Alternative medicine – Wikipedia

Form of non-scientific healing

Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), integrated medicine or integrative medicine (IM), and holistic medicine are among the various attempts to capture the combination of alternative practices with those of mainstream medicine. Alternative therapies share in common that they reside outside of medical science and instead rely on pseudoscience. Traditional practices become "alternative" when used outside their original settings and without proper scientific explanation and evidence. Frequently used derogatory terms for relevant practices are new age or pseudo- medicine, with little distinction from quackery.

Some alternative practices are based on theories that contradict the established science of how the human body works; others resort to the supernatural or superstitious to explain their effect or lack thereof. In others, the practice has plausibility but lacks a positive risk-benefit outcome probability. Alternative medicine is distinct from scientific medicine, which employs the scientific method to test plausible therapies by way of responsible and ethical clinical trials, producing repeatable evidence of either effect or of no effect. Research into alternative therapies often fails to follow proper research protocols (such as placebo-controlled trials, blind experiments and calculation of prior probability), providing invalid results.

Much of the perceived effect of an alternative practice arises from a belief that it will be effective (the placebo effect), or from the treated condition resolving on its own (the natural course of disease). This is further exacerbated by the tendency to turn to alternative therapies upon the failure of medicine, at which point the condition will be at its worst and most likely to spontaneously improve. In the absence of this bias, especially for diseases that are not expected to get better by themselves such as cancer or HIV infection, multiple studies have shown significantly worse outcomes if patients turn to alternative therapies. While this may be because these patients avoid effective treatment, some alternative therapies are actively harmful (e.g. cyanide poisoning from amygdalin, or the intentional ingestion of hydrogen peroxide) or actively interfere with effective treatments.

The alternative sector is a highly profitable industry with a strong lobby, and faces far less regulation over the use and marketing of unproven treatments. Its marketing often advertises the treatments as being "natural" or "holistic", in comparison to those offered by medical science. Billions of dollars have been spent studying alternative medicine, with few or no positive results. Some of the successful practices are only considered alternative under very specific definitions, such as those which include all physical activity under the umbrella of "alternative medicine".

The terms alternative medicine, complementary medicine, integrative medicine, holistic medicine, natural medicine, unorthodox medicine, fringe medicine, unconventional medicine, and new age medicine are used interchangeably as having the same meaning and are almost synonymous in most contexts.[1][2][3][4] Terminology has shifted over time, reflecting the preferred branding of practitioners.[5] For example, the United States National Institutes of Health department studying alternative medicine, currently named the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), was established as the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) and was renamed the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) before obtaining its current name. Therapies are often framed as "natural" or "holistic", implicitly and intentionally suggesting that conventional medicine is "artificial" and "narrow in scope".[6][7]

The meaning of the term "alternative" in the expression "alternative medicine", is not that it is an effective alternative to medical science, although some alternative medicine promoters may use the loose terminology to give the appearance of effectiveness.[9][10] Loose terminology may also be used to suggest meaning that a dichotomy exists when it does not, e.g., the use of the expressions "Western medicine" and "Eastern medicine" to suggest that the difference is a cultural difference between the Asiatic east and the European west, rather than that the difference is between evidence-based medicine and treatments that do not work.[9]

Alternative medicine is defined loosely as a set of products, practices, and theories that are believed or perceived by their users to have the healing effects of medicine,[n 1][n 2] but whose effectiveness has not been established using scientific methods,[n 1][n 3][13][14][15][9] or whose theory and practice is not part of biomedicine,[n 2][n 4][n 5][n 6] or whose theories or practices are directly contradicted by scientific evidence or scientific principles used in biomedicine.[9][13][19] "Biomedicine" or "medicine" is that part of medical science that applies principles of biology, physiology, molecular biology, biophysics, and other natural sciences to clinical practice, using scientific methods to establish the effectiveness of that practice. Unlike medicine,[n 4] an alternative product or practice does not originate from using scientific methods, but may instead be based on hearsay, religion, tradition, superstition, belief in supernatural energies, pseudoscience, errors in reasoning, propaganda, fraud, or other unscientific sources.[n 3][9][11][13][19]

Some other definitions seek to specify alternative medicine in terms of its social and political marginality to mainstream healthcare.[20] This can refer to the lack of support that alternative therapies receive from medical scientists regarding access to research funding, sympathetic coverage in the medical press, or inclusion in the standard medical curriculum.[20] For example, a widely used definition devised by the US NCCIH calls it "a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine".[22] However, these descriptive definitions are inadequate in the present-day when some conventional doctors offer alternative medical treatments and introductory courses or modules can be offered as part of standard undergraduate medical training;[23] alternative medicine is taught in more than half of US medical schools and US health insurers are increasingly willing to provide reimbursement for alternative therapies.

Complementary medicine (CM) or integrative medicine (IM) is when alternative medicine is used together with mainstream functional medical treatment in a belief that it improves the effect of treatments.[n 7][11][26][27][28] For example, acupuncture (piercing the body with needles to influence the flow of a supernatural energy) might be believed to increase the effectiveness or "complement" science-based medicine when used at the same time.[29][30][31] Instead, significant drug interactions caused by alternative therapies may make treatments less effective, notably in cancer therapy.[32][33][34] Besides the usual issues with alternative medicine, integrative medicine has been described as an attempt to bring pseudoscience into academic science-based medicine,[35] leading to the pejorative term "quackademic medicine". Due to its many names, the field has been criticized for intense rebranding of what are essentially the same practices.[1]

CAM is an abbreviation of the phrase complementary and alternative medicine.[36][37][38] The 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine states that the terms complementary and alternative medicine "refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country's own traditional or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health care system. They are used interchangeably with traditional medicine in some countries."[39]

The Integrative Medicine Exam by the American Board of Physician Specialties[40] includes the following subjects: Manual Therapies, Biofield Therapies, Acupuncture, Movement Therapies, Expressive Arts, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Indigenous Medical Systems, Homeopathic Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Chiropractic, and Functional Medicine.[40]

Traditional medicine refers to the pre-scientific practices of a certain culture, in contrast to what is typically practiced in cultures where medical science dominates.[citation needed] The 2019 WHO report defines traditional medicine as "the sum total of the knowledge, skill and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness."[39]

Holistic medicine is another rebranding of alternative medicine. In this case, the words balance and holism are often used alongside complementary or integrative, claiming to take into account a "whole" person, in contrast to the supposed reductionism of medicine.[41][42]

Prominent members of the science[43][44] and biomedical science community[8] say that it is not meaningful to define an alternative medicine that is separate from a conventional medicine because the expressions "conventional medicine", "alternative medicine", "complementary medicine", "integrative medicine", and "holistic medicine" do not refer to any medicine at all.[8][43][44][45] Others say that alternative medicine cannot be precisely defined because of the diversity of theories and practices it includes, and because the boundaries between alternative and conventional medicine overlap, are porous, and change. Healthcare practices categorized as alternative may differ in their historical origin, theoretical basis, diagnostic technique, therapeutic practice and in their relationship to the medical mainstream. Under a definition of alternative medicine as "non-mainstream", treatments considered alternative in one location may be considered conventional in another.[48]

Critics say the expression is deceptive because it implies there is an effective alternative to science-based medicine, and that complementary is deceptive because it implies that the treatment increases the effectiveness of (complements) science-based medicine, while alternative medicines that have been tested nearly always have no measurable positive effect compared to a placebo.[9][35][49][50] John Diamond wrote that "there is really no such thing as alternative medicine, just medicine that works and medicine that doesn't",[44][51] a notion later echoed by Paul Offit: "The truth is there's no such thing as conventional or alternative or complementary or integrative or holistic medicine. There's only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't. And the best way to sort it out is by carefully evaluating scientific studiesnot by visiting Internet chat rooms, reading magazine articles, or talking to friends."[43]

Alternative medicine consists of a wide range of health care practices, products, and therapies. The shared feature is a claim to heal that is not based on the scientific method. Alternative medicine practices are diverse in their foundations and methodologies.[22] Alternative medicine practices may be classified by their cultural origins or by the types of beliefs upon which they are based.[11][9][19][22] Methods may incorporate or be based on traditional medicinal practices of a particular culture, folk knowledge, superstition, spiritual beliefs, belief in supernatural energies (antiscience), pseudoscience, errors in reasoning, propaganda, fraud, new or different concepts of health and disease, and any bases other than being proven by scientific methods.[11][9][13][19] Different cultures may have their own unique traditional or belief based practices developed recently or over thousands of years, and specific practices or entire systems of practices.

