Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine最新文献

Background: Knee arthroplasty or knee joint replacement is a common treatment method used to relieve pain caused by knee arthritis among the elderly. Postoperative pain control is a challenge in knee arthroplasty. Despite existing evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupressure for pain management, limited research has directly compared the efficacy of body and auricular acupressure in reducing pain following knee arthroplasty. To address this knowledge gap, the present study aims to compare the effectiveness of these two acupressure techniques in alleviating pain severity among elderly individuals undergoing knee replacement surgery. Methods: This three-group randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 141 elderly women undergoing knee arthroplasty surgery at Shafa Yahiaeian Hospital in Tehran in 2023. Patients were randomly assigned to three groups of 47. The patients of the body acupressure and auricular acupressure groups received intervention for 15 min, thrice a day at an interval of 4 h, for 3 days. Control group patients received only routine interventions. Visual analog scale (VAS) and McGill's Abbreviated Mental Test Scale were completed before the first intervention on the first day and immediately after the last intervention on the first, second, and third days. Results: The results revealed that the pain severity assessed using VAS and McGill's Abbreviated Mental Test Scale during all 3 days in the body and auricular acupressure groups had a more decreasing trend compared with the control group. Moreover, auricular acupressure was more effective than body acupressure in pain control. Conclusion: Body acupressure and auricular acupressure as complementary interventions have significant potential in reducing pain after knee arthroplasty in the elderly female population. These methods offer an interesting treatment option by reducing the need for analgesics and thus reducing the side effects of these drugs. However, auricular acupressure may have faster relief effects compared with body acupressure.

Background: Green Care therapies were developed in the late 20th century as nature-based interventions aimed at supporting recovery for individuals with mental and physical health challenges. Animal-assisted therapy with farm animals (AATF), a branch of Green Care, involves engaging individuals with farm animals in natural settings to promote healing. Previous studies have shown the benefits of animal-assisted therapies (AAT) for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), suggesting AATF could offer similar advantages. This study aimed to examine the impact of an AATF program using domesticated ducks as therapeutic companions for individuals with TBI. Objective: The primary objective was to explore how individuals with TBI perceive their participation in an AATF-based therapeutic intervention. Methods: The study involved a 12-week AATF program, with semi-structured interviews conducted postintervention to capture participants' experiences. A qualitative descriptive approach with atheoretical thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes from the data. Results: Four key themes were developed from the analysis: Emotional Wellbeing, Attachment, Care, and Nature and Environment. These themes reflected participants' shared experiences and highlighted the perceived benefits of AATF in TBI rehabilitation. Conclusion: This study presents AATF, specifically involving domesticated ducks, as an innovative therapeutic intervention for individuals with TBI. The findings suggest that fostering meaningful connections with animals significantly enhances emotional well-being and provides a promising approach to improving rehabilitation outcomes for individuals living with TBI.

Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a global crisis, with chronic pain (CP), anxiety, and opioid cravings contributing to treatment discontinuation and return to opioid use. Despite the effectiveness of medications for OUD (MOUD) such as buprenorphine and methadone, they are underutilized, with nearly 50% of individuals discontinuing prematurely or returning to opioid use. Mind-body therapies (e.g., mindfulness, acupuncture, Tai Chi) have shown promise in reducing stress, drug cravings, and pain while improving well-being. However, Tai Chi has not been systematically tested for individuals with OUD and co-occurring CP and anxiety. The authors aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a virtual Tai Chi Easy (vTCE) intervention as an adjunct therapy for adults with OUD and co-occurring CP, and/or anxiety. Methods: A theory-driven, pre-post, single-group quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate intervention feasibility benchmarks and conduct baseline comparisons between inpatient and outpatient participants. The 8-week vTCE intervention consisted of gentle movements, breathing exercises, self-massage, and mindfulness practices, integrating these components into a holistic mind-body approach. Results: Of 32 screened individuals, 19 enrolled and 15 participated. Recruitment goals were partially met after expanding to outpatient settings (65% of the target). Retention was low, with only 3 participants (15.8%) completing the final assessment. Presurvey completion was high (95%), but postsurvey completion was limited (15.7%). Adherence was low, with only 20% attending more than one session. Acceptability and appropriateness averaged 3.5/5, and feasibility reached 4/5. No injuries were reported, supporting intervention safety. Conclusion: The vTCE intervention was not feasible in the inpatient setting. Outpatient settings showed greater feasibility, with notable differences in baseline characteristics, including self-reported opioid cravings. Lessons learned from this pilot study highlight the need to tailor recruitment, retention, and intervention strategies for future research testing vTCE as an adjunct therapy for individuals with OUD and co-occurring symptoms receiving outpatient MOUD. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT05850533). Registered: 04/25/2023.

