This article describes the origin and workings of Spiritist Healing Centers in Brazil. Given the reported success in healing mental, emotional, and physical disease, the author suggests further research into the healing practices, philosophy, and education offered at these centers. The general dynamics of Spiritist healing is described. Issues that have limited research in the past are put forth along with a historical perspective on spiritual healing, evidencing that strides are currently being made by researchers validating the effectiveness of specific spiritual approaches to complement conventional medical procedures.
Researchers often use the term “sensitivity ” when theorizing that certain persons may be more readily affected by various influences than others. Through a review of the literature, it is argued that some individuals are disposed toward a range of sensitivities that, in novelty as well as intensity, distinguish them from the general population. The author cites evidence indicating that such persons exhibit greater susceptibility to a range of environmental factors including allergies, migraine headache, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue. Their immediate family members appear to be similarly affected. Additionally, these “sensitive” individuals report a high degree of anomalous perception. While no single factor in a person’s background is likely to distinguish him/her as sensitive, eight demographic or personality factors are found to be significant.
Vanilla has been coveted over the ages for culinary and medicinal reasons alike. Vanilla's high status in the culinary world comes from a long history of flavoring sweet, sensual desserts such as ice cream, sugar cookies, puff pastries, and butter creams. While vanilla's history is steeped in culinary traditions, its lesser know uses as an aphrodisiac and a medical botanical stretch back to its discovery in Mesoamerica by ancient cultures who cultivated and honored the sweet orchid. European nations also historically valued vanilla for its flavor, its lore as a love potion, and its medicinal uses. While traditional medical uses of vanilla have faded away, its culinary traditions have changed little. Present day advances in basic science research have shed light on the medical benefits of vanillin, vanilla's active constituent.
Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are important but often difficult to diagnose. They should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a wide range of conditions. Estimates of the proportion of acute hospital admissions caused by ADRs range from 0.5% to 12.8%. They can be classified according to dose-relatedness, time course and susceptibility. Toxic effects are caused by high doses, for example nephrotoxicity with aminoglycosides. Collateral effects are encountered within the therapeutic range, as for Clostridioides difficile infection with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Hypersusceptibility reactions, which include anaphylaxis in individuals allergic to penicillins, can occur at doses much lower than therapeutic. Some reactions occur at specific times after exposure. Susceptibility to ADRs differs. Sometimes there are marked differences as a result of genetic variation: drug-induced haemolysis in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is an example. Other factors that alter susceptibility to ADRs include age, sex and certain disease states. The detection of ADRs relies heavily on spontaneous reporting (e.g. the UK Yellow Card scheme), stimulated post-marketing surveillance and case–control studies. Licensing authorities can then take steps to mitigate the effects of newly detected reactions. Detecting and reporting ADRs makes prescribing safer and more likely to achieve its aims.
Increasing consumer demand for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has led many health care organizations to create "integrative medicine centers" (IMCs) that combine the use of biomedical and CAM therapies. This article explores institutional issues in the emergence of IMCs affiliated with hospitals in academic medical centers. We assess efforts at integration, analyze the challenges, and comment on the balance between factors that support and hinder the continued expansion of IMCs. Our conclusion is that, although obstacles remain, they are not insurmountable. One former concern, physician skepticism, is now much less intense. However, achieving financial viability continues to be a major hurdle for IMCs. We offer some policy considerations for those establishing IMCs in order to broaden the options available to consumers of health care.
Increasing numbers of health professionals are incorporating complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies into their work. Nurses, in particular, are embracing CAM techniques, which may fit well within their philosophy of care for their patients and which may, instinctively, be more holistic than the approach of their medical counterparts. Patients, who may be disillusioned with conventional approaches to treatment, appear to express high levels of satisfaction in receiving these therapies and nurses clearly enjoy giving them. Beyond patient preference for CAM therapies though, there is still a paucity of clinical evidence to support the wider integration of CAM into the NHS. This article focuses on some of the ethical and legal considerations raised by nurses who employ, or are considering employing, CAM techniques as part of their NHS work, looking, in particular, at the need to ensure patient safety whilst at the same time protecting nurses from criticism or censure.