Alternative medicine, such as using naturopathy or homeopathy in place of conventional medicine, is based on belief systems not grounded in science.[22]

Alternative medical systems may be based on traditional medicine practices, such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Ayurveda in India, or practices of other cultures around the world.[22] Some useful applications of traditional medicines have been researched and accepted within ordinary medicine, however the underlying belief systems are seldom scientific and are not accepted.

Traditional medicine is considered alternative when it is used outside its home region; or when it is used together with or instead of known functional treatment; or when it can be reasonably expected that the patient or practitioner knows or should know that it will not work such as knowing that the practice is based on superstition.

Bases of belief may include belief in existence of supernatural energies undetected by the science of physics, as in biofields, or in belief in properties of the energies of physics that are inconsistent with the laws of physics, as in energy medicine.[22]

Substance based practices use substances found in nature such as herbs, foods, non-vitamin supplements and megavitamins, animal and fungal products, and minerals, including use of these products in traditional medical practices that may also incorporate other methods.[22][78][79] Examples include healing claims for non-vitamin supplements, fish oil, Omega-3 fatty acid, glucosamine, echinacea, flaxseed oil, and ginseng.[80] Herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, includes not just the use of plant products, but may also include the use of animal and mineral products.[78] It is among the most commercially successful branches of alternative medicine, and includes the tablets, powders and elixirs that are sold as "nutritional supplements".[78] Only a very small percentage of these have been shown to have any efficacy, and there is little regulation as to standards and safety of their contents.[78]

A US agency, National Center on Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), has created a classification system for branches of complementary and alternative medicine that divides them into five major groups. These groups have some overlap, and distinguish two types of energy medicine: veritable which involves scientifically observable energy (including magnet therapy, colorpuncture and light therapy) and putative, which invokes physically undetectable or unverifiable energy.[84] None of these energies have any evidence to support that they affect the body in any positive or health promoting way.[6]

The history of alternative medicine may refer to the history of a group of diverse medical practices that were collectively promoted as "alternative medicine" beginning in the 1970s, to the collection of individual histories of members of that group, or to the history of western medical practices that were labeled "irregular practices" by the western medical establishment.[9][85][86][87][88] It includes the histories of complementary medicine and of integrative medicine. Before the 1970s, western practitioners that were not part of the increasingly science-based medical establishment were referred to "irregular practitioners", and were dismissed by the medical establishment as unscientific and as practicing quackery.[85][86] Until the 1970s, irregular practice became increasingly marginalized as quackery and fraud, as western medicine increasingly incorporated scientific methods and discoveries, and had a corresponding increase in success of its treatments.[88] In the 1970s, irregular practices were grouped with traditional practices of nonwestern cultures and with other unproven or disproven practices that were not part of biomedicine, with the entire group collectively marketed and promoted under the single expression "alternative medicine".[9][85][86][88][89]

Use of alternative medicine in the west began to rise following the counterculture movement of the 1960s, as part of the rising new age movement of the 1970s.[9][90][91] This was due to misleading mass marketing of "alternative medicine" being an effective "alternative" to biomedicine, changing social attitudes about not using chemicals and challenging the establishment and authority of any kind, sensitivity to giving equal measure to beliefs and practices of other cultures (cultural relativism), and growing frustration and desperation by patients about limitations and side effects of science-based medicine.[9][86][88][87][89][91][92] At the same time, in 1975, the American Medical Association, which played the central role in fighting quackery in the United States, abolished its quackery committee and closed down its Department of Investigation.[85]:xxi[92] By the early to mid 1970s the expression "alternative medicine" came into widespread use, and the expression became mass marketed as a collection of "natural" and effective treatment "alternatives" to science-based biomedicine.[9][92][93][94] By 1983, mass marketing of "alternative medicine" was so pervasive that the British Medical Journal (BMJ) pointed to "an apparently endless stream of books, articles, and radio and television programmes urge on the public the virtues of (alternative medicine) treatments ranging from meditation to drilling a hole in the skull to let in more oxygen".[92]

An analysis of trends in the criticism of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in five prestigious American medical journals during the period of reorganization within medicine (19651999) was reported as showing that the medical profession had responded to the growth of CAM in three phases, and that in each phase, changes in the medical marketplace had influenced the type of response in the journals.[95] Changes included relaxed medical licensing, the development of managed care, rising consumerism, and the establishment of the USA Office of Alternative Medicine (later National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, currently National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health).[n 9]

Mainly as a result of reforms following the Flexner Report of 1910[97] medical education in established medical schools in the US has generally not included alternative medicine as a teaching topic.[n 10] Typically, their teaching is based on current practice and scientific knowledge about: anatomy, physiology, histology, embryology, neuroanatomy, pathology, pharmacology, microbiology and immunology.[99] Medical schools' teaching includes such topics as doctor-patient communication, ethics, the art of medicine,[100] and engaging in complex clinical reasoning (medical decision-making).[101] Writing in 2002, Snyderman and Weil remarked that by the early twentieth century the Flexner model had helped to create the 20th-century academic health center, in which education, research, and practice were inseparable. While this had much improved medical practice by defining with increasing certainty the pathophysiological basis of disease, a single-minded focus on the pathophysiological had diverted much of mainstream American medicine from clinical conditions that were not well understood in mechanistic terms, and were not effectively treated by conventional therapies.[102]

By 2001 some form of CAM training was being offered by at least 75 out of 125 medical schools in the US.[103] Exceptionally, the School of Medicine of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, includes a research institute for integrative medicine (a member entity of the Cochrane Collaboration).[104][105] Medical schools are responsible for conferring medical degrees, but a physician typically may not legally practice medicine until licensed by the local government authority. Licensed physicians in the US who have attended one of the established medical schools there have usually graduated Doctor of Medicine (MD).[106] All states require that applicants for MD licensure be graduates of an approved medical school and complete the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE).[106]

There is a general scientific consensus that alternative therapies lack the requisite scientific validation, and their effectiveness is either unproved or disproved.[11][9][107][108] Many of the claims regarding the efficacy of alternative medicines are controversial, since research on them is frequently of low quality and methodologically flawed. Selective publication bias, marked differences in product quality and standardisation, and some companies making unsubstantiated claims call into question the claims of efficacy of isolated examples where there is evidence for alternative therapies.[110]

The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine points to confusions in the general population a person may attribute symptomatic relief to an otherwise-ineffective therapy just because they are taking something (the placebo effect); the natural recovery from or the cyclical nature of an illness (the regression fallacy) gets misattributed to an alternative medicine being taken; a person not diagnosed with science-based medicine may never originally have had a true illness diagnosed as an alternative disease category.[111]

Edzard Ernst characterized the evidence for many alternative techniques as weak, nonexistent, or negative[112] and in 2011 published his estimate that about 7.4% were based on "sound evidence", although he believes that may be an overestimate.[113] Ernst has concluded that 95% of the alternative therapies he and his team studied, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy, and reflexology, are "statistically indistinguishable from placebo treatments", but he also believes there is something that conventional doctors can usefully learn from the chiropractors and homeopath: this is the therapeutic value of the placebo effect, one of the strangest phenomena in medicine.[114][115]

In 2003, a project funded by the CDC identified 208 condition-treatment pairs, of which 58% had been studied by at least one randomized controlled trial (RCT), and 23% had been assessed with a meta-analysis.[116] According to a 2005 book by a US Institute of Medicine panel, the number of RCTs focused on CAM has risen dramatically.

