From the website of the publisher: "Botanicals, which are basis of many plant food supplements (PFS), constitute the major part of worldwide and historically founded traditional medicines (TM) used to cure diseases and maintain health. A recently published trilogy called “The Art and Science of Traditional Medicine”, published by Science/AAAS (2015a, b, 2014) reveals many research aspects and examples of TM including the complexity of efficacy and safety testing of botanicals. It also exemplifies currently available innovative options to ensure and improve quality of TM (from Traditional Chinese Medicine, to Ayurveda and classic Greek, Roman and Celts’ medicines). The WHO, who in view of their Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023 triggered this trilogy, aims to promote TM as a worldwide affordable health care option." Co-authors Mario Dell’AgliEmail authorChiara Di LorenzoEnrico SangiovanniGary WilliamsonPaolo MeoniPatrizia Restani
We read the invited review on sustainable medicines use in clinicalpractice by Adeyeye et al.1and would like to congratulate the authorswith the captivating way in which they used scientific facts combinedwith very practical solutions to convey their call to action. This call isprimarily addressed to the NHS, which the authors suspect will reso-nate with other health systems. While we fully agree with necessityof this top-down approach, we additionally believe that there is muchto be gained by making future prescribers more knowledgeable andaware about the impact they have on planetary health. The articleremains very brief about next generation of healthcare professionalsby quoting the General Medical Council's statement that“newly quali-fied doctors must be able to apply the principles, methods and knowl-edge of population health and the improvement of health andsustainable healthcare to medical practice.”2However, the underlyingquestion—how we effectively train future healthcare professionals inthese attitudes underpinned by knowledge—is not addressed...........
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Although many publications have documented the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in children and adolescents, the recent review showed that there are only few well-controlled studies that support the efficacy of CAM in the treatment and clinical improvement of children with asthma. However, some evidence has been found that specific CAM techniques are differentially associated with psychosocial outcomes, indicating the importance of examining CAM modalities individually, as well as within culturally specific contexts. Based on the previous study of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment in children’s asthma, this study examined the efficacy of TCM in areas with differing air pollution. This study is based on a longitudinal qualitative data and observations of families of children with asthma collected between 2009 and 2012 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The study results indicate that while TCM treatment of children can be beneficial to treatment of asthma, environmental pollution renders positive effects of alternative treatment largely ineffective. https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
