There was low- quality evidence that acupuncture  improves pain compared to no treatment or st and ard treatment , but good evidence that it is no better than sham acupuncture .
The evidence for homoeopathy , spinal manipulation and herbal medicine was limited .
No firm conclusions were drawn for efficacy of either spinal manipulation or homoeopathy for FM .
Background Fibromyalgia ( FM ) is a chronic , debilitating pain disorder .
Dissatisfaction with conventional medicine can lead people with FM to turn to complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) .
Two previous overviews of systematic review s of CAM for FM have been published , but they did not assessed for risk of bias in the review process .
Effects of topical essential oil on exercise volume after a 12-week exercise program for women with fibromyalgia: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVES We determined -- in women with fibromyalgia (FM)--effects of essential oils used with a 12-week exercise program on exercise volume , pain , physical performance , and physical function . DESIGN This was a r and omized clinical trial comparing 024 essential oil with sham oil combined with exercise . SETTING S SETTING S included community sites in southern California . SUBJECTS The study included 20 women r and omized to 024 oil , 23 to sham oil .  INTERVENTIONS Women were trained in oil application before exercise , at bedtime on exercise days ; the 12-week program included weekly group sessions with trained leaders guided by a prerecorded regimen ( allowing choice of program level ) plus 2 days of home exercise with the recorded regimen . OUTCOME MEASURES Primary : Exercise volume ( number of days exercised multiplied by exercise level -- intensity and duration ) . Secondary : Pain ( Brief Pain Inventory ) , measures of physical performance ( 30-second chair st and s , 6-minute walk , multidimensional balance ) , and self-reported physical function ( Composite Physical Function scale ) . RESULTS The average participant was 54 years old , had some college education , was married , Caucasian , and minimally/mildly depressed . There was no significant difference in exercise volume between women using 024 as compared with those using sham oil after 12 weeks ( depression as covariate ) . There were no significant group nor pre- to postexercise changes in pain intensity or interference . There were greater positive changes in 30-second chair st and s , 6-minute walk distance , and multidimensional balance scores in the 024 group than in the sham group , but these were not significant . The counterirritant 024 oil was not different from the sham oil in its effect on exercise volume ( frequency , exercise level -- intensity and duration ) for women with FM . It is unknown whether 024 actually decreases local pain when used with exercise . CONCLUSIONS Increases in physical function found , while not significant , may be attributable to the exercise regimen or to the interaction of the oils and exercise regimen
There was low- quality evidence that acupuncture  improves pain compared to no treatment or st and ard treatment , but good evidence that it is no better than sham acupuncture .
The evidence for homoeopathy , spinal manipulation and herbal medicine was limited .
No firm conclusions were drawn for efficacy of either spinal manipulation or homoeopathy for FM .
Background Fibromyalgia ( FM ) is a chronic , debilitating pain disorder .
Dissatisfaction with conventional medicine can lead people with FM to turn to complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) .
Two previous overviews of systematic review s of CAM for FM have been published , but they did not assessed for risk of bias in the review process .