Premium
Unconventional therapies in asthma: an overview
Author(s) -
Lewith G. T.,
Watkins A. D.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1996.tb00020.x
Subject(s) - homeopathy , medicine , asthma , acupuncture , alternative medicine , intensive care medicine , randomized controlled trial , evidence based medicine , conventional medicine , medline , complementary medicine , popularity , physical therapy , traditional medicine , pathology , psychology , social psychology , political science , law
Acupuncture, homoeopathy, mind‐body therapies, and nutritional, herbal, and environmental medicine have all been used in the management of patients with asthma. This paper reviews the evidence base for the use of these unconventional or complementary therapics. Although there is a paucity of large randomized, controlled trials in this area, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that many of these therapies can produce objective and subjective benefit in selected groups of patients. In view of the increasing popularity of complementary medicine among patients and general practitioners, there is now an urgent need for high‐quality research to determine how, or whether, these therapies may be interwoven with the more orthodox treatments currently available.