Posts Tagged ‘national center for complementary and alternative medicine’

Alternative Medicine: What Is It?

July 20th, 2011

What is alternative medicine? It is a phrase that has been tossed around more and more in the media, the bookstores, and increasingly, the doctor’s office, but how often does anyone say what alternative medicine is?

Theoretically, alternative medicine is any form of medicine that does not fit with in the scientific framework of western medicine. Once a form of medicine has been proven scientifically effective, and a theory has been determined to explain in the language of western medicine why it is effective, it should no longer be considered alternative

Unfortunately, after the theory comes the politics. In reality, in the United States, alternative medicine is any form of medicine that has not been accepted as scientifically valid by the American Medical Association and the United States Government. In other countries different official bodies will determine what is and is not alternative medicine. In the United States, massage is alternative medicine. In Canada massage is conventional medicine, and as such, highly regulated.

Would you believe that according the US government’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vitamins are a complementary or alternative medicine (depending on how they are used) that have not yet been proven to have any greater effect on the human body then a placebo? Personally, I’d like to know if they would like to be treated for scurvy with a placebo. I’ll stick with vitamin C. There are theoretical uses for vitamins that have not yet been fully proven, but that does not make the proven effects any less scientifically valid.

At the same time, just because someone claims what they offer is medicine does not make it true. Herbal supplements are not regulated, and may not fully disclose their ingredients. They certainly will not tell you about any dangerous interaction with your heart medication!

Of course, you can ask an expert, but keep in mind that there are many kinds of alternative medicine, an acupuncturist is not necessarily trained in herbs, and your primary care physician probably won’t be trained in any of them.

If you are interested in using alternative medicine, either for a specific problem, or simply improve your overall health, it’s probably best to first research what kinds of alternative medicine you are interested in, and speak with you doctor about whether or not she will be willing to work with an alternative medicine practitioner. Then find a practitioner who has had training in that specific area of alternative medicine. Most forms of alternative medicine are not licensed in the United States, so ask where they went to school, and how long they have been practicing. Then they can work with your doctor to make sure you get the care you need, without any unexpected side effects.

Some forms of alternative medicine that might be worth looking into are:

Oriental medicine: Oriental medicine is the only form of alternative medicine that is truly comparably to western medicine as a complete system of medicine. Oriental medicine is based on several theories developed thousands of years ago and first elaborated on in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic, between three and five thousand years ago. Oriental medicine includes the practices of massage, acupuncture, herbal therapy, qi gong, and several others. Tradition Chinese Medicine is a variant of oriental medicine specific to China. It is the only variant of oriental medicine the can be found with relative ease in the United States. In many parts of Asia, oriental medicine is still considered the standard of medical care and western medicine is ‘alternative.’

Herbal therapy: Herbal therapy is probably the most common form of alternative medicine found in the United States, and quite possibly one of the riskiest. While most of the conventional medicines doctors prescribe today were derived from herbs, the herbal supplements commonly on sale have no common dosages, mat contain fillers, and will rarely warn of side effects. While herbs can be used to treat everything that medication can, and possibly quite a bit more, make sure you speak with a trained herbalist before taking any. They can tell you what dosage is safe, what suppliers are worth using, and any potential side effects.

Homeopathy: Homeopathy was developed in the 1800′s by two doctors who noticed that quinine, the only medicine capable of treated malaria, caused symptoms of malaria in healthy people who were given it. They theorized that like would cure like, so caffeine which normally causes wakefulness, would be used to help someone who was not sleeping through the night, sleep better. Homeopathy is probably the only alternative medicine that is safe to try without speaking with an expert, because the active substance is so dilute that it is not possible to over dose, or incur side effects on the amounts in the local health food store, never mind the few bottles you would keep in your home. At the same time, it is still best to consult a homeopath to be sure that what your taking will work for what you need.

