Bioenergy Treatment for Improving Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis.

IF 1.1 4区 医学 Q3 INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Harald Walach, Peter Marmann
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Bioenergy treatment devices for self-treatment with the aim to improve well-being are widely available, have become popular, and are used by a rather large number of persons. Yet, a systematic analysis of the assumed effect of these devices has not yet been conducted. We meta-analyzed eight very similar studies of the Healy device to assess the joint effect size.

Method: Eight studies with similar designs, some active controlled and some wait-list controlled, testing the Healy bioenergy device, were meta-analyzed. They were conducted by the producer of the device for quality assurance and further development of the application. An additional literature search revealed no additional, independent studies.

Result: The overall effect size across studies, combining all active arms and averaging outcome measures, is Hedge's g = 0.757 (random effects model, I2 = 85.8; z = 6.57; p < 0.0001). The stronger active intervention against control yields a heterogeneous g = 0.825 (random effects, I2 = 82.5; z = 7.77; p < 0.0001). Active treatments against each other result in a significant g = 0.29 (fixed effects, I2 = 0.0; z = 8.34; p < 0.0001).

Discussion: The highest effect sizes are produced by a measure of coherence, followed by the WHO5 well-being questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, with the Measure Your Own Medical Outcome Profile, resulting in the smallest effect size. Heterogeneity can be partially explained by the type of control, with active control producing smaller and wait-list control producing larger outcomes. Another source of heterogeneity is the sequencing of studies. Effect sizes grew for three studies, which were similar, and then fell and remained very similar for the rest of the studies. A limitation of this analysis is the fact that all studies were conducted by the R and D Department of the producer of the device.

Conclusion: In this meta-analysis, the Healy device showed considerable effects, improving general well-being in healthy individuals. Nonetheless, an independent confirmation of these findings would be desirable. Moreover, the potential mechanisms of effect of the bioenergy device remain unclear, and further studies addressing this research question are warranted.

生物能源治疗改善幸福感:一项荟萃分析。
背景:以改善健康为目的的自我治疗的生物能源治疗装置广泛可用,已经变得流行,并被相当多的人使用。然而,还没有对这些装置的假设效果进行系统的分析。我们荟萃分析了8项非常相似的Healy器械研究,以评估关节效应大小。方法:对8项设计相似的Healy生物能源装置试验进行meta分析,其中部分为主动对照,部分为候补对照。这些测试是由设备生产商进行的,以保证质量和进一步开发应用程序。一项额外的文献检索显示没有额外的独立研究。结果:综合所有活动组和平均结果测量,各研究的总体效应大小为Hedge’s g = 0.757(随机效应模型,I2 = 85.8;Z = 6.57;P < 0.0001)。较强的主动干预对对照产生异质性g = 0.825(随机效应,I2 = 82.5;Z = 7.77;P < 0.0001)。主动处理相互对抗的结果显著g = 0.29(固定效应,I2 = 0.0;Z = 8.34;P < 0.0001)。讨论:一致性测量产生的效应量最大,其次是世卫组织5幸福问卷、感知压力量表和测量您自己的医疗结果概况,产生的效应量最小。异质性可以部分解释为控制类型,主动控制产生较小的结果,而等待列表控制产生较大的结果。异质性的另一个来源是研究的顺序。在三个相似的研究中,效应量增加,然后在其他研究中下降并保持非常相似。这一分析的一个局限性是,所有的研究都是由设备生产商的研发部门进行的。结论:在这项荟萃分析中,Healy装置显示出相当大的效果,改善了健康个体的总体幸福感。尽管如此,对这些发现的独立证实是可取的。此外,生物能源装置的潜在作用机制尚不清楚,需要进一步研究解决这一研究问题。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Complementary Medicine Research
Complementary Medicine Research Medicine-Complementary and Alternative Medicine
CiteScore
2.90
自引率
5.60%
发文量
50
期刊介绍: Aims and Scope ''Complementary Medicine Research'' is an international journal that aims to bridge the gap between conventional medicine and complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) on a sound scientific basis, promoting their mutual integration. Accordingly, experts of both conventional medicine and CAM medicine cooperate on the journal‘s editorial board, which accepts papers only after a rigorous peer-review process in order to maintain a high standard of scientific quality. Spectrum of ''Complementary Medicine Research'': - Review and Original Articles, Case Reports and Essays regarding complementary practice and methods - Journal Club: Analysis and discussion of internationally published articles in complementary medicine - Editorials of leading experts in complementary medicine - Questions of complementary patient-centered care - Education in complementary medicine - Reports on important meetings and conferences - Society Bulletins of Schweizerische Medizinische Gesellschaft für Phytotherapie (SMGP) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Naturheilkunde Bibliographic Details Complementary Medicine Research Journal Abbreviation: Complement Med Res ISSN: 2504-2092 (Print) e-ISSN: 2504-2106 (Online) DOI: 10.1159/issn.2504-2092 www.karger.com/CMR
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