Category Archives: Alternative Medicine

Despite his cautious public brand, Tom Brady has never been muted in his advocacy of holistic medicine or his criticism of Western health practices. And in a Sports Illustrated piece Monday, the New England Patriots quarterback offered a theory as to why his approach to health hasnt been more commonly adopted in the sports world.

During a conversation about his fitness regimen with soccer star Didier Drogba, the two fellow 39-year-olds talked about their regimented fitness routines. Brady compared the general hesitance to accept holistic medicine he embraces to the lack of political action on climate change, alluding to the fossil fuel industrys efforts opposing efforts to address the issue. Per SI:

A quick word from the sensei, who thinks that teams throughout sports will eventually use body coaches like (Bradys fitness coach) Guerrero. Brady believes theyll look to Eastern medicine and alternative therapies they now avoid.

Why dont teams take a more holistic approach? Brady asks. Thats like the debate on climate change. Why havent we done anything about it? Well, theres a lot of money on the other side of it.

Brady whose strict diet and fitness routine has become lore suggested it could catch on as athletes like him become increasingly interested in their health to prolong their careers.

The normally politics-averse quarterbacks climate change comments should come as no surprise, given his wife Gisele Bndchens outspokenness on the issue.

Last November, Brady posted a clip of Bndchens appearance on a National Geographic series on climate change, in which the Brazilian supermodel spoke about her responsibility as a human being to bring awareness to something that I feel is vital for our existence.

Im so proud of her work as a correspondent bringing awareness and consciousness to whats happening with our climate! Brady wrote at the time.

As the Patriots were visiting President Donald Trump a personal friend of Brady, who recently withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement and has questioned the existence of global warming last April, Bndchen tweeted support for an anti-Trump climate rally.

I think now people are just more kinda feeling like, you know, I have to take the matters to my own hands, Bndchen recently told CBS News, referring to the issue. Like, I have to get educated. I have to learn. I have to kind of figure out how are we gonna do this.

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Tom Brady compares doubts about holistic medicine to lack of action on climate change - Boston.com

Traditional medicine is explained by Dell Rice-Sylverster during the University of Victoria and Camosun College celebration of International Aboriginal Day in Victoria, B.C. June 21, 2012. LYLE STAFFORD / TIMES COLONIST

The story of cancer patient Ric Richardson, a Mtis man from Green Lake, challenges us to think about patient autonomy, medical traditions and Saskatchewan health care.

Just as crucial, his story forces us to reconsider the use and acceptance of traditional Aboriginal knowledge not only in medicine but in society more broadly.

After a diagnosis of Stage 4 lung cancer, Richardson opted to use Indigenous therapies for his terminal cancer rather than chemotherapy, arguing that the northern boreal forest served as his medicine cabinet.

Several reasons influenced this choice. Richardson felt that in the final stages of his life he would be suffering from the side effects of chemo. Hed also have to sacrifice valuable time with his family and at his job. This was unacceptable.

I would have thought that the quality of my remaining life should be the prime consideration, Richardson noted. He has usedteas made from plants in the region, including dandelion root and balsam fir.

Alternatives to the medical mainstream, which include traditional Chinese or Eastern medicine, Aboriginal medicine, as well as faith-healing and fake drugs have a long history. Some are legitimate. Some are not.

Accounts of alternative medicines share certain commonalities with Richardsons story.

In the 1970s, medical authorities waged a war against the unproven Laetrile, an almond derivative used to treat various cancers. Its supporters numbered in the thousands and they used clever arguments about patients rights, medical freedom and an overbearing medical establishment.

Laetrile was a natural product which gained even more notoriety when actor Steve McQueen travelled to Mexico for an illegal dose.

A second alternative was heroin. In the early 1980s, Kenneth Walker, a Toronto-based celebrity doctor and syndicated columnist who wrote under the pseudonym W. Gifford-Jones launched a campaign to legalize heroin.

Having lost close friends to cancer, Walker concluded the drug was one answer to the problem of treating end-of-life pain associated with terminal cancer. In December 1984, Jake Epp, the federal health minister, announced the government would legalize the use of heroin in cases of severe chronic pain or terminal illness.

A final recent alternative to the medical mainstream is vaccine skeptic Jenny McCarthy. She has challenged the medical establishment, conventional wisdom, and championed untested approaches to treatment.

McCarthy promoted the idea that vaccines cause autism and that chelation therapy was a cure. Both claims remain unsupported by medical consensus, yet the fact that she empowered herself using the internet, discovered new treatments and essentially thumbed her nose at medical elites ingratiated her to many people.

