Complementary Medicine Research最新文献

Background: Constipation is a common gastrointestinal disease that seriously affects quality of life. Although abdominal massage (AM) has shown some therapeutic effects in some clinical practices, high-quality evidence on AM treating constipation is still scarce.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to thoroughly investigate the efficacy and safety of AM treatment for constipation.

Methods: According to the PRISMA guidelines, we searched the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus databases for English-language studies published up to July 2025. We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating AM for constipation and screened them according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool (RevMan 5.30). Heterogeneity among trials was measured using the I2 statistic. Effect sizes were expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Additionally, sensitivity analyses, subgroup analyses, and meta-regression analyses were conducted to further explore sources of heterogeneity.

Results: A total of 25 RCTs published from 2009 to 2024 involving 1,508 subjects were included after screening, of which 19 were included in the meta-analysis. The overall risk of bias in the included studies was low. Our findings demonstrated that AM significantly improved constipation severity in patients with constipation (SMD = -1.64, 95% CI = [-2.26, -1.01], p < 0.00001); quality of life (SMD = -1.71, 95% CI = [-2.31, -1.11], p < 0.00001); number of bowel movements per week (SMD = 1.17, 95% CI = [0.70, 1.65], p < 0.00001); stool consistency (SMD = 1.2, 95% CI = [0.05, 2.36], p = 0.04); and pain intensity associated with constipation (SMD = -1.26, 95% CI = [-1.74, -0.77], p < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses further indicated that even short-term AM interventions may positively impact on patients with constipation. Additionally, regarding safety, most included trials did not report adverse events.

Conclusion: AM is safe and effective in the treatment of constipation. Although the results of sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis provide important guidance for clinical selection of AM treatment options, these results need to be interpreted with caution given the diversity of constipation etiologies.

Background: The increasing prevalence of myopia among Chinese children and adolescents, especially at younger ages, has emerged as a significant concern in recent years. Pre-myopia is a key period for myopia prevention and control in children and adolescents. Previous studies suggested auricular acupressure (AA) therapy might offer a viable approach to prevent and slow down myopia progression. Nonetheless, these studies lack robust, high-quality, large-scale, multi-center evidence to conclusively support such assertions. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and economic benefits of AA therapy in preventing myopia in Chinese children aged 6-12 years with pre-myopia.

Methods: The single-blind, multi-center, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial will involve 318 pre-myopic children from 20 different centers across China. After recruitment, these participants will be randomly assigned to two groups (the AA group and the control group) at a 1:1 ratio. The AA group will receive auricular point sticking therapy along with health education for a period of 24 weeks, while the control group will be provided the sham AA treatment and routine health education. The assessments of outcomes will be conducted at the start of this study, and then after 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks. The primary outcome is the change in spherical equivalent refraction at various follow-up times. The secondary outcomes include the number of myopia cases, uncorrected visual acuity, axial length, corneal curvature radius, accommodation amplitude, retinal and choroidal thickness, and eye behavior management. In addition, the cost-effectiveness analysis will be used as the evaluation index for economic assessment.

Discussion: The results of this research will provide evidence on the efficacy, safety, and economic benefits of AA therapy in preventing myopia among children aged 6-12 years with pre-myopia in China.

Introduction: Mechanical neck pain (MNP) and mechanical low back pain (MLBP) can have a negative impact on the quality of life of patients and may be associated with high levels of disability. Magnetic field therapy has been used in the treatment of various diseases. This study was conducted to assess the effects of static magnetic field therapy generated by neodymium magnets in patients with MNP and MLBP.

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover study, patients with MNP and MLBP were randomly assigned to either the magnetic band or sham band treatment groups. After the initial 2-week phase (with participants randomly assigned to either treatment or sham control), both groups underwent a 1-week washout period. Subsequently, the groups were swapped and proceeded with a second 2-week phase. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (ODI), Neck Disability Index (NDI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate the patients' pain severity, functional disability, sleep quality, and levels of depressive symptoms, respectively.

Results: Of the 30 subjects, 17 (56.7%) had MLBP, whereas 13 (43.3%) had MNP. Magnetic band treatment (MBT) resulted in a significant decrease in the VAS score (p < 0.001) in all patients. MBT led to a significant decrease in the ODI score (p = 0.009) in patients with MLBP. A significant decrease in the NDI score was found in MBT (p < 0.001) in patients with MNP. The improvement in ISI and PHQ-9 scores was also significantly higher in MBT (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: For patients with MNP and MLBP who have not experienced sufficient benefits from conventional treatments, neodymium magnets can be considered as an alternative treatment option due to their significant properties.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent condition that significantly affects work productivity and quality of life. Despite advancements in treatment, LBP continues to pose a global health challenge, with increasing research on manipulative therapy as a non-invasive treatment option. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global research trends in manipulative therapy for LBP.

