Category Archives: Integrative Medicine

SACRAMENTO Governor Gavin Newsom today announcedthe following appointments:

Yong Ping Chen, 58, of Camarillo, has been reappointed to the California Acupuncture Board, whereshehas served since 2020. Chen has been a Professor at Alhambra Medical University since 2020 and an Acupuncturist at Chens Chinese Medicine clinic since 2002. She was Director of the Experimental Acupuncture Teaching Department and Laboratory at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from 2000 to 2002, Associate Professor and Deputy Chief Physician at Southern Medical University from 1989 to 1997 and Physician and Proctologist at Linhai Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from 1984 to 1986. Chen was chair ofthe California Acupuncturists United Association from 2018 to 2020. She was founding Vice President of theCalifornia Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine Association and board member of American Alliance for Professional Acupuncture Safety. Chen is a member of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association. She earned Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in integrative Chinese Western medicine from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and a Master of Science degree in classical Chinese medicine from Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensationis$100 per diem. Chen is a Democrat.

Hyun Francisco Kim, 56, of Fremont, has been reappointed to the California Acupuncture Board, where he has served since 2018. Kim has been an Acupuncture Practitioner at Harmony Holistic Wellness Center since 2019, Clinic Director and Acupuncturist at Healtones Medical Clinic since 2014 and Adjunct Clinical Instructor at Touro University California, College of Osteopathic Medicine since 2014. He was Partner at Eastridge Medical Group from 2012 to 2013 and Owner of St. Francis Clinic from 2004 to 2012. Kim is a member of the Association of Korean Asian Medicine and Acupuncture. He earned a Master of Science degree in oriental medicine and acupuncture from South Baylo University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem.Kim is registered without party preference.

Amy L. Matecki, 54, of El Sobrante, has been reappointed to the California Acupuncture Board, where she has served since 2016. Matecki has been Medical Director for Complementary and Integrative Medicine at Sutter Health Alta Bates Summit Medical Center since 2008, where she was an Internal Medicine Hospitalist from 2004 to 2006. Matecki has been a Consultant for Integrative Medicine and an Internal Medicine Hospitalist at Northern California Hematology and Oncology Consultants Inc. since 2004. She was Chief of the Integrative Medicine Division at Alameda Health System from 2014 to 2019, where she was an Attending Physician from 2004 to 2019 and a Chief Resident for Internal Medicine from 2003 to 2004. She was Internal Medicine Hospitalist at Inpatient Consultants of California Inc from 2003 to 2007 and Chief Resident Clinic at the Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center from 2003 to 2004. Matecki is president of the International Center for Integrative Medicine. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society of Chinese American Physician Entrepreneurs, National Federation of Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine Organizations, Society for Integrative Oncology, California Medical Association and the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine. She earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Qingdao University Medical College and a Master of Science degree in traditional Chinese medicine from the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Matecki is registered without party preference.

Tian Feng, 62, of Walnut Creek, has been reappointed to the California Architects Board, where he has served since 2014. Feng has been District Architect for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) since 2001.Feng is a fellow at the American Institute of Architects and at the Construction Specifications Institute. Feng earned a Master of Science degree in architecture from the University of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Feng is a Democrat.

Ronald A. Jones, 59, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the California Architects Board, where he has served since 2020. Jones has been Principal at Hunt Hale Jones Architects since 1995. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Jones is a Democrat.

Mitra Kanaani, 69, of San Diego, has been appointed to the California Architects Board. Kanaani has been a Professor at NewSchool of Architecture and Design since 1992, where she has held several roles, including as Chair of the Architecture Department and the Undergraduate Program, Acting Dean and Director of Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure, IPAL Program. She has been Principal at Universal Design since 1997. Kanaani earned a Master of Science degree in urban planning from the University of Tehran, a Master of Science degree in architecture from the University of New Mexico and a Doctor of Architecture degree from the University of Hawaii. She is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, secretary for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture an international evaluator at the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Kanaani is a member of the Building Technology Educators Society, International Code Council and the American Institute of Architects. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Kanaani is registered without party preference.

