Forschende Komplementärmedizin = Research in complementary medicine
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Forsch Komplementmed · Apr 2010
ReviewImmunomodulatory effects of Viscum album extracts on natural killer cells: review of clinical trials.
Extracts produced from Viscum album L. (mistletoe) are widely used in complementary medicine for the treatment of cancer. In many preclinical and clinical studies, Viscum album extracts were shown to exert immunomodulatory functions. Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in cell-mediated immune responses against tumor cells. This article reviews clinical trials that address the influence of the mistletoe extract Iscador on NK cells and discusses the results with regard to the NK cell functions assayed, to putative underlying mechanisms, and to the role of different mistletoe components. ⋯ Although many trials demonstrated a positive effect of Iscador treatment on NK cell function, further dedicated studies with optimized treatment schedules and comparable mistletoe doses are necessary to confirm these results regarding involvement of NK cells on the immunomodulatory functions of Iscador therapy and to investigate the clinical relevance of these findings.
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Though homeopathy has been in successful and continuous use for well over 200 years, in the United Kingdom it is under growing pressure, from scientific detractors and sections of the media. As such, homeopathy's free National Health Service provision is threatened because it is derided as 'unproven', 'unscientific', and even 'deadly'. While refuting these and other detractions, this paper considers possible reasons for the current plight of homeopathy UK. Thus, the current attacks against homeopathy should be viewed more in the context of the globalised pharmaceutical industry which is itself in crisis, and a succession of UK governments seemingly supine in the face of legislation originating from the European Union.
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Forsch Komplementmed · Aug 2009
Controlled Clinical Trial[Pain-relieving effect of cantharidin blister on lumbar spinal stenosis].
Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a common cause of chronic lumbar pain and disability. Conventional therapy approaches include analgesics and spinal surgery. Topical cantharidin applications are used for the treatment of severe chronic lumbar pain in traditional European medicine (TEM). We tested the pain-relieving effect of lumbar cantharidin blisters in a non-randomised controlled pilot study. ⋯ In this first study on the efficacy of cantharidin blisters, a clinically relevant pain-relieving short-term effect on LSS was observed. As the trial was non-randomised and only included a limited number of patients, the results should be interpreted with caution.
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Forsch Komplementmed · Apr 2009
Case Reports[Inpatient treatment for CRPS I by use of complementary medicine].
Complex regional pain syndromes (CRPS) are mainly characterized by a burning, intense spontaneous pain,mechanical allodynia of the affected limb, disorders of the skin,local hyperhidrosis, lymphedema as well as trophic disorders of the skin, bones and joints. The overall clinical appearance is dominated by a dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system. One dominant etiological hypothesis is that major mechanisms for CRPS symptoms, which might be present during the course of CRPS, are trauma-related cytokine release, exaggerated neurogenic inflammation, sympathetically maintained pain, and cortical reorganization in response to chronic pain. ⋯ Therapeutic strategies derived from complementary medicine may be an effective approach to the complex treatment of CRPS. Their effects should be further investigated in controlled clinical trials.
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Forsch Komplementmed · Feb 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial[Laser needle acupuncture in women with dysmenorrhoea: a randomised controlled double blind pilot trial].
Dysmenorrhoea is a common gynaecological disorder.It is treated symptomatically if it is not caused by any underlying disease. Acupuncture is successfully used for menstrual disorders but is associated with certain side effects such as pain. Laser needle acupuncture is a new, non-invasive procedure that might mimic the effects of acupuncture. ⋯ We could not find a significant advantage of laser needle acupuncture compared to placebo laser needle acupuncture treatment. Further investigations are recommended because laser needle treatment is non-invasive and allows double blind acupuncture studies.