Evid Based Compl Alt
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Evid Based Compl Alt · Jan 2013
Effect of bee venom acupuncture on oxaliplatin-induced cold allodynia in rats.
Oxaliplatin, a chemotherapy drug, often leads to neuropathic cold allodynia after a single administration. Bee venom acupuncture (BVA) has been used in Korea to relieve various pain symptoms and is shown to have a potent antiallodynic effect in nerve-injured rats. We examined whether BVA relieves oxaliplatin-induced cold allodynia and which endogenous analgesic system is implicated. ⋯ We further confirmed that an intrathecal administration of idazoxan ( α 2-adrenergic antagonist, 50 μ g) blocked the BVA-induced anti-allodynic effect. These results indicate that BVA alleviates oxaliplatin-induced cold allodynia in rats, at least partly, through activation of the noradrenergic system. Thus, BVA might be a potential therapeutic option in oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy.
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Evid Based Compl Alt · Jan 2013
Cardiovascular and respiratory effect of yogic slow breathing in the yoga beginner: what is the best approach?
Slow breathing increases cardiac-vagal baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), improves oxygen saturation, lowers blood pressure, and reduces anxiety. Within the yoga tradition slow breathing is often paired with a contraction of the glottis muscles. This resistance breath "ujjayi" is performed at various rates and ratios of inspiration/expiration. ⋯ Ujjayi showed similar increase in oxygen saturation but slightly lesser improvement in baroreflex sensitivity with no change in blood pressure. The slow breathing with equal inspiration and expiration seems the best technique for improving baroreflex sensitivity in yoga-naive subjects. The effects of ujjayi seems dependent on increased intrathoracic pressure that requires greater effort than normal slow breathing.
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Evid Based Compl Alt · Jan 2013
Visceral nociceptive afferent facilitates reaction of subnucleus reticularis dorsalis to acupoint stimulation in rats.
Objective. To explore the area and sensitization variance of acupoint when internal organs are under pathological condition. To observe quantity-effect variance of subnucleus reticularis dorsalis (SRD) to electroacupuncture under both physiological and pathological conditions. ⋯ Conclusion. The size and function of the acupoints comply with the functionality of the internal organs. The sensitive degree of acupoints changed according to malfunction of internal organs.
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Evid Based Compl Alt · Jun 2009
Qigong ameliorates symptoms of chronic fatigue: a pilot uncontrolled study.
Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners consider that chronic fatigue reflects a disharmony and depletion in the supply of qi in the body. Qigong is one of the traditional complementary interventions used to strengthen qi through self-practice, and to manage the state of qi to prevent and cure disease. The aim of this study is to assess whether qigong could be used to manage the symptoms of chronic fatigue. ⋯ Qigong seems to improve factors related to chronic fatigue such as sleep, pain, mental attitude and general mobility after 3 and 6 months. Qigong's positive effects indicate that it represents a potentially safe method of treatment for chronic fatigued patients. However, we cannot completely discount the possible influence of placebo effects, and more objective clinical measures are needed to reproduce our findings with long-term follow-up in a randomized, controlled study involving a larger number of subjects.
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Although there are many clinical programs designed to bring humor into pediatric hospitals, there has been very little research with children or adolescents concerning the specific utility of humor for children undergoing stressful or painful procedures. Rx Laughter, a non-profit organization interested in the use of humor for healing, collaborated with UCLA to collect preliminary data on a sample of 18 children aged 7-16 years. Participants watched humorous video-tapes before, during and after a standardized pain task that involved placing a hand in cold water. ⋯ Whereas humor indicators were not significantly associated with pain appraisal or tolerance, the group demonstrated significantly greater pain tolerance while viewing funny videos than when viewing the videos immediately before or after the cold-water task. The results suggest that humorous distraction is useful to help children and adolescents tolerate painful procedures. Further study is indicated to explore the specific mechanism of this benefit.