ABSTRACT
Background: In traditional Persian medicine, an herbal cold remedy containing Sugarcane, Black Myrobalan, and mastic is mentioned and it was being widely provided by grocery stores. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increased desire for this traditional remedy has led to a debate in society. Huge parts of the Iranian population have started using this remedy for the treatment of COVID-19;while no study has evaluated its efficiency and possible side effects. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effects of Sugarcane, Black Myrobalan, and Mastic herbal medications for COVID-19 patients. Methods: This was a double-blinded randomized clinical trial study conducted over three months from May 2020 to July 2020 in SARS-COV2 PCR positive patients admitted in the COVID-19 ward of Peymaniyeh Hospital in Jahrom, Iran. Patients with severe COVID-19 infection were not recruited. The intervention group received the routine COVID-19 treatment protocol and the herbal supplement received the combination of black myrobalan and mastic and sugarcane, twice a day (3 g of herbal supplement). Study groups were compared in terms of demographic variables, vital signs, and clinical and laboratory variables for safety and efficiency assessment. Results: Seventy-two patients with COVID-19, divided into intervention (n=37) and control (n = 35) groups were studied. Intervention and control groups had not any significant difference in terms of baseline characteristics. The time-to-event analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in 4 symptoms of cough, fever, dyspnea, and myalgia (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in averaged O2 vital signs between the two groups (P>0.05). The Control group in comparison to the intervention group had a significantly lower decrease in C-reactive protein during 7 days (P<0.05). Patients in the herbal supplement group were hospitalized for 4.12 days and patients in the control group were hospitalized for 8.37 days (P=0.001). ICU admission and death only happened in 3 (8.6%) patients of the control group. Conclusion: This study showed that the proposed herbal remedy could be applied as supplementation to conventional management of COVID-19 patients with mild disease, while more research is needed for clinical application of this remedy. © 2023 by SPC (Sami Publishing Company)
ABSTRACT
Background: Social distancing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic led to the adoption of telehealth in place of services previously provided in-person. Specialised psychotherapy is the primary evidence-based treatment for people diagnosed with personality disorder. Objective: To investigate the perceptions of clients of a specialist personality disorder clinic receiving psychotherapy via telehealth (video-conference and/or phone). Methods: An online survey was conducted during the first round of social restrictions (March-May 2020). Clients receiving psychotherapy treatment prior to the restrictions were invited to participate (n = 77). Findings: Thirty-seven clients completed the survey (48% response rate). Most participants were female (86.5%) and aged younger than 38 years (64.8%). When asked about their transition from in-person to telehealth during the pandemic, about half (n = 18 of 35, 51.4%) had few or no technical issues. Most participants preferred not having the stress of travelling (57.1%) and some felt more relaxed and able to talk more freely during telehealth sessions (28.6%). However, some (34.3%) found it more challenging to stay engaged in treatment when their main communication was via telehealth, with telehealth not working as well as in-person treatment. Almost half of the participants (48.6%) wanted to retain the option of receiving psychological treatment via telehealth when restrictions were lifted. While positive aspects of telehealth services were highlighted, there were some significant shortcomings. Conclusion: The overall perception of clients diagnosed with personality disorder was that delivery of psychotherapy via telehealth was generally therapeutic, was valued by participants and did not lead to harmful outcomes.