Current Naturopathy to Combat Alzheimer's Disease

Neurodegeneration is the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, which may ultimately involve cell death. The most common neurodegenerative disorder in the brain happens with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia. It ultimately leads to neuronal death, thereby impairing the normal functionality of the central or peripheral nervous system. The onset and prevalence of AD involve heterogeneous etiology, either in terms of genetic predisposition, neurometabolomic malfunctioning, or lifestyle. The worldwide relevancies are estimated to be over 45 million people. The rapid increase in AD has led to a concomitant increase in the research work directed towards discovering a lucrative cure for AD. The neuropathology of AD comprises the deficiency in the availability of neurotransmitters and important neurotrophic factors in the brain, extracellular betaamyloid plaque depositions, and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Current pharmaceutical interventions utilizing synthetic drugs have manifested resistance and toxicity problems. This has led to the quest for new pharmacotherapeutic candidates naturally prevalent in phytochemicals. This review aims to provide an elaborative description of promising Phyto component entities having activities against various potential AD targets. Therefore, naturopathy may combine with synthetic chemotherapeutics to longer the survival of the patients.

Naturopathic Self-Treatment of an Atypical Fibroxanthoma: Lessons for Dermatologic Surgery

BACKGROUND

Alternative therapies are favored by some patients. In skin cancer, this may be to try to avoid surgery out of fear for the procedure and its functional or cosmetic consequences. Frequently, use of these therapies is not curative and can cause harm. Our objective is to detail a case where black salve was used as a natural remedy for an atypical fibroxanthoma and resulted in a severe burn. We highlight the challenges of communicating effective treatment options for those who have strong beliefs concerning natural remedies after a cancer diagnosis.

CASE REPORT

A 78-year-old man was referred for excision of a small atypical fibroxanthoma of the scalp. He had reservations about conventional treatments, he initially declined surgery. Later, he was found to have a severe burn over the site of the biopsy-proven AFX, extending to 20% of his scalp. He was found to have been applying black salve. Hospital admission and multiple stages of scalp reconstruction with Head and Neck Surgery were required.

CONCLUSION

For patients who desire to use alternative medicine, communication is all important. Integrative approaches to use traditional therapy while reconciling patient beliefs in natural medicine can improved oncologic, functional, and psychosocial outcomes. J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(6):683-685.

Cautiously using natural medicine to treat liver problems

Natural medicine is a system of therapy that administrates natural agents and their derivatives to treat human diseases. This medicine has been used to treat many kinds of human diseases for thousands of years. The treatment protocols of natural medicine are integrative in nature, and are required to utilize the most appropriate therapies to address the needs of the individual patient. Because of the relative convenience, safety and efficacy, natural medicine is now increasing worldwide. Naturopathic doctors are licensed in many areas of the world and regulated partly by law in these areas, which is quite different from various other forms of complementary and alternative medicine. Liver diseases, such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and liver carcinoma, are serious health problems worldwide. Nearly half of the natural agents used in treatment of liver diseases today are natural products and their derivatives. Although natural medicine is beneficial and safe, physicians should pay close attention to the potential side-effects of the naturopathic agents, which lead to liver injury, interstitial pneumonia and acute respiratory failure. Therefore, when administrating naturopathic protocols to patients for the treatment of liver diseases, we should try our best to prevent and avoid as much as possible the negative impact of these medicines. This article highlights the current practice and recommended improvement of natural medicines in the treatment of liver diseases and gives some specific examples to emphasize the prevention and management of adverse reactions of the natural agents and suggests that natural medicine should be cautiously used to treat liver problems.

