A Letter from AlphaScript
Uncategorized Sep
7
2023
Uncategorized 
We got an email from Reezwan Ghanty, a representative of VDM Publising or Alphascript, which is based in Mauritius, regarding our previous post warning people the existence of a book scam http://www.massage-research.com/blog/?p=1199
We feel very honored to get such a letter.. you decide whether they are scam and the public should be warned on the existence of such “books” available on the internet..
Thanks to Chris for pointing out this out: According to the letter from Alphascript “all our book covers indicate clearly that the content is derived from high quality wikipedia articles”..
This is misleading.. While all the cover have a slightly smaller print saying “HIGH QUALITY CONTENT BY WIKIPEDIA ARTICLES”, no where in the book do they mention the content is sourced from Wikipedia.
Here is the letter:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing on behalf of Alphascript Publishing. We took notice of your blog post recently published at http://www.massage-research.com/blog/?p=1199 and we would like to provide you with certain details pertaining to our publishing company and Wikipedia articles distribution.
We also noticed that your blog post mentioned a scam. We would like to point out that we are we are fully compliant with the Creative Commons License which regulates Wikipedia, its content and users contributing towards its content. The Creative Commons License clearly stipulates at Section 1.d that ‘copy[ing] and distribute[ing] the Document in any medium, either commercially or non commercially’ is permissible.
Our business aims at making available Wikipedia contents as widely as possible, making knowledge available through other mediums than the actual one used by Wikipedia. We invite you to consider the link below which points to the Creative Commons License.
Link to Creative Commons License
Your blog post mentioning a scam is misleading, all our book covers indicate clearly that the content is derived from high quality wikipedia articles. We request you to consider again the content of your blog post and make the necessary changes.
I shall remain at your entire disposal for any additional information.
Best Regards,
-- Reezwan Ghanty Social Media Manager VDM Publishing House Ltd. 17, Meldrum Str. | Beau-Bassin | Mauritius Tel / Fax: +230 467-5601 [email protected] | www.vdm-publishing-house.com
Sep
5
2023
Agitation in elderly patients has traditionally been managed with medication or physical restraints, a new research suggests that foot massage may be of some help. In a preliminary study, researchers from Griffith University, Brisbane, have shown that a short-course of foot massage reduces agitation and related behavioural problems in people with dementia, and a history of verbal aggression, wandering and repetitive movements.
Their study carried out in 17 men and 5 women, with a diagnosis of dementia and a history of clinically significant agitation, received a 10-minute foot massage each day for 14 days. The short form of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI-SF) and the Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (RMBPC) were completed at baseline, post-test and at 2-week follow up.
The results showed that the agitation (CMAI-SF) and behavioural (RMBPC) scores were significantly reduced at post-test and remained significantly lower than baseline at follow up. The authors concluded that this study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that limited short-duration foot massage reduces agitation and related behavioural problems in people with dementia, and that these behaviour changes are maintained after the massage ceases.
Reference:
Wendy Moyle, Amy Nicole Burne Johnston, Siobhan Therese O’Dwyer. Exploring the effect of foot massage on agitated behaviours in older people with dementia: A pilot study. Australasian Journal on Ageing.
Sep
5
2023
Since last year, a large number of books are available from the web, including ebay and Amazon.com. Hundreds of thousands of books are published under Alphascipt, Betascript,and Fastbook Publishing. These are scam companies making money by publishing books using Wikipedia as materials. The whole book is made up of wikipedia articles, which are free. They grabbed the articles from a free source and making money out of that. The cover of the book says “High Quality Content by Wikipedia Articles”.
These publishing companies are just examples of thousands of the so called “Print on Demand” books. Meaning that they list the title, and they will only print the book when it is being ordered. Even big companies like Elsevier are now using this Print on Demand method, they don;t need to stock their books anymore.
But what’s worrying are the scam companies that me money out of selling books where the contents are from free materials such as Wikipedia. It is on sale in many of the famous online book sellers including Amazon.com.
Amazon.com has more than 100,000 titles of the scam books by Alphascript, more than 600,000 titles under Betascript, and more than 1000 titles under Fastbook. And each book is sold quite expensive, more than $50 per book!
The Alphascript books (more than 100,000) are all written by FREDERIC P. VANDOME, AGNES F. MCBREWSTER, JOHN MILLER
Betascript books (more than 600,000) are all written by LAMBERT M. TENNOE, MARIAM T. HENSSONOW, SUSAN F. SURHONE
These authors must be so productive that they can write that many books in just 1 year!
