10/11/09 - Medical QiGong Improves Quality of Life With Cancer

Somebody asked me what I would do if I had cancer. Would I try alternative treatments in addition to traditional therapies? Since I haven't walked a mile in those shoes, I can't say, but statistics tell me I would. The majority of people with cancer have considered complementary therapies. How do we know what works?

Thankfully, many alternative treatments are now being given the 3rd degree of well-designed studies. This week, qigong appears to have passed the test as an alternative therapy that can improve quality of life for those living with cancer.

9/11/09 - Patients, Doctors Embrace the Web

The Internet is changing the way physicians interact with their patients.

A man walks into a hospital urology department for a consultation on prostate cancer screening. The man, an executive type, makes it clear that he will only meet with the department chairman. After 30 minutes, he emerges from the chairman's office; it is clear that the meeting has not gone well. It turns out that the man is upset the institution does not offer the advanced screening tools described in the Internet printouts the man is carrying in a large file folder. Apparently the man could not accept that the “digital” in “digital rectal examination” refers to a finger, not a high-end computer-based medical device.

09/11/09 - Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the joints that occurs in some people with a chronic skin and nail condition known as psoriasis. Psoriasis causes flare-ups of raised patches of skin covered with silvery scales. The onset of psoriasis may occur at any age but is most commonly seen between the ages of 15 and 50 years. Psoriatic arthritis can be noted before or after the skin lesions appear.

What is going on in the body?

People with psoriasis may develop arthritis that causes destruction of various joints. The lining of the joint, the synovium, becomes inflamed. It reacts by producing extra synovial fluid, resulting in a swollen joint. The smooth white surface of the joint, the hyaline cartilage, can become thin, worn, and rough.

09/11/09 - EU grants nearly 1.5 million euros for complementary medicine research network

TUM university hospital will coordinate the 12-nation project - A three-year project called CAMbrella will receive nearly 1.5 million euros of European Union funding to establish a research network for the study of complementary medicine. The center for complementary medicine research at "Rechts der Isar," the university hospital of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen will coordinate the project for the winning applicant group, which includes 16 scientific organizations from 12 European countries. The project will begin in January 2010. CAMbrella stands for an umbrella of research projects in Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

"In complementary and alternative medicine there is a lack of sponsorship for research. In Germany, no governmental funding has been provided since 1996. CAMbrella will play an important role to overcome this deficit," agree project leader Dr. Wolfgang Weidenhammer and Dr. Dieter Melchart, leader of the center.

09/11/09 - Alternative medicine is becoming mainstream

Many Americans are choosing to treat themselves using nontraditional methods, but to what end?

Leon Wittman tweaked his shoulder in 1994 while attempting to keep his basement from flooding during a thunderstorm by scooping water out of a window well with a bucket.

His left arm began to ache. He realized about a year later that he rarely used it anymore and could no longer comfortably sleep on that side. A physician said the only cure was surgery.

Wittman and his wife Charlene have always shied away from physicians, preferring to "maintain a good attitude, drink lots of water and figure things out on our own," as he puts it. And so he opted instead to try a pain relief supplement that included acetaminophen, alfalfa, cramp bark and valerian root -- which, he says, improved his shoulder within a month. The Shawnee, Kan., man now takes a glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM supplement.

Many Americans like Wittman choose to treat themselves with complementary and alternative medicine in lieu of surgery, pharmaceuticals or other traditional care. Their numbers have been steadily climbing over the last decade. According to a July study from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, based on interviews with more than 23,300 adults during the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, almost 40% of adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine to treat a variety of conditions.

06/11/09 - Medical QiGong Improves Quality of Life With Cancer

Somebody asked me what I would do if I had cancer. Would I try alternative treatments in addition to traditional therapies? Since I haven't walked a mile in those shoes, I can't say, but statistics tell me I would. The majority of people with cancer have considered complementary therapies. How do we know what works?

Thankfully, many alternative treatments are now being given the 3rd degree of well-designed studies. This week, qigong appears to have passed the test as an alternative therapy that can improve quality of life for those living with cancer.

