CureTogether Blog » Research Findings

800 Patients with Arthritis Report Which Treatments Work Best

Alexandra Carmichael — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:19:50 +0000

For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here.

We’re excited to announce the very first results of our ongoing study of Arthritis. At CureTogether, 798 people with Crohn’s came together to rate 30 treatments. When we gather 1,000 treatment ratings for a condition, we publish an infographic, and Arthritis has just crossed that threshold.

Patients rate heat, rest, and massage as helpful for their symptoms, as well as joint replacement and LDN (see the top of the green part of the chart). They rate Glucosamine, Acetaminophen, and Capsaicin cream as not helping as much. (see the bottom of the green part of the chart above.)

The top 10 overall treatments reported for Arthritis are, as a list:

1. Joint replacement
2. Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
3. Brace
4. Corticosteroids
5. Massage
6. Heat
7. Methotrexate
8. Vicodin
9. Chiropractic adjustment
10. Rest

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The rest of the results are in the graph above, which is divided into four squares…

- Top right: the most popular and effective treatments (including heat and rest)

- Top left: effective treatments that not many people have tried, so they may be options to think about (including LDN and a brace)

- Lower right: very popular but not very effective (including Glucosamine and Acetaminophen)

- Lower left: neither popular nor effective (including Capsaicin cream and Tramadol)

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Where did this data come from? This is the result of a 3-year CureTogether study on Arthritis. To thank everyone for participating, we’re publishing this study openly and freely.

This is part of our regular series of research findings. Of course, with each of these findings, there is a potential bias in patient self-selection and recall. We present these findings as just what they are – patient-reported data – to stimulate discussion and generate new insights for further research.

Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in Arthritis. Thank you!

Surprising things that work for Vulvar Vestibulitis, or make it worse

Alexandra Carmichael — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:32:23 +0000

For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here.

We’re excited to announce the very first results of our ongoing study of Vulvar Vestibulitis (pain and burning in a particular area of the vulva, which I lived with for a decade). At CureTogether, 480 women who experience Vulvar Vestibulitis came together to rate 30 treatments.

By far the most effective treatment as rated by patients is physical therapy (see the top of the green part of the chart). Some other treatments, such as Witch Hazel pads and corticosteroid cream, are rated to actually make the condition worse. (see the red part of the chart above.)

The top 10 overall treatments reported for Vulvar Vestibulitis are, as a list:

1. Pelvic physical therapy
2. Reverse kegels
3. Chlorine-free sanitary pads
4. Baking soda bath
5. No underwear
6. Yeast/Candida detox diet
7. Rinse with water after urination
8. Sitz bath
9. Stop oral contraceptives
10. Yoga

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The rest of the results are in the graph above, which is divided into four squares…

- Top right: the most popular and effective treatments (including Physical therapy and not wearing underwear)

- Top left: effective treatments that not many people have tried, so they may be options to think about (including reverse kegels and chlorine-free sanitary pads)

- Lower right: very popular but not very effective (including cranberry juice and Elavil)

- Lower left: neither popular nor effective (including witch hazel pads and corticosteroid cream)

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Where did this data come from? This is the result of a 3-year CureTogether study on Vulvar Vestibulitis. To thank everyone for participating, we’re publishing this study openly and freely.

Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in Vulvar Vestibulitis. Thank you!

Stanford Fibromyalgia Study on LDN Replicated at CureTogether

Alexandra Carmichael — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:53:15 +0000

Naltrexone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, is being used off-label to treat pain in Fibromyalgia and other chronic conditions. There are few studies on this, because naltrexone is a generic drug, so no pharma company can make money from it.

A small Stanford study on Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) found that 6 out of 10 fibromyalgia patients experienced significant reduction in their symptoms on LDN compared to placebo.

This finding is confirmed at CureTogether, where 26 out of 44 fibromyalgia patients report a major improvement in their symptoms after taking LDN. In fact, LDN is ranked as the #1 most effective treatment for fibromyalgia at CureTogether (see the screenshot below.)