This article addresses aspects of the human healing response in the context of what the evidence supports in the use of functional assays to improve diagnostic precision, patient-specific comprehensive case management, and outcomes monitoring. Essential and innate to human life is our immune system, with a principal action in defense and repair. Both defense in response to foreign invaders and repair in response to daily wear and tear are the immune systems primary and required roles for maintenance of human life. The fundamental approach to first line care articulated herein is based on patient-specific, comprehensive, functional, ex vivo tests and treatment plans. The roles of immune system dysfunction in good health and chronic ill health are explored. Advanced assays that provide comprehensive determination of an individual’s delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH)/delayed allergy reactions are used as examples of how to get to the cause of many chronic “treatment-resistant” issues. While largely previously overlooked, functional immune responses provide examples of novel, “leap frog ” technologies that improve diagnostic precision, enhance patient satisfaction, and lower total cost of care, particularly for high cost, high morbidity and mortality conditions ranging from obesity and diabetes to autism and neural tube defects. Getting to the causes is more likely to be sensitive, specific, predictive, and reliable than the current generation of largely static or physical chemical measurements now routinely performed in medical practices. Healthy resilience and disease resistance are reviewed. The causes of ill health, rather than their symptomatic consequences, are explored. Emphasis is on validated, successful approaches to sustainable remissions. Focus includes health maintenance, enhancement or restoration, based on clinically proven approaches. Clinically validated in randomized controlled trials (RCT), thisapproachtorehabilitateimmuneresponsesand,thereby, restore healthy tolerance and achieve sustainable remissions based on correctly cumulative repair deficits in chronic illnesses are described herein. Let us start with an understanding of the nature of health.
First line comprehensive care is fundamental to integrative medicine, an emerging specialty within American healthcare. Primary focus is on functional and predictive tests to identify remediable causes of suffering and ill health. Integrative health professionals are learning a more functional language—it is both a language of causes and of deeper insights into more fundamental molecular and submolecular mechanisms of both our good health and our ill health. Anthropogenic xenobiotics, especially the bioaccumulating and bioconcentrating toxic minerals (TMs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are the focus of this article as they are, in their more toxic forms, largely anthropogenic, human-sourced intoxicants. Bioconcentration operates in the following way: Ocean krill and algae convert less toxic, inorganic mercury to biotoxic organic mercury. Alga are ingested by small fish. Larger fish eat small fish, and humans, in turn, eat larger fish. The longer the lifespan, the more mercury accumulates in those people who have lost (phenotypic expression) or have innately impaired (genotypic expression) abilities to detoxify and eliminate these anthropogenic xenobiotic toxicants. Since accumulation of POPs takes place primarily in the fat while TM accumulates more prominently in muscle and bone cells and extracellular matrix, it follows that such toxins might contribute to the novel and more severe treatment-resistant musculoskeletal conditions observed in practice. Scientific evidence is also “bioaccumulating” for a clinical imperative to mitigate exposure where possible and to optimize innate host defenses, generally through strategic mental and functional, nutritional, and environmental adaptations. This article outlines the current standards of care for integrative medicine physicians incorporating the 2005 American Board of Clinical Metal Toxicology (ABCMT) training guidelines for practitioners. The practice of first line comprehensive care is emerging as outcome and cost effective compared with today’s conventions in most chronic diseases as well as in the implementation of proactive, cost-effective, and outcome-effective health promotion approaches. If not now, when will we implement widely what we know that cost effectively and outcome effectively promotes sustainable good health and general well being?
Herbal remedies (phytomedicines) possess significant pharmacological activity and consequently potential adverse effects and drug interactions. The explosion in sales of herbal therapies has brought products to the marketplace that do not conform to the standards of safety and efficacy that physicians and patients expect. Relatively few physicians inquire about herbal medicine use, and up to 70% of patients do not reveal their use of herbal medicines to their physicians and pharmacists. All physicians should question patients regarding the use of herbal remedies and document their responses in the medical record. They should caution patients that lack of standardization, quality control, and regulation may result in variability in herbal content, efficacy, and potential contamination. Physicians should be aware of potential adverse reactions stemming from herbal medicine use, especially with regard to perioperative bleeding, cardiovascular instability, and interactions with commonly prescribed sedative-hypnotic agents.
