Maria Rodale: 5 Ways To Boost Your Libido Naturally!

Posted on December 7, 2011 by bilrob

Maria Rodale: 5 Ways To Boost Your Libido Naturally!

by guest blogger Mark A. Moyad, MD, MPH, Director of Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center

Here are a few quick facts:

Only about 20 percent of women experience orgasm on a regular basis with their partner.

At least 30 percent of women have issues with sexual desire, arousal, or orgasm.

A low libido/desire is the most common complaint women have about their sex lives.

Low libido is a very common problem for women. But there are natural ways to give yours a boost. Here are some of the ones I know to work well:

1) Try a supplement. ArginMax, is a dietary supplement made from L-arginine, Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, damiana leaf, and various vitamins and minerals. There have been two placebo-controlled studies published (2001, 2006) showing that this combination helps to improve arousal, desire, orgasm, sexual frequency, and clitoral sensation in women. The latest clinical study showed a benefit within four weeks. And this supplement does not appear to have estrogenic enhancement properties, which means that you don’t have to worry about it messing with your hormones. Interestingly, a recent randomized trial utilizing 3 grams of Panax ginseng daily and no other ingredients compared to placebo found a significant improvement in arousal for postmenopausal women and further clinical trials in premenopausal women are being conducted right now. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.

2) Use warming massage oil. An over-the-counter massage oil for women known as Zestra has some clinical results to suggest that it increases sensitivity and warmth, and may improve female desire, arousal, and overall sexual pleasure when applied to the clitoris, labia, and vaginal opening. Zestra is a blend of borage seed oil, evening primrose oil, angelica root extract, and coleus extract. Interestingly, borage and evening primrose oil contain large amounts of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid), which theoretically can get metabolized to prostaglandin, a compound that could increase blood flow and enhance nerve communication. A few participants in the trials experienced mild genital burning that lasted 5 to 30 minutes, so you might want to test it out on a small area before you go spreading it around.

3) Lube. I’m surprised that more experts aren’t telling women about the benefits of lubricants! Especially since pain is often cited as a reason why women are less sexually active than they might otherwise be. And chaffing is something that happens to even the most naturally lubricated women. Choose a water-based lube for a quick romp and silicone for longer encounters. And be aware that oil-based lubricants such as petroleum jelly, olive oil, clear mineral oil, coconut butter, and vitamin E should not be used with condoms because they can cause them to break. Silicone lubricants are not absorbed well by the skin, and stay fluid longer, but must be cleaned off with soap and water. (But be careful when using these in the shower because they make everything slippery!)

4) Make lifestyle changes. By far, the best and cheapest option! Recent groundbreaking research from Italy demonstrated that lifestyle changes can improve overall sexual satisfaction and even prevent sexual dysfunction in women, including loss of desire, libido, arousal, inability to orgasm, pain, and dryness. The results of the study suggest that you should try to:

Exercise at least every other day for 30 minutes or more, and break a sweat so that over time your resting heart rate decreases.
Reduce the overall calories in your diet by 100 to 200 calories a day. (Get rid of that cookie or trade that latte, perhaps?)
Increase your intake of fatty, omega-3-rich fish to 2 servings a week
Increase your intake of monounsaturated fat and omega-3s from plant sources like flaxseed, chia seed, and heart-healthy cooking oils such as canola, olive, and safflower.
Increase your intake of high-quality protein from lean grass-fed beef, fish, or eggs, or from protein powders such as those made with whey, egg white, or, if you are a strict vegetarian from soy, pea, or brown rice powders.
Consume 20 to 30 grams of quality fiber every day. Some great sources are beans, peas, and lentils. Berries, nuts, and whole grains are also good.

5) Talk to your doctor. The female sexual response is a complex dance between your neurovascular, hormonal, and psychological pathways. Which is why there are no Viagra pills for women: Just increasing blood flow to the clitoris or vagina with a drug doesn’t usually work. Sometimes, in order to really improve sexual desire, you need to address the physical, mental, and even emotional aspects of sexual health. So make sure you have a conversation with your trusted doctor about any part of your sexual life that is not satisfying you. You might be surprised at the help he or she can offer.

