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Biomedical subjects

E Ernst

Publications and source records attributed to E Ernst.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Herbal medicines for treatment of fungal infections: a systematic review of controlled clinical trials.

Traditional medicine has made use of many different plant extracts for treatment of fungal infections and some of these have been tested for in vitro antifungal activity. This systematic review evaluates antifungal herbal preparations that have been tested in controlled clinical trials. Four electronic databases were searched for controlled clinical trials of antifungal herbal medicines. Data were extracted in a standardized manner by two independent reviewers and are reviewed narratively. Seven clinical trials met our inclusion criteria. Tea tree oil preparations were tested in four randomized clinical trials and some positive outcomes were attributed to the intervention in all trials. Solanum species (two trials) and oil of bitter orange preparations (one trial) were compared with conventional treatments. In all cases encouraging results were reported. There are few controlled clinical trials of herbal antifungal medicines. The most thoroughly clinically tested is tea tree oil, which holds some promise. All herbal remedies require further investigation in rigorous clinical trials.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed2004

Assessing websites on complementary and alternative medicine for cancer.

BACKGROUND: Many cancer patients search the World Wide Web for information on complementary and alternative medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of such information and identify the treatments most frequently discussed. Materials and methods We used a pre-tested search strategy to identify the websites that are most likely to be used by cancer patients and assessed them according to pre-defined criteria. RESULTS: Thirty-two websites were included in this analysis. The quality of these sites was scored on a point system and varied between 8 and 14 points with a maximum of 14. Most sites issued recommendations for a plethora of treatments, which are typically not supported by sound scientific evidence. Three sites had the potential for harming patients through the advice issued. The most frequently discussed therapies were herbal medicines, diets and mind-body therapies. CONCLUSION: The most popular websites on complementary and alternative medicine for cancer offer information of extremely variable quality. Many endorse unproven therapies and some are outright dangerous.

Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed2004

Ethical problems arising in evidence based complementary and alternative medicine.

Complementary and alternative medicine has become an important section of healthcare. Its high level of acceptance among the general population represents a challenge to healthcare professionals of all disciplines and raises a host of ethical issues. This article is an attempt to explore some of the more obvious or practical ethical aspects of complementary and alternative medicine.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2004

Bioresonance, a study of pseudo-scientific language.

Clarity of language is an essential element for effective communication. Using the example of bioresonance therapy, this article demonstrates how pseudo-scientific language can be used to cloud important issues. This can be seen as an attempt to present nonsense as science. Because this misleads patients and can thus endanger their health, we should find ways of minimizing this problem.

Biophysical Phenomena↗
PubMed2004

Research into complementary and alternative medicine across Europe and the United States.

BACKGROUND: There has been an increase in complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM) research with a wide range of perspectives. OBJECTIVE: To capture and analyse the diversity of CAM research across 7 European countries (Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium) and the US. We were predominantly interested in finding out how CAM research differs between countries. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of CAM literature published in 2002 and included in Medline, Embase, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBBS) and PsycLit. OUTCOME CRITERIA: Data were extracted regarding country of origin, type of methodology, type of research question, CAM modality, direction of conclusion, setting and type of journal. RESULTS: In total 652 abstracts of articles were assessed (Germany: 137, UK: 183, Italy: 39, France: 47, Spain: 24, Netherlands: 17, Belgium: 22, US: 183). The vast majority of CAM research was of a medical nature and published in medical journals. The majority of articles were nonsystematic reviews and comments, analytical studies and surveys. The UK carried out more surveys than any of the other countries and also published the largest number of systematic reviews. Germany, the UK and the US covered the widest range of interests across various CAM modalities and investigated the safety of CAM. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that important national differences exist in terms of the nature of CAM research. This raises important questions regarding the reasons for such differences.

Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed2004

[Naive empiricism?].

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Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed2004

Ear candles: a triumph of ignorance over science.

Ear candles are hollow tubes coated in wax which are inserted into patients' ears and then lit at the far end. The procedure is used as a complementary therapy for a wide range of conditions. A critical assessment of the evidence shows that its mode of action is implausible and demonstrably wrong. There are no data to suggest that it is effective for any condition. Furthermore, ear candles have been associated with ear injuries. The inescapable conclusion is that ear candles do more harm than good. Their use should be discouraged.

Cerumen↗
PubMed2004

Are herbal medicines effective?

Herbal medicine is again popular and its widespread use demands that we assess its effectiveness objectively. The evidence in this area has grown considerably in recent years, not least due to the endeavors of the Cochrane Collaboration. They show amongst other things that it is possible to evaluate herbal medicines in much the same way as conventional drugs. By far the biggest hindrance to research into herbal medicine is the lack of funds available for this line of scientific investigation. In view of the present popularity of herbal medicine it seems necessary to overcome obstacles to rigorous research and establish which herbal medicines do more good than harm for which conditions.

Adult↗