21/10/09 - Healthy, wealthy and wise

More companies are realizing that wellness programs make very good business sense

The nature of work has changed dramatically over the last half century. "Knowledge workers," a term first coined by business philosopher Peter Drucker in the 1950s, have replaced industrial labourers as the backbone of most corporations. In his seminal book, Landmarks of Tomorrow, Drucker used the term mostly to describe IT personnel, such as programmers, systems analysts, technical writers and researchers. Today, it can refer to just about anyone using a university degree at work, including financial analysts, lawyers and scientists. Knowledge workers now permeate every industry. No company is without them. They give businesses a competitive edge and are key to a healthy, productive economy.

Yet the changing nature of work is making many of them sick. While the corporate world spent 50 years developing exercise, benefit and insurance programs geared to the occupational health and safety of industrial employees--programs that are still in place today--experts say the well-being of knowledge workers is suffering.

15/10/09 - Natural remedies are all the rage as flu fears increase

Mardy Ross is thinking about downing some "poison cocktails" this fall.

The daily glasses of milk spiked with a few drops of iodine worked in 1918 when her physician great-grandfather was treating patients during the Spanish flu epidemic.

So what's to say they won't help ward off H1N1?

As this quirky flu of unknown severity bears down and a vaccine remains weeks or months away from distribution, proactive people like Ross are going beyond the standard hand-washing and cough-avoiding recommendations.

They are turning to natural remedies ranging from garlic and goji berries to "swamp tea" and duck liver dilutions to fend off a flu that some still call "swine flu" because it originates in pigs.

15/10/09 - No Convincing Evidence Reflexology Works

An extensive review has failed to find good evidence which convincingly demonstrates reflexology (a practice involving applying pressure to, or, massaging feet) is an effective treatment for any medical conditions.

Details of the review, conducted by Dr Edzard Ernst, Director of Complementary Medicine at the Peninsula Medical School in the United Kingdom, were published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

"There is little doubt that a foot massage is pleasantly relaxing, however specific medical claims should always be supported by sound evidence," Dr Ernst said.

08/09/09 - Feeling excessively anxious? Help is available

Everyone encounters people who are prone to anxiety, worry and fearful anticipation of life situations. These "worriers" often get reassured, encouraged, debated with and eventually labeled as "negative" people. The partner of the anxious individual as well as family members and friends become discouraged about being able to cheer up the fretful person.

Most people tend to become anxious and worried when they face challenging, uncertain circumstances. Doubt and concern during times of health, financial or situational crises, are natural responses. Yet, it is important to distinguish normal anxiety in the face of challenges from an overwhelming, exhausting, chronic state of worry.

08/09/09 - Complementary Therapies for Those of Us 50+

The gap between alternative and conventional medical treatments is closing as complementary therapies merge with the mainstream. Branching from alternative medicine, complementary medicine is used along with conventional medicine.

Awareness and popularity of complementary therapies grow as more and more people find new levels of health and well-being from these natural, non-invasive, drug-free treatments. Complementary medical therapies such as acupuncture, Reiki and massage therapy can ease many of the common health conditions that mature adults and seniors may have - arthritis, osteoporosis, sciatica, high blood pressure, stress, insomnia, fibromyalgia and everyday aches and pains. These therapies can also increase energy, vitality, mental clarity and have profound, even life-changing effects.

08/09/09 - Prize honours alternative medicine

The $250,000 Dr. Rogers Prize for Excellence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine highlights the important contributions of researchers, practitioners and others in this field. Funded by Vancouver’s Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation, the Dr. Rogers Prize is awarded every two years and is the largest of its kind in North America.

The Dr. Rogers Prize recognizes those who embody the same level of vision, leadership and integrity as that of Dr. Roger Rogers. As a Canadian pioneer in CAM who was among the first to provide non- traditional therapies for cancer patients, Dr. Rogers was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in recognition of his ground breaking work.

08/09/09 - The most popular therapies for the most common ailments

10 most frequently reported medical conditions for which CAM is used:
Allergies, back or neck problems, arthritis or rheumatism, difficulty walking, frequent headaches, lung problems, digestive problems, gynecological problems, anxiety attacks, heart problems or chest pain.

