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There is an obvious mismatch between the high reported rates of use of traditional and complementary medicines (T&CM) by Australian cancer patients and cancer survivors and the low numbers of Australian cancer services integrating T&CM. An estimated 65% of Australian cancer patients use at least one form of T&CM. Over half use T&CM in conjunction with conventional cancer therapy. Yet, less than 20% of Australian hospital cancer care facilities provide access to T&CM. This compares to around 70% of UK cancer care facilities offering at least one T&CM therapy. Barriers to developing integrative oncology services include determining an appropriate service model and revenue structure; concerns with ethical and legal issues such as regulations and credentialing; and inadequate high-quality scientific evidence demonstrating safety and effectiveness, including concerns about the possibility of adversely affecting chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment. This paper aims to provide general guidance and practical strategies for those seeking to develop integrative oncology services in Australian cancer care facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, antimonial agents and other synthetic antileishmanial drugs, such as amphotericin B, paromomycin, and many other drugs, have restrictions in use due to the toxicity risk, high cost, and emerging resistance to these drugs. The present study aimed to review the antileishmanial effects of curcumin, its derivatives, and other relevant pharmaceutical formulations on leishmaniasis. Methods: The present study was carried out according to the 06-preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guideline and registered in the CAMARADES-NC3Rs Preclinical Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Facility (SyRF) database. Some English-language databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, EBSCO, Science Direct, and Scopus were searched for publications worldwide related to antileishmanial effects of curcumin, its derivatives, and other relevant pharmaceutical formulations, without date limitation, to identify all the published articles (in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies). Keywords included "curcumin", "Curcuma longa", "antileishmanial", "Leishmania", "leishmaniasis", "cutaneous leishmaniasis", "visceral leishmaniasis", "in vitro", and "in vivo". Results: Out of 5492 papers, 29 papers including 20 in vitro (69.0%), 1 in vivo (3.4%), and 8 in vitro/in vivo (27.6%) studies conducted up to 2020, met the inclusion criteria for discussion in this systematic review. The most common species of the Leishmania parasite used in these studies were L. donovani (n = 13, 44.8%), L. major (n = 10, 34.5%), and L. amazonensis (n = 6, 20.7%), respectively. The most used derivatives in these studies were curcumin (n = 15, 33.3%) and curcuminoids (n = 5, 16.7%), respectively. Conclusion: In the present review, according to the studies in the literature, various forms of drugs based on curcumin and their derivatives exhibited significant in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activity against different Leishmania spp. The results revealed that curcumin and its derivatives could be considered as an alternative and complementary source of valuable antileishmanial components against leishmaniasis, which had no significant toxicity. However, further studies are required to elucidate this concluding remark, especially in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dance/movement therapy (DMT) research requires creative and innovative thinking; this paper includes two parts demonstrating this. Part one describes and delves into the creative problem solving process undertaken over 2.5 years. Four main steps were followed towards developing an intervention session plan for a first-of-its-kind DMT study in treatment resistant depression: (i) Examining pre-existing knowledge: Reviewing insights gained from clinical practice and formal literature. (ii) Assessing the need for preliminary studies: This step demonstrates how to determine and navigate the potential need for preliminary studies in novel research. (iii) Integrating existing and new research: I discuss Watson's (Watson, Sociological Research Online 25:66–83, 2020) braiding technique and how it may help integrate insights from steps one and two. (iv) Reviewing outputs: This includes examining the developed session plan by conducting a fidelity and biases check. Each step presents reflective questions that ultimately contributed towards protocol development. The questions listed may also be a beneficial guide to novice DMT researchers embarking on novel research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Receiving a diagnosis of brain stem death poses significant challenges for families. While much research focuses on organ donation in the context of brain stem death, there is a notable dearth of studies examining the experiences of families themselves. The aim of this review is to explore the experiences of families facing brain stem death. Design: Systematic review. Method: A narrative synthesis was conducted, drawing on 11 studies that employed both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The search encompassed four electronic databases: AHMED (Allied and Complementary Medicine), Emcare (1995-present), MEDLINE (Ovid), and APA PsycInfo (Ovid). Due to the limited research on this topic, no restrictions were placed on the publication dates. Results: The synthesis revealed five main themes: The Unexpected Prognosis, Coming to Terms with Brain Stem Death—Grieving Process, Observing Brain Stem Death Testing, The Impact of Staff on Families' Experience, and The Lasting Impact. Conclusion: The review underscores the pervasive lack of understanding among families regarding the diagnosis and process of brain stem death, as well as the short- and long-term distress it can engender. There is a clear imperative to establish national or international protocols for brain stem death, ensuring more effective and consistent support for affected families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine from ancient times and adapted to modern medicine. One typical practice of acupuncture is putting pressure on specific sites (acupuncture points, or acupoints) in the body, called acupressure. Self-acupressure refers to people applying pressure on acupoints using fingers, palms, or special devices to themselves. It has been widely applied because of its convenience and effectiveness. However, localizing the acupoints in any acupuncture practice requires expert knowledge. Novices without any medical background typically find it difficult because of the lack of visual cues. Our previous prototype, FaceAtlasAR, stresses this issue by localizing and overlaying facial acupoints in the augmented reality (AR) context in real-time. This paper will present E-FaceAtlasAR, which extends FaceAtlasAR to show auricular zone maps in the meantime. The system first localizes facial acupoints and auricular zone map in an anatomical yet feasible way. Then, it overlays the requested acupoints and auricular zone maps on the ears in AR. We adopt Mediapipe, a