Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Charles University, Czech Republic Student: Zuzana Maršálková Tutor: PharmDr. Jitka Pokladníková, Ph.D. Title of Diploma Thesis: PATIENTS' EXPERIENCES WITH ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT III Background: Acupuncture becomes more popular in Czech Republic where study concerning patients' experiences and opinions with this treating method hasn't been carried out yet. Aim: To assess patients' experiences with acupuncture focusing on the patients' expected effect before, during and after treatment, on the potential change in expectations during treatment and on its potential effect on treatment outcomes, and on the evaluation of the truly perceived therapeutic effect. Methods: Using semistructured questionnaires, we led interviews with selected patients in the period from 19. 9. 2015 to 18. 5. 2016. Rewritten dialogues were afterwards coded in MAXQDA 12 and evaluated using the content analysis method. Results: Content analysis identified topics related to the expected and actual effect of acupuncture. It involved symptoms of migraine before and after treatment, treatment beliefs and expectations before, after and during treatment, recognition of therapeutic effect, adverse effects and benefit in patients' life. Patients had...

Charles University, Czech Republic, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Student: Lucie Kameníková Tutor: PharmDr. Jitka Pokladníková, Ph.D. Title of Diploma Thesis: Patients' experience with acupuncture treatment Background: Acupuncture, as well as other methods used in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), are on the rise. So far, there has not been a study conducted in the Czech Republic which describes patients' awareness and experience with acupuncture and other CAM methods and their attitudes to future use of these methods after having been treated with them. Aim: The aim of the thesis was to evaluate the experience of patients suffering from migraines with acupuncture. The areas covered were the patients' awareness of acupuncture, their motivation to try acupuncture as an alternative treatment method, their experience with other CAM methods as well as the likelihood of them undergoing another acupuncture treatment in the future. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with selected patients were conducted between September 19th 2015 and May 18th 2016. The interviews were coded in MAXQDA 12 programme and then evaluated using the content analysis method. Results: The thesis identifies topics connected to patients' awareness of CAM including acupuncture. It also defines the reasons for...

UTILIZATION OF ACUPUNCTURE IN THE TREATMENT OF ADULT PATIENTS Student: Lucie Vorlová Tutor: PharmDr. Helena Marešová Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University in Prague, Czech republic Background: Diploma thesis was created on the basis of searching for new treatment possibilities based on rediscovered old traditional eastern medicine. The thesis considers alternative treatments, specifically acupuncture, and its application in the Czech Republic from the patient's perspective and provides an overview of basic knowledge about acupuncture. Aim: The main objective of this study was to find out, what is the therapeutic use of acupuncture in adult patients. Aim of subtask was to evaluate overall opinion and attitude of patients to the entire area of complementary and alternative medicine. Methods: The survey was focused on patients, who are using acupuncture for treatment regardless of gender, age and education. For data collection was chosen method questionnaire survey. The first questionnaire that was related to acupuncture was filled by 162 respondents. The survey, which was devoted to the alternative medicine, was attended by 132 patients. The obtained data was subjected to frequency analysis and further calculation of confidence...

Title: Possibilities of Usage of the Electrotherapy Currents in Electropuncture. Defining the problem: Elektropuncture is a therapeutic method that uses electric current to the stimulation of acupuncture points or projections on the surface of the body. Because it is an alternative method of treatment, some specialists as well as nonprofessionals don't acknowledge the electropuncture as an effective method of treatment. My thesis is focused on issues elektropuncture approach and on evaluation of its therapeutic effectiveness and usefulness in the field of physical therapy by using low- frequency currents. Objectives of work: The aim is to bring the issue of the use of low-frequency currents in elektropuncture and to describe in detail the currents, which can be used, to evaluate and to process the resources available in the literature to find a scientific evidence of its therapeutic effectiveness and use elektropuncture in physiotherapy. Method of solution: In my thesis, there will be processed all available sources of information about the electroacupuncture, elektropuncture, acupuncture and alternative medicine, physiotherapy, electrotherapy, low-frequency currents. I draw upon the English, Czech, Slovak and German publications. No particular publication will be an earlier release than the 1980th...

DIPLOMA THESIS: The impact of acupuncture on heart rate variability in patients with migraine SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PHARMACY DEPARTMENT, FACULTY OF PHARMACY IN HRADEC KRÁLOVÉ, CHARLES UNIVERSITY IN PRAGUE AUTHOR: Kateřina Jehličková SUPERVISOR: PharmDr. Jitka Pokladníková, Ph.D. INTRODUCTION: Migraine is one of the most common diseases that affects up to 25% of human adult worldwide. The popularity of alternative therapeutic method is increasing, in this case namely acupuncture, currently between 11-46% globally, 4-9,9% respectively. OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of this work is to evaluate if acupuncture has any effect on HRV in patients with migraine. Secondary goal is to find out which psychosocial factors may influance HRV parameter changes. METHODOLOGY: HRV measurment was performed before acupuncture and after 12 weeks of acupuncture therapy. At first, results were processed in KUBIOS software which is specially designed for the study of heart rate variability and the needed parameters. Then the statistical analysis of a paired t-test (p=0,05) and linear regression (p=0,1) were done in SPSS software. MIDAS questionnaire (quality of life in patients with migraine), life satisfaction questionnaire (Satisfaction with Life Scale, SWLS) and The Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) were used to determine factors...

