Clinical research
Overview
Although there is ongoing clinical research examining the potential health effects of qigong, there is little financial or medical incentive to support high-quality research, and still only a limited number of studies meet accepted medical and scientific standards of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Clinical research concerning qigong has been conducted for a wide range of medical conditions, including bone density, cardiopulmonary effects, physical function, falls and related risk factors, quality of life, immune function, inflammation, hypertension, pain, and cancer treatment. Systematic reviews
A 2009 systematic review on the effect of qigong exercises on reducing pain concluded that "the existing trial evidence is not convincing enough to suggest that internal qigong is an effective modality for pain management. "A 2010 systematic review of the effect of qigong exercises on cancer treatment concluded "the effectiveness of qigong in cancer care is not yet supported by the evidence from rigorous clinical trials." A separate systematic review that looked at the effects of qigong exercises on various physiological or psychological outcomes found that the available studies were poorly designed, with a high risk of bias in the results. Therefore, the authors concluded, "Due to limited number of RCTs in the field and methodological problems and high risk of bias in the included studies, it is still too early to reach a conclusion about the efficacy and the effectiveness of qigong exercise as a form of health practice adopted by the cancer patients during their curative, palliative, and rehabilitative phases of the cancer journey.
Phenylephrine is a medication primarily used as a decongestant, to dilate the pupil, to increase blood pressure, and to relieve hemorrhoids. It was long maintained that when taken orally as a decongestant, it relieves nasal congestion due to colds and hay fever. Phenylephrine can be taken by mouth, as a nasal spray, given by injection into a vein or muscle, or applied to the skin.Common side effects when taken by mouth or injected include nausea, vomiting, headache, and anxiety. Use on hemorrhoids is generally well tolerated. Severe side effects may include a slow heart rate, intestinal ischemia, chest pain, kidney failure, and tissue death at the site of injection. It is unclear if use during pregnancy or breastfeeding is safe. Phenylephrine is a selective α1-adrenergic receptor agonist which results in the constriction of both arteries and veins.Phenylephrine was patented in 1927 and came into medical use in 1938. It is available as a generic medication. Unlike pseudoephedrine, abuse of phenylephrine is very uncommon.As of 2022, there is push back on the effectiveness of phenylephrine as a decongestant, often fused with the supposition that phenylephrine is coasting on its historical status within the Food and Drug Administrations regulatory sphere as an established substitute for the proven use of pseudoephedrine as a decongestant, whose availability has been restricted by law due to its use in the illicit synthesis of methamphetamine. Medical uses
Decongestant
Phenylephrine is used as a decongestant sold as an oral medicine or as a nasal spray.