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CONTEXT: Incidence of breast cancer is very high among women around the world. Breast cancer patients experience cancer-related fatigue at some points during the treatment for breast cancer. Since cancer-related fatigue is of multifactorial origin, there are no evidence-based treatment strategies for fatigue. This study tested the effectiveness of certain pranayama techniques in reducing cancer-related fatigue among breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. AIMS: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of pranayama on cancer-related fatigue among breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy as measured by cancer fatigue scale. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Shirdi Sai Baba Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Kasturba Hospital Manipal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study was a randomized controlled trial done among breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Demographic characteristics of the participants are presented as frequency and percentage. Comparison of means of cancer-related fatigue between the two groups is done by Mann-Whitney U-test and comparison of pre- and pos t-test means of cancer-related fatigue among the experimental group is done by Wilcoxon sign rank test. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the two groups with regard to the scores of cancer-related fatigue. The experimental group of patients who performed pranayama along with radiation therapy experienced less fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Pranayama can be used as a supportive therapy for breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.
CONTEXT: Incidence of breast cancer is very high among women around the world. Breast cancer patients experience cancer-related fatigue at some points during the treatment for breast cancer. Since cancer-related fatigue is of multifactorial origin, there are no evidence-based treatment strategies for fatigue. This study tested the effectiveness of certain pranayama techniques in reducing cancer-related fatigue among breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. AIMS: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of pranayama on cancer-related fatigue among breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy as measured by cancer fatigue scale. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Shirdi Sai Baba Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Kasturba Hospital Manipal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study was a randomized controlled trial done among breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Demographic characteristics of the participants are presented as frequency and percentage. Comparison of means of cancer-related fatigue between the two groups is done by Mann-Whitney U-test and comparison of pre- and pos t-test means of cancer-related fatigue among the experimental group is done by Wilcoxon sign rank test. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the two groups with regard to the scores of cancer-related fatigue. The experimental group of patients who performed pranayama along with radiation therapy experienced less fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Pranayama can be used as a supportive therapy for breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.
Objective: Emotional disturbances are commonly experienced by cancer patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of certain Pranayama techniques on the emotional aspects such as impatience, worry, anxiety, and frustration among breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy in India. Methods: The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial. Patients were recruited when they were seeking radiation therapy for breast cancer. They were allocated into two groups using block randomization technique. The experimental group performed Pranayama along with radiation therapy, whereas the control group received only routine care. Results: Emotional aspects of the two groups were compared at the end of the treatment. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for comparison as the data were not following normality. It showed a significant difference between the two groups with the group who performed Pranayama showing a lesser mean score for these negative emotions. Conclusions: Pranayama might help in controlling the negative emotions likely to be faced by breast cancer patients, and it can be used as a supportive therapy for breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy.
Existing literature suggests that cancer survivors present with high rates of morbidity due to various treatment and disease induced factors. Research globally has shown exercise to be beneficial in improving treatment outcomes and quality of life. India has a high prevalence of cancer and not much is known about exercise interventions for cancer survivors in India. This review was planned to review the state of exercise based interventions for cancer survivors in India. A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PEDro, IndMed, and Shoda Ganga. The search results were screened and data extracted by two independent reviewers. All eligible studies were assessed for methodological quality rating using Downs and Black checklist. Data was extracted using a pilot tested pro forma to summarize information on site and stage of cancer, type of exercise intervention and outcome measures. The review identified 13 studies, published from 1991 to 2013, after screening 4060 articles. Exercise interventions fell into one of three categories: (1) yoga-based, (2) physiotherapy-based and (3) speech therapy based interventions; and exclusively involved either breast or head and neck cancers. Studies were generally of low to moderate quality. A broad range of outcomes were found including symptoms, speech and swallowing, and quality of life and largely supported the benefits of exercise-based interventions. At present, research involving exercise-based rehabilitation interventions in India is limited in volume, quality and scope. With the growing burden of cancer in the country, there is an immediate need for research on exercise based interventions for cancer survivors within the sociocultural context of India.
