Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine

Research on complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine (CAIM) continues to grow. Bibliometric analyses (BAs) are valuable to assess research trends, identify gaps, and understand the evolution of a body of literature, yet there are no systematic or scoping reviews on how these BAs are conducted. This scoping review aimed to systematically review and summarize BAs on CAIM literature to inform and guide future bibliometric studies in this field and beyond.

A scoping review was conducted in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science from database inception to the date of the search on January 5, 2023. Eligible articles were BAs of the CAIM literature. Screening and data extraction were completed independently and in duplicate by at least two reviewers, with findings summarized descriptively.

The review included 286 articles published between 1995 and 2023, with approximately 75% published in the last 5 years. Studies were conducted in 36 countries, with China (50%) leading in contributions. All articles used performance analysis techniques, whereas 80% also used science-mapping techniques. The most commonly used performance analysis metrics were “total publications” (98%) and “total citations” (67%). Co-word (63%) and co-authorship (55%) analysis were the most common science mapping techniques. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were the predominant visualization softwares employed.

This review demonstrates large methodological diversity in the conduct of CAIM bibliometrics. As a result of this variability, future research should focus on developing uniform methodologies and incorporating diverse metrics and alternative data sources to enhance the reliability and reproducibility of BAs in the CAIM field.

Given the prevalence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a proportion of people seeking manual therapy care for musculoskeletal conditions will have a chronic respiratory comorbidity. While there is emerging evidence supporting the use of manual therapy as an adjunct to usual care in the management of some chronic respiratory conditions, manual therapists do not routinely measure the effect of their care on respiratory function.

To identify respiratory patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) used for managing chronic respiratory diseases in adults receiving manual therapy in primary care practice.

A scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. The inclusion criteria were as follows: patients aged 18 years or older, experiencing a chronic respiratory condition, managed in a nonhospital environment, the intervention included manual therapy, at least one PROM as an outcome measure, and articles from peer-reviewed primary sources and published in the English language from inception to August 31, 2024. The exclusion criteria were as follows: the care environment was a hospital (i.e., a patient admitted to a hospital), no PROM used, the intervention used exercise or education only, a knowledge synthesis, not peer-reviewed, or not published in the English language (due to funding restrictions and lack of expertise).

CINAHL, PubMed, AMED, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases.

A data-charting form was jointly developed in Excel by three reviewers to determine which variables to extract. Data were extracted from the included sources of evidence by two reviewers working independently and the results compared. Discrepancies were resolved by a third reviewer.

Seven articles met the inclusion criteria. The mean number of participants in the included studies was 25 ± 38. Six respiratory PROMS were identified as being used with adults with chronic respiratory conditions undergoing manual therapy treatment in primary care practice: Manchester Respiratory Activities of Daily Living, Dyspnea Visual Analog Scale, COPD Assessment Test (CAT), Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale, Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale, and Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire.

Comorbid respiratory complaints are present in a small, but significant, number of manual therapy patients. The CAT appears to be the most appropriate respiratory PROM for primary care manual therapy practice because of its brevity and responsiveness. Respiratory PROMS, such as the CAT, may assist manual therapists to assess the severity of chronic respiratory diseases and quantify patients’ response to manual therapy. The protocol for the study was registered with Open Science Framework (OSF) (https://www.doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F2KQC).

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by intrusive and repetitive behaviors impairing daily life. Although cognitive-behavioral therapy and medications are primary treatments, recent studies highlight yoga potential benefits.

This study aimed to summarize the effectiveness of yoga in managing OCD symptoms and improving overall mental well-being.

A comprehensive literature review was conducted across PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases, identifying a total of 252 records. After removing 124 duplicates, 128 articles were screened based on title and abstract. Studies were excluded if they were reviews, meta-analyses, editorials, case reports (N = 26), and lacked yoga-based interventions (N = 11), or focused on conditions other than OCD (N = 45). Forty-six full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, with 39 exclusions for being reviews, editorial, case reports (N = 21), addressing conditions other than OCD (N = 4), or being out of topic (N = 14). Seven studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in this review. Qualitative rating of included studies was performed by the Qualitative Assessment Tool for quantitative studies.

The included studies showed that yoga interventions led to significant reductions in OCD symptom severity, as measured by standardized assessment tools such as the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Various forms of yoga, including kundalini and rajyoga, were associated with improved mental health outcomes, reduced anxiety levels, and enhanced overall well-being. However, the generalizability of these findings is limited due to heterogeneity in study design, small sample sizes, and variations in intervention protocols.

The findings suggest that yoga-based interventions may be effective as adjunctive therapies alongside conventional treatments for OCD. However, well-designed randomized controlled trials with standardized methodologies are needed to establish definitive conclusions.

