Research Roundup
"Research Roundup" presents examples of NCCAM-funded research recently published in peer-reviewed journals listed in the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database.
New Findings on Sleep Disorders and CAM
Based on a national survey, NCCAM scientists found that over 1.6 million American adults use some form of CAM to treat insomnia or trouble sleeping.1 Nancy Pearson, Ph.D., Laura Lee Johnson, Ph.D., and Richard Nahin, Ph.D., M.P.H., of NCCAM evaluated results of the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, which was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and included questions on participants' use of CAM. Among the NCCAM authors' other key findings:
- Over 17 percent of adults reported insomnia or trouble sleeping in the past 12 months. In this group, 4.5 percent used some form of CAM to treat these problems.
- Nearly 61 percent of those who had insomnia or trouble sleeping were women. About 39 percent were men.
- People with a higher level of education were less likely to report having insomnia or trouble sleeping. Also, people who identified their race/ethnicity as White were more likely to have insomnia or trouble sleeping than those who were Black or Asian.
- The CAM users were most likely to use biologically based therapies (nearly 65 percent), such as herbal therapies, or mind-body therapies (more than 39 percent), such as relaxation techniques. Most who used these two types of therapies said they were at least somewhat helpful for insomnia or trouble sleeping.
- The survey indicated that insomnia or trouble sleeping hit its peak in middle age (45-64 years old), with a second increase in people 85 and older.
- The odds of having insomnia or trouble sleeping were significantly higher for people with high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, anxiety and depression, or obesity.
Archives of Internal Medicine, September 2006
1 See also "Can't Sleep? Science Is Seeking New Answers" in the Summer 2005 issue.
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids for Depression
Omega-3 capsules.© iStockphoto.com
Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (also called PUFAs, short for polyunsaturated fatty acids) are among the CAM therapies used with the intent to help symptoms of depression. Anna-leila Williams, M.P.H., of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, led a team that reviewed evidence on this topic. The authors found five randomized controlled trials to be of sufficient quality for review, although all were small and of short duration. All but one of these trials found some improvement from using PUFAs for symptoms of depression, particularly from omega-3 fatty acids. The authors concluded that while the evidence to support using PUFA supplements as a treatment for depression is not strong, enough potential exists to merit further research.
Journal of Affective Disorders, May 2006
Review of CAM for Menopause
An NIH State-of-the-Science meeting in March 2005 addressed the management of menopause-related symptoms, including through the use of CAM.2 More recently, a July 2006 review by Anne Nedrow, M.D., of Oregon Health and Science University, addressed this use of CAM. Dr. Nedrow and her colleagues reviewed 70 published studies on CAM for menopausal symptoms. Most (48 studies) tested biologically based practices such as soy products and herbal supplements; a few studies looked at other CAM therapies--such as progressive relaxation, osteopathic manipulation, and magnet therapy. Nearly half of the studies included in the review were of poor quality, which made their results unreliable. Differences among the studies made it challenging for the review authors to compare the results and draw conclusions. However, they did conclude that although individual studies suggest benefits from certain CAM therapies, the overall evidence does not support their use for menopausal symptoms. The authors noted that results from higher quality studies (especially on the most commonly used CAM therapies for menopause) are needed to better compare evidence among therapies.
Archives of Internal Medicine, July 2006
2 To find out more, see the NCCAM Backgrounder "Do CAM Therapies Help Menopausal Symptoms?"
A Mantram Studied in Adults With HIV
Research has shown that some spiritual practices may help people with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) to cope with psychological distress and improve quality of life. Researchers led by Jill Bormann, Ph.D., R.N., at the VA San Diego Healthcare System investigated the use of one such practice--a mantram--by people with HIV. A mantram was defined by the authors as a word or phrase with spiritual associations that is repeated silently several times throughout the day. The 68 participants were randomly assigned to six 90-minute sessions in which they either learned how to use a mantram or participated in education/discussion groups. The mantram group showed a significant decrease in anger (one of the measures of psychological distress) and a significant increase in aspects of spiritual well-being (which may improve quality of life). The authors recommend that further research be done to confirm these findings.
Journal of Behavioral Medicine, August 2006.
For more findings, see the NCCAM Grantee Publications Database. Sorting by "Publication Date" yields the most recent records first.
