[Alternative medicine in uro-oncology]. / Alternativmedizin in der Uroonkologie.

BACKGROUND: Alternative medicine is used instead of conventional therapy. Some patients use it in parallel with conventional medicine. OBJECTIVE: Narrative compilation of the evidence on alternative medicine in the (uro)oncological context. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A selective literature search in MEDLINE via PubMed was performed. RESULTS: The data on 3­bromopyruvate, Miracle Mineral Supplement (MMS), insulin-potentiated therapy, base therapy, hyperthermia, Artemisia annua, amygdalin (vitamin B17), Amanita therapy, homeopathy, apitherapy, dendritic cells, galavit, Germanic new medicine, and spiritual healing show either no or little clinical evidence of efficacy or clearly exhibit a negative benefit-risk profile. CONCLUSIONS: Alternative medicine is pseudo-medicine that may have a positive effect on mental well-being in the short term, but is mostly associated with disadvantages for the patient in the long term.

[Complementary and Alternative Medicine Offers of Teaching Practices for General Medicine]. / Komplementär- und alternativmedizinische Angebote von Lehrpraxen für Allgemeinmedizin.

OBJECTIVE: Germany's new medical licensure act has increased the importance of general practice in academic medical education. This study gives an overview of complementary and alternative medicine in general teaching practices in Germany and their adherence to evidence-based criteria which is required in order to qualify as a teaching practice. METHODS: After a systematic search for German teaching practices, we assessed their diagnostic and therapeutic offers via their websites. We calculated the various frequencies of treatments and differentiated between evidence-based complementary medicine and alternative medicine with little to no evidence. RESULTS: Of 4102 practices, more than half offered complementary and/or alternative treatment. Most of those were treatments approved of by the German medical association. Alternative medicine was offered by 18.2% of the practices. CONCLUSION: Collective terms and conflicting evidence complicate the classification of treatments. Teaching practices offering non-evidence-based treatment raise the question whether recruitment of additional teaching practices stands at odds with the quality of medical education. Explicit offers of alternative treatment should disqualify a teaching practice as such. Controversial treatment may be taught academically and during residency with a focus on evidence-based guidelines and communication skills in order to prepare young medical practitioners for talks with their patients about the subject.

Clinical efficacy and safety of oral and intravenous vitamin C use in patients with malignant diseases.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble antioxidant and free radical scavenger. It is required in the body for numerous metabolic functions and is involved in the development of proteins and connective tissue. METHODS: In April 2020, a systematic search was carried out on five electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane, Cinahl, PsycINFO) to find studies on the use, efficacy and safety of a complementary therapy with vitamin C in oncological patients. RESULTS: Out of the initial 23,195 search results, 21 studies with 1961 patients were included in this review. Five of the included studies (n = 417) were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The remaining 16 studies belonged to a lower class of evidence. The patients who were treated with vitamin C suffered from various malignant diseases, some in an advanced and palliative stage. Vitamin C was applied intravenously or orally. It was either the only treatment or was combined with chemo- or radiotherapy. Endpoints included the development of the disease-related symptoms, quality of life, mortality, progression-free survival and safety of vitamin C. The studies were of moderate quality and showed either no effect of vitamin C or a positive trend, although this has rarely been statistically proven in group comparisons. No or only slight side effects with both oral and intravenous administration of vitamin C were reported. CONCLUSION: Oral intake of vitamin C does not appear to have any effect in patients with malignancies. Data are heterogeneous for intravenous administration. There are no RCTs with statistical group comparisons.

Do breast cancer patients adapt CAM methods according to the therapeutic situation?

BACKGROUND: and purpose: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is frequently used among cancer patients. It is unclear whether and how far patients adapt CAM to the treatment situation. The objective is to assess the changes of CAM use between radiotherapy for breast cancer and the follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 107 patients who participated in a study assessing the possible effects of vitamin D and selenium on radiation-induced skin toxicity completed the CAM-PRIO (Working Group for Prevention and Integrative Oncology of the German Cancer Society) questionnaire during and after radiotherapy. The results were compared. RESULTS: Overall, 79.8% of the patients used at least one CAM method. Supplementation with vitamin D (49.4%) and selenium (28.7%) and prayer (37.1%) were the methods most used. After completing radiotherapy, many patients started using selenium, vitamin D, relaxation techniques, and yoga to a greater extent. Prior chemotherapy or concurrent endocrine treatments were not associated with the changes in CAM use. CONCLUSION: CAM use is mainly reported to be a static phenomenon. However, this study shows that this is not the case and that after the end of radiotherapy patients started using new CAM methods or increased the number of methods used.

Survey of reasons why women utilize honey therapeutically, and reasons for not utilizing honey.

