فصلنامه طب مکمل
سال سوم شماره 4 (پیاپی 9، زمستان 1392)

The application of herbal plants instead of synthetic drugs is increasing in recent years because of their lower side-effects and high varieties of efficient components. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antinociceptive effects of hydroalcholic extract of grape seed using hot plate and formalin test. This experimental study has been done on 56 NMRI male mice (28±3 g) (n = 7 in each group) in weight. The hot plate and formalin test were used for acute and chronic pain. After preparation of extract، to evaluate the effect of pain related behaviors on antinociception، animals systemically received grape seed extract (75، 150، 300، mg/kg) and after 30 min pain related behaviour was monitored in formalin and for hotplate tests. The data was analyzed using SPSS software and ANOVA at significance level p < 0/05. The results showed that hydroalcholic Grape seed extract (75، 150، 300، mg/kg)، significantly can induce antinociception in both phases of formalin test. Also، the Grape seed extract caused delay in painful behaviours (licking and jumping) in hot-plate test. The present results show that hydroalcoholic extract of grape seed has analgesic properties in response to acute and chronic pain in the formalin with hot plate tests and can be substituted for chemical analgesic drugs.

Environmental neuropathy is a major cause of disability in diabetic patients. Pain is a major symptom in neuropathy which appears in more than 30% of diabetic patients. The whole body vibration therapy is one of the non-pharmacological methods in pain control in environmental neuropathy. The present study has been conducted with the aim to investigate the effects of lower limb vibration therapy on controlling the pain of diabetic neuropathy. The present study is a pre/post interventional research which has been conducted on 36 patients suffering from diabetic neuropathy. The subjects have been introduced into the study with simple sampling. At the beginning of the study، demographic traits and pain severity have been measured and registered by the researcher. Vibration therapy has been done on neuropathic limbs for two weeks. This task has been performed two times a day، each lasting for 10 minutes. Ultimately; after a two-week intervention، the patients’ pain severity has been measured again by visual scale. The mean and standard deviation of the participants’ age was 52. 38±11. 61 years. The majority of the participants were female (26 subjects; 72%). The mean and standard deviation of the patients’ pain before the vibration therapy was 5. 21±1. 37 and after three periods of vibration therapy was reduced to 4. 30±1. 41. In other words، pain severity has been reduced after vibration therapy which had a meaningful difference (p=0. 001) using paired T-test. Lower limb vibration therapy can reduce the diabetic neuropathic pain، thus can be utilized as a method of diabetic pain relief.

Breast cancer is the second most privilege cancer in the world. The disease and its treatments including chemotherapy impose many symptoms and side effects and impress the patients’ life quality. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of Yoga on the life quality of the patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. The present study is a clinical trial with pre and post intervention. The subjects include 40 women with breast cancer in the chemotherapy section of Isfahan Seyyed-Al-Shohada hospital. Yoga sessions were held in a period of 8 weeks، each lasting for about 75 minutes on the even days of the week. The instruments of data collection were three questionnaires including demographic and health questionnaire، life quality questionnaire of European Organization of Research Treatment of Cancer (EORTC QLQ-C30) and standard specific questionnaire of investigating the life quality of patients with breast cancer (EORTC QLQ-BR23) which was completed through a face-to-face interview of an oncology specialist with the patients during three months since Khordad till the end of Mordad 1391. The mean score of life quality of Yoga group was 49. 6≠1. 3 before the intervention which increased to 81. 7±1. 34 after the intervention. Before the intervention، the highest score was related to role functioning scale and the lowest score was related to sexual functioning scale. After the intervention، there was a significant increase in Yoga group regarding emotional and physical functioning as well as role functioning scales (p<0. 05). The study indicates that Yoga improves the functional scales of life quality in the patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Therefore، Yoga can be utilized as an effective، simple and low-cost method in improving the life quality of such patients.

Pain is the most common cause which leads people to medical centers. Pain is a mental perception and the people’s sensation of painful events and their reactions greatly differ from one another. “Mastalgia” is among the most prevalent women’s complaints and concerns. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of Evening Primrose and Vitex Agnus on pain scale of the women with cyclic Mastalgia. This study is a clinical and triple-blind trial with a control group. The subjects include 210 women being selected through simple sampling and distributed in three 70-subject groups randomly. The medications included Vitex Agnus tablets for the first group; Evening Prime rose for the second group and Vitamin E for the control group for a period of two months. The criterion of chest pain has been measured before and two months after intervention through filling a questionnaire and the collected data were compared. The data were then analyzed by SPSS software، one-way ANOVA and paired T-test. The mean pain criterion for the first group was 5/67±1/411 before the intervention and 4/51±0/864 after the intervention; respectively 5/70±1. 448 and 3/70±1. 012 for the second group and decreased to 5/70±1. 438 and 4. 84±1. 099 for the control group (p<0/05). The results demonstrated that Vitex Agnus has some positive effects on the pain scale of the women’s with Mastalgia and thus can be used as an effective clinical method.