Terminal cancer is of course a different beast from vaccination. Yet these examples highlight controversies having to do with patient decision-making, and acceptance of different medical traditions and treatments.

According to The Dread Disease, the history of cancer embodies all manner of social and cultural tensions. These include class and colonialism, ethics and ethnicity. For author Jim Patterson, these tensions have often led to cancer countercultures, where patients have grown increasingly skeptical about orthodox medical notions of disease and about the claims to expert knowledge.

As the discussion about terminal cancer and integration of traditional healing practices with western biomedicine proceeds, we should be mindful of the history and debates. As Richardson rightly pointed out, much Aboriginal knowledge has been discounted or demonized. That needs to change.

All of this is to say that Richardsons story should not be viewed in isolation. Lessons may be drawn from Aboriginal history and the history of medicine. Cultural sensitivity must constitute an element of treatment. It certainly doesnt help that some physicians push back overly hard and rather patronizingly, too against patient-consumer agency and choice in the medical sphere.

Richardson recently noted, Obviously were on the right track and things are working well. His tumours had diminished in size. This, along with the positive response hes received from the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, amount to progress.

Richardson helps us appreciate the complexity of patient choice in the medical marketplace and the use of traditional Aboriginal knowledge in society. He also stands as an example of the ways in which citizens can take ownership in the health care system and potentially influence it.

Lucas Richert is a lecturer at the Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare, University of Strathclyde (Glasgow).

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Cancer controversies and traditional medicines - Regina Leader-Post

Western medicine once shunned alternative treatments like acupuncture, acupressure or the Indian system of Ayurveda. But the field of medicine is now taking them more seriously.

Proof can be found in the emerging field of integrative medicine. Its approach is to combine modern medicine with alternative and complementary approaches, to take into account the whole person. Dr. Sudha Prathakanti a strong believer in integrative medicine. As the daughter of Indian immigrants, she grew up around meditation, yoga and Ayurveda. Like her father she went to medical school and more recently, established the first integrative psychiatry program at UC San Francisco's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. She's also researched the effectiveness of using yoga to treat major depression.

PRATHAKANTI: We no longer have to have this argument about "is it in the domain of the physical or is it in the domain of the psychological?"; And then the larger question is "what is spiritual?"

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Integrative medicine seeks to mend the mind-body split - KALW

WITH primary care on the brink of change, a county-wide survey has revealed a majority of patients would be happy to see someone else instead of their GP.

Mounting pressures, lack of funds and increasing workloads has forced a re-think of the way primary care and GP services are provided across the county.

Now in its most recent survey, Healthwatch Oxfordshire, has found that 72 per cent of patients would be happy to see an alternative medical professional other than their GP.

In its Peoples Experiences of Using GP Services in Oxfordshire report, the watchdog also found that 39 per cent of patients had contacted a pharmacist before seeing a GP for medical advice.

Reasons cited for not seeking help from either a nurse practitioner, pharmacist or physiotherapist was because patients needed management of long-term conditions or the inability of a nurse to be able to prescribe medicine.

Director at Healthwatch Eddie Duller said: There is a change of heart from the public in that they recognise that GPs are stretched and under pressure, like most people at work in todays world.

Some are open to new ways of seeing the doctor, or at least getting some form of advice and treatment from practice nurses and the neighbourhood chemist.

The survey, completed by more than 400 patients across 67 practices, showed that a greater proportion waited four weeks for an appointment than in 2014.

Mr Duller added: Thats just as well because medical help closest to home could change out of all recognition in the next five years because of a reorganisation being powered through by the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which pays for GP and related services.

They say the aim is to improve access to the first layer of care, but that doesnt necessarily mean you will see a doctor.

There are plans to increase the skills of nurses and other medical practitioners such as pharmacists and physiotherapists to cut down the doctors workload.

GP practices are being encouraged to work together to serve populations of 30 to 50,000 organised through central hubs in areas roughly similar to town and district council areas.

The report lays out recommendations for the CCG, including promises to ensure that all GP surgeries will offer appointments within a week of a patient asking for one and that every surgery should have an active Patient Participation Group.

Change is afoot in primary care as plans to shake-up services will be revealed after a decision is made on the first phase of Oxfordshires Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) on August 10.

The STP aims to address a growing financial shortfall and the needs of an ageing population.

For Mr Dullers in-depth response and analysis on the future of primary care and GP practices turn to page 12.

A spokesman for the CCG:The Primary Care transformation plan describes the direction of Primary Care over the next 5 years.

"The main needs are to stabilise general practice, remove financial risk upon practices and encourage the work force to remain within Primary Care.

