Is it my English or am I missing something here?
The article that you posted says, in the details the following:
Note what I have highlighted in red
PURPOSE:
Chronic pain is a widespread and debilitating condition, encountered by physicians in a variety of practice settings. Although many pharmacologic and behavioral strategies exist for the management of this condition, treatment is often unsatisfactory. Scrambler Therapy is a novel, non-invasive pain modifying technique that utilizes trans-cutaneous electrical stimulation of pain fibers with the intent of re-organizing maladaptive signaling pathways. This review was conducted to further evaluate what is known regarding the mechanisms and mechanics of Scrambler Therapy and to investigate the preliminary data pertaining to the efficacy of this treatment modality.
METHODS:
The PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases were searched for all articles published on Scrambler Therapy prior to November 2015. All case studies and clinical trials were evaluated and reported in a descriptive manner.
RESULTS:
To date, 20 reports, of varying scientific quality, have been published regarding this device; all but one small study, published only as an abstract, provided results that appear positive.
CONCLUSION:
The positive findings from preliminary studies with Scrambler Therapy support that this device provides benefit for patients with refractory pain syndromes. Larger, randomized studies are required to further evaluate the efficacy of this approach.
OK, back to me. As best I can determine this elaborate "study" reviewed 20 other studies but did not, I believe, conduct any formal study. That is not my real problem with the study it is the result they came to:
After reviewing and assessing 20 studies of "varying scientific quality" (Whoa!!!!) they did find that all but one provided positive results. (That is good albeit with the proviso that the quality of the studies varied)
Conclusion indicates that positive findings indicate Calmare provides a "benefit" (Hey, how about some detail or a measure of what benefit means!)
and now the kicker.... "Larger randomized studies are required to further evaluate the efficacy of this approach"
So, we looked through the publications and reviewed the results, a study that 3rd year students could do but maybe some grad students that need to establish a publication record. Now we find consistent benefits on an undisclosed scale or measurement index. Now, if only someone might give us some big bucks we could go out and hustle patients and begin a scientific randomized study to try to determine if there really are benefits.
Wait a minute!!!!! Didn't we read from powderbum that they had been conducting studies with patients all over the place and results were waiting in the wings, soon to be unveiled? Is that a different study? What is this one and what is the point unless, of course, it is ten years old and endless researchers have conducted double-blind studies and proven Calmare works perfectly and provides great benefits to everyone or most everyone.
I read about sham studies, but this appears little more than a sham paper that provides no evidence "of quality" to argue or make the case for anyone to buy the machine, train to use it and help patients with chronic pain of all sorts.
Meantime, back at the ranch, the penniless company cannot and has not every funded or sought to fund the needed studies. Without legitimate results we will never see anything but a black hole sucking funds toward the CEO and his minions with no interest in helping those in pain or making the firm a legitimate enterprise, if that is still possible.
