Archive for the 'Complementary Medicine' Category

New research shows that flaxseed and ginseng have something to offer patients.

At the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting this weekend, researchers presented dozens of studies of high-tech approaches for fighting cancer.

Three popular complementary and alternative therapies for cancer and cancer-related conditions—flaxseed, ginseng and shark cartilage—came up for review in rigorous trials.

The first two showed surprisingly promising results. The third, shark cartilage, failed, but that in and of itself will have major implications, since cartilage is sold widely in health-food stores across the country.

Here’s the lowdown on all three studies, and what they mean for the future of cancer treatment.

Flaxseed
Nutritionists and alternative-medicine practitioners alike are enamored of flaxseed.

High in omega-3 fatty acids, it also has “800 times more lignan than anything else you could stick in your mouth,” says Duke University cancer researcher Wendy Demark-Wahnefried.

Lignan, a chemical found in the cell walls of plants, binds to testosterone in the body—and in many prostate-cancer patients, testosterone is what fuels tumor growth.

Read the rest of the information at Newsweek

Complementary medicines can help mild depression and premenstrual syndrome. Not all dietary supplements and “alternative” products are harmless though.

German Institute urges consumers to be more critical of health claims.

Many people use “alternative” or complementary products because they see them as a more gentle form of medicine.

The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care has now analysed the latest research on several products and released the results along with a guide for consumers.

St John’s wort (hypericum), for example, could help ease mild depression, but it does not help with severe depression.

It also probably cannot help with the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). However, calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) might help relieve PMS. On the other hand, evening primrose oil has not been proven to help.

Herbal medicines and dietary supplements can also have risks. “Consumers need to be more critical of all health claims,” according to the Institute’s Director, Professor Peter Sawicki.

Just because a product is made from a plant or vitamins, it does not mean it is necessarily safe in very high doses or for frequent use. And not all medicinal products can provide as much relief as patients expect.”

Osteopathic medicine is based on the principle that human body has inherent ability in self-regulating and self-healing.

The benefits provided by modern medicine are provided by osteopathic medicine.

The modern treatments include surgery, prescribed drugs, and the use of modern technology to diagnose disease and estimation of injury.

Through the system of therapy called osteopathic manipulative medicine, osteopathic medicine offers extra benefits of hands-on treatment and diagnosis.

This medicine focuses on the education of health, disease prevention, injury prevention and assisting you to achieve superior level of wellness.

You can maintain total approach of health and prevention of disease by using this medicine. This medicine provides health care delivery system for the longevity, high costs care and chronic disease.

Osteopathic medicine uses all high-tech features of modern medicine such as surgery, x-ray, diagnostic testing and medication, hence providing you a most complete and comprehensive medical care.

Osteopathic medicine helps your wellness with below three philosophies:

Effects of Osteopathic on whole body:

Osteopathic medicine’s fundamental philosophy is that all systems which are in your body are interdependent and interrelated. So, the disturbances caused in one system affects the other systems.

Osteopathy is an approach for providing health care to musculoskeletal system and for the disease.

Osteopathy uses manual and physical treatment in the prevention of disease.

It is the form of complementary medicine and this uses holistic approach.

Osteopathy is a therapy based upon the theory that the body itself has the capacity for making its own remedies against diseases and other toxic situations.

Osteopathy is emphasized on correcting faulty structure, healthy body and manipulating methods of detection.

You can gain the following benefits from Osteopathy:

Osteopathy uses body massage and bone manipulation techniques and used for treating variety of pains such as elbow and knee pains, head aches, migraine and frozen shoulder due to spondylosis.

This therapy supports some exercises which can be done at home to have relief over pains and number of disorders related to joints, for bone degeneration and it is helpful when you are in old age.

This therapy will not use any drugs and surgical options. It will provide all benefits of modern diagnosis, modern drugs and modern surgery.

Irritated with the symptoms of chronic back pain, arthritis, cancer, etc?

Complementary therapy is an effective option for the treatment of these diseases.

Complementary therapy is defined as any form of treatment provided by medical practitioners as effective for the prevention, treatment, or cure of any disease, ailments, physical or mental condition, deformity, defect or injury.

Complementary therapy has not been proven by conventional scientific methodology and/or accepted by statutory medical or health care authorities.

Complementary therapy includes the following things:

• Mind/body control
• Structural and energetic therapies
• Diet, nutrition, and lifestyle changes
• Bioelectromagnetic applications
• Biological and pharmacological treatments
• Traditional and ethnomedicine

Complementary therapy is a treatment used in addition to conventional treatment methods. Most experts recommend complementary therapy methods in treating the illness.

Conventional therapy can help in pain relief, but complementary therapy offers both pain relief and also support in changing your lifestyle to avoid future stress occurring.

Yoga, meditation, reiki, tai chi, pilates, are all form of complementary healing methods and sources of combating stress which are being introduced into the work place.

Here are the list of complementary therapies and benefits. You can select the right complementary therapy for your illness.

Complementary and alternative medicine is also referred to as CAM.

CAM is a term used by the conventional medical practitioners to designate treatments that are not considered as conventional or mainstream.

The system of complementary and alternative medicine includes any treatment or system of medicine that is not proven by rigorous scientific tests.

Actually CAM consists of both complementary and alternative medicine systems and treatments. Complementary and alternative medicine treatments are also be used in conjunction with conventional medical treatment to extend and complement those therapies.

For instance, hypnosis helps you in controlling pain after surgery is a complementary treatment.

Sometimes alternative therapy uses alternate therapy instead of a conventional medical treatment for illness. For instance, gluten and casein free diet helps to control the symptoms of autism or ADHD rather than using medication.

Integrative medicine is also a part of complementary and alternative medicine. Most of the doctors are integrating some specific CAM therapies into their conventional practices.

It can only be done if there is any scientific evidence that proves the treatment is safe and effective. For instance, integrative medicine that has become conventional practice can be used as a treatment for asthma.

Color therapy is a big part of the Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic practices.

Much research has been done in the area of light and color therapy. It is a great addition to traditional therapies and treatments.

According to color therapy a patient reaction can be significantly increased by changing the mount and color of light entering the eyeball.

Hence psychological and physical changes can be observed.

Today there are thousands of practitioners of color therapy. Be clear and ask all your doubts and questions as they ask you during the initial visit.

If you observe that he can’t answer according to your expectations then leave him and search for another practitioner.

Color therapy is considered as a complementary medicine. A good reputable practitioner will refer you to another practitioner for treatment of your ailments, using color therapy only in conjunction with their recommendations.

Working of color therapy:

Color therapy is mainly based on creating balance and enhancing energy. The seven colors of light spectrum are properly aligned along each charka of the body.

These colors resonate with your body’s own healing energy to alleviate stress, headaches, etc. each color has its own wavelength and supplies the energy of the corresponding charka.

Everybody has a question of who uses complementary medicine.

If you believe the probability, one in every two of the people who are reading this article right now use or have used some form of complementary medicine in the past twelve months.

According to the research conducted in Australia it is estimated that “about half the general population in developed countries use complementary medicine”. Some other studies by some other researchers have shown that:

• Complementary medicine is used by 36 percent of the Americans in the past years.
• If prayer was included as one of the complementary and alternative therapy treatment 62 percent of the people have used some form of complementary medicine in the past years.
• According to the survey conducted in the year 1998, 40 percent of the Americans had used some form of complementary medicine in the past year.
• A British report released in 1997 found that the use of complementary medicine had increased from 34 to 42 percent since 1990.

There are many reasons recommended for the increased use of complementary medicine in the past 25 years. Some of them are:

• A well educated and sophisticated population who search for many choices