As of 2005[update], the Cochrane Library had 145 CAM-related Cochrane systematic reviews and 340 non-Cochrane systematic reviews. An analysis of the conclusions of only the 145 Cochrane reviews was done by two readers. In 83% of the cases, the readers agreed. In the 17% in which they disagreed, a third reader agreed with one of the initial readers to set a rating. These studies found that, for CAM, 38.4% concluded positive effect or possibly positive (12.4%), 4.8% concluded no effect, 0.7% concluded harmful effect, and 56.6% concluded insufficient evidence. An assessment of conventional treatments found that 41.3% concluded positive or possibly positive effect, 20% concluded no effect, 8.1% concluded net harmful effects, and 21.3% concluded insufficient evidence. However, the CAM review used the more developed 2004 Cochrane database, while the conventional review used the initial 1998 Cochrane database.

Alternative therapies do not "complement" (improve the effect of, or mitigate the side effects of) functional medical treatment.[n 7][11][26][27][28] Significant drug interactions caused by alternative therapies may instead negatively impact functional treatment by making prescription drugs less effective, such as interference by herbal preparations with warfarin.[118][33]

In the same way as for conventional therapies, drugs, and interventions, it can be difficult to test the efficacy of alternative medicine in clinical trials. In instances where an established, effective, treatment for a condition is already available, the Helsinki Declaration states that withholding such treatment is unethical in most circumstances. Use of standard-of-care treatment in addition to an alternative technique being tested may produce confounded or difficult-to-interpret results.[119]

Cancer researcher Andrew J. Vickers has stated:

Contrary to much popular and scientific writing, many alternative cancer treatments have been investigated in good-quality clinical trials, and they have been shown to be ineffective. The label "unproven" is inappropriate for such therapies; it is time to assert that many alternative cancer therapies have been "disproven".[120]

Anything classified as alternative medicine by definition does not have a healing or medical effect.[8][9][13][14][15] However, there are different mechanisms through which it can be perceived to "work". The common denominator of these mechanisms is that effects are mis-attributed to the alternative treatment.

A placebo is a treatment with no intended therapeutic value. An example of a placebo is an inert pill, but it can include more dramatic interventions like sham surgery. The placebo effect is the concept that patients will perceive an improvement after being treated with an inert treatment. The opposite of the placebo effect is the nocebo effect, when patients who expect a treatment to be harmful will perceive harmful effects after taking it.

Placebos do not have a physical effect on diseases or improve overall outcomes, but patients may report improvements in subjective outcomes such as pain and nausea.[121] A 1955 study suggested that a substantial part of a medicine's impact was due to the placebo effect.[122][121] However, reassessments found the study to have flawed methodology.[122][123] This and other modern reviews suggest that other factors like natural recovery and reporting bias should also be considered.[121][123]

All of these are reasons why alternative therapies may be credited for improving a patient's condition even though the objective effect is non-existent, or even harmful.[118][35][50] David Gorski argues that alternative treatments should be treated as a placebo, rather than as medicine.[35] Almost none have performed significantly better than a placebo in clinical trials.[62][49][124][78] Furthermore, distrust of conventional medicine may lead to patients experiencing the nocebo effect when taking effective medication.[118]

A patient who receives an inert treatment may report improvements afterwards that it did not cause.[121][123] Assuming it was the cause without evidence is an example of the regression fallacy. This may be due to a natural recovery from the illness, or a fluctuation in the symptoms of a long-term condition.[123] The concept of regression toward the mean implies that an extreme result is more likely to be followed by a less extreme result.

There are also reasons why a placebo treatment group may outperform a "no-treatment" group in a test which are not related to a patient's experience. These include patients reporting more favourable results than they really felt due to politeness or "experimental subordination", observer bias, and misleading wording of questions.[123] In their 2010 systematic review of studies into placebos, Asbjrn Hrbjartsson and Peter C. Gtzsche write that "even if there were no true effect of placebo, one would expect to record differences between placebo and no-treatment groups due to bias associated with lack of blinding."[121] Alternative therapies may also be credited for perceived improvement through decreased use or effect of medical treatment, and therefore either decreased side effects or nocebo effects towards standard treatment.[118]

Practitioners of complementary medicine usually discuss and advise patients as to available alternative therapies. Patients often express interest in mind-body complementary therapies because they offer a non-drug approach to treating some health conditions.[125]

In addition to the social-cultural underpinnings of the popularity of alternative medicine, there are several psychological issues that are critical to its growth, notably psychological effects, such as the will to believe,[126] cognitive biases that help maintain self-esteem and promote harmonious social functioning,[126] and the post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy.[126]

Alternative medicine is a profitable industry with large media advertising expenditures. Accordingly, alternative practices are often portrayed positively and compared favorably to "big pharma".[6]

The popularity of complementary & alternative medicine (CAM) may be related to other factors that Edzard Ernst mentioned in an interview in The Independent:

Why is it so popular, then? Ernst blames the providers, customers and the doctors whose neglect, he says, has created the opening into which alternative therapists have stepped. "People are told lies. There are 40 million websites and 39.9 million tell lies, sometimes outrageous lies. They mislead cancer patients, who are encouraged not only to pay their last penny but to be treated with something that shortens their lives." At the same time, people are gullible. It needs gullibility for the industry to succeed. It doesn't make me popular with the public, but it's the truth.[127]

Paul Offit proposed that "alternative medicine becomes quackery" in four ways: by recommending against conventional therapies that are helpful, promoting potentially harmful therapies without adequate warning, draining patients' bank accounts, or by promoting "magical thinking."[43] Promoting alternative medicine has been called dangerous and unethical.[n 11][129]

Authors have speculated on the socio-cultural and psychological reasons for the appeal of alternative medicines among the minority using them in lieu of conventional medicine. There are several socio-cultural reasons for the interest in these treatments centered on the low level of scientific literacy among the public at large and a concomitant increase in antiscientific attitudes and new age mysticism.[126] Related to this are vigorous marketing[130] of extravagant claims by the alternative medical community combined with inadequate media scrutiny and attacks on critics.[126][131] Alternative medicine is criticized for taking advantage of the least fortunate members of society.[6]

There is also an increase in conspiracy theories toward conventional medicine and pharmaceutical companies,[34] mistrust of traditional authority figures, such as the physician, and a dislike of the current delivery methods of scientific biomedicine, all of which have led patients to seek out alternative medicine to treat a variety of ailments.[131] Many patients lack access to contemporary medicine, due to a lack of private or public health insurance, which leads them to seek out lower-cost alternative medicine.[132] Medical doctors are also aggressively marketing alternative medicine to profit from this market.[130]

Patients can be averse to the painful, unpleasant, and sometimes-dangerous side effects of biomedical treatments. Treatments for severe diseases such as cancer and HIV infection have well-known, significant side-effects. Even low-risk medications such as antibiotics can have potential to cause life-threatening anaphylactic reactions in a very few individuals. Many medications may cause minor but bothersome symptoms such as cough or upset stomach. In all of these cases, patients may be seeking out alternative therapies to avoid the adverse effects of conventional treatments.[126][131]

According to recent research, the increasing popularity of the CAM needs to be explained by moral convictions or lifestyle choices rather than by economic reasoning.[133]

In developing nations, access to essential medicines is severely restricted by lack of resources and poverty. Traditional remedies, often closely resembling or forming the basis for alternative remedies, may comprise primary healthcare or be integrated into the healthcare system. In Africa, traditional medicine is used for 80% of primary healthcare, and in developing nations as a whole over one-third of the population lack access to essential medicines.[134]

In Latin America, inequities against BIPOC communities keep them tied to their traditional practices and therefore, it is often these communities that constitute the majority of users of alternative medicine. Racist attitudes towards certain communities disable them from accessing more urbanized modes of care. In a study that assessed access to care in rural communities of Latin America, it was found that discrimination is a huge barrier to the ability of citizens to access care; more specifically, women of Indigenous and African descent, and lower-income families were especially hurt.[135] Such exclusion exacerbates the inequities that minorities in Latin America already face. Consistently excluded from many systems of westernized care for socioeconomic and other reasons, low-income communities of color often turn to traditional medicine for care as it has proved reliable to them across generations.

