Research Roundup
"Research Roundup" presents examples of NCCAM-funded research recently published in peer-reviewed journals listed in the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database.
Health Beliefs and Behaviors Related to Asthma in a Specific Group
Sickness, disability, and death from asthma occur at a significantly higher rate in certain minority populations than in Caucasians. A team led by Maureen George, Ph.D., R.N., of The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, carried out an observational study of CAM use for asthma in a small group of patients (28) who were African American, mostly women with low incomes, and living in an inner city. All participants were recruited from an asthma clinic and had prescription drug coverage.
Among the researchers' findings were that
- The participants routinely used CAM to manage their asthma (mostly whole medical systems and biologically based therapies)
- They felt CAM was safe, effective, and potentially curative
- Some engaged in risky behaviors with CAM--for example, ingesting over-the-counter remedies at much higher levels than recommended or in unusual ways (such as taking camphor internally), or turning to CAM instead of conventional treatment
- Trust in the health care provider was key in whether they accepted and used prescription asthma therapy.
The authors believe that insights from a study of this type could lead to larger studies and, potentially, improvements in care and treatment.
Journal of General Internal Medicine, December 2006
Self-Hypnosis for Women Having Breast Biopsy
A study by Elvira V. Lang, M.D., of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, and colleagues found that women who used a guided self-hypnotic relaxation procedure while they were having a core needle breast biopsy experienced anxiety relief and less pain when compared with standard care. The participants (236 women) were randomly assigned to receive either self-hypnosis, structured empathic attention from a research assistant, or standard care during their biopsy--an outpatient procedure that often produces anxiety and in which the use of anesthetic must be limited. The researchers found that the women's anxiety increased significantly in the standard care group, stayed about the same in the empathic attention group, and was significantly reduced in the hypnosis group. Pain increased steeply in all three groups, but less so in the empathy and hypnosis groups. Neither of the latter two interventions increased biopsy time or significantly increased cost. The researchers suggest that the hypnosis intervention in particular appears to be an attractive option for outpatient pain management.
Pain, December 2006
HIV: Combining Drugs and Biologically Based CAM Therapies
Many physicians (about two-thirds, according to one study) who treat HIV patients believe that CAM can be helpful to their patients. But CAM in the form of natural health products (NHPs, the term used by these authors) can change how therapeutic, and how toxic, antiretroviral drugs are in the body. Using NHPs and drugs together is a common practice among HIV patients and is often without the physician's knowledge.
Lawrence S. Lee, M.D., of The Johns Hopkins University Department of Medicine, and colleagues reviewed the literature on these interactions--more specifically, between drugs and St. John's wort, milk thistle, garlic, vitamins, goldenseal, echinacea, and several other supplements. "NHPs are not inert substances," they write, "and there are clear examples of clinically significant interactions with [antiretroviral] agents that may be beneficial or harmful to patients." They also note few rigorous studies on NHPs, a need for more research, and that NHPs are not well standardized and thus vary greatly.
Clinical Infectious Diseases, October 15, 2006
