Top U.S. hospitals promote unproven medicine with a side of … – PBS – PBS NewsHour

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Hospitals affiliated with Yale, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and other top medical research centers also aggressively promote alternative therapies with little or no scientific backing. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT

Theyre among the nations premier medical centers, at the leading edge of scientific research.

Yet hospitals affiliated with Yale, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and other top medical research centers also aggressively promote alternative therapies with little or no scientific backing. They offer energy healing to help treat multiple sclerosis, acupuncture for infertility, and homeopathic bee venom for fibromyalgia. A public forum hosted by the University of Floridas hospital even promises to explain how herbal therapy can reverse Alzheimers. (It cant.)

This embrace of alternative medicine has been building for years. But a STAT examination of 15 academic research centers across the U.S. underscores just how deeply these therapies have become embedded in prestigious hospitals and medical schools.

Some hospitals have built luxurious, spa-like wellness centers to draw patients for spiritual healing, homeopathy, and more. And theyre promoting such treatments for a wide array of conditions, including depression, heart disease, cancer, and chronic pain. Duke even markets a pediatric program that suggests on its website that alternative medicine, including detoxification programs and botanical medicines, can help children with conditions ranging from autism to asthma to ADHD.

Weve become witch doctors, said Dr. Steven Novella, a professor of neurology at the Yale School of Medicine and a longtime critic of alternative medicine.

STATs examination found a booming market for such therapies: The clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, is growing so fast, its bursting out of its space.

CHART: See which alternative therapies are on offer at 15 top academic hospitals

[If a hospital is] offering treatment thats based on fantasy, it undermines the credibility of the institution.

Just in the past year, the teaching hospital connected to the University of Florida began offering cancer patients consultations in homeopathy and traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia launched an institute whose offerings include intravenous vitamin and mineral therapies. And the University of Arizona, a pioneer in the field, received a $1 million gift to boost practitioner training in natural and spiritual healing techniques.

Even as they count on these programs to bring in patients and revenue, several hospitals were reluctant to talk to STAT about why theyre lending their distinguished names to unproven therapies.

Duke Health declined repeated requests for interviews about its rapidly growing integrative medicine center, which charges patients $1,800 a year just for a basic membership, with acupuncture and other treatments billed separately.

MedStar Georgetown quietly edited its website, citing changes to its clinical offerings, after a reporter asked why it listed the energy healing practice of reiki as a therapy for blood cancer. Cleveland Clinic struggled to find anyone on its staff to defend the hospitals energy medicine program, ultimately issuing a statement that its responding to the needs of our patients and patient demand.

And the director of an alternative medicine program at another prestigious hospital declined to speak on the record out of fear, he said, that his remarks would be construed as fake news and stir a backlash.

The rise of alternative therapies has sparked tension in some hospitals, with doctors openly accusing their peers of peddling snake oil and undermining the credibility of their institutions.

By promoting such therapies, Novella said, physicians are forfeiting any claim that we had to being a science-based profession.

As for patients? Theyre being snookered, he said.

Online promotions with little room for nuance

The counterargument: Modern medicine clearly cant cure everyone. It fails a great many patients. So why not encourage them to try an ancient Indian remedy or a spiritual healing technique thats unlikely to cause harm and may provide some relief, if only from the placebo effect?

Yes, as scientists, we want to be rigid. But me, as a physician, I want to find whats best for a patient. Who am I to say thats hogwash? said Dr. Linda Lee.

A gastroenterologist, Lee runs the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center, which offers acupuncture, massage therapy, and reiki a therapy that the centers website describes as laying on hands to transmit Universal Life Energy to the patient.

Yes, as scientists, we want to be rigid. But me, as a physician, I want to find whats best for a patient. Who am I to say thats hogwash?

Lee and others who promote alternative therapies are careful to say that they can supplement but cant replace conventional treatments. And they make a point of coordinating care with other doctors so that, for instance, patients dont get prescribed herbal supplements that might interact badly with their chemotherapy.

Here at UF, we do not have alternative medicine. We do not have complementary medicine. We have integrative medicine, said Dr. Irene Estores, medical director of the integrative medicine program at the University of Florida Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla.

But while those cautions may come through in the clinic, the hospitals also promote alternative medicine online often, without any nuance.

READ MORE: Alternative therapies go to med school

Dukes Integrative Medicine store, for instance, sells Po Chai Pills that are touted on the hospitals website as a cure for everything from belching to hangovers to headaches. The site explains that taking a pill harmonizes the stomach, stems counterflow ascent of stomach qi, dispels damp, dispels pathogenic factors, subdues yang, relieves pain. None of that makes sense in modern biomedical terms.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals website touts homeopathic bee venom as useful to relieve symptoms for arthritis, nerve pain, and other conditions. The site does tell patients that the biological mechanism for the treatment is unexplained but asserts that studies have been published in medical journals showing homeopathic medicines may provide clinical benefit.

Asked about the therapy, Dr. Daniel Monti, who directs the integrative health center, acknowledged that the data is largely anecdotal, and said the hospital offers the treatment only rarely, when there are few other options. But those caveats dont come through on the website.

Novella gets alarmed when he sees top-tier hospitals backing therapies with scant evidence behind them. Patients only want [alternative medicine] because theyre being told they should want it. They see a prestigious hospital is offering it, so they think its legitimate, said Novella.

The perpetuation of these practices is a victory of marketing over truth, said Steven Salzberg, a biomedical engineer at Johns Hopkins who lectures in the medical school. If a hospital is offering treatment thats based on fantasy, it undermines the credibility of the institution.

READ MORE: Essentially witchcraft: A former naturopath takes on her colleagues

The debate burst into the public view earlier this year when the medical director of the Cleveland Clinics Wellness Institute which markets a variety of alternative therapies published an article raising discredited theories linking vaccines to autism.

Cleveland Clinics chief executive, Dr. Toby Cosgrove, disavowed the article. And the clinic told STAT last week that it will take down its online wellness store and stop selling homeopathy kits.

But Cosgrove has stood up for the general principle of offering alternative treatments.

The old way of combating chronic disease hasnt worked, Cosgrove wrote in a column posted on the hospitals website. We have heard from our patients that they want more than conventional medicine can offer.

Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT

A booming market for natural therapies

Theres no question that patients want alternative medicine. Its a $37 billion-a-year business.

The typical American adult spent about $800 out of pocket in 2012 on dietary supplements and visits to alternative providers, such as naturopaths and acupuncturists, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hospitals have taken note. A national consortium to promote integrative health now counts more than 70 academic centers and health systems as members, up from eight in 1999. Each year, four or five new programs join, said Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple, the chair of the consortiums policy working group.

In most cases, insurers wont cover alternative therapies theres simply not enough evidence that they actually work so patients pay out of pocket: $85 for acupuncture, $100 for reiki, $38 for pills made from thyme and oregano oils that promise to harmonize digestive and respiratory function.

READ MORE: Homeopathic remedies harmed hundreds of babies, families say, as FDA investigated for years

To be sure, not all such integrative medicine clinics are big profit centers. Many are funded by philanthropists, and some hospitals say their programs operate at a loss but are nonetheless essential to woo patients in a highly competitive marketplace. If they failed to offer natural therapies, some hospital executives fear they would lose a chance to attract patients who need more lucrative care, such as orthopedic surgeries or cancer treatments.

The integrative medicine center at Thomas Jefferson, for instance, is part of an enterprise strategy for growth and development, Monti said.

The people running the hospitals are doctors, but they also have MBAs. They talk of patients as customers. Customers have demands. Your job is to sell them what they want, said Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York Universitys medical school. Too often, he said, the attitude is, Were damn well going to do it if the guys down the street are doing it.

Weve become witch doctors [forfeiting] any claim that we had to be a science-based profession.

While most hospitals declined to give specific revenue figures, STAT found indications of rapid growth.

Were literally bursting. We have to convert office space to clinic exam rooms, said Shelley Adler, who runs the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. It offers a wide range of services, including Chinese herbal medicine, massage therapy, and Ayurveda, an ancient healing system from India based on the belief that health results from a balance between the mind, body, and spirit.

The center is on pace to get more than 10,300 patient visits this fiscal year, up 37 percent from 2012. Its expanding its clinical staff by a third.

Duke Universitys integrative medicine clinic, a stunning space with arching wood ceilings and an indoor garden, has seen strong growth: Total visits jumped 50 percent in 2015, to more than 14,000, Dr. Adam Perlman, the executive director, told IntegrativePractitioner.com. (He declined to talk to STAT.)

The centers membership count also jumped, up 25 percent to 885, Perlman said. If all members paid the list price, that would bring in more than $1 million a year just for primary care.

READ MORE: A supplement maker tried to silence this Harvard doctor and put academic freedom on trial

At the University of Pittsburghs Center for Integrative Medicine, meanwhile, our volume pretty much has increased steadily, even when weve had recessions and financial downturns, said Dr. Ronald Glick, the medical director. The center now treats about 8,000 patients a year.

Many hospitals have also expanded into more general wellness offerings, with classes in healthy cooking, tai chi, meditation, and art therapy. UCSF offers a $375 class on cultivating emotional balance (and a free class on laughter yoga). Mayo Clinic sells a $2,900 signature experience, which includes consultations with a wellness coach.

And the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital offers specialized stress management services to help patients deal with conditions including cancer, infertility, and menopause. John Henry, the owner of STAT, has contributed funding to the Benson-Henry Institute.

Wellness programs which are designed to ease stress and encourage healthy behaviors are seen by many clinicians and hospitals as key to slowing Americas epidemic of chronic disease. They dont tend to draw sharp criticism, except for their cost.

Its the alternative therapies promoted as a way to treat disease that raise eyebrows.

Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT

Energy healing takes root

Despite their deep wells of medical expertise, many top hospitals are offering to help treat serious medical problems with reiki a practice based on the belief that lightly touching patients can unleash a cosmic energy flow that will heal them naturally.

STAT found that it is widely used by academic medical centers, including Johns Hopkins, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, part of Partners HealthCare in Boston.

So, wheres the evidence supporting it?

There is none, according to a division of the National Institutes of Health that funds research into alternative medicines. It says the practice has not been shown to be useful for any health-related purpose and adds that there is no scientific evidence that the natural healing energy its based on even exists.

Asked about the Cleveland Clinics promotion of reiki, Dr. Richard Lang, the recently named interim director of the clinics Wellness Institute, said he hadnt had a chance to think about it. I dont know that I could give you a plus or minus on that, he said. Lang served as a vice chair of the wellness institute for nearly a decade before taking the top post.

[Hospital executives] talk of patients as customers. Customers have demands. Your job is to sell them what they want.

Pressed for a more substantive answer, the clinic sent a statement saying it offers energy medicine as a complementary therapy, not as a replacement solution. But its website only briefly alludes to a patients broader care team in describing a full range of emotional and physical issues that can be treated with energy therapies, including autoimmune diseases, migraines, hormonal imbalances, and cancer treatment support and recovery.

Academic medical centers often boast that theyre more rigorous in evaluating alternative therapies and weeding out scams than a for-profit wellness center might be.