"This needs to be done alongside maintaining the tradition role of Primary Care to act as the main entry point into the health care system and delivering timely access and quality care.

The plans describes a number of measures that are already in place such as recruitment support for GP practices, same day access hubs offering additional appointments in hours and at weekends, piloting pharmacists in practices.

"It also describes short to medium term initiatives that could be implemented such as urgent community visits, commissioning of integrated community nursing teams, social prescribing, development of lifestyle centres, however, all of these ideas would need to be tested with patients and the public in the work that is being undertaken in Phase 2 of the Oxfordshire Transformation Programme.

Each CCG locality has reviewed the framework and both the Primary Care Patient Advisory Group and the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee have reviewed and inputted to earlier drafts.

"The aim, once agreed, is to further develop within localities involving other stakeholders such as Federations and Oxford Health with invitations to social care and Oxford University Hospitals Trust.

"This work will take place between July and September with the purpose of producing locality place based plans for Primary Care which will feed into Phase 2 of the Oxfordshire Transformation Programme.

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Patients recognise over-worked GPs as majority agree to see alternative medical professionals - Herald Series

(Courtesy of Sherry Quiring)

Beautiful things are often born out of adversity. In this case, it's an unbreakable bond between two women brought together by a vicious disease and an unshakable faith.

For nine long months, Sherry Quiring and Juli Johnson, an APRN at the INTEGRIS Cancer Institute, walked side by side, exploring the halls and the many options surrounding Sherry's diagnosis.

"First diagnosed in February 2016, Quiring said. It came as a shock. It was found during a routine mammogram."

That mammogram would be the first step towards saving her life, as it caught her triple negative breast cancer early. But an aggressive cancer requires aggressive treatment, and Sherry would learn that in the weeks and months to come. She first underwent a lumpectomy, followed by six months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation.

"I managed it really pretty well through some good nausea medicine, some incredible faith in my lord and my savior and my family and my friends, Quiring said.

And with the guidance of Juli, who is an integrative medicine provider focused on treating the mind, body and spirit.

"Integrative medicine is a little different then just alternative medicine because we're going to use conventional medicine and add alternative modalities, Johnson explained.

Those include things acupuncture, massage and yoga. All of which Sherry did her best to incorporate into her own treatment. She now credits that, along with her faith and her family with helping her through every step of the way.

"I believe the whole package of things that I did helped me get where I am now, which is really feeling good again and enjoying life, Sherry said.

Instead of telling people she's in remission, Sherry prefers to tell them she's cured and she's lived each day since with that mindset.

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Get Pink: Bond between patient, provider helps woman through breast cancer fight - KOKH FOX25

Merck and South Korea's Samsung Bioepis said on Monday they have begun selling a less expensive alternative version of Johnson & Johnson's rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade in the United States, a move that should accelerate price declines for the big-selling medicine.

The U.S. and Korean drugmakers said they would sell their version, to be called Renflexis, at 35 percent discount to the list price of J&J's top-selling medicine, or about $735 for a 100 milligram dose.

J&J shares were down 1.6 percent at $133.16.

Renflexis is the second U.S. biosimilar version of Remicade to be sold after Pfizer launched its Inflectra late last year at a 15 percent discount to J&J's list price, later dropped to a 19 percent discount.

Remicade had U.S. sales of $4.8 billion last year. They fell 8.2 percent for the first half of 2017 to $2.2 billion with the new competition.

As with generic medicines, once multiple biosimilars of a drug become available prices are expected to drop more quickly. Many industry executives and analysts have expressed surprise at how fast prices have fallen in Europe, which led the way with biosimilars.

Merck sells the branded version of Remicade outside the United States. In Europe, it is already facing competition from biosimilar Remicade and cheaper versions of other medicines in the class.

Many companies are developing a wide range of biosimilar versions of top-selling biologic medicines, including major biotechs like Amgen, which is working on cheaper versions of several of its rivals' blockbuster drugs.

J&J, in a statement, said it offers a variety of discounts and rebates off the list price of Remicade, giving it an average sales price of $808.87 per 100mg vial.

J&J's Janssen unit sought a preliminary or permanent U.S. injunction to block the Bioepis version, arguing that it infringed three of its patents. A hearing for the lawsuit has yet to be scheduled.

"We are confident we do not infringe on Janssen's patents," Samsung Bioepis spokesman Mingi Hyun said.

Renflexis, which received U.S. approval in April, is the first medicine available in the United States under a global biosimilars agreement between Merck and Samsung Bioepis, a unit of Samsung BioLogics.

