Effects of auricular acupressure on the quality of sleep and anxiety in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of auricular acupressure (AA), a non-invasive type of reflexotherapy, on sleep quality and anxiety in patients after cardiac surgery. BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances and anxiety hinder the recovery of patients after cardiac surgery; thus, appropriate and adequate nursing interventions must be pursued. AA is a complementary therapy suitable for patients with limited pharmacological therapy options. METHOD: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest control group design was applied. The study consisted of 42 patients, comprising an experimental group (n = 21) and a control group (n = 21). AA was applied for six days per trial for a total of 2 trials, while sleep (sleep score, sleep satisfaction) and anxiety (state, trait) were measured at three time points (pre-op, 7 days post-op, and 14 days post-op). RESULTS: The sleep and sleep satisfaction scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. No significant difference was found in anxiety state/trait between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that AA is a safe, effective, noninvasive, and low-risk nursing intervention that can improve sleep quality in patients after cardiac surgery.

A case study: Effects of foot reflexotherapy on ADHD symptoms and enuresis nocturia in a child with ADHD and enuresis nocturia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can occur in association with enuresis nocturia. Alternative therapies may be effective in addressing the maladies of children with ADHD comorbidities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of foot reflexotherapy in a child with ADHD and enuresis nocturia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patient was an 8-year-old child with ADHD and enuresis nocturia. Pre- and post-tests for ADHD were completed using Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale. The subject was treated with foot reflexotherapy for 20-min per session twice per week for a period of 8 weeks. RESULTS: The child showed improvement in ADHD symptoms and his enuresis nocturia disappeared completely after foot reflexotherapy. CONCLUSION: Foot reflexotherapy was effective in improving inattention, hyperactivity in the child with ADHD. The results of this novel study suggest that foot reflexotherapy can be effective in treating ADHD child with enuresis nocturia.

The effects of sustained manual pressure stimulation according to Vojta Therapy on heart rate variability.

BACKGROUND: The physiotherapeutic technique of Vojta reflex locomotion is often accompanied by various autonomic activity changes and unpleasant sensations. It is unknown whether these effects are specific to Vojta Therapy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare changes in cardiac autonomic control after Vojta reflex locomotion stimulation and after an appropriate sham stimulation. METHODS: A total of 28 young healthy adults (20.4 - 25.7 years) were enrolled in this single-blind randomized cross-over study. Participants underwent two modes of 20-minute sustained manual pressure stimulation on the surface of the foot on two separate visits. One mode used manual pressure on the lateral heel, i.e., in a zone employed in the Vojta Therapy (active stimulation). The other mode used pressure on the lateral ankle (control), in an area not included among the active zones used by Vojta Therapy and whose activation does not evoke manifestations of reflex locomotion. Autonomic nervous system activity was evaluated using spectral analysis of heart rate variability before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The active stimulation was perceived as more unpleasant than the control stimulation. Heart rate variability parameters demonstrated almost identical autonomic responses after both stimulation types, showing either modest increase in parasympathetic activity, or increased heart rate variability with similar contribution of parasympathetic and sympathetic activity. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate changes of cardiac autonomic control in both active and control stimulation, without evidence for a significant difference between the two.

A computer vision-based system for monitoring Vojta therapy.

A neurological illness is t he disorder in human nervous system that can result in various diseases including the motor disabilities. Neurological disorders may affect the motor neurons, which are associated with skeletal muscles and control the body movement. Consequently, they introduce some diseases in the human e.g. cerebral palsy, spinal scoliosis, peripheral paralysis of arms/legs, hip joint dysplasia and various myopathies. Vojta therapy is considered a useful technique to treat the motor disabilities. In Vojta therapy, a specific stimulation is given to the patient's body to perform certain reflexive pattern movements which the patient is unable to perform in a normal manner. The repetition of stimulation ultimately brings forth the previously blocked connections between the spinal cord and the brain. After few therapy sessions, the patient can perform these movements without external stimulation. In this paper, we propose a computer vision-based system to monitor the correct movements of the patient during the therapy treatment using the RGBD data. The proposed framework works in three steps. In the first step, patient's body is automatically detected and segmented and two novel techniques are proposed for this purpose. In the second step, a multi-dimensional feature vector is computed to define various movements of patient's body during the therapy. In the final step, a multi-class support vector machine is used to classify these movements. The experimental evaluation carried out on the large captured dataset shows that the proposed system is highly useful in monitoring the patient's body movements during Vojta therapy.

