Insights & Discussion
Acupuncture appears to be a promising complementary treatment for Alzheimer's disease, according to findings from systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
The study analysed the role of acupuncture as a complementary treatment for Alzheimer's disease by perusing systematic reviews and meta-analyses using data from eight electronic databases. The researchers employed a variety of tools such as the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2, Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews tool, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation to determine the quality of methodology, risk of potential bias, and quality of the evidence.
A total of eleven systematic reviews and meta-analyses met the necessary criteria for inclusion in this study. The results, despite indicating that acupuncture may show promise as a complementary treatment for Alzheimer's disease, all rated critically low in quality when assessed with the tools employed. Some methodological weaknesses remained, particularly pertaining to the protocol and registration, search strategy, risk of bias, additional analyses, and funding. Only a small portion of the reviews exhibited a low risk of bias. There was no high-quality evidence found, but moderate-quality evidence was provided for seven outcomes. The risk of bias in the original trials seemed more prevalent than inconsistency, imprecision, and publication bias.
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Dark chocolate exerts prebiotic effects and may improve negative emotional states via the gut-brain axis.
2022 The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry Consumption of 85% cocoa dark chocolate improves mood in association with gut microbial changes in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial Shin JH, Kim CS, Cha L, Kim S, Lee S, Chae S, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Dark Chocolate Gut Microbiota Prebiotic
To assess the association between the mood-altering effects of dark chocolate and the gut microbiota, we performed fecal 16S rRNA sequencing analysis for the DC85 and CON groups. Gut microbial diversity was significantly higher in DC85 than CON (P<.05). Blautia obeum levels were significantly elevated and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii levels were reduced in DC85 compared to CON (P<.05). Furthermore, we found that the observed changes in negative affect scores were negatively correlated with diversity and relative abundance of Blautia obeum (P<.05).
Eating two gold kiwifruit daily can lead to significant improvements in mood and energy, thereby boosting psychological well-being in adults.
2022 Nutrients The Role of Kiwifruit in Supporting Psychological Well-Being: A Rapid Review of the Literature Billows M, Kakoschke N, Zajac IT
Review Article Fatigue Kiwifruit Mood
The study conducted a literature review through databases like CINAHL, Embase, and PubMed, searching for English language articles published from 2005 to July 2022. These articles had to be randomized trials involving kiwifruit interventions targeting adults and assessing psychological well-being. The researchers used the Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool to evaluate potential bias in these trials. After the search, they selected two suitable trials involving 202 participants.
In discussing the results, the evidence found shows that regularly consuming two gold kiwifruits daily was linked with a significant decrease in mood disturbance and fatigue, and a significant increase in vigor and overall well-being. These effects were more pronounced in participants who had more significant initial mood disturbances. The study concluded by underlining the potential utility of consuming gold kiwifruit daily to promote improved psychological health.
Auricular acupressure may be a safe and effective technique for reducing burnout and secondary traumatic stress in healthcare workers.
2021 Journal of Trauma Nursing Effects of Acupuncture and Acupressure on Burnout in Health Care Workers: A Randomized Trial Afrasiabi J, McCarty R, Hayakawa J, Barrows J, Lee K, Plouffe N, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Burnout
In this prospective randomized trial with an open, parallel-group design, participants were randomized to receive one of three interventions: auricular acupuncture, auricular seed acupressure, or auricular massage. Interventions took place over a period of 3 weeks at a 334-bed Level II pediatric trauma center. Using a pre-/posttest design, the researchers analyzed self-reported scores from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Professional Quality of Life scale, and the Caring Ability Inventory.
The study found that auricular seed acupressure was associated with a reduction in burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Importantly, this effect remained even after adjusting for individual pretest scores. Attempts at achieving significant effects on anxiety levels, professional quality of life, and caring ability, however, did not yield any significant improvement. Overall, the data suggest that auricular acupressure is a very effective strategy for reducing work-related stress among health care staff.
Acupuncture is associated with a reduction in the risk of depression during long-term follow-up in patients with trigeminal neuralgia.
2020 Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment Long-Term Beneficial Effects of Acupuncture with Reduced Risk of Depression Development Following Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study Liao CC, Lin CL, Liao KR, Li JM
Systematic Review Depression Trigeminal Neuralgia
In total, 776 patients with newly diagnosed trigeminal neuralgia in each cohort with similar baseline characteristics were enrolled in the study. The acupuncture cohort had a reduced risk of depression compared to the non-acupuncture cohort. Kaplan–Meier analysis also revealed that the cumulative incidence of depression was significantly lower in the acupuncture cohort during the 13-year follow-up period. In particular, the beneficial effect of acupuncture was a decrease in the risk of depression among TN patients aged 50– 69 years who had also used carbamazepine.
Shaded gardening of Japanese matcha creates high-quality tea with unique compounds that can boost physical and mental health.
2020 Molecules Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review Kochman J, Jakubczyk K, Antoniewicz J, Mruk H, Janda K
Review Article Matcha
This study reviewed and compiled health benefits of matcha tea, a type of powdered green tea grown traditionally in Japan with plants shaded during growth. This shading process promotes the synthesis and accumulation of unique biologically active compounds, which includes theanine, caffeine, chlorophyll, and a variety of catechins, with matcha offering a condensed source of these elements. The review indicated that matcha is considered the highest quality tea due to its distinctive chemical composition and prized flavor.
In discussing the results, a major conclusion reached was that matcha tea has effective health-promoting attributes due to the tea's high content of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances. Such benefits have largely been credited to its significant proportion of catechins - a type of phenolic compound beneficial to human health. The high antioxidant potential of the tea and its subsequent ability to help prevent various diseases and support cognitive function underscores the value in regular consumption of matcha for not only physical health, but also mental health.
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