Since it is not possible to make exact copies of complex biotech medicines, which are manufactured from living cells, they cannot be called true generics as with simple pills. Instead, companies must prove their versions are similar enough to the original medicine.

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Merck, Samsung Bioepis launch discounted US Remicade alternative - CNBC

By Mitsie Vargas Ledger correspondent

What are the effects of cannabis in our pets? Could we use it as a natural pain reliever or as a natural aid to control seizures in dogs and cats? I have written about this topic previously and my passion for alternative medicine prompts me to continue to explore this potential source of natural pain control and healing.

Marijuana toxicity is a fairly common pet emergency, causing seizures, uncoordination and sometimes death. It is then hard to expect anything good to come out of the marijuana plant when we see what people sharing their stash does to those pets. In Colorado, the number of dogs admitted for marijuana poisoning has increased dramatically as pet owners try using it for old, arthritic dogs and users leave their pot stash unattended resulting in dogs ingesting large quantities.

THC is very toxic and within a half hour of ingestion, you could see drooling, agitation or depression (depends on dose), hypothermia and slower heart rates. The treatment is mainly intravenous fluids and monitoring the heart rate. There is no antidote for the poisoning but some patrol police dogs carry atropine to fight the bradycardia that sets in with THC poisoning. People who smoke near their pets can cause irritation of their upper airways.

The main psychoactive constituent of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but that is just one of 483 known compounds in this plant! There are other non-psychoactive compounds including cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids and the famous CBD. According to the book ''Cannabis and CBD Science for Dogs'' by Caroline Coile, PhD, these hemp derived oils are very safe and appear to help manage a myriad of conditions including anxiety, joint pain, and mobility issues, seizures, and even cancer. The main benefit in chronic, debilitating diseases is an appetite stimulant, which can play a big part in the pet's quality of life. The many phytonutrients extracted from the whole plant will also be full of antioxidant chemicals that will aid in healing.

The anecdotal evidence is accumulating, and it may turn the tide of professional opinions on the use of marijuana in pets. Some companies are producing products that are definitively NOT pot for pets, yet they are high-quality formulations that are effective. One such company is Canna-Pet and its CBD is available without a veterinarian's prescription.

I admit being more at ease recommending Chinese herbal formulas that have scientific research backing their effectivity. In my practice, we see miraculous healings, extended longevity and improved quality of life using herbals and acupuncture and other TCVM modalities. I truly believe in the antioxidant and regenerative power of whole plants, especially green veggies and recommend to add those (spinach, kale, seaweed) to the sick pet's diets to improve healing.

I remain cautiously optimistic that CBD and products derived from hemp oil will become a widely accepted natural cure and more research will be done. It is up to veterinarians in states where marijuana has legalized to start pushing for more research into the medical applications of cannabis.

Dr. Mitsie Vargas is at Orchid Springs Animal Hospital in Winter Haven. She can be reached at drv@osahvets.

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Vargas: Weeding out herbal remedies for our pets - The Ledger

Dr. Mehmet Oz calls salt the miracle mineral that heals and notes that, historically, its been used for centuries to treat a wide range of ailments.

Even Hippocrates, the father of medicine, himself prescribed salt therapy for breathing ailments, he says. Today its being used to relieve skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema as well as treat breathing issues due to asthma and cystic fibrosis.

From the Dead Sea to the salt mines of the Himalayas, salt is being rediscovered for its unique antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Salt rooms are springing up across the country. Adherents flock into the salt-coated rooms to soak up what is known as halotherapy.

Halo is the Greek word for salt and halotherapy advocates say it can treat a variety of ailments, ranging from asthma and allergies to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sinusitis. Its also believed to lower stress and strengthen the immune system.

Machines called halogenerators deliver a dry salt aerosol made up of microscopic particles that circulate in the therapy room where you simply sit and relax. Many salt rooms are equipped with soothing spa music or deep breathing audio pods you can access with headphones.

Salt therapy originated in 1843 when a Polish physician named Felix Bochkovski noticed that salt mine workers did not experience the respiratory issues or lung disease of other miners. Almost 100 years later, a German doctor named Karl Herman Spannagel noticed that his patients health improved after hiding out in the salt caves to avoid heavy bombing during World War II.

And many years ago, people with tuberculosis used to moved into giant salt caves in Europe which offered the only cure for their disease, Dr. Y. Aaron Kaweblum, an expert in allergies and asthma, tells Newsmax Health.

We all know that when a baby has trouble breathing, we give it saline solution drops to clear the airways. When you have an infection of the mouth, your dentist advises you to rinse with salt water. Salt has been healing us for centuries. I have seen many of my patients with asthma improve dramatically and are able to control their condition with regular visits to a salt room.