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Excerpt from:
Governor Newsom Announces Appointments 7.2.21 | California Governor - Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

The committees current research expert is Dr Isaac Golden, a homeopath and national secretary of the anti-fluoridation Health Australia Party. Dr Golden has no involvement in the clinical trial and The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald are not aware of any complaints made about it.

The National Institute of Integrative Medicine, based in Hawthorn, offers treatments including intravenous vitamin therapy, hyperbaric oxygen and hyperthermia therapy, while the research department studies chronic fatigue and medical cannabis.

Associate Professor Karin Ried, the trials principal investigator and the institutes director of research, told The Age that the number of cells found is directly related to the progression, or risk, of cancer.

Its basically validated worldwide, she said. I call it a photograph of the inside. You can find out why Im feeling so sick. We know it works. Were just using it as a research trial because we dont have accreditation at this point.

According to her biography on the Institutes website, Dr Ried holds qualifications in chemistry, genetics and public health.

Professor John Rasko,who studies CTC tests as director of the Li Ka Shing Gene and Cell Therapy Initiative at the University of Sydney, said an accurate test for circulating tumour cells was a long-held dream but no such test has ever been approved for use in Australia.

It is an unvalidated assay that has not been rigorously established. This raises serious ethical questions about using an unvalidated test to give medical advice, Professor Rasko said. Any pay-to-participate clinical trial of an unproven clinical test is almost always unethical in my opinion.

Professor John Rasko studies CTC tests as director of the Li Ka Shing Gene and Cell Therapy Initiative at the University of Sydney.Credit:Wolter Peeters

C. Glenn Begley, a world leading cancer trials expert and former head of cancer research at major biotech Amgen, said: Based on what is disclosed publicly, it would appear that these investigators are using an unapproved, non-validated test ... This raises a concern that legitimate, approved treatment options might be withheld from those individuals.

New screening tests are often subjected to clinical trials to see if they work. But because it is not clear if the screening method being tested can accurately detect cancer, patients are generally not told their results, Professors Rasko and Begley said.

Professor Ried confirmed that as part of the institutes clinical trial the results of the screening tests are shared with a volunteers doctor.

If its an oncologist, a specialist, a GP, its a doctor whos going to have the conversation with the patient. We never give the patients the results directly.

Any treatment decisions were then made by the doctor, not the researchers, she said.

Professor Ried said if a volunteer who had chemotherapy scheduled had a CTC test and discovered the number of circulating tumour cells was low, it was plausible patients could discuss with their doctors delaying the scheduled treatment.

A spokeswoman for the National Health and Medical Research Council said asking patients to pay to be part of a clinical trial, and sharing the results of that trial, were not direct breaches of research ethics.

It is not within the remit of the NHMRC to investigate allegations concerning any individual clinical trial or any other research, she said.

Concerned clinicians would be advised to contact the approving human research ethics committee or relevant regulatory bodies.

The trial, which has now been running for almost seven years, has led to several publications. Comparable trials do occasionally run for that length of time.

Volunteers were advised about taking garlic and green tea if cancer markers were found.Credit:iStock

A 2017 paper from the trial notes that all patients with detected CTC were advised about integrative lifestyle changes and immune-stimulating therapies, including curcumin, green tea, garlic extract, vitamin D, grape seed, lycopene, citrus pectin, medicinal mushroom extract, black cumin seed, artemisinin, and other immune stimulating nutrients.

Professor Rasko said that advice raised serious ethical questions. None of these agents are approved for use in cancer, he said.

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In a statement, National Institute of Integrative Medicine spokesman Professor Ian Brighthope said the CTC test was a screening test, not a diagnostic test, that aims to provide a biomarker for the early detection of cancer and can be used by a patients treating doctor as part of their individual treatment plan.

We are proud to contribute to the scientific evidence base showing integrative medicine can help address complex illnesses and improve health outcomes for Australians.

