Alternative Medicine Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alternative Medicine, including details on complementary medicine, alternative therapies, homeopathy. | ||||||||
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Tx-discs--no effect against subjective health complaints: a randomised controlled study.Baerheim A, Oren JN, Bjorvatn B, Hunskaar S Section for General Practice, Department for Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Kalfarveien 31, 5018 Bergen, Norway. anders.baerheim@isf.uib.no BACKGROUND: Dowsers claim unhealthy effects of 'earth rays', and the producer of TX-discs claims that these discs may shield a person from the influence of 'earth rays', thereby relieving most illness in the person shielded. OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of the TX-disc versus a placebo disc in patients with longstanding muscular-skeletal complaints. SETTING: Self-recruited community living persons in the Bergen area, Western Norway. PATIENTS: 67 women and 13 men with longstanding muscular-skeletal complaints, recruited by advertisements in local newspapers. DESIGN: A randomised and double-blinded controlled trial with a 6 months follow-up period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: The Subjective Health Complaints (SHC) questionnaire. RESULTS: We found a substantial reduction on the mean SHC sub-scale scores of muscular-skeletal, pseudo-neurological, gastro-intestinal, and allergic complaints, mainly occurring from baseline to 6 weeks (28-45%, P < 0.05-0.001). There were however no statistically significant differences for these variables between the TX group and the placebo group at any time point. IMPLICATIONS: TX-discs used in accordance with the instructions had no clinically or statistically significant effect on muscular-skeletal pain, pseudo-neurological complaints, gastro-intestinal, or allergic complaints during this study. Published 12 December 2005 in Complement Ther Med, 13(4): 239-43.
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