Potential Benefits of Non-Pharmacological Therapies in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is an incurable common syndrome of non-articular origin, and with no effective treatment by now. A great deal of research has sought to assess the efficacy of different therapies, especially non-pharmacological and low-cost ones, in the reduction of the intensity of symptoms. Despite the availability of a wide range of alternative therapies nowadays, there is little scientific evidence of the potential benefits of most of them, with results being contradictories. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the less well known alternative therapies in FM treatment, to describe the more relevant clinical studies published in this matter, and to analyze the potential effects of the main alternative therapies, in order to verify their efficacy

Electromagnetictherapy for Treatment of Insomnia: A clinical Trial Study

Background & Objectives: Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders in the world. It causes disruption in daily activities and increases the risk of major depression. Hence, clinically the appropriate and persistent treatment of insomnia is very important. Using of hypnotic drugs such as benzodiazepines is the common treatment for insomnia but they show several side effects and it seems that new medications should be used for treatment of sleep disorders. The aim of this study was comparison between the effects of electromagnetic therapy and conventional drug usage in the treatment of insomnia. Methods: In a blind randomized clinical trial study, 60 people referred to the private office of the psychiatrist and experienced more than 3 months extended primary insomnia were selected. They were diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria and had no other underlying problems. The subjects were divided in two groups: 30 people in each and treated electromagnetically or with Alprazolam for 3 weeks. Before treatment, immediately and one month after treatment, quality of sleep and severity of the insomnia were evaluated by using the standard questionnaires and finally, the results were analyzed statistically. Results: In this study, 60 individuals participated from whom 28 were male (46.7%) and 32 patients were female (53.3%).The mean age was 37.3 years old in a range of 17- 65. The mean point of each questionnaire, before and immediately after treatment significantly didn't show any difference but one month after treatment, there was a significant difference in both groups. Conclusion: To treat insomnia, electromagnetic therapy appears to be used as a replacement for sedative medicines. It also has more stability in comparison with other sedative medicines and no side effects have been reported yet

Pulse low-intensity electromagnetic field as prophylaxis of heterotopic ossification in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury

Background/Aim. Heterotopic ossification (HO) is an important complication of head and spinal cord injuries (SCI). Pulse low-intensity electromagnetic field (PLIMF) therapy increases blood flow to an area of pain or inflammation, bringing more oxygen to that area and helps to remove toxic substances. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of PLIMF as prophylaxis of HO in patients with SCI. Methods. This prospective random control clinical study included 29 patients with traumatic SCI. The patients were randomly divided into experimental (n = 14) and control group (n = 15). The patients in the experimental group, besides exercise and range of motion therapy, were treated by PLIMF of the following characteristics: induction of 10 mT, frequency of 25 Hz and duration of 30 min. Pulse low-intensity electromagnetic field therapy started in the 7th week after the injury and lasted 4 weeks. The presence or absence of HO around the patients hips we checked by a plane radiography and Brookers classification. Functional capabilities and motor impairment were checked by Functional Independent Measure (FIM), Barthel index and American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment class. Statistic analysis included Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann Whitney Exact test, Exact Wilcoxon signed rank test and Fischer Exact test. Statistical significance was set up to p < 0.05. Results. At the end of the treatment no patient from the experimental group had HO. In the control group, five patients (33.3%) had HO. At the end of the treatment the majority of the patients from the experimental group (57.14%) moved from ASIA-A to ASIA-B class. Conclusion. Pulse low-intensity electromagnetic field therapy could help as prophylaxis of HO in patients with traumatic SCI

Magnetic Therapy: an Alternative Approach to Treatment

Magnetic therapy has been a treatment of choice for hundreds of years in many European countries as well as in several areas of the Orient, but has only recently been gaining popularity in the United States and Canada. It is believed that applying static magnets to a painful body structure will bring relief to the patient. It is also proposed that a general feeling of well ness and increased energy will be gained from magnetic therapy. These benefits are theorized to be attained through the placement of a static magnet on the surface of the body, which blocks the transmission of pain to the central nervous system and causes vasodilatation of local blood vessels allowing the body to heal itself. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a better understanding of the body\u27s responses to natural magnets and the resulting physiological changes that occur. A review of the nervous system with particular attention given to the afferent pain sensation pathway and its controls will be presented, followed by a brief discussion on the physical makeup and chemical components of the circulatory system. A description of natural magnets and their properties will be given, along with a review of how natural magnets affect the nervous and circulatory systems and their potential use in the field of physical therapy

Traditional auriculotherapy for hypertension: a pilot randomized trial

Author name used in this publication: Lorna Kwai-ping Suen2013-2014 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

