RECENT RESEARCH psychological symptoms of dementia ( BPSD ) are common in people with dementia . Aromatherapy may reduce the frequency and severity of BPSD . We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials ( RCTs ) to evaluate the efficacy of aromatherapy in relieving BPSD and improving functional ability in people with dementia .
Design : Systematic review and metaanalysis .
Setting and Participants : Patients with dementia receiving aromatherapy .
Methods : A literature search was conducted using PubMed , Embase , and Cochrane Library for RCTs published before March 2024 comparing aromatherapy with control treatments in patients with dementia .
Results : There were 15 trials involving 821 patients . Overall , significant reduction in BPSD was observed after 1 month of aromatherapy treatment . Among 15 trials , 9 reported the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory ( CMAI ) score , and 7 evaluated the Neuropsychiatric Inventory ( NPI ) score . The meta-analysis showed significant improvement in CMAI score ( weighted mean difference [ WMD ] -6.31 , 95 % CI -9.52 to -3.11 ) and NPI score ( WMD -8.07 , 95 % CI -13.53 to -2.61 ) in patients receiving 3 to 4 weeks of aromatherapy compared with the control group . Four of the 15 trials reported improvement in depressive mood and 3 trials reported no significant improvement in functional ability .
Conclusions and Implications : In conclusion , aromatherapy is a safe and viable nonpharmacologic treatment to improve BPSD in people with dementia and its combination with massage showed higher efficacy .
Complementary and alternative medicine
Hoenders R , Ghelman R , Portella C , Simmons S , Locke A , Cramer H , Gallego-Perez D , Jong M . A review of the WHO strategy on traditional , complementary , and integrative medicine from the perspective of academic consortia for integrative medicine and health . Frontiers in Medicine . 2024 ; 11 : 1395698 . Doi : 10.3389 / fmed . 2024.1395698 .
Despite important progress in modern medicine , widely regarded as an indispensable foundation of healthcare in all highly advanced nations and regions , not all patients respond well to available treatments in biomedicine alone . Additionally , there are concerns about side effects of many medications and interventions , the unsustainable cost of healthcare and the low resolution of chronic non-communicable diseases and mental disorders whose incidence has risen in the last decades . Besides , the chronic stress and burnout of many healthcare professionals impairs the therapeutic relationship . These circumstances call for a change in the current paradigm and practices of biomedicine healthcare . Most of the world population ( 80 %) uses some form of traditional , complementary , and integrative medicine ( T & CM ), usually alongside biomedicine . Patients seem equally satisfied with biomedicine and T & CM , but in the field of T & CM there are also many challenges , such as unsupported claims for safety and / or efficacy , contamination of herbal medicines and problems with regulation and quality standards . As biomedicine and T & CM seem to have different strengths and weaknesses , integration of both approaches may be beneficial . Indeed , WHO has repeatedly called upon member states to work on the integration of T & CM into healthcare systems . Integrative medicine ( IM ) is an approach that offers a paradigm for doing so . It combines the best of both worlds ( biomedicine and T & CM ), based on evidence for efficacy and safety , adopting a holistic personalized approach , focused on health . In the last decades academic health centers are increasingly supportive of IM , as evidenced by the foundation of national academic consortia for integrative medicine in Brazil ( 2017 ), the Netherlands ( 2018 ), and Germany ( 2024 ) besides the pioneering American consortium ( 1998 ). However , the integration process is slow and sometimes met with criticism and even hostility . The WHO T & CM strategies ( 2002-2005 and 2014-2023 ) have provided incipient guidance on the integration process , but several challenges are yet to be addressed . This policy review proposes several possible solutions , including the establishment of a global matrix of academic consortia for IM , to update and extend the WHO T & CM strategy , that is currently under review .
Makoni L , Manduna IT , Mbiriri AL . A review of whole-medical systems and holistic care approach for type 2 diabetes and associated metabolic syndrome . Journal of Integrative Medicine . 2024 ; 22 ( 3 ): 199 – 209 . Doi : 10.1016 / j . joim . 2024.04.001 .
Whole-person care and holistic care approach has been proposed for complementary and integrative health care for type 2 diabetes mellitus . However , some doubts still exist on the feasibility of replicating processes followed in clinical trials and observational studies in real-world settings . This narrative literature review summarized and assessed existing clinical evidence ( clinical trials , observational studies , and case reports ) describing holistic and integrated care approach in adult and adolescent individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus in clinical practice . The goal was to highlight existing evidence for implementation and outcomes of whole-medical systems and holistic integrated care approach for type 2 diabetes mellitus . A nonsystematic literature search was performed on Google Scholar , PubMed , Web of Science , ProQuest and ScienceDirect to identify clinical evidence from different parts of the world , evaluating the use of whole-medical systems and / or holistic care interventions in clinical practice for management of type 2 diabetes mellitus . Relevant keywords were used in the search . Data were analyzed using content analysis and simple descriptive statistics ( percentages ). Most of the studies ( 64 %) were mainly conducted in Eastern countries ( India , China and Israel ) while
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