Special Issue

Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Nervous System Conditions

Submission Deadline: September 10, 2018 (Closed)

Guest Editor

James D. Adams, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Website | E-Mail

Research Interests: California Indian healing; traditional healing; medicinal plants; phytochemistry; pharmacology; pain; stroke

About This Topic

The peripheral and central nervous systems are involved in many diseases, such as pain, hypertension, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. Standard medicine does not adequately treat many of these conditions. Traditional medicine can offer complementary and alternative treatments that may be helpful.

Pain is usually treated with dangerous oral medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids. These drugs have major adverse reactions and kill many patients. Acupuncture and other skin centered therapies are more effective at treating pain, with fewer adverse reactions.

Hypertension is, in part, caused by excessive sympathetic activity that can be blocked with sympathetic antagonists. These drugs all have major adverse reactions and do not cure hypertension. Patients must stay on these drugs for the rest of their lives, like an addiction. The chances of patients suffering drug toxicity is probably 100% over their lifetimes. Traditional medicine offers the concept of balance that can help prevent and cure hypertension through avoiding toxic lifestyles.

Stroke results in paralysis of the limbs in many patients. Standard medicine is inadequate at helping with stroke recovery and paralysis. Traditional medicine offers medicines and physical therapy techniques that can greatly aid stroke patients. This issue will help expose the standard healthcare community to traditional medicines that can be helpful in treating nervous system conditions. Patient centered healthcare should emphasize prevention through avoiding toxic lifestyles and avoiding the use of standard drugs as much as possible.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted through the LIDSEN Submission System. Detailed information on manuscript preparation and submission is available in the Instructions for Authors. All submitted articles will be thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process and will be processed following the Editorial Process and Quality Control policy. Upon acceptance, the article will be immediately published in a regular issue of the journal and will be listed together on the special issue website, with a label that the article belongs to the Special Issue. LIDSEN distributes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License in an open-access model. The authors own the copyright to the article, and the article can be free to access, distribute, and reuse provided that the original work is correctly cited.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). Research articles and review articles are highly invited. Authors are encouraged to send the tentative title and abstract of the planned paper to the Editorial Office (icm@lidsen.com) for record. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office.

Welcome your submission!

Publication

Open Access Editorial Highlights of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Nervous System Conditions: An Interview with Dr. James David Adams, Jr. by James David Adams, Jr. Received: 24 May 2019;  Published: 24 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902032 Abstract Highlights of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Nervous System Conditions: An Interview with Dr. James David Adams, Jr.

Open Access Editorial The Treatment of the Nervous System with Complementary and Alternative Medicine by James David Adams Received: 25 February 2019;  Published: 27 February 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901014 Abstract 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 [...]

Open Access Case Report Chronic Pain after Reported Whiplash Injury – A Patient Case Report by Gunnel Berry Received: 13 April 2018;  Published: 25 February 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901012 Abstract 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 [...]

Open Access Review Healthcare Provider’s Guide to Kratom: Succinct Introduction to the Basics and the Questions by Joseph V. Pergolizzi  , Robert Taylor  , Robert B. Raffa  and Jo Anne LeQuang Received: 27 July 2018;  Published: 28 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804038 Abstract Background: The leaves of Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), a tropical tree that is indigenous to Southeast Asia, have been used traditionally to increase stamina, as a digestive aid, and as an analgesic. Kratom use is now increasingly popular in the rest of the world because of easy availability through the Internet and real [...]

Open Access Case Report Chronic Pain Two Cures by James David Adams Received: 14 January 2018;  Published: 19 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804035 Abstract Background: This study presents several case reports of chronic pain patients treated with two different plant medicines from the Chumash Indian tradition. Methods: Patients suffering from self-reported fibromyalgia, chronic back pain [...]

Open Access Original Research Complementary and alternative treatment of MS – A study of three cases by Katarina Mark  and Maria Arman Received: 09 June 2018;  Published: 27 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804031 Abstract Background: People suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly use complementary and alternative medicine due to the partial efficacy of conventional treatments, the chronic aspect of MS, the impact of pain and the side-effects of medication. An exploratory descriptive study of three cases was performed to document and analyse the experien [...]

Open Access Review What is the Current Evidence to Support the Use of Herbs and Supplements to Treat Mood and Anxiety Disorders? by Megan Berberich  and Bettina Bernstein Received: 10 March 2018;  Published: 13 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1804030 Abstract Background: Treatment of mood and anxiety disorders with supplements, herbs and nutraceuticals (dietary supplements) is at this point viewed as an integrative or alternative treatment, however these substances have been around for quite some time and are regarded as basic to the understanding of human biochemistry, physiology, health and illne [...]

Open Access Communication Auricular Interventions in Neurology: the Vascular Autonomic Signal Challenge by Im Quah-Smith Received: 09 May 2018;  Published: 25 June 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802012 Abstract The Auricular approach to diagnostics and therapeutics has gained momentum over the last 15 years. Battlefield Acupuncture has taken on a life of its own and has been adopted into NATO and even been introduced into neonatal intensive care. It is time to take on the challenge of Auricular Medicine - the application of the neurophysiological [...]

Open Access Original Research A Multi-modal Intervention after Stroke: The Caregiver Experience by Katie M. Hinsey  , Karen E. Atler  , Christine A. Fruhauf  , Ruby A. Bolster  , Marieke Van Puymbroeck  and Arlene A. Schmid Received: 07 March 2018;  Published: 11 June 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802010 Abstract Background: A fall prevention intervention was delivered to people with chronic stroke (Merged Yoga and Occupational Therapy intervention-MY-OT). All caregivers were invited to also attend the 8-week intervention and were included in these analyses. Methods: The aim of this study was to examine changes in caregiver burden, positive aspects [...]

Open Access Review Healthcare Clowning: Use of Specific Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Hospitalized Children by Alberto Dionigi Received: 16 February 2018;  Published: 31 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802009 Abstract Clowning has a varied tradition and a long history. Recently, clowns have been adopted in the medical setting with the aim of decreasing the negative emotions that can be experienced during hospitalization and medical procedures, as well as inducing positive feelings in patients, their relatives, and the hospital staff. Due to an increase [...]

Open Access Review How Can Acupuncture Be Used in Treating Dementia? by Fung Kei Cheng Received: 02 March 2018;  Published: 23 April 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802005 Abstract Background: Dementia erodes the quality of life of patients and their caregivers, and the growing dementia population threatens public finance in the health and social services. In addition to formal medical treatments, complementary and alternative medicine is applicable to dementia, in [...]

Open Access Case Report Miraculous Healings of Chronic Lyme disease, Fibromyalgia and Sarcoidosis without the Use of Pharmaceuticals or Antibiotics by Richard Sarnat Received: 09 March 2018;  Published: 12 April 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802003 Abstract While “miraculous healings” of various disease states have been scientifically reported previously, the exact mechanism, which allow for these seeming miracles or spontaneous remissions is poorly understood. [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15] By contrast, the mechanism of action underlying the “miraculous healings” in the three [...]