scholarly journals Reiki: a modality towards holistic approach to cancer cure

Author(s):  
Sonia Puri ◽  
Dinesh Kumar Walia ◽  
Har Ashish Jindal

Reiki is one of the complementary and alternative medicine modalities which have been accepted and appreciated, globally. Many evidence based studies have validated its role in cancer. Reiki can play a major role in changing the patient’s outlook towards life and increasing the patient’s ability as well as willingness to comply with physician’s instructions and adhere to treatment protocols. The goal of Reiki treatments is to strengthen the flow of energy through these blocked or disturbed pathways, thus decreasing pain and enhancing the body’s natural ability to fight illnesses and heal itself. It combats the nausea caused from chemotherapy. One of the major criticism is lack of scientific foundation. There has been effort to collaborate conventional and complementary therapies to improve the quality of future research. In the near future, it may be considered as one of the advanced modalities of alternative medicine used in conjunction with conventional therapy for holistic approach for cancer management.

Author(s):  
Mayuree Tangkiatkumjai ◽  
Win Winit-Watjana ◽  
Li-Chia Chen

A clinical decision on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) should be made based on evidence-based medicine (EBM) together with practitioner's knowledge and experiences. This chapter describes the process of EBM, including how to address a clinical question, do a systematic search for appropriate evidence with key search terms, appraise the evidence and make a clinical decision on CAM applications. An effective literature search should be performed by using a structured search strategy in searching biomedical and CAM databases, such as the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM Citation Index). Few standard tools are recommended to evaluate the quality of CAM studies, i.e. the CONSORT extension for herbal interventions and STRICTA for RCTs of acupuncture. Additionally, some guidelines for designing RCTs in Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) can also be adopted to critique CAM literature. A clinical decision on choosing optimal CAM for patient care should be based on the current best evidence emerged from the EBM process.


Author(s):  
Andrew Weil

Part of the Weil Integrative Medicine Library, this volume provides a rational and evidence-based approach to the integrative therapy of mental disorders, integrating the principles of alternative and complementary therapies into the principles and practice of conventional psychiatry and psychology. Integrative Psychiatry and Brain Health examines what works and what doesn’t and offers practical guidelines for physicians to incorporate integrative medicine into their practice and to advise patients on reasonable and effective therapies. The text discusses areas of controversy and identifies areas of uncertainty where future research is needed. Chapters also cite the best available evidence for both the safety and the efficacy of all therapies discussed. The information is presented in accessible and easy-to-read formats, including clinical pearls and key points.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 153473541989002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seong Min Lee ◽  
Ho Cheol Choi ◽  
Min Kyung Hyun

Introduction: This article critically examines the systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) of complementary therapies for cancer patients to appraise the evidence level, and offers suggestions for future research and practice. Methods: The Cochrane Library and MEDLINE were searched from their inception to January 2018, to identify SR and MA of complementary therapies available for cancer patients. Final selected SR and MA were methodologically evaluated for their quality by applying the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2) instrument. Data extraction and risk of quality assessments were performed by 2 independent reviewers. Results: A total of 104 studies were included in the analysis. The majority of the individual clinical trials included in the SR and MA were performed in China (48%) and the United States (26.9%). Breast cancer was the most studied cancer type (25%), and acupuncture was the most studied intervention (21%). Side effects of cancer such as pain, depression, and fatigue were effectively managed with complementary therapies. The methodologically problematic items included not listing the excluded studies and lack of protocol or protocol registration. Conclusions: With increasing interest in research, complementary therapies appear to be beneficial in reducing side effects and raising the quality of life of cancer patients. Complementary therapies have generally been studied for all cancers, with acupuncture being the most researched, regardless of the cancer type. Since AMSTAR2 is a stricter assessment tool than before, future studies need to consider the risk of methodological bias with caution and discuss appropriate overall quality assessment tools.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungmi Lian

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is no longer new terminology in the healthcare system but,evidence-based CAMis still an unfamiliar term. Evidence-based medicine, a practice of medicine based on the recommendation derived from a systematic, scientific study of published data, is accepted as the standard in the healthcare.ACP Evidence-Based Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicineby Bradly Jacobs and Katherine Gundling is reviewed. Up-to-date reference books like theACP Evidence-Based Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicineis an essential tool for improving quality of care when the providers aim to practice evidence-based medicine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Lindsey Wilhelm ◽  
Kyle Wilhelm

Music therapists work with individuals with a wide variety of diagnoses, but minimal attention has been paid to informal caregivers caring for adults with these diagnoses.  While some evidence for the use of music-based interventions (MBIs) has been presented in primary sources, a synthesis of current literature is needed to inform evidence-based practice.  The purpose of this study was to identify what MBIs have been used with informal caregivers, the effects of these interventions, whether the interventions adequately fulfill the personal needs of caregivers as identified in previous literature, and the quality of MBI reporting.  Ten studies met the predetermined criteria.  Singing and music listening were the most frequently used interventions.  Benefits for caregivers include self- and relationship-focused outcomes.  The type of benefit (self- or relationship-focused) appears to be related to the participant unit of delivery of the MBI. Future research is necessary to replicate the outcomes of MBIs for informal caregivers reported in this review, and there is a need for increased transparency in reporting.Keywords: family caregivers, informal caregivers, music, music-based intervention


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trinh Thi Phuong Thao ◽  
Lai Dao Thai ◽  
Hai Trinh Thanh ◽  
Trung Tran ◽  
Le Thi Tuyet Trinh ◽  
...  