Reflexology is one of the diagnostic، non-invasive methods of complementary medicine which leads to release the energy blocked paths all over the body and consequently improving the body circulation. Reflexology has analgesic and anti-anxiety effects; but there are some contradictory evidences regarding the effects of reflexology on physiologic parameters. The present study has been conducted with the aim to investigate the effects of reflexology on the breathing rate and blood pressure in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The present randomized clinical research has been conducted on 40 patients suffering from COPD، in two reflexology and control groups in Tabriz Imam Reza Medical Research and Training center. The instrument of data collection was an information registration form. Massage therapy has been performed in six 30-minute sessions per week. Physiologic parameters have been measured before and after the intervention and were then analyzed by Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and T-test after establishing normality. There was a significant decrease in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of COPD patients after intervention in comparison with the control group subjects (p<0/05)، but there was no meaningful differences in the patients’ breathing rate. Findings of the study reveal that foot reflexology can be utilized as a sound and safe nursery intervention in blood pressure control in patients suffering from COPD.

Breathing techniques as Lamaze methods are utilized with the aim to control the labor pain. Breathing techniques help women to well adopt with labor pain. The studies reveal that adoption with labor pain can prevent the prolonged labors. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of breathing techniques on the length of labor active phase and its second stage. The present study is a double-blind clinical trial having been conducted in control group and breathing-techniques group، each including 60 subjects randomly selected. Having signed the written consent letter، the subjects were introduced into the study. The breathing techniques during the labor active phase for the intervention group was including deep breathing at the beginning of the labor contractions following with short and quick breathing with a rate of 1/5 times more than the normal breathing per minute. There was no intervention in control group. In order to evaluate the research results، T-tests and Χ2-tests have been utilized and the data have been analyzed by SPSS software. The findings of the study showed that the average age of the women in breathing-technique and control group was respectively 26±90/4 and 25/80±80/4، having no meaningful difference (p=0. 835). The length of the labor active phase in breathing-technique and control group was 8/26±012/3 and 88/9±64/6، with no meaningful difference (p=0. 106). While، the length of the labor second phase in intervention group was 55/16±70/5 and in control group was 85/23±90/18، which revealed a meaningful difference (p=0. 001). It seems that using breathing techniques is not effective in reducing the length of the labor active phase، but can be utilized to reduce the pain in the labor first phase.

“Gestational Diabetes” is carbohydrate intolerance with different severity which is firstly initiated or identified in the pregnancy. There are some evidences regarding the relationship between Mellitus diabetes and the serum vitamin E level. The researches in this filed have come to different conclusions. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of serum vitamin E level (α-tocopherol) in the women suffering from gestational diabetes in comparison with the normal pregnant women. The present study was performed as a case-control research on 41 women in case group with gestational diabetes (based on carpenter coustan criteria) and 41 healthy pregnant women as control group. The two groups were matched regarding the factors of maternal age، pregnancy age and body mass index (BMI). 5 cc of venous blood has been drawn from each subject and the level of α-tocopherol has been determined through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); ultimately، the collected data have been analyzed by T-test and chi-square test. The average level of serum α-tocopherol in the women with gestational diabetes was 6/21±2/69 and 6/92±2/43 in control group which showed no meaningful differences between the two groups (p < 0/05). Regarding the low level of serum α-tocopherol in the women with gestational diabetes in comparison with the healthy pregnant women and due to the possible relationship of gestational diabetes with this vitamin serum level، it can be concluded that the serum level of α-tocopherol can be an indicator of the reduced body anti-oxidant defense.

Complementary alternative medicine has been noticed by many patients، particularly with chronic disease such as diabetes mellitus. Present study was conducted to estimate frequency of use of complementary alternative medicine among diabetic patients. The studied patients were randomly selected from whom referred to endocrinology clinic in a university teaching hospital in Qazvin city، Iran. 197 patients were questioned about their use of complementary alternative medicine، their used methods، their satisfaction، costs that they have paid، way of obtaining information about the used methods، and their notification to their physician using a questionnaire approved by 3 expert endocrinologists. Also some general characteristics such as duration of the disease، their age and gender، and last FBS and HbA1C were collected from hospital records of the patients. We found that about 78. 2% of the patients had used at least a method of complementary alternative medicine not less than once. The most frequent methods were diet therapy (29. 4%)، herbal drugs sold by laypersons (25. 4%)، use of opioids (23. 9%)، herbal drugs sold by pharmacies (21. 3%)، and spiritual therapy (13. 7%). 0nly 23% of studied patients had told use of the method to their treating physician. We concluded that many diabetic patients may use complementary alternative medicine without notification to their treating physician. The physicians should perceive the fact and talk with their patients about the matter. Training of diabetic patients for potential risks and benefits of complementary alternative medicine and necessity of adherence to the prescribed drugs even after use of complementary alternative medicine should be noticed