Although Tianjiu Therapy in Sanfu Days (三伏天灸) is extensively being used for the treatment of asthma in Mainland China, there is a lack of convincing evidence to support its efficacy to expand its clinical application into asthma treatment. This study incorporated two related studies, the first was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with an aim to evaluate the efficacy of Tianjiu Therapy in Sanfu Days for patients suffering from chronic asthma. The second was a self-control clinical efficacy observation study aiming to compare the efficacy of 2 courses Tianjiu Therapy with 1 course such treatment in order to find the optimal duration of Tianjiu Therapy. In the first study, 323 patients with chronic asthma were randomly assigned to Tianjiu Therapy group (n=165), and placebo group (n=158). There was no significant difference in primary and secondary outcome as compared with placebo group at the end of 3rd treatment and four times follow ups. But sub-analysis of secondary outcome in four times follow ups showed that Tianjiu Therapy significantly reduced the proportion of participants who didn’t need medical treatment during asthma attack increased from 6% to 15% at 1st follow up and 0% to 7% at 3rd follow up (P<0.05). In addition, Tianjiu Therapy was significantly superior to placebo in reducing the percentage of participants who were susceptibly waken up by asthma symptoms from 27% to 14%, and the percentage of participants who had the symptom of running nose and sneezing before onset from 18% to 8% at 2nd follow up ( P<0.05). Improvements also occurred with treatment group, it reduced the proportion of participants who were spontaneous sweating at 3rd follow up (P<0.05). In the second study, totally 102 patients received two courses of Tianjiu Therapy (3 sessions Tianjiu Therapy in a year constituted one course of treatment). After treatment, the number of symptoms which were associated with Chinese Medicine added by 1.38 points (95% CI, 0.25 to 2.51), 2.93±0.41 in the 1 course group and 4.31±0.41 in the 2 courses group (P<0.05). The number of days with asthma-related symptoms increased by 3.05 points (95% CI, 0.37 to 5.73), 1.98±0.96 in 1 course group and 5.03±0.96 in 2 courses group (P<0.05). But both 1 course and 2 courses Tianjiu Therapy as compared with baseline (didn’t receive Tianjiu Therapy at this time point) have a significant improvement in the most outcome measurements. From study 1, it was found that Tianjiu Therapy significantly decreased the need for pharmaceuticals to control asthma and improved the quality of participants’ life after one course Tianjiu Therapy. Study 2 indicated that although 2 courses Tianjiu Therapy was not as effective as 1 course Tianjiu Therapy in the treatment of asthma, both 1 course and 2 courses Tianjiu Therapy provided a significant improvement as compared with baseline. It was still unknown the optimal duration of Tianjiu Therapy, so it was worth to conduct the third course or more Sanfutianjiu Thearpy in future. / published_or_final_version / Chinese Medicine / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-112). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xiii, 112 leaves, bound col. ill. 29 cm

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-75). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / ix, 75 leaves, bound 29 cm

Herbal and homeopathic compounds have been used to aid in childbearing and pregnancy for centuries. Much of this information is anecdotal and lacks scientific support, making it difficult to evaluate safety and efficacy. Increased public interest in alternative treatments leads to the need for a systematic review on the topic. Herbal remedies are most often used to treat the most common pregnancy-related problems like nausea, stretch marks and varicose veins. In contrast to this, concerns have also been raised about the adverse effects of these remedies. The primary objective of this research project was to conduct a systematic review to assess the maternal and neonatal outcomes of ingested herbal and homeopathic remedies using during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.

Thesis (MNutr (Human Nutrition))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / Objective: To determine the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among adult HIV positive patients in an outpatient setting. Design: A prospective, observational study performed on patients diagnosed with HIV. The study was conducted from July 2005 to November 2005. Setting: An Outpatient clinic at the Department of Sexual Health (DOSH), Whipps Cross University Hospital, London. Subjects: All patients diagnosed with HIV at the DOSH were approached to participate in the project. Data on patients not using CAM and incomplete questionnaires were not used in the data analysis process. Outcomes measures: The outcome measures include the prevalence of CAM use, reasons for using CAM therapies and monthly expenditure with CAM therapies, sources of information about CAM therapies, disclosure of CAM therapy use, knowledge regarding antiretroviral therapy and CAM therapy drug interactions.