cross-platform machine learning framework, to build the real-time pipeline that runs on desktop and Android phones. Also, we conducted extensive experiments to show its effectiveness and robustness. With this system, users, even not professionals, can position the acupoints quickly for their self-acupressure treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies bibliometric analysis to investigate the quantity and citation impact of scientific papers in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The data are collected from 19 CAM journals in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) database during 1980-2009, and 17,002 papers are identified for analysis. The study analyzes the document types, geographical and institutional distribution of the authorship, including international scientific collaboration. This study suggests that the major type of document is original article. The CAM papers are mostly published by North America, East Asia, and European countries, of which publications authored in East Asia are cited most. Country-wise, major contributors of CAM papers are from USA, People's Republic of China, India, England and Germany. India has the highest CPP value, attracting high attentions in CAM community. This article also finds that international co-authorship in the CAM field has increased rapidly during this period. In addition, internationally collaborated publications generate higher citation impact than papers published by authors from single country. Finally, the research identifies productive institutions in CAM, and China Medical University located in Taiwan is the most productive organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review was conducted to examine the efficacy of a range of treatments for autistic catatonia. The review identified 22 relevant papers, reporting a total of 28 cases including both adult and paediatric patients. Treatment methods included electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), medication, behavioural and sensory interventions. Quality assessment found the standard of the existing literature to be generally poor, with particular limitations in treatment description and outcome measurement. There is some limited evidence to support the use of ECT, high dose lorazepam and behavioural interventions for people with autistic catatonia. However, there is a need for controlled, high-quality trials. Reporting of side effects and adverse events should also be improved, in order to better evaluate the safety of these treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the potential mitigating effect of complementary medicine interventions such as acupuncture for radiation-induced toxicity is unknown. This study aimed to assess the impact of acupuncture on the incidence and degree of severity of common radiation-induced side effects. Methods: In accordance with pre-specified PICO criteria, a systematic review was performed. Two electronic databases (Medline and Embase) were searched over a 10-year time frame (01/01/10 to 30/09/20). Patients undergoing a curatively intended, radiation-based treatment for histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx, oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx and oral cavity represented the target population of our study. Accurate information on the acupuncture methodology was reported. All included articles were evaluated to identify any potential source of bias Results: Five papers were included in our qualitative analysis, for a total of 633 subjects. Compliance to per-protocol defined schedule of acupuncture sessions was high, ranging from 82 to 95.9%. Most patients (70.6%) were randomly allocated to receive acupuncture for its potential preventive effect on xerostomia. The large heterogeneity in study settings and clinical outcomes prevented from performing a cumulative quantitative analysis, thus no definitive recommendations can be provided. Conclusions: Although shown to be feasible and safe, no firm evidence currently supports the use of acupuncture for the routine management of radiation-induced toxicity in HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine methods for constipation in the pediatric population. Evidence acquisition: Medical literature search was performed in several databases for a variety of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in childhood constipation. Databases included Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google scholar and a number of Persian databases including IranDoc, Magiran and SID. No time limitation was determined. Clinical trials or case series that had evaluated the effectiveness of CAM therapies in functional constipation of 1–18 year old children were included. Papers not in English or Persian language were excluded. Related articles were screened independently by two reviewers according to their titles and abstracts. A data extraction form was filled in for each eligible paper. Quality assessment of eligible documents was also performed. Results: 30 studies were included, comprising 27 clinical trials and 3 case series. Ten documents were on herbal medicine, nine on traditional medicine, ten on manual therapies and one on homeopathy. Except for two herbal and one reflexology interventions, all studies reported positive effects on childhood constipation, with the majority being statistically significant. As the number of studies in each method was limited, we could not perform a meta-analysis. Conclusion: The scarcity of research on the efficacy and safety of different types of complementary and alternative medicine methods in children with constipation necessitates conducting more studies in each field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this systematic review is to appraise existing literature on the effects of treatments for antenatal depression on the neurodevelopment outcomes of the offspring. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify studies on different kinds of treatments for antenatal depression (antidepressants and alternative therapies) and their effects on infants' neurodevelopment. After reading the title, abstract, or full text and applying exclusion criteria, a total of 22 papers were selected. Nineteen papers studied the effects of antidepressant drugs, one on docosahexanoic acid (DHA) (fish oil capsules) and two on massage therapy; however, no studies used a randomized controlled design, and in most studies, the control group comprise healthy women not exposed to depression. Comparisons between newborns exposed to antidepressants in utero with those not exposed showed significant differences in a wide range of neurobehavioral outcomes, although in many cases, these symptoms were transient. Two studies found a slight delay in psychomotor development, and one study found a delay in mental development. Alternative therapies may have some benefits on neurodevelopmental outcomes. Our review suggests that antidepressant treatment may be associated with some neurodevelopmental changes, but we cannot exclude that some of these effects may be due to depression per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) is a tropical plant of Asian origin, which is now extensively cultivated in Africa, with