Pathophysiology and Management of Chest Wall Pain after Surgical and Non-Surgical Local Therapies for Lung Cancer.

Chest wall pain syndromes can emerge following local therapies for lung cancer and can adversely affect patients' quality-of-life. This can occur after lung surgery, radiation therapy, or percutaneous image-guided thermal ablation. This review describes the multifactorial pathophysiology of chest wall pain syndromes that develop following surgical and non-surgical local therapies for lung cancer and summarizes evidence-based management strategies for inflammatory, neuropathic, myofascial, and osseous pain.

NADA Ear Acupuncture and Medical Acupuncture for Pain- and Health-Related Quality of Life among Older Patients with Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Prospective Clinical Trial.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of the NADA (National Acupuncture Detoxification Association)-standardized ear acupuncture protocol in comparison to medical acupuncture (MA) in the treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain (LBP) in older adults.

Methods: This was a prospective, clinical, single center, open label, comparative study. A total of 60 older patients with chronic nonspecific LBP were enrolled in the study.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupressure for Perception of Stress and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Self-Acupressure for Stress (SAS) Trial.

Background: The efficacy of providing self-acupressure educational materials in reducing stress and improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is uncertain. Evidence-based data to recommend for or against self-acupressure as an intervention for reducing stress and improving HRQOL is needed.

Objective: The Self-Acupressure for Stress (SAS) trial evaluates whether providing self-acupressure educational materials would reduce stress and improve HRQOL among health care providers (HCPs).

Promoting whole person health: Exploring the role of traditional Chinese medicine in Polish healthcare.

Poland has a unique history of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) dating back to the 17th century when Polish missionary Michael (Michał) Boym was a pioneer in the field. In the 20th century, his successor, Professor Zbigniew Garnuszewski, reintroduced acupuncture to medical practice in Poland. However, other methods of TCM and its holistic approach to patient care have not found their place in modern medicine in Poland.

Acupuncture and the Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Patient.

The use of acupuncture among US adults was estimated at nearly 40% in 2012. A study from the United Kingdom in 2010 found 60% of otolaryngologic patients had used a form of complementary or integrative medicine, with greater than a third in the last year alone. Acupuncture, a therapeutic modality of traditional Chinese medicine, has been used for millennia in Asian countries.

Integrative Approach to Rhinosinusitis: An Update.

Rhinosinusitis is characterized by inflammation of the mucosa involving the paranasal sinuses and the nasal cavity and is one of the most common and significant health care problems, with significant impairment of quality of life. Current standard conventional management of rhinosinusitis commonly uses multiple therapeutic modalities to break the cycle of chronic disease. However, to date, there is no consensus as to the optimal treatment algorithm for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

Effect of Inpatient Integrative Medicine Consultation on 30-Day Readmission Rates: A Retrospective Observational Study at a Major U.S. Academic Hospital.

The prevalence of inpatient integrative medicine (IM) consult services is increasing among academic health care institutions. The diversity of services between institutions, as well as the novel nature of such interventions, makes it challenging for health care administrators to determine the cost/benefit of adding such a program to their institution. The main purpose of this study was to examine the performance of the new University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) East-West (EW) consult service as measured by 30-day readmission rates and lengths of stay.

Acupuncture for cancer pain: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline.

Background: This study aims to develop an evidence-based clinical practice guideline of acupuncture in the treatment of patients with moderate and severe cancer pain.

Methods: The development of this guideline was triggered by a systematic review published in JAMA Oncology in 2020. We searched databases and websites for evidence on patient preferences and values, and other resources of using acupuncture for treatment of cancer pain.

Reframing Palliative Care: An East-West Integrative Palliative Care Model.