[The application of the acupuncture techniques for the combined treatment of neurotic tics in the children]. / Ispol'zovanie metodov refleksoterapii v kompleksnom lechenii nevroticheskikh tikov u detei.

At present, the frequency of neurosis in the children is growing under the influence of the increasingly intensive stressful factors. The neurotic ticks are one of the manifestations of neurosis in the children characterized by involuntary movements; they are often accompanied by hyperactivity, deficit of attention, fatigue, and headaches. AIM: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture used for the treatment of neurotic tics in the children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out at the basis of the department of children's rehabilitation of the Moscow city polyclinic #39. All the children were counselled by a neurologist, psychologist, and acupuncturist. An electroencephalogram was obtained from each patient and a questionnaire study involving the patients' parents was conducted. The patients were treated with the application of reflexotherapy and were given recommendations of a psychologist. A total of 30 children at the age from 6 to 12 years were available for the examination. The participants of the study were allocated to two groups depending on the strategy of the outpatient care. Group 1 was comprised of the patients (n=17) who were given 3 courses of reflexotherapy in addition to pharmacotherapy and psychologist's recommendations. The patients included in group 2 served as controls (n=13) and received only medications and psychotherapy without acupuncture. The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated based on the dynamics of the patients' complaints. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The resullts of the study give evidence of the higher effectiveness of the treatment of the children suffering from neurotic ticks with the application of acupuncture therapy compared with the conventional approach. A few courses of reflexotherapy provided in the combination with pharmacotherapy and the compliance with the recommendations of a psychologist resulted in the more efficient elimination of the neurotic tics together with the associated hyperactivity, deficit of attention, fatigue, and headaches than the use of medication therapy and psychotherapy without acupuncture.

Comparative Assessment of the Heart's Functioning by Using the Akabane Test and Classical Methods of Instrumental Examination.

Acupuncture physicians have studied the application of reflexotherapy to cardiology. However, no one has investigated the connection of ancient Chinese diagnostic methods with modern tools. A total of 102 patients (54 men and 48 women) with heart pathology, namely, sick-sinus syndrome, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and atrioventricular blockade, were studied using the usual instrumental methods (transesophageal electrophysiological study of the heart, echocardiography), after which they underwent Akabane thermopuncture testing as in traditional Chinese medicine. The results of cardio examination from one side of the Akabane test with that from the other side were compared by means of a multiple stepwise regression analysis. We revealed the effects on the characteristic pattern of acupuncture channel lesions inherent in a definite heart pathology, i.e., the most vulnerable acupuncture channel (AC), of such factors as disturbances of the contractile, conductive, or automatic heart functions, and changes in the chambers' size or circulation volume. Сhanges in the indices of the left and the right branches of these channels usually reflect the opposing natures of the changes in these indicators, which should be considered in reflexotherapy. The main value of the Akabane test along with the use of mathematical analysis lies in early, quick, and inexpensive detection of the above-mentioned heart disturbances.

[The mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of reflexotherapy and drinking mineral waters in the patients presenting with metabolic syndrome]. / Mekhanizmy lechebnogo deistviia akupunktury i pit'evykh mineral'nykh vod pri metabolicheskom sindrome.

