URTI

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• Definition
• Introduction
• Signs & Symptoms
• Research Summary

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Executive Summary

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Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Research into Chinese medicine treatment for URTI" summarising the research below and using language that can be easily understood by patients and avoiding medical jargon using a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Researched Chinese medicine treatments for URTI" summarising the research below in an objective and easy to understand way, and using language that can be easily understood by patients. Group the article into Chinese medicine treatments first, followed by nutrition and other treatments. Avoid using medical jargon and use a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write me a concise but easy to understand executive summary on the topic of "Chinese medicine treatments for URTI" based on the following research that I will give you. Your summary should be 2 paragraphs long in Australian English spelling and include references to the studies.

A Clinical Study published in 2023 in the journal Biomedical Reports found that Consuming a honey-based gel, such as 'Bear Strength honey gel,' led to a notable reduction in diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure, with gender-specific improvements in redox status among healthy adults. The study included 20 healthy participants (10 men, 10 women) who incorporated 70g of 'Bear Strength honey gel' into their daily diet for 14 days. Physiological parameters (weight, height, BMI, body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, resting heart rate, and blood pressure) and hematological data were evaluated before and after consumption. Redox biomarkers, including Glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), protein carbonyls (PCARBS), and thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS), were measured. Post-consumption, the honey-based gel showed a significant decrease in diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure, particularly in women. However, no significant changes were observed in other physiological or hematological variables. Notably, GSH levels increased in both genders, TAC increased universally, and TBARS levels decreased in the total group and women. PCARBS levels decreased exclusively in the women's group. These findings highlight the honey-based gel's potential positive impact on blood pressure and redox status, emphasizing gender-specific effects in healthy adults.

A Systematic Review published in 2022 in the journal Medicine found that Acupuncture coupled with traditional Chinese medicine may be more effective and safer than conventional Western medicine in treating chronic urticaria. To compare the efficacy of acupuncture with traditional Chinese medicine to conventional Western medicine, several databases, including Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, CQVIP, and CBM, were searched until August 2021. The criterion for inclusion were randomized control trials where the experimental group was treated with acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, and the control group with conventional Western medicine. Studies were excluded if they were repeated publications, lacked full text, incomplete in information, or incapable of data extraction. Animal experiments, reviews, and systematic reviews were also disregarded. Data analysis was conducted using STATA 15.1 software. The analyzed results revealed that the total effective rate of the group treated with acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine was noticeably higher than those treated with conventional Western medicine. Additionally, this group showed considerably lower Urticaria Activity Scores and pruritus scores compared to those treated with Western medicine. However, there was no substantial difference shown in the wheal score between both groups. Significantly, the recurrence rate and the incidence rate of adverse events in the group treated with acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine were markedly lower than the other group. This highlights the greater effectiveness and safety of the combination of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine for chronic urticaria compared to Western medicine.

A Systematic Review published in 2021 in the journal The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that Acupuncture improves clinical outcomes in uremic pruritus, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and itch. A systematic review published in 2015 found that acupuncture improves outcomes in several dermatological diseases. We performed a systematic review of studies that have been done since then to present updated evidence. Results showed that acupuncture improves clinical outcomes in uremic pruritus, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and itch. Acupuncture does not significantly reduce postoperative itch in patients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. While there are some promising studies that support the use of acupuncture for skin diseases, additional large-scale, randomized, sham-controlled trials need to be performed to present consistent high-level evidence of acupuncture's role in dermatology.

A Systematic Review published in 2020 in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine found that Honey can be used as an alternative to antibiotics by clinicians who wish to offer treatment for upper respiratory tract infections, which may help to combat antimicrobial resistance. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are the most frequent reason for antibiotic prescription. Since the majority of URTIs are viral, antibiotic prescription is both ineffective and inappropriate. However, a lack of effective alternatives, as well as a desire to preserve the patient–doctor relationship, both contribute to antibiotic over prescription. Antibiotic overuse is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance, rated by the UK government as one of the top 10 risks facing Britain. Furthermore, drug resistant infections are associated with worse patient outcomes than antibiotic susceptible infections, underlining the impact of antimicrobial resistance on individual patients.

