Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Turmeric [1, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,1 8]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It is proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that turmeric can help in the treatment of pain. More research is needed.)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Strychnos Nux-Vomica (Maqianzi, Poison Nut) [1, 10, 11, 12]:

WARNING! This substance is HIGHLY POISONOUS. The seeds contain Strychnine, which may cause convulsions, breathing difficulties and death, even if as little as 5 milligrams is ingested.

Recommendation: Strongly against (There is no evidence in the form of clinical trials which reports the effectiveness of Strychnos Nux-Vomica, because it is highly poisonous to humans, and is not recommended.)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Pau D'Arco (Lapachol, Tabebuia Impetiginosa, Tabebuia Heptaphylla) [1, 9]:

Please note, this treatment has potentially serious side effects. Some of the chemicals in the plant are known to be toxic. High doses are known to cause liver and kidney. Even at low doses, chemicals in the plant may interfere with blood clotting, causing excess bleeding and anaemia. Pau D'Arco should be avoided, especially by pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Recommendation: Strongly against (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Pau D'arco helps to treat pain. This, combined with its potentially harmful side effects if taken without supervision from a doctor or pharmacist gives enough reason to avoid this treatment.)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Cloves (Caryophyllum Aromaticum, Eugenia Caryophyllata) [5, 6, 7, 8]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: weakly in favor  (evidence suggests that cloves can be local anaesthetics, so they may help with the symptoms of localized acute pain, but more research is needed)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Chaparral (Larrea Tridentata Coville [1, 2, 3, 4]:

Please note, this herb is HIGHLY TOXIC, and has been reported to cause severe and permanent liver disease which can be fatal.

Recommendation: strongly against (Existing evidence shows that Chaparral is not an effective treatment for acute pain. In addition, this herb is highly toxic and potentially life threatening.)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Transcutaneous Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is not enough evidence supporting the role of TENS in chronic pain therapy)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Therapeutic Touch:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: weakly in favor (A reliable study demonstrated that this form of therapy helps reduce some types of pain, but more studies are needed)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Reiki:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (some studies show that Reiki may help reduce pain among some patients, but this had no effect on the amount of pain medication they needed to take later)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Reflexology:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: weakly in favor (A conrolled study showed that Reflexology may help some people with chronic pain for a maximum of three hours, but shows no effect after that)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Polarity Therapy:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly  help with the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (available research does not show that Polarity Therapy might help reduce pain)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Osteopathy:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly  help with the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (Available scientific evidence does not support Osteopathy as helpful alone in chronic pain)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Massage:

Recommendation: weakly in favor (Some studies have shown that massage therapy can help decrease chronic pain)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Low-Level Laser Therapy:

Recommendation: no recommendation (There have been ambiguous results on the few studies done investigating the effect of laser therapy on chronic pain)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Acupuncture:

Recommendation: weakly in favor (There is some evidence that suggest that Acupuncture may decrease the need for pain medication)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Curanderismo:

Recommendation: no recommendation (although there are reports from people that Curanderismo may help deal with pain, but there are no reliable studies done yet)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Humor Therapy:

Recommendation: weakly in favor (One study has shown that humor therapy may help increase pain tolerance)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Hypnosis:

Recommendation: weakly in favor (There are many reports that demonstrate that hypnosis helps patients better manage and reduce pain)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Image Therapy:

Recommendation: weakly in favor (a review of a number of studies conducted showd that Image Therapy may be helpful in reducing pain)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Music Therapy:

Recommendation: weakly in favor (Music therapy has been shown to be effective for short-term management of pain)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

* www.gradeworkinggroup.org

 

 

Summary References

Treatments:

1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009

2. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/chaparral

3. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1

4. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_2005/2005_135-eng.php

5. Balch, Phyllis and Balch, James. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3rd ed., Avery Publishing, ©2000, pg. 94.

6. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition by Dan Bensky, Steven Clavey, Erich Stoger, and Andrew Gamble 2004

7. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/cloves

8. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-clove.html

9. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/pau-d-arco

10. David Michael Wood et al. Case report: Survival after deliberate strychnine self-poisoning, with toxicokinetic data. Critical Care October 2002 Vol 6 No 5

11. Arnold, M.D., Harry L. (1968). Poisonous Plants of Hawaii. Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Co.. p. 20. ISBN 0804804745.

12. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/strychnos-nux-vomica

13. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/turmeric

14. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-turmeric.html

15. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/turmeric/index.htm

16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1668932.stm

17. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/10/28/curry-kills-cancer-cells-and-other-health-benefits-of-the-nations-favourite-dish-115875-21779950/

18. http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=turmeric