Seminars in Integrative Medicine最新文献

Homeopathy is frequently confused with holistic medicine and with herbal products. The latter is particularly problematic when homeopathic medicines are made from herbs with which they share the same nomenclature. However, homeopathy differs in both toxicity and therapeutic paradigm with important implications for use and future research. The article illustrates this with cases and a review of the history of homeopathy.

There is some evidence-based research regarding risk factors and prevention of breast cancer in women, but relatively less information about the maintenance and improvement in health for women living with breast cancer. Studies show an increase in body mass index (BMI) may lead to a poorer prognosis of breast cancer or may be associated with advanced stages of breast cancer. Exercise and dietary restriction decrease body mass index in women with breast cancer.

Fatigue had been recognized as an almost universal side effect of cancer. The impact of cancer related fatigue (CRF) on quality of life (QOL) and the ability to carry out activities of daily living (ADL) has profound implications for patients who experience a notable decline in functional ability during cancer treatment. Exercise is one of the few interventions that has been used to decrease CRF.

Prior studies on the effect of exercise in patients diagnosed with breast cancer have assessed subjects who were sedentary throughout treatment; however problems faced by physically active people with breast cancer are somewhat different. There exists a wide range of activity in this population.

Breast cancer patients who exercise have reported decreased levels of anxiety and depression while mood is elevated overall. Moderate exercise instead of vigorous exercise is preferable to patients and results in increased compliance. Individual versus group exercise programs (or physical therapy interventions) are less costly and less demanding.

There are significant differences in the dimensions of quality of life across different clinical stages of breast cancer which may be influenced by several interventions reviewed.

Psoriasis is a chronic, relapsing skin disease that has been known for thousands of years. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) first described psoriasis 1600 years ago. The precise etiology and pathogenesis of psoriasis are not known, although there are many hypotheses. Several commonly accepted points of view in TCM for the etiopathogenesis of psoriasis exist. These include syndromes of blood and wind heat, blood stasis, blood deficiency-dryness, and fire-toxin heat. In all cases, the physician should pay attention to the color of psoriatic lesions. While suffering from psoriasis, the liver and kidneys are specifically affected, and the insufficiency of these two organs is reflected on the level of blood and nourishment. Physiotherapy is the main therapeutic method of TCM for treatment of psoriasis and is directed to eliminate the stagnation and activation of blood. Several methods of treating psoriasis with acupuncture are described in this article. These include the following: choosing points according to the syndromes, choosing points according to the location of lesions, which points should be treated in all patients suffering from psoriasis, bloodletting from the root of the ear and from the three kui points, application of a plum-blossom needle, and cupping therapy. The important place of auriculotherapy in the treatment of psoriasis is also reviewed.

The explanatory models used in Chinese traditional medicine dramatically differ from those in Western scientific medicine. Acquisition of a foreign conceptual medical vocabulary is required in order to grasp its logic. Such terms as yin-yang, qi, moisture, blood, shen, jing, and the organ networks known as the liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidney constitute the theoretical foundation upon which Chinese medicine is based.

Acupuncture has been continuously employed as a form of primary healthcare for two millenia. Mounting evidence of its usefulness in the West has enhanced acupuncture’s credibility and contributed to its increasing popularity in the United States today. Similarly, the study and clinical application of Chinese medicinal herbs is also expanding. Chinese traditional medicine is becoming a valuable addition to a healthcare system seeking to promote better health and quality of life.

A placebo is an inert substance or a pseudo-therapeutic procedure believed to have no biological effect on health. Perplexed researchers and clinicians have observed powerful therapeutic effects experienced by patients receiving these inactive treatments. These desirable “placebo effects” are an outgrowth of the skilled application of the therapeutic arts and the mobilization of natural, intrinsic healing powers. This article reviews how healthcare professionals can modify the environment, treatments or professional practices to add therapeutic value to their interventions while tapping into the patients’ innate ability to help comfort and heal themselves.

It is the restoration of the physical and psychological functional capacities of individuals who have suffered functional losses because of traumatic injury or illness that is at the essence of rehabilitation. The rehabilitation process is a bio-psychosocial endeavor as well as a model of holistic health through its interdisciplinary nature. Rehabilitation is also about learning to adapt to disability and achieve accommodation for deficits. One of the primary contributions of hypnosis to rehabilitation is its potential for facilitating change and accelerating learning. In this article, the phenomenon of hypnosis will be discussed to provide the reader with a basic understanding of what hypnosis is and how it can be used in mind-body medicine and specifically how it can be used in rehabilitation. The research will be discussed as well as the psychophysiological correlates of the hypnotic state. How hypnosis has been used with various medical conditions (stroke, amputation, etc) or functional problems (ambulation, ADLs, etc) is reviewed as well as how hypnosis can facilitate the patient’s attainment of rehabilitation goals. An argument is made that self-hypnosis allows patients to develop an experience of “self” that reflects mastery and competence. An extensive reference list is provided for the serious student.

This article emphasizes the importance of assessing mental health status in clinical research on Qigong effects, including both positive and rare but potential negative aspects. To elaborate upon this point, this article first described the underlying philosophy and spiritual view of Qigong, Daoism, which links body with mind dialectically. Then, the insufficient clinical investigation on mental health in research on the therapeutic role of Qigong was summarized with some major studies. Next, the under-documented, potential side effect induced by malpractice will be also introduced. Finally, suggestions are provided for improving clinical assessment of Qigong and other forms of energy healing.