Massage: Massage is the use of hands or tools to manipulate the muscles and tendons. The two most common uses of massage are to ease aches and pains, and for stress relief. While there are many conditions that massage will obviously not help with (diabetes, for instance), there are many that it is surprisingly effective on, such as eating disorders, fibromyalgia, and carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition, almost any muscular injury can be treated with massage to prevent scar build up, speed healing, and increase a restricted range of motion. There are many different forms of massage therapy, including Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Pre-Natal Massage, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, Lomi Lomi, Medical Massage, Chair Massage, Aromatherapy Massage and Hot Stone Massage. If you go to a massage therapist for a medical condition, make sure they are trained in Medical Massage. Some states have licensing programs for massage therapists now, as do most European countries. If you live in an area that has licensing, make sure the therapist you go to is licensed.

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Alternative Medicine Schools – Making the Grade

July 1st, 2011

Some in the conventional medical community may argue that alternative medicine is pseudoscience; but in all actuality, alternative medicine schools are beginning to enlighten society not only with their comprehensive curriculums, but also with their own scientific research that proves otherwise.

Alternative medicine schools have come of age in the past half century as more consumers are migrating toward non-invasive, natural medicine. Even traditional medical doctors are beginning to integrate alternative and complementary therapies into their patient services, such as massage, acupuncture, and chiropractics, to name a few.

It’s not a matter of alternative medicine being better than conventional medicine; it’s just that in some cases, alternative medicine schools (through research) have discovered that treating patients as a “whole” and not just the disease, may sometimes be more conducive for healing to occur. While many peoples may have the same disease, ultimately, there are multiple natural medicines that can be applied to meet the independent needs of each one of those individuals. More specifically, the belief that one conventional medicine therapy can treat and/or cure ALL disease is not an absolute truth.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (a division of the National Institutes for Health), in cooperation with a number of alternative medicine schools and complementary medicine schools, has performed extensive clinical trials and research in a variety of alternative therapies and treatments.

Just recently, it was discovered that the integration of complementary or alternative medicine in nursing (with therapies such as acupuncture, herbal supplements and other natural remedies), allowed patients to achieve a higher quality of life.

Furthermore, alternative medicine schools and other interdisciplinary studies have demonstrated, through clinical experiments, that “…evidence now support the idea that deficiencies or imbalance in certain highly unsaturated fatty acids may contribute to a range of common developmental disorders including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).” This particular study demonstrated that the addition of ALA-rich nutritional supplementation (flax oil) provides “a significant improvement in the symptoms of ADHD was reflected by reduction in total hyperactivity scores of ADHD children.”

As a major contributor to health care, alternative medicine schools also play an integral role in the scientific community, as do most traditional medical colleges, by striving to find curative agents and treatments for common illness, diseases and other disorders.

Aside from lowered health care cost to patients, alternative medicine is also gaining headway with some health insurance providers that offer CAM coverage in certain areas such as chiropractic and acupuncture. Additionally, because quality alternative medicine schools are accredited and provide in-depth curriculums, as well as standard coursework, the professional medical community has taken note of advancements that are being made every day in the natural healing industry.

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Alternative Medicine in Today’s Modern World

June 24th, 2011

We live in a busy world, when almost everyone loves to take things within their reach. We live in a world where fast food, remote control, TV, automobiles, gasoline, and electricity are a prerequisite. Modernization has its own conveniences, but it has its own downfalls. It makes us become busy all the time with all the details, so that we don’t have the time to study new things. Take, for instance, the practice of medicine nowadays. A patient comes in, and, after examination and history-taking he is being bombarded with a handful of pills to take with illegible prescription handwriting. The same thing happens to the second patient, then the third patient, and so on. Modern medicine is so monotonous that doctors appear too busy to research on alternative ways on how to promote good health and well-being.

Few of us medical practitioners realize the importance of alternative medicine, and how it opens venues for future research and for the formulation of custom protocols for the individual patient. We think of alternative medicine as “quack” treatments, but do we ever pause to study and examine it in detail so that we can learn from it and apply it to our practice?

