Changes in self-reported symptoms of depression and physical well-being in healthy individuals following a Taiji beginner course - Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Taiji is a mind-body practice being increasingly investigated for its therapeutic benefits in a broad range of mental and physical conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential preventive effects of Taiji practice in healthy individuals with regard to their depressive symptomatology and physical well-being.

Methods: Seventy healthy Taiji novices were randomly assigned to a Taiji intervention group, that is, Taiji beginner course (Yang-Style Taiji, 2 h per week, 12 weeks) or a control group comprised of the waiting list for the course.

Investigating short- and long-term transfer effects of a Taiji beginner course in participants' daily life.

Objective: In recent years research investigating various health benefits of Taiji practice has markedly increased. Despite this growing scientific interest, essential questions such as to what extent a Taiji course may exert noticeable effects in participants' everyday life, what these effects are, and how and where potential transfer effects occur, have hardly been considered. The aim of our study was to explore transfer effects from a Taiji course into participants' daily lives.

Effects of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine (Zhi Mu 14) on hot flushes and quality of life in postmenopausal women: results of a four-arm randomized controlled pilot trial.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a clinical trial investigating the effects of acupuncture (AP) and Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on hot flushes and quality of life in postmenopausal women.

Methods: Forty postmenopausal women reporting at least 20 hot flushes per week were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. They were randomly allocated to receive traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) AP, sham AP, verum CHM, or placebo CHM for 12 weeks.

[Modalities of acupuncture treatments in assisted reproductive technology--a comparison of treatment practice in Swiss, German, and Austrian fertility centers with findings from randomized controlled trials].

Background: One in 5 couples is affected by infertility. To increase the effectiveness of assisted reproductive technology (ART) adjuvant acupuncture treatments are frequently administered. However, little is known about acupuncture treatment modalities employed in fertility centers.

Getting started with taiji: investigating students expectations and teachers appraisals of taiji beginners courses.

In recent years, Taiji has been frequently investigated and considered as a stress management intervention. Although health care providers' appraisals and consumers' expectations are regarded as essential for treatment outcome, little attention has been drawn to this issue in Taiji research. In our study we have conducted two surveys to explore beginners' (n = 74) expectations and teachers' (n = 136) appraisals of their Taiji courses in general as well as more particularly related to stress management.

Taiji practice attenuates psychobiological stress reactivity--a randomized controlled trial in healthy subjects.

Background: Stress reducing effects of Taiji, a mindful and gentle form of body movement, have been reported in previous studies, but standardized and controlled experimental studies are scarce. The present study investigates the effect of regular Taiji practice on psychobiological stress response in healthy men and women.

Methods: 70 participants were randomly assigned to either Taiji classes or a waiting list.

Laser acupuncture for myofascial pain of the masticatory muscles. A controlled pilot study.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of laser acupuncture within the scope of a pilot study.

Methods: 108 adult patients were examined and of those eleven patients were included in the prospective pilot study. These patients took part voluntarily and were diagnosed with tendomyopathy of the masticatory musculature with maximum face and jaw pain on a visual analogous scale VAS > or = 30 in the last 14 days.

[Complementary and alternative medicine in primary care in Switzerland].

Objective: This study investigated the current supply of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Swiss primary care. Information was collected on physicians' qualifications in CAM, frequency of patients' demand for CAM, physicians' supply and temporal resources for CAM as well as physicians' referrals to CAM.

Material And Methods: 750 (500 German-speaking and 250 French-speaking) randomly selected Swiss female and male primary care physicians were asked to complete a questionnaire (response rate 50.

[Laser needle acupuncture in women with dysmenorrhoea: a randomised controlled double blind pilot trial].

Background: Dysmenorrhoea is a common gynaecological disorder.It is treated symptomatically if it is not caused by any underlying disease. Acupuncture is successfully used for menstrual disorders but is associated with certain side effects such as pain.

[Status of alternative medicine in Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis patents: a questionnaire survey].

Background: Patients with M. Crohn or colitis ulcerosa live with a chronic disease. Pharmaceuticals used in convention-al medicine have been proven to be effective but can have strong side-effects.