There are various situations when honey can be reasonably used in cases of disease, for example radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. We investigated the underlying reasons why women eat honey and why some would refuse to use honey even if it was reasonable to do so. In order to answer these questions, we asked 201 women to answer various questions related to the consumption of honey. We found that the preferred routes of administration change when honey is used as a remedy. Most importantly, we identified "organic beekeeping" and a second factor related to the perception of honey regarding price, handling and health by principal component analysis as relevant regarding the refusal of the use of honey even when scientifically reasonable. If honey is to become an acceptable treatment option, it seems important to address all aspects of ethical beekeeping in the production of medicinal bee products.

Beekeepers who tolerate bee stings are not protected against SARS-CoV-2 infections.

A survey on 5115 beekeepers and 121 patients treated with bee venom by an apitherapy clinic in the Hubei province, the epicenter of COVID-19 in China, reported that none of the beekeepers developed symptoms associated with COVID-19, the new and devastating pandemic. The hypothesis that immunity to bee venom could have a preventive effect was expressed and the authors of the Chinese survey suggested that the next step should be animal experiments on monkeys. We believed that before starting such studies, a second independent survey should verify the findings and define the hypothesis more clearly. Thus we asked all German beekeepers to complete an assessment form which would summarize their experiences with COVID-19. In contrast to the Chinese study we found that two beekeepers had died from a SARS-CoV-2 infection and forty-five were affected. The reaction to bee stings (none; mild swelling; severe swelling) correlated with the perceived severity of the SARS-CoV-2-infection-associated symptoms - exhaustion and sore throat. Beekeepers comorbidity correlated with problems with breathing at rest, fever, and diarrhea. Our results did not confirm the findings of the Chinese study. However, since the antiviral effects of bee venom have been found in several studies, we cannot exclude that there could be a direct preventive or alleviating effect when bee venom is administered during the infection.

Apitherapy for menopausal problems.

PURPOSE: Apitherapy, a method from the field of complementary and alternative medicine, claims that all health problems including menopausal problems can be cured using bee products, especially honey, bee-collected pollen, propolis, and royal jelly. This study was to investigate the recommendations of protagonists of holistic apitherapy and compare these to the current evidence. METHODS: Since holistic apitherapy is only promoted in books and apitherapeutical congresses, we identified books on the topic in English, French, and German language via bookseller platforms and the JUSTfind system of the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Germany, which comprises 337 databases from the EBSCO Discovery Service. RESULTS: Only 29.5% (n = 38) of the apitherapy books mentioned the topic of menopausal problems. Among these, there were 24 different recommendations. Royal jelly is the number one recommended therapy, followed by pollen, the combination of pollen and royal jelly, and propolis. All other recommendations are mentioned just once. The recommendation regarding royal jelly must be regarded as correct. Strictly speaking, evidence regarding bee-collected pollen is poor, since all studies on pollen did not investigate pollen directly, but pollen extracts and these pollens came from pollen that was anemophilous but not entomophilous. CONCLUSION: Royal jelly and pollen could be interesting treatment options in cases of menopausal symptoms. In order to promote bee products for menopausal symptoms with a good conscience trials, comparing bee products against other options, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, C. racemosa extracts, and/or yoga should be initiated, since these methods have already proven their value.

Bee products and their role in cancer prevention and treatment.

OBJECTIVES: Apitherapy, a method from the field of complementary and alternative medicine, promises better survival and even cure in cases of cancer. DESIGN: 129 books on apitherapy in English, French and German languages were analysed regarding the recommendations concerning cancer. The recommendations were compared to the results from clinical studies in the literature. RESULTS: Eighteen books recommend apitherapy for cancer prevention, thirty-nine for complementary cancer treatment and seventeen books considered apitherapy able to cure cancer. Pollen and Propolis were mainly recommended in order to stimulate the immune system and/or to improve cancer nutrition. Interestingly, few books provided specific information and no book provided adequate information in comparison to what is known from clinical studies on bee products. Data on relevant aspects of cancer treatment were not mentioned. This especially refers to data of bee products and radiotherapy, chemotherapy and radio-chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis, radiotherapy-induced skin toxicity, radiotherapy-induced xerostomia, cancer-related fatigue, febrile neutropenia, cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, tyrosine kinase inhibitor-induced toxicity, side effects of antihormonal treatment and cancer-related wounds. CONCLUSIONS: Apitherapeutic books are not good advisors regarding all aspects of cancer. However, the potential of some bee products justifies further trials, especially on cancer prevention and complementary treatment.

Seasonal allergic rhinitis and the role of apitherapy.

