Mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia significantly reduce the daily functioning and quality of life of individuals. Traditional treatments often fall short, thus opening interest in complementary therapies like animal assisted therapy (AAT) which encourages the human-animal bond and gives emotional and psychological support. This review evaluated the efficacy of AAT in treating mental health disorders, and understanding its mechanisms and benefits. A comprehensive literature review was conducted (using databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate) focused on peer-reviewed articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in the last 2 decades. Studies indicated that AAT improved mental health outcomes for people with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Interaction with therapy animals reduced cortisol levels, increased oxytocin, lowered blood pressure, and increased social engagement and emotional regulation. Benefits included reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and improved social functioning and quality of life. AAT offered a complementary treatment for mental health disorders, providing emotional comfort, improving mood, and serving as a nonpharmacological option for individuals. However, challenges such as individual preferences, allergies, ethical concerns for therapy animals, and logistical issues must be addressed. Future research should focus on the long-term effects and mechanisms involved to optimize the application of AAT in the clinical setting, and alternatives like robotic companion pets could also be explored.
Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) published in Korea were reviewed to evaluate up-to-date evidence and the recommendations for cupping therapy (CT) to inform clinicians and researchers for future studies. There were 14 CPGs (allergic rhinitis, ankle sprain, cervical pain, chronic low back pain, cold hands and feet, facial nerve palsy, Hwabyung, knee osteoarthritis, lumbar herniated intervertebral disk, migraine, osteoporosis, postoperative syndrome, shoulder pain, and traffic accident injury) with 29 recommendations for CT determined from “low” to “moderate” rated evidence. The levels of evidence were mostly downgraded due to the risk of bias and imprecision. The majority of recommendations for CT were graded as B or C. This comprehensive analysis underscores the imperative need for robust clinical research, including randomized controlled trials and observational studies using real-world data to enhance the quality of the evidence for CT. In addition, recommendations providing definite phases or scope of the target conditions/diseases and treatment regimens should be employed. This work lays a foundational step towards integrating CT into evidence-based clinical practice, emphasizing strategic directions for future research to bridge the gap between evidence and practice.
Background To provide clinicians with reliable evidence an umbrella review of systematic reviews (SRs) on Chuna manual therapy (CMT) for musculoskeletal disorders was performed to synthesize important outcomes.
Methods There were eight databases (Cochrane, EMBASE, MEDLINE, CNKI, KMBASE, KISS, Scienceon, and OASIS) searched as well as the international database Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews in health and social care until August 2023. SRs of randomized controlled trials involving patients with musculoskeletal conditions, limited to interventions explicitly labeled as “Chuna” or “Tuina” in English, Chinese, or Korean language were retrieved. Two reviewers independently conducted selection and data extraction, and SR quality was assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews tool (low, medium, or high quality).
Results This review included 32 SRs, categorized by cervical (n = 4), thoracolumbar (n = 7), upper extremity (n = 5), lower extremity (n = 9), and other musculoskeletal disorders (n = 7). Quality assessments determined that three SRs were of “high” quality, two were “low” quality, and the remaining SRs were of “medium” quality. CMT was consistently reported to demonstrate superior outcomes: an effective rate was observed in 17 of 19 SRs, CMT was effective at reducing pain in 12 of the 16 SRs, and functional outcomes of CMT were observed in 8 of 12 SRs. No serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusion CMT may be a safe and effective treatment for various musculoskeletal disorders based on the limited number of studies and the low quality of included SRs.
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Reporting Overviews of Reviews: PRIORitizing a Reporting Guideline Lisa Hartling, David Moher Perspectives on Integrative Medicine.2024; 3(2): 65. CrossRef
Effectiveness and Safety of Pharmacopuncture on Inpatients with Tension Headache Caused by Traffic Accidents: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial Ja-Yean Son, Kangmoo Goo, Na-young Kim, Seok-Gyu Yang, Dong Hwan Lee, Yu-Ra Im, Oh Bin Kwon, Hyun-Woo Cho, Sang Don Kim, Doori Kim, In-Hyuk Ha Journal of Clinical Medicine.2024; 13(15): 4457. CrossRef
Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most frequent reasons for consultations in my clinic. In my experience of 35 years, acupuncture, and osteopathy are effective techniques in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain of the upper and lower limbs. Pain reported by the patient often affects a widespread area around the joint and is usually associated with some stiffness. The aim of acupuncture is to restore the local circulation of Qì and Blood, inducing an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect, along with myofascial detensioning. The aim of the osteopathic manipulative treatment is to return joints to their normal position and restore restricted joint motion. The Mazzanti AcuOsteo Method is a newly patented method which uses the synergistic combination of using points for acupuncture, cupping or bleeding, and osteopathy to maximize effectiveness of treatment for musculoskeletal pain.
