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To illustrate the news of 2023 in integrative medicine, the authors summarized four particularly relevant studies. The first highlights one of the foundational principles of integrative medicine, describing the importance of respecting patient preference in the choice of a therapeutic approach, promoting their «empowerment». The second article proposes methodological recommendations to improve the scientific value of studies assessing the efficacy and mechanisms of non-pharmacological approaches. Finally, the last two articles are randomized studies designed to either demonstrate the feasibility and effect of hypnosis in geriatrics, or evaluate the efficacy of a several combined complementary approaches for cancer-related fatigue., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

To illustrate the novelties in integrative and complementary medicine in 2021, the authors present a selection of six articles. One of them is specifically related to COVID-19. The other articles deal with themes that are always relevant and where complementary approaches represent a real added value. Two articles focus on low back pain, a common problem in primary care medicine. The others examine acupuncture in the oncological context, the use of therapeutic suggestions in an operative context, and Tai Chi. The authors thus provide an overview of the range of possible complementary therapeutic approaches that are increasingly supported by evidence, inviting them to be better integrated into clinical practice., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Scientific research in integrative medicine has undergone significant development in recent years. Several studies published in 2020 focus on the management of chronic pain. Hypnosis has been shown to be as effective in analgesia as cognitive-behavioral therapy and therapeutic education. A study on chronic low back pain showed lower health care costs for patients using complementary medicine. Furthermore, the hypothesis of super responders to acupuncture treatment does not seem to be confirmed. Yoga could be a useful approach in the prevention of migraines. With respect to the management of COVID-19, the addition of traditional Chinese medicine to conventional treatments could reduce a number of symptoms and the length of hospital stays, although the quality of data is limited., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Different international clinical guidelines from expert committees recommend acupuncture on equal terms with conventional pharmacological or interventional techniques for the management of chronic pain. Thus, this traditional Chinese medicine technique has won its place in a primary care chronic pain management plan. It should not be reserved as a last resort, when all other techniques have failed. Inspired by the concept of integrative medicine, this article proposes an overview of currently validated indications, and offers some tools for the primary care physician who wishes to orient a patient towards an acupuncture treatment., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Integrative medicine combines the virtues of conventional medicine and complementary medicine in order to improve the quality of life of patients suffering from cancer. Thanks to a multidisciplinary and multi-professional team, the Center for integrative and complementary medicine (CEMIC) allows since 2017 cancer patients at CHUV to have access to certain therapies, for which there are sufficient data suggesting a benefit in terms of quality of life. The concepts of tolerance, safety, risk of interactions and potential adverse biological effects remain central. In this article, we discuss acupuncture, art therapy, mindfulness and some natural therapies that are encountered regularly., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Integrative medicine can usefully be applied to the care of patients suffering from chronic pain, when there is a good understanding of its framework. Integrative pain management relies on the following principles: considering globally all aspects of the person's life, creating a strong partnership with the patient, choosing treatments both from complementary and conventional medecine as long as they are relying on evidence and prioritizing therapeutic interventions that are the least invasive and costly for equal benefits. This article provides key elements to enhance a pain management plan through a holistic perspective. Amongst other practical tools, it offers a non exhaustive synthesis of validated therapeutic techniques based on recent reviews and clinical guidelines for different pain conditions., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Background: According to the Swiss hypothermia clinical staging, patients with stage III are unconscious with preserved vital signs, with core temperature usually between 24° and 28°C. With stage IV, vital signs are absent with core temperature <24°C., Aims: To describe a patient presenting with HT stage III with vital signs but a core temperature of <24°C, and to search for similar patients in the medical literature., Materials and Methods: MEDLINE was used to search for cases of deep accidental hypothermia (<24°C) and preserved vital signs., Results: We found 22 cases in addition to our case (n=23). Median age was 44 years (IQR 36; range 4-83) and median core temperature 22°C (IQR 1.7; 17-23.8). Vital signs were often minimal. Seven patients developed ventricular fibrillation (VF). Twenty patients survived with excellent neurological outcome., Conclusions: Vital signs can be present in hypothermic patients with core temperature <24°C. In deeply hypothermic patients, a careful check and prolonged check of vital functions should be made, as vital signs may be minimal. The clinical Swiss staging remains valuable in the prehospital evaluation of hypothermic patients; its correlation with core temperature should be better defined.