Complementary therapies in medicine
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Complement Ther Med · Aug 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialClinically meaningful differences in pain, disability and quality of life for chronic nonspecific neck pain - a reanalysis of 4 randomized controlled trials of cupping therapy.
The assessment of clinically meaningful differences in patients' self-reported outcomes has become increasingly important when interpreting the results of clinical studies. Although these assessments have become quite common there are hardly any data for nonspecific neck pain, especially in the context of complementary and alternative medicine. The aim of this analysis is the determination of minimal clinically important differences (MCID) and substantial clinical benefits (SCB) in patients with chronic nonspecific neck pain after cupping treatment. ⋯ The results support the assumption that patients' perceptions of treatment benefits measured by VAS in these trials might be comparable to others in conventional therapies. For NDI and SF-36-PCS the estimated differences were smaller than in previous reports indicating that context factors such as patient characteristics and specific treatment conditions might play an important role. Further studies on MCIDS and SCBs for chronic nonspecific neck pain seem warranted.
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Complement Ther Med · Aug 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of meditation on anxiety, depression, fatigue, and quality of life of women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer.
To investigate the effects of meditation on anxiety, depression, fatigue, and quality of life in women who are receiving radiation therapy for breast cancer. ⋯ Based on the results of this study, an affirmation can be made that meditation can be used as a non-invasive intervention treatment for improving fatigue, anxiety, quality of life, and emotional faculties of women with breast cancer.