To characterize clinicians’ familiarity, attitudes, and utilization patterns related to complementary and integrative health (CIH) services at an academic medical center in the United States.

This mixed-methods pilot study surveyed and interviewed clinicians (n = 46), including Department of Integrative Health (DIH) nurses who deliver CIH services via a consult model to hospitalized patients. Self-report questionnaires assessed clinicians’ familiarity, attitudes, and utilization of CIH services. Qualitative interviews explored CIH perceived benefits, barriers, and opportunities for wider service adoption.

Fifty-six percent of clinicians discussed the benefits of CIH services with patients, and 72% reported positive impacts such as improved sleep, coping, healing, and reduced pain and/or stress. Nurses (n = 25) reporting greater work autonomy viewed CIH services as more integral to their practice. DIH nurses demonstrated a high degree of familiarity and comfort in counseling patients with CIH modalities. Qualitative data highlighted the importance of creating safe, therapeutic environments, empowering patients, and improving health literacy. Challenges included limited education, awareness, and staffing, particularly during evenings and weekends. Proposed improvements encompassed expanded education and staffing, dissemination of effectiveness criteria, and automated electronic health record referrals.

CIH services are broadly perceived as health-promoting and warrant expansion, but operational and cultural challenges must be addressed. These findings will guide CIH services’ refinement in U.S. academic medical centers and serve as a model for institutions seeking to integrate CIH services into patient care.

The primary goal of treatment for endometriosis (EMS), where pelvic pain is the most significant symptom, is the symptom alleviation. Medical treatment is typically employed until menopause or until pregnancy is desired. The primary outcome of this randomized controlled trial was the reduction in pelvic pain intensity as measured by the visual analog scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes included quality-of-life (QoL) parameters assessed using the short form 36 (SF-36) subscales. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of emotional freedom techniques (EFTs) in women experiencing pelvic pain due to EMS.

The research was conducted using a parallel-group, randomized controlled design. The EFT group received two EFT sessions (45–60 min each) once a month together with affirmation practices lasting 10–15 min at least twice a week. Control group participants performed breathing exercises parallel to the intervention group. Data were collected from 64 women (intervention: 32 and control: 32) presenting with pelvic pain complaints at the Gynecology Clinic of Trakya University between May 24, 2024 and October 27, 2024. Assessments were performed using the VAS and the SF-36-short form. Mixed-model analysis of variance was utilized to analyze the effects of time, group, and the time × group interaction. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.

Compared with the control group, the EFT group showed a significant reduction in mean VAS pain scores (baseline: 7.34 ± 0.90; 1st month: 6.46 ± 0.67; 2nd month: 4.68 ± 0.53) (interaction η² = 0.323, p < 0.001). Improvements were also observed in SF-36 subscales, including physical functioning, emotional role functioning, vitality, mental health, social functioning, and pain (all p < 0.05), suggesting that EFT may reduce pelvic pain and improve the QoL.

EFT was associated with reductions in pelvic pain intensity (the primary outcome) and improvements in multiple dimensions of the QoL among women with EMS-related pelvic pain. These findings suggest that EFT may be a beneficial complementary intervention for managing EMS symptoms.

Chronic pain is a major public health problem. Due to the persistent, costly, and complex nature of chronic pain, there is a need for new safe and effective treatments. Integrative breathwork interventions, or therapeutic styles of conscious breathing, have promise as novel treatments for chronic pain. The primary objective of this proof-of-concept study was to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and clinical significance of an integrative breathwork intervention for adults with chronic pain.

Participants with chronic pain and without prior breathwork experience were eligible for this study. Participants completed online surveys at baseline, 2-week, and 6-week follow-ups as well as a brief survey immediately before and after the single group breathwork session. Guided Respiration Mindfulness Therapy (GRMT) was the integrative breathwork intervention that involved 1 hour of conscious connected breathing while engaging in somatically focused mindfulness and relaxation.

A total of 11 participants were enrolled into this study, and 10 completed the breathwork session. The intervention was rated as highly acceptable (M = 9.3, standard deviation [SD] = 1.9) and satisfying (M = 9.7, SD = 0.5). All participants recommended the intervention to someone else suffering from chronic pain. There were large, clinically meaningful improvements in pain intensity and pain interference from baseline to the 2-week (mean difference [MD] = −2.9) and 6-week (MD = −3.5) follow-ups.

A single group session of GRMT was shown to be highly acceptable, satisfying, and potentially helpful to individuals with chronic pain. The findings demonstrated proof of concept, with most participants reporting a clinically meaningful improvement in pain outcomes through the follow-ups. Additional research on integrative breathwork interventions for chronic pain is warranted.