Some have proposed adopting a prize system to reward medical research.[136] However, public funding for research exists. In the US increasing the funding for research on alternative medicine is the purpose of the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). NCCAM has spent more than US$2.5 billion on such research since 1992 and this research has not demonstrated the efficacy of alternative therapies.[124][137][138][139][140][141] The NCCAM's sister organization in the NIC Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine gives grants of around $105 million every year.[142] Testing alternative medicine that has no scientific basis has been called a waste of scarce research resources.[143][144]

That alternative medicine has been on the rise "in countries where Western science and scientific method generally are accepted as the major foundations for healthcare, and 'evidence-based' practice is the dominant paradigm" was described as an "enigma" in the Medical Journal of Australia.[145] A 15-year systematic review published in 2022 on the global acceptance and use of CAM among medical specialists found the overall acceptance of CAM at 52% and the overall use at 45%.[146]

In the United States, the 1974 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) required that for states to receive federal money, they had to grant religious exemptions to child neglect and abuse laws regarding religion-based healing practices.[147] Thirty-one states have child-abuse religious exemptions.[148]

The use of alternative medicine in the US has increased,[11][149] with a 50 percent increase in expenditures and a 25 percent increase in the use of alternative therapies between 1990 and 1997 in America.[149] According to a national survey conducted in 2002, "36 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine."[150] Americans spend many billions on the therapies annually.[149] Most Americans used CAM to treat and/or prevent musculoskeletal conditions or other conditions associated with chronic or recurring pain.[132] In America, women were more likely than men to use CAM, with the biggest difference in use of mind-body therapies including prayer specifically for health reasons".[132] In 2008, more than 37% of American hospitals offered alternative therapies, up from 27 percent in 2005, and 25% in 2004.[151][152] More than 70% of the hospitals offering CAM were in urban areas.[152]

A survey of Americans found that 88 percent thought that "there are some good ways of treating sickness that medical science does not recognize".[11] Use of magnets was the most common tool in energy medicine in America, and among users of it, 58 percent described it as at least "sort of scientific", when it is not at all scientific.[11] In 2002, at least 60 percent of US medical schools have at least some class time spent teaching alternative therapies.[11] "Therapeutic touch" was taught at more than 100 colleges and universities in 75 countries before the practice was debunked by a nine-year-old child for a school science project.[11][77]

The most common CAM therapies used in the US in 2002 were prayer (45%), herbalism (19%), breathing meditation (12%), meditation (8%), chiropractic medicine (8%), yoga (56%), body work (5%), diet-based therapy (4%), progressive relaxation (3%), mega-vitamin therapy (3%) and Visualization (2%)[132][153]

In Britain, the most often used alternative therapies were Alexander technique, aromatherapy, Bach and other flower remedies, body work therapies including massage, Counseling stress therapies, hypnotherapy, meditation, reflexology, Shiatsu, Ayurvedic medicine, nutritional medicine, and Yoga.[154] Ayurvedic medicine remedies are mainly plant based with some use of animal materials. Safety concerns include the use of herbs containing toxic compounds and the lack of quality control in Ayurvedic facilities.[71][73]

According to the National Health Service (England), the most commonly used complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) supported by the NHS in the UK are: acupuncture, aromatherapy, chiropractic, homeopathy, massage, osteopathy and clinical hypnotherapy.[156]

Complementary therapies are often used in palliative care or by practitioners attempting to manage chronic pain in patients. Integrative medicine is considered more acceptable in the interdisciplinary approach used in palliative care than in other areas of medicine. "From its early experiences of care for the dying, palliative care took for granted the necessity of placing patient values and lifestyle habits at the core of any design and delivery of quality care at the end of life. If the patient desired complementary therapies, and as long as such treatments provided additional support and did not endanger the patient, they were considered acceptable."[157] The non-pharmacologic interventions of complementary medicine can employ mind-body interventions designed to "reduce pain and concomitant mood disturbance and increase quality of life."[158]

The alternative medicine lobby has successfully pushed for alternative therapies to be subject to far less regulation than conventional medicine.[6] Some professions of complementary/traditional/alternative medicine, such as chiropractic, have achieved full regulation in North America and other parts of the world and are regulated in a manner similar to that governing science-based medicine. In contrast, other approaches may be partially recognized and others have no regulation at all. In some cases, promotion of alternative therapies is allowed when there is demonstrably no effect, only a tradition of use. Despite laws making it illegal to market or promote alternative therapies for use in cancer treatment, many practitioners promote them.[160]

Regulation and licensing of alternative medicine ranges widely from country to country, and state to state. In Austria and Germany complementary and alternative medicine is mainly in the hands of doctors with MDs,[36] and half or more of the American alternative practitioners are licensed MDs.[161] In Germany herbs are tightly regulated: half are prescribed by doctors and covered by health insurance.[162]

Government bodies in the US and elsewhere have published information or guidance about alternative medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has issued online warnings for consumers about medication health fraud.[163] This includes a section on Alternative Medicine Fraud, such as a warning that Ayurvedic products generally have not been approved by the FDA before marketing.[164]

According to the Institute of Medicine, use of alternative medical techniques may result in several types of harm:

Forms of alternative medicine that are biologically active can be dangerous even when used in conjunction with conventional medicine. Examples include immuno-augmentation therapy, shark cartilage, bioresonance therapy, oxygen and ozone therapies, and insulin potentiation therapy. Some herbal remedies can cause dangerous interactions with chemotherapy drugs, radiation therapy, or anesthetics during surgery, among other problems.[37][118][33] An example of these dangers was reported by Associate Professor Alastair MacLennan of Adelaide University, Australia regarding a patient who almost bled to death on the operating table after neglecting to mention that she had been taking "natural" potions to "build up her strength" before the operation, including a powerful anticoagulant that nearly caused her death.[166]

To ABC Online, MacLennan also gives another possible mechanism:

And lastly there's the cynicism and disappointment and depression that some patients get from going on from one alternative medicine to the next, and they find after three months the placebo effect wears off, and they're disappointed and they move on to the next one, and they're disappointed and disillusioned, and that can create depression and make the eventual treatment of the patient with anything effective difficult, because you may not get compliance, because they've seen the failure so often in the past.[167]

Conventional treatments are subjected to testing for undesired side-effects, whereas alternative therapies, in general, are not subjected to such testing at all. Any treatment whether conventional or alternative that has a biological or psychological effect on a patient may also have potential to possess dangerous biological or psychological side-effects. Attempts to refute this fact with regard to alternative therapies sometimes use the appeal to nature fallacy, i.e., "That which is natural cannot be harmful." Specific groups of patients such as patients with impaired hepatic or renal function are more susceptible to side effects of alternative remedies.[168][169]

An exception to the normal thinking regarding side-effects is Homeopathy. Since 1938, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulated homeopathic products in "several significantly different ways from other drugs."[170] Homeopathic preparations, termed "remedies", are extremely dilute, often far beyond the point where a single molecule of the original active (and possibly toxic) ingredient is likely to remain. They are, thus, considered safe on that count, but "their products are exempt from good manufacturing practice requirements related to expiration dating and from finished product testing for identity and strength", and their alcohol concentration may be much higher than allowed in conventional drugs.[170]

Alternative medicine may discourage people from getting the best possible treatment.[171] Those having experienced or perceived success with one alternative therapy for a minor ailment may be convinced of its efficacy and persuaded to extrapolate that success to some other alternative therapy for a more serious, possibly life-threatening illness.[172] For this reason, critics argue that therapies that rely on the placebo effect to define success are very dangerous. According to mental health journalist Scott Lilienfeld in 2002, "unvalidated or scientifically unsupported mental health practices can lead individuals to forgo effective treatments" and refers to this as opportunity cost. Individuals who spend large amounts of time and money on ineffective treatments may be left with precious little of either, and may forfeit the opportunity to obtain treatments that could be more helpful. In short, even innocuous treatments can indirectly produce negative outcomes.[173] Between 2001 and 2003, four children died in Australia because their parents chose ineffective naturopathic, homeopathic, or other alternative medicines and diets rather than conventional therapies.[174]