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Acupuncture offers an alternative, gentle form of medicine

Posted on December 7, 2011 by bilrob

Acupuncture offers an alternative, gentle form of medicine

The room is darkened, and flute music plays softly. Then I barely feel the first stick.

Acupuncture needles are very tiny, just the thickness of a few hairs — not at all the vast implement some people think of when they envision acupuncture.

By the third stick, I feel an overwhelming desire to close my eyes. A fourth stick, and I am left alone — just me, the needles and the low hum of Southland Drive traffic outside. Fifteen minutes later, my eyes open and the perpetual knot between my shoulders has untangled.

Before this very minor acupuncture experience, Kathleen Fluhart read the pulses corresponding to various organs and body systems on each arm. She read the pulses before and after the treatment by gently pressing various points around the wrist and lower arm.

For those undergoing a full acupuncture treatment, the experience might involve several treatments with the one-use, variable-size needles — one size for digestive problems, say, one for pain and one “seasonal” treatment, which is a sort of tune-up for all body systems that Fluhart recommends that patients receive five times a year.

“It’s a really gentle form of medicine, even though there’s needles,” said Fluhart, a nurse who first became interested in acupuncture after hearing about it in the 1970s. “It just made sense,” she said.

Elizabeth Armstrong practiced conventional medicine for 17 years before leaving internal medicine to practice acupuncture full-time in downtown Lexington.

For her, the irony was that the first formal exposure she had to acupuncture came when she took a class as a lark. Soon, she was not only convinced of acupuncture’s efficacy but eager to share it.

In her Dudley Square office, Armstrong runs two acupuncture rooms. She also does specialized skull acupuncture, which she said is useful for recovery from neurological-related conditions such as brain injury.

“It’s not a cure-all, but it is so amazing for certain things,” Montgomery said of the acupuncture process. “It’s amazing for sinus and allergy stuff.”

Other conditions that Armstrong said can be helped by acupuncture treatment include fatigue from chemotherapy and radiation treatments, tendinitis and plantar fasciitis.

There are at least 362 places on the body where an acupuncturist can insert a needle to balance the flow of xi, or body energy, which in Chinese medicine flows in meridians throughout the body.

Top-flight cancer treatment centers, including Houston’s University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Boston’s Dana Farber Institute, now offer acupuncture to cancer patients. Anderson cites acupuncture’s help in managing common side effects of cancer treatment, including nausea, vomiting, pain, neuropathy, dry mouth, bowel and digestion problems, hot flashes and fatigue.

Many insurance plans do not pay for integrative treatments such as massage and acupuncture, but Armstrong said the University of Kentucky’s HMO pays for her services with a patient co-pay, which gives her a strong patient base to mix with those who pay by the visit.

Acupuncture points are quite precise, Fluhart said. A patient who complains of waking during the night will be asked to specify what time he or she awakens, because “each meridian has a two-hour time.”

Many who have never had acupuncture think of the treatment as a remedy solely for pain, Fluhart said, but she treats health problems as diverse as fertility problems and allergies.

At Fluhart’s practice, Artemesia Community Acupuncture, a patient’s first visit is two hours. The first hour is dedicated to getting to know the patient’s health history and their personal history — including family and pets. The second hour is treatment.

“That’s when you really bond with somebody,” Fluhart said.

At Armstrong’s practice, 60 to 90 minutes are allotted for new patients.

Acupuncture is widely recognized as effective and seems somewhat intuitive, but its practitioners undergo rigorous training. Fluhart studied for three years at a school in Gainesville, Fla., to qualify.

For a swollen knee, she said, she puts needles in the opposite elbow, then she adjusts them until the patient feels relief.

Juggling a busy schedule and waiting for her first patient on the Monday after Thanksgiving, Armstrong said: “I don’t miss internal medicine one bit.”

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Chinese medicine could double the chances of childless couples conceiving

Posted on November 26, 2011 by bilrob

Chinese medicine could double the chances of childless couples conceiving

By
Jenny Hope

Last updated at 4:21 PM on 25th November 2011

Couples with fertility problems are twice as likely to get pregnant using traditional Chinese medicine as western drugs, say researchers.

They found a two-fold improvement in pregnancy rates over just four months of treatment from practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.

At least six million Britons have consulted a Western or traditional Chinese herbal practitioner in the last two years, according to Ipsos Mori research.