The important thing about practicing in an academic center is that we must hold ourselves to certain standards, said Estores, the medical director at the University of Floridas integrative medicine clinic.

At the University of Pittsburgh, Glick echoed that sentiment: Were an academic institution [so] were offering services that have greater evidence basis [and] scientific explanation.

READ MORE: Should researchers study bunk science? Among respected scientists, a debate ensues

But that evidence isnt always rigorous.

The University of Florida, for instance, is using Facebook to advertise a herbal medicine workshop for providers and the public that promises to answer questions including, How can we stabilize or reverse Alzheimers disease?

Asked about the evidence for that statement, Susan Marynowski, the herbalist presenting the workshop, cited several papers and a book chapter that she said showed herbs, in conjunction with lifestyle adjustments, could reverse Alzheimers-associated memory loss. However, at least two papers were small collections of case studies published in a journal with a reputation for less-than-rigorous review. (Marynowski said she knew the studies size and design limited the strength of their conclusions, but that she was not aware of the journals reputation.)

At Pittsburgh, the integrative medical center does take care to note on its website that alternative therapies generally have not been subjected to the same level of research as standard medical approaches.

But the site then goes on to promote dozens of treatments for everything from ADHD to whiplash, saying they have appeared to be beneficial in this and other complementary medicine clinics. (Glick noted that the body of research had grown since he wrote the caveat on the website in 2003.)

Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT

Its not black and white

Perhaps the most prevalent alternative treatment STAT found on offer is acupuncture. Its promoted for more than a dozen conditions, including high blood pressure, sinus problems, infertility, migraines, and digestive irregularities.

A 3,000-year-old Chinese therapy, acupuncture is based on the belief that by stimulating certain points on the body, most often with needles, practitioners can unlock a natural healing energy that flows through the bodys meridians. Research suggests it helps with certain pain conditions and might help prevent migraine headaches but it also suggests that the placebo effect may play an important role.

Its value in treating other conditions is uncertain, according to the NIHs center on integrative medicine.

READ MORE: Vitamin IVs promise to erase jet lag and clear your mind. Wheres the evidence?

Several major insurers, including Aetna, Anthem, and regional Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates, cover acupuncture as a treatment for chronic pain and nausea. But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wont pay for acupuncture, dismissing the scientific evidence as insufficient.

Still, its important for physicians to keep an open mind, said Lang, the interim director of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

He said, for example, that he used to avoid referring patients for acupuncture, until he saw the benefit it provided to some of them. I have seen it work in some chronic pain situations, said Lang. It can be very helpful. If it doesnt work, I dont know that youve lost anything. If it does, you do get to a better place.

If it doesnt work, I dont know that youve lost anything. If it does, you do get to a better place.

And while the evidence of its efficacy is not ironclad, neither is the evidence for various pharmaceutical therapies that are routinely provided by hospitals and covered by insurance. Some of those solutions, such as opioids to treat pain, have resulted in addiction and harm to patients.

Advocates of alternative medicine say its difficult to test some alternative therapies through rigorous clinical trials, primarily because treatment techniques vary from patient to patient. (The federal government does, however, spend roughly $120 million a year to fund research through the NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.)

They note, too, that traditional doctors sometimes stray from proven treatments, for instance when they prescribe medicines off-label for conditions the drugs have not been approved to treat.

We do use things that arent necessarily 100 percent evidence-based, but I would argue thats also true within all of medicine, said Dr. Jill Schneiderhan, co-director of the University of Michigans integrative family medicine program. I feel like its not black and white.

This article is reproduced with permission from STAT. It was first published on March 7, 2017. Find the original story here.

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Top U.S. hospitals promote unproven medicine with a side of ... - PBS - PBS NewsHour

Speakers lay stress on use of alternative medicine – The Nation

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

KARACHI - Speakers at a meeting of Shura Hamdard, Karachi chapter, urged the government on Friday to promote alternative medicine to solve the public healthcare problem in the country.

The meeting was held on the theme Public healthcare and government responsibilities and it was presided over by Justice (r) Haziqul Khairi at a local hall.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Dr Hakim Abdul Hannan, vice chancellor of the Hamdard University, said that solution to public healthcare problem was in implementation and promotion of alternative medicine, particularly Unani Medicine, which was based on herbs, plants and other halal things and could be used with confidence in Islamic countries.

Unani Medicine is comparatively cheaper. Its herbs and medicinal plants can easily be grown in the country; thus, it is economical and will save foreign exchange. It suits our weather and temperament, he said. If we heed to the promotion of Unani Medicine, we will not only be able to solve our health problems but also help other countries solve their health issues, he said.

He said it was Hamdard, which played a key role to introduce Unani Medicine in the country, regulate its medicines and standardise its education. It took the Unani Medicine degree to the level of higher education and many students did MPhil and PhD at the Faculty of Eastern Medicine at Hamdard University.

He said that a hospital of Eastern Medicine set up by Hamdard University was providing free health services to the people of areas where no health services were available.

A seed, QUINOA, brought from a country of Latin America, is being cultivated at the botanical garden of Hamdard University. It is like rice in taste and has the size of millet (bajra). It is a good substitute for rice, can be grown in saltish water and is useful for diabetic patients, Prof Hakim Hannan informed.

Journalist Zubaida Mustafa said that healthcare was a fundamental human right, even WHO stressed on every country to give this right to its citizen but in our country access to health care was a big issue. A big and costly hospital was useless for the poor, she said, adding that in a country where less than 0.25 per cent of GDP was being spent on healthcare creation of such situation was obvious. There was one nurse on four doctors in our country and the main purpose of doctors now was to make money, she said.

Sadia Rashid, president of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan, said that councils of Unanani Medicine and Homeopathy had already been formed and working in the country with enough budget. Justice (r) Zia Pervez, Col (r) Mukhtar Ahmed Butt, Zafar Iqbal, Naushaba Khalil, Prof Muhammad Rafi, Com (r) Sadeed Anwar Malik, Dr Abubakar Sheikh, Usman Damohi, Khalid Ikramullah Khan and Prof Dr Akhtar Saeed Siddiqui also spoke.

Premier U.S. Hospitals Are Selling Unproven Alternative Therapies … – KQED

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Theyre among the nations premier medical centers, at the leading edge of scientific research.

Some hospitals have built luxurious, spa-like wellness centers to draw patients for spiritual healing, homeopathy and more. And theyre promoting such treatments for a wide array of conditions, including depression, heart disease, cancer, and chronic pain. Duke even markets a pediatric program that suggests on its website that alternative medicine, including detoxification programs and botanical medicines, can help children with conditions ranging from autism to asthma to ADHD.

Weve become witch doctors, said Dr. Steven Novella, a professor of neurology at the Yale School of Medicine and a longtime critic of alternative medicine.

STATs examination found a booming market for such therapies: The clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, is growing so fast, its bursting out of its space.

Even as they count on these programs to bring in patients and revenue, several hospitals were reluctant to talk to STAT about why theyre lending their distinguished names to unproven therapies.

The rise of alternative therapies has sparked tension in some hospitals, with doctors openly accusing their peers of peddling snake oil and undermining the credibility of their institutions.

By promoting such therapies, Novella said, physicians are forfeiting any claim that we had to being a science-based profession.

As for patients? Theyre being snookered, he said.

Yes, as scientists, we want to be rigid. But me, as a physician, I want to find whats best for a patient. Who am I to say thats hogwash? said Dr. Linda Lee.

Online Promotions Offer Scant Evidence

But while those cautions may come through in the clinic, the hospitals also promote alternative medicine online often, without any nuance.

The debate burst into the public view earlier this year when the medical director of the Cleveland Clinics Wellness Institute which markets a variety of alternative therapies published an articleraising discredited theories linking vaccines to autism.

Cleveland Clinics chief executive, Dr. Toby Cosgrove, disavowed the article. And the clinic told STAT last week that it will take down its online wellness store and stop selling homeopathy kits.

But Cosgrove has stood up for the general principle of offering alternative treatments.

A Booming Market for Natural Therapies

Theres no question that patients want alternative medicine. Its a $37 billion-a-year business.

The integrative medicine center at Thomas Jefferson, for instance, is part of an enterprise strategy for growth and development, Monti said.

While most hospitals declined to give specific revenue figures, STAT found indications of rapid growth.

The center is on pace to get more than 10,300 patient visits this fiscal year, up 37 percent from 2012. Its expanding its clinical staff by a third.

The centers membership count also jumped, up 25 percent to 885, Perlman said. If all members paid the list price, that would bring in more than $1 million a year just for primary care.

Its the alternative therapies promoted as a way to treat disease that raise eyebrows.

Energy Healing Takes Root

So, wheres the evidence supporting it?

Asked about the Cleveland Clinics promotion of reiki, Dr. Richard Lang, the recently named interim director of the clinics Wellness Institute, said he hadnt had a chance to think about it. I dont know that I could give you a plus or minus on that, he said. Lang served as a vice chair of the Wellness Institute for nearly a decade before taking the top post.

Academic medical centers often boast that theyre more rigorous in evaluating alternative therapies and weeding out scams than a for-profit wellness center might be.

At the University of Pittsburgh, Glick echoed that sentiment: Were an academic institution [so] were offering services that have greater evidence basis [and] scientific explanation.

But that evidence isnt always rigorous.

The University of Florida, for instance, is using Facebook to advertise an herbal medicine workshop for providers and the public that promises to answer questions including, How can we stabilize or reverse Alzheimers disease?

Asked about the evidence for that statement, Susan Marynowski, the herbalist presenting the workshop, cited several papers and a book chapter that she said showed herbs, in conjunction with lifestyle adjustments, could reverse Alzheimers-associated memory loss. However, at least two of those papers were small collections of case studies published in a journal with a reputation for less-than-rigorous review. (Marynowski said she knew the studies size and design limited the strength of their conclusions, but that she was not aware of the journals reputation.)

Its not Black and White

Its value in treating other conditions is uncertain, according to the NIHs center on integrative medicine.

Still, its important for physicians to keep an open mind, said Lang, the interim director of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

They note, too, that traditional doctors sometimes stray from proven treatments, for instance when they prescribe medicines off-label for conditions the drugs have not been approved to treat.

This story was originally published by STAT, an online publication of Boston Globe Media that covers health, medicine, and scientific discovery.

Premier U.S. Hospitals Are Selling Unproven Alternative Therapies ... - KQED

Financial Planning + Alternative Medicine – March 8, 2017 … – KHTS Radio

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Danzig

Hosts: Dr. Gene Dorio, Barbara Cochran

Guests: Arif Halaby, Total Financial Solutions; Kim Wahl, Alternative Medicines Specialist

Topic:Senior Hour

Click Here to Listen!

Right Click Here to Download!

Today on the Senior Hour, Dr. Dorio and Barbara Cochran sit down with Arif Halaby from Total Financial Solutions to discuss ways that seniors can plan for their future, and work to protect their money. Gene and Barbara also welcome Domestic Violence Center to discuss the very real issue of senior abuse, and what people can do to help end it.

Alternative medicinespecialist Kim Wahl joins the gang in-studioduring the second segment to talk about the physiological issues many people face as they grow older.

