Integrated Medicine Strongly Improves Post-Stroke Rehabilitative Performance in a Public Health Facility in Italy

Background - Since 2011, the Tuscany Regional Authority has been funding the use of Integrated Medicine (IM) in a clinical setting in Pitigliano Hospital, with the aim of testing the true efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) in a hospital setting. The clinical setting also comprises the Manciano rehabilitation facility, whose services include post-stroke rehabilitation. Methods- The study compared 212 patients divided into two groups: 94 treated with IM (conventional therapy plus homeopathy and acupuncture) and 118 treated with conventional therapy alone. All patients were evaluated with the rehabilitation scores in use at the centre (Trunk Control Test and Barthel Index) before and after completing the rehabilitation course. Results - The results demonstrate a considerable benefit for the use of IM, with a significance of p = 0.001 for the Trunk Control Test and p