EFFECTS OF BOWEN THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH TENSION-TYPE HEADACHE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Background and Aim: Bowen therapy is a non-pharmacological method for treating a variety of pain conditions, but its effectiveness in treating tension-type headaches is unknown. We compared the effectiveness of Bowen therapy to a sham treatment. Methodology: In a multi-center randomized controlled trial, the young adults with a tension-type headache were selected from the Neurology Department of DHQ hospital Sargodha and Niazi Medical Complex, Sargodha, with convenient sampling. A priori sample size calculation determined that 44 participants were needed. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Bowen Therapy (n=22) and Sham Treatment (n=22) groups were enrolled. The Bowen therapy was devised for two weeks. The measurement was taken at baseline and after two weeks. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis. Results: At baseline, there was no difference found in the Bowen therapy and Sham treatment groups. We have noticed a significant decrease in the severity of pain and improvement in pain pressure threshold assessed by the visual analogue scale (VAS) and algometer in the Bowen therapy group after two weeks (<0.05). However, no changes in pain intensity were found in the sham therapy group. Furthermore, the headache frequency was also reduced in Bowen therapy compared to the sham therapy group (<0.05) after the study period. Conclusion: The findings suggest that Bowen Therapy might be a beneficial and effective treatment for a tension-type headache. Further studies are needed using older adult’s participants.

Downstream Approaches for Pure Biofine Chemicals and Aroma Substances from Cannabis Sativa Essential Oil

Essential oils are complex mixtures of biologically active substances used since along time as flavoring agents and constituents of number of commercial products. Currently, their importance is more highlighted due to their increasing demand for food,cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Recent scientific literature revealed theantimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant and pharmacological potential of essential oils. In view of themultiple applications of essential oils, their characterization based on their chemicalprofiles, is of great importance.In the present study, indigenous specie of Cannabaceae family “Cannabis sativa” was screenedfor the isolation of essential oils. Essential oil components were fractioned, separated and isolated. The variations in the yield, chemical composition and biological activities of theessential oils and fractions were investigated in the present study with respect to temperature and technique of extraction.The hydro-distilled, steam distilled and supercritical fluid extracted essential oils were characterized fortheir physico-chemical and biological activities. It was tried to purify and separate the major constituents of Cannabis sativa essential oil by vacuum fractionation. GC-MS analysis of thechemical constituents of the isolated oils and fractions mainly revealed the presence of monoterpene hydrocarbons, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes, and oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The investigated essential oils and fractions exhibited good antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, insecticidal, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, gastroprotective, nephroprotective, hepatoprotective activities as measured by different in- vivo and in-vitro assays and experimental models.