So beware! Don’t just buy any thitle without reading the review and exact content.
Update:
We got a letter from a representative from Alphascript requesting us not to mention the word SCAM http://www.massage-research.com/blog/?p=1215 This book by Betascript tells it all:
Sep
5
2023
J Headache Pain. 2011 Feb 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Manual therapies for migraine: a systematic review.
Chaibi A, Tuchin PJ, Russell MB.
Head and Neck Research Group, Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital, 1478, Lørenskog, Norway,
Abstract
Migraine occurs in about 15% of the general population. Migraine is usually managed by medication, but some patients do not tolerate migraine medication due to side effects or prefer to avoid medication for other reasons. Non-pharmacological management is an alternative treatment option. We systematically reviewed randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on manual therapies for migraine. The RCTs suggest that massage therapy, physiotherapy, relaxation and chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy might be equally effective as propranolol and topiramate in the prophylactic management of migraine. However, the evaluated RCTs had many methodological shortcomings. Therefore, any firm conclusion will require future, well-conducted RCTs on manual therapies for migraine.
Sep
5
2023
J Clin Nurs. 2011 Mar;20(5-6):635-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03548.x.
Physical exercise: does it help in relieving pain and increasing mobility among older adults with chronic pain?
Tse MM, Wan VT, Ho SS.
Authors: Mimi MY Tse, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Vanessa TC Wan, MSc, RN, Registered Nurse, M&G, Prince Margaret Hospital; Suki SK Ho, BSN, RN, Research Associate, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Abstract
Aim. To provide a physical exercise programme for older adults living in nursing homes. Background. Pain is common among older persons and for those already in long-term care and having difficulty in coping with pain will be at risk of further reducing their optimal independent function. Design. A quasi-experimental single group pretest-posttest design. Method. Older persons from a nursing home were invited to join an eight-week physical exercise programme. Each session lasted an hour and sessions were conducted once a week by physiotherapist and nurses. Physical exercise programme consisted of stretching, strengthening, balancing, towel dancing and self-administered massage to various acupressure points. On completion of each session, older persons were given a pamphlet with pictures to illustrate the exercise of the day and they were encouraged to practise these exercises by themselves. Outcome measures including pain intensity, range of movement, activities of daily living and mobility were collected before and after the physical exercise programme. Results. There were 75 older adult participants (57 female and 18 male, mean age 85·14 SD 5·30). Seventy-three percent (n = 55) of them had pain in the previous three months and were referred as pain group, while 25% (n = 20) were no pain group. Pain scores of 4·89 (on a 10-point scale) indicated medium pain intensity before the intervention for the pain group; the location of pain was mainly in the knee, back and shoulder. On completion of the physical exercise programme, there was a significant decrease in pain intensity to 2·89 (SD 2·14) (p < 0·01). There was a significant increase in range of movement in the neck, shoulder, back, hip and knee rotation, flex and abduction (p < 0·01). Mobility level was significantly increased post intervention, yet activities of daily living remained unchanged. Conclusions. The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of a physical exercise programme in relieving pain and enhancing functional mobility for older persons. Relevance to clinical practice. It is important to educate older persons, especially those living in nursing homes, on the importance of engaging in regular physical exercise and maintaining mobility.
Sep
5
2023
Arthritis Res Ther. 2011 Feb 18;13(1):R28. [Epub ahead of print]
Effects of rehabilitative interventions on pain, function and physical impairments in people with hand osteoarthritis: a systematic review.
Ye L, Kalichman L, Spittle A, Dobson F, Bennell K.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Hand osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with pain, reduced grip strength, loss of range of motion and joint stiffness leading to impaired hand function and difficulty with daily activities. The effectiveness of different rehabilitation interventions on specific treatment goals has not yet been fully explored. The objective of this systematic review is to provide evidence based knowledge on the treatment effects of different rehabilitation interventions for specific treatment goals for hand OA.
METHODS: A computerized literature search of Medline, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ISI Web of Science, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and SCOPUS was performed. Evidence level 2b or higher studies that compared a rehabilitation intervention with a control group and assessed at least one of the following outcome measures: pain, physical hand function or other measures of hand impairment, were included. The eligibility and methodological quality of trials were systematically assessed by two independent reviewers using the PEDro scale. Treatment effects were calculated using standardized mean difference and 95% confidence intervals.
