Wiener klinische Wochenschrift
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2020
ReviewFrom St. John's wort to tomato and from Rhodiola to cranberry : A review of phytotherapy and some examples.
This study evaluated the definition, the prevalence of use and the governmental regulations of phytotherapy and four examples of herbal medicine are discussed in more detail. ⋯ The findings were diverse and must be individually taken into account. Evidence for efficacy varies within and between the four examples. An explanation for the lack of reproducibility of findings from preclinical and clinical experiments might be the insufficient standardization of herbal medicines. There is no scientific reason why phytotherapy should not be investigated with the same rigor as conventional drugs to establish the efficacy and potential risks. Meanwhile, it is concluded that care is essential when using herbal medicine in the daily routine and informing patients about potential shortcomings and dangers of herbal medicines should be considered a duty of pharmacists and physicians.
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The use of homeopathy is remarkably popular. Popularity, however, is not an arbiter in a scientific discourse. In fact, the assumptions underlying homeopathy violate fundamental laws of nature. ⋯ Relaxed regulations and lack of scientific literacy and of health education allow for continuous thriving of homeopathy. While the tide may be changing on the regulatory side, health education of the general public is presumably more important to support informed decision making by patients. Otherwise, the responsible patient, who is posited to decide on the medical choices, remains a convenient legal fiction.
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In summer 2019 an extracurricular activity was started at the Medical University of Vienna (MUW) with the title: "Esoterism in Medicine", where different chapters were evaluated by students. Here we present the subheading "Vaccine Hesitancy". ⋯ Other objections were taken from blogs and social media. The students' rebuttal was based on current scientific literature (preferentially pubmed), but also from other scientific sources like authorities.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2020
ReviewMedical practice and placebo response: an inseparable bond?
The history of medicine and the history of placebo are closely intertwined. To understand placebo and its effects this article gives a brief overview about its history, the possible mechanisms of action and its counterpart, nocebo. The Catholic Church used placebo around the sixteenth century for the separation from real and incorrect exorcisms, but it needed Henry Beecher during World War II to quantify the placebo effect as control arm in well-designed studies. ⋯ Conclusion: Placebo and nocebo are both underestimated and underresearched in their value. Through further investigation doctors could strengthen the placebo response and prevent adverse effects to help their patients at low cost. These techniques would benefit the patient-doctor relationship, which is the alter of a trust-based successful therapy.