The Effects of Magnetic Insoles on Lumbar Flexion

Magnets have been used for therapeutic purposes for hundreds of years. Today, magnetic devices and other alternative therapies are more popular than ever among the general public. The effect of these magnetic devices is dependent on several variables including strength, depth of penetration, placement, time exposed to the magnetic field, and polarity. There are many proposed theories on how magnets affect the body, but there is little research to support them. One of the theories proposed is that magnets alter connective tissue elasticity and allow greater range of motion (ROM). Additional research needs to be conducted to validate or negate these proposed theories. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of magnetic insoles on lumbar flexion. The study also evaluated the placebo effect of having knowledge of the theoretical effects of a strong magnetic insole on lumbar flexion measurements. Thirty-eight subjects between the ages of 20 and 49 participated in this double blind study. A participant survey was used to collect general demographic data and as a screening tool to exclude those with any pathology and/or conditions that could have been adversely affected by the magnets or testing procedure positions/movements. For Trial 1, active flexion at the lumbar spine was measured by the double inclinometer method at baseline and on each of the three different sets of insoles. Two sets of insoles contained magnets, each of which was of a different strength, while the third insole did not contain any magnets. The measurements were repeated in Trial 2 to evaluate the placebo effect. No significant difference was found when comparing lumbar ROM across the three insoles for either trial. A significant difference was found in ROM for lumbar flexion between males and females on all insoles. Although this study found no increase in lumbar flexion when standing on magnetic insoles, these results cannot be carried over to other possible effects of magnetic devices. The results of this study have provided additional information regarding the effects of magnetic devices on healthy subjects and have illustrated the need for further research on the various magnetic devices that have become so popular. Future research may further evaluate the effects of magnet therapy by including individuals with impairments, other magnetic devices, various magnet placement methods, and various treatment durations. Only as research accumulates will consumers be able to make informed decisions regarding the use of magnetic devices as an alternative therapy

Complementary and Alternative Medicine - some Public Health Views

CAM is, from the point of view of public health, a phenomenon that should be followed, analysed and controlled. Noxious as well as protective factors which accompany the implementation of CAM methods should be recognised so as to be able to inform the public of the results in a timely and accurate manner. The case study analyses the viewpoints of medical doctors, patients and the state of the phenomenon of CAM in Slovenia. A declinatory attitude of conventional medicine to CAM is present. In contrast, population express a favourable opinion on alternative methods of treatment, and more than a third of them actually make use of them

Фізика з основами біофізики

The text-book "Physics with Fundamentals of Biophysics" published in English is intended for the students who attend the English-speaking lectures in educational institutions of Ukraine; it can be useful for the foreign students and post-graduate students, translators and everybody who is interested in English terminology in the field of physics and biophysics. The main objectives of the course “Physics with Fundamentals of Biophysics” is to expose principal laws and theses of physics which make it possible to study general regularities of natural phenomena; to apply the principles and methods of the physical sciences to biological problems; to consider the biophysical problems which are concerned with the viability of living objects (plants, animals, microorganisms) and their interaction with the environment; to elucidate possible application of physical instrumentation to agricultural, biological, ecological, and medical practice. The text-book is supplied with the examples of solutions of practical biophysical problems, control questions pertaining to those problems that require clarification. Rating system of estimation of students´ level of knowledge is offered also. Each text modulus contains the vocabulary of physical and biophysical terms. The informative material is given in appendix.Даний підручник виданий англійською мовою, призначений саме для підготовки студентів, що слухають лекції англійською мовою в навчальних закладах ІІІ-IV рівнів акредитації України. Він може бути корисним для іноземних студентів та аспірантів, перекладачів та всіх, хто цікавиться англомовною термінологією в галузі фізики та біофізики. Основна мета підручника - навести основні положення, закони та теорії з курсу загальної фізики; розглянути фізичні процеси та механізми, що складають основу життєдіяльності живих організмів – рослин, тварин, мікроорганізмів; викласти проблеми впливу зовнішніх фізичних факторів на живі організми та їх здатності реагувати на ці фактори; висвітлити принципи дії та можливі застосування сучасних фізичних методів та приладів у сільськогосподарській, біологічній, екологічній та медичній практиці. Підручник містить приклади розв’язання практичних біофізичних проблем, контрольні завдання для перевірки засвоєння матеріалу студентами та запитання, відповіді на які студенти зможуть дати у разі ознайомлення із відповідними розділами підручника. Для оцінки знань студентів пропонується рейтингова система. Кожний змістовний модуль має словник фізичних та біофізичних термінів. Інформативний матеріал представлений у додатку

Complementary and Alternative Medicine - some Public Health Views

CAM is, from the point of view of public health, a phenomenon that should be followed, analysed and controlled. Noxious as well as protective factors which accompany the implementation of CAM methods should be recognised so as to be able to inform the public of the results in a timely and accurate manner. The case study analyses the viewpoints of medical doctors, patients and the state of the phenomenon of CAM in Slovenia. A declinatory attitude of conventional medicine to CAM is present. In contrast, population express a favourable opinion on alternative methods of treatment, and more than a third of them actually make use of them

Biomechanical Spectrum of Human Sport Performance

Writing or managing a scientific book, as it is known today, depends on a series of major activities, such as regrouping researchers, reviewing chapters, informing and exchanging with contributors, and at the very least, motivating them to achieve the objective of publication. The idea of this book arose from many years of work in biomechanics, health disease, and rehabilitation. Through exchanges with authors from several countries, we learned much from each other, and we decided with the publisher to transfer this knowledge to readers interested in the current understanding of the impact of biomechanics in the analysis of movement and its optimization. The main objective is to provide some interesting articles that show the scope of biomechanical analysis and technologies in human behavior tasks. Engineers, researchers, and students from biomedical engineering and health sciences, as well as industrial professionals, can benefit from this compendium of knowledge about biomechanics applied to the human body