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© 2016 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg. Herbal remedies have a long history in the medical care of the German-speaking regions but they are rarely taken into account in the development of medical guidelines. In a prestudy, our working group analyzed as to how far herbal remedies were taken into consideration in the current interdisciplinary evidence- and consensus-based S3 medical guidelines established by the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF) in Germany. The aim of this study was to analyze to what extent possible side effects and interactions of herbal remedies are mentioned in the S3 medical guidelines. In January 2015, 134 S3 guidelines were counted and analyzed. 27.6[%] (n = 37) of them show 194 statements summarized under the term 'phytotherapy'. References to side effects and interactions can be found in 28.4[%] of the statements (n = 55); 13.9[%] (n = 27) of these references are backed by the literature. 14 of the statements deal with nutritional supplements, 11 are statements about phytotherapy in general, and 7 summarize at least 2 medical plants in 1 statement. Hence, only 23 statements pay attention to side effects and interactions of individual medical plants; 14 of these are backed by the literature. These results do not correspond to the standards required by the AWMF, which is due to imprecise terms as well as to the insufficiently systematic approach in the search for scientific evidence for the safety of medical plants. Here, the Association for Phytotherapy may achieve an important contribution to quality improvement.

Summary Study on the efficacy of caraway oil poultices in treating irritable bowel syndrome A major focus of the integrative treatment of chronic diseases lies in the promotion of so-called self care techniques, such as caraway oil poultices for gastro-intestinal disorders. The present study was carried out with the aim of examining the effectiveness of these poultices in patients with irritable bowel disorders, because they are a simple and inexpensive method in complaint management in clinical practice.

An examination of the efficacy of cabbage leaf wraps in treating symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee A variety of home remedies, among others cabbage leaf wraps, are available for the patient for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The wraps have proved effective in practice in the reduction of swelling, pain and movement restrictions. For the first time, the present scientific study offers proof of the effectiveness of cabbage wraps in treating disorders related to knee osteoarthritis.

© 2014 S. Karger AG, Freiburg. In Germany, the interdisciplinary, evidence- and consensus-based medical AWMF S3 guidelines represent the highest available scientific level and have significant impact on patient care. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, herbal medicine has a long tradition in medical care. Of notice, the evidence for its efficacy in numerous indications is increasing. This systematic review evaluates to which extent phytotherapy is taken into account in the current S3 guidelines. In all available medical AWMF S3 guidelines, the recommendations/ statements on phytotherapeutic options were identified, and 2 independent experts classified them into 3 categories: positive, negative, and open. In addition, comments on side effects and interactions were extracted. Phytotherapeutic options are specified in 40 (31.3 %) out of 128 AWMF S3 guidelines. Phytotherapy was not included in 55 guidelines (42.9%) with potential herbal therapeutic options. From 204 recommendations 139 (68.1%) are negative or remain open. In 27 guidelines (67.5%) phytotherapy is listed in the chapter for complementary and alternative medicine and/or miscellaneous, in 7 guidelines (17.5%) it is mentioned at the end of the recommendations on medical drug therapy, and in 8 guidelines (20.0%) it is listed in the recommendations regarding conventional treatments. Side effects and interactions are stated in 70 out of 204 recommendations (34.3%). Less than half of the currently available medical AWMF S3 guidelines include phytotherapy in their search strategy. Only few positive statements and recommendations on herbal medicine are taken into account. A systematic and comprehensive work up of the existing evidence on the one hand and the consequent incorporation on the other is necessary to appropriately integrate phytotherapy in the German medical guidelines.

© 2013 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of yoga on health-related quality of life, mental health, and cancer-related symptoms in women diagnosed with breast cancer who are on active treatment or have completed treatment.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effectiveness of exercise for colorectal cancer patients. Pubmed/Medline, Scopus and the Cochrane Library were searched through December 2012 without language restrictions. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing exercise interventions to control conditions were analysed when they assessed health-related quality of life, fatigue, physical fitness, survival and/or tumour-associated biomarkers in colorectal cancer patients. Risk of bias was assessed using the risk of bias tool recommended by the Cochrane Back Review Group. Literature search identified 342 non-duplicate records of which five RCTs with a total of 238 patients were included; three RCTs had low risk of bias. No evidence was found for short-term effects on quality of life [standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.39, 0.76; P = 0.53] or fatigue (SMD = 0.18; 95% CI -0.22, 0.59; P = 0.38). There was strong evidence for short-term improvements of physical fitness after aerobic exercise compared with controls (SMD = 0.59; 95% CI 0.25, 0.93; P < 0.01). One RCT each assessed immune parameters and oxidative DNA damage. No study reported survival rates or safety data. Given this insufficient evidence and the lack of safety data, no recommendation can be made regarding exercise interventions as a routine intervention for colorectal cancer patients. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Background: Pneumatic pulsation therapy may combine the effects of cupping therapy and massage. This study investigated the effect of pneumatic pulsation therapy on chronic neck pain compared to standard medical care. Methods: 50 patients (79.15% female; 46.17 ± 12.21 years) with chronic nonspecific neck pain were randomized to treatment group (TG; n = 25) or control group (CG; n = 25). The TG received 5 pneumatic pulsation treatments over a period of 2 weeks utilizing a mechanical device. Treatment was applied as a combination of moving and stationary pulsating cupping. Main outcome measure was pain intensity in pain diaries (numerical rating scale). Secondary outcome measures included functional disability (NDI), quality of life (SF-36), and pain at motion. Sensory thresholds, including pressure pain threshold, were measured at pain-related sites. Results: After the intervention, significant group differences occurred regarding pain intensity (baseline: 4.12 ± 1.45 in TG and 4.20 ± 1.57 in CG; post-intervention: 2.72 ± 1.62 in TG and 4.44 ± 1.96 in CG; analysis of covariance: p = 0.001), NDI (baseline: 25.92 ± 8.23 and 29.83; post-intervention: 20.44 ± 10.17 and 28.83; p = 0.025), and physical quality of life (baseline: 43.85 ± 7.65 and 41.66 ± 7.09; post-intervention: 47.60 ± 7.93 and 40.49 ± 8.03; p = 0.002). Further significant group differences were found for pain at motion (p = 0.004) and pressure pain threshold (p = 0.002). No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Pneumatic pulsation therapy appears to be a safe and effective method to relieve pain and to improve function and quality of life in patients with chronic neck pain. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Objectives. This study aimed to determine patient-related predictors of treatment satisfaction in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS)-patients. Methods. In a cross-sectional survey, participants with self-reported diagnosis of FMS were recruited by FMS-self help organisations and clinical institutions. The patients answered demographic and medical questionnaires, the Fibromyalgia Survey Questionnaire (FSQ) including the Somatic Severity Score (SSS) and Widespread Pain Index (WPI), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), and rated their treatment satisfaction on an 11-point Likert scale. The impact of patient-related variables (age, gender, partnership, educational level, time since onset of pain, time since FMS-diagnosis, health status since diagnosis, membership in FMS self-help organisations, polysymptomatic distress, anxiety and depression) and types of treatment on treatment satisfaction were tested by a multiple regression analysis. Results. The study sample (n=1651 patients) was composed mainly of middle-aged women with a long disease history, and 83.9% fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria of 2010. There was considerate variety regarding treatment satisfaction in FMS-patients, 14.8% reported no, 31.7% low, 40.8% moderate and 12.7% high satisfaction. Higher satisfaction was predicted by longer time since FMS diagnosis (p=0.03), improved health status since FMS-diagnosis (p

Duisburg, Essen, Univ., Diss., 2010