Couples with fertility problems are twice as likely to get pregnant using traditional Chinese medicine as western drugs scientists have discovered

Previous research suggests acupuncture may help some childless couples to conceive.

The latest study from researchers at Adelaide University, Australia, reviewed eight clinical trials, 13 other studies and case reports comparing the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with western drugs or IVF treatment.

The review funded by the Australian government included 1,851 women with infertility problems, says a report in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine.

Review of the clinical trials alone found a 3.5 rise in pregnancies over a four-month period among women using TCM compared with western medicine.

Other data covering 616 women within the review showed 50 per cent of women having TCM got pregnant compared with 30 per cent of those receiving IVF treatment.

TCM is far less expensive than IVF treatment and less stressful

The overall analysis concluded there was a two-fold increase in the likelihood of getting pregnant in a four-month period for women using TCM compared with orthodox approaches.

The study’s authors said ‘Our meta-analysis suggests traditional Chinese herbal medicine to be more effective in the treatment of female infertility – achieving on average a 60 per cent pregnancy rate over four months compared with 30 per cent achieved with standard western drug treatment.’

The study said the difference appeared to be due to the careful analysis of the menstrual cycle – the period when it is possible for a woman to conceive – by TCM practitioners.

It said ‘Assessment of the quality of the menstrual cycle integral to TCM diagnosis appears to be fundamental to the successful treatment of female infertility.’

Dr Karin Ried (correct) of the university’s school of population health and clinical practice, who led the study, said infertility affects one in six couples and even after investigations 20 per cent of infertility remains ‘unexplained’.

She said TCM recognises many more ‘menstrual disturbances’ than conventional medicine, is far less expensive than IVF treatment and less stressful.

She said ‘Infertility issues can be treated with the integration of TCM and contemporary medicine to minimise the financial and emotional strain on people.’

Geeta Nargund, medical director of Create fertility clinic in London’s Harley Street, who uses a kinder form of IVF called in-vitro maturation or IVM which spares the woman exposure to drug hormones, said the study findings should be treated with caution.

She said ‘We should be doing everything we can to use the least invasive methods to help patients get pregnant, if they don’t work then we can move on to drugs and more invasive approaches.

‘What we desperately need is detailed research into these alternative approaches that monitors what is happening to the body’s hormone systems and ovaries so we can see what difference they are making.

‘But we should not lose sight of the fact that Chinese herbs are potent medicines. They are regarded as natural but they have powerful effects on the body which can include a syndrome that mimics the over-stimulation we sometimes see from western IVF drugs.

‘There are potential risks from using herbs and people should be aware of that’ she added.

</a?

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@toolate – what does this have to do with Chinese medicine? Are you insinuating that all Chinese individuals are cruel to animals or do not believe in the humane treatment of them? And do you believe that Chinese medicine is the mainstream form of medical treatment there or something? Because you might be pleased to know that qualified doctors within China use big pharma just as any other MEDC does … ‘Chinese medicine’ is just as much a herbal alternative there as it is here. I’m a vegetarian myself and love animals to death, but this seems like a very irrelevant contribution to an article that has nothing to do with your topic. Do you come out with facts about how many slaves are still owned in London TODAY or some other negative statistic whenever you read something where our country is mentioned?

- princesscookie, UK, 26/11/2011 02:26

Many of Big Pharma’s “wonder drugs” are synthesised copies of naturally occurring substances. The only differences are: BP slap a patent on them, charge the maximum price they can get and pull the strings of their puppets in the WHO to ban the natural products.

- John S, Bromley, 26/11/2011 01:46

Isn’t the planet over populated with humans already? If not, it soon will be at the exponential reproduction rate we have!

- Richard, Reading, 26/11/2011 01:44

I wonder what other animals will suffer in the progression of chinese medicine!!!

- Rio, Middlesbrough, 25/11/2011 23:02

There have been studies also showing that chinese medicine can cause kidney failure and cancer. DM even ran an article in May 2010. Would be very cautious about advising women who are desperate to conceive, without no detailed research.The side effects could be teratogenic on or for the future of the baby. Please think about the evidence before thinking about going ahead taking any kind of medicine without a qualified person prescribing it.