Phytotherapeutic and naturopathic adjuvant therapies in otorhinolaryngology

Phytotherapeutic pharmaceuticals and herbal medicinal products with its roots in classical phytotherapeutic medicine have a well-established role in otolaryngological therapy, especially for diseases of the upper airways and acute and chronic infections. A thorough selection and application could mean huge benefit for the patient, in particular in cases with contraindications, chemo- and antibiotic resistance or patient request. Besides, it might spare other medications. Phytotherapeutic pharmaceuticals must fulfil the same criteria of quality, effectiveness and harmlessness of evidence-based medicine like chemical pharmaceuticals, although they are often prescribed due to its well established or traditional based use. This review focuses on phytotherapeutic therapies well established within the European Community for otolaryngologic disease patterns by referring to clinical studies or meta-analysis.

[Unexpected loss of therapeutic effect of oxcarbazepine]

After months of successful analgesic therapy with oxcarbazepine, a 52-year old woman with trigeminal neuralgia suddenly experienced episodes of heavy trigeminal attacks regularly in the evening at about the same time. Asked about changes in daily life or eating habits, she reported the ingestion of healing earth daily in the morning. After stopping the ingestion of healing earth, analgesic control of trigeminal neuralgia was restored without any changes of the initial pharmacotherapy. In daily practice, interactions which significantly influence the absorption of drugs are often overlooked. The documentation of these interactions in drug interaction databases, in the prescribing information, and in the literature is sparse though clinically relevant. Separating the ingestion of interacting substances by a time interval may not sufficiently avoid the interaction in every case. Particular caution is warranted when slow-release cation containing drugs or substances with entero-hepatic circulation are used.

[Natural remedies during pregnancy and lactation]

Up to date there is a lack of systematically gathered data on the use of natural remedies (phytotherapeutic, homeopathic, anthroposophic, spagyric, Bach and Schussler remedies) during pregnancy and lactation. The aim of this non-representative pilot study on 139 women, who came for delivery to three institutions between mid-1997 and the beginning of 1998, was to receive data about how often and within which spectrum natural remedies are used during pregnancy and lactation. During pregnancy 96% and within the lactation period 84% of the women consumed at least 1 natural remedy. Phytotherapeutic drugs were used most frequently. In contrast to the widespread use of natural remedies by pregnant women and nursing mothers in this study, little information on the effectiveness and possible risks is available. Therefore it seems necessary to examine and evaluate natural remedies used during pregnancy and lactation.

Trends in use of herbal and nutritional supplements in cardiovascular patients

BACKGROUND

Use of herbs and nutritional supplements (known as naturoceuticals) is increasing in the USA, with about 50% of Americans taking naturoceuticals and spending over 10 billion dollars per year for them. This raises concerns regarding their use instead of proven therapies, their side effects, and drug interaction potential.

HYPOTHESIS

The study sought to characterize cardiology patients who used supplements and to examine whether their use was diagnosis or doctor dependent, whether it affected patients' compliance, and what supplements were used.

METHODS

In all, 187 patients attending our cardiology clinic were interviewed, examined, and followed for up to 1 year. The users and nonusers of naturoceuticals were compared.

RESULTS

Supplements were used in 106 patients (an average of 3.1 naturoceutical per patient). There were no significant differences in their use by gender, age, primary care doctor specialty, or cardiovascular medications prescribed (except for statins). Patients with a history of myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, hyperlipidemia, and a family history of coronary artery disease were more likely to use the supplements. Average low-density lipoprotein (106 vs. 108 mg/dl), average blood pressure (132/77 vs. 138/78 mmHg), and average hemoglobin (Hb)A1c (8.7 vs. 7.7%) showed no statistically significant differences between users and nonusers. Patients most commonly took multivitamins, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B, folate, garlic, calcium, coenzyme Q10, and gingko.

CONCLUSION

This study indicates that naturoceutical use is widespread among cardiovascular patients and it is difficult to predict clinically who the users are. Fortunately, according to our limited compliance measures, it appears that the naturoceutical use has not affected patients' compliance with traditional medications. Also, possibly a detrimental interaction potential between traditional medications and naturoceuticals has been demonstrated.