The use of mobile learning, or M-learning, has been increasingly appreciated by educators due to its sustainability potential in different facets such as finance (i.e., affordable cost) and flexibility (i.e., time and pace of learning). However, it may not be effective in all situations. This study explored the feasibility of using M-learning for students’ self-study of mathematics in the context of Vietnamese high schools. Using 542 student and 40 teacher responses to two surveys, the study showed that the use of M-learning might not be feasible for students’ self-study of mathematics due to difficulties related to accessing mathematics websites, the quality of mathematics website content, students’ low level of self-learning ability and learning disengagement. This study suggests that the use of M-learning may contribute to the sustainability of education; adopting it should be based on a critical examination of contextual factors, especially students’ self-learning ability and engagement. M-learning can be promising and beneficial to students due to its capability to equip students to prepare for the fast-changing and technological-driven world. Educators have increasingly appreciated the use of M-learning, because it becomes more affordable and flexible. Nonetheless, there is still a question about near-future adoptions of M-learning due to unavailability of and inaccessibility to quality contents from trusted maths websites. The propensity of student engagements in M-learning is also an important issue for future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen E. Anderson ◽  
Sara G. Desai ◽  
Rodie Zalaznik ◽  
Natalia Zielinski ◽  
Katharine L. Loeb

Abstract Background A question frequently raised in the field is whether evidence-based interventions have adequate translational capacity for delivery in real-world settings where patients are presumed to be more complex, clinicians less specialized, and multidisciplinary teams less coordinated. The dual purpose of this article is to (a) outline a model for implementing evidence-driven, outpatient treatments for eating disorders in a non-academic clinical setting, and (b) report indicators of feasibility and quality of care. Main Body Since our inception (2015), we have completed nearly 1000 phone intakes, with first-quarter 2021 data suggesting an increase in the context of COVID-19. Our caseload for the practice currently consists of approximately 200 active patients ranging from 6 to 66 years of age. While the center serves a transdiagnostic and trans-developmental eating disorder population, modal concerns for which we receive inquiries are Anorexia Nervosa and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, with the most common age range for prospective patients spanning childhood through late adolescence/emerging adulthood; correspondingly, the modal intervention employed is Family-based treatment. Our team for each case consists, at a minimum, of a primary internal therapist and a physician external to the center. Short Conclusion We will describe our processes of recruiting, training and coordinating team members, of ensuring ongoing fidelity to evidence-based interventions, and of training the next generation of clinicians. Future research will focus on a formal assessment of patient outcomes, with comparison to benchmark outcomes from randomized controlled trials.


2020 ◽  
Vol 07 (01) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gee Wah Ng ◽  
Wang Chi Leung

In the last 10 years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has seen successes in fields such as natural language processing, computer vision, speech recognition, robotics and autonomous systems. However, these advances are still considered as Narrow AI, i.e. AI built for very specific or constrained applications. These applications have its usefulness in improving the quality of human life; but it is not good enough to do highly general tasks like what the human can do. The holy grail of AI research is to develop Strong AI or Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which produces human-level intelligence, i.e. the ability to sense, understand, reason, learn and act in dynamic environments. Strong AI is more than just a composition of Narrow AI technologies. We proposed that it has to be a holistic approach towards understanding and reacting to the operating environment and decision-making process. The Strong AI must be able to demonstrate sentience, emotional intelligence, imagination, effective command of other machines or robots, and self-referring and self-reflecting qualities. This paper will give an overview of current Narrow AI capabilities, present the technical gaps, and highlight future research directions for Strong AI. Could Strong AI become conscious? We provide some discussion pointers.


2021 ◽  
pp. 338-344
Author(s):  
Ashley M. Nelson ◽  
Chelsea S. Rapoport ◽  
Lara Traeger ◽  
Joseph A. Greer

The focus of this chapter is on the clinical manifestation of anxiety disorders in patients diagnosed with cancer. We review the prevalence and correlates, presenting characteristics, assessment methods and recommendations, and evidence-based pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments of anxiety in this population. Cancer-related considerations that may impact care and treatment planning are highlighted. Close collaboration between oncology and mental health clinicians as well as between the patient and their multidisciplinary team is essential for developing a patient-centered approach for managing anxiety, improving quality of life, and supporting participation in cancer care. The chapter concludes with discussion of key directions for future research on anxiety disorders in the oncology setting.


2021 ◽  
pp. 153465012110457
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Cecilione ◽  
Stephanie A. Hitti ◽  
Scott R. Vrana

Although misophonia is not yet included in the primary diagnostic manuals used by psychologists or psychiatrists, proposed criteria suggest that this condition is characterized by a strong negative reaction to and avoidance of certain trigger sounds. Misophonic trigger sounds are largely human-made (e.g., chewing and slurping) and evoke responses such as disgust, irritation, and/or anger that are out of proportion to the situation and cause distress and/or impairment. Currently, there is no gold standard evidence-based treatment for misophonia. As the misophonia treatment literature grows, several important questions are arising: (1) should exposure to aversive sound triggers be included in treatment for misophonia and (2) how can clinicians best assess misophonia symptoms. This case offers one example of misophonia being successfully treated with a cognitive-behavioral approach to treatment (including exposures) in an adolescent girl. This case also offers an example of how clinicians may conduct a comprehensive assessment of misophonia symptoms. Theoretically and empirically derived recommendations for including exposure in misophonia treatment are presented. Information from this case may be helpful in informing future research, as there is a paucity of evidence-based assessment and treatment protocols for misophonia.


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