Nigeria and Cameroon providing 60% of the worldwide production. Despite the economic role and long history of taro in Africa, there is no structured information available on the morphological diversity, cultivation, trade, culinary, and medicinal uses associated with this crop in Africa. This paper presents the results of a literature review of taro in Africa using the references stored in the Prelude database of African medicinal plants, to provide a more comprehensive picture of the current scientific knowledge on the utilization of this crop. Our results include information found in the African floras, published papers, as well as in the gray literature sources, and they show that taro is not only a food crop known under a large diversity of names that vary by region, but it is also widely used as a medicinal plant to cure human and animal diseases. The many local names applied to taro almost never have a correspondent morphological description in the literature. Combined genetic and ethnobotanical studies of this crop in Africa are needed to link cultivars to cultivation techniques, medicinal and culinary uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ibogaine is a psychotropic indole alkaloid extracted from the roots of the Tabernanthe iboga shrub from the Apocynaceae family. Depending on the taken dose, it can lead to stimulant effects, euphoria, visual and auditory hallucinations, along with auditory, olfactory, and gustatory synesthesia. In addition to its historical usage in spiritual rituals of African tribes, these days iboga extract presents a prohibited, alternative drug widely used as a part of addiction treatment. Ibogaine used in opioid withdrawal is associated with serious side effects and sudden deaths. Besides its main use as an anti-addiction medication in alternative medicine, in moderate doses (from 100mg to 1g) ibogaine most commonly causes a "trance-like state". In this paper, we report the case of a heroin addict who died suddenly 5-12 hours after oral ingestion of powder labeled Tabernanthe iboga which had been bought online and used in the process of detoxification during an addiction treatment. The man was found dead in a rented apartment, where he was undergoing the addiction treatment. External examination revealed no lesions other than nonspecific injuries on the legs. The autopsy showed congestion of internal organs and pulmonary edema. Histopathological analysis of the heart showed neither macroscopic nor microscopic abnormalities. The concentration of ibogaine was 3.26mg/L. Moreover, systematic toxicological analyses of biological samples showed the presence of morphine and codeine. These data suggest that death, which occurred unnaturally after initiation of the "treatment", was probably the result of the cardiovascular effects caused by the ibogaine powder. The presented case highlights the worldwide problem of various products being widely available over the internet and the danger associated with consumption thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anterior knee pain is a chronic condition that presents frequently to sport medicine clinics, and can have a long-term impact on participation in physica activity. Conceivably, effective early management may prevent chronicit and facilitate physical activity. Although a variety of nonsurgical interven' tions have been advocated, previous systematic reviews have consistenty been unable to reach conclusions to support their use. Considering a decade has lapsed since publication of the most recent data in these reviews, it is timely to provide an updated synthesis of the literature to assist sports medicine practitioners in making informed, evidence-based decisions. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the evidence for non- surgical interventions for anterior knee pain. A comprehensive search strategy was used to search MEDLINE, EM- BASE, CINAHL® and Pre-CINAHL®, PEDro, PubMed, SportDiscus®, Web of Science®, BIOSIS Previews®, and the full Cochrane Library, while reference lists of included papers and previous systematic reviews were hand searched. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were randomized clinical trials that used a measure of pain to evaluate at least one nonsurgical inter- vention over at least 2 weeks in participants with anterior knee pain. A modified version of the PEDro scale was used to rate methodological quality and risk of bias. Effect size calculation and meta-analyses were based on random effects models. Of 48 suitable studies, 27 studies with low-to-moderate risk of bias were included. There was minimal opportunity for meta-analysis because of heterogeneity of interventions, comparators and follow-up times. Meta- analysis of high-quality clinical trials supports the use of a 6-week multimodal physiotherapy programme (standardized mean difference [SMD] 1.08, 95% CI 0.73, 1.43), but does not support the addition of electromyography bio- feedback to an exercise programme in the short-term (4 weeks: SMD -0.21, 95% CI -0.64,0.21; 8-12 weeks: SMD -0.22,95% CI -0.65, 0.20). Individual study data showed beneficial effects for foot orthoses with and without multimodal physiotherapy (vs flat inserts), exercise (vs control), closed chain exercises (vs open chain exercises), patella taping in conjunction with exercise (vs exercise alone) and acupuncture (vs control). Findings suggest that, in implementing evidence-based practice for the nonsurgical management of anterior knee pain, sports medicine practitioners should prescribe local, proximal and distal components of multimodal physiotherapy in the first instance for suitable patients, and then consider foot orthoses or acupuncture as required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among refugees, despite the common practice of CAM in many non-Western countries. We performed a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature using nine electronic databases. We included articles pertaining to refugees and CAM (whole medical systems, mind body medicine, herbal remedies, manipulative therapies, energy medicine). Qualitative and quantitative data were compiled and analyzed through descriptive statistics and chi square distribution tables. We reviewed 237 abstracts, and 47 publications met our inclusion criteria. Twenty-six papers documented whole medical systems; 11 mind-body medicine; 5 biologically based practices; 4 manipulative and body-based therapies; and 1 study documented the use of energy medicine. There were 3 clinical trials, 20 surveys, 12 case reports, 2 participant-observer qualitative papers, and 10 review papers. Most studies focused on Asian refugee populations (66%; n = 31). Mental problems related to trauma accounted for 36% of CAM use (17). Among included articles, methodological quality was extremely low. Our results show evidence that type of CAM used by refugees may vary based on ethnicity, yet this is most likely due to a bias in the medical literature. Efforts are needed to further explore these results and expand research within this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional practices constituting spiritual and religious (S/R) healing are an important component of the holistic healthcare model and are used in