BACKGROUND: Apitherapy represents a certain form of complementary and alternative medicine that uses bee products in combination with other methods from this field. One of the basic concepts of this type of medicine is that all diseases can be treated using apitherapy. This study was performed to assess the recommendations from authors of books on apitherapy regarding the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis and compare them to findings from the scientific literature. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-nine books on apitherapy were analysed regarding recommendations for allergic seasonal rhinitis. Scientific evidence regarding the efficacy of using various bee products was searched via PubMed and JUSTfind. RESULTS: Only 38.8% of the apitherapy books mentioned seasonal allergic rhinitis. Among these books, we found 29 different recommendations in favour of bee products and one against the use of honey. The most reasonable recommendation according to clinical studies on the subject, namely the use of a mix of honey and pollen, was only found once (0.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The large discrepancies and number of different recommendations demonstrate that apitherapy is not a consistent type of medicine. The recommendations regarding seasonal allergic rhinitis in the vast majority of apitherapy books cannot be considered adequate when compared to the scientific findings.

Vitamin D and selenium blood levels and acute skin toxicity during radiotherapy for breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D blood levels have been shown to influence acute chemotherapy toxicities. Therefore, it was investigated whether it is an intrinsic factor influencing acute skin toxicity in patients receiving radiotherapy for breast cancer. DESIGN/SETTING: In a total of 107 patients receiving radiotherapy for resected breast cancer, vitamin D and selenium blood levels were determined. Correlations between these levels and skin toxicity due to radiotherapy (CTC scores, Skindex scores) were investigated as primary endpoints. Furthermore, the statistical relationship between skin toxicity, vitamin D and selenium blood levels with patient and disease characteristics such as tumor stage, breast size, skin thickness, blood cell counts as well as individual quality of life measured by SEIQoL-Q was analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/RESULTS: In our patient collective large deficiencies of vitamin D (mean level 20.9 ng/ml, normal range 36-60 ng/ml) and selenium (mean level 76.1 µg/l, normal range 74-139 µg/l) were found. No correlations between skin toxicities, vitamin D and selenium blood levels were found. Neither did these blood levels correlate with any tumor or patient characteristics nor with individual quality of life. As expected by clinical experience, skin toxicities correlated significantly with breast size and skin thickness. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, radiotherapy skin toxicity was not influenced by vitamin D or selenium blood levels. On the basis of our data we cannot recommend vitamin D or selenium supplementation as a prophylaxis for skin toxicity. Nevertheless, large numbers of breast cancer patients have substantial deficiencies of both substances. Therefore, supplementation may be reasonable for other reasons.

What is wrong with the meta-analyses on honey and oral mucositis due to cancer therapies?

OBJECTIVES: The results of meta-analyses currently represent the highest level of evidence in modern medicine. Taking the example of radiotherapy and radiochemotherapy-induced oral mucositis and the effects of honey, we analysed six meta-analyses on the topic to assess the quality of the meta-analyses. DESIGN: We analysed the various meta-analyses in detail and compared whether the authors have correctly included the various trials or not. RESULTS: We found that the quality of these meta-analyses was low. Especially the more recent meta-analyses included trials in which radiotherapy was not part of the medical intervention or where substances other than pure honey were used. CONCLUSIONS: It is impossible to determine the underlying reasons why these meta-analyses were able to pass the peer-review system without the request for adequate improvements prior to publication. According to the literature at least 7% of the included meta-analyses revealed false results, but it was assumed that due to limitations of external validity and to the decreased likelihood of updating positive meta-analyses, the true proportion of false positives in the meta-analysis was likely to be higher. However, it is crucial that when severe flaws in meta-analyses are detected that they be reported or the meta-analyses are withdrawn, otherwise the normal reader will take the results as given.

Using Bee Products for the Prevention and Treatment of Oral Mucositis Induced by Cancer Treatment.

Oral mucositis is one of the most frequent complications after chemotherapy or radiotherapy or a combination of both. There is no standard therapy for its prevention or treatment. Considering that some bee products have been found to be of value in this situation, we decided to analyze the scientific literature on the subject. Scientific publications on bee products were identified by a literature search on Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar. There is a lot of evidence regarding the use of honey for oral mucositis due to chemotherapy or radiotherapy or a combination of both. Unfortunately, the quality of several meta-analyses on the topic is very low. There is some evidence on propolis, a little on royal jelly and none whatsoever on pollen and other bee products like apilarnil or bee venom. Bee products such as honey, propolis and royal jelly may be well suited to be integrated into a general concept for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis which should also include other established concepts like oral care, oral cryotherapy, topical vitamin E and low-level-laser therapy. Bee products could become an integral part in the treatment of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and radio chemotherapy. High-quality meta-analyses and further studies, especially on the combinations of various strategies, are needed.

Patients' decisions regarding the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea.

