Defining Alternative Medicine
Consumer demand for alternative therapies is growing in the United States. A 1993 landmark study found that more than 30% of Americans had sought alternative treatments, making more visits to these practitioners than to their primary care physicians. A 2001 survey found that 70% of Americans had used at least one form of alternative medicine, making this one of the fastest growing sectors in American healthcare.
"The goal of conventional medicine is to locate the physical source of a particular disease and then remove it," explains an article posted on alternativemed.com (click the post title to read this very informative article). Practitioners of alternative medicine take a more holistic approach to healthcare. They believe that "health and disease involve a complex interaction of physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and social factors." Alternative practitioners take all of these factors into account and treat the whole body.
Alternative therapies fall into 5 major groups:
- Alternative Medical Systems such as homeopathy, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine.
- Biological Medicine that uses substances found in nature -- herbs, foods, vitamins-- to promote health.
- Energy Medicine which involves the use of energy fields to promote health such as qi gong, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, electromagnetic fields.
- Manual Medicine based on manipulative and/or movement of one or more parts of the body such as osteopathy, physical therapy, massage, chiropractic, reflexology.
- Mind-Body Medicine which uses a range of techniques to boost the mind's ability to influence bodily functions and symptoms such as biofeedback, deep relaxation, guided imagery, hypnotheraphy, prayer, yoga.
A recognized expert in the field of alternative medicine, Dr. Burton Goldberg has been called the Voice of Alternative Medicine. He has authored 18 widely acclaimed books, including the best seller Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. All 18 books have received 5-star reader ratings on Amazon.com. Dr. Goldberg has also produced two highly informative, information dense video documentaries about two of America's greatest health concerns: cancer and depression. Cancer Conquest focuses on the newest cancer treatments and technological advances with interviews of nationally recognized experts. Curing Depression, Anxiety & Panic Disorder explores the medical causes of depression and new alternative treatments.
If you need personal guidance, recommendations or experienced alternative suggestions for care and treatment, Burton Goldberg is available for personal phone consultations. Visit Dr. Goldberg's website to find out more.
1 Comments:
Hi.very good site.so what do your think about the following things:
Seven “ facts “about acupuncture .
Myth: Acupuncture is widely used in China
Truth: Acupuncture is not widely used in China
Acupuncture is not widely used in China as a part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) - TCM also being a phrase that originated in the 20th century (1954). Acupuncture declined in popularity once scientific medicine was introduced to China.” In 1995 the Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) went to China and found that around 15-20% of the population used TCM (not just acupuncture), and that those people used TCM in conjunction with scientific medicine: what we would term complementary medicine. This level of use is at the lower end of the scale compared to other countries with advanced healthcare systems and it falls well short of countries such as Germany, Canada, France and Australia where the use of alternative remedies is more than twice that of China. China's use of alternative remedies is actually lower than the UK population's - currently around 25%.
Myth:Acupuncture can stimulate the body’s own healing response and help restore its natural balance by “Qi”
Truth: There is no evidence for the existence of this universal energy(“Qi”)
There are no scientific instruments that can detect it. It seemingly can only be detected and adjusted by practitioners. It is not a falsifiable hypothesis (it can't be tested) and as such is meaningless.
Myth: Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese cure that has existed, unchanging, for centuries.
Truth: acupuncture was formalized in a complex way over the past 100 years, mostly in Europe and France and after the Communist takeover in China. Before that time there was no consistent formalization of acupuncture points or what each place was supposed to do. It was largely regional, and the thinking varied from city to city."
Myth:Acupuncture offers specific cures
Truth: Acupuncture doesn’t offer specific cure .
If it has the effect of, say, releasing endorphins through the application of needles, well, many things release endorphins -- a walk in the woods, a 5-mile run, a pinch on the butt."
Myth: Acupuncture can claim to have an effect many condition.
Truth: Acupuncture can only claim have an effect very few condition.
If there is one area that acupuncture can claim to have an effect it's in pain relief. Although most evidence supporting acupuncture can be dismissed as anecdotal, trials have been done where acupuncture does show a pain relieving effect above placebo. The effect is not large, of the same magnitude as taking Aspirin or Ibuprofen, but nonetheless it's there and cannot be ignored.That's not to say that there are not problems with such claims however. Pain is an entirely subjective experience; it cannot be directly measured and the severity felt depends to a large extent on the patient's state of mind; which can be influenced by the practitioner giving the treatment. This leads on to the problem of blinding procedures with acupuncture. The practitioner is always aware of whether he's giving real or sham acupuncture and which patients he's giving them to.The pain relief effect does seem to exist; however, it's not clear whether it's a real effect of acupuncture or a strong placebo effect that's induced in the patient by the elaborate procedure of an acupuncture treatment
Myth: Acupuncture is very safe:
Truth: Acupuncture is not inherently dangerous but being an invasive technique, it is not risk free.
Haematoma may result from the accidental puncture of a circulatory structure. Nerve injury can result from the accidental puncture of any nerve. Brain damage or stroke is possible with very deep needling at the base of skull. Also rare, but possible, is pneumothorax from deep needling into the lung, and kidney damage from deep needling in the lower back. Needles that are not properly sterilized can transfer diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. There is also the danger, common to all alternative therapies, of not seeking proper medical treatment because of an over reliance on alternatives. Acupuncturists are not doctors and will not have the capability of diagnosing a serious illness from its typical symptoms.
Myth: Acupuncture is more effective.
Truth: Acupuncture is not very effective.
The practise is based on untenable principles and the small amount of evidence there is to support its use in pain relief can also be called into question. Although there are claims that it has a mild pain relieving effect, it probably does so simply because it's an elaborate placebo. Whether the mild pain relieving properties are of acupuncture are real or not, most claims for the efficacy of acupuncture are grossly over-exaggerated. If there is a use for Acupuncture, it can only be in mild pain relief. The question then becomes a matter of whether the cost of acupuncture for this mild pain relief can be justified
(Content from internet,www.skeptics.org.uk ,etc)
Bristol Chinese Pain relief Acupuncture
www.backachetherapy.co.uk
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