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Long C, Li S, Long B, Shi Y, Liu B. Medicinal plants used by the Yi ethnic group: a case study in central Yunnan. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2009 Apr 23;5:13. PMID: 19389251

Researchers at Chinese Academy of Sciences, Minzu University of China, Yunnan Agricultural University, and Chuxiong Research Institute of Yi Medicine and Pharmacology inventoried traditional Yi medicinal plants in Chuxiong, central Yunnan Province, Southwest China. From the results:

"One hundred sixteen medicinal plant species were found to be useful by the local people in the treatment of various diseases or disorders, especially those relating to trauma, gastrointestinal disorders and the common cold. Among these 116 species, 25 species (21.55%) were found to have new curative effects and 40 species (34.48%) were recorded for their new preparation methods; 55 different species were used in treating wounds and fractures, and 47 were used to treat gastrointestinal disorders. Traditional Yi herbal medicines are characterized by their numerous quantities of herbaceous plants and their common preparation with alcohol."

Speaking of alcohol:

"Traditional Yi medicine is especially characterized by its use of alcohol. The Yi people adore alcohol, and it has come to symbolically represent this cultural minority due to its significance in their lives. Home-made alcohol is the most important beverage for the Yi: it is used daily, for ceremonies and holidays, served to respected guests and friends, and is the most common method of administering plant medicines. The practice of combining plants and alcohol has a long history in Yi medicine."

The authors are motivated by a desire to preserve "indigenous knowledge, and folk knowledge in particular," which "continues to be impacted by mainstream culture and decreasing biodiversity; traditional practices using specific medicinal plants decreases more quickly than that of the general biodiversity. It is thus urgent and necessary to prevent the further loss of the specialized knowledge of minority peoples."

 

CAMWatch: Posts about free-access, peer-reviewed articles on aspects of complementary medicine theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

technorati tags: complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine

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Madsen MV, Gøtzsche PC, Hróbjartsson A. Acupuncture treatment for pain: systematic review of randomised clinical trials with acupuncture, placebo acupuncture, and no acupuncture groups. BMJ. 2009 Jan 27;338:a3115. PMID: 19174438

This study by researchers at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen looked at 13 trials (3,025 patients) with pain from a number of clinical conditions including knee osteoarthritis, tension-type headache, migraine, low back pain, fibromyalgia, abdominal scar pain, postoperative pain, and procedural pain during colonoscopy.

They found "a small analgesic effect of acupuncture… which seems to lack clinical relevance and cannot be clearly distinguished from bias," and concluded that "whether needling at acupuncture points, or at any site, reduces pain independently of the psychological impact of the treatment ritual is unclear." From the discussion:

Our review is the first that identifies and analyses three armed trials of acupuncture for pain, thus providing an estimate of the general analgesic effect of acupuncture and its direct comparison with the analgesic effect of placebo acupuncture. The review is fairly large, includes several trials of high methodological quality, and covers a broad range of common painful conditions…."

Our findings question both the traditional foundation of acupuncture, which is based on the existence of meridians and Qi sensations, and the prevailing hypothesis that acupuncture has an important effect on pain in general. If this hypothesis is wrong, and our results point to that, then acupuncture would seem to be unlikely to have an effect on pain related only to certain conditions, but further studies may examine this question."

CAMWatch: Posts about free-access, peer-reviewed articles on aspects of complementary medicine theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

technorati tags: complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine pain

Comments and Links Appreciated!

Fang YC, Huang HC, Chen HH, Juan HF. TCMGeneDIT: a database for associated traditional Chinese medicine, gene and disease information using text mining. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2008 Oct 14;8(1):58. PMID: 18854039

Researchers in Taiwan have developed an database integrating information about traditional Chinese medicines, genes, and diseases using text mining. The database, TCMGeneDIT, is designed to retrieve knowledge hidden in the large quantity of literature about TCM and to present distilled information about associated genes and diseases to users in a concise form.

The authors plan to populate the database with information not previously available in English along with Western sources.

