by Ian Marburger  , Anna Scheyett  and Kaitlin Brianna Yoo

Received: 30 September 2024;  Published: 05 March 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2501013

Farmers experience high levels of stress, with negative sequelae including physical illness, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Despite this, farmers are often reluctant to adopt stress management behaviors. This study collected survey data on motivators and barriers to stress management behavior change among farmers from 162 participants at a regional fruit and vegetable growers’ conference. Survey findings were analyzed using the Health Beliefs Model (HBM) as an organizing framework, calculating the frequency of s [...]

by Anastasia Gyimah  , Chinyere Ajayi  and Peggy Mulongo

Received: 23 January 2025;  Published: 17 July 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2503031

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) are amongst the most vulnerable populations worldwide, facing significant psycho-social and mental health challenges influenced by pre-migration, migration, and post-migration experiences. This narrative review examines the structural, legal, and practical factors affecting UASC, focusing on their lived experiences within the UK’s asylum system. Key areas explored include trauma caused by forced migration (pre-, during and post-migration), ethical dilemmas surrounding ag [...]

by Alexander Tournier  , Yvonne Fok  , Robbert van Haselen  and Aaron To

Received: 29 February 2024;  Published: 29 July 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2403043

Little systematic research has been conducted into the symptomatic expression of COVID-19 infections in patients. It is known that symptomatic expression varies between patients, but the nature and extent of this variability is poorly understood. This paper elaborates on the symptoms reported by Chinese patients infected with COVID-19 during the Omicron wave, and compares this with available data from other countries. This was an observational clinical case registry study of Chinese patients with suspected Omicron [...]

by María del Valle del Olmo de Dios  , Alfonso Roberto Barros-Loscertales  and Laura Laguna Cruañes

Received: 25 September 2023;  Published: 05 July 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2403039

Mediterranean diet, considered key to varied diets, raises whether it is necessary to supplement it with compounds like nutraceuticals to obtain more benefits. A scoping review was conducted. Nine articles were selected that compared the effects of nutraceuticals on biochemical markers (such as total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc)), weight, and blood pressure in various studies to the results observed in groups only exposed to the Mediterranean diet. The aim was to assess the impact of [...]

by Waqar Husain

Received: 30 May 2025;  Published: 10 September 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2503037

Honor and shame function as moral currencies in many collectivistic cultures, shaping individual behavior, gender roles, and psychosocial well-being. This paper introduces Atimiaphobia—a newly proposed specific phobia defined as the intense and persistent fear of losing honor (particularly for men) or being labeled as shameless (particularly for women). Rooted in patriarchal, collectivist, and honor-based cultures, atimiaphobia manifests through intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, emotional turmoil, and compu [...]

by OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine Editorial Office

Received: 04 January 2024;  Published: 05 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401005

Food insecurity and insufficient access to affordable nutrition have been associated with increased risk for the development of multiple chronic medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease. In this narrative review, we explore the association between food insecurity and the development of chronic medical conditions that confer increased cardiometabolic risk, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. We also identify the various barriers leading to food insecurity and lack of food literacy, with an emphasis on [...]

by Ali Asghar Fallahi  and Shahnaz Shekarforoush

Received: 27 November 2024;  Published: 05 August 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2503034

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, prompting extensive research into effective methods for treatment and prevention. Among these, exercise training and physical activity are widely recognized as the safest and most effective strategies for improving health. Specifically, exercise training has been explored for its role in cardioprotection, particularly in reducing damage caused by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and myocardial infarction (MI). Both high-intensity interval trainin [...]

by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 07 July 2025;  Published: 10 July 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2503030

With the passing of Prof. Dr. Frank Bahr, the field of complementary medicine has lost one of its most influential personalities. As a pioneer of auricular medicine in the German-speaking world, he helped shape the field of integrative medicine over many decades. This tribute by Prof. DDr. Gerhard Litscher honors Bahr's work, his convictions, and the legacy of a visionary whose impact on energy and spiritual medicine endures.

by Koré Monsterrat Moreno-Calderón  , Alfredo Saavedra-Molina  , Mariana Gómez-Barroso  , Donovan Javier Peña-Montes  , Christian Cortés-Rojo  , Alain R. Rodríguez-Orozco  , Omar Ortiz-Ayala  and Rocío Montoya-Pérez

Received: 08 January 2024;  Published: 10 July 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2403040

