Bridging the gap between alternative medicine and evidence-based medicine

Global research trends in mind body therapies: a bibliometric analysis

OBJECTIVES

Mind-body therapies are a group of treatments based on the theory of mind-body medicine, which are effective for a wide range of illnesses. However, there are no bibliometric papers that have examined the topic of mind-body therapies. Therefore, it is necessary to review and sort out the current status, hotspots and frontiers of mind-body therapies.

METHODS

Studies related to mind-body therapies during the period of Web of Science 1999-01/2024-07 were searched, and R language was applied to analyze the data and CiteSpace, Vosviewer software, was used to generate visualization maps.

RESULTS

A total of 29,710 relevant articles were included in the study. The country with the highest number of publications was the United States, followed by China and the United Kingdom, and the prolific author was Wang Yuan. Common keywords were acupuncture, quality of life, depression, and pain. The current study focuses on the promotion and application of mind-body therapies in various diseases, the main applicable diseases and the application in special groups.

CONCLUSION

This study presents the current status and trend of research on mind-body therapies, and inflammatory interventions and higher-level research assessment methods are potential hotspots, which can help researchers to clarify hotspots and explore new directions.

Information Survey on the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Background and Objectives: Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are generally considered non-scientific and poor effective therapies. Nevertheless, CAMs are extensively used in common clinical practice in Western countries. We decided to promote a Delphi consensus to intercept the opinion of Italian physicians on CAM use in clinical practice. Materials and Methods: We run a Delphi-based consensus, interviewing anonymously 97 physicians. Of these, only 78 participate to the questionnaire. Results: Consensus about agreement and disagreement have been reached in several topics, including indication, as well as safety issues concerning CAMs. Conclusions: The use of CAMs in clinical practice still lacks evidence. Experts agree about the possibility to safely use CAMs in combination with conventional medicines to treat non-critical medical conditions.

Herb Formula ZhenRongDan Balances Sex Hormones, Modulates Organ Atrophy, and Restores ERα and ERβ Expressions in Ovariectomized Rats

Herb mixtures are widely used for treatment of the menopausal syndrome long before the hormonal therapy. However, there is insufficient data for herb remedies in treating menopausal syndromes. Here we aim to investigate the effect of ZhenRongDan (ZRD) in balancing female hormones, regulating expression of estrogen receptors (ERs), and preventing organ atrophy in menopausal rats. Rats that underwent bilateral ovariectomy were used in the experiments; the effects of ZRD on serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), and estradiol (E2) levels were observed. Histology of vagina and ERs expression in vagina, uterus, and adrenal gland were also examined. ELISAs were used to analyze the changes of FSH, LH, PRL, and E2 in serum, and the morphological changes of the cervical epithelium cells were observed by Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) staining. Immunohistochemistry and western blot were applied to detect estrogen receptors subtypes alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ) expression in vagina, uterus, and adrenal gland. We found that ZRD could significantly reduce the weight of the adrenal gland and increase the weight of the uterus. It could decrease the release of FSH and LH as well as increasing E2 and PRL levels. Furthermore, ZRD could improve the number of cervical vaginal epithelial cells and increase the thickness of the vaginal wall. And the altered expressions of ERα and ERβ are also restored by ZRD. ZRD could obviously relieve the endocrine disorders, modulate organ atrophy, and restore ERα and ERβ expression in the ovariectomized rat model.

Influence of Boiling Duration of GCSB-5 on Index Compound Content and Antioxidative and Anti-inflammatory Activity

Background:

GCSB-5, an herbal drug composition with an anti-inflammatory effect, is prepared by boiling, which is the most common herbal extraction method in traditional Korean medicine. Several parameters are involved in the process, i.e., extractant type, herb-to-extractant ratio, extraction temperature and pressure, and total boiling time.

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of boiling time on index compound amount and the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of GCSB-5.

Materials and Methods:

Different samples of GCSB-5 were obtained by decocting for 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 240 min. Each sample was tested for hydrogen ion concentration (pH), total soluble solid content (TSSC), marker compound profiles, and antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activity.

Results:

pH was found to decrease while TSSC increased with extended decoction. Marker compound contents for GCSB-5 (acanthoside D for Acanthopanax sessiliflorus Seem, 20-hydroxyecdysone for Achyranthes japonica Nakai, and pinoresinol diglucoside for Eucommia ulmoides Oliver) remained relatively constant regardless of the length of boiling. Total D-glucose amount increased with longer boiling. The antioxidative and anti-inflammatory potentials of GCSB-5 were not substantially affected by decoction duration.

Conclusion:

Biological characteristics and marker compound content of GCSB-5 were not altered significantly in prolonged boiling.

SUMMARY

Longer boiling duration of GCSB-5 did not increase yield in a time-dependent manner, but yields of 210 and 240 min samples were significantly higher

Hydrogen ion concentration of GCSB-5 samples decreased while total soluble solid content and D-glucose concentration levels increased with boiling duration

Although concentrations of some index compounds increased with extended boiling duration of GCSB-5, increase was small and not in a direct proportional relationship

Antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of GCSB-5 were not substantially affected by decoction duration.

Abbreviations used: CAM: Complementary and alternative medicine; KIOM: Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine; KMD: Korean medicine doctor; TSSC: Total soluble solid content; pH: Hydrogen ion concentration; HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography; NO: Nitric oxide; NO₂: Nitric dioxide; LPS: Lipopolysaccharide; DMSO: Dimethyl sulfoxide.

Introduction to the history and current status of evidence-based korean medicine: a unique integrated system of allopathic and holistic medicine

Objectives. Korean medicine, an integrated allopathic and traditional medicine, has developed unique characteristics and has been active in contributing to evidence-based medicine. Recent developments in Korean medicine have not been as well disseminated as traditional Chinese medicine. This introduction to recent developments in Korean medicine will draw attention to, and facilitate, the advancement of evidence-based complementary alternative medicine (CAM). Methods and Results. The history of and recent developments in Korean medicine as evidence-based medicine are explored through discussions on the development of a national standard classification of diseases and study reports, ranging from basic research to newly developed clinical therapies. A national standard classification of diseases has been developed and revised serially into an integrated classification of Western allopathic and traditional holistic medicine disease entities. Standard disease classifications offer a starting point for the reliable gathering of evidence and provide a representative example of the unique status of evidence-based Korean medicine as an integration of Western allopathic medicine and traditional holistic medicine. Conclusions. Recent developments in evidence-based Korean medicine show a unique development in evidence-based medicine, adopting both Western allopathic and holistic traditional medicine. It is expected that Korean medicine will continue to be an important contributor to evidence-based medicine, encompassing conventional and complementary approaches.