Present state of Japanese cedar pollinosis: the national affliction.

Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) caused by Japanese cedar pollen (JCP; ie, sugi-pollinosis) is the most common disease in Japan and has been considered a national affliction. More than one third of all Japanese persons have sugi-pollinosis, and this number has significantly increased in the last 2 decades. In our opinion the reason why sugi-pollinosis became a common disease in the last half century is the increased number of cedar pollens, with global climate change and forest growth caused by the tree-planting program of the Japanese government after World War II playing substantial roles; dust storms containing small particulate matter from China might also contribute to the increased incidence of sugi-pollinosis. To help minimize their symptoms, many Japanese wear facemasks and eyeglasses at all times between February and April to prevent exposure to JCP and aerosol pollutants. Forecasts for JCP levels typically follow the weather forecast in mass media broadcasts, and real-time information regarding JCP levels is also available on the Internet. Because a large amount of JCP is produced over several months, it can induce severe symptoms. Japanese guidelines for allergic rhinitis recommend prophylactic treatment with antihistamines or antileukotrienes before the start of JCP dispersion. Additionally, sublingual immunotherapy will be supported by health insurance in the summer of 2014. However, many patients with sugi-pollinosis do not find satisfactory symptom relief with currently available therapies. Collaboration between scientists and pharmaceutical companies to produce new therapeutics for the control of sugi-pollinosis symptoms is necessary.

Systemic Ozone Therapy May Improve the Perception of Quality of Life: Ozonized Glucose Solution 5% Extends Reach to Patients Ineligible for Blood Infusion.

Ozone therapy is a complementary treatment that has gained popularity due to its safety and wide range of applications. Systemic ozone therapy involves withdrawing 100 to 200 ml of blood, treating it with an oxygen-ozone mixture, and then reinfusing it. This process requires large-caliber venous access, which can be a limitation. To overcome this, alternative administration methods have been explored, including the use of ozonized solutions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical effects of systemic ozone therapy on the perception of quality of life and to analyze the outcomes of different administration methods. Three groups of patients were treated: one group received classical systemic ozone therapy, another received ozone therapy via intravenous infusion of a 5% glucose solution, and the third group alternated between the two methods. The results showed an improvement in perceived quality of life in all groups, regardless of the method used. Thus, systemic ozone therapy showed efficacy in improving the perception of quality of life in our group. Moreover, intravenous infusion of a 5% glucose solution has made it possible to treat patients who could not be treated with the classical method, achieving similar results.

Importance of food in the control of inflammation in atopic dermatitis.

Patients that suffer from inflammatory diseases need to pay special attention to nutrition. For this reason, it is very important to change the approach of both health professionals and food industry specialists. There must be a close collaboration, starting from research, the development phase of foods for special nutrition states. Our primary objective was to identify foods or potential dietary ingredients, which efficacy in the treatment of atopic dermatitis had been scientifically demonstrated in vitro, in vivo and clinically. Furthemore, our perspective is presented regarding the research and development of foods for special nutritional states in atopic dermatitis. The PubMed database was analyzed for the period 2018-2020, as well as the European Legislation regarding the appropriate requirements for the composition and knowledge applicable to foods destined for use in special medical purposes. The search criteria were 'chronic dermatitis', 'atopic dermatitis', 'psoriasis', 'alternative treatments', 'natural treatments', 'complementary treatments', 'treatments for chronic dermatitis'. We also looked for undesirable effects or side effects of the foods included in the research in order to treat atopic dermatitis. The results showed that prebiotics, probiotics and certain plant extracts had a high efficacy in controlling inflammation in atopic dermatitis. The food development research for special nutrition states (atopic dermatitis) involves a multidisciplinary team. We started with the establishment of the general objective and continued with the consultation of the PubMed, EMBASE and other databases, and with the in vitro, preclinical and/or clinical determination of the efficacy of new developed foods, that must be protected with patents. The development of foods for special nutrition states represents a solution for improving the quality of life of atopic dermatitis patients.

Comparison of electroacupuncture and medical treatment for functional constipation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) relative to conventional medication in functional constipation (FC). DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SETTING: To be included, studies needed to: (1) have been randomised controlled trials; (2) have recruited adult patients diagnosed with FC according to the Rome II/III criteria or the American Gastroenterological Association guideline for chronic FC; and (3) have randomised patients to be treated with EA or anti-constipation medication. We searched Medline, the Cochrane Library and Embase databases for articles published up to 30 June 2016. INTERVENTION: EA or anti-constipation medication. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the change in the number of weekly spontaneous bowel movements. Secondary outcomes were total response rate (or total effective rate), symptom reduction and Cleveland Clinic constipation scores. RESULTS: The pooled results showed significantly more improvement in the frequency of spontaneous bowel movements in the EA treatment group compared with the medicine-treated group (pooled SMD 0.244, 95% CI 0.065 to 0.424, P=0.008). Deep-needling EA was significantly more effective than treatment with medication at increasing the frequency of spontaneous bowel movements (p=0.019). Significantly greater improvement was also seen for total response rates (p=0.018) and reductions in symptom score (p<0.001) in EA-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: EA was more effective than medication at improving spontaneous bowel movements and total response rate, and reducing the symptoms of FC.

