Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons^™

Mixed Methods Approach To Assess ‘Placental Opioid-Enhancing Factor’ Activity Within ‘Alternative’ Health Contexts Of Human Maternal Placentophagy, Jacob C. White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rats with elevated opioid levels experience an even greater increase in pain threshold after placenta or amniotic fluid consumption via placental opioid-enhancing factor (POEF) in the afterbirth. POEF only enhances opioid hypoalgesia; it cannot produce hypoalgesia alone. Although the POEF molecule remains unidentified and its efficacy in humans is unknown, it could be a safe, novel pain treatment. People who consume placenta as an alternative postpartum health practice are ideal for testing POEF bioactivity. Though rat models show that bioactive POEF is highly sensitive, some forms of the practice in humans may conserve POEF. This project is the first attempt …

The Prevalence And Predictors Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine (Cam) Use Among Racially/Ethnically Diverse College Students, Hermella Misiker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: National data on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use, available through the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), convey higher prevalence of CAM use among college students compared to the general U.S population. NHIS findings also highlight non-vitamin non- mineral (NVNM) products are the most widely used form of CAM in the U.S. The purpose of this study was to identify the socio-cognitive and demographic predictors of CAM and NVNM use among a racially/ethnically diverse college student body.

Methods: An online survey was used to collect data from 392 University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. …

Effects Of Human Maternal Placentophagy On Postpartum Maternal Affect, Health, And Recovery, Sharon Marie Young

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Postpartum ingestion of the afterbirth by the mother, or maternal placentophagy, is a common behavior among eutherian mammals, including non-human primates, with humans as a rare exception. Despite the conspicuous absence of placentophagy in the cross-cultural ethnographic record, the practice appears to be gaining popularity among a small but growing number of advocates in various industrialized contexts who claim that the practice provides benefits to the postpartum mother, namely the relief and prevention of postpartum blues and depressive symptoms, improved breast milk production, and enhanced bonding with their infant. Because the placenta serves as an endocrine organ throughout pregnancy and …

Human Touch: Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy From A Non-Pharmacology Treatment For Individuals Living With Hiv/Aids, Anne Elizabeth Weisman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

HIV/AIDS and a subsequent drug regimen can create many negative symptoms and side

effects that lead those infected to seek out alternative and complementary therapies as treatments. Massage therapy is an ancient form of treatment that is now gaining popularity as part of the integrative medicine movement. A phenomenological, qualitative research study was conducted at Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN). Participants received a massage and rich descriptive narratives were captured from the 12 participants, six female and six male, ranging in age from 30-67 years of age. The interviews were transcribed and coded for themes. For the purpose of …

Thrust Joint Manipulation Education: Student Perceptions Of Learning And Practical Experiences In Spinal Manipulation Within Entry-Level Physical Therapist Education Programs, Joshua Thomas Marks, Lisa Basl

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Spinal thrust joint manipulation (TJM) education is mandatory in all professional entry-level physical therapy programs, yet TJM is under-utilized in daily practice. This descriptive study expands on previous data about how TJM is taught and includes data for the perceived confidence students have when performing TJM.

Methods: A 39-question descriptive survey inquiring about TJM education and selfperceived confidence in performing TJM was distributed via email to 213 accredited physical therapy programs.

Subjects: Respondents ranged in age from 22-45 (mean age=25.61 years). Respondents included 435 professional physical therapy students (84 male, 285 female) who have completed their …

Safety Of Cervical Manipulation: Are Adverse Events Preventable And Are Manipulations Being Performed Appropriately?, Joseph Anders, Jessica March, Amber Perez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objectives: Documented case reports found in medical literature describing adverse events associated with cervical spine manipulation (CSM) were reviewed to determine if the CSM was used appropriately and if the events could have been prevented. Our hypothesis was that CSM had been used inappropriately and that adverse events could have been prevented. This study also looked to identify potential characteristics that may put the patient at risk for injury, or even death as a result of a CSM.

Methods: One hundred and thirty four cases, reported in 93 articles, published between 1950 and 2010, were reviewed. CSMs were categorized as …

Ultrasound Imaging Of Lumbar Multifidus Immediately Following Three Physical Therapy Techniques In Asymptomatic Individuals, Victoria Byers, Steven Lim, Kathryn Rice

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Study Design

Randomized, blinded, cohort, within subjects design.

Background and Objective

The effects of different manual therapy (MT) techniques on lumbar multifidus (LM) thickness have been investigated in subjects with low back pain (LBP) but have not been investigated in asymptomatic subjects. The objective of this study was to examine the immediate effects of mobilization and manipulation on contraction thickness of LM in healthy individuals.

Methods and Measures

Forty-two healthy individuals participated in the study. Ultrasound imaging techniques were used to record LM thickness (L4-5 level) at rest, during an abdominal drawing in maneuver (ADIM), and during a prone upper …

Effect Of Aquastretch On Range Of Motion At Knee Joint In Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients, Raja Devinder Kochar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The success of the Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) depends upon its functional outcomes of increase in reduction in pain, and gait ambulation and performing functional activities of daily living. Compromised range of motion, pain and weakness can reduce their ability to perform activities of daily living. Aquatic Physical Therapy may offer an alternative intervention to traditional Physical Therapy Rehabilitation and many studies have shown improvements in range of motion, swelling, pain reduction, stiffness and quality of life after TKA. AquaStretch, a relatively new form of aquatic therapy, claims to restore the functional mobility which is lost restrictions caused due to …