health, well-being, and treating a variety of diseases around the world. The main focus of this review is to summarize the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) studies that especially target S/R healing practices in Saudi Arabia (SA) and discuss the results in light of relevant international literature. From year 2013–2017, electronic searches of PubMed, OvidSP, Google Scholar, and two publishing housing Web sites (Sciencedomain.com and Dove Medical Press.com) were made using key words and Boolean operators and retrieved thousands of published papers from peer-reviewed journals. Two independent reviewers decided to include a total of 108 articles: 48 from SA and 60 from other international literature. The sociodemographic variables of the participants varied in local studies and were comparable with international data. The frequency and types of religious and spiritual practices reported in local and international zones varied in accordance with religious belief, gender, age, education, and prevalent chronic diseases. Most of professionals and practitioners showed fairly good knowledge and positive attitude toward spiritual and religious practices used in diverse clinical and non-clinical situations across the world. Furthermore, it was observed that in the international scenario, S/R researches using specific religious screening tools have been conducted on different aspects of clinical application including self-care, social cohesion, negative impact, and child development, whereas regional studies targeting varied participants mainly focused on the epidemiological trends of S/R therapies in Saudi Arabia. CAM practitioners and public tend to show great interest in prescribed and self-use of religious and spiritual therapies across the world because of multiple dynamic forces, including positive effects on health, sense of well-being and disease control, cost-effectiveness, easy access to services, and improvement in quality of life. Further studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of different types of religious and spiritual therapies and practices used in specific diseases, their role in promotion of health and well-being, and prevention of diseases nationwide and across the world. Besides integration of S/R into mainstream treatment modalities, medical education curriculum, continuous medical education, and training programs are needed for bridging the knowledge, attitude, and practice gaps concerning CAM in targeted population groups such as medical professionals, CAM practitioners, medical students, public and traditional healers, not only in SA but also around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Braillon raises some points for discussion in response to our paper " I The use of complementary medicine in palliative care in France: an observational cross-sectional study i " [[1]]. Given the surprisingly high prevalence of CM use, we have also raised the question presented by Braillon regarding the degree to which the findings from our study are reflective of health service use patterns across France. [Extracted from the article]

Building upon the World Health Organization's recent publication WHO Strategy for Traditional Medicine (WHO 2002), this paper examines the historical position of "traditional medicines" at their intersection with the development and modernization of a biomedically based health care system in Turkey. This paper considers how the historical development of Turkey's health care system, as a prominent site for the articulation of the state's broader modernization project, sustained particular formulations of subjectivity and citizenship that were defined in opposition to a set of cultural practices and modes of religious-political authority represented by "traditional medicines." Consequently, projects and policies seeking to formally integrate "complementary" or "alternative" therapies directly confront this past and the various ways in which it is reenacted in constituting the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although acupuncture is a primary treatment for urologic disorders in China, this is not always the case throughout the world. The purpose of this paper is to expose the benefits of acupuncture as both a primary and complementary treatment. Specific treatments for multiple urologic conditions are presented in this paper as a guideline. It is important to realize that there are additional useful treatments that belong to other acupuncture types and traditions. In our experience, acupuncture has been a useful treatment modality for urologic conditions. Patients have responded positively, having choices in their treatment with a modality that is associated with minimal side effects and knowing that traditional urologic treatments are available if needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is the major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Matter of fact, untreated hypertension can worsen the overall health, whereas pharmacotherapy can play an important role in lowering the risk of high blood pressure in hypertensive patients. However, persistent uncontrolled hypertension remains an unsolved condition characterized by non-adherence to medication and increased sympathetic activity. This paper will review the non-pharmacological treatments for resistant hypertension (RH) that have emerged in recent years. In addition, the technologies developed in device-based RH therapy, as well as the clinical trials that support their use, will be discussed. Indeed, the novel device-based approaches that target RH present a promising therapy which has been supported by several studies and clinical trials, whereas drug non-adherence and high sympathetic activity are known to be the main causes of RH. Nevertheless, some additional aspects of these RH systems need to be tested in the near future, with a particular focus on the device's design and availability of randomized controlled trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic minority populations have been identified as high users of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM). This paper reports the systematic review of TCAM use amongst ethnic minorities. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in Ovid, PubMed and CINAHL. Included studies were original, peer-reviewed, English language articles with the primary focus on TCAM use amongst ethnic minority populations. A total of 17 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. A considerable level of TCAM use was observed amongst ethnic minority populations usually attributed to its perceived safe and natural properties. Ethnic minority populations predominantly used TCAM concurrently with conventional medicine and primary TCAM referral sources were family and friends. A substantial level of TCAM integration with conventional medicine is common practice amongst these populations and the lack of disclosure about TCAM use raises an important area for further research inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Officially recognized as an Indigenous System of Medicine in India, Unani has been intimately connected to Muslim culture in South Asia. However, this connection has been downplayed by the government of India, which stressed the secular character of Unani and its Greek origins. Hijamah, or cupping therapy, is considered to be part of the regimental therapies of Unani medicine. Because hijamah has been mentioned in several Hadiths, it is also considered prophetic medicine. After what seems to be a long neglect of hijamah in the practice of Unani medicine, various hakims (Unani practitioners) are now promoting this therapy as a "forgotten Sunna." This paper attends to the revival of hijamah in India at the intersections of Unani and prophetic medicine through an examination of clinical practices and advertisements. It argues that this revival is contributing to a re-Islamization of Unani medicine. The article suggests that this development is not just the product of an interest among Muslims in India to live according to the Sunna, but it is also influenced by the global market of Complementary and Alternative Medicine which the government of India seeks to lead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the vein and dispersed carbonates from ejecta of mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan. The vein calcites are morphologically diverse and related to the healing of fracture systems. Most of them have δ13C (from –4 to +2‰) and δ18O (from +20 to +26‰) typical of marine carbonates. Some volcanoes contain fragments of the vein calcites enriched in light carbon (δ13C from –49.2 to –6‰), which could be formed in methane seep discharge sites during the Caspian Sea highstand period. In the dispersed carbonates from the clay pulp, the values of δ13C and δ18O change from –6.1 to +11.9‰ and from +23.8 to +32.7‰, respectively. It is shown that the studied carbonate matter has no genetic relation with the modern mud volcanic waters, which are characterized by high concentrations of (up to 8 g/L) and values of δ13C(TDIC) (δ13Cav= +20.0‰) and δ18O(H2O) (δ18Oav= +4.0‰). Based on isotope characteristics and REE patterns, the vein calcites can be ascribed to the products of seawater-assisted postsedimentation transformation of sedimentary carbonates. The obtained data revealed a complete hydrodynamic isolation of mud volcanic channels from aquiferous complexes of host rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women are over-represented within alternative medicine, both as consumers and as service providers. In this paper, I show that the appeal of alternative medicine to women relates to the neglect of women's health needs within scientific medicine. This is concerning because alternative medicine is severely limited in its therapeutic effects; therefore, those who choose alternative therapies are liable to experience inadequate healthcare. I argue that while many patients seek greater autonomy in alternative medicine, the absence of an evidence base and plausible mechanisms of action leaves patients unable to realize meaningful autonomy. This seems morally troubling, especially given that the neglect of women's needs within scientific medicine seems to contribute to preferences for alternative medicine. I conclude that the liberatory credentials of alternative medicine should be questioned and make recommendations to render scientific medicine better able to meet the needs of typical alternative medicine consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjective probabilities play a significant role in the assessment of evidence: in other words, our background knowledge, or pre-trial beliefs, cannot be set aside when new evidence is being evaluated. Focusing on homeopathy, this paper investigates the nature of pre-trial beliefs in clinical trials. It asks whether pre-trial beliefs of the sort normally held only by those who are sympathetic to homeopathy can legitimately be disregarded in those trials. The paper addresses several surprisingly unsuccessful attempts to provide a satisfactory justification for ignoring the pre-trial beliefs of the homeopathic community. The ensuing diagnosis of the difficulties here emphasizes that the reason the arguments for choosing the pre-trial beliefs of the conventional community seem insufficient is not the arguments per se. It is rather that there is no cogent argument for choosing the conventional stance which would at the same time rationally persuade a member of the homeopathic community. The paper concludes that, once we understand that this is the predicament, there is no genuine reason to doubt the reasoning that leads us to reject the pre-trial beliefs of the homeopathic community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the medical (salutogenic) effect of interventions that aim to improve quality of life. Review of studies where the global quality of life in chronically ill patients was improved independently of subjective and objective factors (like physical and mental health, yearly income, education, social network, self-esteem, sexual ability and problems or work). The methods used were subtypes of integrative medicine (non-drug CAM) like mind body medicine, body psychotherapy, clinical holistic medicine, consciousness-based medicine and sexology. In about 20 papers on QOL as medicine, in cancer, coronary heart disease, chronic pain, mental illness, sexual dysfunction, low self-esteem, low working ability and poor QOL, the most successful intervention strategy seems to be to create a maternal, infantile bonding induced by a combination of conversation therapy and bodywork. The papers examined the treatments of over 2,000 chronically ill or dysfunctional patients and more than 20 different types of health problems . Global QOL measured by SEQOL, QOL5, QOL1, self-rated physical health, self-rated mental health, self-rated sexual functioning, anorgasmia, genital pain, self-rated working ability, self-rated relation to self, well-being, life-satisfaction, happiness, fulfillment of needs, experience of temporal and spatial domains, expression of life's potentials, and objective functioning. We found 'QOL as medicine' able in the treatment of physical disorders and illnesses including chronic pain (Number Needed to Treat (NNT) = 1-3, Number Needed to Harm (NNH) > 500), in mental illness (NNT = 1-3, NNH > 500), in sexual dysfunctions (NNT = 1-2, NNH > 1,000), self-rated low working ability (NNT = 2, NNH > 500), and self-rated low QOL (NNT = 2, NNH > 2,000). We found that QOL improving interventions helped or cured 30-90% of the patients, typically within one year, independent of the type of health problem. 'QOL as medicine' seems to be able in improving chronic mental, somatic and sexual health issues without side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The originators of the Miami drug court incorporated acupuncture into the substance abuse treatment regimen that has been widely imitated in hundreds of drug courts since 1989. Although there is some evidence to suggest that acupuncture may be an effective adjunct to treatment more generally, research has not yet examined its role and impact in the drug court setting. This paper describes an effort to study the impact of acupuncture on offender behavior and progress in treatment in the Clark County, (Las Vegas) Nevada Drug Court using a prospective modified experiment, where 336 new participants were randomly assigned to acupuncture and no-acupuncture conditions. However, significant treatment contamination hindered straightforward analysis, as nearly 40% of the control group received at least some acupuncture. To compensate for the treatment compliance problem, two-stage least-squares (2SLS) regression is employed with original group assignment as an instrumental variable and acupuncture exposure as a predictor. Results indicate no significant difference along a range of criminal justice and treatment outcomes, with the exception of one measure of treatment progress. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings and the need to design studies that are better able to separate the effects of acupuncture from other treatment and court interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the significance of the positive and negative aesthetic qualities of different therapies--in other words, how "pleasant" (a term that is elaborated in the paper) it is to undergo various treatments. Interviews were conducted with patients undergoing three forms of healing for mental illness and related problems in the state of Kerala in southern India--ayurvedic (indigenous) psychiatry, allopathic (biomedical) psychiatry, and religious healing. Informants revealed concerns about the aesthetic process of therapy, reporting adverse reactions to allopathic treatments and in some cases asserting that they enjoyed ayurvedic procedures. Some informants with long-term illnesses had chosen to live in the process of therapy and reside indefinitely in the aesthetically engaging environment of a mosque, temple, or church after pursuing medical therapies for years. Thus considerations of the quality of the process of therapy also call for an examination of the limitations of the concept of "cure" for describing what is accomplished in healing in some therapeutic settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are frequently criticised for being based on faith rather than scientific evidence. Despite this, researchers, academic departments, and institutes teach and investigate them. This article assesses whether the scholarship produced by four CAMs is valued by the academic community in terms of citations, and whether the level of citations received might be detrimental to academic authors' careers. Based on an analysis of acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, and osteopathy journal articles indexed in Scopus 1996–2020, the results show that the prevalence of the four areas vary substantially internationally, with acupuncture eclipsing the others in East Asia but homeopathy being more common in India and Brazil. The main broad fields publishing these specialties are Medicine, Nursing, Health Professions, Veterinary Science, and Neuroscience. Whilst the research tends to be cited at a below average rate in most broad fields (n = 27) and years (1996–2017), acupuncture, chiropractic, and homeopathy are exceptions in some broad fields, including some core areas. Thus, studying these alternative medicines may not always lead to research that tends to be ignored in academia, even if many scientists disparage it. As a corollary, citation analysis cannot be relied on to give low scores to widely disparaged areas of scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of the symbolic meanings implicit in an ostensibly empirical therapeutic system. The Shakers, a celibate communal religious order founded in New York State in the mid 1770s, were practitioners of botanic medicine, as were many other Americans in the nineteenth century. This study analyzes the therapeutic properties of the herbs they produced (such as diuretic, stimulant, narcotic, emetic, astringent), using a classification scheme based on the location of the botanical substance's effect vis-à-vis body boundaries and surfaces. The Shakers' beliefs about the therapeutic properties of their herbs are compared with similar analyses of the properties given by two contemporary nineteenth century New England proponents of herbal medicine, botanist Constantine Rafinesque and sectarian practitioner Samuel Thomson. The comparison shows systematic variation in emphasis given to herbs which regulate internal body processes, or act through the openings of the body or on its surface. In this context Shaker medicine can be characterized as quickening, internal, and purifying in its effects on body processes, effects which are highly consistent with Shaker religious beliefs in active, physical worship, selflessness and spiritual purification by confession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the recognised high prevalence of migraines among bank employees, yet their healthcare utilisation patterns and the economic burden of migraines remain underexplored. Aim: To examine migraine-related healthcare utilisation among bank employees in China, and to estimate the economic burden of migraines. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Guizhou province, China between May and October 2022. The HARDSHIP questionnaire was used to identify migraine-positive individuals and enquire about their healthcare utilisation and productivity losses. A probabilistic decision-analytic model with a micro-costing approach was used to estimate the economic burden from the perspectives of the healthcare system, employers, and society. All costs were expressed in 2022 United States dollars. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: Nearly half of individuals with migraines reported not seeking medical care. Only 21.8% reported seeking outpatient consultations, 52.5% reported taking medicines, and 27.1% reported using complementary therapies. Chronic migraine patients had significantly higher healthcare utilisation than episodic migraine patients. Among individuals with a monthly migraine frequency of 15 days or more, 63.6% took inappropriate treatments by excessively using acute medications. Migraines in the banking sector in Guizhou cost the healthcare system a median of $7,578.0 thousand (25th to 75th percentile $4,509.2–$16,434.9 thousand) per year, employers $89,750.3 thousand (25th to 75th percentile $53,211.6–$151,162.2 thousand), and society $108,850.3 thousand (25th to 75th percentile $67,370.1–$181,048.6 thousand). The median societal cost per patient-year is $3,078.1. Migraine prevalence and productivity losses were identified as key cost drivers. Conclusions: The study points to the need to raise awareness of migraines across all stakeholders and to improve the organisation of the migraine care system. A substantial economic burden of migraines on the healthcare system, employers, and society at large was highlighted. These cost estimates offer evidence-based benchmarks for assessing economic savings from improved migraine management, and can also draw the attention of Chinese policymakers to prioritise migraine policies within the banking and other office-based occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The rising use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) means oncologists are increasingly asked by patients to discuss CAM treatment options. However, no formal training or established standards are available on the subject. The aim of this paper was to investigate real-world discussions