This scoping review was conducted to examine the concept of Motion style acupuncture treatment (MSAT), use in clinical practice, its effectiveness, and safety. A literature review of clinical study treatment methods combining acupuncture and movement therapy was performed using PubMed. Of 2,096 studies retrieved, 22 were included in this review. There were 12 randomized controlled trials, and all 22 studies were published in China and Korea, mostly, within the last 3 years. There were five studies concerning local acupoints and 17 studies regarding needling at distal acupoints, and the level of risk of the procedure was “high” in eight studies and “moderate” in 14 studies. The study participants were patients with musculoskeletal pain, and many studies reported significant improvements in pain and functional disability outcomes following treatment using MSAT. For conclusion, MSAT refers to a treatment method in which a patient performs active/passive movements under the supervision of a physician with the acupuncture needle retained at the insertion site. However, there are a limited number of MSAT studies, and various treatment types and related terms are mixed. Further studies, classification of the types of MSAT using a well-established classification system, and a clearer definition of the MSAT concept are needed.
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Effectiveness of lumbar motion style acupuncture treatment on inpatients with acute low back pain: A pragmatic, randomized controlled trial Oh-Bin Kwon, Dong Wook Hwang, Dong-Hyeob Kang, Sang-Joon Yoo, Do-Hoon Lee, Minjin Kwon, Seon-Woo Jang, Hyun-Woo Cho, Sang Don Kim, Kyong Sun Park, Eun-San Kim, Yoon Jae Lee, Doori Kim, In-Hyuk Ha Complementary Therapies in Medicine.2024; 82: 103035. CrossRef
Graded exercise with motion style acupuncture therapy for a patient with failed back surgery syndrome and major depressive disorder: a case report and literature review Do-Young Kim, In-Hyuk Ha, Ju-Yeon Kim Frontiers in Medicine.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Effectiveness and Safety of Progressive Loading–Motion Style Acupuncture Treatment for Acute Low Back Pain after Traffic Accidents: A Randomized Controlled Trial Seung-Yoon Hwangbo, Young-Jun Kim, Dong Guk Shin, Sang-Joon An, Hyunjin Choi, Yeonsun Lee, Yoon Jae Lee, Ju Yeon Kim, In-Hyuk Ha Healthcare.2023; 11(22): 2939. CrossRef
Background Aromatherapy has been reported to have a positive effect on various health conditions. While these studies show positive results, many of them have limited evidence. The aim of this study was to develop a protocol to evaluate all systematic reviews (SRs) that have evaluated the efficacy of aromatherapy (for any health condition) as a therapeutic treatment (protocol registration number INPLASY202280089).
Methods We will include aromatherapy through different therapeutic application methods such as inhalation, massage, and bathing. Seven international databases (including PubMed, AMED, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library), and three Korean medical databases (Korean Studies Information, Research Information Service System, KoreaMed), will be searched. The SR process, including study selection, data extraction, and assessment, will be performed by two independent reviewers. Methodological assessment will be performed using AMSTAR-2.
Discussion The benefits of aromatherapy for health management are evaluated to provide useful information to patients and therapists and inform decisions on further studies on this topic.
Background Cancer remains a major public health threat even though there have been breakthroughs in conventional diagnostics and therapies. Alternatively, treatment with mild hyperthermia and herbal medicine treatment [selected using traditional Korean medicine theory 4 qi (cold, cool, warm and hot) and using the 5 senses of taste (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty)], may be an option to promote cancer cell death in patients where the cancer is accessible.
Methods To investigate effect of combination treatment of herbal medicines and hyperthermia in vitro on cancer cell lines (ACHN, AGS, A549 and U937), the qualities of 38 medicinal herbs and sensitivity to mild hyperthermia (42 and 43°C) treatment were examined. An assay was performed to detect cell viability and proliferation (MTT) following exposure to medicinal herbs and hyperthermia.
Results Heat sensitizing herbal medicines were determined to be larger in the warm and hot groups of medicinal herbs (29.6%) than the groups which were neither warm nor hot (18.2%). In addition, the proportion of heat sensitizing effect with bitter and pungent flavors was 33.3 % and 32.1 %, respectively, greater than the average (26.3 %).
Conclusion In conditions of mild hyperthermia in cancer cell lines, incubation with herbal medicines caused cancer cell death in vitro. These results suggest that the use of traditional herbal medicines with warm, hot, pungent and bitter characteristics may be a useful treatment for cancer using conditions to induce mild hyperthermia and this requires further investigation.
Pharmacopuncture is a popular treatment that combines the advantages of both herbal medicine and acupuncture. However, pharmacopuncture care reporting guidelines have not yet been developed. This study aimed to propose a reporting guideline draft for pharmacopuncture case reports. Pharmacopuncture case reports were retrieved from 4 databases (KCI, RISS, ScienceON, OASIS) to analyze the items reported and their fidelity. We analyzed 5 existing reporting guidelines related to Korean medicine case reporting to identify the items to be included in the extension of pharmacopuncture reporting guidelines. From 3,684 studies, 29 case reports were included and 4 items were identified as not reported in enough detail: “direction and depth of pharmacopuncture” (89.5%); “method of manufacturing the syringe needle” (82.8%); “posture of the patient during the therapy” (75.9%); and “pharmacopuncture recipe” (69.5%). As a result of analyzing moxibustion and acupuncture clinical trial reporting guidelines, it was determined that detailed reporting guidelines on the type of pharmacopuncture, manufacturing method, and treatment method were required and we propose that a pharmacopuncture reporting guideline draft should include these details. Further investigations are warranted using the Delphi technique to reach agreement with clinical practitioners and clinical research experts.