The trials existence demonstrates how weak Australias clinical trial regulations are, Professor Vaux said.

More here:
Absolutely scandalous: Experts raise concerns over unapproved cancer test used in trial - The Age

This article was originally published here

PLoS One. 2021 Jul 1;16(7):e0253890. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253890. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: During COVID-19, the public actively sought non-pharmacological and self-management approaches to prevent infection. Little is known on the use of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) by the public as preventive measures. This study investigated the prevalence and patterns of TCIM use during the pandemic, and identified factors associated with its use among the general population in Hong Kong.

METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from November to December 2020. The survey solicited information on the respondents sociodemographic characteristics, risk perception of the pandemic, and use of TCIM before and during the pandemic. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine predictors of TCIM use.

RESULTS: In total, 632 responses (completion rate = 88.1%) were analyzed. TCIM was used by 44.0% of respondents during the pandemic. The most popular forms of TCIM were vitamins or other dietary supplements (n = 160, 25.3%) and Chinese herbal medicine (n = 122, 19.3%) during the pandemic. The most frequently reported indication was strengthening the immune system, especially for vitamins or other dietary supplements (n = 142/160, 88.8%). Respondents who reported using TCIM were more likely to be female (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.29-2.59), had higher education attainment (aOR = 2.21, 95% CI = 1.39-3.59), and older-aged (age >55 years: aOR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.04-3.02). Respondents who resided in districts with moderate to high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases (aOR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.07-2.42) and had a higher level of risk perception (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01-1.07) were also more likely to use TCIM.

CONCLUSION: TCIM was used commonly in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic. While vaccination and social distancing remain the mainstay of controlling the pandemic, professional bodies should proactively consider public preferences and provide information regarding the effectiveness and safety of TCIM for COVID-19 prevention and treatment.

PMID:34197523 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0253890

Read more from the original source:
A public survey of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine use during the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong - DocWire News

When it comes to holistic health, Southlake Integrative Wellness Center operates on one key philosophy: The best way to heal the body is to optimize the bodys self-healing capacity.

With more than 30 years of health care experience, Dr. Tony Rectors medical career has included family practice, as well as emergency, college and sports medicine. With six different accreditations, including a fellowship at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, Dr. Rector helps his patients identify and treat the root causes of their symptoms and works to establish a unique plan for each individual patient to support their health goals.

One of the most exciting treatments Southlake Integrative Wellness Center offers is ozone therapy, which removes patients blood, cleans it with a third oxygen atom and ultraviolet light, then reintroduces it into the bloodstream. The combination of ozone and light rays increase the biological activity of the blood cells to eradicate bacteria, virus and fungus. In addition to ozone therapy, the practice also offers nutritional IV therapies. These treatments allow for a maximum concentration of vitamins, amino acids and minerals to enter the bloodstream quickly and reach tissues that need them the most.

Hormone balancing is a key component to your overall well-being, yet such a balance can be difficult to achieve. Dr. Rectors team uses hormone pellet therapy and believes it to be an excellent treatment to create hormonal equilibrium, which your body depends on for optimum health. Pellet therapy specifically creates a smooth, sustained release hormonal environment.

Southlake Integrative Wellness Center doesnt just look at your symptoms. They assess the whole person, including physical, emotional, environmental, social and spiritual components, as well as lifestyle factors. Dr. Rector and his caring team are dedicated to helping patients live abundant lives full of health, vitality and purpose.

More here:
Optimizing Health: Functional Medical Care, Ozone and IV Therapy and Hormone Balancing - Southlake Style

Psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are two types of spondyloarthritis. They can cause swelling, stiffness, and pain in the joints.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) usually occurs in people with psoriasis, an autoimmune condition that causes cells to develop rapidly, leading to various skin symptoms.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and lower back, though the effects can extend throughout the body over time.