- Raindrops, Wales, 25/11/2011 22:41

- toolate, london, 25/11/2011 22:05

Before accusing the Chinese for animal extinctions, we should perhaps look for wild animals on our island? There’s really not many wild animals left here! Make sure you know our history before accusing others to avoid appearing ignorant.
- Spencer, London, 25/11/201
Fur farms in China…..the animals are skinned alive then thrown on a heap, hearts still beating five to ten minutes after skinning!
Dozens of bears, kept alive only for their bile, trapped in cages so small they couldn’t move, their bellies spiked with crude, dirty, often- infected devices to allow the farmers to “milk” their bile twice a day and sell the fluid secreted by the liver as medicine. In circuses lions jump through hoops of fire, because they know that if they don’t, they’ll be subjected to even more pain and fear
Elephants are prodded with electric shocks to train them to contort themselves in bizarre ways that some humans seem to find amusing……………on and on it goes…..horrific cruelty,

- toolate, london, 25/11/2011 22:03

At the end of the day, the result speaks for itself. May I ask which country has the highest population? LOL

- Independent, Boston, MA, 25/11/2011 21:01

The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine welcomes this research as it backs up widespread clinical experience showing that Chinese medicine is very effective at treating infertility in women. Members of the public who are interested in Chinese medicine fertility treatment are urged to only seek treatment from a practitioner who is registered with a reputable professional organisation, such as the RCHM, as there is currently no statutory regulation of herbal practitioners.

- Emma Farrant, Norwich, Norfolk, 25/11/2011 20:53

- Spencer, London, 25/11/2011 20:18

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

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Chinese Medicine Driving Rhinos to Extinction

Posted on November 21, 2011 by bilrob

Chinese Medicine Driving Rhinos to Extinction

Biologists and game park officials in South Africa say that rhinos are being slaughtered at the rate of one each day, and that most of these animals are killed to feed a demand for traditional Chinese medicine and cures.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, more than 340 rhinos have been killed so far this year in South Africa, and the problem is getting worse. Last week, the International Union for Conservation of Nature issued a report on endangered species, concluding that the western black rhino is now officially extinct. Two other species, the black and white rhinos, are also seriously endangered and could be gone from the wild within a few years.

The rhinos are being poached to extinction largely for their horns, which are sometimes sold as trophies or decorations, but more often are ground up and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Sometimes the powder is added to food, or brewed in a tea, as some people believe that African rhino horns are a powerful aphrodisiac and panacea. These animals are not being killed for meat or to control their population, but because of misinformation and superstition.

It’s not just rhinos that face this threat. Throughout Asia, the penises, claws and bones of various animals — including tigers, rhinos, and bears — are sold in folk medicine shops to cure everything from arthritis to asthma, impotence to cancer. Some people believe that tiger bones and claws can cure a variety of maladies, including back pain, arthritis and fatigue.

In July, officials along the border between Russia and China intercepted a truck carrying more than 1,000 bear claws and 26 elk lips — weighing 143 pounds in total — that were destined for medicine shops across Asia. The bears and elk were most likely left to bleed to death after their paws and lips were sliced off by the poachers.

Shark populations have also declined dramatically in recent years, due in part to the demand for shark fins, eaten as a delicacy and used in Chinese medicine. The live, but finless, sharks are often thrown back into the ocean to die.

There is no scientific evidence that any of these animal body parts treat or cure any disease or medical problem, but old beliefs die hard. The threat to Earth’s biodiversity doesn’t just come from pollution and human demand for food, and the extinction of the rhino reveals a dark side to belief in alternative medicines.

This story was provided by Life’s Little Mysteries, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow Life’s Little Mysteries on Twitter @llmysteries, then join us on Facebook.

Benjamin Radford is deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and author of Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries. His website is www.BenjaminRadford.com.

Up and Away! Photos of Endangered Rhinos in Flight
10 Species Humans Will Soon Kill Off
Why Do We Have Sex?

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Acupuncture - Professional Development Resources Announces New Continuing Education Course o

Posted on November 20, 2011 by bilrob

Acupuncture – Professional Development Resources Announces New Continuing Education Course

Professional Development Resources, a nationally accredited provider of continuing education (CE) to psychologists, social workers, counselors, speech-language pathologists, registered dietitians and occupational therapists, has announced the expansion of its complementary and alternative medicine curriculum with the addition of a new course on acupuncture.