Naturopathic and Western herbal medicine practice in Australia-a workforce survey

BACKGROUND

Despite substantial growth in the use of complementary medicine, no comprehensive national study has been undertaken of the naturopathic and Western herbal medicine component of the healthcare workforce in Australia. This study aimed to examine the nature of these practices and this currently unregulated workforce in Australia.

METHODS

A comprehensive survey questionnaire was developed in consultation with the profession and distributed nationally to all members of the naturopathic and Western herbal medicine workforce.

RESULTS

The practices of herbal medicine and naturopathy make up a sizeable component of the Australian healthcare sector, with approximately 1.9 million consultations annually and an estimated turnover of $AUD 85 million in consultations (excluding the cost of medicines). A large proportion of patients are referred to practitioners by word of mouth. Up to one third of practitioners work in multidisciplinary clinics with other registered sectors of the healthcare community. The number of adverse events associated with herbal medicines, nutritional substances and homoeopathic medicines recorded in Australia is substantial and the types of events reported are not trivial. Data suggest that practitioners will experience one adverse event every 11 months of full-time practice, with 2.3 adverse events for every 1000 consultations (excluding mild gastrointestinal effects).

CONCLUSION

These data confirm the considerable degree of utilisation of naturopathic and Western herbal medicine practitioners by the Australian public. However, there is a need to examine whether statutory regulation of practitioners of naturopathy and Western herbal medicine is required to better protect the public.

Naturoceutical agents in the management of cardiovascular disease

During the past decade, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown in attractiveness to the Western public, and in recognition by practitioners of traditional medicine. The incorporation of effective CAM therapies into traditional practice is termed 'integrative medicine'. One form of CAM demonstrating exponential growth through mass public consumerism is the use of naturoceuticals. Naturoceutical (or nutraceutical) agents are defined as mega-dose vitamins, herbal products or other 'natural' supplements purchased and consumed with premeditated 'pharmaceutical' intention to treat or prevent an illness or disease. Dietary supplements per se, are intended to supply adequate nutrients that may be lacking from the diet, and are thus, generally health promoting. A regulatory paradox exists since naturoceuticals are classified as dietary supplements although many possess measurable pharmacologic activity. In reference to cardiovascular disorders, consumers use naturoceuticals for three distinctly recognizable purposes. These are the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and the treatment of diagnosed disorders such as heart failure, angina pectoris or arrhythmia. The evidence base supporting the routine use of naturoceutical products for these intentions is sparse, although the likelihood of harm from their consumption is low for an average, healthy adult. Evidence of significant harm (including fatalities) has been observed when certain herbal products are used in excess or in combination with, other herbs or prescription drugs. The safety of use at the extremes of age, or by persons with cardiac, renal or hepatic impairment is also a concern. Healthcare professionals should routinely document patient naturoceutical use, be alert for and report suspected adverse effects. Until well-designed clinical trials determine the proper indication(s), dose safety profile and risk/benefit ratio for these products, their routine use should not be advocated. Thus, the role of naturoceutical agents in the integrative management of cardiovascular disorders remains undefined.

Self-care practices and the need for influenza vaccination in healthy individuals

The purpose of this research was to determine whether self-care practices in healthy individuals reduce the need for trivalent influenza vaccination and whether naturopathic influenza prevention reduces rate, duration and severity of influenza, absenteeism from work due to influenza and side-effects, as compared to trivalent influenza vaccination. A survey design was followed using exploratory, descriptive and comparative methods. The method of study was an open-label, two-group, parallel study. The data collection tool was a self-administered questionnaire. A two-group sample was obtained through non-probability, purposeful sampling. Data was analysed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics at the 0.05 level of significance. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between the rates of influenza infection of the naturopathic group as compared with the trivalent vaccination group but there was a marginal reduction in the duration of febrile illness in the former group. The naturopathic group were less likely to visit a medical practitioner in order to resolve the influenza, however, they were as likely as the trivalent vaccinated group to commence a new treatment plan. Neither method of influenza prevention resulted in a significant reduction in absenteeism from work. The trivalent vaccinated group had significantly more side-effects than the naturopathic group.