The search for cheap, non toxic and readily available antidiabetic drugs has been a challenge for researchers and the pharmaceutical industries. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by defects in the synthesis of insulin and/or insensitivity to the action of insulin at the target cells. The disease has been on the increase mostly in developing countries where large proportions of the population have little access to good medical care due to either accessibility or non availability of synthetic drugs. This has led to the use of medicinal plants to treat diabetes because it is safe, cheap and with few side effects. There is little scientific evidence on the dosages, active compounds, mechanisms of action and toxicity of these traditionally used plants. Two of the most frequently used plants; Albuca setosa and Albuca bracteata were investigated in this study. The qualitative analysis of different extractions of these plants revealed the presence of phenolics, alkaloids, tannins and saponins. The antioxidant properties of aqueous, acetone and methanollic extracts of Albuca setosa and Albuca bracteata were investigated using models such as Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2, 2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), Ferric ion reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2). Both plants revealed inhibitions against DPPH in a concentration - dependent manner with Albuca setosa (0.330 mg/ml) showing higher activity than Albuca bracteata (0.647 mg/ml) determined from the IC50. The aqueous extract of Albuca setosa showed a higher inhibition against DPPH radical compared to the Albuca bracteata aqueous extract at all concentrations investigated. The isolated saponins from Albuca bracteata had a higher DPPH scavenging activity than the crude methanolic extract of the plant in a concentration - dependent manner but are significantly different from each other at 0.4, 0.6 and 1.0 mg/ml only. The IC50 of the saponins was also observed to be higher than the crude extracts and standards.The Albuca setosa aqueous extract showed a higher percentage inhibition of ABTS radicals than Albuca bracteata at all the concentrations investigated. Overall, the Albuca setosa aqueous extract (0.0809 mg/ml) showed maximum activity against ABTS radicals. The iron reducing power was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the methanolic extract of both plants compared to the aqueous counterpart. Overall, the Albuca bracteata aqueous extract (0.344 mg/ml) showed maximum activity as indicated by the IC50. The aqueous extracts of both plants also revealed percentage inhibitions in a concentration - dependent manner against NO2. The aqueous extract of Albuca bracteata bulb was more active against nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide inhibition. In this study, the cytotoxicity of the extracts was evaluated at a high dose of 100 μg/ml on Chang liver cells and determined using MTT, crystal violet, glucose consumption, lactate production and lactate dehydrogenase release and FRAP. The aqueous extracts of both Albuca setosa and Albuca bracteata were non-toxic on Chang liver cells at the concentrations investigated. The MTT revealed that the aqueous extract of Albuca setosa bulb had the optimum cell viability of 108.09 percent while the acetonic extract of Albuca bracteata showed the least cell viability (37.72 percent) compared with the control. The crystal violet test also revealed the acetone extract of Albuca bracteata to have the least percentage of cell viability at 31.47 percent, while the aqueous extract of Albuca setosa showed the maximum cell viability at 112.5 percent. The aqueous extracts of both plants showed higher percentage cell density on the second day of incubation from the proliferation assay. All the tested samples were observed to consume more glucose than the blank except for the methanollic and acetone extracts of Albuca bracteata bulb. The aqueous and methanolic extracts of Albuca setosa bulbs produced the highest lactate with 120.2 μg/ml and 113.7 μg/ml respectively. The acetone extracts of both Albuca setosa and Albuca bracteata revealed toxicity with a higher lactate dehydrogenase release compared to the control.

