Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Urban Land-Based Healing: A Northern Intervention Strategy, Nicole Redvers, Melanie Nadeau, Donald Prince

Indigenous Health Faculty Publications

Urban Indigenous populations face significant health and social disparities across Canada. With high rates of homelessness and substance abuse, there are often few options for urban Indigenous Peoples to access land-based healing programs despite the increasingly known and appreciated benefits. In May 2018, the first urban land-based healing camp opened in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, one of the first to our knowledge in Canada or the United States. This camp may serve as a potential model for an Indigenous-led and Indigenous-based healing camp in an urban setting. We seek to present preliminary outcome data from the healing camp in a …

The Use Of Dhea In The Treatment Of Depression, Bryan Tipton

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfated ester (DHEA-S) are important pre-hormones that also have direct neurohormonal effects on the central nervous system. Over the last twenty years, data have revealed that serum DHEA peaks in a person’s mid-20s and steadily declines throughout their lifetime. In addition, women tend to have lower values than men. This is of note because lower serum values tend to be correlated with increased risk of depression, worse depressive symptoms, and increased risk of relapse into depression. A review of literature concerning DHEA’s age related values, its association with depression, and its use in the treatment of …

Integrative Medicine In Primary Care, Ashley M. Bjornerud

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Integrative medicine (IM) is an approach to care that puts the patient at the center and addresses the full range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect a person’s health (Rakel, 2017). Commonly, integrative medicine is associated with complementary and alternative medicine therapies (CAM). These are two separate entities. CAM is one of the modalities used in integrative medicine.

The review of the literature on IM analyzed studies in primary care settings in all parts of the world. Definitions of IM and CAM are evaluated. Defining what IM is and how to incorporate this approach in …

Integrative Medicine In Primary Care, Ashley M. Bjornerud

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Integrative medicine (IM) is an approach to care that puts the patient at the center and addresses the full range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect a person’s health (Rakel, 2017). Commonly, IM is associated with complementary and alternative medicine therapies (CAM). These are two separate entities. CAM is one of the modalities used in integrative medicine.

Curcumin And Fish Oil: Potential Alternative Or Adjunctive Treatments To Nsaids And Immune Modulating Medications For The Treatment Of Chronic Inflammation, Vicki Andvik

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

The aim of the present review is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of curcumin and fish oil as alternative or adjuvant treatments to NSAIDs and immune modulating medications for the treatment of chronic inflammation.

An online search of CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane and Alt Healthwatchdatabases was conducted. It was limited to peer-reviewed articles and clinical trials in academic journals within the last ten years.

Current research suggests that curcumin may be efficacious in the treatment of chronic inflammation. It is generally regarded as safe up to 12 gm/day with mild gastrointestinal effects but poor bioavailability has limited its clinical application. …

Prolotherapy: Applications, Mechanism Of Action, Controversy And Evidence, Boris M. Davydov

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Merriam-Webster defines prolotherapy (PROLO) as “an alternative therapy for treating musculoskeletal pain that involves injection of irritant substance (as dextrose) into a ligament or tendon to promote the growth of new tissue”. Experimental research and multiple clinical trials have generated evidence suggesting that PROLO is effective at treating a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, including tendinopathies, joint instability and ligament laxity. PROLO may also hold a potential to delay or avoid joint replacement and rotator cuff surgeries. Further research is needed to demonstrate the therapeutic effect of PROLO unequivocally.

Prescription Opioids: A Band-Aid For Chronic Low Back Pain, Rebekah Dunn

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Pain is one of the most common reasons patients seek medical care in the outpatient clinic and emergency department setting.

 • In the last decade, per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), prescription drug abuse and overdose, specifically opioids, has become the leading cause of injury and deaths in the United States.

• “Opioids—primarily prescription pain relievers and heroin—are the main driver of overdose deaths and were involved in 28,647 deaths in 2014…opioid overdoses have quadrupled (an increase of 200%) since 2000” (Rudd et al. 2016).

