Efficacy Of Alternative Medicine Research Articles

Quality, Value, and Efficacy of Alternative Medicine in the Treatment of Overactive Bladder

Quality, Value, and Efficacy of Alternative Medicine in the Treatment of Overactive Bladder

EVALUATION OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECT AND BIOACTIVE CONTENT OF MONODORA MYRISTICA SEED

For many decades, the area of alternative medicine has attracted considerable attention from researchers worldwide. Interestingly, evidence abounds that affirms the efficacy of alternative medicine in the various healthcare domain. Moreso, the plants properties have been well explored relating to its medicinal compositions. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the antimicrobial and bioactive contents of the M. Myristica seed. The samples were collected and soaked for 24 hrs with different solvents to extract the medicinal component. The qualitative analysis shows the positive result in saponin, glycoside, steroid, and alkaloid, while flavonoid and tannin are negative. The quantitative analysis for M. Myristica seed show 32% to saponins, alkaloid 8.35%, phenol 55.7%, flavonoid 0.0707 mg/ml, and glycoside 5.2% while-tannin is negative. The result shows that M. Myristica can be used to produce vaccines because of saponin, while flavonoids were found to play biological and pharmacological activities, including antioxidants.

Efficacy of Alternative Medicine in Reducing Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is one of Pakistan's most common diseases, affecting nearly 27.4 million people. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming quite popular for the management of diabetes. We aim to study the subjects that use alternative medicine in order to assess the effect of alternative therapy on the glycemic control and overall health of the patients.Methods: This study was conducted from January 2019 to December 2019 in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 101 diabetic patients who used alternative medicine as part of their diabetes treatment were enrolled in the study after oral informed consent. Patients who were using concomitant conventional therapy were excluded from the study. On day 0, the random blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were noted. Patients were followed up after 12 weeks, and their blood glucose levels and HbA1c levels were noted again. Out of 101 participants, around 92 of them completed the study and were included in the final analysis.Results: According to the results, 41 (44.5%) participants admitted that they used Herbal medicine, 32 (34.78%) participants used home remedies through dietary modifications, 11 (11.95%) participants used spiritual healing techniques, and 7 (7.60%) participants used cupping therapy. We found no significant reduction of HbA1c levels at the end of 12 weeks in any group.Conclusion: This study failed to show any significant reduction in HbA1c levels after 12 weeks in patients taking various alternative medicine forms. There is a need for further large-scale trials to establish this mode of treatment's efficacy and safety.

543-P: A Randomised Control Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Chinese Traditional Medicine for the Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Background: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication in patients (pts) with diabetes. However, multinational data do not support any convincing efficacy of the current therapies for treating DPN. This necessitated the evaluation of safety and efficacy of alternative medicine to tackle DPN. Methods: A double-blinded RCT was conducted in 8 Chinese medicine hospitals in China, evaluating the safety and efficacy of 190 g Tangbi Waixi decoction (TW, intervention (Int)) compared with 19 g TW (control (Cont)). Change in Toronto Clinical Scoring System - Total Score (TCSS-TS) at 12 and 24 weeks follow-up was the primary outcome, with treatment ceasing at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included change in bilateral motor velocity (BMV) and sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) of the common peroneal nerve (CPN). All pts received standard care for glycaemic management. The pts in the Int (n=317) and Cont (n=315) groups were analysed on ITT principle. All adverse events (AEs) were recorded. Results: The pts were mean 60 years old with median 10 yrs and 2 yrs of diabetes and DPN duration respectively at randomisation. With median TCSS-TS of 10 at randomisation in both groups, the median (95% CI) reduction in Int and Cont: at 12 weeks 2 (1.7, 2.3) and 3 (2.7, 3.3) respectively (median between group difference (MBGD): 1.0, p=0.011); at 24 weeks 3 (2.6, 3.4) in both groups. At 12 weeks, median (95% CI) CPN velocity increased in both Int and Cont - BMV Int vs. Cont: 2.7 (1.9, 4.9) m/s vs. 4.9 (2.7, 5.5) m/s, MBGD - 2.5 m/s (p=0.044); SNCV Int vs. Cont: 1.4 (0, 2) m/s vs. 2.7 (1.9, 4.9) m/s, MBGD - 0.7 m/s (p=0.26). Similar increase in CPN velocity was observed at 24 weeks in both groups. Overall 12% pts experienced at least one AE, with no difference between groups. Conclusion: Treatment of DPN with TW decoction significantly benefitted the pts and is safe, while lower dose of TW appears to be more effective than the higher does. Disclosure F. Guanjie: None. Y. Lin: None. S.K. Paul: Advisory Panel; Self; Sanofi. Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Genentech, Inc. H. Huang: None. T. Xianyu: None. Z. Yuehong: None. F. Zhaohui: None. Q. Xiaotang: None. D. Fang: None. S. Wang: None. M. Wang: None. H. Wei: None. Z. Ling: None. L. Zhenjie: None. Y. Fu: None. M. Wu: None. L. Anxiang: None. H. Jinzhu: None. Q. Li: None. Funding National Science and Technology Support Program (2015BAI04B09)

Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Cancer Prevention and Cure [Part 1

Many lay people along with some so called “key opinion leaders” have a common slogan “There's no answer for cancer”. Again, mistake delays proper treatment and make situation worse, more often. Compliance is crucial to obtain optimal health outcomes, such as cure or improvement in QoL. Patients may delay treatment or fail to seek care because of high out-of- pocket expenditures. Despite phenomenal development, conventional therapy falls short in cancer management. There are two major hurdles in anticancer drug development: dose-limiting toxic side effects that reduce either drug effectiveness or the QoL of patients and complicated drug development processes that are costly and time consuming. Cancer patients are increasingly seeking out alternative medicine and might be reluctant to disclose its use to their oncology treatment physicians. But there is limited available information on patterns of utilization and efficacy of alternative medicine for patients with cancer. As adjuvant therapy, many traditional medicines shown efficacy against brain, head and neck, skin, breast, liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, prostate, colon and blood cancers. The literature reviews non-pharmacological interventions used against cancer, published trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

An Overview of Disease Burden, Mechanism, Traditional and Non-traditional Management of Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract Diabetes is a major global health problem leading to high morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. Diabetes is connected to complex social, environmental, and behavioral factors and requires multisectoral evidence-based strategies to reduce its incidence and prevalence. Here we attempt to connect existing diabetes data with the underlying mechanism of the disease, while touching disease processes and traditional management approaches for diabetes and its complications. The major objective of this manuscript is to examine the effect of nontraditional treatment modalities, e.g. non-pharmaceutical interventions, supplements, alternative and integrative therapies etc., on diabetes. We performed an extensive literature search and review using electronic databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) to examine recent and historical diabetes statistics, the underlying mechanism of the disease, traditional treatments, remission possibility, and finally, the role of alternative therapies and supplements in its management. We found that there is no sufficient evidence to make most of the alternative therapies the first line of management and prevention approach for diabetes. Long-term and large-scale studies are needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of alternative medicine. We feel that this review could urge other health researchers to plan comprehensive studies to examine the role of alternative or newly-identified therapies in diabetes. Also, this information can be useful for diverse health professionals and policymakers in developing and implementing evidence-based strategies.

Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Cancer Prevention and Cure (Part 1)

Many lay people along with some so called “key opinion leaders” have a common slogan “There's no answer for cancer”. Again, mistake delays proper treatment and make situation worse, more often. Compliance is crucial to obtain optimal health outcomes, such as cure or improvement in QoL. Patients may delay treatment or fail to seek care because of high out-of- pocket expenditures. Despite phenomenal development, conventional therapy falls short in cancer management. There are two major hurdles in anticancer drug development: dose-limiting toxic side effects that reduce either drug effectiveness or the QoL of patients and complicated drug development processes that are costly and time consuming. Cancer patients are increasingly seeking out alternative medicine and might be reluctant to disclose its use to their oncology treatment physicians. But there is limited available information on patterns of utilization and efficacy of alternative medicine for patients with cancer. As adjuvant therapy, many traditional medicines shown efficacy against brain, head and neck, skin, breast, liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, prostate, colon and blood cancers. The literature reviews non-pharmacological interventions used against cancer, published trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Survival Outcome of Alternative Medicine Treatment for Newly Diagnosed Acute Leukemia in Children

Background: There is scarce information on the efficacy of alternative medicine (AM) alone as a treatment for newly diagnosed acute leukemia in children. We aimed to compare overall survival (OS) between children with newly diagnosed acute leukemia who received AM alone as the first-line treatment and those treated with conventional chemotherapy (CCT). Methods: Two-to-one nearest-neighbor propensity score-matching using sex, initial white blood cell count, phenotype of leukemia, and period of diagnosis was performed on 184 patients who received CCT and 92 who received AM alone after being diagnosed with leukemia. A multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression model was then applied to assess the effect of treatment on OS after adjusting for potential confounders. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are provided. Results: After adjusting for initial white cell count and subtype of leukemia, children treated with AM alone had worse OS (HR 5.14, 95% CI 3.75–7.04) than those given CCT. The 5-year OS rate for newly diagnosed acute leukemia treated with AM medicine alone was 0%. Conclusion: AM without CCT is associated with poorer survival when compared with CCT.