RESULTS: Ten studies were included, of which six were of higher-quality (PEDro score>6). The rehabilitation techniques reviewed included three studies on exercise, two studies each on laser and heat, and one study each on splints, massage and acupuncture. One higher quality trial showed a large positive effect of 12-months use of a night splint on hand pain, function, strength and range of motion. Exercise had no effect on hand pain or function although it may be able to improve hand strength. Low level laser therapy may be useful to improving range of motion. No rehabilitation interventions were found to improve stiffness.
CONCLUSIONS: There is emerging high quality evidence to support that rehabilitation interventions can offer significant benefits to individuals with hand OA. A summary of the higher quality evidence is provided to assist with clinical decision making based on current evidence. Further high-quality research is needed concerning the effects of rehabilitation interventions on specific treatment goals for hand OA.
Sep
5
2023
Neck pain is more common in women than men, irrespective of occupation or age. Stressed young women develop more neck pain than their male counterparts. Women also perceive everyday life to be more stressful, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
There is an ongoing debate amongst researchers as to why muscle and joint pain, such as neck pain, are so common, and why this seems to be more prevalent among women than men,” says Anna Grimby-Ekman, postdoctoral student and statistician at the Sahlgrenska Academy’s Department of Public Health and Community Medicine. “We know that physical work with heavy lifting or assembly work that involves a lot of arm-raising above shoulder height can lead to neck pain. By looking at a group whose work is less physically demanding, we can more readily identify other factors that could be implicated and perhaps explain the generally high incidence of neck pain.”
A questionnaire distributed to university students in Sweden — 627 women and 573 men — showed that neck pain is more common in women than men, and that more women than men developed neck pain during the four years of the study. These results were something of a surprise as the researchers had expected that roughly the same number of women as men would develop neck pain in a young group like this, where the majority had yet to start a family and studying meant that the women and men shared a similar working environment.
Questionnaires were distributed to a second group, this time 870 women and 834 men who constituted a representative selection of computer users from the Swedish workforce. Women reported more neck and upper back pain across the range of occupations covered. It was evident in both the computer users and the students that neck pain is affected by psychosocial factors, including the demands of work/studying.
“Perceived stress was more common among the women students than the men, and appeared to play more of a role in the development of neck pain in young women than in men,” says Anna Grimby-Ekman.
Although the results would suggest that more female university students develop neck pain as a result of the factors examined, the studies also indicate that when it comes to young men there may be other factors behind the huge variations in the incidence of neck pain over time.
The thesis has been successfully defended.
Sep
5
2023
Stretching before a run neither prevents nor causes injury, according to a study presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
Recently there has been controversy regarding whether runners should stretch before running, or not at all. Another new study included 2,729 runners who run 10 or more miles per week. Of these runners, 1,366 were randomized to a stretch group, and 1,363 were randomized to a non-stretch group before running. Runners in the stretch group stretched their quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius/soleus muscle groups. The entire routine took 3 to 5 minutes and was performed immediately before running.
The study found that stretching before running neither prevents nor causes injury. In fact, the most significant risk factors for injury included the following:
history of chronic injury or injury in the past four months;
higher body mass index (BMI); and
switching pre-run stretching routines (runners who normally stretch stopping and those who did stretch starting to stretch before running).
“As a runner myself, I thought stretching before a run would help to prevent injury,” said Daniel Pereles, MD, study author and orthopaedic surgeon from Montgomery Orthopedics outside Washington, DC. “However, we found that the risk for injury was the same for men and women, whether or not they were high or low mileage runners, and across all age groups. But, the more mileage run or the heavier and older the runner was, the more likely he or she was likely to get injured, and previous injury within four months predisposed to even further injury,” he added.
Runners who typically stretch as part of their pre-run routine and were randomized not to stretch during the study period were far more likely to have an injury. “Although all runners switching routines were more likely to experience an injury than those who did not switch, the group that stopped stretching had more reported injuries, implying that an immediate shift in a regimen may be more important than the regimen itself,” he added.
The most common injuries sustained were groin pulls, foot/ankle injuries, and knee injuries. There was no significant difference in injury rates between the runners who stretched and the runners who didn’t for any specific injury location or diagnosis.
Sep
5
2023
Baby massage ameliorates neonatal jaundice in full-term newborn infants
Chen, J., Sadakata, M. , Ishida, M. , Sekizuka, N. , Sayama, M.