Below, we explore the differences between PsA and AS, including their symptoms and treatments and how doctors diagnose them.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a type of chronic inflammation that occurs in up to 1 in 5 people with psoriasis. PsA often begins when people are between 30 and 50 years old, but it can emerge at any age.

The condition can affect a variety of joints, including those in the arms, legs, and spine.

Learn more about how PsA affects the body here.

PsA has five major subtypes:

PsA is similar to rheumatoid arthritis and, until 1964, the two were considered the same condition. But unlike rheumatoid arthritis, PsA does not create rheumatoid factors in the blood.

AS is a different type of spondyloarthritis.

It causes severe, chronic pain and inflammation in and around the spine and the sacroiliac joints, which connect the pelvis to the spine. In some cases, the condition causes spinal vertebrae and the sacroiliac joints to fuse together. AS may also affect other joints in the body.

AS is very complex, and it can be challenging to identify the cause. Research shows that there is a strong genetic component, but low vitamin D levels could also contribute to the development of the condition.

Learn more about the effects of AS on a persons body here.

Symptoms of PsA are mild and slow to develop in some people, and sudden and severe in others.

Common symptoms include:

Many people with psoriasis have the condition for at least 10 years before PsA begins to develop. Less commonly, people develop PsA before having noticeable symptoms of psoriasis.

The severity of AS symptoms and the speed at which they arise can vary, as with PsA.

Initially, a person with AS may experience a loss of appetite and possibly a fever. Pain and stiffness in the early stages often begin in the buttocks and lower back.

As the condition progresses, the pain spreads through the spine and into the neck. Tenderness may also develop in the hips, thighs, heels, ribs, and shoulder blades.

The effort of managing the inflammation within the body can cause fatigue. Also, the inflammation can lead to anemia. Bowel inflammation and eye conditions, including uveitis, are also associated.

Less often, AS symptoms begin beyond the spine in a peripheral joint, such as the ankle, shoulder, or hip.

When this happens, it can result from enthesitis inflammation where a tendon or ligament connects to bone. When symptoms are only present in peripheral joints, AS can be more challenging to diagnose.

There is no single test that a doctor can use to check for PsA or AS. Instead, they must use a combination of the following techniques:

For AS, the deciding factor is often the condition of the sacroiliac joints. However, AS may not affect the area until the condition has been present for 10 years, so other tests are necessary.

There is currently no cure for either PsA or AS. However, there are various ways to reduce the symptoms, maximize flexibility, maintain posture, and limit complications. Effective treatments also slow down the progression of both conditions.

Treatment options for AS are mostly drug-related and surgical, but they can also include:

Individual treatment plans vary slightly, depending on the person and the severity of the condition.

The following types of drugs may benefit people with spondyloarthritis, a type of disease that includes PsA and AS:

A 2019 study suggests that NSAIDs and TNF inhibitors are the leading classes of medication for these conditions.

People with severe PsA or AS may need to undergo surgery. Hip joint replacement is a common surgical procedure for people with spondyloarthritis.

If a person has a severely downward-curving spine, posture correction surgery can help, though the risks of this type of procedure are high.

Treatment options continue to evolve as researchers investigate new therapies.

PsA and AS are two types of spondyloarthritis. They cause chronic swelling, pain, and tenderness in and around the joints.

Both PsA and AS can be challenging to diagnose, and neither condition is currently curable. However, therapies can ease symptoms and improve the quality of life. Research into new treatment options is ongoing.

Read more from the original source:
Psoriatic arthritis vs. ankylosing spondylitis: What to know - Medical News Today

A diet higher in fatty fish helped frequent migraine sufferers reduce their monthly number of headaches and intensity of pain compared to participants on a diet higher in vegetable-based fats and oils, according to a new study. The findings by a team of researchers from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), parts of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill, were published in The BMJ.