Jacksonville, Florida (PRWEB) November 16, 2011

Professional Development Resources has just released a new online CE course called “Acupuncture – an Introduction.” The course represents the latest addition to the company’s complementary and alternative medicine curriculum, which currently features topics such as mindfulness meditation, yoga as medicine, self-healing through breathing exercises, and the use of herbal medicines. These courses are intended to introduce health professionals to the healing power of traditional approaches to health and wellness.

Acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in the world. As part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture aims to restore and maintain health through the stimulation of specific points on the body. In the United States, where practitioners incorporate healing traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries, acupuncture is considered part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The new course provides an overview of acupuncture as presented by two fact sheets from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and includes a number of video clips illustrating its use.

“An important part of the service we offer health professionals is expanding their awareness of the types of treatments that are offered by practitioners who represent traditional approaches to healing,” says Leo Christie, PhD, CEO of Professional Development Resources. “Why do we need to be aware of such practices? According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which included a comprehensive survey of CAM use by Americans, an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults and 150,000 children had used acupuncture in the previous year. Between the 2002 and 2007 NHIS, acupuncture use among adults increased by approximately 1 million people. This means that many of the patients we see are using alternative remedies, and we need to be conversant in such practices.”

Is it safe? Relatively few complications from the use of acupuncture have been reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has responsibility for regulating acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners. Still, complications have resulted from inadequate sterilization of needles and from improper delivery of treatments. Individuals should be careful to select a qualified practitioner and carefully check credentials before engaging acupuncture services.

Does it work? Acupuncture has been studied for a wide range of pain conditions, such as postoperative dental pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, headache, low-back pain, menstrual cramps, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, and tennis elbow. According to NCCAM, it can be very difficult to compare acupuncture research results from study to study and to draw conclusions from the cumulative body of evidence. This is because studies may use different acupuncture techniques (e.g., electrical vs. manual), controls (comparison groups), and outcome measures. Nevertheless, more and more studies are being published, and the results are summarized in this new CE course.

Among the CAM courses offered by Professional Development Resources are these:

Acupuncture – An Introduction (1 hours CE),
Yoga as Medicine: the Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing (8 hours CE),
Alternative Therapies: Herbs I (What Every Clinician Should Know) (1 hour CE), and
Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing (2 hours CE).

About Professional Development Resources, Inc.

Professional Development Resources is a Florida nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1992 by licensed marriage and family therapist Leo Christie, PhD. The company, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) – as well as many other national and state boards – has focused its efforts on making continuing education courses more cost-effective and widely accessible to health professionals by offering online home study coursework. Its current expanded curriculum includes a wide variety of clinical topics intended to equip health professionals to offer state-of-the art services to their clients.

Contact:

Leo Christie, PhD, CEO

Professional Development Resources, Inc.

904-645-3456

http://www.pdresources.org/

###

Leo Christie, PhD
Professional Development Resources
(904) 645-3456
Email Information

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Hospitals Offer Alternative Treatments: Acupuncture, Yes; Ginkgo, No

Posted on November 19, 2011 by bilrob

Quite a few hospitals are getting in on the acupuncture act.

Hospitals Offer Alternative Treatments: Acupuncture, Yes; Ginkgo, No

iStockphoto.com

Quite a few hospitals are getting in on the acupuncture act.

Hospitals are going alternative. Forty-two percent now offer at least one type of complementary or alternative medicine treatment, according to a recent survey by the American Hospital Association and the Samueli Institute, a nonprofit research organization that focuses on these treatments.

What hospitals choose to offer runs the gamut, from well-known therapies such as acupuncture to less familiar treatments like reiki, in which practitioners channel a patient’s energy by placing their hands on or just above specific locations on the body.

Patient demand is the top reason hospitals offer complementary and alternative therapies, cited by 85 percent. Clinical effectiveness? That comes in second, at 70 percent.

Though eager to please, hospitals are generally only willing to go so far. They typically draw the line at herbal or nutritional supplements. Eighty-two percent of hospitals said they don’t sell herbs in their hospital pharmacies, and 55 percent don’t sell nutritional supplements. Two-thirds said they have policies regarding using such products during a hospital stay.