Nature as a complementary therapy for women

Evaluating the safety and effectiveness of complementary therapies is a challenge for nurses. Many people enjoy spending time in nature. The purpose of this article is to examine the theoretical and empirical evidence for using nature as a complementary therapy to rest and restore one's ability to concentrate. As women become active participants in their health care, a complementary therapy to restore and maintain concentration may help promote self-care.

[Special therapeutic practices from the viewpoint of naturopathy]

Naturopathy being orientated towards natural science and conventional medicine does not lead to basically different judgements about unconventional treatments nor about special therapies such as homeopathy, phytotherapy or anthroposophic medicine. It may, however, be more open-minded towards new ideas and theoretical even philosophical concepts and it is more likely used to question the 'state of the art' of actual medical knowledge. It is only for a relatively small part of unconventional treatments, that naturopathy recognizes a certain plausibility, which causes scientific investigation of the method to be meaningful. Naturopathy sometimes proposes traditional anthropologies and nosologies to be used for the election of suitable indications. A variety of psychologic effects of different methods of naturopathy may not be excluded by protocols used for clinical studies. As far as the majority of unconventional and paramedical treatments is concerned, naturopathy raises ethical beside scientific objections. Beyond a probable success of the treatment, it insists on a certain rationale and intellectual honesty. A differentiation between the more pragmatic interests of a health insurance and the scientific obligations of university medicine is given. An important and decisive criterium for the health insurances results from the demand for economics.

[Adverse reactions to natural remedies]

There are only a few systematic epidemiological studies concerning the frequency of adverse reactions (AR) to natural remedies. However, there are numerous case reports which sometimes also include some detailed pathophysiological investigations. In general, four different categories of side effects to natural remedies can be distinguished: 1--at normal use; 2--at excessive use; in this regard many publications exist, since natural products are generally assumed to be safe and, therefore, are frequently taken in overdose; 3--induced by falsified products, e.g. through addition of steroids to for example "natural" antiasthmatics; 4--induced through omission of an efficient and proven therapy because of unshakable believe in "nature". Since conclusive studies in this matter are methodologically cumbersome and very difficult to perform, two newer studies that address these problems in special situations (oncologic patients) are the more interesting.

[Bacterial endocarditis after treatment by a natural healer]

We describe a case of endocarditis caused by Propionibacterium acnes after a series of 'vitamin' injections and semipermanent acupuncture needle maneuvers by a natural healer. The patient had prosthetic heart valves. We found that the most probable source of infection was the treatment by the natural healer and therefore wish to warn against invasive treatment of such high-risk patients by laymen. If such treatment is insisted upon in spite of such warnings, antibiotic prophylaxis should be considered.

Garlic burns: a naturopathic remedy gone awry

We report the case of a child who sustained partial thickness burns from a garlic-petroleum jelly plaster, which had been applied at the direction of a naturopathic physician. A review of the literature reveals that "garlic burns" have not previously been reported, although medicinal properties of garlic have been investigated by physicians and biochemists. The pediatrician caring for children in an area where naturopathic medicine is routinely practiced should be aware of the potential side effects of plasters, poultices, and other "natural" remedies in children.

Dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral arteries following cervical manipulation: a case report

Neck manipulation may uncommonly be associated with serious and even fatal vascular complications. Although well recognised, the nature of the vascular injury has only rarely been directly established by pathological examination. The case is reported of a 43-year-old man who died following neck manipulation, and in whom multiple dissecting aneurysms within both vertebral arteries were demonstrated radiologically and found at necropsy. Bilateral dissecting aneurysms were found both at the level of atlanto-axial articulation and close to the origins of the vertebral arteries. No predisposition was found, other than early atheroma consistent with the patient's age.