Summary: This study utilized the Web of Science Core Collection database to analyze global research dynamics on manipulative therapy for LBP from 1998 to 2023. A total of 2,879 articles were identified and analyzed using CiteSpace software, revealing key research trends, leading countries, and influential contributors. The analysis demonstrated that research on manipulative therapy for LBP has been steadily increasing, particularly between 2019 and 2021. The USA, the Netherlands, and Denmark were among the leading countries in this field. Core research concepts identified through keyword co-occurrence analysis include "low back pain," "manipulative therapy," and "spinal manipulation."

Key messages: Manipulative therapy for LBP is a growing field with increasing global interest, particularly between 2019 and 2021. The USA, Netherlands, and Denmark are leading contributors to the research, with notable academic collaborations. Future research should focus on comparative treatment effectiveness, safety assessments, and mechanistic analyses to further validate the role of manipulative therapy in LBP management.

Introduction: Many patients with breast cancer use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) including mistletoe preparations (Viscum album extracts, VAE). CAM alone has been associated with poor outcomes. Few, if any, confirmed breast cancer remissions have been reported with CAM treatment alone.

Case presentations: Case 1: 60-year-old female with a histologically confirmed local recurrence of hormone receptor positive (HR+) Her2/neu negative (HER2-) breast cancer 3 years after the initial diagnosis and treatment. The patient declined conventional therapies and was treated with intratumoral VAE plus intratumoral influenza vaccine (IV) and concurrent VAE-induced hyperthermia. Lumpectomy 5 months later confirmed a near pathological complete remission (near pCR). Follow-up at 3 years confirms durable remission. Case 2: 57-year-old female with histologically confirmed HR+, HER2- right sided breast cancer with 2-[18F]FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) positive metastatic disease who declined conventional treatment. The patient was treated with 17 monthly cycles of VAE-induced hyperthermia, eight of which included intratumoral VAE, four of these eight including intratumoral IV. Almost 2 years after treatment start, a follow-up 2-[18F]FDG-PET/CT showed marked morphological and metabolic reduction of breast tumor on the right side, stable local lymph node metastases in the right axilla, complete remission of pulmonary metastases, the single bone metastasis, and the majority of hilomediastinal lymph node metastases but a new metabolic highly active left adrenal lesion.

Conclusions: Clinical studies of intratumoral VAE-influenza vaccine with concurrent VAE-induced hyperthermia in ER positive HER2/neu negative breast cancer are warranted.

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapies have shown great improvement in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, yet no bibliometric analysis on TCM therapies for COPD exists.

Summary: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on TCM therapies for COPD within the past decade, utilizing the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. To analyze collaborative patterns among countries/regions, institutions, and authors, as well as identify influential references and emerging research trends, CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were employed. The dataset comprised 625 articles from WOS and 5,641 from CNKI, revealing a consistent growth in COPD-related TCM research over the past 10 years. China emerged as the leading contributor, with a predominant focus on TCM Universities. The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine was the most cited journal, while Medicine published the highest number of articles. Li JS was the most prolific author, and Barnes PJ was the most frequently cited researcher. Key studies by Leung RWM [Eur Respir J. 2013;41(5):1051-7], Li SY [BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012;12:197], and Polkey MI [Chest. 2018;153(5):1116-24] garnered significant attention. Keyword analysis highlighted the prominence of Tai Chi, Chinese herbal medicine, acupoint sticking, acupuncture, lung function, quality of life, and inflammation as core research themes.

Key messages: Research on TCM therapies for COPD has gained growing attention over the past decade. Among the most commonly studied TCM interventions are Tai Chi, Chinese herbal medicine, acupoint sticking, and acupuncture. Lung function, quality of life, and inflammation have emerged as key areas of investigation and are likely to remain focal points for future research endeavors.

Introduction: Infertility is a significant health problem with psycho-social burden for couples. Ayurveda considers a holistic approach, including complex multimodal regimens in managing infertility. Increasing evidence has shown that Yoga as an adjuvant to infertility treatment increases pregnancy rates. Therefore, this research will investigate the comparative efficacy of Ayurveda regimen and letrozole, along with integration of Yoga in both groups in female infertility.

Methods: The primary outcome, ovulation rate, will be measured through serial transvaginal sonography (TVS) for six consecutive menstrual cycles. The secondary outcome, conception rate, will be measured by definitive signs of pregnancy. Participants' quality of life will be assessed using the Ferti Quality of Life (FertiQOL) tool. The study will randomize 160 women aged 21-40 years diagnosed with anovulatory or unexplained infertility into two groups using permuted block randomization. Participants in group I will receive internal oleation with Phala Ghrita and mild purgation with Gandharvahasta (GH) oil for three consecutive cycles. Standard care group II participants will receive letrozole tablet once daily from day 3 to day 7 of the menstrual cycle for three cycles. The yoga instructor will take yoga sessions for participants of both groups for 6 months. This study will also use machine learning (ML) models to compare two regimens to predict improvements in outcome variables. The goal was to develop an online platform that aids personalized treatment planning and enhances clinical decision-making.

Discussion: This will be the first study to generate evidence on the efficacy of integrated treatment regimens in female infertility, where predictive ML models will be developed.