of CAM treatments. In particular, we wanted to learn about the values, norms and defining features that characterise oncologist-patient discussions on CAM.Methods: Semi-standardised interviews with 17 oncologists were analysed using interpretation pattern analysis combined with thematic analysis.Results: Advice on CAM is seen by oncologists as an important service they provide to their patients, even though their knowledge of the subject is often limited. Many interviewees mentioned an apparent lack of scientific proof, especially when their aim was to warn patients against the use of CAM. Discussions on CAM tend to reflect the idea that CAM belongs 'to another world', and judging by the interviews with oncologists, this notion appears to be shared by patients and oncologists alike.Conclusions: Oncologists require reliable information on CAM and would profit from training in the communication of CAM treatment options to patients. Knowing scientific data on CAM would also lower barriers stemming from the view that CAM belongs 'to another world'. Under- and postgraduate education programmes should include training on how to respond to requests addressing possible CAM options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic migraine is a disabling condition that impacts multiple aspects of migraineurs' lives. Although pharmacological treatments can help to treat the pain associated with migraine headache, chronic migraineurs often experience side-effects of pharmacological treatments. Those experiences may contribute to the observed growth in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among migraineurs. Relatively little is known about the patterns of CAM treatment and the characteristics of chronic migraineurs. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate the characteristics of chronic migraineurs who use CAM treatment and the relationship among satisfaction with current CAM use, negative life impact, migraine outcomes, and psychiatric comorbidities among chronic migraineurs. Methods: 2907 participants were recruited from a well-known online migraine headache resource. All participants were US adults aged 18 years or older. Migraineurs are referred to this website through various routes (e.g., referral from healthcare providers, internet search, obtaining information from research papers, personal invitation from other users, and information shared on social media etc.). Participants completed a 30-min self-report-survey in the spring of 2014. Results: Almost half of the participants reported that they are currently using more than three different CAM treatments even though the majority of the participants reported neutral or dissatisfied with their current CAM treatment. Chronic migraineurs who use CAM treatments were more likely to experience prolonged or frequent migraine headaches (p = .018, η = .0021), and experience greater negative life impact from their headaches (p = .000, η = .0172) compared to non-CAM users. CAM treatment satisfaction was inversely related to the number of psychiatric comorbidities, frequency of migraines, and number of migraine symptoms (p's < .05). However, CAM treatment satisfaction was more strongly correlated with migraine outcomes than psychiatric comorbidities. Conclusions: Chronic migraineurs often pursue multiple CAM treatments in spite of low levels of satisfaction with those treatments. Patients who experience relief from traditional treatments are less likely to seek the out additional CAM treatments. Thus it is often the sicker migraine patients who use CAM. More attention is needed to consider migraine treatment resistance, and psychological factors in planning the treatment of chronic migraineurs as those factors may play an important role in treatment choices by patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the key ideas from Dana Zeidler's paper I expand the conversation from the standpoint that the challenges facing humanity and the capacity of Earth to support life suggest that changes in human lifestyles are a priority. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to educate all humans about some of the science-related grand challenges, such as global warming and wellness. The key is to enact programs that have relevance to all citizens, irrespective of: age, location, language proficiency, economic resources, religion, gender, sexual preference, and level of prior education. Since significant changes are needed in human lifestyles the current emphasis on preK-12 science education needs to be expanded to cover all humans and the places in which education occurs should be everywhere. I explore the use of a multilogical framework to conceptualize science and thereby transform science education in ways that better relate to priorities of wellness and harmony in the ecosystems that sustain life on Earth. I illustrate the potential of multilogicality in a context of complementary medicine, using three frameworks: Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient system of medicine; a diet to reduce inflammation; and iridology. Use of a multilogical framework to conceptualize science provides opportunities for science education to focus on education for literate citizenry (birth-death) and responsible action, connect to the massive challenges of the present, and select content that has high relevance to sustainability, wellness, and well-being at local, national, and global levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess and compare health information wanted and obtained from doctors/nurses by Chinese cancer patients and family caregivers.Research Questions: (1) What are the instrument's psychometrics in Chinese cancer patients and family caregivers? (2) How might Chinese cancer patients and family caregivers differ in the amount of different types of health information they want to have? and (3) How might Chinese cancer patients and family caregivers differ in the amount of different types of information they were able to obtain from doctors/nurses?Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using a paper-pen questionnaire. A total of 198 participants (79 cancer patients; 119 family caregivers) from a general hospital in Sichuan, China completed the instrument in March 2014.Results: The instrument has excellent reliability and validity. Participants wanted to have a wide range of health information, including but not limited to information about diagnosis or treatment. Across all types of information, participants obtained from doctors/nurses significantly less than what they wanted. The discrepancy between information wanted and obtained varied across different types of information. The discrepancy was largest for information about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and psychosocial aspects and smallest for information about diagnosis and self-care. Patients and caregivers did not differ in the amount of different types of information they wanted or obtained from medical professionals.Conclusions: There is a great need for providing more information to both patients and their families, particularly information about CAM and psychosocial aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In, this paper, I explore the need for particular