Authors: Nancy Hanxi Xu and Gabrielle Gimenes Lima (FEBRAF, Brazil)
@NancyXu
Bach flower remedies are flower essences developed by Dr. Edward Bach in 1930, which is a herbal medicine to cure and prevent physical and/or emotional disorders by treating our emotional imbalances. Currently, they are becoming increasingly popular and are used by many health professionals, such as doctors and psychologists, to treat anxiety, stress, or depression, despite the lack of biological plausibility for their use. 1
Some studies show positive emotional changes due to the use of Bach flower remedies as a therapeutic agent to relieve pain and balance the emotional state. In addition, there are studies that show the efficiency of these remedies in the control of glycemia, triglycerides, and cholesterol, and also, they can serve as a strategy to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in rats. In this way, these studies provide some evidence that Bach flower remedies may have some biological effects. 2,3,4
However, as Bach flower remedies are a type of alternative medicine used without evidence to support its effectiveness, many researchers criticize its use in formal health systems. According to them, if a health professional uses this therapy and sees an improvement in the patient's diagnosis, he may believe that this is the result of the therapy used. However, they may be unaware that the improvement may also be related to other factors. For this reason, randomized clinical trials are needed to strengthen the cause-effect relationship.1
Therefore, it is believed that it is important to open the discussion about the use of unproven treatments for the treatment of mental disorders, and the institutions responsible for the population's health must guarantee the best treatments available to patients. Besides, they must inform patients about the effectiveness and potential dangers of these treatments. 1
References
[1] VILLARREAL-ZEGARRA, David; TAYPE-RONDAN, Alvaro. Use of unproven treatments in mental health: The case of Bach Flowers. Bogotá, v. 67, n. 4, p. 721, Dec. 2019. https://doi.org/10.15446/revfacmed.v67n4.72050. Access on 27 Mar. 2021.
[2] Harald Walach, Christine Rilling, Ursula Engelke, Efficacy of Bach-flower remedies in test anxiety: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial with partial crossover, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Volume 15, Issue 4, 2001, Pages 359-366, ISSN 0887-6185, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0887-6185(01)00069-X. Access on 27 Mar. 2021.
[3] Judy Howard, Do Bach flower remedies have a role to play in pain control?: A critical analysis investigating therapeutic value beyond the placebo effect, and the potential of Bach flower remedies as a psychological method of pain relief, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Volume 13, Issue 3, 2007, Pages 174-183, ISSN 1744-3881, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2007.03.001. Access on 27 Mar. 2021.
[4] Margarida Maria de Carvalho Resende, Francisco Eduardo de Carvalho Costa, Rodrigo Galvão Bueno Gardona, Rochilan Godinho Araújo, Fiorita Gonzales Lopes Mundim, Maria José de Carvalho Costa, Preventive use of Bach flower Rescue Remedy in the control of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in rats, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Volume 22, Issue 4, 2014, Pages 719-723, ISSN 0965-2299, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2014.06.008. Access on 27 Mar. 2021.
