Alternative therapies in health and medicine
-
Altern Ther Health Med · Nov 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialA randomized, controlled pilot study of mindfulness-based stress reduction for pediatric chronic pain.
It is estimated that 1 in 5 children in the United States is affected by chronic pain. Increasing adaptive coping strategies and decreasing stress may be important in treatment. Research has suggested that mindfulness can help alleviate symptoms associated with medical illnesses and increase quality of life. Little is known about the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in youth, partly due to insufficient methodological rigor in related studies. ⋯ The research team highlighted critical challenges faced by potential researchers aiming to investigate MBSR for pediatric chronic pain, and the study provides recommendations for research and implications for clinical practice.
-
Migraine headaches are common, debilitating, underdiagnosed, and undertreated, and medications are not always effective. Research has shown that acupuncture may be an effective and safe adjuvant or alternative migraine treatment. ⋯ These results indicate that not only did acupuncture decrease both the frequency and intensity of migraines, but also the benefit had not subsided for 12 wks after the final acupuncture session. Validated survey measurements used to assess migraine impact on quality of life showed statistically significant improvement over baseline.
-
Altern Ther Health Med · Nov 2013
Tai chi for well-being of breast cancer survivors with aromatase inhibitor-associated arthralgias: a feasibility study.
Arthralgia is common and debilitating for a significant proportion of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) and leads to poor adherence to aromatase inhibitors (AIs). Despite increased recognition of the negative impact of arthralgia on function and the poor adherence that results, very few interventions have been developed to target this side effect. ⋯ The research team demonstrated the feasibility of a tai chi intervention for improving wellbeing for breast cancer patients with AIAA and identified measures that may be sensitive to the impact of a tai chi intervention in this population.