Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-29T07:46:29.272Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

49 - Complementary and alternative treatments in multiple sclerosis

from Section III - Clinical trials of multiple sclerosis therapies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

Jeffrey A. Cohen
Affiliation:
Cleveland Clinic
Richard A. Rudick
Affiliation:
Cleveland Clinic
Get access

Summary

Multiple sclerosis (MS) individuals who use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) generally do so because they experience improvement in their quality of life, and in various MS symptoms such as fatigue, spasticity, or pain. The different CAM therapies used commonly by individuals with MS are: mind-body therapies, dietary changes and supplement use that include low fat diet, essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants, ginseng, acupuncture, low-dose naltrexone and cannabis. Despite the widespread use of CAM therapies among MS patients, most of these therapies have not been evaluated in well-designed, randomized, controlled clinical trials, the lack of which is the main reason why most neurologists do not incorporate CAM therapies into their management of MS patients. Clearly there are certain therapies, such as anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids, which have a scientific rationale for use in MS and are also supported by preclinical or pilot clinical data.
Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×