by Harry G. Hong

Received: 10 December 2018;  Published: 25 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901019

Background: Electrodermal measurement of acupuncture points has been correlated to physiologic and pathologic conditions with clinical and laboratory studies. Emerging evidence indicates that in addition to therapeutic effect, acupuncture points may also have diagnostic properties. However, physiologic basis of this phenomenon is still unknown. Objective: To determine how electrodermal activity of acupuncture points on hands and feet responds to exercise-induced sympathetic stress and how electrodermal measurement [...]

by Sharon Freeman Clevenger

Received: 25 November 2018;  Published: 31 January 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901007

The cornerstone of health care practice is the provision of competent, compassionate care. Compassion is generally considered an important component in the provision of health care; however, self-compassion may be of equal importance for health care practitioners (HCP) to observe and develop. Self-compassion promotes well-being and overall mental health and may reduce fatigue and “burn-out” for HCPs [1]. Estimates of burn out in physicians and nurses range from 35-50% and is associated with emotional exhaustion, hi [...]

by Pei-Chen Lo  , Bo-Ting Lyu  and Wu Jue Miao Tian

Received: 30 July 2018;  Published: 01 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902021

Background: This research aims to develop new methods to investigate the cardiorespiratory interaction of Zen-meditation practitioners (Zen-meditation group) and healthy ordinary young people (control group) by quantitatively evaluating respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) behavior. Methods: Twenty-five voluntary controls and seven Zen-meditation practitioners were recruited. The experimental protocol involved five sessions of different mental-stress levels (control group) and five sessions of Zen-meditation practice [...]

by Hideya Mizuno  , Ayako Taketomi  and Toshikatsu Nakabayashi

Received: 27 June 2018;  Published: 27 September 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1803021

St. John’s wort (SJW), or Hypericum perforatum, is a perennial herb that is used to treat depression in several countries. Based on the available evidence, it can be hypothesized that SJW would also have beneficial prophylactic and therapeutic effects in patients with metabolic syndrome. In this review, we summarize and discuss the best designed studies that have investigated the effects of SJW extract on adipocyte differentiation, the inflammatory process, and glucose metabolism, all of which are relevant to [...]

by Gunnel Berry

Received: 13 April 2018;  Published: 25 February 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901012

Chronic pain is notoriously multifactorial, multifaceted and difficult to manage. Twenty per cent of reported whiplash-injured persons go on to develop a Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD) where persistent pain becomes chronic with no prospect of change [1]. Paucity of effective therapies to address the effect of WAD enforces new approaches. This case report, with a patient’s perspective, illustrates a novel therapy, Adapted Reflextherapy (AdRx), which is akin to reflexology and has been used, developed and revised [...]

by Sara B Taylor  , Kristy Arbon  and Faith Reynolds

Received: 27 October 2020;  Published: 31 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2101011

Somatic Self-Compassion® training is a newly developed trauma-informed self-compassion training that was designed to combine interoception and sensory modulation in order to teach individuals to more effectively cope with current and past stress. Thirty-two non-clinical adults across five cohorts participated in this pre-post design feasibility study. Participation in Somatic Self-Compassion® Online resulted in significant reductions in perceived stress, internalized shame, and bodily shame and significant improvem [...]

by Jana Wurz  , Nicolette Nadene Houreld  and Janice Pellow

Received: 12 April 2021;  Published: 19 August 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2103024

Photobiomodulation (PBM), as well as plant extracts of Calendula officinalis (Calen), Hypericum perforatum (Hyper), and Echinacea purpurea (Echi-p), have been used to accelerate wound healing. However, the use of homeopathic preparations of these medicinal plants, in combination with PBM, is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the combined wound healing potential of these therapies in vitro. Various cell models were created in vitro in commercially available human skin fibroblasts (WS1). PBM was [...]

by Andrew Hanna  and Aileen M. Pidgeon

Received: 04 April 2018;  Published: 15 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802007

Objective: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown promise in cultivating resilience and are widely accepted as efficacious in the treatment of a range of psychological disorders. This paper explores the feasibility of a Mindful-Awareness and Resilience Skills Training (MARST) program to enhance mindfulness and resilience, as a means of increasing psychological well-being and alleviating burnout and compassion fatigue in human service professionals. Method: In this randomised control trial, 46 human servi [...]

by Giuseppe De Benedittis

Received: 18 February 2020;  Published: 24 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002023