Alternative medicine has been defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) as a form of healing practice which is “used in place of conventional medicine, such as using a special diet to treat cancer instead of undergoing surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy that has been recommended by a conventional doctor.” It is different from complementary medicine, which is a healing practice being used together with standard medical care, e.g. using acupuncture to help with side effects of cancer treatment; or, integrative medicine, which “is a total approach to care that involves the patient’s mind, body, and spirit and combines standard medical treatments with CAM practices that have shown the most promise”. These three concepts are grouped together as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).

Do Americans use complementary and alternative medicine in their daily lives? Absolutely. The NCCAM has reported in 2007 that in the United States alone, 38 percent of adults (about 1 in 9) and approximately 12 percent of children (about 1 in 9) are using complementary and alternative medicine. It has also been found out that CAM use is greater among women and those with higher levels of education and higher incomes.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is further divided into four major categories: biologically based practices, energy medicine, manipulative and body-based practices. In addition, complementary and alternative medicine involves whole medical systems, in the form of homeopathic medicine, which seeks to stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself; traditional Chinese Medicine which uses herbs, meditation, and massage to obtain balance in the body; Ayurveda which originated in India; and Naturopathic Medicine, which supports the body’s ability to heal itself through the use of dietary and lifestyle changes together with herbs, massage and joint manipulation.

Naturopathic medicine trusts in the healing power of nature, such that it avoids synthetics drugs, radiation and major surgery. It stresses the importance of preventive medicine, that is, prevention of illnesses through a healthy, stress free lifestyle.

In this world of pollution, garbage, junk food, bacterial and viral gene mutations, the practice of naturopathic medicine among health practitioners is essential. Synthetic drugs are but a part of the traditional medical system which sees patients as a group, not as an individual. Have you ever wondered why, as practicing health care practitioners, some patients seem to get better than the others? This fact has nothing to do with compliance and risk stratification, as many compliant patients and many young, healthy patients die. This only proves the fact that each of us has a unique genetic make-up. Each patient is unique, thus patient care should be individualized and not commercialized for mass consumption. Thus, we should pave the way for revolutionary medicine-medicine which changes as the world changes; medicine which is not stagnant but is adaptable to change, dynamic and patient-oriented.

The latest breakthrough in naturopathic medicine is plant stem cells therapy. Plant stem cells is a form of therapy which used extracts from buds, young shoots and young roots. These plant parts were chosen to be made into extracts because they were believed to be the center of a plant’s energy and thus, they are the main source of therapeutic effects. These parts, made into plant stem cells, also differ from the adult plant parts because they are less exposed to toxins and pollution.

Plant stem cells contain biologic energy and the genetic information for future plants. Plant stem cells also have an abundance of precious substances such as growth hormones, including auxins, gibberellins, ethylene, abscisic acid, cytokinins, nucleic acids, minerals, oligoelements, flavonoids, vitamins and enzymes. Plant stem cells contain auxins, which are plant hormones which were discovered by Charles Darwin in 1880. These plant stem cells stimulate cell growth and strengthen the immune system. These plant stem cells also contain Indoleacetic acud which helps regenerate tissues and lessens inflammation.

Plant stem cells also contain gibberellins, which stimulate RNA and protein synthesis. The cytokinins found in plant stem cells protect cells as they go into the process of cell division, thus they show promise in cancer therapy. Abscisic acid, also found in plant stem cells create resistance to stress. Thus it is not surprising that plant stem cells are now being used for athletes, growth problems in children, replacement therapy for aging, adjunct to would healing. Plant stem cell therapy increases exercise endurance, facilitates healing after illnesses and hospitalizations. Plant stem cells reverses skin and body aging, firms muscles, reduces weight and body fat, enhances memory, improves vision, makes skin soft, smooth and firm, reverses osteoporosis due to its osteoblastic action, and improves sleep.

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The New Medicine: Integrative, Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) – Medical Intuition & Distan

June 18th, 2011

In the Bravewell Collaborative’s PBS special on the New Medicine Dana Reeves expressed that traditional medicine is now examining and addressing the entire mind body connection. One of the physicians interviewed stated “It is dumb” to not look at the entire person in order to determine the complete patient diagnosis.

