Efficacy and mechanisms of cannabis oil for alleviating side effects of breast cancer chemotherapy (CBC2): protocol for randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In a pilot study using both cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as single agents in advanced cancer patients undergoing palliative care in Thailand, the doses were generally well tolerated, and the outcome measure of total symptom distress scores showed overall symptom benefit. The current study aims to determine the intensity of the symptoms experienced by breast cancer patients, to explore the microbiome profile, cytokines, and bacterial metabolites before and after the treatment with cannabis oil or no cannabis oil, and to study the pharmacokinetics parameters and pharmacogenetics profile of the doses. METHODS: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial will be conducted on the breast cancer cases who were diagnosed with breast cancer and currently receiving chemotherapy at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH), Bangkok, Thailand. Block randomization will be used to allocate the patients into three groups: Ganja Oil (THC 2 mg/ml; THC 0.08 mg/drop, and CBD 0.02 mg/drop), Metta Osot (THC 81 mg/ml; THC 3 mg/drop), and placebo oil. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ), microbiome profile, cytokines, and bacterial metabolites will be assessed before and after the interventions, along with pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenetic profile of the treatment during the intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: TCTR20220809001.

The Effects of 12-Week Traditional Thai Exercise (Ruesi Dadton) on Glycemic Control and Inflammatory Markers in Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Hyperglycemia and inflammation are hallmarks of the prediabetes stage, which has the potential to develop into diabetes mellitus. In this stage, lifestyle changes and exercise are recommended and have been shown to be effective. However, there has been insufficient study investigating the impact of Ruesi Dadton (RD) exercise on prediabetes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of RD exercise on biomarkers of glycemic level including fasting plasma glucose (FPG), the 2 h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), the biomarkers of inflammation C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), and body mass index (BMI) on prediabetes during 12-week RD exercise. A total of 64 participants were randomly assigned into two groups, RD and control (CON), and were tested by measuring their glycemic levels to screen for prediabetes. The RD group was instructed to perform 10 postures of RD exercise in 60 min, three times a week. The CON group received standard lifestyle recommendations that were not pharmacologically managed. The results reveal that the RD group experienced a significant decrease in FPG, OGTT, HbA1C, and IL-6 (p < 0.01), and BMI and CRP (p < 0.05) compared to the CON group. In addition, the CON group had considerably higher glycemic levels, BMI and IL-6 levels (p < 0.01). Our study demonstrates that RD could decrease the biomarkers of glycemic level and inflammation during 12 weeks of RD exercise in prediabetes. These findings suggest that RD exercise is an effective approach for reducing systemic inflammation and controlling glycemic levels in prediabetic patients.

Current state of cancer patient care incorporating Thai traditional medicine in Thailand: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the current state of cancer treatment incorporating Thai traditional medicine (TTM) and to identify problems in the system, by using the health system framework of the World Health Organization. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted by interviewing three groups of people involved in the healthcare system. The groups were constructed via purposive sampling of patients with cancer, caregivers and service providers. The study groups included 37 individuals from five TTM hospitals. In-depth interviews were conducted from October 2017 to March 2018. The interview questions were developed based on the six building blocks of a health system framework. Free form answers from participants were analyzed and interpreted to develop the study conclusions. RESULTS: All five TTM hospitals provided treatment to patients with cancer based on provincial public health policy. The policy allows patients with cancer to obtain TTM services in outpatient and inpatient departments and via home visits; most patients used outpatient services. The TTM services were primarily provided by TTM practitioners and included massage, herbal steam, herbal compress and meditation. Herbal medicines were widely used and included Benja-amarit, an anticancer formulation made from Wat Khampramong and Phytoplex. The problems included poor acceptance of TTM practitioners by other healthcare practitioners, lack of experience among TTM practitioners in treating patients with cancer, lack of herbal medicine research trials, contamination in herbal medicine preparations and absence of practical treatment guidelines. CONCLUSION: TTM is an alternative treatment modality for patients with cancer and is supported by a national policy in Thailand. To increase accountability to patients and other practitioners, TTM treatments should be refined to rely on scientific principles and practitioners of TTM should receive academic training. Practical treatment guidelines need to be established and thoroughly disseminated to TTM practitioners.

Efficacy and safety of herbal steam bath in allergic rhinitis: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is a nasal mucosa inflammatory disorder that is induced by exposure to an allergen which results in four major symptoms, including anterior or posterior rhinorrhea, sneezing, nasal itching and nasal congestion. Allergic rhinitis may result in sleep disturbance, fatigue, depression of mood-cognitive function and quality of life impairment. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the efficacy and safety of herbal steam bath used for the reduction of allergic rhinitis symptoms, and evaluated treatment satisfaction and improvements in quality of life among participating patients with allergic rhinitis. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted at Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Hospital between June and December 2016, using 64 subjects, equally divided into two groups. The treatment group received herbal steam bath and the control group received steam bath without herbs for 30 min 3 times a week for 4 consecutive weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Allergic rhinitis symptoms, such as itchy nose, runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion and watery eyes, were measured using the visual analog scale at weeks 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4. Quality of life was assessed at week 0 and week 4. RESULTS: The characteristics (sex, age, marital status, education, allergic rhinitis symptoms and frequency of symptoms) at the baseline were not statistically different (P > 0.05) between the two test groups. Anterior or posterior rhinorrhea symptoms, including sneezing, nasal itching and nasal congestion, were statistically reduced over the course of the treatment, but reductions were not significantly different between the control and treatment groups. The treatment group, however, was shown to be significantly more satisfied with the treatment than the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both treatments appear to be able to significantly reduce the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. However, there was no difference in the effectiveness of steam bath with herbs and steam bath without herbs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered in the Thai Clinical Trial Registry with the identifier TCTR20170712002.