Ms. Wahl provides tips and remediestorelieve the stress load and ailments that your body is facing, which include avoiding traditional medicine and drugs found in Western medicine.

Full list of theKHTS Podcasts!

Dont miss a thing. Get breakingSanta Clarita Newsalerts delivered right to your inbox.

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Financial Planning + Alternative Medicine - March 8, 2017 ... - KHTS Radio

For Prairie Village practitioner, personal experience led to interest in alternative medicine techniques – Shawnee Mission Post

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Danzig

Gabe and Tiffany Roberts with their daughter Arya at Back to Natures new office in Prairie Village.

After eight years traveling around the globe as a Marine, Gabe Roberts needed some rehabilitation. Suffering from PTSD and related conditions, he says he wasnt able to find real relief until he began working with healers familiar with Eastern medicine practices.

The experience got him interested in the healing arts, and he began studying for his doctor of chiropractic and other licensure. Four years ago, he started his own practice that blends chiropractic foundations with Eastern healing traditions.

The kind of medicine I practice today is what healed me, he said.

Roberts just moved his practice, Back to Nature Lifestyle Medicine, from its original home in Lenexa to Prairie Village earlier this year. His wife Tiffany, who is a nutrition specialist, works for the practice as well. The two specialize in digestive issues and auto-immune problems and chronic pain.

Most of the people who come see us have already been to see other chiropractors, theyve already been to see other functional medicine docs, Roberts said.

Among the services Roberts offers is Bioelectrical Synchronization Technique, which he describes as a higher brain adjustment intended to get the bodys own healing mechanisms in action.

My whole philosophy is, the body doesnt make mistakes, he said. The body has a remarkable way to correct itself.

The clinic is located at 4121 W. 83rd St just south of Corinth Square. You can find their website here.

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For Prairie Village practitioner, personal experience led to interest in alternative medicine techniques - Shawnee Mission Post

Abstracts: Obamacare Replacement, Alternative Medicine, and More – Undark Magazine

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Danzig

A roundup of science news from around the web and around the world.

House Republicans released their plan to replace Obamacare Monday. While the legislation would allow adults to stay on their parents insurance until age 26 and bar insurance companies from denying coverage or charging more based on preexisting conditions, it would also do away with penalties for not having insurance and repeal essential health benefit rules. (Politifact)

Scientists gain new insight into how indigenous peoples in the Amazon shaped their environment.

Visual by iStock.com

Are recently unearthed bacterial remains the oldest fossils ever found? If so, this discovery pushes back the birthdate of life on Earth. But as far as the scientific community is concerned, its hardly a closed case. (New York Times)

Top U.S. hospitals affiliated with Yale, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and other medical research centers are promoting unproven alternative therapies, including energy healing, acupuncture, and homeopathic bee venom. (STAT)

SpaceX is shooting for the moon with a two-man lunar mission scheduled for 2018. Some experts have their doubts about that launch date. (Scientific American)

The Amazons supposedly untouched wilderness is actually full of ancient, overgrown gardens. Clusters of domesticated tree species reveal the impact that indigenous people had on Amazonian biodiversity before Europeans arrived on the scene. (Christian Science Monitor)

Pollution from Asia wafts over the Pacific Ocean andmakes for smoggy skies in the western United States an indicationthat clean air is a truly globalissue, scientists say. (NPR)

Since the Zika epidemic, pregnant women in the United States who have Zika are 20 times more likely to bear children with certain birth defects. (Washington Post)

Artificial intelligence, meet artificial intuition. Two AI programs beat professional human poker players by using a combination of new algorithms and deep machine learning to make snap decisions. (Science)

And finally, a team of scientists grew an artificial mouse embryo from stem cells in a petri dish. Although the embryo couldnt develop into an actual baby mouse, it could be a useful tool for understanding the biology of reproduction. (CNN)

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Abstracts: Obamacare Replacement, Alternative Medicine, and More - Undark Magazine

Alternative medicine grows in Sugar Land, Missouri City – Community Impact Newspaper

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Danzig

No longer a niche of the West Coast, holistic and alternative medicine and therapy providers have become a sizable presence in the Sugar Land and Missouri City area.

Nearly a third of U.S. adults have tried some type of nontraditional medicine or therapy, according to the National Institutes of Health.

[Clients] want to avoid surgery, Lonestar Cryotherapy owner Robert Garza said. They want to avoid a lot of medications; they want to do something as holistically as possible.

His Sugar Land practice uses intense cold to ease muscle pains. Reasons vary for why people seek complementary, alternative and holistic treatments although pain management is a common motivation according to NIHs National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

I do think people like alternative medicine because it has fast results and more visible results, said Erika Yigzaw, chief strategy officer for the American College of Healthcare Sciences.

The NCCIH defines complementary medicine as a nonmainstream practice used in conjunction with conventional medicine. Complementary medicine usually falls into the subgroups of natural products or mind and body practices. By comparison, alternative medicine is a nonmainstream practice used in place of conventional medicine. NCCIH does not classify treatments as being specifically complementary or alternative.

Complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, can include chiropractors, dietary supplements, reflexology, yoga and aromatherapy, to name a few, according to the NCCIH.

A 2016 report by market research provider IBISWorld cited an aging population, a greater awareness of health and wellness spurred by the Affordable Care Act and increasing disposable incomes as reasons for the demand for these treatments.

The report also suggests that people without coverage also turn to CAM because it can be cost-effective and more accessible.

In Sugar Land and Missouri City, the population age 60 and older rose by 6 percent and by 7.8 percent, respectively, between 2009 and 2015. From 2010 to 2015, median household incomes rose by 3.3 percent in Sugar Land and by 7.5 percent in Missouri City, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Between 2010 and 2015, the median household income in Sugar Land rose from $101,611 to $104,939. During that time in Missouri City, the median household income rose from $81,854 to $87,955, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The NCCIH conducts a survey of complementary or alternative medicine usage every five years.

IBISWorld and the NCCIH have each noted a correlation between spending on nontraditional medical providers and higher than average incomes.

In 2012, an estimated $30.2 billionabout 1 percent of all U.S. health care spending that yearwas spent on out-of-pocket alternative medicine costs, according to the survey. Results from that year are still being analyzed, an NCCIH spokesperson said.

Community Impact Newspaper reported at least 10 such new businesses in 2016 compared to at least six the previous year.

Complementary and alternative regulations vary nationwide, and different Texas agencies license and certify some health care professionals but not all. Texas Medical Board spokesperson Jarrett Schneider said his office only licenses physicians and specific positions but does not inspect the facilities of alternative medical providers unless prompted by consumers.

Were complaint-driven, primarily, he said.

Chiropractors and acupuncturists have their own state boards rather than the state medical board or the Department of State Health Services. The TMB and the department said they were unaware of specific regulations for opening a complementary or alternative medical business in Texas, but Theresa Buede, owner of ReConnect Chiropractic and Holistic Center in Missouri City, said she followed standard city health codes to open her business in March 2016.

Im a big advocate of partneringnot eliminatingwith conventional medicine, she said.

In the last three years, new complementary and alternative medical businesses that opened in Sugar Land and Missouri City ranged from Indian herbal medicine and yoga therapy to halotherapy, which allows customers to sit in rooms ventilated with salt-infused air to help respiratory illnesses and skin conditions, such as dermatitis and eczema.

Garza and Sandy Hinderliter, owner of Salt of the Earth halotherapy, do not take insurance because carriers do not cover their services.

Hinderliter said she chose Sugar Land for her practice to because it was close to home and close to customers from Katy and Houston as well as locals.

Obviously, people have their own personal reasons but maybe feel like they didnt get the quality of life they wanted with taking the medications, she said of her clientele.

Ayush Wave Ayurveda Wellness and Yoga opened in Sugar Land in July. Owner Shwetha Reddy, who earned degrees in ayurveda and pharmacology in India and the U.K., said she chose Sugar Land because the southwest Houston region had a growing demand for the ancient Indian system of full-body healing methods.

Garza must be certified by the manufacturer of his businesss cryotherapy tank, which uses extreme cold on the whole body or in localized places. The treatment is popular with athletes.

Some clients are referred from doctors, like [the Sugar Land Skeeters] players, and some are coming on their own, he said. Its become more prevalent in Houston over the last year.

Similar to Hinderliter, Buede said she chose to open her practice close to home. She pursued a holistic healing career after battling cancer for 13 years until 2011. Her treatments include an infrared sauna, massage therapy and a saltwater flotation tank for sensory deprivationmeant to relax and detoxify the body.

My focus here, everything here is to identify and noninvasively treat toxic buildup [in the body], she said. Buede only accepts it for some services.

A physically active and health-conscious population in Fort Bend County motivated Garza and Alvaro Medina to open their respective practices in Sugar Land.

Medina owns Medina Chiropractic Sports and Spine, he said. His student-athlete days inspired him to become a chiropractor, and Medina opened his practice last April and accepts insurance for all treatments.

He is licensed by the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners and inspected by the state for use of X-ray technology.

We can neither prescribe nor take patients off medication, he said. That is out of scope for us.

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Alternative medicine grows in Sugar Land, Missouri City - Community Impact Newspaper

Medicine with a side of mysticism: Top hospitals promote unproven therapies – STAT

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Danzig

heyre among the nations premiermedical centers, at the leading edge of scientific research.

This embrace of alternative medicine has been building for years. But a STAT examination of 15 academic research centers across the US underscores just how deeply these therapies have become embedded in prestigious hospitals and medical schools.

Weve become witch doctors, said Dr. Steven Novella, a professor of neurology at the Yale School of Medicine and a longtime critic of alternative medicine.

STATs examination found a booming market for such therapies: The clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, is growing so fast, its bursting out of its space.

[If a hospital is] offering treatment thats based on fantasy, it undermines the credibility of the institution.

Steven Salzberg, Johns Hopkins

Even as they count on these programs to bring in patients and revenue, several hospitals were reluctant to talk to STAT about why theyre lending their distinguished names to unproven therapies.

The rise of alternative therapies has sparked tension in some hospitals, with doctors openly accusing their peers of peddling snake oil and undermining the credibility of their institutions.

By promoting such therapies, Novella said, physicians are forfeiting any claim that we had to being a science-based profession.

As for patients? Theyre being snookered, he said.

Yes, as scientists, we want to be rigid. But me, as a physician, I want to find whats best for a patient. Who am I to say thats hogwash? said Dr. Linda Lee.

Yes, as scientists, we want to be rigid. But me, as a physician, I want to find whats best for a patient. Who am I to say thats hogwash?

Dr. Linda Lee, Johns Hopkins gastroenterologist

But while those cautions may come through in the clinic, the hospitals also promote alternative medicine online often, without any nuance.

Essentially witchcraft: A former naturopath takes on her colleagues

The debate burst into the public view earlier this year when the medical director of the Cleveland Clinics Wellness Institute which markets a variety of alternative therapies published an articleraising discredited theories linking vaccines to autism.

Cleveland Clinics chief executive, Dr. Toby Cosgrove, disavowed the article. And the clinic told STAT last week that it will take down its online wellness store and stop selling homeopathy kits.

But Cosgrove has stood up for the general principle of offering alternative treatments.