types of interdisciplinarity, which I refer to as technical heteroglossia, in the face of neoliberal political and economic disenfranchisement. I examine the case of a group of medics (EMTs, nurses, and lay medical practitioners) known as street medics and their efforts to provide a working set of medical protocols for protesters, victims of natural disasters, and, more generally, communities resisting neoliberalism, militarism, and corporate power. To function, this network has had to explicitly embrace multiple medical traditions: allopathic (sometimes called Western), Chinese, herbalist, naturopathic, etc. Being able to speak within multiple traditions (medical heteroglossia) is deeply valued. I also recount the history of the medics and discuss at length the contextual forces that pull medics in different directions: allopathic medicine and more varied and unorthodox practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases affecting the health of human beings. With limited therapeutic options available, complementary and alternative medicine has been widely adopted in cancer management and is increasingly becoming accepted by both patients and healthcare workers alike. Chinese medicine characterized by its unique diagnostic and treatment system is the most widely applied complementary and alternative medicine. It emphasizes symptoms and ZHENG (syndrome)-based treatment combined with contemporary disease diagnosis and further stratifies patients into individualized medicine subgroups. As a representative cancer with the highest degree of malignancy, pancreatic cancer is traditionally classified into the "amassment and accumulation". Emerging perspectives define the core pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer as "dampness-heat" and the respective treatment "clearing heat and resolving dampness" has been demonstrated to prolong survival in pancreatic cancer patients, as has been observed in many other cancers. This clinical advantage encourages an exploration of the essence of dampness-heat ZHENG (DHZ) in cancer and investigation into underlying mechanisms of action of herbal formulations against dampness-heat. However, at present, there is a lack of understanding of the molecular characteristics of DHZ in cancer and no standardized and widely accepted animal model to study this core syndrome in vivo. The shortage of animal models limits the ability to uncover the antitumor mechanisms of herbal medicines and to assess the safety profile of the natural products derived from them. This review summarizes the current research on DHZ in cancer in terms of the clinical aspects, molecular landscape, and animal models. This study aims to provide comprehensive insight that can be used for the establishment of a future standardized ZHENG-based cancer animal model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated parent reports of use of special education and support services, use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), use of past and current complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments, non-use of CAM treatments, willingness, and unwillingness to use CAM treatments, reasons for use and non-use of CAM treatments, and perceptions of EBPs and CAM treatments in their children's functioning. We collected data from a total of 166 parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through a web-based survey. 94% of the parents reported lifetime use of at least one CAM treatment. Parents weighed on a wide variety of factors in decision-making. CAM treatments use was positively associated with parental educational level, length of time since ASD diagnosis, and child's ASD severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to investigate the content of biologically active compounds producing an antioxidant effect in Plantago maxima and their influence on main mechanisms of dietary obesity development. Methods: Biologically active compounds in P. maxima were tested using paper chromatography. In in vivo experiment, high-fat-fed Wistar rats obtained P. maxima water extract for 3 months. Morphometric parameters, weight gain, serum adipokines, and cytokines, as well as oxidative stress biomarkers in rats' tissues were evaluated. Gut microflora was also examined. Results: Plantago maxima leaves used in the experiment contained significant amount of flavonoids, iridoids, phenol carboxylic acids, and tannins and ascorbic acid. Our in vivo experiment data demonstrate that P. maxima water extract prevents excessive adiposity in a diet-induced model. P. maxima consumption reduced serum leptin (twofold), macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (sevenfold), tumor-necrosis factor-α (25 %), and interleukine-6 (26 %) levels. P. maxima water extract decreased adipose tissue oxidative stress biomarkers in rats fed a high-fat diet. In addition, increased bacterial growth in the diet-induced obesity model was reversed by the P. maxima extract treatment. Conclusion: Plantago maxima water extract possessed antiadipogenic, antidiabetic, antiinflammatory, antioxidant activity, and normalized gut microflora in a rat model of diet-induced excessive adiposity due to a high content of biologically active compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychomotor agitation is often associated with aggression. It is important to identify agitation early and achieve results quickly in order to prevent aggressive behavior. Strategies may include verbal de-escalation techniques, reduced stimulation, medications, or a combination of approaches. Historically, pharmacological treatments for agitation have been delivered using oral and intramuscular formulations. Although the types of medication available have not changed dramatically, different formulations have been developed recently to aid in treating this difficult condition. This paper will detail some of the newer, more novel formulations used to deliver medications to treat agitation. Formulations to be described include orally disintegrating tablets, sublingual, buccal and intranasal forms, as well as an inhalation form. Each form has a unique purpose and will aid in treatment of different populations at different levels of agitation. Of note, of the medication formulations to be discussed, only inhaled loxapine is FDA approved for acute agitation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and no medications are approved for ‘agitation’ outside of a specific disease state. The orally disintegrating tablets of olanzapine, risperidone, and aripiprazole are swallowed and enter the circulation via the portal system. They do not have a more rapid onset of action than the standard oral tablets but are useful for patients that might otherwise divert the medication. The sublingual, buccal and intranasal formulations include asenapine and midazolam. Absorption by this route is more rapid and avoids first-pass metabolism. Finally, inhaled loxapine enters the alveoli and appears quickly in the arterial circulation. All of these novel formulations require at least some cooperation but have the potential to prevent escalation and improve the experience of patients and could be considered when negotiation is possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]