There have always been "many therapies offered outside of conventional cancer treatment centers and based on theories not found in biomedicine. These alternative cancer cures have often been described as 'unproven,' suggesting that appropriate clinical trials have not been conducted and that the therapeutic value of the treatment is unknown." However, "many alternative cancer treatments have been investigated in good-quality clinical trials, and they have been shown to be ineffective.... The label 'unproven' is inappropriate for such therapies; it is time to assert that many alternative cancer therapies have been 'disproven'."[120]

Edzard Ernst has stated:

any alternative cancer cure is bogus by definition. There will never be an alternative cancer cure. Why? Because if something looked halfway promising, then mainstream oncology would scrutinize it, and if there is anything to it, it would become mainstream almost automatically and very quickly. All curative "alternative cancer cures" are based on false claims, are bogus, and, I would say, even criminal.[175]

There is no alternative medicine. There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data or unproven medicine, for which scientific evidence is lacking.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is not as well researched as conventional medicine, which undergoes intense research before release to the public.[176] Practitioners of science-based medicine also discard practices and treatments when they are shown ineffective, while alternative practitioners do not.[6] Funding for research is also sparse making it difficult to do further research for effectiveness of CAM.[177] Most funding for CAM is funded by government agencies.[176] Proposed research for CAM are rejected by most private funding agencies because the results of research are not reliable.[176] The research for CAM has to meet certain standards from research ethics committees, which most CAM researchers find almost impossible to meet.[176] Even with the little research done on it, CAM has not been proven to be effective.[178] Studies that have been done will be cited by CAM practitioners in an attempt to claim a basis in science. These studies tend to have a variety of problems, such as small samples, various biases, poor research design, lack of controls, negative results, etc. Even those with positive results can be better explained as resulting in false positives due to bias and noisy data.[179]

Alternative medicine may lead to a false understanding of the body and of the process of science.[171][180] Steven Novella, a neurologist at Yale School of Medicine, wrote that government-funded studies of integrating alternative medicine techniques into the mainstream are "used to lend an appearance of legitimacy to treatments that are not legitimate."[181] Marcia Angell considered that critics felt that healthcare practices should be classified based solely on scientific evidence, and if a treatment had been rigorously tested and found safe and effective, science-based medicine will adopt it regardless of whether it was considered "alternative" to begin with.[8] It is possible for a method to change categories (proven vs. unproven), based on increased knowledge of its effectiveness or lack thereof. Prominent supporters of this position are George D. Lundberg, former editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the journal's interim editor-in-chief Phil Fontanarosa.[45]

Writing in 1999 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians Barrie R. Cassileth mentioned a 1997 letter to the US Senate Subcommittee on Public Health and Safety, which had deplored the lack of critical thinking and scientific rigor in OAM-supported research, had been signed by four Nobel Laureates and other prominent scientists. (This was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).)[182]

In March 2009, a staff writer for the Washington Post reported that the impending national discussion about broadening access to health care, improving medical practice and saving money was giving a group of scientists an opening to propose shutting down the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. They quoted one of these scientists, Steven Salzberg, a genome researcher and computational biologist at the University of Maryland, as saying "One of our concerns is that NIH is funding pseudoscience." They noted that the vast majority of studies were based on fundamental misunderstandings of physiology and disease, and had shown little or no effect.[181]

Writers such as Carl Sagan, a noted astrophysicist, advocate of scientific skepticism and the author of The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1996), have lambasted the lack of empirical evidence to support the existence of the putative energy fields on which these therapies are predicated.

Sampson has also pointed out that CAM tolerated contradiction without thorough reason and experiment.[183] Barrett has pointed out that there is a policy at the NIH of never saying something does not work, only that a different version or dose might give different results.[124] Barrett also expressed concern that, just because some "alternatives" have merit, there is the impression that the rest deserve equal consideration and respect even though most are worthless, since they are all classified under the one heading of alternative medicine.[184]

Some critics of alternative medicine are focused upon health fraud, misinformation, and quackery as public health problems, notably Wallace Sampson and Paul Kurtz founders of Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine and Stephen Barrett, co-founder of The National Council Against Health Fraud and webmaster of Quackwatch.[185] Grounds for opposing alternative medicine include that:

Many alternative medical treatments are not patentable,[192] which may lead to less research funding from the private sector. In addition, in most countries, alternative therapies (in contrast to pharmaceuticals) can be marketed without any proof of efficacy also a disincentive for manufacturers to fund scientific research.[193]

English evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, in his 2003 book A Devil's Chaplain, defined alternative medicine as a "set of practices that cannot be tested, refuse to be tested, or consistently fail tests."[194] Dawkins argued that if a technique is demonstrated effective in properly performed trials then it ceases to be alternative and simply becomes medicine.[195]

CAM is also often less regulated than conventional medicine.[176] There are ethical concerns about whether people who perform CAM have the proper knowledge to treat patients.[176] CAM is often done by non-physicians who do not operate with the same medical licensing laws which govern conventional medicine,[176] and it is often described as an issue of non-maleficence.[196]

According to two writers, Wallace Sampson and K. Butler, marketing is part of the training required in alternative medicine, and propaganda methods in alternative medicine have been traced back to those used by Hitler and Goebels in their promotion of pseudoscience in medicine.[62][197]

In November 2011 Edzard Ernst stated that 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."[198]

Some commentators have said that special consideration must be given to the issue of conflicts of interest in alternative medicine. Edzard Ernst has said that most researchers into alternative medicine are at risk of "unidirectional bias" because of a generally uncritical belief in their chosen subject.[199] Ernst cites as evidence the phenomenon whereby 100% of a sample of acupuncture trials originating in China had positive conclusions.[199] David Gorski contrasts evidence-based medicine, in which researchers try to disprove hyphotheses, with what he says is the frequent practice in pseudoscience-based research, of striving to confirm pre-existing notions.[200] Harriet Hall writes that there is a contrast between the circumstances of alternative medicine practitioners and disinterested scientists: in the case of acupuncture, for example, an acupuncturist would have "a great deal to lose" if acupuncture were rejected by research; but the disinterested skeptic would not lose anything if its effects were confirmed; rather their change of mind would enhance their skeptical credentials.[201]

Research into alternative therapies has been criticized for "diverting research time, money, and other resources from more fruitful lines of investigation in order to pursue a theory that has no basis in biology."[50][35] Research methods expert and author of Snake Oil Science, R. Barker Bausell, has stated that "it's become politically correct to investigate nonsense."[124] A commonly cited statistic is that the US National Institute of Health had spent $2.5 billion on investigating alternative therapies prior to 2009, with none being found to be effective.[124]

In 1991 the Senate Appropriations Committee responsible for funding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) declared itself "not satisfied that the conventional medical community as symbolized at the NIH has fully explored the potential that exists in unconventional medical practices."[96]

Read more here:

Alternative medicine - Wikipedia

Types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Many different areas make up the practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In addition, many parts of one field may overlap with the parts of another field. For example, acupuncture is also used in conventional medicine. In the U.S., CAM is used by about 38% of adults and 12% of children. Examples of CAM include:

Traditional alternative medicine. This field includes the more mainstream and accepted forms of therapy, such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and Oriental practices. These therapies have been practiced for centuries worldwide. Traditional alternative medicine may include:

Body. Touch has been used in medicine since the early days of medical care. Healing by touch is based on the idea that illness or injury in one area of the body can affect all parts of the body. If, with manual manipulation, the other parts can be brought back to optimum health, the body can fully focus on healing at the site of injury or illness. Body techniques are often combined with those of the mind. Examples of body therapies include:

Diet and herbs. Over the centuries, man has gone from a simple diet consisting of meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains, to a diet that often consists of foods rich in fats, oils, and complex carbohydrates. Nutritional excess and deficiency have become problems in today's society, both leading to certain chronic diseases. Many dietary and herbal approaches attempt to balance the body's nutritional well-being. Dietary and herbal approaches may include:

External energy. Some people believe external energies from objects or other sources directly affect a person's health. An example of external energy therapy is:

Mind. Even standard or conventional medicine recognizes the power of the connection between mind and body. Studies have found that people heal better if they have good emotional and mental health. Therapies using the mind may include:

Senses. Some people believe the senses, touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste, can affect overall health. Examples of therapies incorporating the senses include:

Original post:

Types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine | Hindawi

Research Article

25 Oct 2022

Moroccan Medicinal Plants Used to Treat Cancer: Ethnomedicinal Study and Insights into Pharmacological Evidence

Naoufal El Hachlafi|Nesrine Benkhaira|...|Kawtar Fikri-Benbrahim

Cancer is one of the major medical challenges, with an unacceptably high death toll worldwide. In Morocco, medicinal plants continue to play a pivotal therapeutic role despite the development of modern sanitation systems. In the current study, an ethnobotanical survey was carried out at the Moroccan national institute of oncology, Rabat, and we aimed at (1) establishing an exhaustive inventory of indigenous knowledge of Moroccan medicinal plants used to manage cancer and (2) confirming the reported ethnopharmacological uses through bibliometric review. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted with 291 cancer patients at the Moroccan National Institute of Oncology, Rabat, during a period of 4 months, from February to May 2019, through semistructured interviews. Ethnobotanical indices, including informant consensus factor (FIC), use report (UR), relative frequency citation (RFC), botanical family use value (FUV), fidelity level (FL), and index of agreement on remedies (IAR), were employed in data analyses. The survey revealed that 39 medicinal plants belonging to 27 botanical families and 38 genera were used to treat cancer. The most used ethnospecies were Aristolochia longa with the highest RFC value (0.096), followed by Nigella sativa, Ephedra alata, Euphorbia resinifera, and Lavandula dentata, with RFC values of 0.072, 0.054, 0.044, and 0.044, respectively. In regard to the plant families, Lamiaceae contributed the highest number of plants with five species (FUV=0.034), followed by Asteraceae (4 species; FUV=0.020), and Fabaceae (4 species; FUV=0.020). The leaves are the most popular plant part used by the studied population against cancer; otherwise, decoction was the most commonly used method for remedy preparation and the highest FIC was noticed for uterine cancer treatment (0.86). Considering these findings, further investigations into the recorded plant species should be performed to assess phytochemical constituents and pharmaceutical benefits in order to identify their active compounds for any drug formulations.

Research Article

25 Oct 2022

Xiaoqinglong Decoction Enhances Autophagy to Antagonist Airway Inflammation Induced by Cold in Asthmatic Rats

Bin Wang|Xiaoxuan Fan|...|Peizheng Yan

Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease characterized by wheezing and shortness of breath. Its risk factors include genetic and acquired factors. The acquired factors are closely related to the environment, especially cold conditions. Autophagy plays a regulatory role in asthma. Therefore, we hypothesized that asthma can be controlled by drug intervention at the autophagy level under cold conditions. The Xiaoqinglong decoction (XQLT) was freeze-dried. The compounds in the freeze-dried powder were identified and quantified using reference standards via the high-performance liquid chromatography method. Ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized rats were subjected to cold stimulation. The effect of cold stimulation on autophagy levels was determined, and it was confirmed that cold stimulation affected autophagy. The effects and mechanisms of XQLT in an asthmatic rat model (OVA-sensitized rats stimulated with cold) were explored. The concentrations of paeoniflorin, liquiritin, trans-cinnamic acid, glycyrrhizic acid, 6-gingerol, schisandrol A, and asarinin in XQLT freeze-dried powder were 14.45, 3.85, 1.03, 3.93, 0.59, 0.24, and 0.091mg/g, respectively. Cold stimulation is an important cause of asthma. The inflammatory factors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum were increased in the model group, accompanied by a decline in autophagy level. The treatment with XQLT increased the expression of autophagy genes and decreased the expression of inflammatory factors. Histological studies showed that XQLT improved inflammatory infiltration and collagen fiber deposition in the lungs of rats. XQLT intervention increased autophagy in asthmatic rats. Autophagy plays a role in phagocytosis and reduces the accumulation of abnormal metabolites in the body to reduce airway inflammation and promote asthma recovery.

Research Article

25 Oct 2022

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Promotes Hearing Gain with Increases in Serum IGF-1 and HSP70 in Patients with Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Yi Zhang|Xingyuan Jia|...|Jing Yang

Objective. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been recommended for the initial and salvage treatment of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL), but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated whether HBOT alters serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in patients with ISSHL. Then, we identified the relationship between hearing recovery and changes in serum IGF-1 and HSP70 levels. Methods. Moderately severe to profound unilateral ISSHL patients (n=70) and healthy control participants (n=30) were enrolled. The ISSHL patients were randomly assigned to receive medical therapy alone (MT group, n=35) or both HBOT and medical therapy (HBOT+MT group, n=35). Audiometric testing was performed before and after treatment. Serum IGF-1 and HSP70 levels were assessed by ELISA in ISSHL patients pre-and posttreatment and healthy controls. Results. Before treatment, compared with the healthy controls, serum IGF-1 and HSP70 were lower in ISSHL patients. After treatment, serum IGF-1 and HSP70 increased in both the HBOT+MT and MT groups, although they were significantly higher in the HBOT+MT group (). In the HBOT+MT group, these increases were associated with hearing gains. In addition, IGF-1 was strongly associated with HSP70 (r=0.621, ). No such association was found in the MT group (). Conclusion. Administering HBOT in addition to medical therapy can improve the hearing of patients with moderately severe to profound unilateral ISSHL. The improvement is related to the upregulation of IGF-1 and HSP70.

Research Article

22 Oct 2022

Gualou Guizhi Decoction Improves Glucose Metabolism and Alleviates Microglia-Associated Inflammation after Cerebral Ischemia

Jizhou Zhang|Jing Han|...|Chunquan Zhou

Background. The classical prescription Gualou Guizhi decoction (GL), a mixture of Radix Trichosanthis, Ramulus Cinnamomi, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, and Fructus Ziziphus Jujuba, was clinically used in the treatment of limb spasms after stroke and has achieved remarkable therapeutic effects. However, the underlying mechanism still needs to be further explored. Methods. Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (CI/R) in Sprague-Dawley rats was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by filament removal. GL was intragastrically administered once daily for 7 or 14 consecutive days. The effect of GL on neurobehavioral impairment was evaluated. 18F-FDG micro-PET imaging was used to detect the effects of GL on glucose utilization in neural cells after CI/R. Immunohistochemical staining of glucose transporter 1 (Glut-1), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule-1 (Iba-1) was further performed to show the effects of GL on cerebral glucose transport and the activation of inflammatory-related glial cells. Markers related to the microglial subtype were also assessed to investigate the effects of GL on microglia polarization. Results. Neurological deficits induced by CI/R were significantly improved by GL administration. GL restored the glucose uptake in the ischemic hemisphere. Glut-1, the major glucose transporter in the brain, was significantly increased after GL treatment. Moreover, GL mitigated the activation of astrocytes and microglia after CI/R. Furthermore, GL significantly decreased proinflammatory M1-type microglial markers TNF- and iNOS, while increasing anti-inflammatory M2 microglial markers CD206 and Arg-1. Conclusion. GL enhanced the uptake and utilization of glucose in neural cells after CI/R. It exerted significant anti-inflammatory effects by regulating the polarization of microglia. These results provided further evidence supporting the clinical application of GL in the treatment of cerebral ischemic stroke.

Research Article

22 Oct 2022

Acupuncture Inhibits Morphine Induced-Immune Suppress via Antioxidant System

Rong Jie Zhao|Dae Geon Lee|...|Bong Hyo Lee

Objectives. A powerful analgesic called Morphine causes addiction behaviors and immune suppression as a potential oxidative stressor. Acupuncture showed to inhibit oxidative stress-induced hepatic damage, regulate reactive oxygen species, and attenuate morphine addiction behaviors. Therefore, we investigated the potential effects of acupuncture on morphine-induced immune suppression. Materials and Methods. Rats received morphine intravenously through implanted catheters for 3, 7, or 21 days to determine the optimal condition for morphine-induced immune suppression. Second, we examined whether intravenous (iv.) or intraperitoneal (ip.) administration produced different results. Third, the effects of acupuncture in rats who received morphine for 21 days were investigated. Spleen and submandibular lymph node (S-LN) weights and natural killer (NK) cell activity were measured, and the white pulp diameter, total and cortical spleen thicknesses, and the number of lymphoid follicles in S-LNs were examined. The number of immunoreactive cells was also measured. Results. Decreased organ weights and increased atrophic changes were observed as morphine-induced immune suppression. However, dose-dependent increased immune suppression was not observed between 5.0mg/kg and 10.0mg/kg of morphine. And, 3-day withdrawal did not affect. Similar histopathological findings were observed in 5.0 and 10.0 ip. rats when compared to equal dosages of iv., respectively. The morphine induced-immune suppression evidenced by spleen and left S-LN weights, splenic NK cell activities, histopathological findings, and the immunoreactive cell number were normalized by acupuncture. Conclusion. These results indicate that acupuncture inhibits morphine-induced immune suppression, maybe via antioxidative action.