Neonatal jaundice is a common physiological problem affecting over half of all full term and most preterm infants. Thus, newborn infants must be monitored for signs of hyperbilirubinemia to prevent acute bilirubin encephalopathy or kernicterus. Evidence exists supporting the benefits of baby massage as a form of mild hand to skin contact, to increase neonatal physical and mental development. In the present study, the effects of gentle baby massage on neonatal jaundice in full term newborn infants were evaluated by a controlled clinical trial. The inclusion criteria of newborn neonates were as follows: (1) gestational age of 37 ~ 41 weeks, (2) birth weight of 2,800 ~ 3,600 g, (3) Apgar score at birth of 8 ~ 10, and (4) being a healthy neonate without neonatal asphyxia and hemolytic condition. Breastfed newborns without phototherapy were included: 20 in the massage group and 22 in the control group. We found the mean stool frequency of the massaged infants on day 1 and day 2 (4.6 and 4.3) was significantly higher than that of the control group (3.3 and 2.6) (p < 0.05). The transcutaneous bilirubin levels on the second to fifth day and serum total bilirubin levels on fourth day were significantly decreased in the massage group, compared to the control group. In conclusion, baby massage at an early stage after birth could reduce neonatal bilirubin levels. We suggest baby massage is beneficial for ameliorating neonatal jaundice.
Sep
5
2023
Massage can facilitate soft tissue expansion
Weicheng Gao, Shaolin Ma, Xianglin Dong, Tao Qin, Xing Qiao and Quan Fang
Medical Hypotheses
Volume 76, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 148-149
Soft tissue expansion is a helpful technique in reconstructive plastic surgery. Unfortunately, tissue expansion still needs to be improved. Tissue expansion is one of the most useful techniques in plastic surgery. However, it takes a long time to obtain it. Some investigators have reported several agents that speed up tissue expansion, but none of these agents has been used in routine clinical practice. Tissue expansion is a mechanical process that increases the surface area of local tissue available for reconstructive procedures. Living tissue responds to the application of mechanical force. Continual inflation of an expander increases the overlying tissue by inducing an increase in mitosis and stealing next tissue.
Various agents and topical creams have been found to enhance tissue expansion by different methods. After reviewing the article around the world, we haven’t found any paper that tell the correlation between massage and soft tissue expansion. In our current article we evaluated the effect of comfortable tissue expansion using topical massage application.
Massage is a comprehensive intervention involving a range of techniques to manipulate the soft tissues around the soft tissue expander. For patients who is experiencing soft tissue expansion with depression, anxiety, or other secondary problem, massage may be a useful adjuct to medical treatment. According to our clinical experience, not only massage is a relatively safe form of treatment with high levels of patient satisfaction for pain reduction and simultaneously, anxiety disappear evidently, but also can speed up tissue expansion.
The use of massage for pain and anxiety reduction and, warrants further research to investigate efficacy, effectiveness, mechanism of action, patients’ perceptions, and cost effectiveness for a variety of plastic and reconstructive conditions. Nurses, physical therapists, and massage therapists commonly practice a technique using hand strokes from the distal portion of the limb to the proximal in a circular pattern14; this helps to redirect fluid from one area of the body to another. Furthermore, effleurage, light manual rubbing, a classical type of massage, retrograde self-massage, and gentle, rhythmic stroking may result in a mild pressure gradient, assisting in removing edema from the affected part of the expanding soft tissue; these techniques may be administered by a properly trained therapist, nurse, or by the patient’s significant other following adequate instructions and proper demonstrations. In addition to the physiological benefits of expanding soft tissue massage by a significant other, patients experienced a range of emotional and mental benefits. Patients reported being comfortable and relaxed during massage, especially during the whole process. Bredin described the touch of a massage as a method of communication that expresses the other person’s willingness to tolerate and accept the woman after her disfiguring surgery.
Our experience shows that massage can improve the rate of tissue expansion by local massage application combined with eye ointment cream application. This means that application of topical massage combined with eye ointment cream to facilitate tissue expansion is simple and effective. In summarize, the effect of massage on soft tissue expansion is probably as follows: (1) reduce the pain in the period of inflation; (2) improve anxiety; (3) preventing or improving capsular contracture around the expander ; (4) increasing circulation or blood flow; (5) as a method of communication between plastic surgeon and the patients.