There’s a big difference between guided imagery and ginkgo supplements, say experts. While patients are unlikely to be harmed by the mostly noninvasive therapies hospitals have adopted so far, herbs and supplements may pose a greater threat.

An extract made from the seeds and leaves of the Ginkgo biloba tree, for example, is taken by some people to improve memory and fight dementia, despite mostly inconclusive study results.

The herb does, however, increase the risk of bleeding, and patients should discontinue its use 36 hours prior to surgery. “Many herbal remedies create herb/drug interactions,” says Barrie Cassileth, chief of the integrative medicine service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, which maintains a website with information on 250 herbs and supplements. “Many of them are not standardized, and frequently they are dirty, contaminated and unproven,” she says.

That hasn’t seemed to bother Americans, who spent $14.8 billion on such products in 2007, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. That’s an amount equal to one-third of their total out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs. All too often, however, patients don’t offer up details to their doctors about what natural remedies they’re taking on their own.

These days, hospitals generally ask about such use, but if they don’t: Tell them. You could save yourself and the hospital a lot of trouble.

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Alternative medicine remains an ethics-free zone | Edzard Ernst

Posted on November 16, 2011 by bilrob

Alternative medicine remains an ethics-free zone | Edzard Ernst

Many people think medical ethics is a dry and boring subject mainly for the ivory towers of academia. Nothing could be further from the truth. One of the foremost aims of medical ethics is to make sure that people receive treatments that demonstrably do more good than harm, so it directly relates to the health and wellbeing of all of us.

In conventional medicine, numerous safeguards are in place to make sure doctors adhere to generally accepted ethical standards. In alternative medicine, however, medical ethics has largely remained a blind spot.

Therapeutic decisions of any kind should normally be taken after a healthcare professional has provided evidence-based advice to a patient. In alternative medicine, by contrast, consumers often make up their own minds whether to try this or that treatment; advice is not mandatory but information is abundantly available.

In order to ensure the consumers’ choice generates more good than harm, the publicly available information on alternative medicine would need to be reliable. We all know that this is not the case and that insisting on 100% reliability in a free market would be Utopian. Who, for instance, could even begin to vet the 50m or so websites that supply consumers with information on alternative treatments? But at the very least, information provided by healthcare professionals should not endanger the consumer.

The undeniable fact, however, is that the information supplied by practitioners of alternative medicine is often incomplete, wrong or dangerously misleading to the point of seriously endangering public health and thus violating medical ethics.

Here are two examples to back up this bold statement. The first relates to UK chiropractors who frequently fail to obtain informed consent before treating their patients. Yet, without it, informed decisions are impossible. Crucially, the lack of informed consent is a clear violation of every ethical code ever written.

My second example relates to those UK homeopaths (and chiropractors) who advise a mother not to vaccinate her child. This not only endangers the health of that particular child, but could bring back infectious diseases on a large scale.

Alternative clinicians are not the only ones who behave unethically. Pharmacists who sell homeopathic remedies or Bach Flower Remedies without making it clear that they contain not a single molecule of active ingredient also violate their own ethical code. In fact, all healthcare professionals who administer, prescribe or promote disproven treatments break fundamental rules of medical ethics.

What could be worse than individual healthcare professionals behaving unethically? Their professional organisations doing the same. Most chiropractic organisations worldwide make therapeutic claims that are not supported by evidence.

Similarly, the Society of Homeopaths claims on its website that, for a wide range of serious conditions, the evidence for homeopathy is convincing. One of them is a potentially serious condition that can occur after surgery, called post-operative ileus. Ironically, they base this particular claim on an article published by my team. What they fail to mention is that our article concluded that “several caveats preclude a definitive judgement”.

And what could be worse than national organisations violating medical ethics? International organisations doing the same. Some years ago, a report from the World Health Organisation claimed that acupuncture is a “proven therapy” for a range of serious and treatable conditions including, for instance, stroke. Yet the evidence shows the opposite: a Cochrane review concluded “Currently there is no clear evidence on the effects of acupuncture on subacute or chronic stroke.

A report from a well-respected organisation such as the WHO is read around the world. In my view, this is therefore unethical on a global scale.

