Alternative Medicine — A place in healthcare?

November 8, 2009

by Karen Nelson on Nov.07, 2009
On Monday, November 2, 2009 the Arizona Daily Star published an article, “Alternative-healing instruction in medical schools is questioned.” Right up front before the article, the following was seen: EDITOR’S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet these mostly unproven treatments are now mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans. This is one part of an occasional Associated Press series on their use and potential risks.

I was perplexed to say the least, since I have done medical writing and have been involved with some alternative therapy research that was shown to be highly effective.

Then, the next day an article “More insurers are covering alternative healing, at a cost,” with the same editor’s note staring you in the face before you read the article.

I am currently with no institutional backing to be able to do thorough research into recent clinical trials, but I was able to spend a few hours and find many clinical research journal articles that showed alternative therapies to be statistically significantly effective over either controls or conventional therapy. What bothers me is the technicality in that editor’s note about finding “cures.” That editor’s note has been worded to be manipulative through sensationalism. It shows obvious bias (which is why it is an editor’s note, I suppose) and is expressing that bias before the reader even gets a chance to read the article. You will not find a lot of “cures” in conventional medicine clinical trials either! Taking Lipitor for high cholesterol does not “cure” high cholesterol. Taking blood pressure meds does not “cure” hypertension. Read the complete article…

Related articles by Zemanta

• Alternative Medicine – A place in healthcare? – Tucson Citizen (tucsoncitizen.com)
• The damning verdict on drug trials (guardian.co.uk)
• More insurers are paying for alternative remedies (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• More Insurers Are Paying for Alternative Remedies (abcnews.go.com)

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Meditation can keep BP under control

July 18, 2009

Meditation is not only a stress buster, it also helps in regulating high blood pressure with an added benefit of bypassing possible side effects and hazards …

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Secrets of Women Who Never Get Sick

October 1, 2008

They survive cold season without a sniffle. They fly in germ-packed airplanes unscathed. And they somehow avoid stomach bugs that decimate the office.

Wish you could be one of these women who never get sick? Try one or—even better—all of these secrets, and you may join this club come flu season

• Get a Massage
• Take a Cold Shower
• Take Ginger for Your GI
• Wash Your Hands
• Take Vitamin C and Zinc
• Eat More Garlic
• Stay Positive
• Nasal Washing (Sounds Gross, but It Works!)

Read the complete article by Alicia Potter of Health.com…

Keywords: anxiety, blood pressure, low energy, migraines, circulation, pain reduction, constipation, diarrhea, gastrointestinal, integrative medicine, pregnancy, morning sickness, stomach flu, hand washing, vitamin C, zinc, Emergen-C, Zicam, garlic, immunity, wellness, positive thinking

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Acupuncture beats drug to treat hot flashes: study

September 23, 2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Acupuncture works as well as a drug commonly used to combat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms that can accompany breast cancer treatment, and its benefits last longer, without bad side effects, researchers said on Monday.

They tested acupuncture, which began in China more than 2,000 years ago and involves inserting needles into the body, against the Wyeth antidepressant Effexor, for hot flashes in breast cancer patients.

Acupuncture was just as effective as Effexor, also called venlafaxine, in managing symptoms including hot flashes and night sweats, according to researchers led by Dr. Eleanor Walker of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Read the complete article by Will Dunham…

There were no bad side effects with acupuncture, and women reported increased energy, overall sense of well-being and sexual desire, the researchers said.

Keywords: hot flashes, menopause, breast cancer, nausea, headache, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, blood pressure, fatigue, anxiety, Effexor, venlafaxine, Wyeth,  Eleanor Walker, Henry Ford Hospital, American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology

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The Secret of Slow

September 8, 2008

So, you want to drive the golf ball farther, be a better father, trim that gut, blow ‘em away in your next presentation, and make your wife moan with delight? Take a lesson from the tortoise.

It was one of those shining days. The azaleas were peeking out as spring came to the Chesapeake. I was in my car, tearing it up in hopeful duet with Canadian crooner Michael Bublé, when I noticed something interesting. Throughout “Come Fly With Me,” I was just a little bit out in front. Bublé held each note a nanosecond longer than I did and waited just an extra half-instant before sliding into the next phrase. Though my voice was every bit as velvety and my attitude even more ring-a-ding-ding, I was always a shade faster than the master. Hmmm…a voice inside me said.

