Nontouch biofield therapy: a systematic review of human randomized controlled trials reporting use of only nonphysical contact treatment.

Unlabelled: OBJECTIVE AND CONTEXT: This review was designed to assess the quality and review the outcomes of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of biofield therapies (external qigong, Healing Touch, Johrei, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch) that report using only nonphysical touch forms of treatment. RCTs of nonphysical contact biofield therapies have the potential to contribute to an evidence base for health-promoting effects mediated through mechanisms outside the present understanding of biomedicine.

Methods: Articles meeting inclusion criteria were identified from database and reference list searches and evaluated for a range of reporting and design items.

Effectiveness guidance document (EGD) for Chinese medicine trials: a consensus document.

Background: There is a need for more Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) on Chinese medicine (CM) to inform clinical and policy decision-making. This document aims to provide consensus advice for the design of CER trials on CM for researchers. It broadly aims to ensure more adequate design and optimal use of resources in generating evidence for CM to inform stakeholder decision-making.

Activating lay health influencers to promote tobacco cessation.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of tobacco cessation brief-intervention (BI) training for lay "health influencers," on knowledge, self-efficacy and the proportion of participants reporting BI delivery post-training.

Methods: Randomized, community-based study comparing In-person or Web-based training, with mailed materials.

Results: In-person and Web-training groups had significant post-training cessation knowledge and self-efficacy gains.

Families United/Familias Unidas: family group office visits to reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

Purpose: The purpose of the Families United/Familias Unidas study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of group office visits on reducing diabetes risk in a multiethnic, primary care population.

Methods: Adults, ages 18 to 70 years, with any diabetes risk factor were recruited to attend 12 group office visits over 6 months. Each participant identified 1 support person, age 14 to 70 years, to accompany them.

Description of a clinical stream of back-pain patients based on electronic medical records.

Back pain consists of a spectrum of conditions, with no common etiology and therefore no dominant method of treatment. The purpose of this study is to describe the complexity of a collection of 8000 back pain patients who appeared in an integrative medicine clinic, as a prelude to conducing comparative effectiveness research on CAM alternatives to conventional therapy. Approximately 23% of all clinic patients were diagnosed at some time with back pain.