Background: Neurodegenerative diseases (NDD) are very common in the aging population, of which Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer disease (AD) are the two most common. Since the etiology of the neuronal death in these diseases remains unclear, currently no curative therapy is available. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat certain diseases, which based on their symptoms we now know that they are included PD and AD, for thousands of years. However, our pervious systematic review reports that the quality of current TCM clinical trials related to this area had limited internal validity due to methodological flaws and insufficient data reporting. Methods: This study includes two add-on double-blinded randomized controlled trials (RCT), PD full-scale study and AD pilot study. It aims to provide evidence for the efficacy and safety of two specific TCM decoctions, Jia-Wei-Liu-Jun-Zi Tang (JWLJZT) and Di-tan decoction (DTD) in treating PD and AD, respectively. These clinical trials follow the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) as well as the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines on Good Clinical Practice (GCP). Also, this two RCT obtained the approval from the Human and Animal Research Ethics Committee of Hong Kong Baptist University before the study and registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. Result: In the PD trial, 111 idiopathic PD patients were randomly assigned to receive either JWLJZT or placebo for 32 weeks. Although there was not significant difference in the primary outcome of Movement Disorder Society Sponsored Revision of Unified PD Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part I total score (p = 0.216), significant improvements was observed in the secondary outcome of Non-motor symptom assessment scale for Parkinson’s disease (NMSS) total score (p = 0.019), subtype of mood/cognition (p = 0.005) and hallucinations (p = 0.024). In addition, post-hoc analysis showed a significant reduction in constipation (p < 0.001). On the other hand, 40 AD patients were randomly assigned to receive either DTD or placebo for 24 weeks in the AD trial. There was an improvement trend in the primary outcome of the cognitive subscale of Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog) total score in the DTD group though the difference relative to the placebo group was not statistically significant (p = 0.315). No significant difference was found in the secondary outcomes. Adverse events were mild and comparable between treatment and placebo groups in both trials. Discussion: JWLJZT did show some improvement in non-motor symptoms, including mood, cognition, and constipation, in PD patients, while, DTD did show a reducing trend in the cognitive impairment based on rigorous RCT. Further study focusing on the effective dosage, pharmacologic mechanism of JWLJZT and DTD are needed to give a fuller picture as well as better support for using them in human being as a routine treatment. In fact, JWLJZT and DTD are the only two examples of TCM for treating NDD. These two clinical trials are served as examples of how to evaluate efficacy and safety of TCM for the treatment of various diseases using rigorous RCT methods and standard. Keywords: Randomized Controlled Trials, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer disease, Traditional Chinese medicine, Jia-Wei-Liu-Jun-Zi Tang, Di-tan decoction, Efficacy, Safety

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) / It is estimated that more than 29% of South African men and 56% of women are overweight or obese (Goedecke et al., 2005). Obesity can be classified as a chronic disease, with a number of detrimental health consequences, including the risk of developing insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and hypertension (Beers et al., 2006). Conventional treatments for weight loss exist, but their use may be associated with unwanted side effects (Beers et al., 1999). While herbal medications are considered safer by many people, in general, studies of herbal medicinal products have been too few, of limited duration and small sample size (Mattsson and Nilsson, 2002). This indicates that further research into herbal weight loss treatments, with minimal or no side-effects, is required. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of a herbal formulation consisting of caffeine, Camellia sinensis, Coffea canephora bean, Coleus forskholii, Evodiamine, Ilex paraguariensis and Phaseolus vulgaris on human resting metabolic rate and body composition in overweight and obese individuals. The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study and formed part of a larger study where the research sample was shared by two additional researchers. A sample group of sixty healthy male and female participants between the ages of 18 and 45 years, with a body mass index of more than 25kg/m² and less than 35 kg/m², was recruited from the University of Johannesburg Doornfontein Campus Homoeopathic Health Clinic. Participants were randomly allocated into either an experimental or placebo group, in matched pairs according to gender and BMI. Both groups underwent an assessment of body composition and resting metabolic rate at the initial consultation, as well as at the two week, six week, and final twelve week follow-up consultations. Participant checklists recorded data documenting changes in general lifestyle factors for the duration of the study (Appendix E). The experimental group took two capsules of the herbal formulation daily and the control group took two capsules of the placebo, five days a week with a two day rest, for a period of twelve weeks. Data was collected and statistically analyzed using the Shapiro Wilk test, the Mann-Whitney test, the Friedman test, and the Wilcoxon signed ranks test (Smith, 2011).

