[Complementary and supplementary procedures in the treatment of headache]. / Komplementäre und ergänzende Verfahren in der Kopfschmerztherapie.

In Germany, headache is one of the illnesses that most frequently leads to health impairments and to consultation with physicians. Even in children, headache is often associated with restricted activities of daily life. Nevertheless, the level of care for headache disorders is disproportionate to the medical needs. As a result, patients regularly use complementary and supportive therapeutic procedures. This review shows the procedures currently used for primary headache in childhood and adulthood, the methodological approaches and existing scientific evidence. The safety of the therapeutic options is also classified. These methods include physiotherapy, neural therapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, phytotherapy and the intake of dietary supplements. For children and adolescents with headaches, there are studies in the field of dietary supplements for coenzyme Q10, riboflavin, magnesium and vitamin D, which indicate specific effects in the reduction of headaches.

Self-management of headache: a cross-sectional survey in the General Public of Islamabad.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the frequency of self-management for headache by adult population aged >18 years in urban and rural Islamabad. METHODS: The cross-sectional study using systematic sampling of households was conducted in I-8 sector of Islamabad and its outskirts (in Nurpur Shahan) from March to September 2011. It comprised 248 individuals above 18 years of age who were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. SPSS 16 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the total, 136 (54.8%) were males and 112 (45.2%) were females. The overall mean age was 32 +/- 12.5 years, and 218 (87.9%) suffered from headache. Out of those suffering from headaches, 178 (81.7%) employed self-management. Pharmaceutical drugs (n = 155; 87.1%) were the commonest modality employed, while vitamins (n = 6; 3.4%), massage (n = 8; 4.5%), herbal remedies (n = 4; 2.2%) and homeopathic medicines (n = 5; 2.8%) were infrequently utilised. Acetaminophen (panadol) was the commonest pharmaceutical drug used (n = 91; 58.7%), followed by salicylic acid (aspirin) (n = 46; 29.7%). Self-management was slightly more frequent among males (n = 95; 53.37%) and in the above-matriculation group (n = 103; 57.8%). A total of 151 (84.7%) people claimed to be satisfied with their self-management. CONCLUSION: Self-management of headaches is highly prevalent among the general public. The majority opts for pharmaceutical drugs, mostly preferring acetaminophen. Most are satisfied with their self-management.

Complementary and alternative medicine in children: an analysis of the recent literature.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Although many publications have documented the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in children and adolescents, most have lacked the scientific rigor to establish clear benefits over so-called conventional medicine. We reviewed the literature published in the past year to identify the types of CAM most often studied in children, the variety of conditions to which these modalities are applied, and the methodologies used in the articles exploring the most prevalent CAM modalities. RECENT FINDINGS: We identified 111 published articles on CAM use in children in 2011. The most common modalities were herbal/dietary supplements, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, and homeopathy. The most commonly studied conditions were pain, headache, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), asthma, and colic. Although a majority of the articles consisted of reviews, case reports, and other nonhypothesis-driven methodologies, we did find that several were randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, or systematic reviews. These methodologies, however, rarely accounted for the majority of publications on a particular therapy or condition. SUMMARY: The use of CAM in children continues to occupy a niche area of interest for many providers and families, but only a minority of articles published in the past year utilized methods of sufficient rigor to provide a useful comparison to more conventional therapies.

Alternative therapies in the treatment of headache in childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

In recent years, it has become common practice, in the treatment of headache, to use alternative methods, both alone and in association with drug therapies. Alternative therapies would appear to be more indicated in certain subjects: patients opposed to pharmacological treatments, those showing low tolerance of drugs or with a history of drug abuse, and those presenting medical contraindications or poor response to certain drugs. Numerous studies of alternative therapies have been published and here we review the literature data on the topic, considering in particular the accuracy of the various study methods in evaluating the effectiveness of the different therapies and their specificity for the different forms of headache. Specialists involved in the assessment and care of headache patients should strive to increase their knowledge of alternative therapies, so as to be better equipped to guide patients towards safe, economical and potentially effective treatments, rather than useless, costly or dangerous ones.

Systematic review of randomized clinical trials of complementary/alternative therapies in the treatment of tension-type and cervicogenic headache.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a systematic review of the randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of complementary/alternative (CAM) therapies in the treatment of non-migrainous headache (i.e. excluding migraine, cluster and organic headaches). DESIGN: Systematic review with quality scoring and evidence tables. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of RCTs per therapy, quality scores, evidence tables. RESULTS: Twenty-four RCTs were identified in the categories of acupuncture, spinal manipulation, electrotherapy, physiotherapy, homeopathy and other therapies. Headache categories included tension-type (under various names pre-1988), cervicogenic and post-traumatic. Quality scores for the RCT reports ranged from approximately 30 to 80 on a 100 point scale. CONCLUSION: RCTs for CAM therapies of the treatment of non-migrainous headache exist in the literature and demonstrate that clinical experimental studies of these forms of headache can be conducted. Evidence from a sub-set of high quality studies indicates that some CAM therapies may be useful in the treatment of these common forms of headache.

