فصلنامه طب مکمل
سال هشتم شماره 3 (پیاپی 28، پاییز 1397)

Today, using non-pharmacological methods such as wet cupping and physical training plays an important role in prevention and treatment of many diseases. This study aimed to compare the effect of wet cupping with that of intensive aerobic workout on HDL and LDL levels in young male athletes. 24 handball players with average age of 24.17± 0.75 participated in this quasi-experimental study. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: workout group (N=12), and wet cupping group (N=12). Informed written consents were obtained from all the participants. The participants in the workout group were divided into two teams of six members and then played a handball game as an intensive aerobic workout with an intensity of 90% maximum heart rate. The participants in the wet cupping group were cupped by a trained person. Levels of HDL and LDL were measured before, immediately and 24 hours after workout and cupping. The data were analyzed by SPSS 16 using repeated measures ANOVA at significance level of P≥0.05. Results showed that the level of LDL significantly decreased in both workout (p=0.003) and cupping groups (p=0.006). On the other hand, although HDL level considerably increased in both workout (p=0.24) and wet cupping groups (p=0.61), the difference was not significant. It seems that an intensive aerobic workout can be more effective than wet cupping in decreasing LDL levels.

Hot flashes are the most common symptoms of menopause affecting the social life, mental and psychological states and overall quality of life of women. The study was a triple-blind clinical trial. After obtaining written consents, the participants were randomly assigned to three 40-member groups of omega-3 (1000 mg / day), folic acid (1mg / day) and placebo. The data were collected through a demographic questionnaire and daily registration forms to examine the intensity, duration and number of hot flashes experienced by the participants two weeks before the intervention and one, two and three months after the beginning of the intervention. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage frequency, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Chi-square, Fisher exact, ANOVA and repeated measures ANOVA) using SPSS 22. The mean intensity of hot flashes one month after the intervention was significantly different among the three groups (p =0.045). Two months after the intervention, the results of Scheffe's test showed a significant difference between folic acid and omega-3 groups (p = 0.021) and between folic acid and placebo groups in terms of intensity (p = 0.008). The mean intensity of hot flashes was lower in the folic acid group than that in the placebo three months after the intervention (p = 0.002). The mean duration of hot flashes was significantly different among the three groups two and three months after the intervention (p = 0.001). The mean number of hot flashes was lower in the folic acid group than that in the placebo group three months after the intervention (p = 0.001). In this study, 12 weeks of omega-3, folic acid, and placebo reduced the severity, duration and number of hot flashes, but the reduction was more evident in the folic acid group. Therefore, folic acid can be recommended to be used as the first line of treatment.

Although delivery is a natural and physiological process, it creates a great deal of anxiety in mothers. This study aimed to assess the effect of viewing scenes of nature and nature scenes along with nature sounds on the anxiety during the active phase in primiparous women. In this clinical trial, 90 primiparous women in active phase of labor were selected through convenience sampling and participated in the study after obtaining written consents. They were randomly assigned to three groups of viewing scenes of nature, viewing nature scenes along with nature sounds and control. The intervention was conducted by broadcasting a 45-minute film of native scenes through television. The anxiety of the participants was evaluated by the six-item Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory at the time of admission and every 45 minutes after the intervention.
Homogeneity of the groups in terms of all characteristics and factors which may affect anxiety was evaluated by ANOVA, ANCOVA, Fisher Exact Test and Chi –square and the three groups were similar in this regard. The anxiety score after the intervention was 14.81 ± 1.17, 14/53±1/19, and 14.47 ± 1.61 in the nature scenes group, nature scenes + nature sounds group, and control group, respectively. There was no significant difference between the three groups in the anxiety scores. Findings showed that viewing scenes of nature and nature scenes along with nature sounds had no effect on the anxiety in the first stage of labor and did not reduce it. It is suggested to study about other complementary methods to reduce mothers’ anxiety during labor.

