Preventive use of Bach flower Rescue Remedy in the control of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in rats.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of Bach flower Rescue Remedy on the control of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in rats. DESIGN: A randomized longitudinal experimental study. METHODS: Eighteen Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of six animals each and orogastrically dosed with either 200 µl of water (group A, control), or 100 µl of water and 100 µl of Bach flower remedy (group B), or 200 µl of Bach flower remedy (group C) every 2 days, for 20 days. All animals were fed standard rat chow and water ad libitum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Urine volume, body weight, feces weight, and food intake were measured every 2 days. On day 20, tests of glycemia, hyperuricemia, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and total cholesterol were performed, and the anatomy and histopathology of the heart, liver and kidneys were evaluated. Data were analyzed using Tukey's test at a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in food intake, feces weight, urine volume and uric acid levels between groups. Group C had a significantly lower body weight gain than group A and lower glycemia compared with groups A and B. Groups B and C had significantly higher HDL-cholesterol and lower triglycerides than controls. Animals had mild hepatic steatosis, but no cardiac or renal damage was observed in the three groups. CONCLUSION: Bach flower Rescue Remedy was effective in controlling glycemia, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol and may serve as a strategy for reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease in rats. This study provides some preliminary "proof of concept" data that Bach Rescue Remedy may exert some biological effects.

Fatores que dificultam o controle da hipertensäo arterial à luz da estrutura conceitual da Teoria de King / Factors that make the control of the blood pressure difficult in the light of King's conceptual theory

Tendo em vista a grande incidência de complicaçöes e de hospitalizaçöes por hipertensäo arterial, procurou-se, neste estudo, identificar os fatores que dificultam o controle da doença por seus portadores. Os dados foram obtidos através de entrevistas com 23 indivíduos que foram hospitalizados por essa causa, na cidade de Pouso Alegre, analisados com base na estrutura conceitual da Teoria de Alcance de Objetivos, de Imogene M. King. Foram identificadas 220 Unidades de Registro como falas significativas, classificadas em 31 Categorias que correspondem aos fatores que dificultam o controle da doença por seus portadores. Essas Unidades de Registro foram distribuídas nos Sistemas Pessoais (48,4 por cento), nos Sistemas Interpessoais (12,9 por cento) e nos Sistemas Sociais (38,7 por cento). As categorias que apresentaram maior frequência de Unidades de Registro foram "dificuldades de acesso ao atendimento ambulatorial do SUS", "desconhecimento dos fatores de risco da doença", "impotência no controle das emoçöes", "insatisfaçäo com o atendimento prestado pelos profissionais de saúde" e "limitaçäo da capacidade física"...