The NIH team was led by Chris Ramsden, a clinical investigator in the NIA and NIAAA intramural research programs, and a UNC adjunct faculty member. Ramsden and his team specialize in the study of lipids fatty acid compounds found in many natural oils and their role in aging, especially chronic pain and neurodegenerative conditions. The UNC team was led by Doug Mann, M.D., of the Department of Neurology, and Kim Faurot, Ph.D., of the Program on Integrative Medicine.

Migraine, a neurological disease, ranks among the most common causes of chronic pain, lost work time, and lowered quality of life. More than 4 million people worldwide have chronic migraine (at least 15 migraine days per month) and more than 90% of sufferers are unable to work or function normally during an attack, which can last anywhere from four hours to three days. Women between the ages of 18 and 44 are especially prone to migraines, and an estimated 18% of all American women are affected. Current medications for migraine usually offer only partial relief and can have negative side effects including sedation, and the possibility of dependence or addiction.

This research found intriguing evidence that dietary changes have potential for improving a very debilitating chronic pain condition such as migraine without the related downsides of often prescribed medications, said Luigi Ferrucci, M.D., Ph.D., scientific director of NIA.

This study of 182 adults with frequent migraines expanded on the teams previous work on the impact of linoleic acid and chronic pain. Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid commonly derived in the American diet from corn, soybean, and other similar oils, as well as some nuts and seeds. The teams previous smaller studies explored if linoleic acid inflamed migraine-related pain processing tissues and pathways in the trigeminal nerve, the largest and most complex of the bodys 12 cranial nerves. They found that a diet lower in linoleic acid and higher in levels of omega-3 fatty acids (like those found in fish and shellfish) could soothe this pain pathway inflammation.

In a 16-week dietary intervention, participants were randomly assigned to one of three healthy diet plans. Participants all received meal kits that included fish, vegetables, hummus, salads, and breakfast items. One group received meals that had high levels of fatty fish or oils from fatty fish and lowered linoleic acid. A second group received meals that had high levels of fatty fish and higher linoleic acid. The third group received meals with high linoleic acid and lower levels of fatty fish to mimic average U.S. intakes. Meal plans were designed by Beth MacIntosh, M.P.H., of UNC Healthcares Department of Nutrition and Food Services.

During the intervention period, participants monitored their number of migraine days, duration, and intensity, along with how their headaches affected their abilities to function at work, school, and in their social lives, and how often they needed to take pain medications. When the study began, participants averaged more than 16 headache days per month, more than five hours of migraine pain per headache day, and had baseline scores showing a severe impact on quality of life despite using multiple headache medications.

The diet lower in vegetable oil and higher in fatty fish produced between 30% and 40% reductions in total headache hours per day, severe headache hours per day, and overall headache days per month compared to the control group. Blood samples from this group of participants also had lower levels of pain-related lipids. Despite the reduction in headache frequency and pain, these same participants reported only minor improvements in migraine-related overall quality of life compared to other groups in the study.

Changes in diet could offer some relief for the millions of Americans who suffer from migraine pain, said Ramsden. Its further evidence that the foods we eat can influence pain pathways."

The researchers noted that these findings serve as validation that diet-based interventions increasing omega-3 fats while reducing linoleic acid sources show better promise for helping people with migraines reduce the number and impact of headache days than fish-oil based supplements, while reducing the need for pain medications. They hope to continue to expand this work to study effects of diet on other chronic pain conditions.

This study was supported by the NIH NIA and NIAAA intramural research programs; and NIH grants including 1R01AT00781301A1, T32 AT003378, DK056350, and UL1TR002489.

Reference: Ramsden, CE, et al. Dietary alteration of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for headache reduction in adults with migraine: randomized controlled trial. BMJ 2021;374:n1448. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n1448.

About the National Institute on Aging (NIA): NIA leads the U.S. federal government effort to conduct and support research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. Learn more about age-related cognitive change and neurodegenerative diseases via NIAs Alzheimer's and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center website. Visit the main NIA website for information about a range of aging topics, in English and Spanish, and stay connected.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health

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Consuming a diet with more fish fats, less vegetable oils can reduce migraine headaches - National Institute on Aging