So medical ethics is anything but boring. The level of misinformation about alternative medicine has now reached the point where it has become dangerous and unethical. So far, alternative medicine has remained an ethics-free zone. It is time to change this.

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Fingers pointed at parents as boy on alternative medicine dies

Posted on October 26, 2011 by bilrob

Fingers pointed at parents as boy on alternative medicine dies

A couple who treated their sick four-year-old son with alternative medicine are being investigated for manslaughter, Italian police have said.

Luca Monsellato was taken to hospital with a high fever and cold symptoms but failed to respond to emergency medical treatment and died.

His parents, Marcello and Giovanna Pantaleo, told doctors they had been treating his apparent three-week cold with fennel tea – a popular alternative medicine homeopathic remedy for coughs – in an attempt to keep his fever under control. They eventually took him to hospital when his condition worsened.

Staff at the hospital described Luca as looking “pale, thin and breathless”.

Mr Monsellato, 52, of the southern Italian town of Tricase, close to Lecce, has been a doctor of alternative medicine for more than 20 years. He is honorary president of Italy’s Homeopathic Sinergy Association and an expert on acupuncture.

He told staff at the hospital how his son had been suffering from the effects of a cold for three weeks and they had given him fennel tea instead of other medical treatment.

Alberto Santacatterina, the local prosecutor, said: “A manslaughter investigation has been opened against the parents of Luca. We are looking into the events that surrounded his death and whether they were responsible by not giving him proper medical treatment when he was ill, as oppose to alternative medicine.”

A post-mortem examination on Sunday ruled that Luca died from natural causes, but police said they were still investigating his parents’ actions.

The couple, who have been bailed, have denied any wrongdoing through their lawyer, Alfredo Cardigliano, who said the family were thinking of bringing negligent charges against doctors at the hospital for not looking after their son properly.

On Sunday a message on the website of the Homeopathic Sinergy Association said: “We are united in our condolences to honorary president Dr Marcello Monsellato and his family for the loss of little Luca.

“We fully support Dr Monsellato who in 30 years of practice has worked with love and professionalism with thousands of patients who have turned to him for help in dealing with the difficulties of their illnesses.”

Homeopathy is popular in Italy, with more than 5000 homeopathic doctors treating three million people a year but it has no legal entity and there is no formal register of those who practice it.

The Daily Telegraph , London

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Alternative medicine helps pets

Posted on October 26, 2011 by bilrob

Alternative medicine helps pets

PINE VILLAGE, Ind. (WLFI) – From acupuncture to aromatherapy, many people are finding pain relief from non-traditional medicine. Now some pets are too. Pine Village vet Cathy Alinovi said alternative treatments like acupuncture and adjustments for pets can help their quality of life and your pocketbook.

Henry is never late for his appointment with Pine Village vet Cathy Alinovi . He has a session of acupuncture followed by a back adjustment every two weeks. His owner, Charles Abbott, said he can immediately see a difference in his 14-year-old friend.

“He acts a lot younger after he gets acupuncture and adjusted. He will run and do a lot of stuff he couldn’t do,” explained Abbott.

The alternative therapies allowed Abbott to take Henry off all of his heart medications.

“It’s better for him because he is not taking a bunch of medication that will mess with his liver and lungs because the stuff he was on was not good for him,” said Abbott.

Dr. Cathy Alinovi said she began offering alternative therapies as another way to serve her patients.

“People bring me things and I can’t fix them. Traditional Western medicine is really good. It gets so far, but then somebody brings some thing and I can’t fix it,” she explained.

She offers alternative services including acupuncture, chiropractics, aromatherapy and massage for pets. She believes the alternative therapies is why her practice is thriving despite a recession.

“Alternative therapy is why my business has grown as the economy has gone down. Most of my colleagues across the U.S. have either lost business or stayed the same and I’ve grown every year,” said Alinovi.

She also believes holistic treatments can be good for pet owner’s pocketbooks too.

“To go for a cruciate ligament surgery in our part of the country is about $3,000. Then you compare that to the $42 chiropractic adjustment that we try to have every four to six weeks. It’s definitely a lot more cost effective,” said Alinovi.

Abbott doesn’t mind the cost. He just wants to make sure his friend Henry’s golden years are pain-free quality ones.

