Sep
5
2023

Manual therapies for migraine

J Headache Pain. 2011 Feb 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Manual therapies for migraine: a systematic review.
Chaibi A, Tuchin PJ, Russell MB.

Head and Neck Research Group, Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital, 1478, Lørenskog, Norway,

Abstract
Migraine occurs in about 15% of the general population. Migraine is usually managed by medication, but some patients do not tolerate migraine medication due to side effects or prefer to avoid medication for other reasons. Non-pharmacological management is an alternative treatment option. We systematically reviewed randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on manual therapies for migraine. The RCTs suggest that massage therapy, physiotherapy, relaxation and chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy might be equally effective as propranolol and topiramate in the prophylactic management of migraine. However, the evaluated RCTs had many methodological shortcomings. Therefore, any firm conclusion will require future, well-conducted RCTs on manual therapies for migraine.

Sep
5
2023

Frankincense Provides Relief for Osteoarthritis

Frankincense may help reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis, according to a study of 70 patients.

An enriched extract of the “Indian Frankincense” herb Boswellia serrata was used in the randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Patients who took the herbal remedy showed significant improvement in as little as seven days. The compound caused no major adverse effects and is safe for human consumption and long-term use, according to the study authors.

The findings were published in the July 29 edition of Arthritis Research & Therapy.

The extract used in the study was enriched with 30 percent AKBA (3-O-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid), which is believed to be the most active ingredient in the B. serrata plant.

“AKBA has anti-inflammatory properties, and we have shown that B. serrata enriched with AKBA can be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee,” study leader Siba Raychaudhuri, a faculty member of the University of California, Davis, said.

“The high incidence of adverse effects associated with currently available medications has created great interest in the search for an effective and safe alternative treatment,” Raychaudhuri said.

B. serrata has been used for thousands of years in traditional Indian medicine. This is the first study to examine the effect of an enriched extract of the plant.

Sep
5
2023

The use of complementary methods use by cancer survivors

The use of complementary methods (CMs) is widespread and increasing in the United States. Most literature on CM use among cancer survivors focuses on the treatment period, whereas only a few studies address use further along the cancer continuum.

This study analyzed the prevalence and the medical and demographic associations of CM use among cancer survivors surveyed 10 to 24 months after diagnosis. The study’s sample-4139 survivors of 1 of 10 adult cancers-was selected from stratified random samples provided by statewide cancer registries and surveyed by mail and telephone. Three logistic regression models examined associations between medical and demographic factors and CM use among survivors of sex-specific and non-sex-specific cancers.

The results showed that of the 19 CMs included in the survey, the CMs most frequently reported were: prayer/spiritual practice (61.4%), relaxation (44.3%), faith/spiritual healing (42.4%), nutritional supplements/vitamins (40.1%), meditation (15%), religious counseling (11.3%), massage (11.2%), and support groups (9.7%).

Among these 19 CMs, the least prevalent were hypnosis (0.4%), biofeedback therapy (1.0%), and acupuncture/acupressure (1.2%). Survivors more likely to use CMs were female, younger, white, higher income, and more educated.

Gansler T, Kaw C, Crammer C, Smith T.  A population-based study of prevalence of complementary methods use by cancer survivors: a report from the American Cancer Society’s studies of cancer survivors. Cancer. 2008 Aug 4.

Sep
5
2023

Acupuncture helped neck pain after surgery

Acupuncture helped alleviate lingering pain and decreased shoulder mobility in people who had surgery for head and neck cancer, according to U.S. researchers at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. This therapy also resulted in significant improvements in extreme dry mouth or xerostomia, which often occurs in people who have had radiation treatment for head and neck cancer.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York studied 70 patients who were at least three months past their surgery and radiation treatments.About half got standard treatments, which include physical therapy and treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. The other half got standard treatment plus a weekly acupuncture session.

After four weeks, 39 percent of those who got acupuncture reported improvements in pain and mobility, compared with only 7 percent in people who got typical care.

“Although further study is needed, these data support the potential role of acupuncture in addressing post neck-dissection pain and dysfunction, as well as xerostomia,” Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Dr. David Pfister said at the meeting.

Sep
5
2023

Virtual massage can relieve amputees phantom limb pain

Amputees can feel relief from phantom limb pain just by watching someone else performing “virtual” massage. The treatment appears to fool the brain that it is their missing hand being massaged, California researchers say.

New Scientist magazine reports that it harnesses nerve cells in the brain which become active when watching someone else carry out an action. UK experts said this kind of therapy may help amputees, as long as they can go along with the illusion. Mirror neurons in the brain fire up when a person performs an intentional action, such as waving, and also when they observe someone else performing the same action.

They are thought to help predict the intentions of others by simulating the action in the mind. Similar cells exist for touch, and become active both when a person is being touched and when they watch someone else being touched.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, say the reason people do not constantly feel what they observe happening to others is that a person’s sensory cells do not give the right signals, so they know it is not happening to them.

In the study, Vilayanur Ramachandran tested the therapy on ex-soldiers. His first test used a device called a mirror box, which he developed. An amputee puts their remaining limb, in this case their hand, in front of the mirror and their brain is tricked into thinking the mirror image is actually another working limb.

Two amputees had their normal hand touched while using the mirror box, and felt the sensation of being touched on their missing hand. In a second experiment, when amputees watched a volunteer’s hand being stroked, they also began to experience a stroking sensation arising from their missing limb. One even said their pain disappeared for between 10 and 15 minutes.

Dr Ramachandran suggested the amputees “felt” the actions of others because their missing limb provided no feedback to prevent their mirror neurons being stimulated, and therefore not telling them they were not “literally” being touched. “If an amputee experiences pain in their missing limb, they could watch a friend or partner rub their hand to get rid of it.” But Dr Ramachandran said there could be other uses for the therapy, including helping people who have had strokes. “If performed early enough, it may also be used to help stroke patients regain movements by watching others perform their lost actions.”

Kate McIver, of the Pain Research Institute at Liverpool University, said work done there on helping amputees create mental images of pain-free limbs – which operated on the same basic principle as the US research – had also proved effective. She said watching massage could help, but added: “With something external like this, the patient has to accept that the illusion is real for it to work.”

Journal ref: Medical Hypotheses, DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2008.01.008

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7305207.stm