Publications by authors named "Christian KeSSler"

Background: Long-term care facility employees' workload escalation intensifies negative risk for (nursing) staff health, residents, and the economy. Workplace health promotion (WHP) has emerged as a vital approach with positive impacts on employee well-being. This Scoping Review focuses on multimodal WHP programs in long-term care facilities, emphasizing barriers, facilitators, and the integration of complementary and integrative medicine (CIM).

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Plant-based diets benefit individual health and the environment, yet most people eat omnivorous diets. We aim to (1) assess the role of multiple determinants for transitioning to more plant-based diets in a sample of omnivorous respondents, such as recommendations from doctors, scientists and politicians; lower costs; and increased availability, and to (2) identify which subpopulations are most receptive to which determinants. Using data from a survey on the use and acceptance of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine in Germany (N = 4065; N omnivorous = 3419; 84%), we find that the overall willingness to change to a more plant-based diet is low (mean = 2.

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Background: Healthcare professionals face high levels of occupational stress, time pressure, workload, and poor organizational support. This makes them particularly vulnerable to burnout. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this situation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Healthcare professionals often feel very stressed at work, which can lead to burnout.
  • A study is testing a 9-week program called LAGOM to see if it helps reduce this stress and burnout in nurses and doctors.
  • If successful, LAGOM could help keep healthcare workers healthier and happier, making it a useful program for hospitals to implement.
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  • The text explores the connection between individual health and ecological systems, proposing integrative medicine as a model that applies both to patients' therapies and to environmental restoration.
  • It describes how specific elements of integrative medicine—such as self-regulation and transdisciplinary approaches—can benefit both human and planetary health, emphasizing the need for sustainable resource use in medicine and pharmacy.
  • The key message highlights the importance of self-regulation in promoting health, suggesting that a shift in how individuals relate to nature and themselves is essential for achieving better health outcomes for both people and the planet.
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Although fasting is increasingly applied for disease prevention and treatment, consensus on terminology is lacking. Using Delphi methodology, an international, multidisciplinary panel of researchers and clinicians standardized definitions of various fasting approaches in humans. Five online surveys and a live online conference were conducted with 38 experts, 25 of whom completed all 5 surveys.

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  • Evidence shows that spending time in nature can improve health and wellbeing, with nature-based social prescribing (NBSP) linking individuals to community activities in natural settings for mental and physical health benefits.
  • The study involved a workshop with health and environmental experts from the UK and Germany, who explored the development and execution of NBSP in different healthcare systems.
  • Five key themes emerged for successful NBSP implementation, including capacity building, accessibility, collaboration, standardized practices, and sustainability, along with a discussion of strengths and challenges for each theme.
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Introduction: Ayurveda, South Asia's largest and most relevant system of Traditional Medicine, holds a legal status akin to conventional Western medicine in India and elsewhere. There is an almost complete lack of data on the use of Ayurveda in Germany. The aim of this study was to investigate Ayurveda's utilization patterns, entry points, and factors influencing its use and the perception of Ayurveda among the German population.

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Background: Maharishi Amrit Kalash (MAK) 4 and 5 are Ayurvedic herbal nutritional supplements that are believed to have beneficial effects on overall health and wellbeing. This study aimed to systematically review all available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the clinical effects and safety of MAK.

Methods: We included RCTs on therapy, health promotion, and prevention for patients and healthy volunteers of all ages.

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Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common chronic pain disorder and often occurs as a concomitant disease in rheumatological diseases. Managing FMS takes a complex approach and often involves various non-pharmacological therapies. Fasting interventions have not been in the focus of research until recently, but preliminary data have shown effects on short- and medium-term pain as well as on physical and psychosomatic outcomes in different chronic pain disorders.

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Background: Older representative surveys show that Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) is used by about 60% of the German population. However, no data exists for the current nationwide situation. The main aim of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the current use and acceptance of TCIM in Germany.

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Introduction: Since cannabinoids were partially legalized as prescription medicines in Germany in 2017, they are mostly used when conventional therapies do not suffice. Ambiguities remain regarding use, benefits and risks. This web-based survey explored the perspectives of patients whose experiences are not well enough known to date.