PBS previews state:

“A burgeoning movement is taking place in hospitals and clinics across this country – integrating the best of high-tech medicine with a new attitude that recognizes that treating the patient as a whole person is essential to the healing process. As scientific findings reveal that the mind plays a critical role in the body’s capacity to heal, the medical community is beginning to embrace a new range of treatment options, including many once considered fringe.

The National Institutes of Health has been funding rigorous scientific research to determine what alternative healing strategies are safe and effective so that there is solid evidence to broaden medical choices for patients. “Integrative medicine means being able to offer patients a full array of choices from conventional medicine, but to be able to add those complementary and alternative strategies where we have scientific evidence that they work and they’re safe,” says Dr. Margaret Chesney, Deputy Director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a division of the NIH. “

Your body’s energy system records and stores everything that has occurred since your physical being was born. Its energy blueprint provides a complete information source about what has and is occurring. Your energy divulges whether physical health issues were derived from an emotional connection or are an acquired physical manifestation from cellular deficiency or breakdown. Medical intuition is the science of tapping into this energy blueprint resource to locate the origin of your issues.

Although modern medicine uses MRI’s, x-rays, PET, CAT, Trilogy, and MUGA scans to determine physical issues, most emotionally caused physical issues go undetected.

Medical intuitives can provide insight into direct links between the emotions lodged in your energy memory bank, and how those emotions created health issues. Louise Hayes, in her book “You Can Heal Your Life” actually lists disorders, and the common emotional patterns that create health issues.

Medical intuition can also provide insight to physical issues that will be entering the human body. Energy disorders present themselves in the exterior energy field or aura of our body before it enters into the physical body. New Medicine is trying to stop destructive exterior patterns such as thoughts, behaviors, etc. from creating unhealthy energy patterns that eventually create disease in our physical body. Thus the term “mind over matter” has great relevance in today’s medical treatment. Additionally, once the physical body is combating unhealthy energy, using your mind to generate healthy energy frequencies helps facilitate healing.

Some medical intuitives are able to see your body’s actual cellular and organ structures and systems like an MRI. Those medical intuitives can provide immediate information as to the location, extent and severity of physical disease and disorders, and even provide information about possible future health problems. This viewing ability is an asset in emergency room medicine. It reduces stress and saves time in critical care, intensive care, trauma injury and pediatric care. Medical intuition complements modern techniques by providing a broader knowledge base for the patient to determine their total treatment, and integrates the best of all worlds to create their health care regime using the total mind and body connection.

Energy Healing is another technique. Although considered alternative and complementary health care and medicine, “energy medicine” is now being considered more and more as a valuable healing modality in mainstream medical facilities. Everything has energy. When you reestablish healthy energy patterns, you facilitate the body healing itself. Disease is altered energy that is not resonating at a healthy frequency. Everything has a frequency or it doesn’t exist. There are many charts available on the internet that list the frequency of a healthy body (62-78 MHz) or the frequency of particular organs. A diseased organ will not have the same frequency as a healthy organ or an entire body. Energy healing addresses the frequency of your body and its energy centers (chakras), flow directions (meridians), and blockages or any changes in your systems or cells energy patterns.

Energy healing has been around for 2000 years or more, in the form of acupuncture. Acupuncture works by stimulating the patient’s own chi or life-force energy to accelerate the healing process. There are numerous other forms of energy healing that complement and integrate with modern medicine that can be done while you are working with your physician. Quantum touch, Energy Medicine, Healing Hands, Healing Touch, Reiki, Huna, reflexology, Vibrational medicine, acupuncture, shiatsu, acupressure, Craniosacral work, Pranic Healing, Energy psychology, Chinese Medicine and a multitude of others aid the body’s energy to facilitate health.

An added value of medical intuition and most forms of energy healing is that the intuitive diagnosis and energy healing services can be performed from a distance or remotely and immediately. This saves valuable time, dehabilitating travel for critically ill individuals, and offers another assessment and healing modality for any person in any location. Both are non-threatening, non invasive, and have no side effects, and are compatible with your current treatments and procedures.

