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. 2014 Jul;19(3):161-175.
doi: 10.1177/2156587214525403.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Helané Wahbeh  1   2 , Angela Senders  1   2 , Rachel Neuendorf  2 , Julien Cayton  1
Affiliations

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Helané Wahbeh et al. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2014 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives.: To (1) characterize complementary and alternative medicine studies for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, (2) evaluate the quality of these studies, and (3) systematically grade the scientific evidence for individual CAM modalities for posttraumatic stress disorder.

Design.: Systematic review. Eight data sources were searched. Selection criteria included any study design assessing posttraumatic stress disorder outcomes and any complementary and alternative medicine intervention. The body of evidence for each modality was assessed with the Natural Standard evidence-based, validated grading rationale.

Results and conclusions.: Thirty-three studies (n = 1329) were reviewed. Scientific evidence of benefit for posttraumatic stress disorder was strong for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and good for acupuncture, hypnotherapy, meditation, and visualization. Evidence was unclear or conflicting for biofeedback, relaxation, Emotional Freedom and Thought Field therapies, yoga, and natural products. Considerations for clinical applications and future research recommendations are discussed.

Keywords: complementary and alternative medicine; posttraumatic stress disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest statement No competing financial interests exist for all authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Included Studies

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    1. Boggio PS, Rocha M, Oliveira MO, Fecteau S, Cohen RB, Campanha C, Fregni F. Noninvasive brain stimulation with high-frequency and low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2010;71(8):992–999. - PMC - PubMed
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    1. Bormann JE, Thorp S, Wetherell JL, Golshan S. A spiritually based group intervention for combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: feasibility study. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2008;26(2):109–116. - PMC - PubMed

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