Alternative therapies in health and medicine
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Altern Ther Health Med · Sep 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialGinger syrup as an antiemetic in early pregnancy.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been used to ameliorate symptoms of nausea. A beverage containing ginger in a syrup may be easier to consume than a capsule or solid food. ⋯ The ingestion of 1 g of ginger in syrup in a divided dose daily may be useful in some patients experiencing nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Sep 2002
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialLeech therapy for symptomatic treatment of knee osteoarthritis: results and implications of a pilot study.
Leech therapy was a mainstay in conventional treatment for pain from antiquity until the mid-19th century. Its use is still widespread in traditional healing procedures in Asia, Africa, and Arabic countries. There is renewed interest in leech therapy in the field of complementary medicine and empirical evidence for specific benefit in knee osteoarthritis. ⋯ Leech therapy may be an effective treatment for rapid reduction of pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Its efficacy should be tested in larger randomized controlled trials with assessment of expectation bias.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Sep 2002
The effects of harp music in vascular and thoracic surgical patients.
Music has been used in the acute clinical care setting as an adjunct to current treatment modalities. Previous studies have indicated that some types of music may benefit patients by reducing pain and anxiety, and may have an effect on physiological measures. ⋯ Subjects in this study experienced decreased pain and anxiety with the harp intervention, and slight reductions in physiologic variable values. It is not possible in this study to determine if the results were due to the harp music, the presence of the harpist and data collector, or both. Future research is recommended using a control group and comparison of live versus recorded harp music with a wider variety of diagnoses and procedures.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Sep 2002
Complementary and alternative medical treatment of breast cancer: a survey of licensed North American naturopathic physicians.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is on the rise in the United States, especially for breast cancer patients. Many CAM therapies are delivered by licensed naturopathic physicians using individualized treatment plans. ⋯ Of those respondents screened, 497 (77%) had provided naturopathic care to women with breast cancer, and 402 (63%) had treated women with breast cancer in the previous 12 months. Naturopaths who were women were more likely than men to treat breast cancer (P < or = .004). Of the survey respondents, 104 (65%) practiced in the United States, and 57 (35%) practiced in Canada; 107 (66.5%) were women, and 54 (33.5%) were men. To develop naturopathic treatment plans, naturopathic physicians most often considered the stage of cancer, the patient's emotional constitution, and the conventional therapies used. To monitor patients clinically, 64% of the naturopathic physicians used diagnostic imaging, 57% considered the patient's quality of life, and 51% used physical examinations. The most common general CAM therapies used were dietary counseling (94%), botanical medicines (88%), antioxidants (84%), and supplemental nutrition (84%). The most common specific treatments were vitamin C (39%), coenzyme Q-10 (34%), and Hoxsey formula (29%).
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Altern Ther Health Med · Jul 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialAcustimulation wristbands for the relief of chemotherapy-induced nausea.
Substantial evidence suggests that acupuncture-point stimulation may be effective in controlling side effects of chemotherapy. ⋯ Findings on the efficacy of an acustimulation band for the control of chemotherapy-induced nausea are positive but not conclusive. These findings provide ample justification for further study of acustimulation in clinical oncology.