Use of medical, surgical and complementary treatments among women with fibroids.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the use of medical management, uterus-preserving surgery (UPS), and complementary treatments among women with uterine fibroids. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study of 933 premenopausal women ages 31-54 years with symptomatic fibroids who participated in the Study of Pelvic Problems, Hysterectomy, and Intervention Alternatives (SOPHIA) for an average of 4.3 years (SD 2.5 years). Incident use of fibroid treatments was determined through annual interviews. Linear regression models were used to compare changes in fibroid-related symptoms among women who underwent UPS versus those who did not undergo surgery. RESULTS: Participants were racially and ethnically diverse, with a mean age of 43 years. During study follow-up, 531 participants (57%) did not undergo UPS or hysterectomy, 250 (27%) had at least one UPS, and 152 (16%) underwent hysterectomy. Complementary and alternative treatments were commonly used, including exercise (45%), diet (34%), herbs (37%), and acupuncture (16%): participants reported significant symptom improvement and few side effects with these interventions. In multivariable linear regression models, women who did not undergo surgery during the study reported improvement in dyspareunia (p<.001), pelvic pain (p<.001), and menstrual cramps (p<.001). However, women who underwent UPS reported greater overall resolution of "pelvic problems" compared with women who did not have surgical treatment (difference in change score 1.18 on a four-point Likert scale, p<.001). CONCLUSION: UPS are effective treatments for women with fibroids, but many women use hormonal or complementary treatments and report significant symptom improvement without surgical intervention.

A systematic review of somatic intervention treatments in PTSD: Does Somatic Experiencing® (SE®) have the potential to be a suitable choice? / Uma revisão sistemática de tratamentos de intervenção somática em PTSD: a Experiência Somática® tem o potencial para ser uma escolha adequada? / Una revisión sistemática de tratamientos de intervención somática en el trastorno de estrés postraumático: ¿tiene la experiencia somática® el potencial de ser una opción adecuada?

The psychophysiological substrate of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with deregulation of neural networks involving mind-body interaction and is the subject of considerable research. It has been managed using pharmacological treatment associated or not with complementary treatments. The aim of this study was to systematize the knowledge about the types and effectiveness of complementary treatments using somatic interventions in the PTSD setting. According to the revised literature, the complementary approaches are based on Somatic Experiencing®, meditation and brainspotting techniques, and are anchored in the search for regulating the underlying neural mechanisms. However, there is little scientific production on these treatments, despite the positive clinical impact of their results, particularly for Somatic Experiencing®, which has presented good results. For the authors, further controlled trials involving improvement of symptoms and their association with possible biological markers are necessary to corroborate the efficacy of this therapy.

O transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT),cujo substrato psicofisiológico é associado à desregulação de redes neurais que envolvem a interação mente-corpo, é objeto de muitas pesquisas e vem sendo manejado usando tratamento farmacológico associado ou não a tratamentos complementares.O objetivo desse estudo foi sistematizar o conhecimento sobre os tipos e eficácia de tratamentos complementares que utilizam intervenções somáticas no quadro do TEPT. Segundo a literatura revisada, as intervenções somáticas são baseadas em técnicas de experiência somática, meditação, brainspotting e estão ancoradas na busca da regulação dos mecanismos neurais subjacentes. Todavia, constatou-se baixa produção científica destes tratamentos, apesar do impacto clínico positivo de seus resultados, particularmente para experiência somática® que apresentou bons resultados. Para os autores, mais estudos controlados envolvendo melhora dos sintomas e sua associação a possíveis marcadores biológicos são necessários para corroborar a eficácia desta terapia.

El trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT), cuyo sustrato psicofisiológico está asociado a la desregulación de redes neuronal que involucran la interacción mente-cuerpo, es objeto de muchas investigaciones y viene siendo manejado usando tratamiento farmacológico asociado o no a tratamientos complementarios. El objetivo de este estudio fue sistematizar el conocimiento sobre los tipos y la eficacia de los tratamientos complementarios que utilizan intervenciones somáticas en el trastorno de estrés postraumático. De acuerdo con la literatura revisada, las intervenciones somáticas se basan en técnicas de experiencia somática, meditación, braquines y están ancladas en la búsqueda de la regulación de los mecanismos neurales subyacentes. Sin embargo, se constató baja producción científica de estos tratamientos, a pesar del impacto clínico positivo de sus resultados, particularmente para la experiencia somática®, que presentó buenos resultados. Para los autores, más ensayos controlados involucran la mejora de los síntomas y su asociación a posibles marcadores biológicos son necesarios para corroborar la eficacia de esta terapia.