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Aim: Healthcare professionals are at increased risk of burnout, primarily due to workplace-related stressors. The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased this risk. Different interventions exist with varying degrees of effectiveness; little is reported on the content and implementation of such programs.

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Several meditation interventions showed positive effects on physical and mental health. The aim of this study is a first evaluation of the (within-group) effects of a 21-day online meditation course of the "expansion method." For this exploratory observational study, parameters were assessed at baseline, at 1 month, and at a 3-month follow-up.

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Ayurveda is India's prominent traditional medical system. The World Health Organization has stated the need for more evidence and data from conventional medicine methods to inform policymakers, regulatory bodies, healthcare stakeholders, and the public about its safe, effective, and equitable use. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the emerging trends in Ayurveda research, mapping research to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and examining the impact of COVID-19.

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Cancer often causes long-term physical and psychological impairments. Lifestyle modification and nature-based interventions (NBIs) can have a positive impact on patients' quality of life (QOL). This participants-blinded, non-randomized controlled study assessed parameters at weeks 0, 12, and 24, including, as a primary endpoint, QOL in cancer patients on the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) at week 12.

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Limitations in daily living have not yet been described adequately for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In this study, we investigated first, time spent on protective activities (social, mental, and physical) and second, limitations in practical skills of daily living, both for people with MCI. We used baseline data from 270 individuals who participated in the randomized controlled trial BrainFit-Nutrition.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovitis is dominated by monocytes/macrophages with inflammatory patterns resembling microbial stimulation. In search of triggers, we reduced the intestinal microbiome in 20 RA patients (open label study DRKS00014097) by bowel cleansing and 7-day fasting (≤250 kcal/day) and performed immune monitoring and microbiome sequencing. Patients with metabolic syndrome ( = 10) served as a non-inflammatory control group.

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Preliminary clinical data suggest that pain reduction through fasting may be effective for different diagnoses. This uncontrolled observational clinical study examined the effects of prolonged modified fasting on pain and functional parameters in hip and knee osteoarthritis. Patients admitted to the inpatient department of Internal Medicine and Nature-based Therapies of the Immanuel Hospital Berlin between February 2018 and December 2020 answered questionnaires at the beginning and end of inpatient treatment, as well as at 3, 6, and 12 months after discharge.

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Article Synopsis
  • Eating a lot of meat and not enough plants in our diets can harm our health, causing issues like obesity and heart diseases.
  • Changing to more plant-based foods can help both our personal health and the health of the planet.
  • Doctors should encourage everyone to eat more plants to help solve health problems and protect the environment for the future.
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Background: Medical cannabinoids are controversial. Their use is comparatively rare, but it is rising. Since 2017, cannabinoids can be prescribed in Germany for a broader range of indications.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Her symptoms included fatigue, nausea, and exhaustion; she was hospitalized for observation, where blood tests confirmed toxic hepatitis, but she did not experience acute liver failure.
  • * The case highlights the risks of herbal remedies causing liver issues and suggests careful consideration of their use, while also emphasizing the long-standing efficacy of the herb in traditional South Asian medicine.
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This study aimed at comparing the nutrient supply and dietary behaviors during a plant-based diet (PBD) combined with time-restricted eating (TRE) to standard dietary recommendations in rheumatoid arthritis patients. In this open-label, randomized, controlled clinical trial, patients were assigned to either a 7-day fast followed by an 11-week PBD including TRE (A) or a 12-week anti-inflammatory diet following official German guidelines (German Nutrition Society, DGE) (B). Dietary habits were assessed by 3-day food records at weeks -1, 4 and 9 and food frequency questionnaires.

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Background: Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM), including self-care healthy life-style promotion strategies, is widely used in Germany. Aim of this study was to assess the use of self-care and lifestyle interventions as well as mental/emotional state experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional online study was conducted with adults in Germany through an online survey.

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Plant-based diets are associated with numerous health benefits but also bear risks of micronutrient deficiencies if inadequately planned. The risk of nutrient deficiencies can be reliably reduced by supplementation but requires risk-awareness. We distributed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire to = 902 healthcare professionals attending a congress on plant-based nutrition (VegMed 2018, Berlin).

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