Theres no question that patients want alternative medicine. Its a $37 billion-a-year business.

Homeopathic remedies harmed hundreds of babies, families say, as FDA investigated for years

To be sure, not all such integrative medicine clinics are big profit centers. Many are funded by philanthropists, and some hospitals say their programs operate at a loss but are nonetheless essential to woo patients in a highly competitive marketplace. If they failed to offernatural therapies, some hospital executives fear they would lose a chance to attract patientswho need more lucrative care, such as orthopedic surgeries or cancer treatments.

The integrative medicine center at Thomas Jefferson, for instance, is part of an enterprise strategy for growth and development, Monti said.

Weve become witch doctors [forfeiting] any claim that we had to be a science-based profession.

Dr. Steven Novella, Yale School of Medicine

While most hospitals declined to give specific revenue figures, STAT found indications of rapid growth.

The center is on pace to get more than 10,300 patient visits this fiscal year, up 37 percent from 2012. Its expanding its clinical staff by a third.

The centers membership count also jumped, up 25 percent to 885, Perlman said. If all members paid the list price, that would bring in more than $1 million a year just for primary care.

A supplement maker tried to silence this Harvard doctor and put academic freedom on trial

And the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicineat Massachusetts General Hospital offers specializedstress management services to help patients deal with conditions including cancer, infertility, and menopause. John Henry, the owner of STAT, has contributed funding to the Benson-Henry Institute.

Its the alternative therapies promoted as a way to treat disease that raise eyebrows.

So, wheres the evidence supporting it?

[Hospital executives] talk of patients as customers. Customers have demands. Your job is to sell them what they want.

Arthur Caplan, bioethicist at New York University

Pressed for a more substantive answer, the clinic sent a statement saying it offers energy medicine as a complementary therapy, not as a replacement solution. But its website only briefly alludes to a patients broader care team in describing a full range of emotional and physical issues that can be treated withenergy therapies, including autoimmune diseases, migraines, hormonal imbalances, and cancer treatment support and recovery.

Academic medical centers often boast that theyre more rigorous in evaluating alternative therapies and weeding out scams than a for-profit wellness center might be.

At the University of Pittsburgh, Glick echoed that sentiment: Were an academic institution [so] were offering services that have greater evidence basis [and] scientific explanation.

Should researchers study bunk science? Among respected scientists, a debate ensues

But that evidence isnt always rigorous.

Its value in treating other conditions is uncertain, according to the NIHs center on integrative medicine.

Vitamin IVs promise to erase jet lag and clear your mind. Wheres the evidence?

Still, its important for physicians to keep an open mind, said Lang, the interim director of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

If it doesnt work, I dont know that youve lost anything. If it does, you do get to a better place.

Dr. Richard Lang, Cleveland Clinic

They note, too, that traditional doctors sometimes stray from proven treatments, for instance when they prescribe medicines off-label for conditions the drugs have not been approved to treat.

Casey Ross can be reached at casey.ross@statnews.com Follow Casey on Twitter @byCaseyRoss

Max Blau can be reached at max.blau@statnews.com Follow Max on Twitter @maxblau

Kate Sheridan can be reached at kate.sheridan@statnews.com Follow Kate on Twitter @sheridan_kate

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Medicine with a side of mysticism: Top hospitals promote unproven therapies - STAT

Ask a Doctor: Is there an alternative medicine treatment for constant pain? – Chattanooga Times Free Press

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Danzig

Dr. Matthew McClanahan, CHI Memorial Integrative Medicine Associates; member, Chattanooga Hamilton-County Medical Society

Dr. Matthew McClanahan, CHI Memorial Integrative Medicine Associates;...

Photo by David Humber

Q: I have chronic pain. Is there an alternative medicine treatment that could help me get relief from the constant pain?

A: Many people who suffer from chronic joint pain may benefit from a form of treatment called prolotherapy. Like most alternative treatments, this technique targets the root cause of pain rather than simply masking pain.

Prolotherapy targets an often overlooked part of the body ligaments and tendons and regeneration is the primary focus. It triggers self-healing by stimulating a small, precisely-directed inflammatory response using an injection of an irritating substance, such as dextrose (sugar water). The immune system recognizes the micro-damage caused by the injection and begins a healing process.

Prolotherapy is only indicated after a thorough joint evaluation, including the bones and connective tissues, in addition to accounting good nutrition, posture/ergonomics and proper movement biomechanics.

Dr. Matthew McClanahan, CHI Memorial Integrative Medicine Associates; member, Chattanooga Hamilton-County Medical Society

Submit your health-related questions for a medical doctor to lwilson@timesfreepress.com.

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Ask a Doctor: Is there an alternative medicine treatment for constant pain? - Chattanooga Times Free Press

OPENING THE PLAYBOOK ON ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE – Dope Magazine

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Danzig

Its been a decade since Jake Plummer threw a pass in the NFL, but if you talk to him long enough youd think he has a few seasons left in the tank.

Jake is fired upwhether hes talking about his newborn daughter Laverne, his love for Saturday games of handball, or the crazy Colorado weatherhis enthusiasm for all things life is surging. But with a comic book like collection of old broken bones, sprains and surgeries, youve got to wonder how he keeps it up. The answer to Jakes apparent perpetual youth is cannabis, specifically cannabidiol or CBD. In fact, CBDs positive impact on Jakes health has helped him to understand that being healthy is a choice, but not a choice that everyone is free to make. To overcome this choice discrepancy, Jake has embarked on a crusade of cannabis activism designed to empower individuals to take back control of their wellbeing.

Growing up in a small Idaho town during the 70s and 80s, Jake was in a world of his own, free to indulge his boyish curiosities. With two older brothers to show him the ropes, Jake quickly took a liking to sports.

I wanted to be just like my brothers, when I was young. I always wanted to play football when I grew up, but I had dreams of playing running back for the Raiders.

Just as Jake was developing his talents as a student athlete, America was in the thick of its War on Drugs. Initiated by President Nixon in 1971, Americas War on Drugs inaccurately portrayed a societal epidemic of drug abuse and addiction as it pertains to cannabis. Propagated through public schools, churches and even athletic teams, the War attempted to classify all drugs as evil or dangerouseven cannabis. As a young athlete, Plummer steered clear of drugseven cannabis. It wasnt the political regimes fear mongering tactics that kept Plummer on the straight and narrowhe was simply too busy focusing on football to carve out time for a typical youths extracurricular activities. But Jakes indifference to drugsspecifically cannabiswas not wholly a result of his dedication to athletics. Jake was given an education about drugs, he was well aware of themit was his education that guided his choices, not the political scare tactics of the 70s and 80s.

I had people close to me that were using cannabis for a long time. For me, I grew up in an environment where it was, you know, not what Ronald and Nancy Reagan were telling us. To just say no, and that marijuana is a gateway drug, it will make you dumbI was like what? Ive talked to people that are extremely smart, brilliant, like Mensa smart, and they used cannabis on the regular. Theyre not dumb. So I knew right away what was true and false. So for me there was never any stigma.

Jake never attached the stigma to cannabis that was force fed to Americans during his formidable years. He stayed focused on the journey that would land him in the NFL and give him the platform from which he speaks today. With ten years between him and his tenure with the NFL, Jake has taken time to reflect on his career. His focus has shifted from playing the game to finding ways to make it safer. He believes cannabis could be the answer.

As I evolved and got out the game, football was still, and will always be, a part of my life. It doesnt define me, but it is a large part of what walks into the room with me. I am fine with it, I love it, but I want to use it for good. I hope that it allows some people that maybe wouldnt have listened to some of the things I am saying about cannabis, to listen. Now, they might respect me in a way, because I have always been very truthful and honest. I wouldnt be advocating if I didnt believe in its ability to mitigate pain, and just your overall wellbeing.

After his second hip surgery in 2014, Jake started using cannabis regularly to manage his pain and to help him develop a healthy mental state. He continued to use cannabis to manage pain, but it wasnt until he discovered CBD that he noticed an overwhelming increase in his mental and physical wellbeing. His experience with CBD inspired him to take action on behalf of his fellow NFL players.

Professional athletes like Jake put their bodies through hell to entertain us on game day. Objectified by the man, jeered and cheered by the fan, professional athletes are chewed up and spit out of their respective leagues like old wads of chewing tobacco. To make matters worse, players are doled out little envelopes of addictive painkillers to mask the pain from their battle wounds. They are given few options when they are in painyou either take the pill or shot and keep going, or you sit down and watch another guy take your place. What if this wasnt the case? What if players had a natural option to manage their pain? These are the questions that burn inside Jake.

Jake has recently become an outspoken advocate for the responsible use of cannabis in professional sports. Cannabis was the answer to the issues Jake was facing in retirement, and he suspected it would answer many of the issues that players face during their careers, like depression, traumatic brain injury and chronic pain. He has taken his experiences in the NFL and his experience with using cannabis and forged them as one into a powerful movement.

He is advocating for the responsible use of cannabis in the NFL, but also bringing attention to the myriad challenges that professional athletes face. Jake believes that the players should have a voice that transcends the limitations of the NFL Players Association and empowers them to speak from experience.

These guys are speaking from experience. We are not just advocates, but we are living walking experiments. A lot of us have used cannabis and found relief. Relief from not just pain or depression, but for some guys it saved their liveshelped them not pull the trigger, helped them get their families back. Thats powerful stuff. It has to resonate with somebody in their heart, that this is a valid option that should be looked into. Not just state-by-state, but by our Federal Government, by big organizations like the NFL. The control is not in the hands of the people that need it. If you look at the NFL, why wouldnt you want your guys to have everything possible in their systems to play better and longer. But I dont even know if they want us to play longer. They want the new guys with bleached mohawks.

Professional sports organizations are systems built around the almighty dollar. This leaves little room for players to voice opinions that stray from the company line. Jakes advocacy for cannabis use in the NFL has morphed into a campaign for choice. Players are setup by their employers to blindly destroy their bodies and Jake is slowly but surely putting a stop to this shameful exploitation of talent. Jakes message has earned him a new team of supporters that are assisting him in moving the chains on cannabis in the NFL and society as a whole. He and his fellow advocates are making progress. The NFL and its officials have become increasingly aware of the movement to research and allow cannabis in the league. Slow as the NFLs reaction may be, there is progressbut now Jake and his supporters are preparing a new initiative for change.

I am not fighting these guys, I dont want to fight anybody that big. I just want to keep sending emails to remind them that we are not going to allow them to make the statement (about cannabis) at the Super Bowl and then let the offseason go by, and then bang the season starts, then all of a sudden theyre back in the cycle again. They say they want to research itwell weve got it all setup. Roger Goodell, are you going to write a check? A million dollars would go a long way.

After successfully influencing the NFL to take a closer look at cannabis, Jake feels empowered to push for even greater changeand he wont be alone. In recent months, Jake and an impressive list of current and former professional athletes from all leagues, founded the not for profit organization Athletes For CARE (A4C). The soon-to-be launched organization will focus on confronting important health issues facing the sports community and the public at large. Whether its addiction, depression, chronic pain or improving overall health and safety in sports, Jake and his peers at Athletes For CARE are uniting as one voice to advocate for research, education and compassion when addressing these issues.

