Alternative therapies in health and medicine最新文献

Background: Biofield therapies like Reiki, blessing, and healing touch are non-invasive techniques that aim to enhance well-being-mental, emotional, and physical. They can be conducted both in-person and remotely. However, a literature review found no evidence of distant/remote blessing therapy's effectiveness in improving mental health symptoms in adults.

Primary study objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of non-pharmacological distant blessing (biofield energy healing) therapy for psychological and mental health management.

Methods/design: One hundred seventeen participants with psychological symptoms were studied. On days 0 and 90, the biofield (blessing) therapy group (n = 38) received two sessions of distant blessing energy therapy, each lasting about 5 minutes. A sham control group (n = 40) received similar treatment from a sham practitioner to nullify the baseline responses, while a control group (n = 39) received no intervention. Participants were assessed using a standard psychological questionnaire and safety parameters.

Setting: A placebo-controlled, three parallel groups, single-center, double-blinded, and randomized controlled trial.

Participants: Adult human subjects (male and female) with one or more psychological symptoms.

Intervention: Distant (remote) biofield energy healing/blessing therapy.

Primary outcome measures: Psychological questionnaires scoring.

Results: Perceived psychological symptoms/scores (fatigue/tiredness, sleep disturbances, stress, cognitive impairment, loss of memory, mental restlessness, emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, confusion, lack of relationships, and social behaviors) were significantly improved in the blessing group compared to control and sham control groups (P < .0001). Study intervention did not show any study-related adverse effects in all three groups throughout the trial.

Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest that distant (remote) blessing therapy/biofield energy healing session(s) significantly improved psychological and mental health-related symptoms without affecting safety concerns and improved overall health and quality of life. Therefore, the present study recommends a larger-scale intervention study to further investigate various health outcomes and this therapy's underlying mechanisms of action.

Trial registration: The trial was registered in the Clinical Trials Registry - India (Reg. no. CTRI/2022/07/043736) dated 05/07/2022.

Objective: This study evaluates the effects of valve surgery on safety and cardiac function in patients with valvular heart disease complicated by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), focusing on postoperative outcomes influenced by age, heart function grade, and PAH severity.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 307 valve surgery patients from April 2017 to April 2022. The cohort had a mean age of 57.6 years, with 56.9% males, and was stratified by NYHA functional class II-IV. Outcomes assessed included mortality, complication rates, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), with statistical analysis performed using t-tests and chi-square tests for continuous and categorical data, respectively.

Results: Postoperative outcomes varied significantly with age, NYHA class, and PASP grade. Patients aged ≤60 exhibited an average PASP reduction of 44.46% in the male group and 44.44% in the female group and an LVEF improvement of 5.28% in the male group and 5.80% in the female group. However, these patients showed a higher risk of postoperative complications, such as renal failure, arrhythmia, low cardiac output syndrome, respiratory insufficiency, (23.31%), and a higher mortality rate (13.53%)(P < .05). Higher NYHA classes correlated with increased postoperative risks of complications and mortality rates, and elevated PASP grades were associated with larger improvements in PASP and LVEF but also higher postoperative risks.

Conclusion: Valve surgery in valvular heart disease with PAH is influenced by patient age, functional status, and PAH severity. Despite advances in surgical techniques, there remains a notable gap in understanding the nuanced interplay between these conditions and the variable outcomes of valve surgery. This study addresses this research gap, offering comprehensive insights into how age, heart function, and PAH severity influence postoperative outcomes. These findings are crucial for clinicians, providing a more informed basis for tailored treatment strategies, and ultimately enhancing patient care in this complex clinical scenario.Healthcare providers should consider the age-specific benefits and risks of valve surgery in patients with valvular heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Tailored decision-making, particularly for those aged ≤60, higher NYHA classes, or severe PAH, is essential for optimizing individual outcomes.