Diagnoses and treatment in homeopathic medical practice.

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing interest in complementary medicine worldwide, there has been no systematic large-scale documentation of medical homeopathic care. OBJECTIVE: We therefore conducted a prospective cohort study aimed at characterizing patients seeking homeopathic care and their treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From September 1997 to June 1999, patients of all age groups who were visiting a homeopathic care center for the first time were included consecutively in the study and followed up for 24 months. Diagnostic procedures and prescriptions were documented using specific case report forms. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnoses (ICD-9), medical history, consultations, and prescriptions. RESULTS: A total of 3,981 patients were included in the study, 2,851 adults (29% men, mean age 42.5 +/- 13.1 years; 71% women, 39.9 +/- 12.4 years) and 1,130 children (52% boys, 6.5 +/- 3.9 years; 48% girls, 7.0 +/- 4.3 years). Almost all patients suffered from chronic conditions for 10.3 +/- 9.8 (adults) and 4.3 +/- 3.7 years (children). The most frequent diagnoses were allergic rhinitis in adult males, headache in adult females, and atopic dermatitis in children (both genders). The typical homeopathic initial consultations took 117 +/- 43 minutes for adults and 86 +/- 36 minutes for children, not varying much between primary diagnoses. In the observed 2 years the patients had on average 8.6 +/- 9.3 (adults) and 8.9 +/- 9.6 (children) consultations, approximately 50% each by telephone and face-to-face. Physicians most often prescribed the classical 'great' remedies (like sepia, sulfur, natrium mur., lycopodium), but in total, nearly 600 different homeopathic remedies were used. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a wealth of data on the medical practice of classical homeopathy. In terms of treatment, polychrests are used frequently, although it should be noted that a large proportion of patients received 'small remedies' instead. Most patients are treated for chronic diseases. The present results will, in concert with follow-up outcome analysis, aid in determining the effectiveness of medical homeopathic practice.

Chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation for children in the United States: an analysis of data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe use of chiropractic and/or osteopathic manipulation by children in the United States along with the specific health conditions for which they sought care. METHODS: The study was a secondary data analysis of the National Health Interview Survey 2007, Child Alternative Medicine file as well as the Child Core Sample. National population estimates were generated for reported use of chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation (C/OM) by children for specific health conditions. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were generated from binary logistic regression models that assessed the likelihood that children of specific characteristics would use this therapy. RESULTS: National estimates indicated that 2.3 million children (2.3%) in the United States had used C/OM in 2007. C/OM was the most common complementary and alternative medicine procedure. Children aged 12-18 years were more likely to have seen these providers than were younger age groups (OR=3.4 [95% CI, 2.1-5.5]). Homeopathy (1.2%), massage (1.0), and naturopathy (0.3%) were the next most common procedures. The most common complaints were back and neck pain. Other conditions for which children were seen included other musculoskeletal conditions, sinusitis, allergies, and nonmigraine headaches. Racial categories did not differ significantly regarding use of manipulation, but those children with both mother and father in the household were more likely to have used this form of care (OR=1.7 [95% CI, 1.1-2.6]). CONCLUSIONS: C/OM is primarily used for back and neck pain, which is increasing in prevalence in children. Teens are more likely to use it than are younger children.

Tratamiento homeopático de la cefalea tensional con Nux vómica: reporte de un caso / Homeopathic treatment of tension headache with Nux vomica: a case report

La cefalea tensional constituye una patología de gran prevalencia, que tiene impactos no solo a nivel de la salud física de las personas sino también a nivel laboral y social. Considerando lo anterior, desde Medicinas complementarias existan diferentes herramientas terapéuticas, entre ellas la Homeopatía. El presente trabajo describe el reporte de un caso exitoso de un cuadro de cefalea tensional manejado homeopáticamente con el medicamento Nux vómica en el Centro de Atención de Salud a Estudiantes (CASE), dentro de la consulta de Medicina Alternativa de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia- Sede Bogotá, durante los años 2018-2019. (Texto tomado de la fuente).

The long-term effects of homeopathic treatment of chronic headaches: 1 year follow up.