Research Article

22 Oct 2022

Electroacupuncture at Acupoint ST36 (Zusanli) Improves Intestinal Motility Dysfunction Via Increasing the Proportion of Cholinergic Neurons in Rat Ileal Myenteric Ganglia after Severe Acute Pancreatitis

Xueling Wang|Lingyun Lu|...|Qian Wen

Using a severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) rat model, the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) were studied on the intestinal function of pancreatitis. The SAP models were established by injecting 30% L-ornithine at hourly intervals, and were divided into two groups (14 in each): SAP model group, which was not treated, and EA group, which received EA at ST36 at a frequency of 1-2Hz and amplitude of 1mA for 30min twice a day. Fourteen rats were also included as the control group. After EA, the intestinal propulsion was measured. In the distal ileum myenteric plexus, the density of HuC/D and the proportion of cholinergic neurons were measured using immunohistochemistry. Compared to the SAP model group, the EA group demonstrated significant improvements in intestinal propulsion rates. Furthermore, after EA, the density of myenteric neurons in the ileum returned to normal levels and the proportion of cholinergic neurons was increased compared to the SAP model group. And finally, EA alleviated the damage to the pancreas. Thus, our results suggest that EA stimulation at ST36 can partly restore the enteric neuron function and improve intestinal motility dysfunction, therefore could ameliorate SAP. The enteric nervous system can participate in changes in intestinal motility by affecting cholinergic neurons.

Excerpt from:

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine | Hindawi

Herbal medicine | Complementary and alternative therapy | Cancer …

Herbal medicine uses plants, or mixtures of plant extracts, to treat illness and promote health. There is not enough reliable scientific evidence to use it as a treatment for cancer.

Summary

Herbal medicines are made from plants. They usecombinations of plant parts, for example leaves, flowers or roots. Each part of the plant can have a different medicinal use. Manufacturers use different ways of extracting the chemicals from the plant parts. They use fresh and dried plants to make the medicine.

Herbal medicine aims to restore your body, so that it can protect, regulate and heal itself. It is a whole body approach. It looks at your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. It is sometimes called phytomedicine, phytotherapy or botanical medicine.

Manufacturers make many drugs from plants. But herbalists dont extract plant substances in the way the drug industry does. Herbalists believe that the remedy works due to the delicate chemical balance of the whole plant, or mixtures of plants, and the effects are not just due to one active ingredient.

The two most common types of herbal medicine used in the UK are Western and Chinese herbal medicine. Less common types include Tibetan or Ayurvedic medicine (Indian) and Unani Tibb.

Western herbal medicine focuses on treating the whole person rather than their illness. So, the herbalist looks at your:

Western herbal therapists usually make medicines from European and North American herbs. They also use some herbs from the Chinese and Indian traditions.

Herbalists use remedies made from whole plants or plant parts. They believe it helps your body to heal itself or to reduce the side effects of medical treatments.

Chinese herbal medicine is part of a whole system of medicine. The system is called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

TCM aims to restore the balance of your Qi (pronounced chee). TCM practitioners believe that Qi is the flow of energy in your body and is essential for good health.

Yin and yang refer to different qualities of Qi. When all of the yin and yang aspects of Qi are in harmony with one another, there is health, wellbeing and peace. Illness is due to a disturbance of the balance between yin and yang. Chinese herbalists use plants according to how they affect a part of the body or energy channel.

TCM includes:

TCM uses hundreds of medicinal substances from plants.Practitioners may use different parts of plants. They might use the leaves, roots, stems, flowers or seeds. Usually, they combine herbs and you take them as teas, capsules, tinctures, or powders.

Herbal medicine is one of the most used complementary and alternative therapies by people with cancer.

People have used herbal medicine for centuries to treat many different health conditions. They believe it is a natural way to help you relax and cope with anxiety and depression or to help with other conditions such as:

People might also use herbal medicine to help themselves to feel better or more in control of their situation.

During your first visit, the herbalist will ask you general questions about your health, lifestyle and diet. They will take a medical history and find out about any medication or supplements you are taking.

They will also do a physical examination. This might include taking your pulse and blood pressure and examining your skin, nails, tongue and eyes. They might also feel your abdomen.

The herbalist will then decide which remedies you need. They will usually make it while you wait.

The remedy might be:

Your herbalist may suggest that you go back for another appointment after a few weeks. How long you continue seeing them will depend on why you are using herbal medicine.

This depends on which herbal medicine you want to have.

It is important to check with your doctor first before taking any herbal remedies if you:

Many people assume that products are safe to use when marketed as natural or herbal.

Some herbal medicines are safe to use but others may have severe and potentially dangerous side effects if used incorrectly. Some herbal medicines can interact with prescription drugs and other cancer treatments you are having. Check with your cancer specialist before taking any herbal medicines.

Some herbaltreatments might affect the way your body processes cancer drugs. For example the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in America says that St Johns wort can cause your body to get rid of the drug, imatinib (Glivec), quicker. This means it could make the imatinib less effective at treating your cancer.

Some herbal medicines might increase the effect of cancer drugs. This means that you could have too much treatment.

Other herbal medicines can interfere with some drugs. For example, Asian ginseng and bilberry can increase the risk of bleeding after surgery.

Some herbal remedies may make your skin more sensitive to light. Do not take them while having radiotherapy.

Each type of herbal remedy might have side effects. Some are safe to use and do not have any noticeable side effects. But some plants are poisonous to humans and can have serious and severe side effects.

Always tell your doctor if you are using any type of herbal remedy. It might be helpful to ask your herbalist for a list of all the ingredients in your herbal remedy. Then if you do have any side effects, your doctor will know what you have taken.

You, your doctor or herbalist can report side effects. You can report it to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA). The MHRA is the UK regulatory body. It collects information about the side effects of drugs, including herbal medicines.

Let both your herbalist and doctor know immediately if you feel worse or ill while you are taking herbal medicine.

There is no reliable evidence from human studies that herbal remedies can treat, prevent or cure any type of cancer.

Some clinical trials seem to show that certain Chinese herbs may help people to live longer, might reduce side effects, and help to prevent cancer from coming back. This is especially when combined with conventional treatment.

But many of the studies are published in Chinese, and some of them don't list the specific herbs used. Some journal articles don't give enough detail on how the researchers did the studies.

It is difficult to know how reliable the research is and which herbs may be helpful. But there are trials looking into this.

There is no reliable evidence that herbal remedies can prevent cancer.

Chinese researchers did a cohort study in 2018. A cohort is a group of people, so cohort studies look at groups of people. The researchers follow the group over a period of time.

The researchers in this study looked at people with oesophageal (food pipe) cancer. And who might develop a second primary (new) cancer of the head and neck. The researchers followed the group over 10 years. One part of the group received Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) and the other part did not.

The results showed that the group of people who took CHM had fewer cases of a second primary cancer of the head and neck. This was when the researchers compared them to the group that did not take CHM. The researchers suggested that CHM might prevent a second primary cancer of the head and neck in people with oesophageal cancer. The results looked promising. But the people in the study received different types of CHM. This might make the results of the study less accurate.

There is evidence that some herbal remedies might prevent or relieve cancer symptoms. And that it might help with treatment side effects. But we need results from large clinical trials. This way we can know which herbs are safe to use alongside conventional cancer treatment.