With the inception of A4C, and its imminent launch, it appears that Jake and his fellow cannabis advocates are ready to embark on the next phase of their journey to bring choice and wellbeing to not just athletes, but the general public. Though it isnt uncommon for professional athletes to take up philanthropic efforts in retirement, Jake has taken a path seldom traveled by NFL players. His passion for helping others is evident in everything he does. He remains faithful that his cannabis advocacy will help to unite professional athletes under an umbrella of wellness and purpose. As he continues to pollinate the minds of NFL officials, and the general public with anecdotal evidence of cannabis role as an alternative medicine, there is no doubting that change is on the horizon.

I hope they turn to A4C. Come find us, well help you, well help you find your path and get involved with something. Come back and be part of a team that is doing good. Thats where this all came from. To bring these guys into the fold and get them off their soap boxes and back to doing good. You guys made it to the top of the game, and you can do anything in the worldweve just got to put our minds to it.

Also published on Medium.

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OPENING THE PLAYBOOK ON ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - Dope Magazine

New form of alternative medicine comes to OU – Oaklandpostonline

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Danzig

Elyse Gregory

Bright light lamp therapy provides a source of vitamin D, which is beneficial to our health.

Laurel Kraus, Staff Reporter February 27, 2017 Filed under Life, Showcase

Spring break is over, and at this point in the semester, its not uncommon for students to be feeling down, stressed or tired.

It kind of fits in a broad category of people just tend to do worse in the wintertime, and I think that thats a significant amount of people, said Maryann Swanson, director of Oakland UniversitysGraham Health Center. We just are not as happy. You dont even have to have an actual diagnosis.

On Dec. 1, 2016, University Recreation and Well-Beingbegan implementing bright light therapy to help combat these problems.

Bright light therapy is a relatively new form of alternative medicine and is essentially a lamp that releases light that mimics the suns rays and administers Vitamin D.

Weve been taught that the sun does negative things, but the sun does positive things, too, Swanson said.

According to a Columbia University study, the bodys internal clock which regulates body temperature, hormone secretion and sleep patterns, among other functions is highly affected by light stimulation, or lack thereof.

For best results, a bright light therapy lamp should be placed approximately 20 to 30 inches away from the users face for sessions of 20 to 30 minutes.

I do suggest, if youre hoping to get some type of medicinal benefit or real benefit from it, talking to your doctor and looking at the research and deciding with your doctor whats going to be best for you, said Erica Wallace, health and wellness coordinator for the Recreation Center.

The risks of bright-light therapy are minimal, but include possible vision damage for those who have impaired vision.

Those interested in using the bright light, located in the Wellness Suite on the bottom floor of the Recreation Center, can sign up for a 15-minute session on the schedule posted on the suites door.

The light is not offered every day, but available times will be posted one week in advance.

OU students, staff and faculty can also call the Wellness Suite at (248) 370-4424 to schedule sessions.

The suite has also supplied crayons and activities to occupy the users time.

Additionally, when clients go into the Graham Health Center for intake or medical review, they will be offered the opportunity to try bright light therapy during the interview.

Pricing for these lamps ranges from $30 to $200.

According to Wallace, the Wellness Suite plans to continue offering bright light therapy through the end of March, unless there is demand or a need to continue.

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New form of alternative medicine comes to OU - Oaklandpostonline

Potential dangers and dubious history of alternative medicine are often unknown to its consumers – MinnPost

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Danzig

Anyone who uses homeopathy, acupuncture or other alternative over-the-counter therapies particularly if they use them on their children needs to read two recently published articles on the topic.

One of the articles, published last week in the Boston Globes health website STAT, takes an in-depth look at the incredibly troubling story behind a popular homeopathic teething product that harmed hundreds of children in the United States before it was finally pulled from the market last fall.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing the cases of eight babies who died after taking the product.

The other article, published earlier this year on the Science-Based Medicine website, describes the rise of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in both China and Western countries. It describes how TCM began as the dream of Chairman Mao Zedong back in the 1940s, but is receiving a renewed global push this year by the current Chinese government, in part to cover up major failings in Chinas medical system, but also to protect the profits of the countrys multibillion-dollar traditional pharmaceutical industry.

Both articles underscore how people often abandon their skepticism and their reason to embrace bogus alternative-medicine practices that are not only a waste of time and money, but also potentially harmful.

The articles also rip apart the prevalent David-and-Goliath myth regarding alternative therapies: the idea that alternative-medicine manufactures are small, noble companies who only want to bring inexpensive, natural remedies to people in need, but who find themselves battling the big, bad profit-driven pharmaceutical industry.

The truth is much less attractive: Alternative medicine is now a huge profit-driven, multibillion-dollar industry, too. And parts of it are owned by the pharmaceutical industry.

For the STAT article, reporter Sheila Kaplan used the Freedom of Information Act to seek and review FDA records for homeopathic teething pills marketed by Hylands, a 114-year-old private, Los-Angeles-based company that sells more homeopathic products than any other company in the U.S.

A review of those records revealed that during the 10-year period 2006-2016 the FDA received reports of 370 children who had experienced adverse health events after using Hylands homeopathic teething tablets or gel. The reports are grim, says Kaplan:

Babies who were given Hylands teething products turned blue and died. Babies had repeated seizures. Babies became delirious. Babies were airlifted to the hospital, where emergency room staff tried to figure out what had caused their legs and arms to start twitching.

Medical experts believe toxic levels of the teething tablets main ingredient the herb belladonna may have poisoned the children.

Despite those reports, it took four years until the FDA pushed Hylands to reformulate its remedies, writes Kaplan. And even after that reformulation, there was a steady stream of reports of adverse events tied to Hylands homeopathic teething products, she adds.

The Hylands teething tablet saga raises issues that most consumers of homeopathic and other alternative therapies are unaware of, as Kaplan explains:

Homeopathy has become a multibillion-dollar industry. Its products are big sellers around the world, and popular with adherents from Cher to Prince Charles. The industry also has political clout: It has been able to exempt itself from many rules proposed by Congress and the FDA over the years.

Unlike pharmaceutical company-produced drugs, homeopathic products dont have to prove that they are effective at treating anything in particular before going on the market. It is left to the FDAs drug division to determine whether they are unsafe after they are on the market a difficult task since the adverse event reports are generally considered to represent only a fraction of the actual incidents and may lack sufficient information to allow for thorough investigations.

In some cases, parents assume that products described as natural remedies, as is the case with Hylands tablets and gels, could not possibly result in complications, and never mention their use to a doctor. Without sufficient evidence of a problem, the FDA lacks what it needs to use the enforcement tools it does have.

Hylands has stopped making its teething tablets, but only after the FDA recommended last September that consumers not use the product (or other homeopathic teething products) while the agency investigates more cases of possible serious reactions among babies.

Kaplan tells a harrowing story in her article one all users of homeopathic medicines would be wise to read.

The Science-Based Medicine article also contains background information that is likely to surprise most consumers of another arm of alternative medicine TCM. Acupuncture is by far the most popular TCM therapy, at least in Western countries, but TCM includes many other treatments, include herbal medicines.

As Dr. David Gorski, a columnist for Science-Based Medicine and a surgical oncologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, explains in the article, acupuncture has been appropriately described as a theatrical placebo, with no detectable difference in effect compared to sham or placebo acupuncture.

Furthermore, acupuncture is not even ancient, as Gorski explains:

The technology to make such thin needles didnt exist two thousand years ago, [and], as recently as a century ago, acupuncture was brutal and primitive, using nothing like the thin, shiny needles acupuncturists use today.

But the problem with TCM, he says, is not just acupuncture, its the whole ancient, prescientific system of medicine.

Take Chinese herbal medicines. Even if the herb itself is innocuous (and not all are), medicines imported from China have been found to contain undeclared ingredients, including pesticides, heavy metals (such as lead and arsenic), antibiotics, decongestants and the DNA of endangered snow leopards. (Animal parts, including those of endangered animals, are often used in traditional Chinese medicines, says Gorski.)

The presence of toxic materials in these medicines is not a minor matter. Recent studies have suggested that herbal medicines are the leading cause of drug-induced liver failure in China and other countries where TCM is rapidly becoming popular, such as South Korea and Singapore, Gorski points out.

Like other forms of alternative medicine, TCM is built on a myth. Gorski explains:

[T]he exportation of TCM to the world was quite deliberate, as part of a strategy [by the former Communist leader of China, Mao Zedong] to popularize it among the Chinese. There was a problem, however. There was no such thing as traditional Chinese medicine per se. Rather, there were traditional Chinese medicines. For many centuries, healing practices in China had been highly variable. Attempts at institutionalizing medical education were mostly unsuccessful and most practitioners drew at will on a mixture of demonology, astrology, yin-yang five phases theory, classic texts, folk wisdom, and personal experience.

Mao realized that TCM would be unappealing to foreigners, as even many Chinese, particularly those with an education, understood that TCM was mostly quackery. For instance, in 1923, [the Chinese writer] Lu Xun realized that Chinese doctors are no more than a type of swindler, either intentional or unintentional, and I sympathize with deceived sick people and their families. Such sentiments were common among the upper classes and the educated. Indeed, Mao himself didnt use TCM practitioners. He wanted scientific Western medicine. The same was true of educated Chinese. It still is. TCM is far less popular among educated middle class and affluent Chinese than conventional medicine.

Yet that hasnt stopped the current Chinese government from passing a new law, which goes into effect in July, that mandates the integration of Chinese and Western medicine throughout their country.

The purpose of the law, says Gorski, is to elevate the status of TCM to the equivalent of Western medicine and thus provide a cheaper way of delivering medicine to Chinas overrun medical system.

One also cant help but notice that a lot of this new law goes towards protecting the business interests of the TCM industry in a manner that, if it were done for the pharmaceutical company, would provoke howls of outrage from [alternative medicine] proponents and rightly so, writes Gorski.

FMI: You can read Gorskis article on the Science-Based Medicine website. Kaplans can be found at the STAT website.

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Potential dangers and dubious history of alternative medicine are often unknown to its consumers - MinnPost

Why is alternative medicine so popular? – Alternative …

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Danzig

One reason alternative medicine is so popular is that we are realizing it doesn't have to be used exclusively. Many approaches once thought of as alternative medicine are now used to complement, rather than replace, conventional medical treatment.

Patients are looking for more ways to support their health, and seeking less invasive, non-drug, low-cost approaches to strengthen their well-being. Alternative medicine offers many choices, and most visits to alternative medicine practitioners include treatments that immediately improve how a person feels, as well as offering long range benefits.

Alternative medicine practitioners are more likely to take a highly individualized approach to their patients, customizing treatments to be effective for the particular person experiencing symptoms rather than targeting the symptoms alone.

Additionally, many alternative medicine practices include simple things that people can do at home to improve their sense of well-being, and reduce stress and aggravants.

There is also a growing awareness among patients and physicans that although conventional medicine is truly awesome in many areas, it has not yet identified and thus cannot address the deep underlying imbalances that lead to various symptoms and conditions.

Although the term alternative medicine covers a wide range of approaches, bringing the individual system back to its own unique balance is generally a goal of alternative medicine. When we are balanced, it is easier to make good choices that protect our health and well-being today, and into the future.

