In 2005, the CAM Field staff partnered with Gill Gyte and Janet Wale of the Cochrane Consumer Network to coordinate the preparation of plain language, brief summaries of Cochrane Reviews that are user-friendly, accessible, and quality-assessed. These Consumer Summaries have been posted on this website so that they are freely available to everyone. This project was supported by Grant Number R24 AT001293 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) which is now called the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). The contents of the summaries are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NCCAM/NCCIH, the National Institutes of Health, or Cochrane.
The evidence underlying these summaries is now outdated and the summaries are maintained for historical interest. The aim of consumer summaries was to ensure that the high quality science of the Cochrane Reviews was maintained, while also including the perspective of consumers who may use the therapies. Cochrane now includes Plain Language Summaries (PLS) for all published reviews, with these same goals of relevance and accessibility in mind. If you are interested in writing blog posts on Cochrane reviews, or creating other consumer-accessible formats to summarize Cochrane evidence on complementary medicine, please contact L Susan Wieland, PhD at swieland@som.umaryland.edu.
Therapeutic Area | Healthcare Condition | Interventions |
Neurological | Diet Vitamin B6-Magnesium Sound Music | |
Diet Acupuncture Yoga Vitamins | ||
Cardiovascular | Diet Artichoke leaf extract Omega 3 fatty acids | |
Calcium Magnesium Potassium supplements singly and combined Low salt and dietary salt reduction | ||
Zinc Fish oil Self monitoring Adherence to treatment Group training in self management Exercise | ||
Arterial: Omega 3 fatty acids Vitamin E garlic Chelation therapy Homocysteine | ||
Dan Shen Gingko biloba Electrical stimulation for shoulder | ||
Respiratory | House dust mite Pets Feather bedding Humidity control Ionisers Staying in caves | |
Reducing salt intake Tartrazine exclusion Fish oil Vitamin C Selenium | ||
Acupuncture Homeopathy Breathing Alexander technique Inspiratory muscle training Physical training Manual therapy | ||
Common ailments | Echinacea Vitamin C | |
Cranberries | ||
Hyperbaric oxygen | ||
Therapeutic touch | ||
Electromagnetic therapy Ultrasound Dietary | ||
Prayer (intercessory) | ||
DVT Melatonin for jetlag | ||
Sensory | Ginkgo biloba Hyperbaric oxygen | |
Mental health | Kava Passiflora Valerian Cognitive behavioural therapy Exercise Meditation Psychological therapies Psychosocial therapies Paraprofessional care | |
Music therapy Folate Inositol St John's wort Tryptophan Acupuncture Light therapy Transcranial magnetic stimulation Exercise Psychological therapy and education Psychosocial therapy Paraprofessional care Psychological therapies for preventing postnatal depression | ||
Polyunsaturated fatty acids Music therapy Hypnosis Art therapy | ||
Musculoskeletal | Calcium postmenopause Vitamin D Calcium and vitamin D for people on corticosteroids | |
Arthritis | Exercise Glucosamine Electrotherapy Low level laser TENS Ultrasound | |
Patient education Continuous passive motion | ||
Acupuncture Herbal therapies Spa therapy Thermotherapy Exercise Electrical stimulation TENS Low-level laser Ultrasound Occupational therapy Splints and insoles | ||
Cancer | Dietary fibre Calcium Antioxidants | |
Aromatherapy and massage Chinese herbal medicines | ||
Women's health | Herbs and diet Exercise Behavioural therapy Spinal manipulation TENS Chinese herbal medicines | |
Pregnancy | Vitamins A, C, D, E Folate Iron and folate Magnesium Zinc | |
Calcium Garlic Marine oil Vitamin E | ||
Acupuncture Homeotherapy Enemas Shaving Continuous support Position Fetal monitoring Episiotomy Perineal massage Therapeutic ultrasound | ||
Men's health | Pygeum africanum Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) Beta-sitosterols Cernilton |