Integrative medicine最新文献

Plastic containers are a huge part of modern life. Perhaps their use is nowhere more significant than in the storage of foods. Stored food comes in contact with plastics, plasticizers, intentional additives, and inadvertent contaminants. Plastic food containers are asserted to be safe, and the resin used in their manufacture is assigned a number to help understand their recyclability. These containers are not totally inert and leach varying levels of metals and chemicals into the foods they store-especially if subjected to elevated temperatures. The safest containers appear to be those made from resins with the ID numbers 2, 4 (except food wraps), and 5. This editorial looks at the various types of plastics used in the manufacture of food containers, their typical contaminants, their toxicity, and the median amount of migration of contaminants into food.

This paper explores global COVID-19 treatment and containment strategies in 108 countries worldwide, specifically the correlation between COVID-19 deaths and the countries' vaccination rates. Comparison of data across states, provinces, territories, and countries relied upon a common method to evaluate data regarding the impact of COVID-19 policies in the last three years. Data from nine different databases were analyzed to determine if there were correlations between the percentage of countrywide COVID-19 deaths/population and countries' percent vaccinated. Secondary outcome measures include the effect of other variables on COVID-19 death rates per country population, including health expenditures and annual income per capita, COVID-19 tests per 1000 people, stringency index (a measure of each country's containment strategies), hydroxychloroquine/ivermectin scores (measure country use), hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and geographic locations. COVID-19 vaccination rates ranged from 0-99% in 108 countries. Bivariate analysis demonstrates the following independent variables to correlate with COVID-19 deaths/population (Spearman correlation coefficient, p value): countrywide COVID-19 vaccination rates (moderate relationship, r=0.39, P < .001); healthcare expenditures per capita per annum (US dollars) (moderate relationship, r=0.46, P < .001), net annual income per capita (moderate relationship, r=0.50, P < .001), COVID-19 tests per 1000 country population (moderate relationship, r=0.36, P < .003); stringency index per country (moderate relationship, r=0.28, P < .003); hydroxychloroquine index (negative relationship, r= 0.15, P = .125); and ivermectin index (negative relationship, r=0.23 P = .018). The authors found that the higher the percentage of a country's vaccination rate, stringent containment strategies, mass testing, etc., moderately correlated with higher COVID-19 death rates/population. Future studies are required to explore the findings of this study fully.

Psychedelic therapy is witnessing a rapid rise in popularity both in clinical research and in the greater culture. Since it involves the use of drugs, psychology, and spirituality, professionals from a variety of backgrounds such as physicians, psychotherapists, chaplains, etc. are increasingly becoming interested or directly involved. In this article, the authors describe why naturopathic doctors, with additional training, are well suited to provide psychedelic therapy. Naturopathy is rooted in the non-materialistic metaphysics of vitalism, which is consistent with the concept of inner healing intelligence, which is widely accepted in the psychedelic therapy community. In addition to the compatible foundational philosophies, naturopaths also possess a wide range of clinical skills including herbalism, pharmacology, and counseling, among others, that can be directly applied to psychedelic therapy and integration.

Chronic low-level exposure to arsenic has a dose-dependent relationship with many chronic diseases. However, the typical arsenic safety standards used by governmental entities and laboratories appear inconsistent with current research. This editorial reviews the research and suggests that the random first-morning-urine total arsenic threshold for increased disease risk should be 5.0 μg/g creatinine or lower.

Introduction: Trauma continues to be noted in studies as a risk factor for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Successful therapeutic interventions that support the reduction of numbing episodes associated with MS may include diet, stress reduction techniques, and biofield therapy.

Case description: This case report highlights the successful reduction of numbing episodes, stress, and fatigue in an individual 38-year-old Caucasian female patient using nutrition and body-mind-spirit practices. This individual continued conventional interventions while starting medical nutrition therapy. Over the course of 120 days, her treatment was augmented with a Paleolithic-style diet, which eliminated dairy and ultra-processed foods. Other dietary recommendations suggested were the increase of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), decrease of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), and increase in protein and CO₂-promoting foods. Integrative recommendations were biofield therapy and for stress reduction were psychotherapy, reduced exercise intensity, lifestyle recovery from trauma, body-mind-spirit practices, and herbal supplementation.

Conclusion: Integrative therapies such as diet, stress reduction techniques, and biofield therapy may be used as therapeutic protocols for trauma-induced MS patients. Population-based clinical studies should be done to understand the role of these therapies in synchronization.

Traditional medicine, exemplified by systems such as Ayurveda, inherently adopts a holistic framework. This framework extends beyond mere consideration of the human body to encompass broader systems of health, integrating elements of nature, particularly plants. Over time, there has been a notable integration between traditional medical philosophies and modern scientific methodologies. This integration is evident in published works that blend these disciplines, resulting in the creation of innovative terminology, such as «Ayurnutrigenomics». Concurrently, the lexicon within medical science has evolved to highlight the connection of body systems, as illustrated by terms like «gut-brain axis», which emphasize the relationship between physiological and psychological factors. This integration of perspectives is further demonstrated by terms such as «psychoneuroendocrine» and «mind-heart-body», reflecting a holistic approach to health. Alongside the emergence of these novel terms, there has been a proliferation of literature exploring the diverse functions of plants, particularly focusing on phytonutrients such as those found in the polyphenol category of compounds. In many ways, these emerging findings suggest a fundamental relationship between humans and plants, aligning with the principles of traditional medicine and indicating a profound connection between the two. Thus, in harmony with the increasing recognition of the interconnectedness between human systems biology, the study of phytochemicals, and the ability of plants to influence neuroendocrine responses, this article proposes a new term: the phytoneuroendocrine system.

The incidence of autoimmunity is growing rapidly worldwide. Many epidemiological studies have found environmental factors, such as toxic chemicals, to be a key factor in this rapid progression. Many mechanisms that can cause immune dysregulation and autoimmune reactivity from toxic chemical exposure to subsets of individuals with genetic susceptibility in immune regulatory genes have been identified. In susceptible genotypes, toxic chemicals can induce epigenetic expressions, bind to immune and endocrine receptors throughout the body and promote immune dysregulation, bind to nucleic acids and promote anti-nuclear autoimmunity, deplete antioxidant reserves, promote immune barrier degradation, induce lymphocyte dysregulation, and alter normal antigen presenting responses. This paper reviews the specific immunological pathways involved with environmental toxins and autoimmunity exposure.