Complementary Therapies in Medicine

OBJECTIVES: Although skin disorders in children and adolescents are increasingly treated with phytotherapies in practice, there are very few studies investigating this topic, and no systematic review exists that summarizes the current state of research. This review examines which herbal medicines show to be effective to treat atopic dermatitis, diaper dermatitis, and skin lesions or wounds. METHODS: Clinical studies were searched according to PRISMA-guidelines in the medical databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL and summarised in a systematic review...

INTRODUCTION: Slow breathing techniques are commonly used to reduce stress. While it is believed by mind-body practitioners that extending the exhale time relative to inhale increases relaxation, this has not been demonstrated. METHODS: We conducted a 12-week randomized, single-blinded trial among 100 participants to compare if yoga-based slow breathing with an exhale greater inhale versus an exhale equals inhale produces measurable differences in physiological and psychological stress among healthy adults...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Due to the known side effects of many synthetic drugs, the use of herbal and natural substances in treating diseases such as burns has been considered. licorice is a herbal medicine whose stem and underground roots are used in traditional medicine in many countries, including Iran, for anti-inflammatory, stomach ulcer healing, and antimicrobial purposes. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study investigated the healing effect of hydroalcoholic extract of licorice root on the wound healing process caused by second-degree burns...

INTRODUCTION: Integrative Medicine (IM) use and efficacy is poorly defined in those with plasma cell disorders (PCD). A 69-question survey on the subject was hosted on HealthTree.org for 3 months. METHOD: The survey included questions about complementary practice use, PHQ-2 score, quality of life, and more. Mean outcome values were compared between IM users and non-users. Proportions of supplement users and IM patients were compared between patients currently on myeloma specific treatment and patients not currently on treatment...

BACKGROUND: Acute tonsillitis (including tonsillopharyngitis) in childhood is a common disease with a peak of illness in school-age. Most of these cases have a viral origin and antibiotic therapy is not indicated, therefore, effective symptomatic therapy is required. For this reason, complementary, alternative and integrative medicine therapies might be a solution. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to demonstrate study status of such therapies. METHODS: The databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, OVID, CAMbase, CAM-QUEST® and Anthromedics were systematically screened for studies investigating complementary, alternative and integrative therapy approaches in paediatric cohorts...

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal reactions, pain and discomfort are inevitable in patients undergoing common gastroscopy. Acupuncture is an effective therapy that assists in the perioperative period; however, evidence of it relieving discomfort is limited. We conducted this trial to observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on discomfort caused by gastroscopy without sedatives. METHODS: This was a single-centre, patient-assessor blind, randomised controlled trial...

BACKGROUND: Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction (PGD) is a common complication in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Several studies have evaluated the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on PGD, so we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to better understand these studies methodologic limitations and summarize clinical effects. METHODS: Articles (published from January 2010 to April 2022) were searched from the following databases: Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science and Embase...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that almonds can improve oxidative stress indices, but the results are controversial. Therefore, the goal of this research was to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis of all RCTs that evaluated the effect of almonds on selected oxidative stress indices. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted up to April 2022 on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. We have selected the studies that investigated the effects of almonds on malondialdehyde (MDA), and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) levels in adults...

INTRODUCTION: Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) iscommonly used for treating uncomplicated Upper Respiratory TractInfection (URTI) in complementary and alternative system of medicine. Ap-Bio®(Kalmcold®) is a standardized extract derived from the leaves of A. paniculata. This study was proposed to evaluate its efficacy using validated scales and objective measures. METHODS: Participants were randomized in a ratio of 1:1:1 to receive either Ap-Bio® 200mg/day, Ap-Bio® 400mg/day or placebo for 7 days...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to identify the prevalence of CAM use in patients with neurological disorders, and also to know most frequent types of CAM used. METHODS: Five databases: PubMed, Science Direct, EBSCO, Latindex and Scielo (in English and Spanish) were searched from January 2010 to May 2021. Only original cross-sectional, retrospective and cohort studies were included, whose primary objective was to describe the frequency of CAM use in neurological disorders and/or the related factors to its use in adults...

BACKGROUND: Eczema is a common chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease, which is characterized by intense itching. Acupuncture can be effective for eczema, and it is thus regarded as a common complementary treatment. OBJECTIVE: The intention of this overview is to methodically appraise and synthesize evidence about systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) on acupuncture in eczema. METHODS: We searched for SRs/MAs of acupuncture with eczema in eight databases...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Surface electromyography-biofeedback (sEMG-BF) may reduce the burden of CLBP by improving physical functioning, sleep, pain catastrophizing, anxiety, and depression. This qualitative study investigated the impact of weekly EMG-BF sessions on adults with CLBP. METHODS: Twenty-six individuals with CLBP participated in telephone interviews after completing an 8-week virtual sEMG-BF intervention. Trained interviewers conducted the 10-to-15-minute semi-structured interviews to understand participants' experience with the intervention...

BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is a common biopsychosocial health problem. Meditation may provide a complementary treatment option for LBP patients. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to examine the effects of meditation on pain intensity, functional disability, quality of life, and depression in LBP populations. METHODS: This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA Guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL, CamQuest and PubPsych were searched up to a publication date of June 2020...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Numerous medical articles are commented upon. This suggests that their scientific quality is insufficient. This need not be the case, however: most comments regard the presentation of the data, the conclusions or lacking information in the discussion. Such flaws can commonly be attributed to either too much haste in writing the manuscript, or insufficient time between finishing the manuscript and submission; this last problem seems the most common cause, as it deprives the author from reading his own text critically and with an open mind...

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study is aimed to investigate the prevalence of the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), types of CAMs used, as well as reasons and factors found in patients with neurological diseases or neurological disability. METHODS: An anonymous, self-administered survey was designed to collect information about demographics, personal medical history, CAM usage habits, and different opinions about CAM vs. conventional medicine (CM)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 causes moderate to severe illness and is spreading globally. During a pandemic, vitamins and minerals are vital to health. Therefore, the prevalence and epidemiology of supplement use in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic must be known. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia using an online survey. The study was conducted from June to March 2022 on both adults and children. The link to the survey was shared on social media platforms...

BACKGROUND: Older adults are increasingly lonely and at risk for hypertension. Endogenous oxytocin levels are associated with lowering blood pressure (BP), suggesting value in increasing oxytocin. Regular practice of Tai Chi improves BP and mood; we explored a single session of Tai Chi Easy (TCE) with older adults and feasibility of measuring oxytocin as a key biomarker. METHOD: In a single-arm pre-post design pilot study, 21 older adults (age 55-80) with mild-moderate hypertension practiced a single session (50-min) TCE...