Consumer attitudes towards using conventional physiotherapy procedures and unconventional methods

Introduction: Unconventional treatment methods, as defined by law, include acupressure, acupunc­ture, iris and pulse diagnostics, diet, non-traditional physical methods of mechanical, thermal or magnetic treatment. These methods can be practiced by both medical and non-medical profession­als under special conditions. Their development and impact on public health depend on users` atti­tudes and providers` professionalism. However, most of the unconventional methods are not studied at the medical universities in Bulgaria. Therefore, the aim of the study is to research attitudes of fac­ulty members towards the use and development of unconventional healing methods. Materials and methods: A sociological survey was performed using a semi-structured questionnaire with 31 questions. Seventy-seven faculty members from 4 universities in Bulgaria took a part in the survey. Results: Nearly half of the respondents (46.1%) have used unconventional treatment services. Almost all of those who used such services were satisfied in general with the treatment they received. Major­ity of them (55.9%) experienced an improvement. The respondents declare that the hygiene and pro­fessionals` qualification of unconventional services providers could be improved. Fifty-four percent of the respondents acknowledge and accept the relevance of unconventional treatment methods. At the same time, the respondents declare that the unconventional methods should be applied by profes­sionals. Conclusion: Faculty members have a positive attitude towards the unconventional treatment meth­ods, applied by professionals. This may serve as a prerequisite for the introduction and development of academic courses as a step to the better control and quality of the unconventional treatment servic­es, provided to the public.

<strong>Kosiecz Anna, Taczała Jolanta, Zdzienicka-Chyła Agnieszka, Woszczyńska Małgorzata, Chrościńska – Krawczyk Magdalena. </strong><strong>The Level of Physical Fitness and Everyday Activities vs. Sensory Integration Processing Disorders in Preschool Children – Preliminary Findings</strong><strong>. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2019;9(6):319-</strong><strong>3</strong><strong>24</strong><strong>. eISNN 2391-8306. DOI </strong><strong>http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3247264</strong> <strong>http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/7032</strong> <strong>The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26/01/2017).</strong> <strong>1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7</strong> <strong>© The Authors 2019;</strong> <strong>This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland</strong> <strong>Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike.</strong> <strong>(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.</strong> <strong>The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.</strong> <strong>Received: 05.05.2019. Revised: 25.05.2019. Accepted: 17.06.2019.</strong> <strong>The Level of Physical Fitness and Everyday Activities vs. Sensory Integration Processing Disorders in Preschool Children – Preliminary Findings</strong> <strong>Anna Kosiecz¹, Jolanta Taczała², Agnieszka Zdzienicka-Chyła³, Małgorzata Woszczyńska⁴, Magdalena Chrościńska – Krawczyk⁵</strong> ¹Children’s Neurology Clinic, Third Department of Paediatrics of the Medical University of Lublin, Institute of Physiotherapy of the University Children’s Hospital in Lublin, Prof. Gębali Street 6, 20-093 Lublin, e-mail: kosiecz.anna@gmail.com ORCID: 0000-0002-2569-1034 2 Institute of Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Department of Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy and Balneotherapy, Medical University of Lublin, Children’s Rehabilitation Ward of the University Children’s Hospital in Lublin, Prof. Gębali Street 6, 20-093 Lublin, e-mail: jolantataczala@umlub.pl ORCID: 0000-0001-9579-8964 ³Institute of Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Department of Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy and Balneotherapy, Medical University of Lublin, Institute of Physiotherapy of the University Children’s Hospital in Lublin, Prof. Gębali Street 6, 20-093 Lublin, e-mail: agnieszka.zdzienicka@interia.pl ORCID: 0000-0003-4161-7616 ⁴Institute of Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Department of Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy and Balneotherapy, Magnoliowa Street 2, 20-400 Lublin ⁵Children’s Neurology Clinic, Third Department of Paediatrics of the Medical University of Lublin, e-mail: magdalenachk@wp.pl, Prof. Gębali Street 6, 20-093 Lublin, ORCID: 0000-0001-8121-6580 ABSTRACT Introduction: Sensory integration processing is defined as organization and interpretation of stimuli reaching the organism. The correctly functioning nervous system interprets sensory impressions, which enables development of awareness of one’s own body and of the surrounding environment. Sensory processing disorders can have a significant impact on the child’s functioning. Aim: The objective of the research was to answer the question whether sensory integration processing disorders in preschool children have an influence on their physical fitness and everyday activities. The research covered a group of 60 preschool children. The studied group comprised 30 children with diagnosed sensory processing disorders, while the control group consisted of 30 children with no disorders diagnosed. Results: The results achieved demonstrate lower physical fitness of children from the studied group and problems with performing everyday activities. The tasks connected with speed and agility were the most problematic. Among everyday activities, the most difficult were: cycling, ball catching, getting dressed and descending stairs. Knowledge of sensory integration processing disorders helps understand problems in the child’s functioning and provides an opportunity to intervene in the form of the sensory integration therapy. Key words: sensory integration, physical fitness, everyday activities, preschool age