Complementary and integrative therapeutic methods are fast becoming customary in mental health counseling and within the broader medical community. Reiki, an energy-based healing practice, is one such method. Research specific to the medical field has shown that Reiki is useful in treating anxiety and chronic pain. Moreover, Reiki as an adjunct intervention to counseling is trending. Yet, there is little information in the literature that describes the mechanisms that link the healing practice of Reiki to counseling theory and practice. This conceptual article explores some foundational constructs of Reiki and the ways they interface with important principles of various humanistic counseling theories. This article provides readers with an overview of Reiki and three humanistic counseling theoretical approaches to provide common ground between the core constructs of these approaches. This article aims to enhance professionals' holistic understanding of how Reiki can be utilized within the field of counseling for treatment.

Non-healing ulcers are chronic lesions, often found on the lower extremities, persisting for over three months despite adequate care. They are associated with systemic diseases or local disorders and significantly impact the quality of life, often resisting conventional treatments, which can be costly and pose side effects. Ta'liq al-Alaq (leech therapy), a regimen in Ilaj-Bit-Tadbeer of Unani medicine, offers an alternative based on the principle of Istifrāgh (expulsion of morbid humours). Leeches aid by sucking impure blood (Ghalīz Mawād) and injecting saliva containing bioactive substances, enhancing blood flow, reducing local inflammation, and promoting tissue regeneration. This study assessed leech therapy's efficacy in a patient with three non-healing ulcers on bilateral lower limbs, persisting for 27 years. Leech Therapy was done once a week. Treatment progress was recorded at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks, evaluating parameters like size, discharge, smell, pain, edge, and floor. Two ulcers completely healed, while the third showed partial healing after six weeks. These promising results suggest leech therapy as a viable, cost-effective treatment for chronic ulcers and thromboembolic disorders, especially when conventional methods fail. Larger clinical studies are recommended to further validate its efficacy and establish its role in modern wound care management.

Context: Due to the different effects of various drugs and the lack of authoritative and unified guidelines in clinical practice, the choice of therapeutic drugs for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) remains controversial. Rifampicin, levofloxacin, and isoniazid are all anti-TB drugs. However, no comparative studies of the treatment effects of rifampicin + levofloxacin and rifampicin + isoniazid have occurred.

Objective: The study intended to analyze the therapeutic effects of rifampicin + levofloxacin compared to rifampicin + isoniazid in the treatment of pulmonary TB to provide a clinical reference, which could provide new references for future clinical treatment of the disease.

Design: The research team conducted a prospective controlled study.

Setting: The study took place at Zibo Zhoucun District People's Hospital in Zibo, China.

Participants: Participants were 100 patients with pulmonary TB admitted to the hospital between March 2021 and December 2022.

Interventions: The research team assigned participants to one of two groups: (1) the intervention group, with 56 participants who received rifampicin + levofloxacin therapy, and (2) the control group, with 44 participants who received rifampicin + isoniazid.

Outcome measures: The research team measured: (1) clinical efficacy, (2) incidence of adverse reactions, (3) changes in inflammatory factors, (4) changes in immunoglobulins (Igs), and (5) changes in T lymphocyte subsets.

Results: The intervention group's total effective rate for treatment was significantly higher than that of the control group (P = .049). However, no significant difference existed between the groups in the incidence of adverse reactions (P > .05). Postintervention, the intervention group's inflammatory factors-IL-6, TNF-α, hs-CRP, and β-EP-were significantly lower and its immunoglobulins (Igs) G/A/M (IgG/A/M) were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < .05). In addition, the intervention group's T lymphocyte subpopulations of CD3+ and CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ were significantly higher and CD8+ was significantly lower than those in the control group (P < .05). In other words, the intervention group had a better immune function.

Conclusions: Compared with rifampicin + isoniazid, rifampicin + levofloxacin had a better clinical effect in the treatment of pulmonary TB and could effectively regulate patients' immune functions and inhibit inflammatory reactions. The current research team recommends that rifampicin + levofloxacin become the preferred treatment for pulmonary TB in the absence of a drug allergy.

Background: Pain-related symptoms are thought to affect motor imagery abilities adversely.

Primer study objective: The study aimed to examine motor imagery ability and its association with pain, functional status, neck awareness, and depression in individuals with chronic neck pain.

Design and setting: A cross-sectional study, single-center.

Participants: 60 individuals with chronic neck pain, aged between 18 and 65 years, were recruited.