A Systematic Review published in 2020 in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine found that Honey is more effective than usual care alternatives for improving upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, particularly cough frequency and cough severity. We identified 1345 unique records, and 14 studies were included. Overall risk of bias was moderate. Compared with usual care, honey improved combined symptom score, cough frequency. We combined two studies comparing honey with placebo for relieving combined symptoms. Honey was superior to usual care for the improvement of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. It provides a widely available and cheap alternative to antibiotics. Honey could help efforts to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance, but further high quality, placebo controlled trials are needed.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2020 in the journal Medicine found that Combining acupuncture via shu-stream acupoints with the Chinese herbal formulation Dang Gui Yin Zi presents a potentially effective treatment for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria. The research employed a multicenter, randomized, controlled study design emphasizing on evaluating the efficacy and safety of integrating Chinese herbal medicine with a particular acupuncture technique. The research participant group constituted 111 outpatients suffering from Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria, all aged between 18 to 65 years. These participants underwent randomization into three distinct groups. Group A received the basic acupuncture combined with the herbal formulation Danggui Yinzi, while Group B was given Dangui Yinzi and acupuncture using shu-stream acupoints. The control group was only treated using Dangui Yinzi. Treatment for all groups lasted for 4 weeks, with an additional 8-week monitoring period. The study (while ignoring the quantitative data) showed that the alternative approach using a combination of shu-stream acupoints and Chinese herbal medicine in treating Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria resulted in noticeable changes in the patients' conditions. This was reflected in the patients' symptoms, side effects of the treatment, and overall quality of life. This method introduced an innovative, cost-effective, and straightforward treatment strategy for solving a complex clinical issue.

A Systematic Review published in 2020 in the journal Journal of Integrative Medicine found that Cupping therapy, as an adjunct to current treatments, may potentially enhance efficacy when treating patients with chronic urticaria. The research adopted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials, with the focus on efficacy and safety of cupping therapy for chronic urticaria. The researchers employed a search strategy aimed at identifying related keywords like "chronic urticaria" and "cupping therapy" in the title and abstracts, sourced from nine major electronic databases up till May 2019. Only trials that included patients with chronic urticaria who received dry or wet cupping were considered. The quality of the methodological design and potential bias of the studies were evaluated. The findings suggest the efficacy of cupping therapy when used, not as a standalone treatment, but as an adjunct to other treatments, particularly to antihistamines and acupuncture. In a sample of trials, there were no significant differences between using wet cupping and conventional medications in terms of their total effective rate. However, cupping therapy combined with antihistamines or acupuncture was found to be more effective than when these treatments were used separately. No serious adverse events were reported as part of these findings.

A Review Article published in 2018 in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that Moderate‐certainty evidence showed that honey probably reduces cough duration to a greater extent than salbutamol or placebo. Honey group participants were first to get total relief of cough compared to salbutamol or placebo. Honey probably relieves cough symptoms to a greater extent than no treatment, diphenhydramine, and placebo, but may make little or no difference compared to dextromethorphan. Honey probably reduces cough duration better than placebo and salbutamol. There was no strong evidence for or against using honey. Most of the children received treatment for one night, which is a limitation to the results of this review. There was no difference in occurrence of adverse events between the honey and control arms.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2016 in the journal The Journal of Nutrition found that Dietary omega-3 intake shows promise in lowering systolic blood pressure. A study involving 312 participants investigated the effects of achievable dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), on blood pressure and vascular function. Participants were divided into groups receiving different doses of EPA+DHA for 8 weeks. Overall, there were no significant effects observed. However, in individuals with isolated systolic hypertension (SHT), a clinically meaningful reduction in systolic blood pressure (5 mm Hg) was noted with a low dose of EPA+DHA (0.7 g). The study suggests that even modest omega-3 intake may have potential benefits in reducing cardiovascular risk for individuals with SHT. Further research is recommended for conclusive results.