There is increasing evidence demonstrating that hypnosis could be effective in the down-modulation of pain sensation in both acute and chronic pain states. In the neurophysiological context, recent evidence has deciphered, to a certain extent, the mystery of pain relief upon hypnosis. It is probable that hypnotic suggestions of analgesia are able to modulate pain processing at multiple levels and sites within the central nervous system (CNS). At the peripheral level, hypnosis may modulate the nociceptive input thro [...]

by Athalie Redwood-Mills  , Taea Scott  , Mhairi Morris  and Jennifer Wilson

Received: 01 June 2024;  Published: 08 November 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2404066

Chronic diseases, responsible for 74% of global mortality, impose a substantial health burden. This study investigates the perceived effects of CrossFit, a form of functional training, on medication use in the UK population. The research aims to provide insights into how CrossFit might relate to medical interventions for individuals with long-term health conditions. The study, encompassing 1,211 UK residents (over 18yrs.) recruited via CrossFit Affiliates, involved a 14-question online survey covering information p [...]

by Deborah R. Simkin  and L. Eugene Arnold

Received: 06 April 2020;  Published: 19 October 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2004040

Teen depression and suicide rates have risen despite conventional treatments. This article reviews adjunctive interventions that may improve outcomes. A search of the National Library of Medicine database used tailored searches with combinations of specific terms. Modern lifestyle is associated with increased inflammation and pro-inflammatory cytokines leading to, for instance, hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which promotes depression. Inflammation also increases oxidative stress, leadin [...]

by Riccardo Misto

Received: 19 November 2020;  Published: 24 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2102019

Using musical scales in a therapeutic key is one of the fundamental music therapy techniques of the Yoga of Sound (Nāda Yoga). The practice consists of singing particular sound formulas (scales), which are devised on a logical mathematical basis formed by specific musical intervals. These scales can bring to the surface, in a clear (objective), recognizable, and predictable way, psycho-emotional states and transform the blocked emotional energies. These blocked emotional energies are caused by repeated emotional st [...]

by Allison B. Ventura  , Barbara I. Kissam  , Kandise Chrestensen  , Ian Tfirn  , Jennifer Brailsford  and Lourdes P. Dale

Received: 27 November 2022;  Published: 24 May 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2302022

Mindful education (ME) in schools can address student well-being and stressors, as well as improve the overall school environment. Implementing a whole-school mindfulness curriculum can be challenging, especially when serving students in both general education and emotional behavioral disorder (EBD) settings. We investigated the feasibility, implementation, and benefits of a whole-school mindfulness curriculum (MindUP) in an urban elementary school. This study is unique in that it investigated how to implement mind [...]

by Francesco Sivelli  , Elio Rossi  , Sonia Baccetti  , Mariella Di Stefano  , Eugenia Gallo  and Fabio Firenzuoli

Received: 27 September 2018;  Published: 18 October 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1904060

Phytotherapy, which is defined as the use of titrated herbal extracts in clinical practice, has been receiving increasing interest in the scientific community recently. In the present report, information regarding the most important mechanisms underlying the drug-drug interactions (DDI) and herb-drug interactions (HDI) has been discussed briefly. Furthermore, the best known and relevant interactions of Ginkgo biloba, Citrus paradisi (Grapefruit Juice), Silybum marianum (Milk Thistle), Hypericum perforatum (St. John [...]

by Paulo Henrique Fernandes de Oliveira  and Reginaldo de Carvalho Silva Filho

Received: 29 December 2019;  Published: 15 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002021

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin characterized by facial papules, pustules, erythema, and telangiectasia. Emotional factors such as stress and anxiety may induce and aggravate the symptoms of rosacea. It is hypothesized that tongue acupuncture, a technique that has been used successfully in the treatment of various neurological and psychiatric diseases, could be beneficial in relieving rosacea symptoms. This study evaluated the immediate effect of tongue acupuncture at specific anatomical point [...]

by Marcel Allbritton  and Carrie Heeter

Received: 30 July 2018;  Published: 09 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804025

We propose a framework for understanding meditation that can support greater scientific rigor in reporting meditation research, and selecting meditation health interventions. There is no consistent and thorough framework for describing meditation research interventions. This impedes rigor of meditation research design and interpretation of findings. This also limits meaningful comparisons across research studies. The audience for this article includes researchers, meditation experts, healthcare professionals, and t [...]

by Sheng-Chieh Lu  , Connie W. Delaney  , Mary Fran Tracy  , Chih-Lin Chi  and Karen A. Monsen

Received: 30 December 2019;  Published: 17 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001006