10 most commonly used alternative therapies in Canada:
Chiropractic care, massage, relaxation techniques, prayer/spiritual practice, acupuncture, yoga, herbal therapies, special diet programs, energy healing, naturopathy.

08/09/09 - Yoga Classes Help Relieve Chronic Back Pain

Yoga classes helped people with chronic lower back pain improve their mood and ability to function and eased their pain more than conventional treatment alone, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

People who were assigned to take yoga for two months experienced a 29% reduction in functional disability (P=0.01) and a 42% reduction in pain (P<0.001), the authors reported in the Sept. 1 issue of Spine. Yoga was also associated with a 45.7% decrease in symptoms of depression over conventional therapy alone (P<0.001) .

"Yoga improves functional disability, pain intensity, and depression in adults with [chronic lower back pain]," Kimberly Williams, PhD, of West Virginia University, and colleagues concluded. "There was also a clinically important trend for the yoga group to reduce their pain medication usage compared to the control group."

08/09/09 - Chelation Therapy is at heart of debate

After a stress test and scan showed no immediate problems with Tom Kohlmeier's heart 10 years ago, doctors offered little advice other than: Watch your blood pressure and cholesterol. That was not enough for Kohlmeier, now 58. He wanted to do more to protect his heart.

His doctor referred him to Dr. Dale Guyer, who recommended chelation therapy. Since then, every few weeks, Kohlmeier visits Guyer's Nora office for a session. A nurse inserts an IV, and over the next 45 minutes as Kohlmeier reads, a substance drips into his veins that he and others believe preserves cardiac health.

But not everyone is convinced. For years, controversy has brewed over whether chelation therapy, an FDA-approved treatment for heavy metal toxicity, has any role in preventing or treating heart disease.

08/08/09 - Certain botanicals now disproven as menopause treatments (US)

The ongoing trend for complementary health treatments to be examined scientifically provides welcome support for practitioners keen to remain in the forefront of medicine.  Two studies conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University have found that commonly used botanicals do not have an effect on hot flashes or on cognitive function in menopausal women.  The studies appear online and will be published in an upcoming issue of Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society.  In the first study, the botanicals black cohosh and red clover were compared to the standard of care -- hormone therapy -- and to placebo for the treatment of hot flashes.

08/08/09 - Commercialisation of complementary medicine

Despite inroads made by alternative therapies, consumers in the west still tend to view conventional medicine as offering the best remedies. Hutchison China Meditech (Chi-Med), led by Scots-born Christian Hogg, is seeking to challenge that notion by developing traditional Chinese medicine - "TCM", as it is referred to - for western markets. In a laboratory just outside Shanghai, he has built up a team of 200 scientists and support staff and spent $100m on research and development. The idea is to produce medicines derived from roots and herbs documented in Chinese texts, some dating back 2,000 years.  "Prospects are quite incredible," says Hogg. "The Chinese healthcare market is growing at 20% a year, and 40% is accounted for by TCM."   But the challenge is to crack the US and Europe, where he must break down resistance to remedies that have "worked for years in the east". It's an uphill task: Chi-Med's shares have bombed since the company floated on the junior London Aim market in 2006, from a float price of 275p to 80p. In part, this is due to impatience by investors who want results sooner rather than later.

06/08/09 - Doctors contrast HRT with homeopathic alternatives (Aus)

A recent Australian study found that HRT use by women over 50 years had halved since 2000 while complementary medicine use rose dramatically. In this article, doctors contrast the fear of the side effects of HRT with the lack of clinical evidence for alternatives.

05/08/09 - Don't wait for outbursts to release pent-up anger

Don't wait for outbursts to release pent up anger, experts advise - Everyone has the potential to have outbursts of rage, so experts suggest that everyone take part in anger management classes at least once in their lives to learn how to control their anger with a few painless sessions of therapy.

04/08/09 - UK Government consults on Acupuncture, Herbal and Chinese Medicine

The Department of Health has launched a consultation on the potential regulation of practitioners of acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine.  At present, there is no statutory regulation of practitioners who offer acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine in the UK.  The consultation will seek views on whether a UK-wide regulatory system should be established to govern the practice of these complementary and alternative therapies.