Larger studies still need to be done, but it is remarkable that the CureTogether ratio of improvement on LDN is 59% (26/44), and the Stanford ratio of improvement on LDN is 60% (6/10). The same result!

2,800 People with Acid Reflux Report Which Treatments Work Best

Alexandra Carmichael — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:39:42 +0000

For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here.

We’re excited to announce the very first results of our ongoing study of Acid Reflux. At CureTogether, 2,826 people who experience Acid Reflux came together to rate 39 treatments.

In contrast to many of our other studies, patients rate acid reflux drugs as helpful for their symptoms, as well as eating habit changes (see the top of the green part of the chart). They rate other experiments, like a high fiber diet, peppermint oil, and apple cider vinegar, as less helpful. (see the botom of the green part of the chart above.)

The top 20 overall treatments reported for Acid Reflux are, as a list:

1. Prilosec
2. AcipHex
3. Endoscopic dilatation
4. Protonix
5. Kapidex
6. Nexium
7. Avoid overeating
8. Avoid high fat consumption before bed
9. Eat evening meal at least 3 hours before bed
10. Gaviscon
11. Famtodine
12. Prevacid
13. Avoid food allergens
14. Eliminate tea and acidic drinks
15. Gluten-free diet
16. Zantac
17. Alkaline diet
18. Eliminate refined carbohydrates
19. Elevate head of bed
20. Raw foods diet

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The rest of the results are in the graph above, which is divided into four squares…

- Top right: the most popular and effective treatments (including Prilosec and eating 3 hours before bedtime)

- Top left: effective treatments that not many people have tried, so they may be options to think about (including AcipHex and a raw foods diet)

- Lower right: very popular but not very effective (including eating more fiber and less meat)

- Lower left: neither popular nor effective (including apple cider vinegar and peppermint oil)

––

Where did this data come from? This is the result of a 3-year CureTogether study on Acid Reflux. To thank everyone for participating, we’re publishing this study openly and freely.

Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in Acid Reflux. Thank you!

Crohn’s Study Results: 29 Treatments Rated by Patients

Alexandra Carmichael — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:51:36 +0000

For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here.

We’re excited to announce the very first results of our ongoing study of Crohn’s Disease. At CureTogether, 178 people with Crohn’s came together to rate 29 treatments. When we gather 1,000 treatment ratings for a condition, we publish an infographic, and Crohn’s has just crossed that threshold.

Patients rate small, low fiber, gluten-free meals as helpful for their symptoms, as well as stress reduction, steroids, and LDN (see the top of the green part of the chart). They rate a high fiber diet, aloe vera, and Pentassa as making their symptoms worse. (see the red part of the chart above.)

The top 10 overall treatments reported for Crohn’s Disease are, as a list:

1. Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
2. Surgery
3. Steroids
4. Humira
5. Cannabis
6. Specific Carbohydrate Diet
7. Remicade
8. Stress reduction
9. Small meals
10. Gluten-free/low fiber diets

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The rest of the results are in the graph above, which is divided into four squares…

- Top right: the most popular and effective treatments (including stress reduction, small meals, and probiotics)

- Top left: effective treatments that not many people have tried, so they may be options to think about (including Humira and a Specific Carbohydrate Diet)

- Lower right: very popular but not very effective (including Pentassa and Asacol)

- Lower left: neither popular nor effective (including Imuran and chiropractic)

––

Where did this data come from? This is the result of a 3-year CureTogether study on Crohn’s Disease. To thank everyone for participating, we’re publishing this study openly and freely.

Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in Crohn’s Disease. Thank you!

Avoidance of Triggers is Best for Migraine: Results of Patient Study Comparing 180 Treatments

Alexandra Carmichael — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:47:30 +0000

For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here.

Migraine: a beast I’ve been through myself. At CureTogether, 3,455 people who experience the pain of migraine came together to rate 180 treatments. Here are the current results of this ongoing study.

