International prevalence of consultation with a naturopathic practitioner: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Naturopathy is a traditional medicine system informed by codified philosophies and principles, and an emphasis on non-pharmacologic therapeutic interventions. While naturopathy is practised by approximately 75 000-100 000 000 naturopathic practitioners in at least 98 countries, little is known about the international prevalence of history of consultation with a naturopathic practitioner. This study reports a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies describing the global prevalence of history of consultation with a naturopathic practitioner by the general population.

Overview of international naturopathic practice and patient characteristics: results from a cross-sectional study in 14 countries.

Background: Naturopathy is a distinct system of traditional and complementary medicine recognized by the World Health Organization and defined by its philosophic approach to patient care, rather than the treatments used by practitioners. Worldwide, over 98 countries have practicing naturopaths, representing 36% of all countries and every world region. The contributions of naturopaths to healthcare delivery services internationally has not been previously examined.

Western herbal medicines in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Western herbal medicines in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Design: A computer-based search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, GreenFILE, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, and the Cochrane Library was conducted. A hand-search of the bibliographies of relevant papers and previous meta-analyses and reviews was also undertaken.

Lessons from Outside and Within: Exploring Advancements in Methodology for Naturopathic Medicine Clinical Research.

Introduction: Naturopathy is a mixture of both traditional and complementary medicine. It incorporates a broad set of health care practices that may or may not be traditional to that country or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health care system. Research required to evaluate or substantiate naturopathic medicine may not fall under the testing of randomized clinical trials, which opens up discussions on what is the best practice for research in naturopathic medicine.

Sexual reproductive healthcare utilisation and HIV testing in an integrated adolescent youth centre clinic in Cape Town, South Africa.

Background: HIV prevalence is increasing among South African youth, but HIV counselling and testing (HCT) remains low. Adolescent pregnancy rates are also high.

Objectives: Innovative strategies are needed to increase HIV and pregnancy screening and prevention among youth.