03/08/09 - US GP calls for integrative approach to health care (US)

Recently the Rockford Register Star ran a series of articles from The Associated Press that was critical of complementary and alternative medicine. These articles failed to differentiate between CAM and integrative medicine. In integrative medicine, the best of conventional and the best of alternative medicines are used to help the body facilitate healing. No ONE modality has the monopoly on successes or failures, including conventional medicine.

02/08/09 - Summer Thriller - Appointments with Death (US)

Yippee!  A short story in the New York Times, based on a psychotherapist and his client!  Chilling...

“YOU know about them, right?” She allowed me barely a second to reply before she added, “Come on.” She punctuated the plea with a hurried sigh, a little huff that I found more plaintive than insistent. “Don’t play opaque shrink with me, please. I don’t have ... time. Just tell me you know about them.”

31/07/09 - When leaving home isn't an option (US)

During summer vacation and winter break, parents and their college-age kids often find themselves back under the same roof and may also find themselves reverting back to old behavior patterns—parents trying to maintain control, and kids, who’ve now had a big taste of independence, rebelling and acting out.

31/07/09 - Mental health care for the Military over the Web (US)

"When we first wrote about American Well, a start-up that offers doctor visits over a webcam, a number of the Bits readers suggested that the service seemed well-suited to visits with therapists. The military will soon use American Well to do just that. It will be the first time that online care has been used to deliver mental health services, according to American Well. Beginning Aug. 1 in Hawaii, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, which provides health care for a third of military service members and their families, will use American Well to put soldiers and their family members face to face with psychologists and psychiatrists over the Web."

31/07/09 - Talking therapies as effective as medication in treatment of depression (US)

Medication is not the only solution for people who are clinically depressed, doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center report. "Cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy, two types of talk therapy, are sometimes as effective at treating depression as is medication," says Dr. Anna Brandon, assistant professor of psychiatry at the UT Southwestern Women's Mental Health Center. "For older adults who may have to take medications for other problems, talk therapy eliminates the worry about side effects or trying several medications before one works." Dr. Brandon says talk therapy typically consists of weekly sessions for about four months. The time to recovery is highly individual, but most patients report feeling better about halfway into treatment. Recovery with antidepressant medication also varies based on factors such as finding the right antidepressant and the right dosage. Most antidepressants are considered at their full potency for improvement around eight weeks after initiation, but some patients report feeling better in the first few weeks of treatment.

30/07/09 - Drugs in isolation are not the answer to depression (AU)

An Australian medical expert has emphasised the importance of a combined approach to the treatment of depression - both drug and therapy related. It seems remarkable in this day and age that such a view is still considered unusual, but until recently the absence of long-term studies of psychotherapy and its effects has led to a myth among medics that such approaches are not worthwhile. It seems incredible that GPs will often prescribe drugs for the long-term and as few as three sessions with a counsellor - which is barely time to establish a confiding relationship let alone to explore the circumstances that have led to the depression.

30/07/09 - Weight loss programme adds psychotherapy to the mix (US)

"No matter how a person loses the weight, whether it is by meal replacements, bariatric surgery or behavioral interventions, group therapy, one-on-one therapy or restricted diets, weight management requires a lifelong commitment in the end." And that is why psychotherapy is an important aspect for success.

30/07/09 - Medical journals agree protocol to improve research evaluation

A major agreement between medical journals will significantly improve the quality of information available to Doctors when selecting the appropriate treatment for their patients.  The agreement embraces all forms of treatment, including complementary healthcare.

27/07/09 - I think, therefore I feel - Psychotherapy and the treatment of depression

Psychiatrist, Vijay Nagaswami, explains the importance of psychotherapy as a co-treatment of depression alongside medication.

27/07/09 - Combined psychotherapy and nutritional counselling helps college students address eating disorders

The US healthcare system, while it depends on insurance backed finance, has a number of safeguards built in to ensure that patients receive the most effective care for their particular circumstances.  In the case of eating disorders, once a patient has accepted the need for treatment (an important step in it's own right), then most authorities are now endorsing a combined approach of psychotherapy and nutritional counselling.