Both acupuncture and drinking mineral water can influence the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids as well as their hormonal regulation, but the possibility of the application of these therapeutic factors for the correction of insulin resistance has not been studied in the patients presenting with metabolic syndrome. AIM: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects produced by the intake of drinking mineral water and acupuncture on the various parameters characterizing the patients suffering from metabolic syndrome in combination with altered insulin resistance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety patients with this condition included in the study underwent the analysis of their the blood pressure, body mass index, blood glucose and lipid levels, insulin and cortisol secretion. RESULTS: We undertook the analysis of the effects of the single and repeated intakes of Essentuki No 17 mineral water included in the combined treatment of the patients with metabolic syndrome and revealed many common responses of the organism to its therapeutic action. Specifically, the stress-type reactions suggested the initiation of the adaptive processes in the system of hormonal regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Simultaneously, the manifestations of insulin resistance became less pronounced indicating that both acupuncture and drinking mineral water suppressed the action of the main pathogenic mechanisms underlying the development of metabolic syndrome. Moreover, it was shown that acupuncture had a stronger hypotensive effect in the combination with the decrease of the overproduction of cortisol whereas the intake of the mineral water had a greater metabolic potential and contributed to the intensification of the basal secretion of glucocorticoids. Both reflexotherapy and drinking mineral water have a well apparent effect on the pathogenetic reactions of the metabolic syndrome and therefore can be used in addition to the standard therapy to activate the non-specific, phylogenetically established and enshrined at the genetic level self-healing responses by mainstreaming the adaptation processes and the formation of the adaptive reactions initiated by stressor components. CONCLUSION: The addition of acupuncture or domestic mineral water intake to the standard therapy of the patients suffering from metabolic syndrome significantly enhances the effectiveness of the treatment. The beneficial therapeutic action of acupuncture and drinking mineral water is underlain by their impact on the mechanisms of resistance to insulin that manifests itself as a decrease of the fasting secretion of this hormone and optimization of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. The therapeutic effect of acupuncture and drinking mineral water is realized through the induction of the stress-initiating reactions which activate the processes of adaptation, with reflexotherapy largely acting on the cardiovascular system and drinking mineral water on the system responsible for insulin regulation of the metabolic processes.

Anorgasmia masculina como síntoma inicial de mielitis transversa / Male anorgasmia as initial symptom of transverse myelitis

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[Complementary methods of rehabilitation in borderline mental disorders].

The article covers treatment results of 417 patients (186 males and 231 females) aged 18 to 71 years, with borderline mental disorders. Findings are that using specified complementary methods, more when treatment complex is applied, causes better psycho-emotional state in patients with borderline mental disorders, that is supported by results of medical diagnostic tests including psychometry tests (abridged minnesota multiphasic personality inventory, Beck depression inventory, Spielberger-Hanin, test "feeling, activity, mood").

Reflexoterapia podal para alívio da dor lombar aguda relacionada ao trabalho da equipe de enfermagem: ensaio clínico randomizado / Foot Refletotherapy for relief of acute lower back pain related to work of nursing staff: randomized clinical trial

Os Distúrbios Osteomusculares Relacionados ao Trabalho (DORT) são definidos por condições vinculadas a fatores estressores e repetitivos no trabalho que debilitam a estrutura musculoesquelética corpórea. Dentre as profissões da área da saúde, a equipe de enfermagem é a mais afetada pelo distúrbio, uma vez que a própria função exige força, movimentos repetitivos acompanhados de posturas inadequadas para execução de procedimentos nas atividades realizadas. Assim, esse estudo direcionou atenção para a dor aguda, localizada na região lombar, uma vez que é a área mais comprometida por DORT que acomete os profissionais na equipe de enfermagem e propôs uma intervenção para alívio desta dor com a reflexoterapia podal. Para tanto, o objetivo do estudo foi analisar o resultado da aplicação da reflexoterapia podal no alívio da dor lombar aguda, ocasionada por DORT na equipe de enfermagem atuante em ambiente hospitalar. A pesquisa caracterizou-se como um ensaio clínico piloto, randomizado, controlado, duplo cego, desenvolvido pela Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) e aplicado no Hospital Universitário Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago (HU-UFSC), no período de maio a julho de 2016. A pesquisa teve aprovação em abril pelo Comitê de Pesquisa com Seres Humanos (CEPSH-UFSC) sob o registro protocolar CAAE: 54909616.0.0000.0121. Obteve-se publicação no Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos (ReBEC) sob registro RBR-5ndq22. Participaram efetivamente da pesquisa 36 profissionais da equipe de enfermagem atuantes, alocados randomicamente em grupos controle e experimental, da qual foram submetidos ao protocolo de reflexoterapia para dor lombar em duas sessões com intervalo de 72 horas. Os instrumentos da pesquisa para coleta de dados foram a escala visual e analógica de intensidade na avaliação da dor (EVA) e o Questionário para lombalgia. Para análise dos dados foram aplicados o teste de Shapiro Wilk, para normalidade da amostra, teste do Qui-quadrado ou Exato de Fisher para calcular associação das variáveis categóricas, o teste de Wilcoxon para distribuição não paramétrica e teste t para dados paramétricos e na avaliação das associações entre variáveis contínuas aplicou-se o Coeficiente de Correlação de Pearson ou Spearman. Adotou-se o nível de significância de p<0,05 para um intervalo de confiança (IC) de 95%. Os resultados apresentaram significância estatística para aplicação da reflexoterapia podal no alívio da intensidade da dor, finalizado com pesquisa p=0,000 para os dados obtidos no instrumento EVA. Nos resultados do questionário para lombalgia, houve significância positiva para redução da dor lombar aguda com aplicação da reflexoterapia (p=0,000). A reflexoterapia é uma técnica milenar de manipulação em pontos específicos dos pés mãos e orelhas (pontos reflexos), cuja resposta ao estímulo é o bem estar, promoção da saúde, tratamento de distúrbios fisiológicos e ou emocionais, alívio da sintomatologia do estresse, e principalmente alívio da dor. Conclui-se que a prática é eficaz na redução da intensidade da dor lombar aguda nos profissionais da Enfermagem participantes deste estudo. (AU)

The Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) are defined by conditions linked to stressor and repetitive factors at work which weaken the body's musculoskeletal structure. Among the health professions, the nursing staff is the most affected by the disorder, since the activity itself requires strength, repetitive movements and generally unsuitable postures for the execution of procedures and activities carried out. Thus, this study directed attention to acute pain, located in the lower back region, since it is the most affected area by WMSDs among professionals in the nursing staff and proposed an intervention for relief from this pain with foot reflexology. Therefore, the objective of the study was to analyze the result of the application of foot reflexology for relieving acute low back pain, caused by WMSDs of the nursing staff working in the hospital environment. The research was characterized as a pilot clinical trial, randomized, controlled and double-blind, developed by the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) and applied at the University Hospital Polydoro de São Thiago Ernani (HU-UFSC), from May to July of 2016. The research was approved in April by the Research Committee on Human Beings (CEPSH-UFSC) under the registration protocol CAAE: 54909616.0.0000.0121. It was published in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC) under registry RBR5ndq22. Thirty-six (36) active nursing staff professionals participated effectively of the research, randomly allocated into control and experimental groups, and subjected to reflexotherapy protocol for low back pain in two sessions with an interval of 72 hours. The research instruments for data collection were the visual analog scale of intensity in the assessment of pain (VAS) and the Questionnaire for low back pain. For data analysis, were applied the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality of the sample, Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test to calculate the combination of categorical variables, the Wilcoxon test for nonparametric distribution and t test for parametric data; for evaluating the associations between continuous variables, we applied the correlation coefficient of Pearson or Spearman. The p significance level < 0.05 for a confidence interval (CI) of 95% was adopted. The results were statistically significant for the application of foot reflexology in diminishing the intensity of pain, finished with research p = 0.000 for the data obtained in the VAS instrument. In the results of the questionnaire for low back pain, there was a positive significance for the reduction of acute low back pain with the application of reflexotherapy (p = 0.000). Reflexotherapy is an ancient technique of manipulation on specific points of the feet, hands and ears (reflex points). The response to the stimulus is well-being, health promotion, treatment of physiological and or emotional disorders, relieving stress symptoms, and mainly pain relief. It follows that practice was effective in reducing the intensity of acute low back pain of nursing professionals participating in this study. (AU)

[The application of invasive and non-invasive reflexotherapeutic methods for the improvement of tolerance to the influence of seasonal meteorological factors and correction of bronchial asthma].

The present study included 94 patients presenting with bronchial asthma (BA) who underwent the controlled treatment during one year. The treatment consisted of basal anti-asthmatic therapy in combination with acupuncture reflexotherapy or a complex of non-invasive reflexotherapeutic methods (CNIRTM) designed to increase the effectiveness of correction of asthma, to improve the clinical status of the patients, to decrease by more than two-fold the frequency of unstable episodes of the disease showing the well-apparent seasonal dependence, and to diminish the consumption of pharmaceuticals (reduction of the mean daily dose of prednisolone by 31% and 37% in comparison with its 79% increase in the patients receiving the standard treatment). Moreover, it was shown that the achievement of clinical and preventive effect of the application of non-pharmacological methods may be associated with the activation of the mechanisms of adaptation to the stress factors (such as correction of the cortisol blood level and parameters of the immune status, etc.) and the increase of the patient's tolerance to their influence.

[The rehabilitative treatment of chronic pyelonephritis in the children having an environmentally burdened medical history].