• In 2016 the CDC established guidelines of clinical practice regarding management of …

Folate As An Adjunctive Therapy For Treatment Resistant Depression, Katherine Mcfarland

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Numerous medications are available to treat depression, yet many patients do not achieve remission or recovery of their symptoms with traditional therapies alone. Folate supplementation has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of depression when used in addition to traditional prescription therapy. A literature review was conducted to determine the effect of low folate levels on depression and if supplementation with either folic acid or L-methylfolate benefits this patient population. Key search terms including folate, folate deficiency, methylfolate, nutrition, and depression were used to perform searches of multiple databases and journals including PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and the American …

Migraine Prophylaxis With Petasites Hybridus, Lena Deluca

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Petasites hybridus (butterbur) as an effective prophylaxis for migraine disorders. • Computerized literature searches were carried out in DynaMed, COCHRANE, EBSCO, CINAHL and MEDLINE.

• The examination of literature will comprise of trials that evaluate Petasites hybridus extract Petadolex® in various dosages and placebo.

• Petasites hybridus extract Petadolex® demonstrates a decreased frequency of migraine attacks and a greater improvement (>50%) after 3-4 month than placebo.

• Further studies are indicated to investigate extract recommendation for dosing and duration of treatment in pediatric population.

• Additional studies are required to confirm effectiveness and safety in long-time use before …

Acupuncture: A Comparison Study Of Sham Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Acupuncture And Current Practice Guidelines For The Treatment Of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain In Adults, Kayla Olson

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Chronic pain is one of the most difficult conditions to treat.

---Close monitoring of controlled medications

---Unnecessary, expensive surgeries

• Alternatives to medication is increasingly necessary.

• Integrative medicine incorporates traditional western medicine with unconventional therapies, such as acupuncture.

---Evaluate the treatments’ efficacy for chronic neck and back pain by evaluating meta-analysis studies and randomized controlled trials.

• Physiology is a large component of understanding how and if the acupuncture works.

---Non-invasive functional magnetic resonance imaging

---Neurotransmitters and their response to acupuncture

• Acupuncture therapy for improvement of chronic musculoskeletal pain

Effects Of Saw Palmetto On Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms From Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Michael Trimble

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is common in older males and can cause lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

• Saw Palmetto, an herbal supplement, is normally implemented as an alternative medication to treat lower urinary tract symptoms associated with BPH.

• The review of literature evaluated studies comparing the effects and outcomes of Saw Palmetto versus commonly prescribed medications such as antiadrenergic agents.

• There are conflicting studies indicating Saw Palmetto’s efficacy on lower urinary tract symptoms and reduction of BPH.

• Saw Palmetto has no side effects, and is available at a low cost when compared to prescribed medications …

Implementing Animal Therapy Into Current Medicinal Practices, Jenna Schiefelbein

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• The purpose of this study was to explore an unconventional intervention of medicine; specifically the integration of animals into current healthcare practices.

• The review of literature evaluated the implementation of animal therapy in medicine, both in the past and present.

• It was demonstrated that incorporating animal-assistance therapy into modern day medicine had a positive correlation with overall patient health, pain control, and disposition.

Alternative Treatment With Red Yeast Rice To Reduce Hyperlipidemia, Lisa Froemke

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• First line treatment of cardiovascular disease is lifestyle modification followed by the pharmacologic intervention of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors or statins

• Statins are commonly associated with intolerable side effects such as myalgia leading to medication non-compliance

• RYR preparations claim to inhibit cholesterol synthesis without causing myalgia

• RYR preparations have naturally occurring monacolins such as monacolin K which is chemically identical to lovastatin

• RYR is not regulated by the FDA leading to questionable manufacturing practices producing varying ingredient composition

• The purpose of this study is to investigate the role RYR in hyperlipidemia treatment compared to statins …