The effects of acupuncture on mental wellbeing in chronically ill patients Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University in Prague Student: Anna Šteflová Tutor: PharmDr. Jitka Pokladníková, Ph.D. Introduction: Demand of patients for the Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Czech Republic is raising and therefore it is necessary to critically evaluate its benefit for specific diagnoses, so that it would be possible to draw conclusions about its use in clinical practice. Objective: To evaluate influence of acupuncture with other methods of TCM on wellbeing and subjective level of pain in patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Methods: Wellbeing of patients before and after TCM therapy was assessed using validated questionnaire WEMWBS (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) and subjective level of pain before and after TCM therapy was determined using VAS (Visual Analogue Scale). The changes of wellbeing and subjective level of pain were evaluated first for the whole set of patients with musculoskeletal disorders and subsequently for the subsets of patients divided by the type of musculoskeletal disorder (according to International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) and by the intensity of pain at the beginning of the...

The effects of acupuncture on mental wellbeing in chronically ill patients II Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University in Prague Student: Ivana Chuová Tutor: PharmDr. JitkaPokladníková, Ph.D Introduction: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including acupuncture, is widely used in the treatment of chronically ill patients, whose numbers are increasing. This treatment is widely used either alone or as a supplementary method. Though, more attention should be given to the research of TCM effectiveness in studies. Objective: To assess the effect of selected sociodemographic and clinical variables such as age, gender, size of residence, type of musculoskeletal disorders and concomitant use of Chinese phytotherapy on the alteration in personal well-being and pain in patients with musculoskeletal disorders, who underwent the acupuncture therapy at the Czech-Chinese Centre of TCM University Hospital Hradec Králové (FNHK). Methods: The Evaluation of patients' personal well-being from the data obtained by using WEMWBS and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questionnaires. The patients were undergoing therapy at the Czech-Chinese TCM FNHK Centre. The process of the Data collection from questionnaires took place in the period from 7 April 2017 to 12...

Diploma thesis "Alternative medicine in the specialized media and reflections of these phenomena in the selected mainstream press media" is researching specialized magazines with content oriented on alternative medicine emerging in the 90's of the previous century and in one case in the beginning of the 21st century. Thesis specifically examinates magazines - social magazine Reflex (on account of alternative medicine materials in the 1990 and 1991), Regena ( 1990 and 1991), Regenerace (1993 and 1994) and Meduňka (2004). In their first years magazines are described from historical and content perspective and in the same time they are contrasted with the topical volume of their predecessors (except of Reflex magazine). Another part of thesis is dedicated to observing two important czech daily papers - Mladá fronta / Mladá fronta Dnes and Lidové noviny (at the same observed periods). All five volumes of both periodicals contained numerous references which proves attractivity of these themes for society as a whole. While the analysis of specialized magazines was dealing with form by which are people interested in alternative medicine, reading of Mladá fronta / Mladá fronta Dnes and Lidové noviny evaluated general attitude of media to reader mostly uninitiated to these matters.

Title: Manual techniques based on the theory of fascial chains Objectives: The aim of this thesis is to summerize academic findings and information about anatomy, histology, neurophysiology and biomechanical properties of fascial tissue from the latest research and studies in the theoretical part. Analytical and descriptive part is firstly focused on principles of tissue remodeling, mechanism of myofascial therapy effects and on diagnostic methods which are available for evaluation of structure, properties and function of fascia. The main goal is to describe and compare different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of most known authors based on various theories of fascial chains. Another important purpose of this work is to demonstrate the objective effect of particular fascial techniques and manual therapies. Methods: This thesis is theoretical work with the purpose of summerizing, organizing and analyzing relevant studies related to the topic through the literary research in available academic databases. Results: The key information concerning structure and properties of fascial tissue have been collected and analyzed according to the latest fascial researches. This thesis describes three best known and widely used approaches which concern the theory of fascial chains and practical outfall...

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been common practice for many years, and part of the treatment plan of several million patients in the world. This includes areas such as Great Britain, USA, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland and China. However, its possibilities in the territory of the Czech Republic are limited and insufficiently mapped (the area of practicing TCM for non-medical education practitioners). The thesis analyzes the current situation of doctors and practitioners applying TCM in the territory of the Czech Republic compared to other countries where TCM has been successfully established within the health system for many years. It also aims to find out how doctors and practitioners advocate their focus, what reasons they present for treatment with the TCM and how they deal with the criticism of their colleagues from the West. The work will include findings on why conventional physicians are heading towards Eastern medicine. Due to the debate of the topic, the thesis will continue to deal with the legislative anchoring of TCM in the laws of the Czech Republic and the world. The theoretical part of the thesis presents basic concepts related to the history and philosophy of the TCM. It also describes methods of diagnostics, treatment and pillars that the TCM supports...