Complementary and Integrative Treatments

Abstract

Rhinosinusitis is characterized by inflammation of the mucosa involving the paranasal sinuses and the nasal cavity and is one of the most common health care problems, with significant impairment of quality of life. There is a growing amount of interest in the use of complementary and integrative medicine for the treatment of rhinosinusitis. This article focuses on an integrative approach to rhinosinusitis.

Herbal medicine for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…[Magnoliaceae; Magnoliae Flos] and Xanthium strumarium L. [Asteraceae; Xanthii Fructus] are frequently used in combination. The former is used to treat sinus congestion and headaches, and the latter is used to treat a viscous runny nose and headaches in CRS ( Taw et al, 2013 ). Magnolia denudata Desr.…”

“…These herbs promote immune system development, improve mucosal immune function, and have anti-inflammatory effects ( Yue et al, 2012 ; Buchwald et al, 2020 ; Chen et al, 2020 ). As per the EATM theory, combining herbs that resist external pathogens with herbs that have immunomodulatory effects is an essential principle of HM composition, which has the advantage of managing CRS from a complex and multifactorial perspective ( Taw et al, 2013 ). The frequently used herbs in the included studies suggest that the internal immunity of the human body was lowered and external wind invaded, thereby causing CRS.…”

“…Recently, CRS has been considered a disease with a complex and multifactorial etiology rather than simple inflammation. Moreover, a holistic approach, which is the core concept of EATM, has been emphasized ( Taw et al, 2013 ). In particular, EATM can contribute to treatment in a multifactorial view of CRS management via the use of a combination of herbs resistant to foreign pathogens and with immunomodulatory effects ( Taw et al, 2013 ).…”

“…Moreover, a holistic approach, which is the core concept of EATM, has been emphasized ( Taw et al, 2013 ). In particular, EATM can contribute to treatment in a multifactorial view of CRS management via the use of a combination of herbs resistant to foreign pathogens and with immunomodulatory effects ( Taw et al, 2013 ). In this regard, a systematic review of HM for the treatment of rhinosinusitis was published in 2006, which concluded that the evidence supporting the benefit of HM for the treatment of rhinosinusitis was limited ( Guo et al, 2006 ).…”

Medical Online Consultation Service in CAM at the University Hospital Zurich

“…There are several reports in literature [24,25,26] that telemedicine is a valuable tool to support conventional medicine and in particular managed care models. The growing interest of patients in CAM therapies and the increasing patient autonomy will require further strategies of integrative care approaches [27]. A limitation of our study might be the keyword-based selection of enquiries due to the lack of CAM-based diagnosis classification systems.…”