No abstract

There is no specific treatment for concussion in modern medicine; existing treatments are limited to resting and restoring cognition. For Mongolians, seeking concussion treatment from a bariachi, an advanced practitioner of the baria zasal traditional massage therapy, is very common. The baria zasal technique has been passed down the generations for millions of years, keeping with the Mongolian nomadic culture and way of life. However, this Mongolian treatment is little known or researched internationally. Due to the lack of literature on this subject, conducting a meta-analysis or systematic review was impossible. We reviewed the literature published in Mongolian about this technique. We also searched articles published from 1 January 1921 to 20 June 2021 in PubMed using "concussion", "baria zasal", and "Bariachi" keywords. Although informal observation indicates this is a commonly sought treatment among patients, there are very few published scientific articles about the practice outside the realm of cultural anthropology. This may be due to a few reasons: the informal, semi-religious setting in which the treatment takes place makes it difficult to conduct scientific field research; concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury, making it impossible to identify changes in the brain as a result of the treatment using imaging methods and therefore difficult to verify; and lastly, baria zasal is generally uncontested as a treatment even by Mongolian medical professionals, therefore it has not been the subject of empirical debate. Moreover, it is not classified under a specific system, each bariachi having its technique. As bariachis do not receive formal training, their treatments often depend on instincts, natural talents, and personal abilities. Therefore, it is recommended to study the techniques of baria zasal of concussion to explain its enduring popularity in Mongolia and to ascertain how it interacts with standard western medical treatment.

(1) Background: There is no specific treatment for concussion in modern medicine, and existing treatment is only limited to resting and restoring cognition. For centuries, Mongolians have used traditional Mongolian medicine (TMM) methods to treat a variety of diseases such as Baria zasal. In this study, we aimed to explore the treatment parents and guardians seek when their children have suffered a concussion. (2) Methods: In this study, we used an online questionnaire. The study participants (n = 400) were randomly selected parents and guardians. The definition of bariachi is an advanced practitioner of baria zasal, which covers most of the massage therapy techniques mentioned in this study. (3) Results: In total, 72% of the parents and guardians went to a bariachi when their children suffered a concussion, while only 10.3% chose western medical hospitals. When asked what they did after the initial treatment was not effective, 47.8% of the participants responded that they went to the bariachi. Based on the days of treatment result, 11.8% reported on the beneficial effects of the treatment appearing in one day, and 60.3% in 1–3 days, which shows that the participants suffered a healing effect of the baria zasal shortly after application to their children. In the regression analysis, visiting a Bariachi was independent of age, gender, or even religion. (4) Conclusions: Although Western medicine is highly developed in Mongolia, the baria zasal of TMM has not lost its appeal in treating concussion. This suggests that baria zasal could be a unique method of concussion treatment even today. This also suggests that the techniques of Baria zasal should be further studied, and as in modern medicine.

We aim to investigate how antischemin preparation affects the platelet parameters in a rabbit model with alloxan induced diabetes. Methods: Rabbits were divided into 4 groups; group 1 or control group, group 2 or no antischemin group without medication, group 3 or experimental group and group 4 or comparing group. Specific parameters such as PLT, PWD, MPV, P-LCR and PCT concentration were measured on day 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Results: Treatment of the no antischemin group with 6% alloxan monohydrate only resulted in a significant increase of platelet level and reached the highest value at 28 th days (336.5 ± 21.2). When animals pre-treated simultaneously with antischemin for 5 days, the level of platelets did not increase significantly, compared to that in the non-treated group. After treatment of this group with 6% alloxan monohydrate, at the end of the trial (28 day), the platelet level was 274.7 ± 6.2 g/L, and in the clopidogrel pre-treated group, it was 274 ± 13.9 g/L. In the non-treated group, during the first 21 days, alloxan monohydrate caused a slight increase in PDW levels. Conclusions: Numerous studies revealed that botanical extracts which have been widely used as medicinal agents show potent anti-diabetic activity. Due to the serious side effects or resistance on synthetic drugs that are used in diabetes, the approach of using herbal remedies could be a successful alternative to the currently available diabetic treatments.