Wiener klinische Wochenschrift
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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.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2020
ReviewA critical examination of the main premises of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) consists of a plethora of therapeutic approaches aiming to both characterize and treat diseases. Its utilization has gained significant popularity in the western world and is even backed by the World Health Organization's decision to include TCM diagnostic patterns into the new revision of the International Classification of Diseases code, the global standard for diagnostic health information. As these developments and potentially far-reaching decisions can affect modern healthcare systems and daily clinical work as well as wildlife conservation, its underlying factual basis must be critically examined. ⋯ Nevertheless, the (re-)discovery of artemisinin more than 50 years ago introduced a novel development in TCM: the commingling of Eastern and Western medicine, the appreciation of both systems. The need for more rigorous approaches, fulfilment of and agreement to current guidelines to achieve high-quality research are of utmost relevance. Thereby, ancient knowledge of herbal species and concoctions may serve as a possible treasure box rather than Pandora's box.