Exercise is considered as an important factor in maintaining health in Iranian traditional medicine. Scientists believe that every sport exercise brings about specific effects. In traditional medicine, temperament is considered as a fundamental factor in creating individual differences. This study aimed to investigate the effect of temperament on muscle damage after resistance exercise. This study was a practical and quasi-experimental research. The participants were 38 single men aged 18-26 years. They were assigned to two groups, one including 18 cold-tempered participants and the other composing of 20 warm-tempered ones. Subsequently, the muscle strength test was performed in the two groups. Before and immediately after the exercise, blood samples were taken from the both groups and the enzymes were examined in the laboratory. The data were analyzed through independent T-test and
Mann–Whitney U test using SPSS 21. The results showed that the relative muscle strength in warm-tempered individuals was significantly higher than that in the cold-tempered ones. Also, Creatine phosphokinase enzyme was significantly higher in warm-tempered group than that in the cold-tempered one. However, lactate dehydrogenase was not significantly different between the two groups at the pre- and post-test stages. The significance level was considered to be 0.05 (p≤0.05). It can be concluded that warm-tempered participants enjoy higher power, but if they exercise to be healthy, they should begin resistance training program with a lower percentage of their one repetition maximum (1RM) to reduce the damage to muscles.

Continued search for safer and more effective phytochemicals to be used in chemotherapy is ultimate goal of pharmacologists. Cancer chemoprevention with natural phytochemical compounds is an emerging strategy to prevent, impede, delay, or cure cancer. This study aimed to review the research conducted on anticancer ingredients extracted from native plant species of Iran. The study was conducted by searching scientific documents published in Google scholar, PubMed and ScienceDirect since 2010. The keyword was “anticancer Iranian medicinal plants” and the phrases “bioactive compounds” and “mechanism” limited the scope of search. The papers studying native plant species of Iran were selected. Out of 15900 records reported in Google scholar, 13700 have been published after 2010, which were selectively reviewed. Searching PubMed and ScienceDirect provided 10 and 233 reports, respectively. Totally, searching the literature showed that two species of algae, six species of gymnosperms and 177 species of angiosperms form Iran have been reported as anticancer plants. Conclutions: The results showed that 185 species, including algae and higher plants grown in Iran, can be potentially used in cancer treatment and understanding the mechanism by which their bioactive compounds work could improve our understanding of cancer treatment methods.

Supporting breastfeeding is a public health priority. There are many chapters devoted to the topic “breastfeeding” in Iranian medicine works. This study aimed to investigate and compare the causes of low milk supply from the perspectives of Iranian traditional medicine and modern medicine. In this review study, the data were collected from reliable Iranian traditional medicine works and the literature on the modern medicine published in PubMed, Science Direct, Google scholar from 2005 to 2015 and were then analyzed using inductive content analysis. According to Iranian medicine and modern medicine, the main causes of low milk supply can be categorized into four groups: Food-related factors, factors related to blood disorders, factors related to breast tissue, psychological factors and physical factors. One of the main reasons for low milk supply is impaired quality and quantity of food. Appropriate temperament of breast tissue is also among other prerequisites for adequate milk production. Due to the importance of breastfeeding, attention to some perspectives, such as those from Iranian traditional medicine, could open new windows to new research and probably advance the policies targeted at exclusive breastfeeding.

Various methods of using medicinal herbs are among the different traditions and cultures of Iranian tribes. This study aimed to investigate the role of different socio-climatic indices in the use of medicinal herbs by women in 2015. The study population of this research were the students of University of Kashan. This descriptive-analytical study was conducted as a survey. The main tool was a questionnaire with 5 general and 47 special statements. The type of climate had a significant effect on the use of medicinal plants by women. Advices from friends and prescriptions of traditional healers played a significant role in the tendency toward this kind of care. The highest consumption rate was related to peppermint and the lowest to fennel. Women do not use medicinal herbs in all types of diseases. Also, they do not use the same amount of all the herbs. In some diseases, they tend to use these plants more and in other cases, they are less aware of them or tend to use them less.

Antimicrobial activity of oils, plant extracts on various microorganisms has been reported from different areas. In the present study, we tried to exam the activity of Plantago major and Laurus nobilis extracts collected from Semnan province on some of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This is an experimental study. Plantago major and Laurus nobilis extracts were prepared by soxhlet method. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by agar well diffusion. Average of inhibition zone diameter was recorded after triplicate repeat. Microplate titration was used for investigation of Minimum inhibitory concentration and Minimum bactericidal concentration. Spss software used for data analysis. Data are presented as frequency and percentage and mean and standard deviation. The highest antibacterial activity of plant extract on gram positive bacteria was on Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus, and Laurus nobilis extract had the most effect on Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The lowest concentration of alcoholic extract of Laurus nobilis and Plantago plants that stop the growth of Staphylococcus aureus was 100 mg / ml, with a halo diameter of 13 mm. The most antibacterial activity of plant extract was detected against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium and the highest antibacterial activity of Leaf extract against Staphylococcus aureus was obtained.