The Relevance of Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Review of the Literature

Georg Seifert; Michael Jeitler; Rainer Stange; Andreas Michalsen; Holger Cramer; Benno Brinkhaus; Tobias Esch; Annette Kerckhoff; Anna Paul; Michael Teut; Pirus Ghadjar; Jost Langhorst; Thomas Häupl; Vijay Murthy; Christian S Kessler

doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.587749

Back

The Relevance of Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Review of the Literature

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

The Relevance of Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Review of the Literature

Georg Seifert, Michael Jeitler, Rainer Stange, Andreas Michalsen, Holger Cramer, Benno Brinkhaus, Tobias Esch, Annette Kerckhoff, Anna Paul, Michael Teut, …

Frontiers in Medicine, Vol.7, 587749

2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2020.587749

PMID: 33363186

Files and links (2)

pdf

The Relevance of Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Review of the Literature561.08 kBDownload View

Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access

url

The Relevance of Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Review of the LiteratureView

Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open

Metrics

1 File views/ downloads

10 Record Views

27 Times Cited - Web of Science

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: InCites

Abstract

COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2

botanicals

integrative medicine

traditional medicine systems

complementary medicine

phytomedicine

mind-body medicine

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic people are facing risks of adverse health effects due to the restrictions implemented such as quarantine measures, reduced social contact, and self-isolation. In this qualitative review, we collected data on potential preventive and therapeutic health benefits of Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM) that might be useful during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have reviewed the scientific literature to summarize CIM practices that could be beneficial for improving physical and mental health and well-being of the population under the current pandemic circumstances. It must be noted that this review is not SARS-CoV-2 specific and we explicitly do not intend to make any SARS-CoV-2 specific health claims in this article. Methods and Findings: A qualitative, non-systematic literature review was conducted in Medline to identify literature describing preventive and therapeutic CIM approaches for strengthening mental and physical health. For a variety of CIM approaches clinical evidence was identified, indicating beneficial effects. CIM approaches include specific dietary measures and selected micronutrients, physical activity, techniques from Mind-Body Medicine, single botanicals or botanical compounds, and spending time in nature among others. The effects of CIM measures on conditions like obesity and hypertension are of special relevance here, as these conditions are considered as risk factors for a severe course of COVID-19. Moreover, a possibly direct effect of CIM approaches on immune functions and clinical parameters in respiratory tract infections, such as influenza, were identified. The findings of this review could be helpful for clinicians, patients, and the general population during the current pandemic when discussing and/or considering CIM options. Conclusions: CIM offers a variety of preventive and therapeutic options for strengthening physical and mental resilience, which could also be useful in the current COVID-19 pandemic. The evidence of CIM approaches with a potential benefit in the COVID-19 pandemic in different areas is worth to be analyzed. While this qualitative review has several obvious limitations, it might serve as useful starting point for further research on this topic.

Details

Title: The Relevance of Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Review of the Literature
Creators: Georg Seifert (Author) - Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Michael Jeitler (Author) - Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Rainer Stange (Author) - Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Andreas Michalsen (Author) - Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Holger Cramer (Author) - National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
Benno Brinkhaus (Author) - Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Tobias Esch (Author) - Institute for Integrative Health Care and Health Promotion, University Clinic for Integrative Health Care, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
Annette Kerckhoff (Author) - Institute for Integrative Health Care and Health Promotion, University Clinic for Integrative Health Care, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
Anna Paul (Author) - Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Evang. Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
Michael Teut (Author) - Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Pirus Ghadjar (Author) - Department of Radiation Oncology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Jost Langhorst (Author) - Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Klinikum Bamberg, Chair for Integrative Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Bamberg, Germany
Thomas Häupl (Author) - Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Vijay Murthy (Author) - Faculty of Medicine, Primary Care and Population Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
Christian S Kessler (Author) - Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Publication Details: Frontiers in Medicine, Vol.7, 587749
Publisher: Switzerland
Identifiers: 991012925038102368
Academic Unit: National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

The Relevance of Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Review of the Literature

Files and links (2)

Metrics

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Abstract

Details

Southern Cross University Social media