Alternative therapies in health and medicine
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Altern Ther Health Med · Jan 2002
ReviewAlternative treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: does evidence support their use?
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects approximately 2 to 3 million children in the United States. Stimulant medication is one of the most common treatments for ADHD; however, adverse reactions from its use cause many parents to seek complementary or alternative treatments. Many individuals use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) because they are attracted to CAM philosophies and health beliefs, dissatisfied with the process or results of their conventional care, or concerned about adverse effects of stimulants. ⋯ Alternative treatments often include neurofeedback, homeopathy, herbal medicines, iron supplements, and dietary modifications or supplements. Although anecdotal and empirical evidence is surfacing to support the efficacy of these alternatives, further research is needed before they can be regarded as effective, reliable treatments for ADHD. Therefore, the use of more conventional treatments should be considered if alternative interventions prove unsuccessful.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Nov 2001
Feasibility of a music intervention protocol for patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support.
Music has been found to be an effective nonpharmacologic adjunct for managing anxiety and promoting relaxation in limited trials of critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation. No data are available to determine the effect of the intervention over repeated trials or to determine whether patients or staff will use music intervention independently. ⋯ Patient-initiated music is a feasible intervention protocol: subjects were able to request music independently and nursing staff were cooperative. Findings will be used in future studies to refine the protocol and attendant measures to implement music intervention in the critical care setting and to develop detailed staff education materials.
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Altern Ther Health Med · May 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialUse of Iscador, an extract of European mistletoe (Viscum album), in cancer treatment: prospective nonrandomized and randomized matched-pair studies nested within a cohort study.
In anthroposophical medicine, total extracts of Viscum album (mistletoe) have been developed to treat cancer patients. The oldest such product is Iscador. Although Iscador is regarded as a complementary cancer therapy, it is the most commonly used oncological drug in Germany. ⋯ Iscador treatment can achieve a clinically relevant prolongation of survival time of cancer patients and appears to stimulate self-regulation.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Jan 2001
A pilot study into the therapeutic effects of music therapy at a cancer help center.
Since the mid-1980s, music therapy has been a regular feature of the residential program at the internationally renowned Bristol Cancer Help Centre, United Kingdom. Music therapy complements other therapeutic interventions available to residents at the center. ⋯ These findings, which link listening to music in a relaxed state and improvisation to alterations in psychological and physiological parameters, may provide a better understanding of the effectiveness of music therapy for cancer patients.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Mar 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialRandomized prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study of dextrose prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis with or without ACL laxity.
Use of prolotherapy (injection of growth factors or growth factor stimulators). ⋯ Prolotherapy injection with 10% dextrose resulted in clinically and statistically significant improvements in knee osteoarthritis. Preliminary blinded radiographic readings (1-year films, with 3-year total follow-up period planned) demonstrated improvement in several measures of osteoarthritis severity. ACL laxity, when present in these osteoarthritic patients, improved.