Read the complete article by Hugh O’Neill at bestlifeonline.com…

Keywords: sports, health, nutrition, parasympathetic, sympathetic, nervous system, oxygen, nitrous oxide, anxiety, stress, systolic, blood pressure, Mehmet Oz, David Katz, Cardiovascular Institute, New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Rush University Medical Center

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Webcast – Tai Chi: The Dance of Health

July 1, 2008

Tai Chi was initially developed in China in the 14th century as a martial art of self-defense. But as it evolved, it came to be seen as an exercise promoting harmony, balance and relaxation of the body and mind. What is Tai Chi, and what can it do for you? Join our panel of experts for a discussion of the history and health benefits of this age-old practice.

Transcript: DAVID FOLK THOMAS: Welcome to our webcast. I’m David Folk Thomas. Tai chi. Now, I did not just sneeze, for all of you who said, "Gesundheit." Thank you. I’m talking about tai chi. It’s an ancient Chinese martial art. It’s used as a health exercise. We’re going to get to the bottom of exactly what tai chi is and how it might help you get around and operate in this crazy world. Joining me are two experts on tai chi. To my left is Dr. Ben Kligler. He’s the medical director of the New Beth Israel Center for Health and Healing in New York City, and next to Dr. Kligler is William Kaplinidis. He is the department head of Allied Arts at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine here in New York City. He’s also a tai chi instructor. Thanks to both of you for coming by. What is tai chi?

Read the complete transcript and view the webcast…

Keywords: stress, relax, concentrate, tai chi, qigong, health, headache, reflux, balance, osteoporosis, blood pressure, hypertension

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Lotus Therapy

May 28, 2008

The New York Times – Health/Research
Mindfulness meditation has become perhaps the most popular new psychotherapy technique of the past decade.

The patient sat with his eyes closed, submerged in the rhythm of his own breathing, and after a while noticed that he was thinking about his troubled relationship with his father. “I was able to be there, present for the pain,” he said, when the meditation session ended. “To just let it be what it was, without thinking it through.”

The therapist nodded.

“Acceptance is what it was,” he continued. “Just letting it be. Not trying to change anything.”

“That’s it,” the therapist said. “That’s it, and that’s big.”

Read the full article by Benedict Carey…

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Learning How to Reflect (or Not)

May 26, 2008

A variety of meditative practices have been studied by Western researchers for their effects on mental and physical health.

Tai Chi

An active exercise, sometimes called moving meditation, involving extremely slow, continuous movement and extreme concentration. The movements are to balance the vital energy of the body but have no religious significance.

Studies are mixed, some finding it can reduce blood pressure in patients, and others finding no effect. There is some evidence that it can help elderly people improve balance.

Read the full article by Benedict Carey …

Keywords: Tai Chi, Transcendental Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga, mantra, moving meditation, blood pressure, improve balance, chronic pain, substance abuse, depression

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Meditation technique can lower blood pressure

April 11, 2008

By Anne Harding
Fri Apr 11, 12:26 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Practicing a particular type of meditation twice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure, according to an analysis of existing research on the technique.
The blood pressure reductions associated with regular practice of transcendental meditation, or TM, would translate to a 12-15 percent reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular causes and a 15-20 percent lower risk of stroke, Dr. James W. Anderson, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health.

In TM, a person sits in a comfortable chair for 20 minutes twice a day and attempts to quiet the mind by focusing on a mantra, Anderson explained. “It’s fairly simple but you need training to get into it,” he added. “It allows you to get below the kind of ‘cocktail chatter’ that’s always going on in your brain.”

There are a number of different types of meditation and relaxation techniques, Anderson pointed out, but he said TM has a unique ability to bring the practitioner into a “quiet zone” that acts as a kind of “sanctuary” for a person, refreshing them and reducing stress.

Some research on TM has been criticized as being biased and of poor quality, the researcher and his colleagues at the University of Kentucky in Lexington note in their report in the American Journal of Hypertension.

To better understand the real benefits of the practice for people with high blood pressure, they looked at nine trials that compared blood pressure changes in a group of patients practicing TM versus a “control” group. The researchers limited their analysis of the findings to the three clinical trials they rated as being high quality.

Based on these three studies, TM reduced systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) by 4.7 points, and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 3.2 points.

“Sustained blood pressure reductions of this magnitude are likely to significantly reduce the risk of heart disease,” Anderson and his team conclude.

SOURCE: American Journal of Hypertension, March 2008.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080411/hl_nm/meditation_technique_dc_1

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