Intervention: Demographic data was recorded, pain and disability were evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale and Neck Disability Index, motor imagery ability using Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire-20, and mental chronometry. Grip strength, cervical muscle endurance, upper limbs' functionality, neck awareness, and depression levels were assessed using a hydraulic hand dynamometer, cervical muscle endurance tests, Upper Extremity Functional Index-15, Fremantle Neck Awareness Questionnaire, and Beck Depression Inventory, respectively.

Primary outcome measures: Motor imagery ability, neck pain, functional status, neck awareness, and depression levels.

Results: Of the 60 individuals (mean age 51.60 ± 11.70 years), 83% (n = 50) were female. The Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire-20 score (mean 68.62 ± 27.02) was weakly correlated with Visual Analogue Scale-night (r = 0.332), duration of pain (r = -0.264), cervical extensor muscle endurance (r = -0.270) and Fremantle Neck Awareness Questionnaire (r = -0.295) (P < .05). Weak to moderate correlations were found between the individuals' mental chronometry task scores and Neck Disability Index, Fremantle Neck Awareness Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and grip strength (P < .05). The regression analysis indicates that motor imagery ability can explain pain intensity, cervical extensor endurance, neck awareness, and depression level (P < .05).

Conclusion: Individuals with chronic neck pain showed an impaired motor imagery ability which was associated with pain, functional status, neck awareness, and depression levels. Thus improving motor imagery ability may contribute to better functional outcomes and psychosocial status in these individuals.

Clinical trial number: NCT06502236.

Objective: This study aims to establish a theoretical foundation for the clinical treatment of lung cancer by investigating the regulatory role of CRABP2 in the ROS/Src signaling pathway, specifically in accelerating the migration and metastasis of lung cancer.

Methods: Lung cancer mouse models were established using BALB/c-nu mice, randomly assigned to the control group (NC group) and the experimental group (mimic group). Tumor volume was precisely observed. The impact of CRABP2 on lung cancer migration and metastasis was analyzed through hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and histochemical staining observation. Protein expression analysis was employed to assess CRABP2, ESR1, NOX1, NOX4, p-Src, and p-FAK levels, shedding light on the underlying mechanism. CRABP2's influence on lung cancer migration and metastasis was further investigated using scratch and Transwell experiments.

Results: The findings revealed that the mimic group, with enhanced CRABP2 expression, exhibited a higher proliferation rate and increased migration and metastasis capabilities in lung cancer. Protein expression analysis demonstrated that CRABP2 and ESR1 positively influenced the ROS/Src pathway, promoting lung cancer migration and metastasis. Scratch and Transwell's experiments supported the fact that CRABP2 significantly accelerated lung cancer migration and metastasis.

Conclusions: CRABP2 plays a crucial role in expediting lung cancer migration and metastasis by upregulating ESR1 expression, consequently activating the ROS/Src pathway. This study introduces a novel therapeutic avenue for the clinical treatment of lung cancer, offering a theoretical framework for advancing lung cancer treatment strategies.

Background and purpose: Fibromyalgia is a common disease with many symptoms that affect the quality of life, such as pain, muscle and joint stiffness, fatigue, insomnia, mood and cognitive dysfunctions, and general sensitivity. Qigong exercises integrated into treatment may be effective in reducing the intensity of these symptoms. Therefore, this study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of Qigong on the symptoms seen in fibromyalgia patients.

Materials and methods: PRISMA criteria were used to create the systematic review protocol and write the article. The literature review was carried out by scanning the randomized controlled studies conducted between 2018 and 2023 from the Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases between December 10, 2023, and January 10, 2024. Studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria using the PICOS method. These studies were evaluated according to the Joanna Briggs Institute critical evaluation list.

Results: Four randomized controlled trials were included. A review of these studies shows that Qigong exercises are effective on fibromyalgia severity, pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and sleep quality. It has also been found to be effective in self-efficacy, coping strategies, balance, muscle strength, flexibility, and cardiac autonomic function.

Conclusions: Qigong exercises are effective in reducing the pain, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and FM effects experienced by fibromyalgia patients and improving sleep quality. Incorporating Qigong exercises into care may be effective in reducing fibromyalgia symptoms. More randomized controlled studies are needed to ensure the reliability and validity of the results.