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Case Reports 2009; 30(3): 300-311 PubMed PMID: 19855351 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Belgium, Cognitive Therapy, Diagnosis, Differential, Evidence-Based Medicine, Exercise Therapy, Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic:diagnosis, Female, Government, Humans, Inflammation:diagnosis, Outcome Assessment (Health Care),.   

: The World Health Organization acknowledges Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) to be a medical illness. ME/CFS is characterized by disorders in the inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative stress (IO&NS) pathways. In 2002, the Belgian government started with the development of CFS "Reference Centers", which implement a "psychosocial" model. The medical practices of these CFS Centers are defined by the Superior Health Council, e.g. treatment should be based upon Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET); and biological assessments and treatments of ME/CFS should not be employed. Recently, the Belgian government has evaluated the outcome of the treatments at the CFS Centers. They concluded that a "rehabilitation therapy" with CBT/GET yielded no significant efficacy in the treatment of ME/CFS and that CBT/GET cannot be considered to be curative therapies. In case reports, we have shown that patients who were "treated" at those CFS centers with CBT/GET in fact suffered from IO&NS disorders, including intracellular inflammation, an increased translocation of gram-negative enterobacteria (leaky gut), autoimmune reactions and damage by O&NS. Considering the fact that these findings are exemplary for ME/CFS patients and that GET may even be harmful, it means that many patients are maltreated by the Belgian CFS Centers. Notwithstanding the above, the government and the CFS Centers not only continue this unethical and immoral policy, but also reinforce their use of CBT/GET in patients with ME/CFS treated at those Centers....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(6): 924-928 PubMed PMID: 19112408 Citation  Keywords:  Analysis of Variance, Cell Line, Tumor, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Enzyme Activation:drug effects, Ginsenosides:pharmacology, Humans, Medicine, Traditional, Neprilysin:drug effects, Neuroblastoma, Neurons:drug effects, Neuroprotective Agents:pharma.   

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 on Neprilysin (NEP) activity in SK-N-SH cells, and probe the underlying mechanism.

METHODS: The effects of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 on NEP activity were analyzed by NEP peptidase assay. Western blot was used to determine NEP gene expression at translational level, and RT-PCR was also performed to detect NEP gene expression at transcriptional level.

RESULTS: NEP peptidase assay indicated that ginsenoside Rb1 can improve the activity of NEP, and RT-PCR and western blot results showed that the enhancement of NEP activity by ginsenoside Rb1 was due to enhancing NEP gene expression, while Rg1 did not have this effect.

CONCLUSION: Our studies showed that ginsenoside Rb1 can enhance NEP activity by upregulating NEP gene expression. Our findings might offer a pharmacological explanation for the use of ginseng in traditional medicine....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(Suppl 1): 93-104 PubMed PMID: 19029875 Citation  Keywords:  Clinical Trials as Topic, Ginkgo biloba:chemistry, Herbal Medicine, Humans, Hypericum:chemistry, Kava:chemistry, Mental Disorders:drug therapy, Phytotherapy, Plant Preparations:therapeutic use, Valerian:chemistry,.   

: Herbal drug treatment has been known for centuries as a part of traditional medicine. Nowadays, it is still considered a useful and natural way to treat several medical conditions, including mental disturbances. The most frequently treated mental conditions include mood disorders (mainly depression), anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, age-related cognitive decline, and sometimes psychotic disorders. Some herbal formulations, such as St. John's wort, have been analyzed in clinical trials to estimate their real value. The use of other herbal medicines, such as Kava-kava, valerian, and Ginkgo biloba is discussed....

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Historical Article 2008; 29(Suppl 1): 161-201 PubMed PMID: 19029874 Citation  Keywords:  Clinical Trials as Topic, Electroconvulsive Therapy, Ferrosoferric Oxide:therapeutic use, History of Medicine, History, 15th Century, History, 16th Century, History, 17th Century, History, 18th Century, History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, Histor.   

: Since antiquity, the phenomenon of magnetism has been known, and it has been tried for therapeutic purposes. Through history, people have made use of both natural sources of magnetic fields (magnetic iron ore) and artificial ones (magnets, electromagnets). It was as late as the 19th century that we started to produce time-varying magnetic fields, making numerous observations about its impact on humans, the nervous system included. A majority of these observations were cognitive in nature. There are, however, studies aimed at assessing the therapeutic results of the influence of magnetic fields, particularly of low frequencies. In terms of magnetotherapy with the use of a low-induction magnetic field, there are serious doubts concerning its effectiveness in general, including therapy for mental disorders. The year 1985 witnessed the introduction of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) into medical practice as a diagnostic tool in neurology as well as in basic neurophysiologic and neuropsychological investigations. The 1990s began the epoch of investigations into possible applications of TMS in therapy of mental disorders, particularly depression. This work presents critical remarks and limitations of TMS, such as findings that its effectiveness is not particularly high. The traditional fixed stimulation of a definite area of the patient's head may lead to irritation of structures that, in a specific patient, may not be responsible for the symptoms of depression. The effectiveness could be improved only with the use of neuronavigation and prestimulation via functional neuroimaging diagnostics of the brain, which, however, would make TMS expensive and less practical....

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Editorial 2002; 23(1): 5-7; discussion 4 PubMed PMID: 11880854 Citation  Keywords:  Education, Medical, Ethics, Medical, Holistic Health, Humans, Medicine, Models, Theoretical, Natural Science Disciplines:methods, Specialization,.   

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