26/07/09 - Alternative medicine gaining ground in UAE

A survey conducted by the Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) in 2006 found out that 28 per cent of people in the UAE used one form or the other of alternative therapy during the preceding 12 months while 48 per cent had availed of these therapies at some point in their lifetime.  Since then, spending on alternatives has increased, the number of practitioners is growing, and the Government have begun a programme of approvals of distinct therapies as effective treatments.

25/07/09 - Western Medical practitioners increasingly embrace eastern and spiritual therapies

An interesting example is Dr Sue Jamieson, formerly of Inverness, who today runs a successful combined practice in Hong Kong.  She has recently written a book, entitled "Light in Life: Medical to Mystical".

24/07/09 - One in three people use complementary medicine

A recent US government survey showed that 36 percent of adults use some form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). When prayer is included in the definition specifically for health reasons, the number using some form of CAM rises to 62 percent. These findings confirm the extent to which Americans use CAM with the hope to find help in treating and preventing illness and enhancing the quality of life. This study helps us to understand who is using CAM, what method is being used, why it is being used.

24/07/09 - When finances falter, love's not all you need

The economy isn't just hurting bank accounts. It's hurting relationships.  Money is often the topic of daily arguments. Counsellors say that more couples seeking counselling say that money is at the core of their disagreements and stress.

24/07/09 - Sun and warm weather bring sadness and withdrawal for those with summer-onset depression

Though sunny skies and balmy temperatures put most people in a great mood, summer weather causes others to feel so depressed they need medication and therapy.

Summer-onset depression, a warm weather variation of what's called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, often starts in the spring and tapers off between September and November.

It's a relatively new disorder. Dr. Alfred Lewy, director of the Sleep and Mood Disorders Laboratory at Oregon Health and Science University, said the first real studies to see if a summer version of SAD exists were conducted in 1991, as reported in the New York Times.

23/07/09 - Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Mental Health Care

The widespread use of non-conventional treatments, or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and the increasing evidence supporting their therapeutic benefits call for a concerted scientific effort to integrate treatments that work into mainstream medicines.

Answering that call is the groundbreaking Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Mental Health Care, a concise, practical reference that reviews the many CAM approaches used in North America and Europe to treat (or self-treat) mental health problems, and the history and rationale for a variety of CAM treatments, including the risks and benefits of their integration into mainstream mental health care.

Two dozen contributors with both conventional and non-conventional expertise present current information about safe, effective mental health treatments (including herbals and other natural products, stress management, homeopathy, Ayurveda, and traditional Chinese medicine) that have not yet been fully examined or endorsed by the institutions of conventional biomedicine.

23/07/09 - Festival of vocal music incorporates Feldenkrais classes

 

A new vocal music festival launched in Albany in the US illustrates the importance of considered movement and healthy patterns of movement by incorporating classes on Feldenkrais techniques as core part of its curriculum.

22/07/09 - Placebo study suggests pathway for complementary medicine too

A study by UCLA researchers into the way in which placebos work - in other words, why some people respond almost as well to a control placebo as to the drug under investigation - may indicate how complementary therapies work too.

In a study of patients with major depressive disorder, the researchers discovered that the placebo when taken by a patient with a certain, identifiable, genetic disposition, appears to stimulate the brain's central reward pathways by releasing a class of neurotransmitters called monoamines, specifically dopamine and norepinephrine. These are the brain chemicals that make us "feel good." Because the chemical signaling done by monoamines is under strong genetic control, the scientists reasoned that common genetic variations between individuals — called genetic polymorphisms — could influence the placebo response.

20/07/09 - Movement in the classroom

Here’s the mind and here’s the body. School is no place for them to meet. Unfortunately, this is the reality in most school settings. And with Physical Education, music and the arts classes being cut, the opportunity for kids to move is practically nil.  Current brain studies research is showing that the body and the mind are not separate. It is through the body that we learn. Kids and adults are not just a mind sitting at a desk. Engage their bodies and the mind will follow.  Schools in San Francisco begin to embrace Feldenkrais.