)
I just wanted to make comment that one feature that seemed to be missing in your publication was discussing the form of onset of Fibromyalgia, as well as years of condition being present at time of study.
Since all persons with Fibromyalgia do not react identically to treatments usually based on type of onset of the condition: accident induced fibromyalgia reacts well to exercise, versus viral inducted fibromyalgia rarely does. The same can also be said of PTSD based Fibromyalgia has its own issues on what treatment works versus the other two known forms, hence Fibromyalgia being referred to as a syndrome rather than from one specific etimology, with same treatment responses.
Since we don't know how your subjects "got Fibromyalgia" nor how long they have suffered from... read full comment
Comment on: Donaldson et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 1:7
"Sham" procedure in this experiment may be not "real" placebo. (Mikhail Glibitsky, 11 January 2011)
If acupoints were illuminated by visible light (red LED) both in "laser" and "sham" experiments, this may question the results of the experiments.
It is well known that red light can be used to influence the acupoints. Looking on Fig. 1, one can see that the skin is illuminated by visible light. If this was true during the experiments, this may mean that authors distinguished not between "true" and "sham" procedures, but between "strong" and "weak" influences. That is, there were no "true placebo" experiments.
From this point of view, it would be better to fix the laser on a support at least 10 cm away from the skin, and do not illuminate the acupoints by visible light at all.
Another source of errors may be the influence of the therapist (i.e. the... read full comment
Comment on: Salih et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10:81
it's O.K. (Petko Kiriazov, 05 May 2010)
The proposed approach is very good. I have verified it on myself. It works efficiently! read full comment
Comment on: Bock et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10:14
Potentially misleading patient numbers in Table 2 (Harald Johan Hamre, 17 July 2009)
In Table 2 in this paper, five publications from the AMOS study [1-5] are listed. I am the first author of these publications and would like to point out the following:
In the column "number of patients" 898, 97, 419, 233, and (34+28) patients, respectively, are listed for these five publications. Without further explanation, the reader might think that these are non-overlapping patient samples, which is not the case. The numbers are explained as follows: 898 patients started anthroposophic treatment (eurythmy therapy, art therapy, rhythmical massage therapy or anthroposophic medical therapy) [1] for depression (97 patients) [2], low back pain (34 patients + 28 control patients) [5] and other chronic indications. Of these 898 patients, 419 were referred to eurythmy therapy as primary... read full comment
Comment on: Büssing et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 8:8
Response to Howard Moffet (harry wright, 11 January 2008)
Howard Moffet makes several misleading comments.His first, regarding the necessity, or otherwise, of obtaining a de qi response is covered by the authors in the Background information when they clearly state in the first sentence that 'Acupuncture stimulation elicits deqi, a composite of unique sensations that is essential for clinical efficacy according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).' They do not indicate their intention to study other non-invasive forms of acupuncture, or indeed any methods which do not rely upon obtaining a de qi response such as Japanese acupuncture, merely TCM acupuncture.The use of an experienced acupuncturist was clearly important for the study and 25 years of clinical experience of acupuncture would, I suggest, equip him to elicit the appropriate de qi... read full comment
Comment on: Hui et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:33
The truthiness of deqi (Howard Moffet, 10 December 2007)
Hui et al[1] reported on their investigation into sensations elicited by acupuncture needling which are known as deqi. The authors have previously made significant contributions to our understanding of how the brain responds to acupuncture stimulation.[2] The present study of deqi is motivated by the premise that “this state [sic] is essential for clinical efficacy,”[1] but two years ago, they professed merely that deqi is “related to clinical efficacy.”[2] In fact, there is little evidence for the necessity of deqi, in part because “there is lack of adequate experimental data to indicate what sensations comprise deqi.”[1] Non-invasive forms of acupuncture point stimulation, including acupressure, moxibustion and Toyo Hari acupuncture, are not... read full comment
Comment on: Hui et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:33
Absence of comparison renders results meaningless (Kenneth Campbell, 18 June 2007)
Nothing in this study remotely justifies the authors closing statment,"...study findings suggest that physician-provided AM therapy may play a beneficial role in the long-term care of patients with chronic diseases." The only thing which can be asserted on the basis of this study is that patients who enjoy extended consultations tend to experience "long-term reduction of chronic disease symptoms and improvement of quality of life."The authors state "A limitation of the study is the absence of a comparison group receiving another treatment or no therapy." This is not a limitation it is a fatal flaw. For this study to provide meaningful evidence about benefits of anthroposophical medicine it would need to have a comparison group offered equally long consultations with practitioners of... read full comment
Comment on: Hamre et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:10
CAM use in a South African perspective (Neal O'Donnell, 18 June 2007)
There is some anecdotal evidence that CAM use is on the increase in South Africa. There is also anecdotal evidence that there persists a strong antipathy to the use by conventional medical practitioners. This particularly so amongst surgeons and anaesthetists. Shawni's survey is interesting in that it demonstrates the potential of a closing of the gap between CAM and conventional medicine, which could have some benfit in the third-world state of health in South Africa. One would hope that more of the evidence will appear in the future. read full comment
Comment on: Sawni et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:18
Why do some people on opioid pain relief also seek CAM? (Tom Shillock, 18 May 2007)
The paper backgrounder states: “Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an increasingly common therapy used to treat chronic pain syndromes. However; there is limited information on the utilization and efficacy of CAM therapy in primary care patients receiving long-term opioid therapy.” Yet the authors provide neither statistical evidence for the use of CAM to treat chronic pain nor for its efficacy in relieving pain in people on long-term opioid therapy.One can easily imagine several reasons people would resort to CAM which has little to do with its pain relieving efficacy. The pressure the DEA puts on physicians and medical boards is readily communicated to patients. Simply acquiring and filling prescriptions is difficult. Moreover, pain contracts make people feel... read full comment
Comment on: Fleming et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7:15
Concerns over recommendations made about Cinnamon oil (N Malangu, 18 December 2006)
Prabuseenivasan, Jayakumar, and Ignacimuthu reported the results of their study which clearly show that cinnamon oil and other have antibacterial properties demonstrated in-vitro. 1Though they stated that they have no conflict of interest, the tone of their comments on previous studies about cinnamon oil, is not satisfactory. The impression created is that cinnamon oil is exempt from any potential toxicity, is actually used in treating gonorrhea, and is recommended as a topical preparation against Aspergillus niger. Yet they conclude that it can be used as antibacterial supplement in the developing countries towards the development of new therapeutic agents and that additional in-vivo studies and clinical trials are needed to assess the potential of this oil as an antibacterial agent.Their... read full comment
Comment on: Prabuseenivasan et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 6:39
Letter to the Editor regarding Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic pain caused by gonarthrosis: A study protocol of an ongoing multi-centre randomised controlled clinical trial [ISRCTN27450856] Konrad Streitberger, Steffen Witte, Ulrich Mansmann (Dieter Wettig, Ph.D., M.D., 18 January 2005)
Letter to the Editor regarding "Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic pain caused by gonarthrosis: A study protocol of an ongoing multi-centre randomised controlled clinical trial [ISRCTN27450856] Konrad Streitberger, Steffen Witte, Ulrich MansmannBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2004, 4:6 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-4-6. The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/4/6 " Dear Madam,Dear Sir,I herewith submit my comment to the "Multi-centre randomised controlled clinical trial gonarthrosis study (GERAC-Gonarthrosis)" and ask you to publish my letter. I also ask you to confirm the reception of this e-mail. Thank you.The German Acupuncture Study (GERAC) for gonarthrosis (osteoarthritis of the... read full comment
Comment on: Streitberger et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 4:6