Collateral meridian therapy (CMT) is a recent developed technique according to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) experiences; it differs from traditional Chinese acupuncture (TCA) in many ways. In addition to TCA, CMT offers an alternative for different types of pain management. This article introduces the theory of CMT, acupoints localization, general treatment protocol principle, and some published reports. CMT is developed by Dr. Shan-Chih Ko, he combined the TCM and Western medicine, by using two-point acupressure technique, manipulating the control C-point and treatment functional F-point. CMT differs from TCA in three major points. CMT follows a standard formulated treatment protocols, instead of individual experiences in TCA. Secondly, CMT is based on a two-point acupressure maneuver on the C-point and F-point rather than manipulation of a single point as advocated by TCA. The third, CMT provides a standard set of 108 acupoints, instead of 361 in TCA. It allows redistribution of body energy, ”Qi”, from one meridian to another in order to augment or remove the unbalanced ”Qi”. CMT has been used effectively in our pain clinic to treat musculoskeletal pain and even intractable pains. Dr. Ko simplifies the theory and technique that makes CMT easy to learn and perform, by using English letters, it can be used world-widely. The role of CMT in pain management is promising for both acute and chronic pains. Randomized controlled trials are needed to strengthen its scientific evidence.

The aim was to examine the effects of Balneotherapy (BT) on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) and to evaluate its clinical reliability in daily practice. The study was planned as a randomized, controlled, single-blind study. 240 patients were divided into two groups. All received a 2-week, 5-day-per-week, 10-session physical therapy (PT) programme. One group additionally received BT. Demographic data was collected. Arterial BP and HR were measured and recorded before and after the every session. The BT+PT group had a higher incidence of side effects (p<0.05). While systolic BP (SBP) decreased between the first and eighth day measurements in the BT+PT group, it increased on the second, fifth, and tenth days (p<0.05). SBP values in the PT group were higher at the third day and on days one through ten (p>0.05). Diastolic BP (DBP) increased at many measurement points in the PT group, but not in the BT+PT group (p>0.05). HR increased over time in both groups, and the sixth day measurement in the PT group was higher than in the BT+PT group (p<0.05). Slope analysis showed significant changes in SBP and DBP. The improved BP and HR values resulting from BT and PT applications show that these can prevent cardiovascular disease and prolong life. BT is safe when used by a qualified physician, especially in comorbid individuals.

Aromatherapy is the practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical wellbeing. Aromatherapy is a therapeutic remedy that has helped millions of people down the years. Aromatherapy has a variety of helpful properties, which include antibiotic, antiseptic, anti-infl ammatory, antifungal agents and so on. Essential oils, unlike prescription drugs, work only on those areas that are ‘broken’, which means they do not go on the healthy tissues and work there. Th ey travel around the body, look for illnesses and target those alone. Aromatherapy is often used in conjunction with massage therapy, acupuncture, refl exology, herbology and other holistic healing therapies. Key words: Essential oils, steam distillation, inhalation

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of different acupuncture and moxibustion techniques as adjunctive therapy in addressing Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction (PGD) associated with gastric cancer (GC). Eight medical databases were comprehensively searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as of October 2024. A network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed using frequency models, combining all available direct and indirect evidence from RCTs. Time of first bowel sounds (TFBS) was set as the primary outcome, and time to first defecation (TFD) and time to first flatus (TFF) were set as the secondary outcomes. All outcomes were ranked using surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) probabilities to determine a hierarchy of treatments, and the probability that the intervention will be in one of the top ranks increases with a higher SUCRA value. With 28 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 2,459 patients, 18 of which involved adjuvant acupuncture treatments. NMA based on SUCRA rankings showed that routine care (RC) with acupuncture (ACU), with acupressure (ACUP), with moxibustion (MOX) and acupoint injection (AI) were the top-ranked therapies for shortening TFBS and TFF in patients with GC compared with RC; additionally, RC + MOX + CUP and RC + MOX were the relatively best therapies for TFD. No serious adverse events were reported in the studies assessing the safety of adjunctive acupuncture therapy. Our study found that ST36, ST37, ST39, and PC6 were the most commonly used acupoints for adjuvant acupuncture treatments in treating PGD associated with GC. Acupuncture and moxibustion, when used as supplementary therapies, demonstrated efficacy and relative safety in managing PGD associated with GC. The recommended order for adjunctive acupuncture- and moxibustion-related therapies for PGD in patients with GC, in terms of conservativeness, is as follows: RC + ACU, RC + MOX + AI, RC + ACUP, RC + MOX + CUP and RC + MOX. Despite their inclusion, the overall methodological quality of the studies was poor, which need for further high-quality randomized controlled trials to support existing results. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO.

