<p><i>Introduction - </i>Symptoms occurring in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) such as heartburn, regurgitation, thoracic pain, epigastric pain, respiratory symptoms, and others can show a broad overlap with symptoms from other foregut disorders. The goal of this study is the accurate assessment of symptom presentation in GERD. <p><i>Methods - </i>Patients with foregut symptoms were ...

Several control conditions, such as penetrating sham acupuncture and non-penetrating placebo needles, have been used in clinical trials on acupuncture effects in chronic pain syndromes. All these control conditions are surprisingly effective with regard to their analgesic properties. These findings have fostered a discussion as to whether acupuncture is merely a placebo. Meta-analyses on the clinical ...

<p><i>BACKGROUND - </i>The clinical presentation of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) shows a large symptom variation also in different intensities among patients. As several studies have shown, there is a large overlap in the symptomatic spectrum between proven GERD and other disorders such as dyspepsia, functional heartburn and/or somatoform disorders. <p><i>AIM - </i>To prospectively ...

<i>Objective</i>: The existing eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were critically appraised for the effectiveness and safety of Chinese herbal medicine Dengzhan Shenmai for ischemic stroke.<p> <p><i>Design</i>: Systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD42016042914, http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO). Methods: Six electronic databases were searched from inception to May 2016. Risk ratio ...

Little is known about the process from experiencing indeterminate bodily sensations to perceiving them as possible symptoms of cancer relapse. We explore how such processes are related to local values and to clinical practice in rural Northern Norway. One-year ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in a coastal village involving ten key participants residing in the village who had undergone cancer ...

In Northern Norway, traditional healing has been preserved by passing down the knowledge through generations. Religious prayers of healing (<i>reading</i>) and Sami rituals (<i>curing</i>) are examples of methods that are used. We have examined traditional healers’ understanding of traditional healing, the healing process and their own practice, as well as what characteristics healers should have. ...

Exposure to cold climate is an inevitable consequence of military training in Norway. Adequate peripheral microcirculation in the extremities is important to maintain temperature, and to protect against freezing cold injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the variability in skin rewarming ability. The study subjects consisted of 260 healthy Norwegian army conscripts, following a mild ...

Music as a possible health-promoting agent has attained increasing academic and scientific interest over the last decades. Nonetheless, possible connections between indigenous singing traditions and health beyond traditional ceremonial healing practices are still under-researched worldwide. The Sami, the indigenous people living in Northern Fennoscandia, have a distinct ancient vocal music tradition ...

Intentional use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has previously only been researched in small, possibly biased, samples. There seems to be a lack of scientific information regarding healthy individual's attitudes and presumed use of CAM. The aim of this study is to describe prevalence and characteristics of participants who intend to see a CAM provider compared to participants who ...

Background: Many European citizens are seeking complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). These treatments are regulated very differently in the EU/EFTA countries. This may demonstrate differences in how risk associated with the use of CAM is perceived. Since most CAM treatments are practiced fairly similarly across Europe, differing risk understandings may influence patient safety for European ...