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Alternative medicine with Bill & Sheila

What you need to know when deciding whether herbal remedies will work for you

Posted on October 25, 2011 by bilrob

What you need to know when deciding whether herbal remedies will work for you

The Irish Times – Tuesday, October 25, 2011

DÓNAL O’MATHÚNA

DOES IT WORK? BACKGROUND For the past three and a half years, the evidence for different herbs and supplements has been examined here. This will be the last of this series, although a book of the columns will be published mid-2012 by Glasnevin Publishing. In this final column, I’d like to leave you with some general guidance about herbal remedies.

People have been using herbal remedies for thousands of years, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they are all useful. Some are effective for specific conditions, others are poisonous, and still others will do little more than waste your money. For example, St John’s wort has good evidence to support its effectiveness for mild depression, while Aristolochia species have caused the deaths of hundreds of people. Meanwhile, new herbs appear on the market all the time with little or no evidence to guide people.

The complexity here is reflected in the number of products available. One report in the US a few years ago found that 1,400 different species of herbs were available in more than 30,000 different products.

Many products contain several herbs. A market analysis published earlier in 2011 found that multi-herb products dominate this market and are predicted to “race ahead” of single-herb remedies. This makes it even more difficult to determine if a product works or is good value for money. Products may contain several herbs with similar

reputations, but it becomes difficult to know if enough of any of them is present in these mixtures to have an effect. The potential for interactions, both good and bad, also arises.

For this reason, products with a single herb offer the best chance of getting a clearer understanding of their evidence. Uncovering that evidence can then be a challenge. As with many topics, the internet provides much information – some of it good, and some of it bad.

Discernment is vital when searching the internet, especially for health information. Be critical. If a website recommends a herb and is also selling it (as three-quarters of the sites are), be wary. If a website claims a herbal remedy will cure everything, surf away. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.

To help when searching the web for health information, various accreditations are available. Websites agree to abide by a code of conduct and in return can display a certification logo. One is the Health On the Net (HON) Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation based in Switzerland. In general, websites with such logos should be trustworthy (but check out what the logo really means).

The best type of evidence for the effectiveness and safety of herbs, supplements or medicines are controlled clinical trials. These are increasingly available for herbal remedies and published in peer-reviewed journals. However, these are not written for popular consumption, and often provide so much detail that even busy professionals don’t have time to examine them. For this reason, systematic reviews are conducted to summarise the available research. These are designed to remove as much bias as possible from the conclusions.

One of the best sources of systematic reviews is the Cochrane Library, available at TheCochrane Library.com. This is produced by independent professionals and available both in great detail and in plain language summaries. Reviews of several dozen herbs are available, and more are added each month.

PROBLEMATIC ASPECTS

The impression is often given that natural is safe. Hemlock, the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) and deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), should be enough to remind us that nature can be dangerous. Consuming enough capsaicin from chilli peppers will kill you. Many herbs have adverse effects, and unfortunately some herbal remedies (especially those bought over the internet) can be impure. Batches of “herbal viagra” in particular have been found to be contaminated with pharmaceuticals.

Herbal remedies can be a way to avoid expensive medicines. For short-term conditions, these may be an option. But for serious conditions, or if symptoms persist, it is important not to avoid medical attention. Self-diagnosis has its limitations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Although thousands of herbs are used, only a few dozen have received extensive research. Many have not been studied in controlled trials and trying them is, at best, guesswork. For others, a few studies may be available.

Be wary of general claims about products being “scientifically proven” unless specific references are given to that evidence. Also, ask your doctor or pharmacist about herbs or supplements you are using or considering. They should have access to the growing number of professional databases addressing herbal remedies (such as NaturalDatabase.com). It is also important that they know about all the herbs, supplements and medicines you are taking as some of them can interact with one another.

If a herb works, it does so because it contains chemicals that affect our bodies. In that way, they are naturally occurring drugs that should be taken with due caution.

Dónal O’Mathúna has a PhD in pharmacy, researching herbal remedies, and an MA in bioethics, and is a senior lecturer in the School of Nursing Human Sciences, DCU. His
Irish Times columns will be published mid-2012 by Glasnevin Publishing.

Series concluded

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