Tui Na (or Tuina) Massage: A Minireview of Pertinent Literature, 1970-2017

Background: Tuina massage is a traditional method used effectively in the treatment of various ailments in China since ancient time, and currently it is used around the world. Objective: This minireview aims to describe several aspects of Tuina massage an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine in order to fill up the knowledge gap concerning traditional practitioners in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Electronic searches of databases using Boolean operators and keywords were conducted to retrieve data published in English and Chinese literature. Thousands of articles were identified and screened by two independent reviewers using exclusion and inclusion criteria, and 56 articles were finally included in this study. Results: Tuina has a very rich history in Chinese culture since antiquity. With continuous advancements in research, training, regulation and clinical practice, Tuina massage became popular worldwide and now used either alone or in conjunction with other complementary and alternative medicine or conventional therapies in diverse diseases associated with pain and other symptoms with good outcome. Although Tuina has good safety profile with level of evidence (LOE) of I to III, well defined indications and contraindications, a variety of minor adverse effects together with some major complications including deaths have been reported in the literature. Besides continuous training of Tuina practitioners, Tuina massage practice needs regulatory measures and guidelines for avoiding complications and improving the clinical outcome of patients. Conclusion: Evidently, Chinese Tuina massage supported by theory, mechanisms, procedure and included randomized clinical trials snapshots, systematic reviews and meta-analysis with LOE of I to III is reported to be effective in several conditions. Further, rigorous randomized controlled studies with active comparators including other traditional modality or conventional medications or placebo with intensified quality control measures are required to provide further robust evidence-based data to support its efficacy in chronic diseases associated with pain and disabilities

Medical students' perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine therapies: A pre- and post-exposure survey in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia

Background: Evidently, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is increasingly a recognized medical practice that efficiently uses multiple treatment therapies and techniques in promoting the health  and wellbeing of people as well as preventing and managing a variety of human disorders. Research in CAM, which courses exposure to diverse healthcare professionals, is important from many perspectives including improvement in teaching skills of faculty, enhancing capacity building, and  innovative curriculum development. This pre- and post-design crosssectional study aimed to assess perceptions, training needs, personal usage, use in office practice, and knowledge of two batches of medical students toward CAM therapies in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia.Materials and Methods: The second year medical students of the first (year 2012-13) and second (year 2013-2014) batch [n=26 & 39, respectively] were selected for this study. A reliable 16-item  self-administered questionnaire was distributed among all students for answering before and after the 48-hour specific 19 CAM therapies course, in terms of CAM therapies are clearly conventional or  alternative, training needs, effectiveness, personal use, use in practice, management of two clinical cases by CAM or conventional therapies, and views about which evidence based approach strongly support individual CAM modalities.Results: Medical students' knowledge and perceptions of CAM therapies significantly improved across some sub-items of CAM questionnaire with a positive trend in the rest of its items including their views about CAM therapies, need for further training, personal use of therapies and advising patients regarding CAM practices strongly supported by randomized clinical controlled trials and published case studies.Conclusion: CAM course tends to have positive impact on the knowledge and perceptions of medical students, in addition to need for further training, and personal use and use of CAM therapies in practice in line with strong evidence-based data regarding therapeutic efficacy. The preliminary results of this study call for further research in specific CAM modalities with a larger sample in academic settings across the nation. Key words: Medical students; Complementary and Alternative Medicine; CAM course; CAM therapies; pre-post design study; Saudi Arabia

MEDICAL STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THERAPIES: A PRE- AND POST-EXPOSURE SURVEY IN MAJMAAH UNIVERSITY, SAUDI ARABIA

Background: Evidently, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is increasingly a recognized medical practice that efficiently uses multiple treatment therapies and techniques in promoting the health and wellbeing of people as well as preventing and managing a variety of human disorders. Research in CAM, which courses exposure to diverse healthcare professionals, is important from many perspectives including improvement in teaching skills of faculty, enhancing capacity building, and innovative curriculum development. This pre- and post-design crosssectional study aimed to assess perceptions, training needs, personal usage, use in office practice, and knowledge of two batches of medical students toward CAM therapies in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: The second year medical students of the first (year 2012-13) and second (year 2013-2014) batch [n=26 & 39, respectively] were selected for this study. A reliable 16-item self-administered questionnaire was distributed among all students for answering before and after the 48-hour specific 19 CAM therapies course, in terms of CAM therapies are clearly conventional or alternative, training needs, effectiveness, personal use, use in practice, management of two clinical cases by CAM or conventional therapies, and views about which evidence based approach strongly support individual CAM modalities. Results: Medical students' knowledge and perceptions of CAM therapies significantly improved across some sub-items of CAM questionnaire with a positive trend in the rest of its items including their views about CAM therapies, need for further training, personal use of therapies and advising patients regarding CAM practices strongly supported by randomized clinical controlled trials and published case studies. Conclusion: CAM course tends to have positive impact on the knowledge and perceptions of medical students, in addition to need for further training, and personal use and use of CAM therapies in practice in line with strong evidence-based data regarding therapeutic efficacy. The preliminary results of this study call for further research in specific CAM modalities with a larger sample in academic settings across the nation