Convergence of principles of palliative care and integrative medicine has led to the introduction of the new practice of integrative palliative care in which integrative therapies (including mind-body modalities, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and dietary supplements) are used to provide symptom management for patients who are dying or experiencing the sequelae of serious illness and its treatment. We propose an East-West Integrative palliative care model using non-drug therapies, such as acupuncture, diet, exercise, and stress management that shift the paradigm from suppressing the symptoms of illness to addressing both the root cause of the symptoms and the imbalance and declining homeostatic reserve that perpetuate these symptoms. This whole-person model expands the reach of palliative care, prolonging a better quality of life and allowing the patient to maintain as many activities as possible by preventing symptoms and improving function.

Chinese herbal medicine might be associated with a lower rate of joint replacement in patients with osteoarthritis: A 12-year population-based matched cohort analysis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: To determine whether adjuvant Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) treatment is associated with the risk of joint replacement in osteoarthritis (OA) patients.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study used a population-based national health insurance (NHI) database from 2000 to 2012 in Taiwan. A total of 125,023 newly diagnosed OA patients were selected from one million beneficiaries of longitudinal health insurance database.

A Patient-Centered Integrative Approach Improves Visual Field Defect: A Case Report.

We present a case involving a patient with a complicated visual field defect preventing her from renewing her driver license. It highlights the underappreciated role of chronic stress in the genesis and perpetuation of ill health and the potential of Chinese medicine (CM) to complement biomedicine in the treatment of an intractable visual disorder. The patient experienced impaired vision from age 15, and ophthalmologists considered various diagnoses including optic neuritis and acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR)-complex disorder with acute macular neuroretinopathy.

The Intersection of Dissemination Research and Acupuncture: Applications for Chronic Low Back Pain.

Dissemination research is the study of distributing information and intervention materials to a specific clinical practice or public health audience. Acupuncture, a healthcare practice involving the stimulation of certain body points, often with thin needles, is considered an evidence-based treatment for low back pain (LBP), but is underutilized in the United States. We will use the example of acupuncture for LBP to identify opportunities to leverage dissemination research to increase utilization of acupuncture.

Effects of Intensive Outpatient Integrative Medicine on Health Care Utilization on High Utilizer Patients at a Major Academic Health System.

To determine if integrative medicine (IM) involvement can reduce acute care utilization for patients with complex medical conditions and high health care utilization. Prospective single-center cohort study. Twenty-nine complex high utilizer patients were treated by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) East-West Extensivist IM specialty clinic with acupuncture, trigger point injections, and Traditional Chinese Medicine dietary modifications.

Analysis of Movement-Based Mind-Body Interventions to Guide the Implementation of Osteoarthritis Exercise Programs: A Descriptive Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Clear and complete reporting of the components of complex interventions is required in clinical trials to ensure that research can be reliably replicated and successfully translated into clinical practice. Movement-based mind-body exercises, such as Tai Chi, , and Yoga (TQY), are considered complex interventions and recommended for individuals with osteoarthritis in the latest guidelines of the American College of Rheumatology. This review analyzes the intervention reporting of randomized controlled trials of TQY to guide the implementation in osteoarthritis exercise programs.

Mindfulness Training Enhances Endurance Performance and Executive Functions in Athletes: An Event-Related Potential Study.

Mindfulness interventions have been linked to improved sport performance and executive functions; however, few studies have explored the effects of mindfulness on sport performance and executive functions simultaneously. This study sought to examine whether a mindfulness training program would affect both the endurance performance and executive functions of athletes. In addition, event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with the Stroop task were assessed to investigate the potential electrophysiological activation associated with the mindfulness training.

Integrative East-West Medicine Intervention for Chronic Daily Headache: A Case Report and Care Perspective.

Chronic daily headache is a group of headache syndromes including most commonly chronic migraine and chronic tension-type headache, which often overlap, are complicated by medication overuse and are disabling, costly, and variable responsive to western pharmacotherapeutic interventions. There is growing research and awareness of integrative health approaches and therapies to address patients with chronic headache, yet limited examples of how to deliver this approach. This article reviews a commonly seen challenging case of a patient with overlapping chronic migraine and chronic tension-type headache complicated by medication overuse managed with an integrative east-west medicine intervention.

Women's preconception health patterns in traditional Chinese medicine as a predictor of fertility outcomes.

