Alternative & Integrative Medicine

PFAPA (Periodic Fever with Aphthous stomatitis, Pharyngitis, and Adenitis) syndrome is a rare, poorly understood, clinical entity characterized by a sudden onset of fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis. PFAPA affects mainly children and generally resolves before puberty with no subsequent consequences for the patient. Use of acetaminophen (APAP), anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and tonsillectomy are considered potential treatment options. Streptococcus salivarius K12 is a perfectly tolerated, oral-colonizing probiotic strain that releases two lantibiotics (salivaricins A2 and B) known to antagonize the in vitro and in situ growth of many oral pathogenic streptococci, as well as being endowed with anti-viral and anti-inflammatory capabilities. As demonstrated in our study the 90-day administration of strain K12 appears to have reduced specific signs of PFAPA, leading also to a reduction in drug use. Larger prospective and controlled studies are now indicated to more definitively establish the relevance of our assumption and the importance of these preliminary observations.

Background and Aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide, affecting up to one-third of the population in industrialized countries. Silymarin and S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine (SAMe) have therapeutic potential for treatment of liver disease. The aim of the present pilot study was to evaluate the possible effect of a supplementation with Silymarin and SAMe in NAFLD patients.
Methods: Fifteen NAFLD patients (mean age: 46.3 ± 15 years) confirmed by ultra-sonographic findings were subjected to a 12-month oral supplementation with Silymarin and SAMe. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical parameters, liver function and hepatic fat content were assessed at baseline, at 6 months and at the end of treatment.
Results: After a 12-months’ oral supplementation a significant improvement (p<0.05) in several biochemical parameters such as total cholesterol (mean reduction: -8.67 mg/dL), insulin (-1.34 U/L) and HOMA-IR (-1.35) was observed. Similarly, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) significantly decreased by 13% (-3.87 U/L and -10.4 U/L respectively), with a small but significant amelioration in the risk profile. Finally, the ultrasonography examination revealed an improvement in liver echo-texture and a regression of the degree of hepatic steatosis, associated with a 22% increase of the Doppler Perfusion Index (DPI), which corresponds to better liver hemodynamic.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a prolonged Silymarin and SAMe supplementation could be used as an adjunctive therapy to improve metabolic risk profile and hepatic steatosis in patients with NAFLD. Further research is needed to confirm these preliminary results.

Background: Drugs with various mechanisms of action such as antimicrobial agents, adapalene, and benzoyl peroxide are used to treat acne worldwide. In Japan, Kampo medicines have also traditionally been used for acne, including the medicine Jumihaidokuto (JHT). The mechanisms of action of Kampo medicines such as JHT have not been fully clarified, but it has been pointed out that oxidative stress is involved in the development of acne. Therefore, the author focused on the antioxidative effect of JHT and examined its relationship with acne improvement.

Methods: JHT (9 g/day) was administered for 3 weeks to 53 patients with acne, followed by measuring the diacron-reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) value as an indicator of oxidative stress, the biological antioxidant potential (BAP) value as an indicator of antioxidative potency, and the numbers of inflammatory and non-inflammatory skin rashes occurring before and after JHT administration. After the administration of JHT, the following results were observed.

Results: 1) The d-ROMs values of subjects who had a high baseline d-ROMs value were significantly reduced and the BAP values of those who had a low baseline BAP value were significantly increased; 2) there were significant reductions in the numbers of inflammatory and non-inflammatory skin rashes; 3) there was a significant correlation between the d-ROMs value and the number of non-inflammatory skin rashes; 4) the d-ROMs values of patients who rated their acne as “improved” by questionnaire were significantly reduced.

Conclusion: The above results suggest that an antioxidative effect is one of the mechanisms by which JHT contributes to acne improvement.

Objectives: To assess the evidence for the effectiveness of yoga in the management of menstrual pain and the symptoms associated with dysmenorrhea.
Methods: A search was conducted using CINAHL, the Cochrane library, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, and KoreaMed electronic databases to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported effects of yogic intervention on dysmenorrhea published in any language between January 1966 and October 2014. Quality assessment was conducted using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.
Results: Two potential trials were identified of which two were included in the review. Quality critical appraisal had low or moderate risk of bias. The available data could only be included as a narrative description. A significant difference was observed between experimental and control groups in pain intensity and pain duration (p<0.05) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (p<0.002), follicle-stimulating hormone (p<0.02), luteinizing hormone (p<0.001), and prolactin (p<0.02) were decreased significantly in the experimental group, compared with the control group.
Conclusions: There is evidence from two RCTs that yoga interventions may be favorable effective for dysmenorrhea. However the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the number of small RCTs and quality limitation partly. Therefore further high quality RCTs are required to investigate the hypothesis that yoga alleviates menstrual pain and the symptoms associated with dysmenorrhea, to confirm and further comprehend the effects of standardized yoga programs in dysmenorrhea.