Use of Alternative Medicine for Cancer and Its Impact on Survival

There is limited available information on patterns of utilization and efficacy of alternative medicine (AM) for patients with cancer. We identified 281 patients with nonmetastatic breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer who chose AM, administered as sole anticancer treatment among patients who did not receive conventional cancer treatment (CCT), defined as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and/or hormone therapy. Independent covariates on multivariable logistic regression associated with increased likelihood of AM use included breast or lung cancer, higher socioeconomic status, Intermountain West or Pacific location, stage II or III disease, and low comorbidity score. Following 2:1 matching (CCT = 560 patients and AM = 280 patients) on Cox proportional hazards regression, AM use was independently associated with greater risk of death compared with CCT overall (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.88 to 3.27) and in subgroups with breast (HR = 5.68, 95% CI = 3.22 to 10.04), lung (HR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.42 to 3.32), and colorectal cancer (HR = 4.57, 95% CI = 1.66 to 12.61). Although rare, AM utilization for curable cancer without any CCT is associated with greater risk of death.

Use of Alternative Medicine for Cancer and Its Impact on Survival.

There is limited available information on patterns of utilization and efficacy of alternative medicine (AM) for patients with cancer. We identified 281 patients with nonmetastatic breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer who chose AM, administered as sole anticancer treatment among patients who did not receive conventional cancer treatment (CCT), defined as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and/or hormone therapy. Independent covariates on multivariable logistic regression associated with increased likelihood of AM use included breast or lung cancer, higher socioeconomic status, Intermountain West or Pacific location, stage II or III disease, and low comorbidity score. Following 2:1 matching (CCT = 560 patients and AM = 280 patients) on Cox proportional hazards regression, AM use was independently associated with greater risk of death compared with CCT overall (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.88 to 3.27) and in subgroups with breast (HR = 5.68, 95% CI = 3.22 to 10.04), lung (HR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.42 to 3.32), and colorectal cancer (HR = 4.57, 95% CI = 1.66 to 12.61). Although rare, AM utilization for curable cancer without any CCT is associated with greater risk of death.

Use of alternative medicine for cancer and its impact on survival.

e18175 Background: There is limited available information on the patterns of utilization and efficacy of alternative medicine (AM) for patients with cancer. The primary objective was to compare survival between patients with cancer receiving AM and conventional cancer treatment. The secondary objective was to determine cancer patient characteristics associated with selection of AM. Methods: Patients diagnosed with non-metastatic breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer were identified between 2004-2013 using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Alternative medicine use was defined as ‘Other-Unproven: Cancer treatments administered by nonmedical personnel’ administered as sole anti-cancer treatment among patients who did not receive chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and/or hormone therapy. Treatment selection was evaluated by the chi-square test, t-test, and logistic regression. Patients were 2:1 matched on age, clinical group stage, Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score, insurance type, race, year of diagnosis, and cancer type. Overall survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: We identified 281 patients who chose AM in lieu of conventional cancer treatment. Approximately 44% of these patients had breast cancer, followed by prostate (25.5%), lung (18.4%) and colorectal cancer (12.1% of patients). Independent covariates associated with increased likelihood of AM use included breast or lung primary site (vs. prostate), higher socioeconomic status, Intermountain West or Pacific location (vs. Northeast), stages II or III (vs. I) and Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score of 0 (vs. 1). Alternative medicine was independently associated with greater risk of death compared to conventional cancer treatment overall (HR: 2.50, 95% confidence interval 1.88-3.27) and in subgroups of patients with breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. Conclusions: Alternative medicine utilization in patients with cancer is rare and varied by geographic, socioeconomic, and disease-related factors. Patients who chose alternative medicine for primary treatment of their curable cancer had greater risk of death compared to those who chose conventional cancer treatment.

Belief in the efficacy of alternative medicine among general practitioners in the Netherlands

A survey among 293 GPs in the Netherlands showed that many believe in the efficacy of common alternative procedures. High scores were especially found for manual therapy, yoga, acupuncture, hot bath therapy and homoeopathy. Other procedures, such as iridology, faith healing and many food supplements, were considered less useful.