The present study involved 40 children aged 7-14 suffering from chronic pyelonephritis and having an environmentally burdened medical history. The combined spa treatment included either traditional peloid therapy applied to the lumbar region or the specially developed treatment using the adaptive-reflexive method that allowed the therapeutic effect to be gradually spread over various reflex zones. Mud applications under the new scheme were shown to be more adequate and sparing because they ensured gradual sequential involvement of different reflex zones that is of special importance for the patients having an environmentally burdened medical history and characterized by the impaired adaptive capacity. The advantage of the proposed peloid-therapeutic modality is confirmed by the reduction in the frequency of the patients' complaints and the more pronounced dynamics of the signs of mikrohematuria, pyuria, and oxaluria combined with the restoration of the anti-crystal-forming urinary activity in response to calcium phosphates in all patients.

[Prognostication of immunological reactivity and the choice of the variant of reflexotherapy for a newborn infant].

AIM: The objective of the present study was to determine the classification differences in immunological reactivity and to identify its predictors in the newborn infants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 115 full-term newborn infants presenting with grade 3 prenatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in the late neonatal period. The features of immunological reactivity under the influence of acupuncture were examined. Statistical processing was carried out by means of discriminant analysis. RESULTS: The assessment and prediction of the effectiveness of acupuncture in the neonates suffering from cerebral ischemia are based on the index of immunological reactivity and the leukocyte index of intoxication, as well as on the ratio of monocytes to band neutrophils content. For generation of the group classifier of immunological predictors in a newborn infant and development of indications for reflex therapy, nine parameters of interest were measured. The group specificity of the child was determined by three variables, viz. leukocyte index of intoxication, monocyte and band neutrophil counts with values of the Fisher's exact test (F) and reliability (Wilks Lambda 0.90894; approximation F (3.144) = 4.809; p < 0.0032). The partial Wilks Lambda values showed that the greatest contribution was provided by the leukocyte index of intoxication and monocytes. Prediction accuracy of the classification matrix in the standard treatment group reached 30.8% and 91.7% respectively when reflex therapy was included in the combined rehabilitation treatment. Overall, classification accuracy amounted to 70.3%. The presence of distinctive changes in the subgroups preconditioned a personalized approach to the prescription of reflex therapy to the newborn infants and the choice of the treatment modality on an individual basis (parent, child, or both) in the "mother-newborn" system. The variant of treatment was determined by comparing the values of the results of the formulas. The newborns were referred to the subgroup with the highest value of the classification function. The predictors made it possible to reliably distinguished the second (p = 0.032) and the third (p = 0.022) subgroups from the first one, with some degree of overlapping between the edge zones of centroids of the second and third subgroups (p = 0.073). Therefore, the sensitivity of classification in the individual subgroups was lower than in the group model and was estimated at 34.4, 71.9, and 65.6% for the first, second and third groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: The mathematical models can discriminatebetween the immunological characteristics and predict them in individual newborn infants; also, they can be helpful for preventing the disruption of their adaptation process.

[The pathogenetic rationale for the application of reflexotherapy in the rehabilitation of the patients presenting with cognitive disorders].

Cognitive disorders (CD) of variable severity are currently one of the leading causes of disability in the patients presenting with vascular and degenerative diseases of the brain; it is especially true of Alzheimer's disease. The discovery of the universal pathogenetic mechanism underlying the development of CD made it possible to explain the known cases of the successful application of acupuncture in the patients with disorders of seemingly different origin. The results of these studies suggest that acupuncture can affect the key pathogenetic "functional circles" involved in the development of CD. The present article is focused on the description of the humoral, neurotransmitter and electrophysiological mechanisms through which the positive effects of acupuncture on the cognitive function of the patients with various diseases are mediated.

[Assessment of the effectiveness of laser reflexotherapy in combined treatment of patients with chronic acalculous cholecystitis].

AIM: To study effects of laserpuncture in combined treatment of chronic non-calculous cholecystitis on motor function gallbladder, clinical symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 73 patients of chronic non-calculous cholecystitis were divided in to groups: 35 patients were received treated only by the means of standard therapy (the control group), 38 patients were received a course laserpuncture as part of complex treatment (the study group). RESULTS: Influence laser radiation on acupuncture points was found to induce positive therapeutic effect, such as: decrease the durations of clinical symptoms, correction of motor function gallbladder. CONCLUSION: Laserpuncture is an effective method of non-calculous cholecystitis treatment and can be included in relevant combined schemes.

