Complementary and Alternative Medicine for the Treatment of Insomnia: An Overview of Scientific Evidence from 2008 to 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-321
Author(s):  
Bingli Cheng ◽  
Yanfei Liu ◽  
Jinfan Tian ◽  
Rui Gao ◽  
Yue Liu
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Gaba Receptor ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Receptor Activation ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Care Costs ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Insomnia is a widespread sleep disorder in the general population, and it is a risk factor for impaired function, the development of other medical and mental disorders, and causes an increase in health care costs. In view of the health hazards of insomnia and the shortcomings of western medicine, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) should be considered in the management of insomnia. The present overview reports the potential role of herbal medicine and non-pharmacological therapies in the treatment of insomnia and summarizes the scientific evidence reported from 2008 to 2018. PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for studies published from 2008 to 2018. 17 randomized controlled trials and 22 non-pharmacological therapies were included in this review, and the results showed that CAM had certain advantages in the treatment of insomnia. The safety of CAM for insomnia was acceptable. Meanwhile, based on pre-clinical trial, the possible mechanisms of CAM for insomnia were modulation of circadian rhythm, GABA receptor activation, antagonisms of 5-HT receptors, inhibition of glutamate-mediated pathways, and attenuation of inflammation. CAM for insomnia has made some progress, but high quality evidence-based medical evidence is still needed to provide guidance for clinical application.

Survey on the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Patients with Headache Syndromes

Cephalalgia ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 395-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
S von Peter ◽  
W Ting ◽  
S Scrivani ◽  
E Korkin ◽  
H Okvat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Pain Clinic ◽  
Alternative Treatments ◽  
Critical Research ◽  
Headache Pain ◽  
Effective Remedy ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

The objective was to determine headache patients' knowledge, prevalence of use and perceived effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine. Seventy-three patients with headache syndromes attending a head and neck pain clinic were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. Alternative medical therapies were used by 85% of surveyed patients for the relief of their head pain. In 60%, the therapies were perceived to have a benefit. Almost 100% of the patients were familiar with one or more of the presented alternative treatments. Eighty-eight per cent perceived at least one of the complementary treatments to be an effective remedy for headache pain. Exposure to and interest in alternative treatments are common among patients with headache syndromes, despite the lack of scientific evidence of benefit and assessments of risks for many of the treatments. Neurologists and general physicians should be aware of the increasing role of alternative medicine in the healthcare system. There is still an urgent need for objective, integrative and critical research with regard to complementary and alternative medicine.

The Role of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Facial Plastic Surgery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil N. Luu ◽  
Liuba Soldatova ◽  
Oren Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Plastic Surgery ◽  
Symptom Improvement ◽  
Facial Plastic Surgery ◽  
Facial Plastic ◽  
Traditional Therapies ◽  
Significant Symptom ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

AbstractComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become increasingly popular among facial plastic surgery patients. Over the last few decades, there has been a surge in the use of CAM. Despite the increasing prevalence of CAM, patients may feel uncomfortable discussing these therapies with their physicians, and physicians feel under-equipped to engage in meaningful discussions regarding these nontraditional therapies. This article reviews recent literature on the use of CAM for skin treatment in an attempt to provide additional resource. To date, the evidence to support statistically significant symptom improvement with use of non-traditional therapies remains limited. While preliminary data supports essential oil therapy in some cases, the results of the studies investigating other CAM therapies (traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and homeopathy) have been mixed and inconclusive.

How to Search and Critique Scientific Evidence for Decision-Making

2017 ◽  
pp. 100-123
Author(s):  
Mayuree Tangkiatkumjai ◽  
Win Winit-Watjana ◽  
Li-Chia Chen
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Based Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

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.

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