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Why is alternative medicine so popular? - Alternative ...

Alternative Medicine Career Information and Education …

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Danzig

A student seeking to begin an alternative medicine career may attend a college, university or specialty school that offers certificate and degree programs in this field. There are a number of certificate programs available in alternative medicine specialties, such as holistic health, massage therapy, herbal medicine, yoga instruction and oriental body therapy. Anatomy and physiology courses are common to many types of alternative medicine programs; other coursework varies.

Students can prepare for an alternative medicine career as an herbalist, for example, in a Bachelor of Science program that provides courses in science and herbal science. Some Master of Science programs combine studies of traditional Western medicine and non-traditional Eastern medicine in preparing one for a career in holistic medicine. Areas of study in an alternative medicine doctoral program include acupuncture, oriental medicine and homeopathy. Students in a doctoral program, such as a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.D. or NMD) program, gain the opportunity to improve their holistic skills and assist patients in private practices.

Depending on an individual's area of practice, state licensure in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) may be necessary. As of August 2016, the Doctor of Naturopathy (N.D.) and the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (NMD) were recognized in 16 states and four U.S. territories; naturopathic doctors in these regions must pass the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examination Board exam (NPLEX) after completing their education. Most states require acupuncturists to earn a license by passing the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine exam. Other areas, like reflexology and iridology, are not approved, recognized or regulated by any state.

Alternative medicine is still emerging in the medical field. Depending on the state, a doctorate in naturopathy may be recognized as a valid doctoral degree, while in others, a doctorate in a different medical field can help the aspiring alternative medicine practitioner. Specialized training is needed no matter what field one is entering into. Licenses, certifications, or associate's degrees are examples of the kinds of programs available.

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Alternative Medicine Career Information and Education ...

Alternative medicine to treat pain and other ailments on the rise locally – Rockford Register Star

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Danzig

Melissa Westphal

Maria Furgat wants people to know there are options when it comes to treating everything from pain to the common cold.

Furgat joined the team at Circles of Wellness, 3626 E. State St., Rockford,a few months back. She specializes in acupuncture, cupping and herbal remedies after earning her bachelors degree in nutritional counseling and masters degree in Chinese medicine from the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago.

Patients come to Furgat to be proactive about their health, or out of frustration that other treatments and medications arent working or are causing unwanted side effects. Shes one of a handful of providers in the region offering alternative health treatments and alternative medicine.

I always say try it, Furgat said. Im not saying its the best thing for everyone, but they need to know there are options out there. You dont have to stick to the same routines.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine has no doubt increased since the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health released research on the topic nearly a decade ago. At the time, about four in 10 adults and one in nine children used them in some form.

Their use was greater among women and those with higher levels of education and higher incomes. The most common therapies were deep breathing exercises, meditation, massage therapy and yoga. Insurance covers some treatments such as acupuncture, but for the most part, alternative health treatments are self-pay.

Read on to learn more about other popular health trends that you can access from Freeport to Rockford and beyond.

Cupping

Furgat does a full history assessment when she sees a new patient. She wants to know if youre seeing other doctors, taking medications, she likes to look at lab work, shell ask you about your urine and bowel movements, and shell look at your tongue (appearance and qualities of which are used to diagnose ailments in Chinese medicine).

She doesnt necessarily promise cures, but she hopes to offer relief through a combination of treatment and often, herbal remedies. And she doesnt want you to stop seeing your primary doctor or taking prescribed medications.

Most people feel much better with herbs because some have such imbalance in their bodies, Furgat said. If you dont try to harmonize your body from the inside out, you never get to the root of the problem.

Fire cupping uses glass jars that are sanitized before and after use. Furgat wraps a cotton ball around a hemostat (a surgical tool with scissor-like handles and a clamp at the end), dips it in alcohol, lights it and moves it gently in a circular motion inside the jar to remove the inside air. The jar is then put onto the skin, creating a vacuum and pulling up the skin. Doing so lifts pain to the surface so Furgat can more easily manipulate the tissue and remove stubborn nodules.

Some people feel immediate relief of pain, others dont. There are different sizes of jars small, medium and large based on what type of pain shes trying to relieve. Fire cupping generally leaves circular bruises on the body think Michael Phelps during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Its tradition to put up with the marks, so to speak, but Furgat can use a technique called gua sha to scrape away, or reduce, some of the redness.

Furgat also does wet cupping, which incorporates the fire cupping with a tiny hammer equipped with acupuncture needles. The hammer is used lightly on the back to release blood within the cup. It can be painful, but Furgat has a patient with severe back and shoulder pain who said the treatment helped target the points where he feels the most pain.

Cupping ranges in price from $50 to $65 for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Acupuncture

There have been extensive studies conducted on acupuncture, especially for back and neck pain, osteoarthritis/knee pain, and headaches, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

With acupuncture, thin needles are inserted (or piped) at different points along the body just below the surface of the skin. Furgat wears gloves when she places and removes them, and the needles are used one time only.

The needles stay in between 15 to 30 minutes; patients report feeling a sensation of water dripping or moving around beneath the skin. Furgat said thats the body healing itself.

A potential ailment that could be soothed by acupuncture is recurrent urinary tract infections, she noted. In combination with antibiotics, there are points in the lower abdomen where acupuncture can open up channels to help alleviate pain and eliminate waste, Furgat explained.

If needles make you squeamish, Furgat also does acupressure, which uses finger pressure and/or magnets on the same acupuncture points. After treatments, she suggests drinking lukewarm water to help maintain a warmer body temperature.

What I want to do is help your body heal, balance you out so youre able to tolerate your medications better, Furgat said.

Acupuncture and acupressure are both $45 for about 20 minutes.

Essential oils and probiotics

Pat Leitzen Fye has long used patchouli essential oil as a fragrance and discovered other oils along the way for various purposes. She owns Your Core Being Wellness Collaborative, 107 W. Main St., Freeport, which opened in 2013 and focuses on yoga, massage, skin care and meditation. Shes a certified integrative health coach, and the business also has a wellness market that proudly stocks local and regional products, fair-trade items and gifts, and other natural, clean and healthy products.

Your Core Being sells several oils lavender is the top seller, while peppermint, patchouli, eucalyptus, jasmine and tea tree also are popular blends. Fye uses various oils in her yoga classes, either to energize and enliven at the beginning or to settle, calm and release at the end. She diffuses the oils into the air at the studio right now, using a blend of lavender and eucalyptus because the air gets so dry during the winter. Fye said eucalyptus is great for clearing the sinuses; lavender is a time-honored essential oil for its calming qualities, as is chamomile and sweet orange. Both of the Your Core Beings massage therapists use essential oils added to their massage oils and the esthetician uses them in some of her skin treatments or as a relaxing scent.

Essential oils have become so common that you can buy them at many grocery stores. A handful of local businesses carry them, including Choices Natural Market, 6718 Broadcast Parkway, Loves Park, and Nutrition Works, 4010 E. State St., Rockford.

Candle Crest, 1418 20th St., Rockford,started selling its oils this winter, co-owner Judy Bieck said. The local business had received several requests over the years to do so, but she and her husband, Dave, had to find a bottle distributor for the oils, create labels, make a display, and then find time to bottle and advertise them. So far, she said the response has been great, and during cold season, eucalyptus oil was the big seller.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a page on its website with consumer information about fragrance products such as essential oils and those marketed with aromatherapy claims. It notes that many plants are toxic, irritating or likely to cause allergic reactions when applied the skin. Cumin oil, for instance, is safe in food but can cause the skin to blister.

Some popular books to read on the topic are The Art of Aromatherapy by Robert Tisserand and Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art by Kathy Keville. Groups such as the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy also offer some good guidelines for use.

Similarly available in many health food and vitamin stores are probiotics, which are live microorganisms that are intended to have health benefits, according to the Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Products can include foods such as yogurt, dietary supplements and skin creams. Probiotics may help prevent diarrhea caused by infections or antibiotics and may help with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

The 2012 National Health Interview Survey showed that about 4 million U.S. adults had used probiotics or prebiotics in the past 30 days. They were the third most commonly used dietary supplement other than vitamins and minerals.

Popular brands include NOW Foods, Culturelle, Align, Natures Bounty and Hyperbiotics.

Reiki

Your Core Being in Freeport also offers Reiki, a Japanese hands-on light massage technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also is said to promote healing. Its based on the idea that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch and stimulate the bodys natural healing process.

Vicki Johnson described it as a lighter massage that incorporates the flow of energy, but that Reiki is literally a laying-on of hands with no muscle manipulation. She said Reiki also can help individuals deal with emotional issues that block the flow of energy, helping restore balance in a persons mind, body and spirit.

Sharyn Gooder, founder of Stateline Reiki, was trained by William Lee Rand, who established the International Center for Reiki Training and is known as a Reiki guru. Gooder is a member of the international center, which means she abides by its code of ethics and standards of practice.

Stateline Reiki was established in 2003, and Gooder first started doing Reiki therapy sessions and then began teaching Reiki later. The organization offers basic, intermediate and more advanced levels of Reiki, as well as Master Level Reiki and Karuna Reiki. The group also offers Reiki drumming, animal Reiki and many other unique classes, which Gooder said are approved for continuing education hours for licensed massage therapists and body workers.

American Institute of Alternative Medicine

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Diane Sater-Wee, BS LMT Chief Executive Officer

Diane is responsible for AIAM's strategic direction and compliance with legal and accrediting standards. She has served on the National and State of Ohio Boards of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), the Executive Committee for the National Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, the founding board of the Ohio Council of Massage Therapy Schools, and on various committees for the State Medical Board of Ohio and the Asian Bodywork Therapy Association.

Diane worked as an Account Representative for five years and as an Engineer for another five years with IBM. Diane received her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University College of Engineering and her massage diploma from the Central Ohio School of Massage. email

Helen co-founded AIAM with Diane in 1990. She is responsible for setting the schools administrative and financial objectives, policies and practices. She also directs the acquisition, development, implementation and operation support systems. In addition to her work at AIAM, Helen serves on the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) site visit team for the evaluation of acupuncture schools across the country.

Helen serves on the Stonewall Columbus Board of Trustees and is on the Board of Directors for State of the Arts Productions. She previously served as President of the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists. Helen has competed in both national and international martial arts competitions throughout her career and was an alternate in the 1988 Olympics. She competed on the U.S. Tae Kwon Do team in 1990, earning a silver medal in the World Cup in Madrid, Spain. Helen was inducted into the Bruce Lee Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2015. email

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American Institute of Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine Conferences | Traditional Medicine …

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

About Conference

With the overwhelming success of previous Alternative Medicine Conferences, Conference Series LLC welcomes you to attend the 8th International Conference on Natural & Alternative Medicine to be held from September 25-27, 2017, Dubai, UAE. Alternative Medicine 2017 aims to gather leading educational scientists, researchers and research students to exchange & share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Natural andAlternative medicine.

Alternative Medicine 2017main slogan is to address the challenges in making a safer, sustainable and affordable system for medication, and health through consolidating the underpinning Alternative Medicine research platforms. Natural & Alternative Medicine 2017 conference prepares a ground for seeding new concepts and nurturing knowledge through discussions and analysis on Traditional and Alternative Medicine developments.