Predicting outcomes of neuroreflexotherapy in patients with subacute or chronic neck or low back pain.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: In the context of shared decision-making, a valid estimation of the probability that a given patient will improve after a specific treatment is valuable. PURPOSE: To develop models that predict the improvement of spinal pain, referred pain, and disability in patients with subacute or chronic neck or low back pain undergoing a conservative treatment. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Analysis of data from a prospective registry in routine practice. PATIENT SAMPLE: All patients who had been discharged after receiving a conservative treatment within the Spanish National Health Service (SNHS) (n=8,778). OUTCOME MEASURES: Spinal pain, referred pain, and disability were assessed before the conservative treatment and at discharge by the use of previously validated methods. METHODS: Improvement in spinal pain, referred pain, and disability was defined as a reduction in score greater than the minimal clinically important change. A predictive model that included demographic, clinical, and work-related variables was developed for each outcome using multivariate logistic regression. Missing data were addressed using multiple imputation. Discrimination and calibration were assessed for each model. The models were validated by bootstrap, and nomograms were developed. RESULTS: The following variables showed a predictive value in the three models: baseline scores for pain and disability, pain duration, having undergone X-ray, having undergone spine surgery, and receiving financial assistance for neck or low back pain. Discrimination of the three models ranged from slight to moderate, and calibration was good. CONCLUSIONS: A registry in routine practice can be used to develop models that estimate the probability of improvement for each individual patient undergoing a specific form of treatment. Generalizing this approach to other treatments can be valuable for shared decision making.

[The adaptive mechanisms of cardio- and angioprotective action of reflexotherapy].

The adaptive mechanisms of action of reflexotherapy are analysed. It was shown in physiological and biochemical experiments on the whole organism, the isolated hearts and strips of resistive arteries of animals that stimulation of acupuncture points by different physical factors increased the activity of opioid, antioxidative, and other stress-limiting systems, reduced secretion of corticosteron during stress, stimulated biosynthesis of stress proteins, induced cyto- and cardioprotective effects, prevented or limited functional and structural hyperadrenal damages. Clinical investigations demonstrated significant hypothensive, anti-ishemic and anti-arrhythmic effects of reflexotherapy, improved resistance of healthy subjects and patients with cardiovascular diseases to physical and emotional loadings.

[Reflexotherapy in the context of rehabilitative medicine].

The main stages of the history of reflexotheray and its principal methodological aspects are reviewed in the context of the introduction of this approach into rehabilitative medicine. Productive results of such integration find the demonstrative reflection in the defense of 56 theses for the degree of candidate of science and 28 ones for the degree of doctor of science devoted to various aspects of reflexotherapy. The growing tendency toward the more extensive application of non-pharmacological approaches to complementary medicine opens up new prospects for the further development of reflexotherapy in the context of modern health care practices.

[Clinical significance of pointed medicamental and non-medicamental therapy in the staged combined treatment of radiculopathies].

We analysed the results of the treatment of 4205 patients with different forms of vertebrogenic radiculopathy. They suggest the efficacy of differential application of graduated medicamental therapy, reflexo- and physiotherapy depending on the period of clinical course of the disease.

[The changes in the brain's electrical activity in children with cerebral palsy during the complex rehabilitation].

One hundred and five children, aged from 3 to 7 years, with the diagnosis "spastic diplegia cerebral palsy" were treated. Patients were stratified into three groups: group I (n=36) received three courses of microcurrent therapy (MENS) in addition to standard treatment; group II (n=38) received three courses of MENS in the combination with two treatment courses with the nootropic drug cortexin; children of group III (n=31) received standard therapy using massage and gymnastics. MENS was carried out in courses, including 15 sessions each, using the apparatus "MEKS". Cortexin was introduced intramuscular in dosage 10 mg, the treatment course consisted of 10 injections. To the end of the rehabilitation program, positive changes were found: 50% patients of group I, 66% patients of group II and 16% patients of group III could perform complex instructions and acquired skills in modeling and recognition of geometric forms. Positive changes in the brain's electrical activity were found in 75% of children in group I, in 82% of children in group II and in 64% of children in group III.