Parental Incarceration and Children's Risk of Violent Victimization: An Examination of Risks and Perpetrators' Relationship With the Victim in Finnish Total Population Data.

Intensive care units (ICUs) are designed to attend to acutely unstable patients and involve technologies that can monitor and support failing organ systems []. Similarly, intermediate care units (IMCUs; also: high-dependency, step-up, or step-down units) accommodate patients with care needs that exceed the capacities of a general ward but are somewhat below those of ICU patients []. Having led to exceptional improvements in patient outcomes over the last 70 years [], the technologies and interventions performed in ICUs and IMCUs are lifesaving. Nonetheless, the highly technologized and sometimes invasive procedures of intensive care (IC) ipso facto expose patients to challenge, which may lead to iatrogenic complications [, ]. Common stressors are related to inadequate light exposure (lack of nocturnal darkness periods, unnatural daytime light) [, ], high noise levels from monitors and procedures like mechanical ventilation [], long-term immobilization, as well as prolonged administration of psychopharmaceuticals (anxiolytics, sedatives, neuroleptics) [, , ] and associated problems include poor sleep quality (fragmented and superficial sleep that lacks adequate restorative sleep phases []), dysregulation of circadian rhythms (e.g., affecting digestion), agitation, anxiety, depressed mood, disorientation, or delirium [, , –]. Psychological stressors related to invasive procedures and fear of death may further aggravate a sense of vulnerability and anxiety, chronic inner tension, and poor sleep [–]. Given the great complexity of the IC context, the multiplicity and inevitability of its stressful influences, the challenging clinical consequences are difficult to address. Research has therefore begun to explore novel approaches in this context [], for instance experimental IC room design concepts to mitigate the impact of abnormal light exposure [] or early mobilization to counteract IC-acquired weakness and sequelae [], yet there continues to be great need for tailored therapeutic approaches that can support patients suffering from these conditions, without disrupting the vital functions performed by ICUs and IMCUs. Non-invasive methods from integrative and complementary medicine, could be a promising avenue in this context [, ]. The current article describes a pilot project implementing such methods involving topically applied herbal medicines. External application of herbal medicine substances by means of embrocation, massage techniques, or compresses, are an integral part of many traditional (i.e., Indigenous or ancestral), complementary, and integrative medicine systems [, ]. According to the US National Institute of Health NCI Dictionary, integrative medicine is defined as “An approach to medical care that recognizes the benefit of combining conventional (standard) therapies (such as drugs and surgery) with complementary therapies (such as acupuncture and yoga) that have been shown to be safe and effective. […] Integrative medicine tries to address the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental factors that can affect a person’s health and well-being.” []. The approach hence also takes into account the relational component and broader array of factors that may impact a person’s health and well-being []. Given their low risk profile, relative simplicity of application, and reported benefits in conjunction with the abovementioned indications, topical application of certain herbal medicines could present a promising approach for the IC context. For example, cutaneous application of rosemary ( L.), a plant used in traditional medicine since earliest times, has been found to stimulate peripheral circulation (particularly its essential oil, see European Medicines Agency’s Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products [EMA/HMPC] []). Such effects could be useful in conjunction with the prolonged immobilization of IC patients. Further, the absorption of odorant molecules of rosemary via olfaction [] is associated with arousing and tonifying effects [, ], which might be useful to counteract dysregulated sleep-wake cycles. In a complementary fashion, external application of essential oil derived from lavender ( Mill.) is known to aid sleep initiation and restlessness based on their calming and anxiolytic effects [–]. Similarly, possesses long-standing practical applications in the context of European traditional medicine [], where leaf extract ointment, placed on the mid or upper abdomen, is employed to support the reestablishment of physiological processes in the digestive system in cases of vegetative dysregulation (be it due to organic or psychological causes, e.g., postoperative or traumatic experience, respectively). Beyond the specific effects of the herbal substance, which include its effects via local cutaneous absorption and via volatile aromatic constituents (olfaction), external applications also possess therapeutic effects arising from the application method and temperature on vegetative regulat