The kinetics of sintering of supported metal catalysts is given for the rate of decay of surface area and the average particle size for the case where the prevailing mechanism of sintering is the atom diffusion. An examination of the adequacy of the central supposition of Chakraverty for typical sintering systems leads to an alternate expression for the driving force for the growth of particles and to the other results. The rate expression presented for the surface area is distinctly different from that of Ruckenstein and Pulvermacher which was obtained for the mechanism of crystallite migration. Comparisons are made between predicted values and experimental data. Results obtained indicate that the power n in the expression for the decay of surface area may not be used for the discrimination of one mechanism from the other.
Results of stroke risk and coffee consumption are inconclusive. This study aimed to provide an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between coffee consumption and stroke risk.Random-effects models were used to pool relative risk estimates (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The highest versus the lowest categories of coffee consumption as well as dose-response analysis with a one-stage robust error meta-regression model (REMR) were assessed for stroke risk.In total, 21 studies including 30 independent cohorts that comprised more than 2.4 million participants were included. The pooled RR with 95% CI for the highest versus the lowest categories of coffee consumption was 0.87 (0.80–0.94) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 32.0%). Sensitivity analysis suggested that the influence of each individual data set to an overall result was not significant. As suggested by Begg's funnel plots and Egger tests (p=0.006), some evidence for publication bias was observed. Further analysis with the trim-and-fill method indicated no noticeable harm to our results was generated by any potential bias. Dose-response analysis suggested a nonlinear relationship (U-shape) between stroke risk and coffee (p = 0.0002). The strongest association for stroke (21% lower risk) was found for coffee consumption of 3–4 cups/day and no further reduction in stroke risk was observed with increasing levels of coffee consumption beyond this amount.Our study provided evidence of a significant inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of stroke. Future large prospective studies with excellent design are warranted to confirm our findings and provide a more definitive conclusion.
Advancements in scientific techniques have enabled researchers to critically examine and scrutinize nonconventional therapies to either validate or reject them for routine clinical practice. The substantiation of the homeopathic system has been controversial since there is no standard drug dilution strength that can be subjected to clinical tests. Homeopaths usually claim to achieve curative effects by using homeopathic substances ranging in concentration from mother tinctures in crude forms to infinitesimal dilutions with a probability of almost zero active ingredients in them. The issue becomes further confused when different criteria are applied to drug dilution preparations that are inconsistent with any established scientific metric such as Avogadro’s number. This fact was well known to its founder, Dr. Hahnemann, who tried to establish drug standardization around the 30th dilution during his last years of life. He even developed a semi-nonlinear method, known as LM potencies, which was revealed in his postmortem publication of Organon of Medicine, 6th edition, in 1921. Dr. Hering, founder of American Homeopathy, devised the decimal dilution method, which, like the earlier dilution methods, lacked any fundamental metric such as Avogadro’s number. A literature search revealed that the drug dilution and standardization issues were never settled in homeopathy. The issues of miracle cures with different dilutions become questionable when such claims are examined in the absence of any placebo or control studies. In short, homeopathy has failed to establish validity of its dilutions’ effects in general research settings. The common denominator to all such failures can be attributed to the absence of standardization of drug dilutions based on scientific metrics. Different drugs are composed of different numbers of atoms/molecules to start with. A single linear no-threshold method cannot standardize the heterogeneous drugs to a desired unique scale. A nonlinear method is needed to standardize homeopathic drugs to a single scale such as the 30th to either validate or reject them on scientific grounds. This issue becomes more important in the light of new emerging nanotechnology. Homeopathic drug standardization based on scientific metrics is needed for research and reproducibility for routine clinical practice.
Globally, females are ∼30% more likely to have pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) than males for reasons that are not fully understood. CKD is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes which makes understanding and working to eradicating sex based disparities in CKD prevalence essential. This review maps both what is known, and what is unknown, about the way sex and gender impacts (1) the epidemiology and risk factors for CKD including age, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, smoking, and cerebrovascular disease, and (2) the complications from CKD including kidney disease progression, cardiovascular disease, CKD mineral and bone disorders, anaemia, quality-of-life, cancer and mortality. This mapping can be used to guide future research.
Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) represents a distinct subpopulation of patients with refractory and disabling pain symptoms. Traditional treatment options of drugs and surgery have limited success. Constant application of permanent static magnets with 20-mm penetration has statistically reduced neuropathic pain in carpal tunnel syndrome and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of simultaneous permanent magnetic exposure to the back and feet (350 gauss and 450 gauss, respectively) over a 2-month period for the treatment of neuropathic pain compared to similar sham devices. This was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 17 patients with FBSS at two sites. Etiology for FBSS included herniated disks, spinal stenosis, epidural fibrosis, spinal instability, spondylolisthesis, and fusion failure. Baseline Visual Analog Scores (VAS 0-10) of neuropathic pain and sleep disturbance were compared at 1- and 2-month intervals for statistical changes. Sixteen patients completed this 2-month study. One patient dropped out during the first month. There was no statistical reduction in VAS scores for neuropathic pain or sleep. There were no safety issues. Simultaneous and constant exposure of weak, permanent magnets to the feet and back were ineffective in reducing neuropathic pain. Static magnetic fields need to penetrate 5 to 7 cm to address neuropathic pain from FBSS. Unfortunately, information regarding field decay from the surface of the magnet is rarely supplied by the vendors of such devices.
Osteoporosis (OP) is associated with cardiovascular disease. Moreover, osteoporosis has been shown to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. Recent studies revealed that altered blood rheology plays a critical role in atherosclerosis. A study confirmed that whole blood viscosity (WBV) is a predictor of cardiovascular events. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the relationship between blood viscosity and osteoporosis. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the relationship between the rheological parameters and bone mineral density (BMD) in 481 subjects in the International Physical Examination and Healthy Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin, China. Different biochemical stress and physical activity are correlated to lumbar spine BMD. Stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that WBV was a significant factor for decreased BMD (β = − 0.513; P < 0.001 for lumbar spine L2-4 BMD; β = − 0.157; P = 0.003 for femoral neck BMD). In conclusion, The findings show that WBV is elevated in osteoporosis and negatively correlated with BMD. Further studies are warranted to investigate whether antiosteoporosis medication could normalize whole blood viscosity in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.
Coding for integrative medical services has a profound impact on serving the clients and constituencies that seek these services. Gaps in the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) procedures are of significant concern. The comprehensive coverage and precision required for accurate communication of the provider/patient encounter is not available under the current CPT system. Lack of representation by certain licensed CAM professions on CPT panels and committees has been a factor. The ABC code set for CAM procedures developed by Alternative Link, Inc (“AltLink”), while an important effort to address this identified need, introduced a new set of concerns, including uncertain effects from coding integrative services through a separate code set. (1) There are significant gaps in available code sets that hinder the proper reporting, and indeed practice, of integrative and CAM therapies. (2) Difficulties in coding arise not merely from an absence of codes for many CAM procedures but from the guidelines, structure, and application of codes to health information infrastructure such as the determination of Relative Value Unit scales. (3) The development of codes that properly describe CAM services therefore requires representation by the professional associations whose members deliver this care.
A significant increase in the prevalence of kidney stones has been observed worldwide. In the past decades, this expansion was more pronounced among women than men. The precise mechanisms involved in the differences in the risk profile of stone disease between men and women have not been fully elucidated. Diet and lifestyle only partially can explain the differences, and the combination of factors such as the influence of sex hormones, genetics, and disorders in acid-base handling and urine pH, as well as differences in calcium tubular reabsorption and stone composition in men and women, may contribute to differences in the risk profile. In this review, we summarize the sex differences in the pathophysiologic basis of kidney stones, which may contribute to a more focused approach.
In order to generate compounds with superior antitumor activity and reduced toxicity, twelve new hydroxycinnamic acid hydrazide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against two cancer cell lines (H1299 lung carcinoma cells and MCF-7 breast cancer cells), and compared to two normal counterparts (NL-20 lung epithelial cells and H184B5F5/M10 breast cells) by MTT method. The results demonstrated that some of these compounds possessed good antiproliferative activity against the two cancer cell lines. Among them, compound 2c was active against the growth of H1299 lung carcinoma cells with IC50 values of 1.50 μM, which was more active than the positive topotecan (IC50 = 4.18 μM). Simultaneously, it showed lower cytotoxic effects on normal NL-20 lung epithelial cells (IC50 > 10 μM). Mechanism studies indicated that it induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase followed by activation of caspase-3, and consequently caused the cell death. Further studies on the structure optimization are ongoing.
