Current Issue : January - March Volume : 2019 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 5 Articles
Diabetes mellitus represents a major burden in Saudi Arabia where seven million (20% of population) are living with diabetes. This\narticle reviews the literature on usage of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM;) therapies among Saudi diabetic\npatients, focusing in particular on identifying the prevalence as well as discussing their safety and efficacy. Three databases\n(PubMed, Cochrane, and ScienceDirect) were searched prior to December 10, 2017, for articles published in peer-reviewed\njournals that reported primary data on the use of traditional and complementary medicine therapies among diabetic patients in\nSaudi Arabia. Six studies were selected according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria. In conclusion, the prevalence of use of T&CM;\ntherapies among diabetics in Saudi Arabia was 32.18%. This review identified that the most used T&CM; therapy among diabetics\nwas herbal treatment. The most used herbs were fenugreek, black seeds, neem, myrrh, helteet, harmel, and aloes. There is\ninsufficient or little evidence to support the efficacy of the most identified herbs and therapies. This review is raising the safety\nconcerns about the used herbs and complementary therapies which were commonly used without any medical consultation....
Background: Lifestyle risks for myopia are well known and the disease has become a major\nglobal public health issue worldwide. There is a relation between reading, writing, and computer\nwork and the development of myopia. Methods: Within this prospective pilot study in 44 patients\naged between 6 and 12 years with myopia we compared possible treatment effects of acupuncture\nor moxibustion. The diopters of the right and left eye were evaluated before and after the two\ntreatment methods. Results: Myopia was improved in 14 eyes of 13 patients (15.9%) within both\ncomplementary methods. Using acupuncture an improvement was observed in seven eyes from six\npatients out of 22 patients and a similar result (improvement in seven eyes from seven patients out\nof 22 patients) was noticed in the moxibustion group. The extent of improvement was better in the\nacupuncture group (p = 0.008 s., comparison before and after treatment); however, group analysis\nbetween acupuncture and moxibustion revealed no significant difference. Conclusions: Possible\ntherapeutic aspects with the help of evidence-based complementary methods like acupuncture or\nmoxibustion have not yet been investigated adequately in myopic patients. Our study showed that\nboth acupuncture and moxibustion can improve myopia of young patients. Acupuncture seems to be\nmore effective than moxibustion in treating myopia, however group analysis did not prove this trend.\nTherefore, further Big data studies are necessary to confirm or refute the preliminary results....
Herbal medicines make a vital contribution to healthcare globally, but from production through to practice, there are ethical\nchallenges that require attention. Ethical challenges are often analysed through application of an ethical framework because this can\nfacilitate a consistent and structured approach. In healthcare, the most commonly used framework over recent decades has been\nthat of the four principles: beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice. However, for various reasons that are explained,\nthis approach to ethical analysis is not the most fitting for the global phenomenon of herbal medicine. In this paper, a relatively\nnew moral framework that is based upon the globally accepted values of care, respect, honesty, and fairness is explored in relation\nto herbal medicine for the first time. Through application of this framework, the ethical challenges and actions needed to address\nthem become clear, thus resulting in practical recommendations for enhancing ethical standards in herbal medicine....
Objective. To investigate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at â??Zusanliâ? (ST36) and â??Shangjuxuâ?(ST37) on reducing\ninflammatory reaction and improving intestinal dysfunction in patients with sepsis-induced intestinal dysfunction with syndrome of\nobstruction of the bowels Qi. Methods. A total of 71 patients with sepsis-induced intestinal dysfunction with syndrome of obstruction\nof the bowels Qi were randomly assigned to control group (n=36) and treatment group (n=35). Patients in control group were given\nconventional therapies including fluid resuscitation, anti-infection, vasoactive agents, mechanical ventilation, supply of enteral\nnutrition, and glutamine as soon as possible. In addition to conventional therapies, patients in treatment group underwent 20\nminutes of EA at ST36-ST37 twice a day for five days. At baseline, day 1, day 3, and day 7 after treatment, the plasma levels of\nprocalcitonin (PCT), tumor necrosis factor ..... intestinal fatty acid-binding proteins (I-FABP), D-lactate, citrulline, and\nTCM quantitative score of intestinal dysfunction were measured and recorded, respectively. And days on mechanical ventilation\n(MV), length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU), and 28d mortality were recorded. Results. During treatment, the plasma levels\nof PCT, TNF I-FABP, D-lactate, and TCM quantitative score of intestinal dysfunction were declining in both groups, while\nthe treatment group showed a significant decline (P<0.05). Plasma levels of citrulline were increasing in both groups, while the\ntreatment group showed a significant increase (P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the days on MV, length\nof stay in ICU, and 28d mortality between two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions. EA at ST36-ST37 can reduce inflammatory reaction\nand has protective effects on intestinal function in patients with sepsis-induced intestinal dysfunction with syndrome of obstruction\nof the bowels Qi. Trial Registration. This trial was registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn/(ChiCTR-IOR-17010910)....
Background: Previous research has considered the impact of personal and situational\nfactors on treatment responses. This article documents the first phase of a four-stage project\non patient characteristics that may influence responsiveness to acupuncture treatment, reporting\nresults from an exploratory practitioner survey. Methods: Acupuncture practitioners from various\nmedical professions were recruited through professional organisations to complete an online survey\nabout their demographics and attitudes as well as 60 questions on specific factors that might\ninfluence treatment. They gave categorical (â??Yesâ?, â??Noâ?, and â??Donâ??t knowâ?) and free-text responses.\nQuantitative and qualitative (thematic) analyses were then conducted. Results: There were more\naffirmative than negative or uncertain responses overall. Certain characteristics, including ability to\nrelax, exercise and diet, were most often considered relevant. Younger and male practitioners were\nmore likely to respond negatively. Limited support was found for groupings between characteristics.\nQualitative data provide explanatory depth. Response fatigue was evident over the course of the\nsurvey. Conclusions: Targeting and reminders may benefit uptake when conducting survey research.\nPractitioner characteristics influence their appreciation of patient characteristics. Factors consistently\nviewed as important included ability to relax, exercise and diet. Acupuncture practitioners may\nbenefit from additional training in certain areas. Surveys may produce more informative results if\nreduced in length and complexity....
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