Efficacy of Combining Acupuncture and Physical Therapy for the Management of Patients With Frozen Shoulder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Acupressure, the use of fingers rather than needles (as in acupuncture) to press on various points in the body, has received increasing attention as an alternative pain therapy. In this study, Taiwanese investigators randomized 129 adult patients with low back pain lasting longer than 4 …

<strong>Objective:</strong> Maternal mental health is one of the most important indicators of pregnancy health. Anxiety and stress affect maternal and fetal outcomes. The present review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of certain complementary medicine methods in reducing pregnancy anxiety. <strong>Evidence Acquisition:</strong> Data source in this review was related to articles searched in local scientific databases and international databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar. Search for articles was done by using keywords of pregnancy anxiety, complementary medicine, acupuncture and acupressure, aromatherapy, spiritual therapy, and psychotherapy without any time limitations. At the end of the search, out of 165 obtained articles, 70 were reviewed. Exclusion criteria were irrelevant research studies, inadequate data in the study, lack of access to the full text of articles, animal studies, editorial studies, and reports. <strong>Results:</strong> Aromatherapy, acupressure, relaxation training skills, maternal, fetal, and neonatal attachment techniques, psychotherapy, and spiritual therapy have been employed in different studies to control pregnancy anxiety. These methods had significant and measurable effects on reducing and controlling maternal anxiety during pregnancy, and in some studies, they improved neonatal growth and development indices. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The efficiency of complementary medicine along with the use of therapeutic techniques in classical medicine can provide a new model for reducing the anxiety of pregnant women. It is recommended that health care planners use this integrated, easy-to-use, cost-effective approach so as to reduce the anxiety of pregnant mothers.

Introduction: Lateral epicondylitis (LE) syndrome affects 1–3% of adults, and the effectiveness of non-invasive treatments remains unclear. Laser acupuncture (LA) may relieve pain as a less invasive alternative to other treatments, while physical therapy can help reduce stress on the tendons. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the potential effect of combining LA with physical therapy in patients with LE syndrome. Methods: The pilot study used a single group with 30 LE patients, who were treated by LA combined with physiotherapy exercise for four weeks. Pain levels were measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and elbow motion was assessed using a goniometer to measure the range of motion (ROM) from February to September 2024. The VAS and ROM have been compared before treatment and after treatment. Results: After 4 weeks of treatment, VAS pain scores significantly decreased from 70 mm (60–70) to 30 mm (30–40) (p&lt;0.001). Elbow ROM extension decreased from 8 (5.7–10) to 0 (0–1) (p&lt;0.001), and Elbow ROM flexion improved from 138.5 (134.2–140) to 142 (140–144) (p=0.002). No side effects were observed during the study. Conclusions: After four weeks, the combination of LA and physiotherapy exercises significantly reduced pain and improved ROM (extension and flexion) with no adverse events reported. This combined treatment offers potential analgesic effects for LE with no side effects.

Japan imports 6.3 MMT of wheat annually and consumes almost 35 percent of this in the form of noodles. The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that evaluates the preferences of Japanese millers for the various characteristics of wheat and flour that are used in noodle making in Japan. The study used stated preference methodologies (SPM), that were developed and pre-tested through initial interviews with Japanese flour millers. In total, 57 purchase and quality managers for 22 Japanese milling companies were surveyed by means of direct interviews and 41 respondents completed the full SPM survey. Multinomial logit models of millers' preferences were developed and tested and the parameter estimates of these are reported in the paper. This elicited their choices of wheat and flour with alternative combinations of characteristics, at specified levels, for various wheat classes and noodle flours. Data were also collected on stated choices for wheat sourced from different origins. Millers prefer wheat with test weights of minimum 80, dockage below 0.4 percent and falling numbers above 250. Preferences for protein, ash and color were specific for different wheat classes and for use in different noodle flours. Millers also display a preference for amylograph at minimum of 400 BU for noodle flour. For hard wheat millers preferred wheat of U.S. and Canadian origin, but for semi-hard and medium wheat, they preferred Australian origin wheat. These results may assist wheat breeders and traders in exporting nations in marketing their products and positioning these in this important and premium wheat market.

