Trends in traditional and complementary medicine practices in Turkey: Results of two consecutive surveys 2012-2018.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the knowledge, opinions, experiences and trends regarding herbal treatment, traditional medicine and other complementary and alternative medicine. METHODS: Two cross-sectional studies were conducted at Meram Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Konya, Turkey, in 2012 and 2018, comprising subjects of either gender aged >18 years. Data was collected using a survey form prepared in the light of relevant literature. Data was summarised and compared between the two studies. RESULTS: Of the 810 subjects in the two studies, there were 405(50%) in 2012 with a mean age of 32.5±14.0 years, while the remaining 405(50%) were part of the 2018 study with a mean age of 34.4±13.8. There were significant differences between the two group of subjects about the use and indications of traditional and complementary medicine as those who believed traditional and complementary medicine was proper to use increased and those who believed it should not be used decreased significantly (p<0.001). There was a twofold increase in the use of social media as the source of relevant information (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Significant changes in trends related to the use of traditional and complementary medicine between 2012 and 2018 were observed.

Traditional practices of Konya women during pregnancy, birth, the postpartumperiod, and newborn care.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The purpose of the present study was to identify traditional practices and the extent to which they are practiced by mothers during pregnancy, birth, the postpartum period, and newborn care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in the city center of Konya (Turkey). Data were collected through questionnaires completed by volunteers. The research sample comprised 450 mothers, all of whom had given birth to at least one live baby. The forms were completed during face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: Some traditional pregnancy practices were followed by 70.7% of the participants. Of the women who performed these practices, 57.4% consciously chose foods they craved, tried not to take nutrients believed to be unsuitable in pregnancy, and took nutrients believed to influence the sex of the baby; 85.6% reported breastfeeding their babies in the first 4 h after birth and 9.7% waited for the first call to prayer (azan) to start breastfeeding. Additionally, 72.2% of the mothers reported performing kirklama (making the forties), a ceremony performed to celebrate the 40th day after a baby's birth. CONCLUSION: Most of the women who participated in the study still followed some traditional practices and rituals during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Therefore, health care professionals should provide health education that accounts for the women's cultural and social environment.

The curriculum and education of medicine after Galen in Alexandria, Egypt.

In the medieval history of Islamic medicine sources, there is a lot of information regarding the translation of the books on the Alexandria Medical School and regarding the bibliographies of doctors. Among the books that were taught in Alexandria Medical School, Galen`s works are the most important. One of the famous translators, Hunayn ibn Ishaq, has made a full bibliographic list of Galen`s works. Galen`s corpus consisted of 16 books in summary. This corpus is called `Jawami al-Iskandaraniyyin`. These books consisted of 7 training stages. The data on our research show that this corpus that was brought together during the last period of the Alexandria Medical School has been passed on to the Muslims as a whole, and has continued to be taught in a way according to the old traditions.

Improvement in rabbit corneal cell suspension viability after freezing with Gingko Biloba extract.

We investigated whether the addition of Gingko Biloba extract (EGb 761) to rabbit corneal epithelial medium before cell freezing improved cell viability after freezing then thawing. After removal of corneas, they were treated with enzymes and the corneal epithelium was prepared as a single cell suspension in freezing media with or without EGb 761. After freezing for two weeks then thawing, a higher cell viability was found in the cornea cell suspensions which had been frozen pretreated with EGb 761 in the media. The improvement with corneal cell viability with EGb 761 pretreatment is postulated to be based on the antioxidant capacity of the plant extract.

Improvement In Rabbit Corneal Cell Suspension Viability After Freezing With Gingko Biloba Extrakt.

We investigated whether the addition of Gingko Biloba extract (EGb 761) to rabbit corneal epithelial medium before cell freezing improved cell viability after freezing then thawing. After removal of corneas, they were treated with enzymes and the corneal epithelium was prepared as a single cell suspension in freezing media with or without EGb 761. After freezing for two weeks then thawing, a higher cell viability was found in the cornea cell suspensions which had been frozen pretreated with EGb 761 in the media. The improvement with corneal cell viability with EGb 761 pretreatment is postulated to be based on the antioxidant capacity of the plant extract.