Kaweblum notes that many people with allergies and asthma feel better when they take an ocean side vacation or cruise.

The negatively charged ions in salt improve our health and mood, say experts. The National Institutes of Health says studies also show it has clear biological impacts:

Due to the osmotic pressure the inhaled salt diminishes the swelling of the bronchial mucosa, dissolves the mucus and makes expectoration easier and faster. It also helps remove air pollution and allergies faster, too. It inhibits the growth of bacteria and, and in some cases, kills them. It has beneficial effect on the well being of the patient and a relaxation effect on the nervous system. According to the international literature, it has beneficial effect for some chronic dermatological disease.

Dr. Norman Edelman, the American Lung Associations leading scientific authority, believes that salt therapy does have significant medical value.

When fine salt particles are inhaled, they will fall on the airway linings and draw water into the airway, thinning the mucous and making it easier to breathe, thus making people feel better, he says. Also the environments are allergen-free and good for people with allergies affecting their lungs.

Dr. Oz agrees.

Its one of the most fundamental minerals and a great way to treat even colds and flu without resorting to drugs, he says.

2017 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.

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Salt Therapy Gaining Popularity in Alternative Medicine Circles - Newsmax

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for The Five Towns Jewish Times

The editors of the Five Towns Jewish Times have been inundated with letters of protest against articles that have appeared the past two weeks in regard to alternative medicine being a violation of Lifnei Iver, and medically, scientifically and statistically unsound.

Many of them have come in within a few minutes of each other under different names.

This author just got of the phone with Rav Dovid Morgenstern Shlita. Rav Elyashiv zatzal trusted Rav Morgenstern completely and stated several times that he knew Kol HaTorah kulah and is completely trustworthy in relating what Rav Elyashiv held. This can be verified with anyone who knows the family members or any other one who was meshamesh Rav Elyashiv zatzal.

Rav Morgenstern said:

Rav Elyashivs position was that alternative medicine ranges from being assur gamur to being not a good idea at all depending upon which type of alternative medicine it is.

Rav Morgenstern further related an incident of a family whose child was diagnosed with a treatable but very serious disease. The treatment was to be performed at a top university hospital. The parents chose to pursue Alternative Medicine instead and did not return to the hospital. The child subsequently died.

In addition, both of the Five Towns Jewish Times were read by Rav Morgenstern who agreed with the them completely.

The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com

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Rav Elyashiv Z"TL On Alternative Medicine By R. Yair Hoffman ... - Yeshiva World News

Health News of Tuesday, 18 July 2017

Source: Raphael obu

Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu(President) 1st from Left, Hon. Buaben Asamoah shaking hands with executive

The President of the Alternative Medicine Association of Ghana (AMAG), Dr Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, has called for the creation of a ministry for traditional and alternative medicine as a measure to mainstream those aspects of healthcare delivery into the country's health system.

He has also urged Parliament to expedite action on the passage of the alternative medicine bill which is currently before the house, saying that would provide the legal backing for the mainstreaming of alternative medicine and ensure best practices by practitioners.

The fact is that the creation of the ministry for alternative medicine and passage of the alternative medicine bill by Parliament will be a major step that will ensure that there are better regulation and strict enforcement of standards for all practitioners.

"It will also help in the provision of licence and certification for practitioners such that quacks in the system can be weeded out appropriately," he said.

Dr Obu was speaking at the launch of the association as well as the inauguration of its pioneer eight-member national executives in Accra last Saturday.

Standards

Dr Obu further asked for AMAG to be given a slot on the Food and Drugs Board (FDA) to ensure that quality standards in alternative medicine were enhanced. He observed that quality and accountability were key dimensions of healthcare delivery that could be enhanced if there was a better link between orthodox and alternative medicine practice in the country.

"Effective collaboration between players in conventional medicine and alternative medicine will ensure that there is a better and holistic approach to dealing with the dynamics of diseases that confront us, especially the emerging lifestyle diseases," he said.

Diligence

At the launch, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Adentan, Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoa, asked the executive of AMAG to be ruthless in ensuring that their members adhered to quality and ethical standards in the provision of alternative health care.

"Discipline should be your hallmark as leaders of the association because forming an association is one thing and working for credibility and integrity based on quality standards is another," he stressed.

Mr Asamoa said the time had come for stakeholders in the health sector to start moving towards integrative medicine.

He said that called for collaboration between conventional healthcare providers and alternative medical practitioners.

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Expedite action on the passage of the alternative medicine bill ... - GhanaWeb