The new medicine integrates alternative complementary medicine and techniques with traditional medicine to address the entire person in order to determine a complete mind body diagnosis and treatment program. The patient is the benefactor by having “all there is” available to them in their choices to facilitate their healing journey.

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Health Sites Are A Great Source Of Information

May 7th, 2011

From dysentery to psoriasis, alternative medicine seems to have a cure for anything. With the plethora of today’s holistic therapies that are now available to us, it is very important to stay up-to-date with the latest developments that take place in this specific medical field. This is exactly the purpose of NCCAM, or the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Part of the National Institutes of Health, NCCAM is engaged in training and research on health topics, especially on the relevant facts that people are or should be most concerned about. The official site, nccam.nih.gov, is one of the most reputable health sites on the internet, where you can find an exhaustive collection of information on various issues such as research funding opportunities, clinical trials or educational series. Many health professional find this information immensely useful, but even simple people who do not know much about alternative medicine can take some time to study some of the information here, as it is definitely worth of a look.

Among the most popular alternative health sites, AlternativeMedicine.com stands out from many of its kind, providing the visitors with a rich selection of information concerning the most common health conditions, holistic health care issues, natural remedies and foods that have certain healing properties. Moreover, here you can find practical strategies and solutions tat are aimed at promoting self care and prevention for a better health condition. The information on this website is simple to apply in your everyday life, and yet extremely effective. For instance, the SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder is generally caused by less exposure to sunlight in the short winter days. This condition can be dealt by undergoing light therapy or tanning for ten or fifteen minutes every morning and by having a diet that is rich in omega-3 and protein. Outdoor exercise can also help for recovering, as it will boost the serotonin levels that are normally gotten from natural sunlight. In the most severe cases however, the patient may be required to relocate to a place that gets plenty of sunlight.

There are numerous online health sites that prove to be quite beneficial when it comes to providing people with update information on various topics such as aromatherapy, Ayurvedic, essential oils, homeopathic, herbs and flower remedies, and even other types of alternative therapies and treatments. Such sites also include resources on topics such as medical practices, products and medicine that are not considered to be a part of the medical conventional system yet, but were proven to be equally effective and with no discovered risks.

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The Splendidly Natural Wonders of Alternative Meds

April 30th, 2011

Have you ever taken Tylenol, Bayer, or Motrin IB, and found out that neither drug improves you? Is the skyrocketing cost of filling prescription medications putting a hefty strain on your wallet? Do you think that just the thought of having major invasive surgery is too grotesque to begin with?

If you’d answered “yes” to these provocative health care questions, you might want to check out the non-invasive powers of naturopathic medicine. It dates as far back as ancient China and Greece.

And speaking of ancient China, their civilzation was primarily responsible for the “modern” development of acupuncture and acupressure. Acupuncture involves skin penetration with the use of thin, metallic needles manipulated by hand, whereas acupressure stimulates specific energy points on the body through a physician’s fingertips or bare knuckles.

Dr. Christina Arvograsp, clinical director of the University of Bridgeport Naturopathic Medical Center in Bridgeport, CT, is well known for treating her patients with acupuncture and natural childbirth.

As far as her childbirth methodolgies are concerned, she knows just how important it is for expectant women to know what’s best for their newborns. She said her pregnant patients spend less time in labor and have fewer complications from intensive pre- and post-natal care as a result.

“My family always tole me to manitain a strong, natural sense of well-being during your pregnancy so that you won’t have to deal with postpartum depression after the fact,” she points out.

Other popular modalities in this field are aromatherapy, physiotherapy, and orificial surgery, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Aromatherapy allows patients to bathe in essential oils made from flowers, herbs, and trees. Physiotherapy, on the other hand, involves the massaging of the most painful muscles and bone densities. Orificial, or minor, surgery repairs warts, cysts, and larger superficial wounds with both local and general anesthesia.

Not all natural therapies benefit those who go for such treatment. However, you don’t have to make an appointment with your primary naturopathic phyisican to reach your goals for optimal health.