Objective: To examine the association between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), preconception health patterns and fertility outcomes.

Methods: A community-based prospective cohort study was conducted in China. A total of 3012 newly married women who were willing to conceive within 2 years were enrolled in the study and took National Free Prepregnancy Checkups (NFPC).

Chronic intermittent hypoxia stimulates testosterone production in rat Leydig cells.

Aims: The hypoxia-stimulated response of the endocrine system depends on the kind and duration of hypoxia. Hypoxia has been reported to stimulate testosterone (T) production in rats, but the mechanisms remain to be investigated.

Materials And Methods: Male rats were divided into two groups.

The effects of negative air ions on cognitive function: an event-related potential (ERP) study.

This study investigated the effects of negative air ions (NAIs) on cognitive function in young male adults, specifically examined whether NAIs could influence the behavioral and neuroelectrical indices of inhibition. Thirty-nine young adults participated in the NAI and the control sessions in a counterbalanced order. A computerized Stroop color-word test was administrated, and N2 of the event-related potential was recorded and then analyzed.

Integrative care of the patient with head and neck cancer.

Objective: To review the literature on integrative care of the patient with head and neck cancer.

Methods: A review of the English language literature for articles relating to integrative care of patients with head and neck cancer, focusing on treatment of sequelae of surgery and chemoradiation.

Results: Many studies show a significant utilization of nontraditional (complementary/integrative) treatments by patients in dealing with head and neck cancer.

Supportive Care in Lung Cancer: Improving Value in the Era of Modern Therapies.

Driven by a discipline-wide imperative to maximize patient centeredness and value, supportive care services have experienced remarkable growth and acceptance in oncology care. Two such services with a growing evidence base and examples of routine integration into usual oncology care are palliative care and integrative medicine. Both focus on the patient experience with cancer during and after cancer-directed treatments occur, from diagnosis through survivorship or end-of-life care.

Dose-Response Relationship between Exercise Duration and Executive Function in Older Adults.

This study aimed to determine the dose-response relationship between exercise duration and task switching in older adults. Acute moderate intensity aerobic exercise for 20 min resulted in shorter response times than control and 10-min sessions in the heterogeneous, non-switch, and switch conditions, but not in the homogeneous condition. Additionally, linear and cubic trends between exercise duration and global switching performance as well as local switching performance were revealed with faster times being predicted by longer duration exercise; however, the cubic relationship resulted in performance following the 45-min session being not significantly different from the other three sessions.

Comparison of Patient Health History Questionnaires Used in General Internal and Family Medicine, Integrative Medicine, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Clinics.

Objectives: Health history questionnaires (HHQs) are a set of self-administered questions completed by patients prior to a clinical encounter. Despite widespread use, minimal research has evaluated the content of HHQs used in general internal medicine and family medicine (GIM/FM), integrative medicine, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM; chiropractic, naturopathic, and Traditional Chinese Medicine [TCM]) clinics. Integrative medicine and CAM claim greater emphasis on well-being than does GIM/FM.

Acupuncture for treating polycystic ovary syndrome: guidance for future randomized controlled trials.

Objective: To provide guidance for future randomized controlled trials (RCTs) based on a review concerning acupuncture for treating polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in October 2015 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCISEARCH, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group trials register, Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Wanfang databases. RCTs comparing either acupuncture with no/sham/pharmacological intervention or a combination of acupuncture and conventional therapy with conventional therapy in the treatment of PCOS were included in this review.

Integrative medicine, or not integrative medicine: that is the question.

On September 26-27, 2015, the 8th European Congress for Integrative Medicine convened the Global Summit on Integrative Medicine and Healthcare in Greater Copenhagen and Helsingør, Denmark at the Culture Yard just across from Kronborg Castle, which is home to William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This article is a summary of the author's presentation about integrative medicine within the Nordic region, driving factors that determine value in healthcare, key tenets of integrative medicine that lead to healthcare cost savings and the potential for a Nordic healthcare renaissance.