Integrative medicine reports最新文献

Introduction: Endometriosis is a chronic condition that affects millions of women in the United States. Chronic pain can be debilitating and complex to manage. Despite common approaches like hormonal treatments and surgery, many women continue to endure pain. Managing the chronic and multifaceted nature of endometriotic pain necessitates a comprehensive strategy.

Methods: This study explores the potential of cannabis in alleviating endometriosis-related pain through an extensive literature search. Cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional surveys, and systematic reviews from January 1996 to August 2022 were eligible for inclusion. Articles were then assessed and included for further analysis if they met the following criteria: (1) Population was women with endometriosis; (2) Discussed the therapeutic use of medical cannabis for endometriosis-related pain.

Results: The literature search revealed 522 articles, with eight articles meeting criteria for analysis: four cross-sectional surveys, two systematic reviews, one retrospective cohort study, and one literature review. Cannabis consumption for symptom relief was common among women with endometriosis, and some even reported that the use of cannabis reduced their use of analgesics.

Discussion: The use of cannabis for endometriosis-related pain holds significant promise for addressing the often-debilitating comfort experienced by those with this condition. By interacting with the endocannabinoid system, cannabis may provide relief by modulating pain perception, reducing inflammation, relaxing muscles, and alleviating neuropathic discomfort.

Context: Students of color in the United States experience elevated stress across the entire spectrum of education, spanning from early stages of K-12 to the more advanced stages of postgraduate studies. This sustained state of chronic stress decreases learning and curtails opportunities, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math (ST EM) fields, where stress levels are considered exceptionally high. Mindfulness-based practices such as MBSR have a proven effective for stress reduction in college students. However, to date, mindfulness practices have yet to be designed to support the unique needs of minoritized students with intersectional identities (e.g., poor, English as second language learners, and sexual/gender minorities) that are stigmatized in ST EM.

Objectives: This article describes the development of an online, eight-week modified mindfulness practice (MMP) for minoritized students adapted from traditional MBSR. The MMP was purposely designed to be culturally inclusive and anti-racist, with the goal to reduce stress in undergraduate students of color in ST EM.

Methods: In this pilot study, we assessed the impact of MMP using both biological and perceived stress measures. Specifically, cortisol was measured from donated biospecimen hair samples, the Perceived Stress Scale measured perceived stress, and key informant interviews were conducted to understand student stressors and coping strategies before and after the intervention.

Results: While the observed decrease biological and perceived stress before and after the intervention was not statistically significant due to the small sample size of this pilot study, we see a dramatic positive change in student coping strategies.

Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of providing minoritized students with options for stress reduction that are relevant and accessible.

Context: Cannabis use for symptom management among individuals with cancer is increasingly common.

Objectives: We sought to describe the (1) prevalence and characteristics of cannabis use, (2) perceived therapeutic benefits of cannabis use, and (3) examine how use of cannabis was associated with self-reported pain, mood, and general health outcomes in a representative sample of patients treated at a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Oregon Health and Science University Knight Cancer Institute.

Methods: We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional survey developed in conjunction with 11 other NCI-designated cancer centers and distributed to eligible individuals. The survey inquired about characteristics of cannabis use, perception of therapeutic benefits, pain, mood, and general health. Responses were population weighted. We examined the association of cannabis use with self-reported pain, mood, and general health using logistic regression controlling for relevant sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

Results: A total of 523 individuals were included in our analytic sample. A total of 54% endorsed using cannabis at any time since their cancer diagnosis and 42% endorsed using cannabis during active treatment. The most commonly endorsed reasons for use included the following: sleep disturbance (54.7%), pain (47.1%), and mood (42.6%). We found that moderate pain was associated with more than a twofold (odds ratio = 2.4 [95% confidence interval = 1.3-4.6], p = 0.002) greater likelihood of self-reported cannabis use. Depressed mood and general health were not associated with cannabis use.

Conclusions: In a state that had early adoption of medical and recreational cannabis legislation, a high number of cancer survivors report cannabis use. Moderate or more severe pain was associated with an increased likelihood to use cannabis, while mood and general health were not associated. Oncologists should be aware of these trends and assess use of cannabis when managing long-term symptoms of cancer and its treatments.

Background: Medical cannabis (MC) is used by Canadian Veterans to manage a wide range of health issues. However, there is little information comparing the reasons for MC use and its perceived effectiveness between Veterans and non-Veterans.

Objects: We compared MC use among a convenience sample of Canadian Veterans and with non-Veteran controls, including demographics, reasons and patterns of use, and perceived effectiveness.

Methods: Between November and December 2021, Canadian Veterans using cannabis were invited to participate in a survey using a national press release, social media, and announcements on online platform dedicated to promoting health among Canadian Veterans and non-Veterans during the pandemic (www.MissionVav.com). The survey was also mentioned in a monthly newsletter from Veteran Affairs Canada. Self-reported effectiveness was evaluated using a 0 to 10 visual analogue scale (0 being not all effective, 10 being the most effective).

Results: The survey was completed by 157 people, including 108 (69%) males and 49 (31%) females. The mean age was 57 years (range 19 to 84). Among responders, 90 (63%) identified as Veterans. The most common reasons for MC use among Veterans included: insomnia (80%), anxiety (73%), and depression (52%). Veterans reported medical conditions such as chronic pain (88%) and arthritis (51%). Compared with non-Veterans, Veterans were significantly more likely to be male (83% vs. 49%), have a higher BMI (35.2 vs. 30.9), to report problems with sleep, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and to use cannabis in edible form (51% vs. 22%). Self-reported mean effectiveness scores for MC were highest for PTSD (8.4), insomnia (8.2), anxiety (8.1), depression (8.0), and chronic pain (7.6).

Conclusions: We found important differences in user characteristics and cannabis use patterns between Canadian Veterans and non-Veterans. Further controlled studies are required to validate these findings, but these data suggest that orally administered cannabis products may be worth further study.