A college friend of mine once had kidney failure a few years back and has since bought Vitamins B, C, and E from a natural foods store to treat his disease. He admitted that his overall approach to natural medicine does work, despite feeling some skeptism at first.

“[Natural] medicine has a different effect on everyone,” he says. “So, going by others, I had to test a variety of different supplements to see if my diseased kidneys could tolerate such unconventional substances. Luckily, it turned out to be a success.”

However, you might still choose to take your daily health regimens in a rather old-fashioned direction. Instead of taking organic substances or making an appointment with a naturopathic health care provider, you may just decide to go on a regular diet.

Eating fruits and vegetables daily may not entirely destroy any illnesses you may have. But a 2004 study conducted by the National Institutes of Health proves that eating foods low in saturated fat and calorie content can greatly minimize the symptoms of a chronic medical condition that can further develop over time.

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Urinary Tract Infection – 4 Alternative Treatments

April 14th, 2011

According to a National Institute of Health publication, about 14.8 million women and men experienced a UTI in 1995, and with the infections’ propensity to recur, especially in women, can some alternative medicine treatments be helpful too?

Urinary tract infections being the second most common type of infections affecting people, accompanies symptoms such as pain/burning while passing water, fever, tiredness/shakiness, urge to use the toilet often, etc. Doctors usually prescribe genitourinary drugs to kill the infection and a relief can be experienced, usually in a day or two.

Following are some natural remedies used on UTI sufferers.

1. Forskolin: This is an extract from the Indian coleus plant. And researchers at the Duke University Medical Center experimenting on mice found that it helps by flushing out hiding colonies of bacteria from the urinary tract. As a result make bacteria susceptible to antibiotic medications. The study appeared in the April 8, 2007 issue of the journal Nature Medicine.

2. Cranberry: According to a study from the Journal of Medicinal Food – a peer-reviewed journal, it’s the chemicals present in cranberries rather than the acidity of cranberry juice that prevent infectious bacteria from attaching to urinary tract’s cell lining. Further, a National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) article suggests that some studies testing the efficacy of cranberry products in forestalling UTIs have shown promise. At the same time the results can’t be considered conclusive.

3. Echinacea Purpurea: Often known as the purple coneflower, this herb has been used on urinary tract infection sufferers, either based on tradition or scientific theories. However, a National Library of Medicine article informs that this use hasn’t been thoroughly tested in humans. Also, the safety and effectiveness too hasn’t been proven for such use, always.

4. Probiotics: Also known as “friendly bacteria” or “good bacteria,” these refer to live microorganisms that don’t generally harm people. According to a conference report released in November 2005, an assessment of the use of probiotics to prevent and treat infections of the urinary tract or the female genital tract had turned out promising evidence. The conference was cofunded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and convened by the American Society for Microbiology.

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The Future is Now! Electronic Medical Records in the Alternative Practice Setting

April 8th, 2011

In 2007, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention teamed up to conduct a study to determine how many Americans are using complementary and alternative medicine. The results showed that almost 40% of American adults are availing themselves of these types of therapies, which is a 2% increase over 2003 usage. And, while many forms of alternative medicine have been in existence for thousands of years, the practice of these therapies has not necessarily evolved at the same pace as conventional medicine when it comes to the use of technology, particularly as it applies to the electronic medical record.

Although the electronic medical record (EMR) was a theory first offered in the 1960s, its use was not widespread until at least 2003, and there are still many practices that have not yet adopted the EMR. Some resistance to doing so can be directly attributed to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which places a great deal of responsibility on providers to safeguard and protect the health information of their patients, going so far as to impose fines for instances of disclosure of that information. Many practice managers worry that the EMR will open the door to inadvertent disclosures.

The fact is, however, that we, as a country, are moving closer and closer to the time when the EMR will be the standard, and paper charts will be archival material. This can be evidenced by the introduction of the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). HITECH is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and was developed in an effort to bring us firmly into the realm of electronic storage and sharing of health information. While HITECH is primarily targeted toward hospitals, academic medical centers, and the conventional medical practice, the statistics related to alternative therapies show a need for these practices to jump aboard the technology bus, as well.

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