This conference is mainly will focus the latest and exciting innovations in every area of Alternative Medicine research, and it will offer a unique opportunity for investigators from all over the world to meet, network, and perceive new scientific interactions. around the theme:" Traversing the Future of Alternative medicine ".

Conference Series LLCis an international science conferences event organizer and union of Open Access publisher.Conference Series LLCcurrently has more than 700+ Open Access journals with fifty thousand Editorial team 3 million readers.Conference Series LLCalso organizes 1000+ International scientific events annually across the world, where knowledge transfer takes place through round table meetings, panel discussions,poster presentations, International workshops, International symposiums & world class exhibitions.Conference Series LLCconferences hosts presentations from eminent experts in the relevant fields.

We invite you to join us in Dubai to promote Natural & Alternative Medicine.!!!

Alternative medicines utilization started in the mid of nineteenth century. Amid this time, alternative medical practitioners picked up prevalence and started to contend with conventional medical experts. Alternative medicine provides great healing effects as scientific medicine. Alternative medicine may treated as complimentary methods that improve the efficacy of treatment. Due to its healing effects Alternative Medicine usage is increasing more frequently.

Herbals have been utilized for health and restorative purposes for a few a great many years, majority of people still using herbal medicine to meet their wellbeing needs. Therapeutic plants are critical hotspots for pharmaceutical manufacturing. Medicinal plants and herbal medicines having most elevated market in Asia since decade, therapeutic plants can be utilized as food to meet every day necessities of body.

Certain European and Oriental nations have been investigating the utilization of herbs and has been in practice since the hundreds of years. The fundamental herbs have no symptoms, cures are in a state of harmony with nature which is the greatest in addition to point where no other pharmaceutical can assert these facts.

Acupuncture is an alternative medicine practice that cures illness or provides local anaesthesia by the inserting needles at specified sites of the body. Acupuncture is mostly adopted for the treatment of low back, shoulder and knee pain. Millions of people use acupuncture each year for chronic pain. Acupuncture is a family of procedures involving stimulation of anatomical areas on or in the skin by a various techniques. Traditional Chinese medicine explains acupuncture as a technique of balancing the flow of energy. Nowadays it is often combined with other interventions, like sending a small current of electricity via needles or burning herbs on the acupuncture points.

Chiropractic medicine is a type of alternative medicine involved in diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, especially spinal and joints. Osteopathic medicineis a branch of themedicalprofession, its treatment includes Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, Manual therapy.

Naturopathy is an Alternative treatment method it includes Herbal treatment, Diet therapy and Homeopathy. Natural treatments reestablish the body's inborn capacity to heal itself without the Adverse impacts of conventional drug. Naturopathy is distinct primary health care system that mixes cutting edge logical information with customary and normal types of prescription. Naturopathic Medicine emphasizes all encompassing, preventive care by concentrating on prevention, optimal health and wellness.

Numerous pharmaceutical organizations have investigated the potential for making new medications from traditional remedies in Asian market. Health authorities and legislatures of different countries have taken an active interest in providing standardized botanical medicines, Alternative Medicine represents an important share of the pharmaceutical market, while China's yearly home grown medication creation is worth US $48 billion. Alternative Medicine is quickly creating since later of 1990s. In 2010 its yield esteem expanded by 24%.

Certain European Countries have been investigating the utilization of herbs and has been by and by since the hundreds of years. The fundamental herbs have no side effects, cures are in a state of harmony with nature which is the greatest in addition to point where no other drug can claim these facts.

In Asia, utilization of herbal medicine is maybe more pervasive than western nations. A portion of the cases of Herbal medicines are Echinacea, Kava, Valerian, Gingko Biloba, Ginseng and St. John's Wort.

Holistic nutrition is the current characteristic way to deal with building up a healthy balanced diet while considering the individual as entirety. All physical and emotional characteristics show a block in the flow of vital energy in the body. Holistic Health is an arrangement of medicinal services that emphasizes moral obligation and an agreeable relationship amongst professional practitioner and client.

Ayurveda is an ancient Alternative healthcare system, it is created from Vedas. All Ayurveda writings are composed in Sanskrit. Ayurveda analyse the disease by heartbeat, tongue, discourse, touch, appearance, vision, pee, stool

Homeopathy is a technique for treating disease by medications, given in moment dosages that would deliver in sound individual indications like those of the illness. Most basic infections treated by homeopaths are Allergic rhinitis, depression, asthma, Headache, neurotic disorders, non-specific allergy, non-particular sensitivity, arthritis, dermatitis and hypertension.

Traditional Chinese medicine has a past filled with a great many years, it has efficient hypotheses, as well as has rich safeguard and restorative strategies for sickness. It sees the key to health as the harmonious and balanced working of body, mind and soul.

TCM is extensive variety of pharmaceutical practices created in China. It is essentially utilized as a reciprocal treatment. Treatment incorporates Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Massage and different treatments. TCM is embraced, broadly utilized as a part of china; practitioners will examine things like tongue, heartbeat focuses, smell of breath and voice. Treatment will be done utilizing herbals, creature, human, and mineral items.

Physical remedies carried out by physiotherapists. Physical therapy practice includes in many settings, such as outpatient clinics, private-owned physical therapy clinics. Physical therapies include Orthopedic, Geriatric, Decongestive, Neurological, Cardiopulmonary and Pediatric

Physical therapy treatment mainly helps in the recovery of musculoskeletal disorders, physiotherapy teaches how to function within their limitation for patients who have permanent disabilities. Physical therapy is a type of treatment you may need when health problems make it hard to move around and do everyday tasks, it helps improve or restore your physical function and your fitness level.

Arabic Medicine is also known as Islamic medicine which refers science of medicine written in Arabic by Islamic physicians and scholars. It is popular since 7th century, Their concepts and ideas about medical ethics are still discussed today, all over the world. After establishment and development of hospitals, Islamic physicians were able to provide more inherent operations to cure patients using ancient Arabic techniques

Summary:

The worldwide alternative medicine and therapies market size was over USD 30.0 billion in 2014. Striking drivers include lower side effects and developing patient awareness levels. Expanding geriatric populace base, developing mindfulness about general well-being and prosperity, and slant towards recreation and unwinding are additionally liable to support request.

As indicated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in October 2014, the total population of elderly individuals has multiplied since 1980 and is anticipated to achieve 2 billion by 2050. In addition, the quantity of individuals more than 80 years old will be quadrupled to 395 million somewhere around 2000 and 2050.

Athletic setbacks like ligament tears can be successfully treated utilizing alternative therapies. The upside of no side effects and long-lasting effect drive treatment request. Availability of different types of procedures like Homeopathy, Naturopathy and Ayurveda give a variety of treatment options to patients to choose the most reasonable method.

Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) are utilized along with conventional procedures to cure anxiety, diabetes, stress, post-menopausal disorders, and rush the recuperation time frame. The utilization of these medicines is broadly settled and is likewise recognized to be safe and effective.

Why Dubai ?

Asia Pacific is relied upon to develop at a quick pace because of the early adoption of therapies like Ayurveda, Acupuncture and Meditation for treating Arthritis, Toothache, Infertility and other Chronic Diseases.

Emirates population have also started adopting to Alternative Medicine treatments. Wellness tourism in Dubai is relied upon to be world class furthermore to produce over USD 2.60 billion by 2015. All Complementary and Alternative Medicine practices are observed by the Dubai Health Authority.

Increasing the utilization of Alternative Medicine by a substantial extent of all inclusive community has been shown by projects and overviews directed in European Union (EU) part states. Chronic diseases, Aging population and Anti-microbial resistance are some factors likely to drive the Asian alternative medicine and therapies market over the next seven years.

Major Alternative Medicine Associations in UAE:

Dubai Herbal & Treatment Center

Emirates Physiotherapy Society

Dubai Health Authority

Major Alternative Medicine Associations around the Globe:

World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

The American Alternative Medical Association

Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine

Australian Natural Therapists Association

Alternative Medicine 2016

The 5th International Conference and Exhibition on Natural & Alternative Medicine (Alternative Medicine-2016) hosted byConference Series LLCtook place at Hilton Beijing, China during September 05-07, 2016. Active participation and generous response were received from the Organizing Committee Members, Editorial Board Members ofConference Series LLCJournals as well as from eminent scientists, talented researchers and young student community. Researchers and students who attended from different parts of the world has made the conference one of the most successful and productive events in 2016 fromConference Series LLC. The conference was marked with the presence of renowned scientists, talented young researchers, students and business delegates driving the three days event into the path of success with thought provoking keynote and plenary presentations highlighting the theme, Emerging the power of nature to indulge the cure by adopting alternative remedies.

The conference proceedings were carried out through various Scientific-sessions and plenary lectures, of which the following topics were highlighted as Keynote-presentations:

Research of natural compounds: The crossroads between promotion of health and prevention of agerelated neurodegeneration with polyphenols to avoid the catastrophic cliff of neuronal failure

-Giulio Maria Pasinetti, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA

Exploration of anti-mTOR activity from natural plants

-Kyeong Mee Park, Innno Oriental Clinic, South Korea

Insulin-resistance and the alcat food intolerance test: Evidence of a new approach

-Pierluigi Pompei, Camerino University, Italy

Phytochemicals modulating oxidative/inflammatory responses in microglial cells

-Grace Y Sun, University of Missouri, USA

Conference Series LLChas taken the privilege of felicitating Alternative Medicine 2016 Conference Organizing Committee, Editorial Board Members and Keynote Speakers who supported for the success of this event.Conference Series LLC, on behalf of the conference sponsor appreciates all the participants who put their efforts for this event and sincerely wishes them success in future endeavors.

The esteemed guests, Keynote speakers, well-known researchers and delegates shared their innovative research and vast experience through their fabulous presentations at the podium of grand AlternativeMedicine-2016 Conference. We are glad to inform that all accepted abstracts for the conference have been indexed inConference Series LLCJournal of Alternative & Integrative Medicine as a special issue.

We are also obliged to various delegate experts, company representatives and other eminent personalities who supported the conference by facilitating active discussion forums. We sincerely thank the Organizing Committee Members for their gracious presence, support and assistance towards the success of Alternative Medicine 2016. With the unique feedbacks from the conference,Conference Series LLCwould like to announce the commencement of the 8thInternational Conference on Natural & Alternative Medicine to be held during September 25-27, 2017, in Dubai, UAE.

Let us meet again @ Alternative Medicine 2017

Victor Oliver Program Manager Alternative Medicine 2017 Phone: 1-800-216-6499

Traditional Medicine 2016

The6thInternational Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicineconference: (Traditional Medicine 2016) was held on September 14- 16, 2016 at the Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This conference brought together an interdisciplinary group of professionals working in the field of Traditional Medicine and Alternative Medicine. The tone of the main conference was set during the opening remarks by Philippe A Souvestre, NeuroKinetics Health Services, Inc., Canada&Phyllis L MacIntyre, Dickinson University, Canada. Throughout the conference, more than 30 experts in the field shared their knowledge with the 300 attendees of the conference.

