Remission of Diabetic Foot with the treatment based on Systemic Medicine.
Oxford Journals “Journals of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine” (eCam) for more information clikc here
Olalde J.A. (a), Fernández D.(a), Caridad Z. (*), Matos N. (*), Peña A.(*), González N. (*),
De Bourg A. (*), Vargas A. (*), Prieto L. (*), Reinoso A. (*), Méndez G. (*)
a.Fundador de la Medicina Sistémica. Presidente de los Centros Médicos Docentes Adaptógenos.
b.Director Médico del Centro Médico Docente Adaptógeno de Maracaibo, Estado Zulia.
(*) Médicos adjuntos al Centro Médico Docente Adaptógeno de Maracaibo, Estado Zulia.
I. Introduction
The syndrome of diabetic foot is defined by the WHO as the ulceration, infection and/or gangrene of the foot, associated to diabetic neuropathy and different levels of arterial peripheral disease. It is the consequence of a sustained decompensation of the values of glycemia, which causes neuropathic alterations (70% of diabetic ulcers), ischemia (15% of the cases) neuro-ischemic alterations (15% of the cases) and special inclination to suffer from infections.
At least 15% of the diabetic patients will suffer from ulcers in the foot during their life. It is estimated that 85% of the diabetic patients who have amputations have previously suffered from an ulcer.
Due to the complexity of the handling of diabetic foot, the existing conventional treatment has not been successful in many cases; therefore, many diabetic patients suffer from amputations of fingers, feet and, sometimes, of the legs. Hence the importance of searching for alternative treatments that rehabilitate the diabetic foot.
According to Systemic Medicine, the potential of survival of every living system depends on the correction of three elements that coexist in a triangular relationship. These factors are: Energy, Intelligence and Organization. Energy is defined as the physiological mechanisms associated to the synthesis of ATP (such as the oxidative phosphorylation, tricarboxylic acid cycle, beta-oxidation, etc.). Biological intelligence is the element responsible for the regulation of the neuroendocrine, biochemical, immunological and cellular processes. Lastly, Organization refers to the structure and function of the organs. Under these concepts, survival (or health) of a human being can be improved by increasing any of the three components of that triangle, due to their interdependence.
The systemic treatment includes the combination of superior plants (adaptogens) that modulate the three axes of the triangle of survival or health, maximizing the benefits in health and contributing to improve the clinical evolution of the patient, as well as his/her quality of life.
The problems associated to Diabetic Foot have driven us to search for therapeutic alternatives. Thus, the philosophy of Systemic Medicine offered the principles to design a therapeutic protocol with medicinal plants.
II Objectives
General Objectives: To prove the effectiveness of the treatment with superior plants formulated under the perspective of Systemic Medicine in the treatment of patients with diabetic foot.
Specific Objectives:
• To evaluate the patients clinical improvement attributed to the use of superior plants.
• To know the percentage of amputations prevented thanks to the use of this protocol.
• To quantify the change in the Quality of Life referred by patients.
• To determine the tolerance to the treatment.
III Methodology
Retrospective, Multicentric, Descriptive Study of all the clinical histories registered in the databases of 30 Adaptógeno Medical Centers and Units located in 27 cities of Venezuela, during the period between April 2002 and May 2005.
The patients were classified according to Wagner's Scale. A clinical improvement was determined in the cases in which there was evidence of a reduction of the size of the lesion, its closure or cicatrization. Prevention of amputation was defined as the evolution from high levels to lower levels of severity. The improvement in the Quality of Life was evaluated according to Grogono-Woodgate's Index of measurement of Quality of Life. All the patients kept taking their allopathic medication in spite of not having achieved satisfactory results with those treatments.
Criteria for inclusion: Patients of any age and sex, diagnosed with diabetic foot, evaluated in our Adaptógeno Medical Centers and Units, who fulfilled the systemic treatment mentioned in
Figure 1.
All the patients received 9 capsules of each one of the plants mentioned + 10 drops of Croton lechleri, three times a day, during a variable period, according to the severity of the disease.
IV Conclusions
It was possible to avoid the amputation in 80% of the patients diagnosed with diabetic foot with risk of amputation and/or indication of amputation.
The tolerance to the treatment was excellent. 97,27% of the patients treated did not present side effects during the treatment.
86,36% of the patients managed to improve their Quality of Life, from a Poor to a Good Quality of Life.
The results obtained correspond to ambulatory patients in whom there was not a strict control of the fulfillment of the treatment prescribed. It is logical to suppose that under strict medical surveillance, better results could be obtained.