Ce document offre l'une des premières études ethnographiques de la médecine tibétaine conduite pendant plusieurs années au sein d'un groupe réduit de praticiens. L'élite des thérapeutes (amchi) ladakhis constitue le groupe d'observation privilégié. Ces praticiens sont les agents principaux de la redéfinition sociale de cette médecine au Ladakh, au nord-ouest de l'Inde himalayenne. Ils élaborent le discours institutionnel sur la médecine tibétaine dans la région. Ce travail s'intéresse aux relations sociales qui composent ce groupe et aux comportements individuels, guidés par un ensemble variable d'enjeux et de valeurs, afin de comprendre les conditions sociales et économiques d'exercice du pouvoir, ainsi que le rôle des hiérarchies et des réseaux dans le fonctionnement du milieu étudié. Les chapitres sont organisés en cinq sections : les processus de sélection du pouvoir local et les principes de légitimation individuelle et collective, le caractère identitaire de la religion (bouddhisme et islam), le milieu associatif, les usages sociaux de la propriété intellectuelle et enfin, les 'nouveaux guérisseurs' tibétains. La conclusion explicite la notion de frontières donnée en intitulé. La géopolitique du Ladakh, les conquêtes de nouveaux espaces par les amchi, la protection du milieu et des savoirs, les limites entre milieux (rural/urbain, centre/périphérie), l'espace balisé de gestion du conflit, les relations sociales et leurs tensions produisent la médecine des frontières. This thesis offers one of the first, long-term ethnography on a small group of practitioners of Tibetan medicine. The studied group concerns the elite practitioners of Ladakh, Northwestern India. These individuals are an influential minority which produces the institutional narratives on Tibetan medicine in the region and represents Ladakhi amchi in the political arena both at regional and national level. They largely contribute to the social redefinition of Tibetan medicine in the region. This work focuses on the social relations making up this group and on individual behaviour patterns, which, guided by a variable set of issues and values, help questioning the social and economic conditions of power, as well as the role of hierarchies and networks in the milieu studied. The chapters are organized into five sections: the selection process of local power and the principles of individual and collective legitimation, the identity dimension of religion (Buddhism and Islam), the social life of associations, the social uses of intellectual property, and finally, 'new practitioners' of Tibetan medicine. The conclusion elucidates the notion of borders given in the title. The geopolitics of Ladakh, the new territories of the amchi, environmental protection and the preservation of knowledge, the boundaries between areas (rural/urban, center/periphery), the social and spatial dimension of conflict management, social relationships and the tensions they create all go towards producing this medicine at the borders.
A l'heure où un nombre croissant de profanes et de praticiens occidentaux se tournent vers l'Orient, en quête de médecines alternatives, la tradition presque millénaire du Gso-Ba Rig-Pa mérite d'être étudiée au même titre que les autres médecines savantes nées en Méditerranée, en Inde ou en Chine. Médecin et grand connaisseur du Tibet, Fernand Meyer nous propose ici la première présentation synthétique et raisonnée de cette " science des soins ". Il situe la médecine tibétaine dans son cadre naturel, historique et culturel, puis en présente la méthodologie et les concepts tels qu'ils ont été codifiés dans ses traités de référence, et à la lumière d'une pratique toujours vivante, observée sur place. Fernand Meyer est le seul chercheur qui ait abordé l'étude de la médecine tibétaine avec une triple compétence : une solide formation médicale scientifique, une bonne connaissance du tibétain parlé et littéraire, enfin une longue pratique sur le terrain.
Ethnopharmacological relevanceSyzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Myrtaceae), commonly known as “jambolão” in Brazil is widely used in folk medicine against leishmaniasis, inflammation, chronic diarrhea, and ulcers. It is one of the most commonly used plants for the treatment of diabetes worldwide. In previous studies, Syzygium cumini was shown to possess antihyperlipidemic and anti-allergic properties, and to exhibit good performance as an antimicrobial agent against bacteria, fungi, and protozoa parasites of the genus Leishmania and Trypanosoma. This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of S. cumini essential oil (ScEO) and its major component α-pinene on Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis, as well as their cytotoxicity and possible mechanisms of action.
Materials and methods
To evaluate the anti-proliferative effect on Leishmania, effects on promastigote and axenic amastigote forms were assessed using tetrazolium salt (MTT) assay. The intramacrophagic amastigotes were exposed to ScEO and α-pinene to determine the survival index. To gain insight into the mechanism of action involved in the effect on the samples, we evaluated the modulation of macrophage activation state by observing structural (phagocytic and lysosomal activities) and cellular (nitric oxide increase) changes. To assess the safety profile of ScEO and α-pinene, murine macrophages and human red blood cells were treated with ScEO and α-pinene and the selectivity index was calculated for each treatment.
Results
α-Pinene was effective against Leishmania amazonensis promastigote forms, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 19.7µg/mL. α-Pinene was more active (IC50 values of 16.1 and 15.6µg/mL against axenic and intracellular amastigotes, respectively) than ScEO (IC50 values of 43.9 and 38.1µg/mL against axenic and intracellular amastigotes, respectively). Our results showed that the anti-Leishmania effects were mediated by immunomodulatory activity, as evidenced by the observed increases in both phagocytic and lysosomal activity, and the elevated NO levels. ScEO and α-pinene exhibited low cytotoxicity against murine macrophages and human erythrocytes. The 50% cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) values for the macrophages in the MTT assay were 614.1 and 425.2µg/mL for ScEO and α-pinene, respectively, while the corresponding half-maximal hemolytic concentration (HC50) values were 874.3 and 233.3µg/mL.
Conclusions
Taken together, the results demonstrate that ScEO and its major constituent α-pinene have significant anti-Leishmania activity, modulated by macrophage activation, with acceptable levels of cytotoxicity in murine macrophages and human erythrocytes. Further work is warranted, involving more in-depth mechanistic studies and in vivo investigations.
This is the first book to introduce a general readership to the medical traditions of Asia from the perspective of both Western scholars and traditional health practitioners. An authoritative source of information on the history, theory, and practice of the Asian healing arts, it is also a beautiful gift book featuring lavish illustrations photographed especially for this publication: body charts, herbal medicines, and other paraphernalia; exquisite artworks including paintings, sculptures, and ceramics; and scenes of contemporary medical practice throughout Asia.
<p>Plates of the famous series of Tibetan medical paintings with explanations of the paintings and general expository essays on Tibetan medicine. (Frances Garrett 2003-01)</p>