A Systematic Review published in 2016 in the journal BioMed Research International found that Acupuncture may prove effective and safe in relieving symptoms of chronic urticaria. In the methodology, a systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out incorporating randomised controlled trials. The main outcome focused on was global symptom improvement. The results indicated that out of the 6 studies with 406 participants, three trials demonstrated a substantial difference between acupuncture and medication in terms of global symptom improvement. Moreover, when acupuncture was used as an addition to medication, it showed beneficial effects for global symptom improvement. No severe adverse events related to acupuncture were reported. Limitations included high bias risk across the trials, and methodological restrictions.

A Systematic Review published in 2015 in the journal Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies found that Acupuncture improves outcome measures in the treatment of dermatitis, chloasma, pruritus, urticaria, hyperhidrosis, and facial elasticity. Twenty-four studies met inclusion criteria. Among these, 16 were randomized controlled trials, 6 were prospective observational studies, and 2 were case reports. Acupuncture was used to treat atopic dermatitis, urticaria, pruritus, acne, chloasma, neurodermatitis, dermatitis herpetiformis, hyperhidrosis, human papillomavirus wart, breast inflammation, and facial elasticity. In 17 of 24 studies, acupuncture showed statistically significant improvements in outcome measurements compared with placebo acupuncture, alternative treatment options, and no intervention.

A published in 2014 in the journal European Journal of Integrative Medicine found that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is regularly used in treating upper respiratory tract infections, particularly for patients (more female patients in database found) with mild symptoms, using commonly preferred prescriptions, i.e Yin Qian San & Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang. In this study, data from the National Health Insurance Research Database was analyzed with particular attention to the treatments used for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnoses codes for Taiwan in 2009, were used to identify these treatments. Techniques of data mining and association rules were deployed to examine co-prescriptions of TCM for patients with URTIs. Discussion of the results shows that out of a sample of 472,005 patients who sought treatment for URTIs, approximately 10 percent were treated with TCM and among these, over three-fifths were female. A majority - 79 percent - presented with an acute common cold. The study also noted that certain prescriptions, namely Yin-Qiao-San and Ma-Xing-Gan-Shi-Tang, were most commonly combined for patients with URTIs. The insight showed that patients were more likely to request TCM treatment if their symptoms were mild and they were women. Chinese medicine doctors treating URTIs generally adhered to TCM theory.

A Network Pharmacology published in 2014 in the journal Archives of Medical Research found that Manuka honey exhibits significant anti-influenza viral activity, inhibiting replication with virucidal effects. Combining manuka honey with existing drugs enhances their efficacy, suggesting its medicinal potential. This study aimed to address the urgent need for novel anti-influenza drugs by evaluating the anti-viral activity of honey, focusing on manuka honey. Antiviral activities were assessed using MDCK cells, revealing that manuka honey efficiently inhibited influenza virus replication with an IC50 of 3.6 ± 1.2 mg/mL and a CC50 of 82.3 ± 2.2 mg/mL, resulting in a selective index of 22.9. Virucidal effects were identified as the underlying mechanism. Furthermore, combining manuka honey with zanamivir or oseltamivir significantly enhanced their efficacy, showcasing the potential medicinal value of honey, particularly manuka honey, against the influenza virus. The study underscores the potent inhibitory activity of honey, especially manuka honey, against influenza viruses, offering promising medicinal implications. The observed virucidal effects and the synergistic enhancement of known anti-influenza drugs highlight the multifaceted potential of honey in combating influenza infections. Further exploration of the specific mechanisms underlying these effects could contribute to the development of effective anti-influenza therapies.

A Network Pharmacology published in 2014 in the journal Archives of Medical Research found that Honey, in general, and particularly manuka honey, has potent inhibitory activity against the influenza virus, demonstrating a potential medicinal value. Antiviral activities of honey samples were evaluated using MDCK cells. To elucidate the possible mechanism of action of honey, plaque inhibition assays were used. Synergistic effects of honey with known anti-influenza virus drugs such as zanamivir or oseltamivir were tested. Manuka honey efficiently inhibited influenza virus replication (IC50 = 3.6 ± 1.2 mg/mL; CC50 = 82.3 ± 2.2 mg/mL; selective index = 22.9), which is related to its virucidal effects. In the presence of 3.13 mg/mL manuka honey, the IC50 of zanamivir or oseltamivir was reduced to nearly 1/1000th of their single use.

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