"Future research includes expanding database contents by adding information on prescription composite formulae, TCM ingredient structures, as well as integrating the relationships among Western drugs, genes and diseases, and creating TCM Ontology to describe TCMs and their properties and attributes. We are also planning on developing new rules and extend existing patterns for extracting more relations about TCMs. Furthermore, we intend to offer query functions for network visualization, thus enhancing the study of therapeutic pathways involving TCMs and genes."

For more information, and to test-drive the application, visit the TCMGeneDIT website.

CAMWatch: Posts about free-access, peer-reviewed articles on aspects of complementary medicine theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

technorati tags: complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine

Comments and Links Appreciated!

Yuan R, Lin Y. Globalizing the science curriculum: an undergraduate course on traditional Chinese medicine as a complementary approach to Western medicine. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2008 Summer;7(2):220-6. PMID: 18519613

Robert Yuan of the University of Maryland and Yuan Lin of Marco Polo Technologies report on a fascinating curriculum introducing Western science undergraduates to Asian approaches to medicine.

From their conclusion: 

"Philosophically, the course did not present TCM in opposition to modern Western medicine but as a complementary approach to it…. Western medicine identifies functions in relation to body structures or tissues, defines disease as malfunctions or infections of such structures, and uses invasive methods to eliminate the causes of the disease. The ideal is to find a “silver bullet” that will specifically remove the cause of the disease or its symptoms. The efficacy of the treatment or drug should be rapid and applicable to a large population of patients; it has generally been most successful for acute illnesses. The medical team comprises generalists, specialists, and laboratory technicians, each of whom examines the patient from his/her perspective. TCM perceives the body as a whole where health is defined as a balance between its many components and functions. Disease occurs when this balance is disrupted and treatment requires the restoration of this balance. Prevention through the use of specialized foods, Tai Chi, and acupuncture is critical, and treatment is by definition gradual because it requires bringing the body back into balance. The patient is seen as an individual (not a patient group), and wellness or therapy is customized. The basic relationship is that between the doctor and the patient because the former has to be familiar with the lifestyle and events of the patient’s life. These two systems of thought reflect differences in history, culture, and society."

Check out the textbook: The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine.

CAMWatch: Posts about free-access, peer-reviewed articles on aspects of complementary medicine theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

technorati tags: complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine

Comments and Links Appreciated!

Szczurko O, Boon HS. A systematic review of natural health product treatment for vitiligo. BMC Dermatol. 2008 May 22;8:2. PMID: 18498646

Orest Szczurko and Heather Boon of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, have written a comprehensive baseline review of research in the use of vitamins, herbs and other supplements in the treatment of vitiligo. They didn’t find a compelling evidence base, but found two approaches that warrant further investigation, L-phenylalanine used with phototherapy, and monotherapy with oral Ginkgo biloba.

From the discussion: 

"Two areas are particularly intriguing. First, well designed clinical trials should attempt to replicate the studies utilizing L-phenylalanine in conjunction with phototherapy treatment. Several small clinical trials published so far provide positive results consistently with replication, but larger more definitive trials are necessary. Second, the use of Ginkgo biloba alone for the treatment of vitiligo holds potential promise. The use of Gingko biloba without phototherapy is likely to avoid the adverse reactions and unknown long term risks associated with phototherapy. If effective, Ginko biloba would also be a less costly and easier treatment for vitiligo."

CAMWatch: Posts about free-access, peer-reviewed articles on aspects of complementary medicine theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

technorati tags: complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine vetiligo

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Takegawa Y, Ikushima H, Ozaki K, et al. Can Kampo therapy prolong the life of cancer patients? J Med Invest. 2008 Feb;55(1-2):99-105. PMID: 18319551

It seems to work. From the conclusion:

Modern cancer treatment, which involves surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, inflicts great suffering and requires stoic endurance on the part of the patients. Kampo was introduced into cancer therapy to improve patient quality of life, but has also been found therapeutically useful in itself. The results of our study indicate that concomitant Kampo has a significant positive effect on survival time.

We expect that cancer treatment in the 21st Century will maximize the patient’s own natural healing abilities, and that concepts will be changed and further efforts will be made to decrease the difficulties of cancer therapy for the patient.

CAMWatch: Posts about free-access, peer-reviewed articles on aspects of complementary medicine theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

technorati tags: complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine kampo

Comments and Links Appreciated!