Integrative health (IH) therapies are increasingly used to manage health conditions, but barriers hindering nurses from offering IH therapies persist. Informatics and artificial intelligence (AI) approaches have potential to promote nurses’ professional use of IH therapies. The purposes of this review are to (1) describe the state of the science of informatics and AI approaches promoting nurses’ use of IH therapies and (2) identify gaps in literature for future investigations. This systematic scoping review followe [...]

by Jozélio Freire de Carvalho  and Aaron Lerner

Received: 20 June 2024;  Published: 12 October 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2404058

To systematically review the literature for cases using homeopathy in which complete healing was observed. Scielo, Pubmed, CINAHL, and Embase databases were systematically screened for case reports and series of patients successfully cured by homeopathy between 1966 and August 2022. Language limitation was not used. Forty-nine articles, comprising 191 patients, were depicted. Most of them had dermatological conditions (12 papers, 71 patients), followed by infectious (7 papers, 31 patients), neuropsychiatric (10 pub [...]

by Paul D. Loprinzi

Received: 07 February 2019;  Published: 21 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901018

The objective of this brief systematic review was to examine the effects of aquatic exercise on cognitive function. Studies were identified using electronic databases, including PubMed, PsychInfo, Sports Discus and Google Scholar. In total, 13 articles met the inclusionary criteria. Among the 13 studies, all 13 demonstrated beneficial cognitive effects from exercise. This included chronic aquatic exercise-induced improvements in global cognition, executive function, attention, learning and memory, cognitively-relat [...]

by Enrico Facco

Received: 04 February 2020;  Published: 08 July 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2003032

The topic of resilience is of paramount importance. Although the term resilience was coined in the fields of physics and engineering, its use has spread to the fields of social sciences, biology, psychology, and psychiatry, as well as to the industry. Moreover, the term is now endowed with a wide range of meanings. The topic of resilience plays a central role in all critical life events. It is of paramount importance in medicine as well as in psychology and psychotherapy, where it is involved in both psychiatric di [...]

by Consuelo C. Casula

Received: 18 January 2020;  Published: 27 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001010

This article is based on the assumption that the therapist's focused attention, open awareness and kind intention are the basic ingredients for creating a relationship of trust with the patient from the first session. He also stresses that when the attention of a genuine therapist, without prejudice or judgment, is centered on how the patient expresses him/herself and on the contents s/he proposes, the patient relies more easily on the competent care of the therapist. The author argues that to empower patients it i [...]

by Jordin Lane  and Kevin R. Fontaine

Received: 28 December 2020;  Published: 21 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2102015

Carbohydrate-restricted ketogenic diets (KD) were introduced in the mid-19th century as a weight loss method with a resurgence of its use in epilepsy treatment in the 1920’s. Research conducted over the last several years provides evidence that KD’s can confer beneficial effects for several chronic metabolic diseases, including obesity, type-2 diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome. In recent years, emerging evidence suggests KD’s may also have therapeutic benefits for some cancers and for neurological conditions [...]

by Vasilios M. Polymeropoulos

Received: 01 August 2020;  Published: 26 October 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2004042

There is a dramatic need for extensive research into the predictors of severe infection with SARS-CoV2 and therapeutic options for infected people. People who suffer from severe illness and higher mortality display a pattern of having specific co-morbidities (diabetes, obesity, hypertension) and are of higher age. Recent research has described methods of viral entry via receptors (ACE2, TMPRSS2) and the hyper-inflammatory state often associated with severe illness (increase in interleukins, increase in TNF-alpha). [...]

by Maria Victoria Tejada-Simon  and Sara Lodhi

Received: 14 November 2021;  Published: 04 March 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2201009

Mindfulness is a form of meditation that can be defined as one’s ability to be present to the surroundings and environment, and not overreact to what is happening around us. With the recent pandemic still affecting the world, more studies have recently become known describing the suitability of mindfulness to prevent and manage mental health. This fact alone offers grounds for mindfulness practices to be added to any stressful environment, including Institutions of higher education and the workforce. Even more, min [...]

by Joseph V. Pergolizzi  , Jo Ann LeQuang  , Peter Magnusson  and Giustino Varrassi

Received: 11 April 2021;  Published: 12 July 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2103021

Traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) approaches to COVID-19 represent a paradigm shift from Western medicine, in that TCIM emphasizes prevention, encouraging wellness, and supporting health and recovery. A wide range of TCIM approaches exist: whole medical systems (such as traditional Chinese medicine), mind-body approaches, biological therapies, body-based treatments, and energy therapies. TCIM is used to help people resist infection, but people with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms ofte [...]