The registration of adverse events is important to identify treatment that might impose risk to patients. Homeopathic aggravation, a concept unique for homeopathy may impose a particular risk, as it is tolerant towards a worsening of the patients’ symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore the classification of patient reported reactions as homeopathic aggravations or adverse events. <br>Design ...

<i>Background</i>: Due to limitations of conventional medicine for atopic eczema (AE), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used as an alternative, maintaining, or simultaneous treatment for AE. We aimed to evaluate the beneficial and harmful effects of CAM for children with AE under 14 years old.<p> <p><i>Methods</i>: We searched for randomized trials on CAM in 12 Chinese and ...

Extracts of Chinese red yeast rice (RYR, a traditional dietary seasoning of Monascus purpureus) contains several active ingredients including lovastatin, and several trials of its possible lipid-lowering effects have been conducted. This meta-analysis assesses the effectiveness and safety of RYR preparations on lipid modification in primary hyperlipidemia. We included randomized controlled trials ...

Objective: The previously published ACUFLASH study compared the effectiveness of individualized acupuncture treatment plus self-care versus self-care alone on hot flashes and health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women. This paper reports on the observational follow-up results at six and 12 months. <br>Methods: The ACUFLASH study was a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized, controlled ...

Background: After menopause, 10–20% of all women have nearly intolerable hot flushes. Long term use of hormone replacement therapy involves a health risk, and many women seek alternative strategies to relieve climacteric complaints. Acupuncture is one of the most frequently used complementary therapies in Norway. We designed a study to evaluate whether Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture-care ...

<i>Background</i> - Trials of acupuncture in the West began before textbooks about acupuncture were generally available. This placed trials at risk of possible faulty assumptions about the practice of acupuncture and adoption of problematic research assumptions and methods. Further, this lack of information has had an influence on the theories of developing a valid and reliable sham control treatment ...

<i>Background</i> - Evidence of health utility changes in patients who suffer from longstanding health complaints attributed to dental amalgam fillings are limited. The change in health utility outcomes enables calculating quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) and facilitates the comparison with other health conditions. The purpose of this study was to estimate the validity and responsiveness of the ...

Objective - Many patients have medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS); some of them attribute their health complaints to dental amalgam fillings. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and responsiveness of General Health Complaints index (GHC-index) for measuring the symptom load in MUPS patients compared to the widely used symptom outcome measure, Giessen Subjective Complaints ...

<i>Background</i> - The Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services initiated a project including experimental treatment for patients with health complaints attributed to amalgam restorations.<br><br> <i>Objective</i> - The aim was to evaluate changes of general health complaints in patients who participated in the project and had all amalgam restorations removed.<br><br> <i>Methods</i> - ...

Background - Clinical reasoning is generally defined as a way of thinking about diagnostic or therapeutic decision making in clinical practice. Different cognitive models have been proposed for the clinical reasoning process which takes place during the clinical encounter with a patient. This may have similarities with similar approaches used in Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM). Jinchal, the clinical ...