Tag: alternative treatments

Whole-body cryotherapy as a treatment for chronic medical conditions?

Abstract:

Introduction: Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is a controlled exposure of the whole body to cold to gain health benefits. In recent years, data on potential applications of WBC in multiple clinical settings have emerged.

Sources of data: PubMed, EBSCO and Clinical Key search using keywords including terms ‘whole body’, ‘cryotherapy’ and ‘cryostimulation’.

Areas of agreement: WBC could be applied as adjuvant therapy in multiple conditions involving chronic inflammation because of its potent anti-inflammatory effects. Those might include systemic inflammation as in rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, WBC could serve as adjuvant therapy for chronic inflammation in some patients with obesity.

Areas of controversy: WBC probably might be applied as an adjuvant treatment in patients with chronic brain disorders including mild cognitive impairment and general anxiety disorder and in patients with depressive episodes and neuroinflammation reduction as in multiple sclerosis. WBC effects in metabolic disorder treatment are yet to be determined. WBC presumably exerts pleiotropic effects and therefore might serve as adjuvant therapy in multi-systemic disorders, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Growing points: The quality of studies on the effects of WBC in the clinical setting is in general low; hence, randomized controlled trials with adequate sample size and longer follow-up periods are needed.

Areas are timely for developing research: Further studies should examine the mechanism underlying the clinical efficacy of WBC. Multiple conditions might involve chronic inflammation, which in turn could be a potential target of WBC. Further research on the application of WBC in neurodegenerative disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders and ME/CFS should be conducted.

Source: Tabisz H, Modlinska A, Kujawski S, Słomko J, Zalewski P. Whole-body cryotherapy as a treatment for chronic medical conditions? Br Med Bull. 2023 May 12:ldad007. doi: 10.1093/bmb/ldad007. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37170956. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37170956/

Effect of laser acupuncture on immunomodulation and dyspnea in post-COVID-19 patients

Introduction: The post-COVID-19 syndrome is characterized by post-viral chronic fatigue syndrome as well as multi-organ complications. Its usual clinical symptoms are exhaustion, dyspnea, and chest pain. This study examines the effect of laser acupuncture (LA), which implies laser application on acupuncture points, on boosting immunity and reducing the inflammatory symptoms in post-COVID syndrome patients.

Material and methods: A total of 80 patients of both sexes with post-COVID symptoms were enrolled and randomly divided into the LA group (n = 40), which received LA three times/week for 12 weeks, and a placebo group (n = 40) which received sham LA. The following measures were taken for both groups before and after the study: Total lymphocyte count (TLC), Interleukin 6 (IL-6), dyspnea using the modified Medical Research Counseling Dyspnea Scale (mMRC), and fatigue using the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFQ-11).

Results: LA group showed a significant elevation in TLC (p < 0.001) as well as a significant reduction in IL-6 levels, dyspnea, and fatigue scale (p < 0.001). On the other hand, the placebo group demonstrated a significant increase in TLC (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The use of lasers at particular acupuncture points related to lung and immunity showed promising results in dealing with the typical main symptoms post-COVID, including chronic fatigue and dyspnea.

Source: Algitany SI, Fouad SA, Nassif AA, Guirguis SA. Effect of laser acupuncture on immunomodulation and dyspnea in post-COVID-19 patients. Advances in Rehabilitation / Postępy Rehabilitacji. 2023. doi:10.5114/areh.2023.125836. http://www.advrehab.org/Effect-of-laser-acupuncture-on-immunomodulation-and-dyspnea-in-post-COVID-19-patients,125,50340,0,1.html (Full text available as PDF file)

Combination of whole-body cryotherapy with static stretching exercises reduces fatigue and improves functioning of the autonomic nervous system in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Abstract:

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the tolerability and effect of static stretching (SS) and whole body cryotherapy (WBC) upon fatigue, daytime sleepiness, cognitive functioning and objective and subjective autonomic nervous system functioning in those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) compared to a control population.

Methods: Thirty-two CFS and eighteen healthy controls (HC) participated in 2 weeks of a SS + WBC programme. This programme was composed of five sessions per week, 10 sessions in total.

Results: A significant decrease in fatigue was noted in the CFS group in response to SS + WBC. Some domains of cognitive functioning (speed of processing visual information and set-shifting) also improved in response to SS + WBC in both CFS and HC groups. Our study has confirmed that WBC is well tolerated by those with CFS and leads to symptomatic improvements associated with changes in cardiovascular and autonomic function.

Conclusions: Given the preliminary data showing the beneficial effect of cryotherapy, its relative ease of application, good tolerability, and proven safety, therapy with cold exposure appears to be an approach worth attention. Further studies of cryotherapy as a potential treatment in CFS is important in the light of the lack of effective therapeutic options for these common and often disabling symptoms.

Source: Kujawski S, Słomko J, Godlewska BR, Cudnoch-Jędrzejewska A, Murovska M, Newton JL, Sokołowski Ł, Zalewski P. Combination of whole body cryotherapy with static stretching exercises reduces fatigue and improves functioning of the autonomic nervous system in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. J Transl Med. 2022 Jun 17;20(1):273. doi: 10.1186/s12967-022-03460-1. PMID: 35715857; PMCID: PMC9204866.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9204866/ (Full text)