by Katia Belvedere  , Elio Rossi  , Mariella Di Stefano  and Sonia Baccetti

Received: 22 February 2019;  Published: 10 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902022

Complementary Medicine (CM) is being increasingly used by European citizens in order to increase their overall state of health and well-being, as well as to treat various illnesses and diseases. The interest for these therapies has progressively risen also in Italy and in Tuscany as well. In response to the increasing demand in the past few years by the Tuscan citizens, the region of Tuscany has started their integration in the healthcare service. Since 1996, the Tuscan Regional Healthcare Plans (RHPs) have been co [...]

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 Carmelo Guido  , Valentina Selmi  , Cosimo Chelazzi  , Giulia Borsotti  , Rita Giachetti  , Vittorio Limatola  , Martina Sicurani  and Angelo Raffaele De Gaudio

Received: 29 September 2018;  Published: 28 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901020

Background: In recent years, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) techniques have become very widespread; among these, acupuncture can play an important role in the treatment of adverse effects related to chemotherapy. This role has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health after many clinical studies, thus allowing the official introduction of acupuncture in supportive therapy for oncological diseases, particularly to prevent nausea and vomiting. The aim of this paper is to describe the activity [...]

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 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 Natalia Sylvia Ramos Díaz

Received: 23 August 2018;  Published: 14 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901017

One of the objectives of psychological intervention is to help patients manage their emotions effectively by providing them with the necessary skills to accompany their own emotional states. To this regard, there seems to be a current lack of therapeutic resources aimed at helping patients assimilate and regulate emotions. This article proposes the application of a new technique which incorporates mindfulness, building on the premises of the model of psychological flexibility which defines "mindfulness" as a practi [...]

by Cynthia M.A. Geppert  and Ronald W. Pies

Received: 01 March 2019;  Published: 04 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901016

Compassion in Clinical Care

by Jeffery Jonathan Joshua (ישוע) Davis  , Florian Schübeler  and Robert Kozma

Received: 26 November 2018;  Published: 04 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901015

Background: Psychophysiological coherence has been widely studied as a bodily state associated with general well-being and cognitive clarity. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has been shown to be a good biomarker to assess psychophysiological coherence. This paper presents the first general set of results concerning a study that is part of a team effort between a body of researchers in 5 countries led by the HeartMath Institute under the name, International Heart Rate Variability Synchronization (IHRVS) Study. This stu [...]

by James David Adams

Received: 25 February 2019;  Published: 27 February 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901014

The nervous system is everywhere in the body, especially in the skin. Ancient Chinese acupuncture charts show us that the nerves are all connected and can work together to promote health. This connection occurs through the brain and brain stem. It is clear that acupuncture is analgesic by inhibition of transient receptor potential cation channels in the skin [1]. The role of chemokines in pain is becoming understood. Chemokines promote pain in the skin and activate ascending neural pathways that regulate chemo [...]

by Istvan Széchenyi

Received: 16 October 2018;  Published: 26 February 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901013

Background: In the international auriculotherapy practice there are relatively big differences in the exact localization of the same ear acupuncture point. On one hand, there are specialists who devote their efforts to find the active points. In that case it becomes intriguing that there may be another point (at 1-2 mm distance) near the point to be treated, indicating a relatively strong, even stronger activity than the one they were initially aiming to find. That point may be active because of another health prob [...]