Traditional Medicine 2015

The 3rdInternational Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicine held during August 03-05, 2015 at Hilton Birmingham, UK had witnessed expertise from various traditional and alternative medicinal practices including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Homeopathy and Acupuncture

Traditional Medicine-2015 has been supported by:

Journal of Traditional Medicine & Clinical Naturopathy

Medicinal & Aromatic Plants

Alternative & Integrative Medicine

Along with these associations, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran and Medical University Graz, Austria were the Academic partner for the conference.

Traditional Medicine-2015 designed with the theme "Understanding the Wisdom of Nature cure, Encouraging New Innovations in Treatment and Rehabilitation" has been successful in terms of gathering renowned speakers, scientists from research institutes, expertise from academia who has shared knowledge with eminent people from other medicinal practice and guided budding and innovative researchers how to get traditional medicinal practices into main stream market and make them a choice instead of an option by improving the research methodology.

Traditional Medicine-2014

2ndInternational Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicine held during August 25-26, 2014 at Double Tree by Hilton-Beijing, China had witnessed expertise from various traditional and alternative medicinal practices including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Homeopathy and Acupuncture

Traditional Medicine-2014 has been supported by:

World Homeopathy Awareness Organization

International Academy of Classical Homeopathy

International Society for Medical Laser Applications

Along with these associations, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran and Medical University Graz, Austria were the Academic partner for the conference.

Traditional Medicine-2014 designed with the themeTraditional Medicine : Promotion & Development has been successful in terms of gathering renowned speakers, scientists from research institutes, expertise from academia who has shared knowledge with eminent people from other medicinal practice and guided budding and innovative researchers how to get traditional medicinal practices into main stream market and make them a choice instead of an option by improving the research methodology.

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Alternative Medicine Conferences | Traditional Medicine ...

Health dept cracks down on alternative meds containing sildenafil citrate – NYOOOZ

Posted on February 18, 2017 by Danzig

Summary: After receiving the report of laboratory test, we will take further action," Ajay Phatak, drug controller, health department, said.He said that use of sildenafil is allowed in allopathic medicines only as it is an allopathic content. No other alternative medicine like ayurveda or homeopathy can use it. It makes drugs spurious.The health department officials had conducted raids in Bihar, where the manufacturer's unit was situated.Phatak said that they would take action against ayurveda and homeopathic medicines which are using allopathic contents. "We are taking it as a campaign against spurious drugs," Phatak said.After the raids, the drug controller imposed prohibition on sale of seven such drugs which were suspected to be using allopathic content sildenafil. The cost of the drugs was over Rs 2 lakh.

Jaipur: After registering a case against a pharmaceutical company based in Bihar, the health department suspects that there are other ayurveda and homeopathy drugs containing sildenafil citrate, an active ingredient in Viagra, in the city.Sildenafil citrate can only be sold on the prescription of an authorised doctor but the action of health department officials against such drugs shows that it was easily available as over-the-counter drug in the form of ayurveda and homeopathy medicines.The drug is prescribed for erectile dysfunction but it can cause cardiac arrest and other severe complications.Around four days ago, ayurveda department and health department jointly conducted raids in Jaipur and Bihar and collected medicines of ayurveda and homeopathy suspecting them having sildenafil citrate."We are awaiting the report of seven samples collected. After receiving the report of laboratory test, we will take further action," Ajay Phatak, drug controller, health department, said.He said that use of sildenafil is allowed in allopathic medicines only as it is an allopathic content. No other alternative medicine like ayurveda or homeopathy can use it.

It makes drugs spurious.The health department officials had conducted raids in Bihar, where the manufacturer's unit was situated.Phatak said that they would take action against ayurveda and homeopathic medicines which are using allopathic contents. "We are taking it as a campaign against spurious drugs," Phatak said.After the raids, the drug controller imposed prohibition on sale of seven such drugs which were suspected to be using allopathic content sildenafil. The cost of the drugs was over Rs 2 lakh..

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/health-dept-cracks-down-on-alternative-meds-containing-sildenafil-citrate/articleshow/57227311.cms

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Health dept cracks down on alternative meds containing sildenafil citrate - NYOOOZ

Happy Healthy YOU – Tillsonburg News

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Danzig

(A wellness column by Kelly Spencer: writer, life coach, yoga & meditation teacher, holistic healer and a mindful life enthusiast!)

Part 3

There seems to be a large body of evidence showing the lack of efficacy with conventional treatment options for cancer.

The data shows billions and billions of dollars are profited each year by the pharmaceutical companies. There also seems to conspiracy theories of alternative medicine being squashed, minimized and suppressed.

In the early 1970s, the War on Cancer was in full swing, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York was one of the worlds leading cancer research centers. Dr. Kanematsu Sugiura, a leading researcher, spent most of his career at Sloan Kettering, authoring more than 250 papers and receiving numerous awards, including the highest honors from the Japan Medical Association for outstanding contributions in cancer research.

While studying a drug called Laetrile, which was previously written off as quack medicine, Dr. Sugiura discovered Laetrile to have very positive effects in preventing the spread of malignant lung tumors in laboratory mice.

In control groups, which received only plain saline, the lung tumors spread in 80-90 per cent of the animals. But in those given Laetrile, the tumors spread in only 10-20 per cent.

In 1974, the findings were so positive that Sloan Kettering had signed off on clinical trials and praising its use. Then suddenly everything changed. The center began shifting their Laetrile experiments away from Dr. Sugiura to other scientists. But every time new experiments even hinted at a positive outcome, the research was scrapped.

But it appears that Sloan Ketterings Board of Directors may have knowingly hid positive findings about Laetrile, also known as Amygdalin or Vitamin B-17 (not a real vitamin).

In 1974, Ralph Moss, a science writer, had just acquired his first big time writing job at Sloan Ketterings public relations department. He soon found himself in the middle of the Amygdalin controversy and was not willing to hide the truth that his employer was veiling. He held a large and public press conference, then the next day he was fired and escorted to the door by armed personnel.

In 2013, Dr. Evengelos Michelakis, associate chair and medical researcher at the University of Albertas faculty of medicine and his team of researchers claimed to have discovered a cure for cancer, long after publishing his first findings on DCA in 2007 (results of a study about DCA (Dichloroacetate), stating that the agent showed promise in shrinking tumours in laboratory rats and human cell lines - human cells grown in a petri dish.) The University of Albertas research team did not receive any support from the medical industry.

It turns out that the rights to the DCA compound are not owned by any pharmaceutical company. This is a problem, as most of UAs research on this issue has been publicly funded. They are currently working to secure more funding to continue their research and ongoing DCA clinical trials. Without industry support, its almost impossible to do anything with this research and infiltrate the health industry. Drug companies are not interested in drugs that wont make them a profit and therefore this is not a prescribed option.

Even "The Canadian Cancer Society has concerns about Canadians with cancer seeking DCA because we dont know enough about its risks and benefits. (www.cancer.ca - News National 2013)

But they are okay with the risks and statistics of chemotherapy? Doesnt really make sense to me.

There are ineffective conventional options and discouraged and seemingly inaccessible alternative options; so what is one to do?

Well there are ways to get holistic options if you look long enough and hard enough. The internet is a wonderful thing.

One example, Ontario Nurse Rene Caisse spent most of her career defending herself against the medical and government establishment. Essiac tea, given its name by Rene Caisse ("Caisse" spelt backwards), consists of four main herbs that grow in the wilderness of Ontario. The original formula is believed to have its roots from the native Canadian Ojibway Indians.

The four main herbs that make up Essiac are Burdock Root, Slippery Elm Inner Bark, Sheep Sorrel and Indian Rhubarb Root. Each herb, having powerful plant medicine such as Burdock Root (Arctium lappa), used traditionally to help reduce mucus, maintains a healthy gastrointestinal tract and stimulates a healthy immune response as a diuretic for water retention and to sweat out toxins through the skin. It has vitamin A and selenium to help reduce free radicals and its chromium content helps maintain normal blood sugar levels.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Nurse Caisse had the support of several doctors in both Canada and the USA and treated thousands with success, according to her notes. She was shut down by government several times over and believes the only reason she wasnt thrown in jail, was her popularity and notoriety.

But lets get to the preventative part. With statistics of one in three getting some form of cancer, prevention is the absolutely key, in my opinion.

Since changing my life drastically over the last 15 years, I can say with complete transparency that I have no illness or disease, I take zero medication and I have not had to go to a doctor or hospital as long as I can remember.

Here are some of my tips for holistic disease prevention:

Reduce / eliminate chemicals and toxins from your diet, personal products and home.

Reduce / eliminate processed sugar / artificial sweeteners. Sweeten foods with natural sources ie. local honey, maple syrup, stevia, cane sugar, coconut sugar.

Reduce / eliminate stress, worry and F.O.G. (fear, obligation, guilt).

Reduce / eliminate processed and prepared foods. Eat closest to source, natural foods and raw when possible.

Eat only foods that will spoil and eat them before they do.

Reduce dairy and meat quantity. Eliminate processed meats.

Eat chemical free meat & free-range/wild from sustainable, compassionate sources.

Eat organic and NON-GMO (non-genetically modified) whenever possible.

Meditate, practice mindfulness and mindful breathing.

Move your body, get in nature, take a class.

Deal with old hurts, forgive and heal.

Pay attention to your body, there is great wisdom within it.

Make your food or get from source your trust.

Grow your own organic vegetable and herb garden.

Eat more plant based: organic herbs, grains, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruit. Eat at least 8 - cups of produce a day and make sure one serving a day is cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, radish).

The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.- Ann Wigmore

Each and every one of us has pre-cancerous cells in our body. These cells are eliminated by the natural processes of our immune system and body. How we live our life and the lifestyle choices we make can play a leading role in what those pre-cancerous cells do, what diseases advance or diminish and how healthy and happy our lives are lived.

There will be a Cancer and Alternative Options seminar and discussion open to the public Saturday, February 18th 2-4 p.m. If you would like to hear a different perspective for you or someone you love and hear about alternative options for prevention and treatment, please feel free to attend. Guest speaker is John MacDonald, a man that said no thank you to conventional treatment and 18 months later, his cancer is gone. To book a seat at any of these seminars, please call 519-688-1188 or email info@indigolounge.ca.

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Happy Healthy YOU - Tillsonburg News

Cannabis providers feel tension between clinical and alternative medicine – The Cannabist

Posted on February 11, 2017 by Danzig

The Cannabist

Cannabis providers feel tension between clinical and alternative medicine
The Cannabist
Now, Charles, CEO of PA Cannabis LLC, hopes to bring medical marijuana to Main Street via a dispensary that offers patients a holistic approach to health, private off-street parking and a comfortable ski-lodge-like atmosphere, smack in the middle of ...

Futurist Transhuman News Blog

Category Archives: Alternative Medicine

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Medicine with a side of mysticism: Top hospitals promote unproven therapies – STAT

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American Institute of Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine Conferences | Traditional Medicine …

Health dept cracks down on alternative meds containing sildenafil citrate – NYOOOZ

Happy Healthy YOU – Tillsonburg News

Cannabis providers feel tension between clinical and alternative medicine – The Cannabist