M.A. / This paper presents a literature review on the effectiveness of complementary and alternative therapies (CAT’s) on depression with specific reference to Reiki and depression. The concept of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is explained. The use of complementary and alternative medicine is widespread and it is noted that those with psychiatric disorders are more likely to use CAM than those with other diseases. The discussion then focuses on Reiki, providing some background information to orientate the reader. The studies, reports and claims regarding the use and efficacy of Reiki are enumerated and evaluated with the aim of trying to establish whether Reiki has been used and therefore could be used to treat depression in women.

M.A. / Although there are approximately 40 million people in the world infected with AIDS, 4.7 million of whom live in South Africa, very little research concerning non-medical modes of treatment has been conducted in South Africa. The use of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS recently came under the spotlight when AIDS dissident Robert Giraldo argued that antiretroviral drugs induce rather than treat AIDS. Extensive research concerning medical interventions for AIDS has been conducted, but to date the field of psychoneuroimmunology and it’s principles have been left largely unexplored in the South African context. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is a field of mind-body medicine that examines the relationship between the mind, the emotions and the body. Mind-body medicine is based on the premise that mental and emotional processes can affect physiological functioning. PNI is the study of the interrelations between the central nervous system and the immune system. It focuses on the influence of cognitive images on the nervous system and consequent interactions with the immune system. It incorporates but is not limited to, biofeedback, the impact of thought and belief on physiology and the effects of stress on physical and emotional functioning. The current research attempts to draw parallels between the fields of PNI and Dance/Movement therapy (D/MT). Dance Movement therapy (D/MT) is an art and a science that involves the use of nonverbal communication through the medium of movement and dancing. It is partnered with the practices of psychiatry and psychology. D/MT is based on the idea that the body and mind are inseparable. It is a form of psychotherapy, which utilizes psychomotor expression as its major mode of intervention. The basic premise of D/MT is that body movements reflect inner emotional states and changes in movement can lead to changes in the psyche, promoting health. One of the fundamental principles, and moreover a central purpose, of dance/movement therapy is the unity and balance of mind and body. Furthermore, the use of D/MT as a healing tool is rooted in the idea that the body and mind are inseparable. The premise that the mind and body have an interdependent relationship is not limited to the theory and practice of D/MT. The field of psychoneuroimmunology also maintains that mental and emotional processes of the mind can affect physiological functioning within the body. In addition, research has shown that certain psychological constructs such as stress, social support, self-esteem, and optimism and pessimism can affect the functioning of the immune system. The constructs discussed and targeted in the field of PNI are just some of the elements that are addressed in the practice of D/MT. Effective psychological intervention can assist the individual to manage and alter stressful conditions. Furthermore, group therapy, which is often employed in the practise of D/MT, provides an effective, efficient and economical system of peer support and hope from other individuals facing the same situation. D/MT is a psychotherapeutic treatment that uses body awareness, expression and acceptance to facilitate physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual integration to heal disorders of the body and the mind. Other psychological and physical improvements that have been attributed to D/MT include enhanced self-esteem, greater social support, an increased sense of control, and a greater ability to cope with stressful events. Because the elements of PNI discussed above have been shown to affect the physiological functioning and immunity of individuals, they are important constructs that need to be considered in the treatment of disease. Further, as D/MT has been shown to effectively address these factors, it follows that when treating individuals for a disease from the perspective of PNI, D/MT may be an appropriate intervention. In the current research, the aforementioned elements of PNI and how they are affected by the application of D/MT are discussed. Because the present investigation is focused on an area that has yet to be explored in South Africa, very little information concerning the topics in question is available. Consequently, the researcher focused on assembling information in the form of a literature review regarding D/MT and the possibility of using this means of therapy as an intervention for HIV. As such, the research design employed in the current investigation was exploratory in nature.