Alternative therapies in health and medicine
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Altern Ther Health Med · Sep 2015
Turkish Nurses' Use of Nonpharmacological Methods for Relieving Children's Postoperative Pain.
The experience of pain is frequently observed among children undergoing surgery. Hospitalization and surgery are stressful experiences for those children. ⋯ Undergoing surgery is generally a painful experience for children. Nurses most commonly use cognitive-behavioral methods in the postoperative care of their pediatric patients after surgery.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. One commonly overlooked effect of TBI is the disruption of the brain-gut axis, leading to gastrointestinal dysfunction. ⋯ Communication with the brain also occurs through messenger signals from the gut's microbiota, involving gut peptides, cytokines, and lipopolysaccharides. Disruption of the brain-gut axis from TBI can lead to a chronic, inflammatory, vicious sequela, involving both the brain and the gastrointestinal system, with both neuroregulatory and neuroimmunological loops.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Jul 2015
Targeting NF-κΒ and TNF-α Activation by Electroacupuncture to Suppress Collagen-induced Rheumatoid Arthritis in Model Rats.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body. Acupuncture is an emerging alternative therapy for rheumatoid arthritis; however, the molecular mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of acupuncture has not been elucidated. ⋯ Acupuncture mediates the anti-inflammatory NF-kB pathway to reduce disease severity in collagen-induced arthritis.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Nov 2014
ReviewAcupuncture therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review of randomized, controlled trials.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and is projected to be the third leading cause of death by 2030. Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese therapy, has been used for more than 2000 years to treat respiratory conditions and may treat COPD effectively. In previous literature reviews, researchers have noted significant heterogeneity among the included studies, and none of the reviewers found convincing evidence to recommend routine use of acupuncture therapies for COPD. ⋯ Acupuncture therapies may result in clinically important improvements in QoL and dyspnea. Future high-quality RCTs should be undertaken to provide conclusive evidence concerning the benefits of acupuncture therapies in the treatment of COPD.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Sep 2014
Meta AnalysisEvaluating the efficacy of Tui Na in treatment of childhood anorexia: a meta-analysis.
Medical practitioners are now seeing more children younger than 15 y who are developing childhood anorexia. Hua Tuo chiropractic treatments are an ancient and practical massage therapy and are a type of Tui Na therapy, which has been used for curing childhood anorexia for thousands of years in China. Research literature suggests that chiropractic care produces outcomes at least comparable with alternative treatments. ⋯ The level of evidence reported was mixed, but given the available evidence, the research team concluded that Tui Na therapy was a viable intervention that could benefit infants and young children with anorexia. No serious adverse events were reported. Larger randomized, controlled trials are required to explore the effects of Tui Na therapy for treatment of childhood anorexia further.