Acupuncture and acupressure for post‐chemotherapy fatigue – we have only just begun

Background: primary dysmenorrhea is one of the most common gynecologic disorders affecting more than half of menstruating women that interferes with daily activities. Some studies have found alternative methods such as acupuncture, acupressure, stimulation, massage, aromatherapy and ginger to be fairly effective for treatment of dysmenorrhea. Ginger is a spice that has traditionally been treated as medicine. So, ginger powder was used to assess its effect on dysmenorrhea among nursing students. Material & Methods: sample of 60 nursing students from selected nursing colleges, 30 each in experimental group and control group were selected by non-probability purposive sampling technique. Subjective and objective assessment of level of dysmenorrhea wer done by using modified mcgill pain questionnaire and standardized wong bakers faces pain rating scale respectively. Analysis was done by using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: findings showed that according to subjective assessment in experimental group, 100% nursing students had mild level of pain, whereas in control group, 46.67% had mild level of pain, On the other hand, according to objective assessment in experimental group 66.7% had mild level of pain whereas in control group 56.7% had moderate pain. Results were found statistically significant at p < 0.01 level in experimental group on both subjective and objective assessment. Conclusion: study reveals that there was impact of ginger powder on dysmenorrhea among nursing students in experimental group.

Introduction: Balneotherapy has been defined recently as the use of natural mineral waters for medical purposes such as prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. This study aims to present and discuss the benefits of balneotherapy in the pathology of the otorhinolaryngology field. Materials and Methods: We performed a systematic review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and using the 5S model of evidence based on information services, described by Haynes. Moreover, we consulted relevant websites of several medical hydrology associations. Results: Nowadays, we have evidence for application of balneotherapy in diseases of ear, nose and throat. The most consistent findings consider the therapeutic role of sulfurous and salty waters on rhinitis and sinusitis in children and adults. Moreover, balneotherapy could also be used after functional endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis. Other notable role is the improvement of audiometric parameters in children with otitis media with effusion. Conclusions: The balneotherapy has proven scientific evidence and could be an excellent guideline therapeutic option. However, more randomized and controlled studies are needed.

The paradigm shift from the longstanding “2+2” medical school model to a contemporary curriculum aimed at competencies in clinical reasoning and decision making has challenged medical educators to consider pedagogical and content reform. The integrated curriculum model is an attempt at reform. To date, the outcome of the paradigm shift is uncertain. From a curriculum development view, there is no shortage of desired curricular content; there are time restraints. With the advent of open sources and virtual technologies specific to anatomy, costs of operating human anatomy laboratories, and curricular demands for truncated time dedicated to anatomical foundation, our institution has implemented a variety of curricular and co‐curricular initiatives for multiple learners to engage with anatomy in active learning settings. Most of the initiatives take advantage of collaborative learning between learners from different disciplines and all emphasize the value of understanding cadaveric anatomy from a functional approach to focus on diagnostic reasoning. Examples of three successful curricular initiatives include: 1) Diagnostic imaging of our Silent Mentors. Diagnostic Imaging (DI) students who have completed a Human Anatomy course, prepare CT scans of Silent Mentors (cadaver donors) for students taking Human Anatomy courses in Occupational Therapy (OT), Pathology Assistant (PathA), Physical Therapy (PT), Physician Assistant (PA), and for 1 st year medical students in system blocks of the undergraduate medical education (UME) curriculum. The scans are used for horizontal and vertical integration of sectional anatomy. 2) PathA students who have completed a Human Anatomy course return to the lab to partner with 1 st year medical students on a 6‐month pathology project. 3) Students taking 4 th year electives in medical education or pathology have the option to return to the human anatomy laboratory. Examples of three successful co‐curricular initiatives include: 1) A series of interprofessional case‐based continuing medical education courses with a dissection component. Practicing clinicians and students from medicine, nursing, OT, PA, and PT review a patient case and share discipline‐specific perspectives. 2) IPE60. A peer learning strategy modeled after collegiate athlete “power hours”. Theme‐based series of one‐hour study groups of medical and PT students in the human anatomy lab. 3) Pipeline programs. Anatomy modules delivered by faculty and healthcare profession students interprofessionally or discipline‐specific to local high school and college students. Assessment of curricular initiatives support their utility of meeting learning objectives with a high degree of student satisfaction.