Our migraine survey has by far the most treatments reported by patients – even the dense scattering of points on the chart shows how many treatments people with migraine go through to find something that works. A few of our members have tried over 100 different treatments, which suggests that migraine pain is not well handled with the current state of medical knowledge.

Patients rate avoidance of triggers like smoke, MSG, red wine, and light as most effective at dealing with migraines (see the top of the green part of the chart), and alcohol and birth control pills as making their migraines worse. (see the red part of the chart above.)

The top 20 overall treatments reported for migraine are, as a list:

1. Dark room and NO NOISE!
2. Avoid red wine
3. Avoid MSG
4. Avoid smoky situations
5. Sleep
6. Sleep with ice packs wrapped in a dry dish towel
7. Passage of time
8. Wearing sunglasses with the smallest amount of sunshine
9. Wrap ice bandage around head
10. Wrap cold towel around head and put pressure on side of neck and head that hurts most
11. Cooling headbands
12. Ice
13. Imitrex (Sumatriptan)
14. Avoid aspartame/phenylalanine
15. Wear a sleep mask
16. Intravenous DHE
17. Treximet (Sumatriptan and Naproxen)
18. Avoid Spenda/sucralose
19. Imitrex (Sumtriptan) injection
20. Oxygen

–

The rest of the results are in the graph above, which is divided into four squares…

- Top right: the most popular and effective treatments (including avoiding smoke, Imitrex, and sleep)

- Top left: effective treatments that not many people have tried, so they may be options to think about (including cold towel around head)

- Lower right: very popular but not very effective (including birth control pills)

- Lower left: neither popular nor effective (including alcohol)

–

Where did this data come from? This is the result of a 3-year CureTogether study on Migraine. To thank everyone for participating, we’re publishing this study openly and freely.

Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in Migraine. Thank you!

6,100 Patients with Anxiety Report Which Treatments Work Best

Alexandra Carmichael — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:59:43 +0000

For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here.

Over a year ago, we published one of our first infographics – 9 most effective anxiety treatments. I went ahead and repeated the analysis today, and now we have 25 treatments that people rate as most effective for anxiety.

This chart is based on 6,118 people with anxiety who participated in CureTogether surveys, compared to 1,303 people last year. Anxiety is still our most populated condition community.

Here are the top 25 treatments for anxiety you may not have tried that thousands of others say worked well for them:

1. Exercise
2. Xanax
3. Yoga
4. Spending time with animals
5. Meditation
6. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
7. Inspiring music
8. Ativan
9. Clonazepam
10. Massage therapy
11. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
12. Deep breathing
13. Diazepam
14. Exposure therapy
15. Relaxation
16. Psychotherapy
17. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
18. Interpersonal therapy
19. Osteopathy
20. Zoloft
21. Lamictal
22. Bio-identical hormones
23. Avoid caffeine
24. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
25. Prayer

To navigate the graph above:

The top right quadrant shows the most popular and effective treatments (e.g. Exercise), and the top left quadrant shows treatments that not many people have tried but that have above-average effectiveness, so they may be options to think about (e.g. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy).

Treatments in the lower right quadrant are ones that lots of people have tried but that have below-average effectiveness (e.g. Wellbutrin), and treatments in the lower left quadrant are reported as neither popular nor effective, so you may want to consider this when choosing a treatment (e.g. Paxil).

Where did this data come from? CureTogether members have been anonymously sharing symptoms and treatments for almost 3 years now. We analyzed and visualized the data into infographic form to make it more accessible. To thank everyone for their contributions, we’re releasing this result back to the community for free.

Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in Anxiety. Thank you!

27 Treatments for Neck Pain: Live Patient Study

Alexandra Carmichael — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:19:17 +0000

For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here.

Neck pain affects 15% of Americans, according to a report by the American Pain Foundation. Interestingly, the same report mentions that less than 2% of the NIH research budget is dedicated to pain.

At CureTogether, 2,180 people with neck pain came together to do their own research on the comparative effectiveness of 27 different treatments. Here are the current results of this ongoing study.