Background: There is currently no generally accepted theory able to explain the observed clinical efficacy of homeopathy. The aim of this scoping review is to identify all theoretical approaches that have been used to explain homeopathy, with the objective of establishing a basis for identifying promising hypotheses and theories for future elaboration. Methods: Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, PhilPapers, several online library catalogs, and personal libraries were searched for original studies up to July 12, 2024. Screening and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers. Publications were included if they developed or advanced theories or models related to homeopathy. The aspect of homeopathy addressed by each study was extracted: the Principle of Similars and/or Potentisation. The theories identified in this review could be grouped into 14 overarching theoretical frameworks. Results: In total, 2118 records were screened, 500 full texts were assessed for eligibility, and 216 studies were included in this review. Starting in 1832 until the late 20th century, only sporadic contributions were found. From the 1990s, a marked increase in scholarly output was recorded. Most first authors were established in Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, or India. The frameworks with the highest number of contributions were humanities, complex systems, water structures, and weak quantum theory. Overall, 22% of included publications described theoretical approaches that tried to cover both main aspects of homeopathy, 46% only Potentisation, 20% only the Principle of Similars (and 11% were unspecific). The theories within the humanities framework focused more on the Principle of Similars, complex systems theories on both principles, and the theories within the water structures, nanostructures, and mathematical models frameworks focused mostly on the Potentisation aspect. Conclusions: This scoping review offers an overview of theories and models on the mode of action of homeopathy. These could be classified into 14 largely nonoverlapping frameworks. Unexpectedly, the placebo did not emerge as such a framework. In the next step, these theories would be assessed in terms of their quality, plausibility, compatibility with modern science, and experimental falsifiability.

Aim: To systematically assess the therapeutic impact of music interventions on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A comprehensive search of various databases, such as PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, EBSCO, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biomedical Literature Database, and Foreign Medical Literature Retrieval Service, was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the impact of music therapy on HDP from their inception through March 2024. Two independent reviewers performed study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment using RoB 2. Statistical analyses were conducted in STATA 17, with evidence certainty graded using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. The protocol followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and was prospectively registered in PROSPERO. Results: The meta-analysis included 14 RCTs comprising 1,477 participants. Five separate meta-analyses were conducted to compare the efficacy of music therapy versus standard care. Moderate-quality evidence from randomized trials demonstrated significant reductions associated with music therapy in systolic blood pressure (mean difference [MD] = -10.55 mmHg, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -13.86 to -7.24, p < 0.05), diastolic blood pressure (MD = -8.14 mmHg, 95% CI: -10.59 to -5.58, p < 0.05), sleep quality in patients with hypertension (MD = -1.95 points, 95% CI: -2.41 to -1.49, p < 0.05), and depression (MD = -7.80 points, 95% CI: -9.97 to -5.64, p < 0.001). Low-quality evidence suggested a modest improvement in anxiety (MD = -7.24 points, 95% CI: -8.84 to -5.64, p < 0.05). No publication bias was found in the comprehensive analysis results (all p > 0.1). Conclusion: Our systematic review suggests that adjunctive music therapy provides clinically relevant benefits for controlling systolic and diastolic blood pressure and improving psychological outcomes including anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in patients with HDP when compared with standard care alone.