Little is known about the long-term effects of homeopathic treatment. Following a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of classical homeopathy in chronic headaches, we conducted a complete follow-up study of all trial participants. All patients enrolled in the double-blind study were sent a 6-week headache diary, a follow-up questionnaire. Eighty-seven of the original 98 patients enrolled returned questionnaires, 81 returned diaries. There was no additional change from the end of the trial to the 1-year follow up. The improvement seen at the end of the 12-week trial was stable after 1 year. No differential effects according to treatment after the trial could be seen. Patients with no treatment following the trial had the most improvement after 1 year. Approximately 30% of patients in homeopathic treatment will benefit after 1 year of treatment. There is no indication of a specific, or of a delayed effect of homeopathy.

Alternative therapies for tension-type headache.

Treatment of tension-type headache remains very challenging. In addition to conventional therapies, alternative methods such as physical therapy, acupuncture, and botulinum toxin have been studied. In this article, recent literature is reviewed and discussed and challenges for the evaluation of these approaches are considered. Although the clinical evidence is still incomplete, certain treatments are promising and the active ongoing research hopefully will soon yield more answers. Of note, the specific issue of psychologic therapy is dealt with elsewhere in this issue.

Studies on the efficacy of unconventional therapies. Problems and designs.

Many unconventional therapies (e.g. dietary, phytotherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy) are well known and often applied, but their efficacy has hardly been proven. New trial designs and study components must be found to meet the specific demands of the particular unconventional therapy on one hand and keep the high methodological standard of controlled clinical trials on the other hand. Biometricians and unconventional therapists are challenged to develop such designs. Typical problems in designing studies of unconventional therapies include that placebo is not possible, therapies cannot be masked, outcome variables are not reliable, therapy is highly individualized, and studies on the efficacy of soft therapies require many patients and long treatment periods. Studies with unconventional therapies should be performed by practitioners (because they use these therapies), but this leads to further problems. Some solutions are given in examples: A study is described investigating the herbal remedy Kava-Kava for patients in the state of anxiety, tension and restlessness; a study on classical homeopathy for chronical headaches is specified; some designs for dietary studies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis are compared. A design called "cross-allocation of patients to two treatments with randomization option" and the "N-of-1 design", also called "single case design" are described and discussed. The "change-to-open-label design" could be useful to investigate soft and natural therapies which require studies with many patients and long-term treatment.

L´expérience dún praticien chevronné: remèdes homèopathiques des céphalées

Les céphalées fréquentes, récidivantes ou chroniques amènent le plus souvent à la prise systématique d´analgésiques aboutissant à l´accoutumance, sans aucun espoir de guérison. Dans les céphalées psychogènes, le comportement pathogène s´accentue. D´où l´intérêt dans tous ces cas, d´un traitement homéopathique individualisé, très souvent efficace, non seulement par la qualité de la relation qui s´établit entre le médecin et le patient, mais aussi par l´effet médicamenteux lui-même, ce qui a le double avantage de ne pas aboutir à l´accoutumance. (AU)

Approche diététique et homéopathique des céphalées digestives

L´association de troubles digestifs et de céphalées se rencontre dans deux situations bien différentes, encore que pas toujours faciles à distinguer. D´une part, un certain nombre d´affections digestives sont à l´origine de céphalées qui disparaissent avec le traitement de leur cause. D´autre part, des migraines s´accompagnent très souvent de symptômes digestifs. Si la diététique et l´homéopathie trouvent toutes deux leur place dans le traitement de ces diverses situations, elles ne le font pas toujours avec la même priorité.(AU)

Traitement diathésique des céphalées

Quels sont donc les remèdes de fond de la maladie migraineuse? Certains d´entre eux ont dans leur pathogénésie des céphalalgies fort bien marquées. Ils seront de ce fait indiqués, certes en action de profondeur mais aussi en action symptomatique directe.(AU)

Oligothérapie et céphalées

Les deux grands oligo-éléments de fond sont MANGANÈSE dans les céphalées migraineuses et MANGANÈSE COBALT dans les céphalées tensives. Les céphalées cataméniales appellent ZINC CUIVRE. Les oligo-éléments complémentaires sont COBALT et PHOSPHORE dans les céphalées migraineuses, POTASSIUM et MAGNESIUM dans les céphalées tensives, SOUFRE pour les troubles digestifs et LITHIUM en cas de troubles psychologiques.(AU)

The long-term effects of homeopathic treatment of chronic headaches: one year follow-up and single case time series analysis

Little is known about long-term effects of homeopathic treatment. Following a double-blind, placebo controlled trial of classical homeopathy in chronic headaches, we conducted a 1-year observational study of 18 patients following the double-blind phase, and a complete follow-up study of all trial participants. Eighteen patients received free treatment for... (AU)