Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies in the Treatment of Meniere's Syndrome: Illness Narratives

Colonnade interior, glass wall, from above, depicting brise-soleil; The building today commonly referred to as the Old City Hall was the building that served as Ottawa's city hall from 1958 to 2000. Today it is officially known as 111 Sussex Drive and is owned by the Federal Government of Canada. The building is located on Green Island at the point where the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa. The International Style building was opened on August 2, 1958 by Princess Margaret as a member of the Canadian Royal Family. It is noted for the first building in Ottawa to be fully air conditioned. It was designed by John Bland of the firm of Rother, Bland and Trudeau and is considered one of the most important International Style buildings in Canada. Winning the Massey Medal for design in 1959, modifications were made by Moshe Safdie in 1992-1993. Today the building mainly houses foreign affairs employees. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 1/10/2008

Exploring the evidence base for acupuncture in the treatment of Meniere’s Syndrome — A systematic review

Meniere’s syndrome is a long-term, progressive disease that damages the balance and hearing parts of the inner ear. To address the paucity of information on which evidence-based treatment decisions should be made, a systematic review of acupuncture for Meniere’s syndrome was undertaken. The method used was a systematic review of English and Chinese literature, from six databases for randomized, non-randomized and observational studies. All studies were critically appraised and a narrative approach to data synthesis was adopted. Twenty-seven studies were included in this review (9 in English and 18 in Chinese languages): three randomized controlled trials, three non-randomized controlled studies and four pre-test, post-test designs. All but one of the studies was conducted in China. The studies covered body acupuncture, ear acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, fluid acupuncture point injection and moxibustion. The studies were of varying quality. The weight of evidence, across all study types, is of beneficial effect from acupuncture, for those in an acute phase or those who have had Meniere’s syndrome for a number of years. The review reinforces the importance of searching for studies from English and Chinese literature. The transferability of the findings from China to a Western context needs confirmation. Further research is also needed to clarify questions around the appropriate frequency and number of treatment/courses of acupuncture. The weight of evidence suggests a potential benefit of acupuncture for persons with Meniere’s disease, including those in an acute phase and reinforces the importance of searching for published studies in the Chinese language

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What evidence is there to support the impact of gardens on health outcomes? A systematic scoping review of the evidence

According to the World Health Organisation Global Health Observatory (2017), non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) present a significant cause of death through cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions and type 2 diabetes. The impact of NCDs on health and social care is estimated to outstrip service provision and the drive to promote health and well-being to tackle the key causes of NCD’s is at the vanguard of UK, European and global health care policy. There is a need for health and social care commissioners to examine and commission new treatment interventions that can offer multipurpose interventions for people in the community with LTC and co-morbid conditions. It is claimed that nature based activities, such as therapeutic horticulture or gardening activity, can improve health and wellbeing for a range of people with long-term conditions. Nature Based Activities have been defined as ‘an intervention with the aim to treat, hasten recovery, and/or rehabilitate patients with a disease or a condition of ill health, with the fundamental principle that the therapy involves plants, natural materials, and/or outdoor environment, without any therapeutic involvement of extra human mammals or other living creatures’ (Annerstedt & Währborg 2011). This includes, amongst other activities, gardens as a nature based activity that encourages individuals to engage with, observe or access. This review has located and described research evidence that has reported on the impact of gardens on physical, mental, health and well being. A systematic approach was used to scope the evidence base across a range of data bases and external sources. The review reports on the following: - How gardens can improve physical, mental, health and wellbeing outcomes - A ‘map’ of the literature in relation to the benefits for particular conditions , types of garden, and health outcomes - The gaps in the literature in relation to particular conditions, garden types and health outcomes - Gardens as an intervention within the social prescribing movement - Infographics and a logic models, which capture the data in a simple way. These can be used to inform the future development of the RHS therapeutic garden and for organisations interested in green care or nature-based activities This report has provided an overview of the evidence for gardens as an intervention that could promote health and wellbeing in a range of populations. This has significance for public health and health care as there is a precedence to explore alternative methods of service provision. The findings from this review report on the impact of gardens and gardening on four key areas: Mental Health, Dementia, Wellbeing, Specific Conditions using Physiological Outcome Measures and Nutrition. The review evidence indicated that nature based activities such as gardens (in the range of formats) can help social inclusion, self-esteem and perceived wellbeing. Although the methodologies and interventions varied, the evidence base overwhelming supported the use of gardens as an activity that could promote wellbeing. Moreover, these activities were reflected in the Bragg et al (2016) Green Framework which suggests that gardens positively impact on people through everyday life such as home gardening, health promotion through nature based activates such as digging and community gardening through to and green care that uses more structured approaches for people with defined needs

What is the evidence for the impact of gardens and gardening on health and well-being : a scoping review and evidence-based logic model to guide healthcare strategy decision making on the use of gardening approaches as a social prescription

Objective: To systematically identify and describe studies that have evaluated the impact of gardens and gardening on health and wellbeing. A secondary objective was to use this evidence to build evidence-based logic models to guide health strategy decision making about gardens and gardening as a non-medical, social prescription. Design: Scoping review of the impact of gardens and gardening on health and wellbeing. Gardens include private spaces and those open to the public or part of hospitals, care homes, hospices or third sector organisations. Data Sources: A range of biomedical and health management journals were searched including Medline, CINAHL, Psychinfo, Web of Knowledge, ASSIA, Cochrane, Joanna Briggs, Greenfile, Environment Complete and a number of indicative websites were searched to locate context specific data and grey literature. We searched from 1990 – November 2019. Eligibility Criteria: We included research studies (including systematic reviews) that assessed the effect, value or impact of any garden that met the gardening definition. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Three reviewers jointly screened 50 records by titles and abstracts to ensure calibration. Each record title was screened independently by 2 out of 3 members of the project team and each abstract was screened by 1 member of a team of 3. Random checks on abstract and full text screening were conducted by a fourth member of the team and any discrepancies were resolved through double-checking and discussion. Results: From the 8896 papers located, a total of 77* studies were included. Over 35 validated health, wellbeing and functional biometric outcome measures were reported. Interventions ranged from viewing gardens, taking part in gardening or undertaking therapeutic activities. The findings demonstrated links between gardens and improved mental wellbeing, increased physical activity and a reduction in social isolation enabling the development of 2 logic models. Conclusions: Gardens and gardening can improve the health and wellbeing for people with a range of health and social needs. The benefits of gardens and gardening could be used as a ‘social prescription’ globally, for people with Long Terms Conditions (LTC). Our logic models provide an evidence-based illustration that can guide health strategy decision making about the referral of people with LTC to socially prescribed, non-medical interventions involving gardens and gardenin