An excess of adipose tissue characterizes obesity; it is associated with complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases due to an alteration in the lipid profile; this condition affects all tissues; even skeletal muscle is the most affected, causing its malfunction and bringing more significant consequences. Exercise has been described as one of the best treatments to combat obesity. At the same time, E. carlinae is a plant proven to have lipid-lowering and hypoglycemic effects, improving the function o [...]

by Robert Marx

Received: 24 April 2024;  Published: 20 August 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2403047

It is an axiomatic in secular mindfulness that to become present is to direct attention away from thinking to physical sensation. While this can be a useful strategy to manage depressive rumination, as an automatic default position, it risks demonising our fundamental human capacity to purposefully think about the causes of suffering and how to reduce it. Many approaches within Mahayana Buddhism in particular explicitly use reflection on key ideas as necessary pre-requisites to meditation, and in these traditions, [...]

by Rodolfo Pessina  , Fabrizia Colmegna  , Massimo Clerici  and Ester di Giacomo

Received: 26 December 2023;  Published: 13 June 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2402034

Therapeutic termination of pregnancy (TToP) is performed for maternal health risks or severe fetal malformations. Research focuses on women's psychopathological outcomes after TToP, noting that 10-22% of women experience psychiatric disorders, especially depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, little is known about paternal mental outcomes. This study analyzed biological fathers' mental health at a 1-year follow-up after TToP. Results indicate biological fathers show no alarming psyc [...]

by Annie J. Keeney  , Anabel Rodriguez  , Jaime Murillo  and Savannah S. Ingold

Received: 20 August 2024;  Published: 06 January 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2501002

Farmworkers are the backbone of the agricultural economy in the US yet are disproportionately burdened with economic-related stress and adverse behavioral health outcomes. How these stressors translate to children and family well-being is poorly understood. Grounded in Transactional Stress and Coping Theory, we aimed to understand how children and families adapt and respond to the stressors associated with farm labor occupations in a rural, underserved, bi-national community. We utilized focus groups with adult chi [...]

by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 10 November 2025;  Published: 10 November 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504049

During this year’s World Congress on Medical Acupuncture, the ICMART (International Council of Medical Acupuncture and Related Techniques) Science Award 2025 was presented in recognition of excellence in research and innovation within the field of medical acupuncture. The award honored pioneering work on acupuncture and moxibustion in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), conducted in collaboration with the team at Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan. The study, a randomized controlled trial (RCT), showed that ac [...]

by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 08 December 2025;  Published: 09 December 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504053

Acupuncture has become an increasingly relevant complementary modality in modern gynecology and assisted reproduction. Its uses include the management of menstrual disorders, menopausal symptoms, infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and others. Scientific progress in neurophysiology, laser acupuncture, and biomedical imaging has enabled a deeper understanding of the central and peripheral mechanisms underlying acupuncture’s effects. This editorial summarizes current evidence regarding physi [...]

by Jodi Coon-Robeson  , Jaicee Williamson  , Anna Kate Edgemon  and John T. Rapp

Received: 20 May 2024;  Published: 04 September 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2403049

Previous studies have shown that the use of a three-color (red, yellow, and green) rating system of child behaviors by caregivers can help facilitate deprescribing of psychotropic medications in foster youth. Using a similar three-color rating system within a state-funded project, we assessed whether there was a day of the week when 48 foster youth consistently displayed challenging behavior. For each foster child, we used conditional probability analyses to determine if there was a day of the week with an increase [...]

by Pamela Whitaker

Received: 11 May 2025;  Published: 28 July 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2503033

Performance art is both a visual arts practice and kinaesthetic approach to place-based health. The perspective of this commentary is to promote the attributes of performance art to showcase its capacity to extend people into new configurations of cultural engagement with beneficial effects. Performance art is an opportunity to engage both mind and body in actions that transform predictability and encourage wellness within the context of people’s life studios (their everyday lives). Wellness is defined here in rela [...]

by David Cawthorpe

Received: 04 March 2025;  Published: 11 September 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2503038

This paper presents a unifying transcultural perspective on human illness, health and wellbeing by integrating insights from cognitive psychology, existential psychotherapy, Zen philosophy, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and quantum consciousness theory. Kahneman and Tversky’s work on heuristics and biases highlights cognitive constraints shaping decision-making, while Yalom’s existential therapy explores fundamental struggles with death, freedom, and meaning. Watts’ Zen philosophy critiques the illusion of eg [...]

