Op basis van een systematische beoordeling van bestaande studies, stellen Jason et al. dat,
gezien het gerapporteerde succes van individuele supplementen
én het feit dat elke ME/CVS-patiënt anders is en anders behandeld moet worden,
er in de toekomst meer onderzoek gedaan zou moeten worden naar
de (positieve) effecten van een combinatie van supplementen "op maat".
Ik hoop wel dat toekomstig onderzoek op basis van harde maatstaven uitgevoerd wordt.
Alternative medical interventions used in the treatment and management of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
J Altern Complement Med. 2010 Mar;16(3):235-49.
Porter NS, Jason LA, Boulton A, Bothne N, Coleman B.
Center for Community Research,
DePaul University,
Chicago, IL.
Background:
There have been
several systematic reviews
attempting to evaluate
the efficacy of
possible treatments for
myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and
fibromyalgia (FM).
However,
information regarding
the efficacy of
complementary and
alternative medicine (CAM)
has not been comprehensively or systematically covered
in these reviews,
despite
its frequent use
in the patient community.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was
to systematically review and evaluate the current literature
related to alternative and complementary treatments for ME/CFS and FM.
It should be stressed that
the treatments evaluated
in this review
do not reflect
the clinical approach used by most practitioners
to treat these illnesses,
which include
a mix of
natural and unconventionally used medications and natural hormones
tailored to each individual case.
However,
nearly all clinical research has focused on
the utility of single CAM interventions, and
thus is the primary focus of this review.
Methods:
Several databases (e.g., PubMed, MEDLINE,((R)) PsychInfo)
were systematically searched
for randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials of
alternative treatments and non-pharmacological supplements.
Included studies were checked for references and
several experts were contacted for referred articles.
Two leading subspecialty journals were also searched by hand.
Data were then extracted from included studies and
quality assessments were conducted using the Jadad scale.
Results:
Upon completion of the literature search and the exclusion of studies
not meeting criterion,
a total of 70 controlled clinical trials were included in the review.
Sixty (60) of the 70 studies
found at least one positive effect of the intervention (86%), and
52 studies also found improvement in an illness-specific symptom (74%).
The methodological quality of reporting was generally poor.
Conclusions:
Several types of alternative medicine
have some potential for future clinical research.
However,
due to methodological inconsistencies across studies and the small body of evidence,
no firm conclusions can be made at this time.
Regarding alternative treatments,
acupuncture and several types of meditative practice
show the most promise for future scientific investigation.
Likewise,
magnesium, l-carnitine, and S-adenosylmethionine
are non-pharmacological supplements
with the most potential for further research.
Individualized treatment plans
that involve several pharmacological agents and natural remedies
appear promising as well.
PMID: 20192908 [PubMed - in process]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20192908
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