Patients rate Myofascial release, Yoga, and Massage as the most effective treatments for their neck pain (see the top points on the chart above.)

The treatments that help the least, at the bottom of the chart, are: Soft collar, Tempurpedic pillow, and Corticosteroid injections.

As in many of our other studies, it is non-drug treatments that are rated most highly among patients.

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The rest of the results are in the graph above, which is divided into four squares…

- Top right: the most popular and effective treatments (including massage and chiropractic)

- Top left: effective treatments that not many people have tried, so they may be options to think about (including myofascial release and yoga)

- Lower right: very popular but not very effective (including exercise and acetaminophen)

- Lower left: neither popular nor effective (including soft collar and corticosteroid injections)

–

Where did this data come from? This is the result of a 3-year CureTogether study on Neck Pain. To thank everyone for participating, we’re publishing this study openly and freely.

This is part of our regular series of research findings. Of course, with each of these findings, there is a potential bias in patient self-selection and recall. Every research study has some bias, so we present these findings as just what they are – patient-reported data – to stimulate discussion and generate new insights for further research.

Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in neck pain. Thank you!

Neuropathy Study Results: 800 People Rate 35 Treatments

Alexandra Carmichael — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:23:09 +0000

For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here.

The scattering of points on this chart suggests that Neuropathy is a poorly understood condition.

Why? Well, if it was well understood how to treat Neuropathy, the most effective treatments would also be the most popular, and there would be a nice straight line of points from the top right to the bottom left. Instead, there’s a wide scatter, with some patients finding unpopular solutions that are very effective.

At CureTogether, 803 patients with Neuropathy came together to rate 35 treatments. Here are the current results of this ongoing study.

Patients rate Cymbalta, Neurontin, TENS, and Capsaicin cream as making their Neuropathy worse, not better (see the red part of the chart above.)

The treatments that help most, at the top of the green part of the chart, are: physical therapy, Low-Dose Naltrexone, and water exercise.

While this is just one study, it suggests that more knowledge needs to be gathered on how to best treat Neuropathy, including non-drug treatment options.

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The rest of the results are in the graph above, which is divided into four squares…

- Top right: the most popular and effective treatments (including standing up slowly and avoiding smoking)

- Top left: effective treatments that not many people have tried, so they may be options to think about (including LDN and physical therapy)

- Lower right: very popular but not very effective (including Neurontin and vitamin D3)

- Lower left: neither popular nor effective (including Cymbalta and TENS)

–

Where did this data come from? This is the result of a 3-year CureTogether study on Neuropathy. To thank everyone for participating, we’re publishing this study openly and freely.

Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in Neuropathy. Thank you!

Patients Say Fibromyalgia Drugs Make Things Worse, Rest is Best

Alexandra Carmichael — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:45:39 +0000

For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here.

The FDA has approved three drugs for Fibromyalgia, a condition of widespread pain and fatigue that affects 2-4% of the population. The three drugs are Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella. At CureTogether, 1,144 patients with Fibromyalgia came together to rate these drugs, among other treatments.

We were surprised to find that patients rate Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella as making their Fibromyalgia worse, not better (see the red part of the chart above.)

The treatments that help most, in the top right corner of the chart, are simple lifestyle changes: rest, heat, sleep, stress reduction.

While this is just one study, it suggests that the relative cost (financial and physical pain) of administering FDA-approved Fibromyalgia drugs compared to free, easy lifestyle changes should be considered when choosing a treatment for Fibromyalgia.

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The rest of the results are in the graph above, which is divided into four squares…

- Top right: the most popular and effective treatments (including Rest and Heat)

- Top left: effective treatments that not many people have tried, so they may be options to think about (including LDN and Hydrotherapy)

- Lower right: very popular but not very effective (including Lyrica and Cymbalta)

- Lower left: neither popular nor effective (including Savella and Effexor)

–

Where did this data come from? This is the result of a 3-year CureTogether study on Fibromyalgia. To thank everyone for participating, we’re publishing this study openly and freely.

Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in Fibromyalgia. Thank you!