by Paul Gilbert  , Derek Griner  , Kelly Morter  , Ptarmigan Plowright  , Jaskaran Basran  , Hannah Gilbert  , Victoria Nithsdale  , Eva Rogers  , Yoram Giglio  and Corinne Gale

Received: 07 April 2025;  Published: 12 January 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2601005

There is now good evidence for the efficacy of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) for a variety of mental health difficulties. To deepen understanding of the processes underpinning CFT’s effectiveness, this service evaluation explored the experiences and reflections of individuals with long-term mental health difficulties who had previously received therapy and attended an 11-week CFT group. Ten clients were invited to the group; one withdrew before the group started because of work and personal commitments and anoth [...]

by Corrado Angelini

Received: 06 February 2024;  Published: 21 June 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2402035

An 83-year-old man with myasthenia gravis was hospitalized in the ICU; support for caregivers of elderly myasthenic patients in the ICU can be a crucial aspect of their care. Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that can cause varying levels of muscle weakness, which can significantly impact the patient's day-to-day activities and overall quality of life. This intervention was followed for over one month with success. The critical phases are presented and analyzed as a medical support art [...]

by James D Adams

Received: 09 February 2025;  Published: 10 February 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2501010

Medicines used in pain and chronic pain are aimed at relieving neuroinflammation. This neuroinflammation can occur in the brain, brain stem, dorsal root ganglion and other sites. What causes neuroinflammation? Why does this neuroinflammation last for years? Are there cures for neuroinflammation?

by Antonella Sansone  , Peta Stapleton  , Alan Patching  and Zoe Lawrence

Received: 21 May 2025;  Published: 26 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504046

Pregnancy and the postpartum period are times of significant transition for women, with changes in maternal physical and mental health. The relationship between a mother and her infant has been recognised as laying the foundation for later child development. There is considerable evidence that this early relationship is influenced by a woman’s wellbeing during pregnancy and in the early post-partum period. Mindfulness has been found to have positive health outcomes, primarily in reducing maternal stress, anxiety, a [...]

by Cheryl Armstrong  , Katarina Friberg-Felsted  , Jennifer Macali  , Jennifer Clifton  and Sara E. Simonsen

Received: 02 July 2024;  Published: 26 January 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2501008

The COVID-19 pandemic presented major changes for individuals working in nursing academia. While university faculty and staff encountered many challenges, the pandemic also presented new opportunities. The purpose of this study was to determine how the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted nursing faculty and staff perceptions about their wellness experiences. An on-line survey was developed and sent to all faculty and staff. Data were collected through a convenience sample using both open-ended and closed [...]

by Edward Caddye  , Yuliia Lukianstseva  , Richard Aceves  and Guy W. Fincham

Received: 28 July 2025;  Published: 22 January 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2601006

This paper introduces Movement-informed Breathwork (MiB), a personalised breath-body approach with biofeedback that integrates a form of conscious connected breathwork (breathing without pauses) with targeted neuromuscular contraction and relaxation cycles. Drawing from neuromuscular torque chain dynamics, fascial research and sensorimotor trauma therapy principles, MiB aims to enhance autonomic regulation, interoceptive awareness and somatic-emotional integration by bridging traditional breathwork (deep, slow-pace [...]

by Marcus A. Henning  , Philippa Miskelly  , Marta Gil-Lacruz  , Gary Cheung  , Frederick Sundram  and Ruth Teh

Received: 11 June 2025;  Published: 29 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504047

Across the globe, countries are facing an ageing boom, with the proportion of the older adult population growing compared to younger age groups because of increased life expectancy and declining birth rates. Along with the ageing boom, there is increased interest in the wellbeing of older adults. Healthy ageing and social frailty are two constructs that have emerged in studying older adults and their quality of life. In this paper, we critically review salient literature defining and describing healthy ageing and s [...]

by Kathryn Curtis  , Hance Clarke  , Daniel Santa Mina  , Gitte Bechsgaard  , Aliza Weinrib  , Jennifer Jones  , Darren Au  and Joel Katz

Received: 29 April 2025;  Published: 30 September 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2503041

The objective of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a specialized Iyengar-informed yoga intervention for individuals who experience chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP). This prospective, multi-wave pilot RCT was pre-registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03460028) and designed in accordance with the 2010 CONSORT statement. Participants (N = 21) with CPSP were out-patients or community members affiliated with a Toronto hospital. Participants were randomized to an 8-wee [...]