OBJECTIVES: To assess earlier experiences and likelihood for use of methods used for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea, a very common problem in women. DESIGN: A consecutive group of patients (n = 205) visiting a private gynaecological practice in Weilburg, Germany, received an assessment form on which they were asked to provide earlier experiences with various methods for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea. They were also asked to rate the likelihood for use of various methods from conventional medicine as well as from complementary and alternative medicine. Half of them received information on efficacy, safety and costs based on the American Cancer Society Working Group grading system. RESULTS: Only 5.5% reported no experience with contraceptives or pain relievers and 26.7% had no experience with complementary and alternative medicine. The remaining patients had experience with a median of two (mean = 3.7, SD = 4.8) methods. Diet and homeopathy were the most frequently used methods from complementary and alternative medicine. In spite of the provision of information on efficacy, safety and costs, patients chose the methods based on earlier experience. Patients familiar with complementary and alternative medicine also did not see which areas belong together, e.g. homeopathy, Schüssler's salts and anthroposophy. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of the provision of information, patients preferred to use those methods they were already acquainted with. In order to allow patients to make better decisions, different ways should be gone in order to help patients make better decisions.

Bee products and the treatment of blister-like lesions around the mouth, skin and genitalia caused by herpes viruses-A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the value of bee products with respect to antiviral efficacy against herpes viruses. DESIGN: A systematic review was done using the JUSTfind System of the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen and Scopus. RESULTS: Three trials on honey and 6 trials on propolis were conducted. Each trial provided evidence that these two bee products are interesting alternatives to acyclovir, especially propolis, which was found to be superior to acyclovir in 4 trials. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence from these trials suggests that propolis is the best of all natural possibilities in the treatment of herpetic skin lesions, especially those related to HSV-1. Future studies should analyse if propolis could be an adjunct to treatment with acyclovir. For lesions in the oral cavity, honey could be an interesting alternative.

Acceptance of apitherapeutic methods in patients consulting general physicians or gynaecologists.

BACKGROUND: and purpose: Apitherapists promote the medical use of products from the beehive (bee venom, propolis, pollen, honey, royal jelly, dead bees, apilarnil, wax, wax moths), the use of beehive air or therapeutic sleep on a beehive. However, little is known about how far such treatment options are perceived as acceptable by patients. METHODS: Patients visiting either a family doctor in Kehl or a gynecologist in Weilburg (both in Germany) were asked to rate their knowledge of apitherapy as well as their readiness to use apitherapeutic measures. RESULTS: Honey and propolis represent the best-known bee products whereas beehive air and apilarnil are greatly unknown to the patients. Only honey seems to be an acceptable treatment option whereas propolis, pollen and royal jelly seem to be less acceptable. Bee venom was not considered an interesting treatment possibility and, in particular, live bee stings were considered less desirable. This study found that gender and acquaintance with a beekeeper influenced the patients' ratings but age, education and current medical condition did not. CONCLUSION: Live bee stings, apilarnil or the inhalation of beehive air are not appealing to the majority of patients. Before apitherapeutic methods are promoted, it seems to be important to know about patients' willingness to tolerate such treatments. Perhaps therapy modifications can be offered which seem more acceptable.

Honey in the management of side effects of radiotherapy- or radio/chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: and purpose: In spite of several trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, honey is not considered as a viable candidate for the prophylaxis and treatment of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in the practice guidelines for supportive care. The purpose of this study was to analyse the value of honey in this treatment situation based on randomized trials acknowledging the fact that manuka honey which is used in some trials distinguishes itself from other honey due to the presence of methylglyoxal. METHODS: On the basis of a literature search, we identified and analysed 17 randomized trials on the topic. Participants in these trials received radiotherapy or a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for head and neck cancer. RESULTS: Studies using manuka honey found little rationale for the medicinal use of honey (n = 4) in this field, whereas trials using conventional honey presented data on its usefulness (n = 13). Thus, the type of honey may explain the divergent results of trials in this area. CONCLUSION: Conventional honey is likely to be effective in the prophylaxis and treatment of radiation- and chemoradiation-induced oral mucositis.

Heat immersion therapy-A new approach for contact dermatitis to propolis?

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Wishes and beliefs of cancer patients regarding counseling on integrative medicine.

BACKGROUND: Today there is an agreement on how patients should be counseled regarding integrative medicine in oncology. In order to better meet the patients' demands, we investigated additional beliefs and wishes related to these topics. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients in 2 locations were asked to complete an assessment form regarding their wishes in relation to counseling on integrative medicine. RESULTS: Based on 404 returned assessment forms, we found that most patients wished to be counseled on integrative medicine by oncologists but also wanted to be treated by them with such methods. Oncologists received the best ratings regarding credibility, oncological competence, sympathy for patients, and honesty. Only with regard to time for patients did health practitioners receive better ratings. Physical exercise, balanced diets, and psycho-oncological support were the methods mainly recommended by physicians. Health practitioners mainly recommended taking mistletoe extracts, trace elements, and immunostimulants. CONCLUSION: It may be hypothesized from this work that the physicians' leading role in promoting integrative medicine in the field of oncology - which contrasts with findings in other countries - is perhaps based on the patients' desire to be treated and counseled by physicians, especially oncologists.