Osteopathic manipulative treatment for chronic inflammatory diseases.

Chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) are debilitating and potentially lethal illnesses that affect a large proportion of the global population. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a manual therapy technique developed and performed by osteopathic physicians that facilitates the body's innate healing processes. Therefore, OMT may prove a beneficial anti-inflammatory modality useful in the management and treatment of CIDs. This work aims to objectively evaluate the therapeutic benefits of OMT in patients with various CIDs. In this review, a structured literature search was performed. The included studies involving asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, and peripheral arterial disease were selected for this work. Various OMT modalities, including lymphatic, still, counterstain, and muscle energy techniques, were utilized. Control treatments included sham techniques, routine care, or no treatment. OMT utilization led to variable patient outcomes in individuals with pathologies linked to CID.

Effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment and Bio-Electro-Magnetic Energy Regulation (BEMER) therapy on generalized musculoskeletal neck pain in adults.

CONTEXT: General neck pain is a prevalent complaint made by patients to their physicians and is often of a suspected musculoskeletal origin. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a form of manual therapy utilized by osteopathic physicians and some allopathic physicians to treat a broad variety of musculoskeletal ailments, including neck pain. Bio-Electro-Magnetic Energy Regulation (BEMER) is an emerging therapeutic modality that deploys a biorhythmically defined stimulus through a pulsed electromagnetic field and has been shown to reduce musculoskeletal pain. Studies on these treatments have independently yielded promising results. Therefore, it is possible that the utility of OMT and BEMER can produce an additive improvement in the treatment of neck pain. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are to investigate the individual and combined effects of OMT and BEMER therapy on neck pain in adults. METHODS: Adults with nonspecific neck pain were recruited for the study. A total of 44 participants met the study inclusion criteria and were randomized into one of four study groups: OMT-only, BEMER-only, OMT+BEMER, or CONTROL (light touch and sham). Forty subjects completed the study, and data for 38 participants were included in our analyses. An OMT and BEMER protocol were specifically designed for this study under the guidance of a licensed osteopathic physician. Participants underwent intervention for a duration of 3 weeks. Data were obtained through baseline and postintervention assessments utilizing three surveys: Neck Disability Index (NDI), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Short Form 12-item Health Survey (SF-12, divided into Mental and Physical). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis was performed retrospectively on pre- and postintervention absolute means between study groups. Significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: One-way ANOVA analysis demonstrated a statistically significant difference in pre- vs. postintervention mean scores between BEMER and CONTROL (p<0.05), BEMER compared to OMT (p<0.005), and BEMER compared to BEMER+OMT (p<0.05), in the NDI. The OMT+BEMER group reported an average reduction in pain on the VAS of 21.3 (±29.3) points, or a 65.0 % reduction of pain. A similarly substantial decrease in pain was reported in the BEMER study group, which showed a 46.2 % reduction in pain from baseline. The OMT and CONTROL study groups only reported a 2.9 and 23.9 % decrease, respectively. The BEMER and OMT+BEMER study groups also demonstrated a reduction in subjective reporting on the NDI, by 53.8 and 26.3 %, respectively. The BEMER study group also achieved the most substantial improvement in mental and physical well-being as reported by the SF-12. CONCLUSIONS: Study arms that incorporated BEMER yielded improvements on the NDI, VAS, and SF-12, indicating benefits to BEMER regarding improved overall functionality in routine daily activities as well as a reduction in nonspecific neck pain. Perceived pain, as demonstrated on the VAS, was seemingly improved in an additive fashion from the BEMER group to the OMT+BEMER group, although the results did not achieve statistical significance. Further study with greater participation could provide additional insight.

Effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment and bio-electromagnetic energy regulation therapy on lower back pain.

CONTEXT: Lower back pain (LBP) is prevalent and is a leading contributor to disease burden worldwide. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) can alleviate alterations in the body that leads to musculoskeletal disorders such as LBP. Bio-electromagnetic Energy Regulation (BEMER; BEMER International AG), which has also been shown to relieve musculoskeletal pain, is a therapeutic modality that deploys a biorhythmically defined stimulus through a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF). Therefore, it is possible that combined OMT and BEMER therapy could reduce low back pain in adults more than the effect of either treatment modality alone. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the individual and combined effects of OMT and BEMER therapy on LBP in adults. METHODS: Employees and students at a medical college were recruited to this study by email. Participants were included if they self-reported chronic LBP of 3 months' duration or longer; participants were excluded if they were experiencing acute LBP of 2 weeks' duration or less, were currently being treated for LBP, were pregnant, or had a known medical history of several conditions. Ultimately, 40 participants were randomly assigned to four treatment groups: an OMT only, BEMER only, OMT+BEMER, or control (light touch and sham). Treatments were given regularly over a 3 week period. Data on LBP and quality of life were gathered through the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Short Form 12 item (SF-12) health survey, and Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire/Oswestry Disability Index prior to treatment and immediately after the 3 week intervention protocol. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed retrospectively and absolute changes for each participant were calculated. Normal distribution and equal variances were confirmed by Shapiro-Wilk test (p>0.05) and Brown-Forsythe, respectively. Significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Despite a lack of statistical significance between groups, subjective reports of pain reported on the VAS showed a substantial mean percentage decrease (50.8%) from baseline in the OMT+BEMER group, compared with a 10.2% decrease in the OMT-only and 9.8% in BEMER-only groups when comparing the difference in VAS ratings from preintervention to postintervention. Participants also reported in quality of life assessed on the Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire/Oswestry Disability Index, with the OMT+BEMER group showing a decrease of 30.3% in score, the most among all groups. The OMT+BEMER group also reported the greatest improvement in score in the physical component of the SF-12, with an increase of 21.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The initial data from this study shows a potential additive effect of combination therapy (OMT and BEMER) for management of LBP, though the results did not achieve statistical significance.

Effects of dose, administration route, and/or vehicle on decabromodiphenyl ether concentrations in plasma of maternal, fetal, and neonatal rats and in milk of maternal rats.

The effects of route and vehicle on blood and milk levels of decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE; CASRN 1163-19-5) were investigated in the rat to assist in the design and conduct of a developmental neurotoxicity study. Blood plasma and/or milk concentrations were determined in dams, fetuses, and/or nursing pups after repeated DecaBDE administration by gavage throughout gestation or gestation and lactation using corn oil (CO) or soyaphospholipon/Lutrol F 127-water (SPL) as the vehicle. The impact of vehicle on plasma levels was also investigated in pups derived from naive dams after a single postnatal dose. This study reports for the first time fetal and neonatal plasma concentrations concurrent with those of maternal plasma and/or milk. Higher concentrations of DecaBDE were achieved in plasma and in milk with CO than with SPL. Furthermore, pups derived from dams treated with only SPL were lower in body weight, compared with those from dams treated with either CO, CO and DecaBDE, or SPL and DecaBDE. The study further shows that exposure to DecaBDE is relatively consistent across the dose range of 100 to 1000 mg/(kg · day) when administered in CO.