ACochrane review of studies in 2018 looking at preventing a dry mouth in people having radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. They found that there was not enough evidence to say that Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) can prevent the feeling of dry mouth. This was in people who had radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy to the head and neck.

Another Cochrane review of studies in 2018found that there was not enough evidence to use CHM as a treatment for oesophageal cancer. But they said that it might help with quality of life. And that it might relieve some side effects caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

A third Cochrane review of studies in 2018 looked at moxibustion. Moxibustion involves the burning of herbs above the skin at acupuncture pressure points.

The researchers found little evidence to say that it helped with side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Or that it helped with quality of life in people with cancer. But the researchers felt that the evidence was not clear enough to rule out some benefits or risks of this treatment. They suggested better quality studies.

Another review in 2020 looked at whether acupuncture and moxibustion could help with cancer related fatigue (tiredness). Some of the studies suggested that these types of Chinese medicine might help with fatigue. They say more research is needed with better quality studies.

Chinese researchers did a review study in 2019. The researchers looked at studies that used different types of CHM. The studies looked at how to relieve perimenopausal symptoms in women who had surgery, chemoradiotherapy or hormone treatment for breast cancer. Perimenopausal means the transition time to full menopause.

The researchers found that CHM might improve perimenopausal symptoms. But suggested better quality, precise and in-depth studies.

Some laboratory tests have found certain plants or plant extracts have anti-cancer qualities. Manufacturers made these into cancer drugs such as Taxol from the Pacific yew tree.

But, there is no scientific evidence from human trials that herbal medicine can treat or cure cancer. We need large trials to prove this.

Researchers did a laboratory study in 2019. They looked at the use of Chang-wei-qing (CWQ) as a treatment to prevent a certain type of bowel cancer. The researchers found that CWQ showed an anti-cancer (anti-tumour) effect. But this was a laboratory study, and we need more research.

Chinese researchers did a case study of 182 patients with pancreatic cancer. All of the patients received Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM). It showed that people having herbal medicine might survive longer. This was a case study and isnt evidence to use it as a treatment. We need more research.

Chinese researchers did a review study in 2018. They looked at several studies on CHM. The researchers said that CHM showed positive results. This was as a therapy to use with other types of cancer treatment. They also said that CHM can help chemotherapy and radiotherapy to work better.

They felt that CHM can help to control certain cancer genes. And that it can influence the way cancer cells work. But they recommended more research to understand exactly how CHM works.

A Cochrane reviewin 2016looked at studies using a type of CHM called Ganoderma lucidum to treat cancer. The researchers found that there was not enough evidence to use Ganoderma lucidum as a treatment for cancer. But they suggested that it might be used alongside conventional cancer treatment to boost immunity. The researchers also said that future research should be of better quality studies.

Your first consultation with a herbalist will usually cost more than further appointments. Follow up appointments are generally shorter, so are likely to cost less.

You will also have to pay for the herbs your herbalist prescribes. These costs may vary from place to place in the UK.

Some herbal products in health food shops and pharmacies have to meet quality standards. They also need to provide information about their product. This includes the specific content and dose of the product and how safe it is.

In Europe, always buy products registered under the Traditional Herbal Remedies (THR) scheme. Remedies registered under the scheme have a THR mark and symbol on the packaging. THR products have been tested for quality and safety.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates the registration of herbal products in the UK.

Some unlicensed herbal products have been found to contain illegal substances and toxic herbs. The manufacturers have not listed this on the packaging of the product. The amount of the active ingredient can also vary widely between products.

It is safest to buy herbal remedies from a fully qualified herbal practitioner. They have had training to work out which medicines are appropriate for you. They can also trace where their herbs and plants come from.

It is understandable that you might want to try anything if you think it might help treat or cure your cancer. Only you can decide whether to use an alternative cancer therapy such as herbal medicine.

You could harm your health if you stop your cancer treatment for an unproven treatment.

Some websites might promote herbal medicine as part of treatment for cancer. But no reputable scientific cancer organisations support any of these claims.

You can get further information about herbal medicines from the following organisations.

The EHTPA covers a group of organisations representing Ayurveda, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Traditional Tibetan Medicine and Western Herbal Medicine within Europe. They are working together to develop a set of practice and training standards for herbal medicine.

EHTPA6 BarnfieldEppingCM16 6RL

Email:info@ehtpa.org

The BHMA aims to protect herbal medicine users, practitioners and manufacturers. It has an information service and can refer to locally qualified herbal practitioners.

PO Box 583ExeterDevonEX1 9GX

Tel: 0845 680 1134Email: secretary@bhma.info

151 Buckingham Palace RoadLondonSW1W 9SZ

Telephone: 020 3080 6000Email: info@mhra.gsi.gov.uk

The MHRA regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK. This includes herbal products.

They have information about:

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Herbal medicine | Complementary and alternative therapy | Cancer ...

Orthodox vs Alternative Medicine: Which Is the Villain? – Medscape

Recently, there has been heightened suspicion regarding orthodox medicine as people are taking more interest in alternative medicine. The consensus is that orthodox drugs are artificial chemicals that are harmful to the human body. Unfortunately, the postulates of this theory disregard the good, desirable effects of orthodox therapies. Rather, the adverse effects which are touted as the major disadvantages of orthodox over alternative medicine are magnified.

Many people would rather take herbal teas, supplement pills, and topical herbs than orthodox pills. It's the same formulations and appearances, but one is perceived as harmful and the other harmless. Reasons for this include dissatisfaction with conventional orthodox treatments, high cost of treatment, incompatibility with individual values, and religious and cultural beliefs. The term "natural" treatment or supplements brings down the guards of individuals who disregard the use of orthodox medicine, as they are often willing to try out "natural" remedies. Who says these "natural supplements'' do not have their side effects?

It appears that alternative medicine does not get the same level of distrust that orthodox medicine gets from the general public because alternative medicine may date back many centuries and be known to be quite effective. It's more like a case of the devil you know is better than the angel you do not know.

Furthermore, apparent trust in alternative medicine may be attributable to its lower cost, availability, and accessibility. Orthodox medicine includes prescription medications that cannot be dispensed without a doctor's prescription. Hence, the person must make a doctor's appointment, as well as go through some time-consuming processes, before treatment commences. Individual patients often have limited interaction with the physician which may cause some dissatisfaction with diagnosis and treatment modalities.

A combination of alternative medicine with faith/ spiritual healing also makes alternative medicine more attractive. This is because combining the two makes it more likely to align with a patient's religious and cultural beliefs.

More so that the alternative medicine dispenser takes time to listen to the client's complaints and is perceived as a person with special healing powers. This perception may play a role in improving mental attitude toward illness, which has been known to determine, to a large extent, response to treatment of an ailment.

Some people would swear by the effectiveness of traditional medicines even with the nonuniform preparation methods and poorly measured doses administered. This is not disputable, as many traditional remedies are discovered and used based on anecdotal evidence. Some are dissolved in solvents produced in environmental conditions where contamination is inevitable. Side effects are considered part of the mechanism of action. People believe that their forefathers enjoyed a better life without orthodox medicine.

In fact, some orthodox medications were adopted from traditional remedies after scientific evidence from the research showed how effective they were in treating that particular ailment. A good example is the Cinchona bark which was and is still being used as a traditional treatment for malaria. The antimalarial derived from cinchona tree bark quinine is still a very effective antimalaria medicine.

Some persons strongly believe that orthodox drugs they ingested have altered their natural genetic makeup. And that pharmaceutical companies are not to be trusted, as they are in it for the money alone, and therefore studies and results of research are often false or fabricated. They can then be extremely paranoid in their discussion with medics, so much so that it begins to sound like a personal attack on individual medical personnel.

Medical personnel need to be careful not to get defensive and further heighten suspicion.

It is best to broach this subject diplomatically, citing scientific evidence, research, and evidence-based medicine. Pointing out that the consequences of research misconduct are grave, and that pharma companies would not be involved in such, as there are many regulatory bodies with rigorous processes before a treatment is approved. Even when new treatments are approved, adverse effects are reported and drugs may still be withdrawn if the risk of harm supersedes the benefits.

We have seen some integration of traditional and orthodox medicine for instance, training of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and working hand in hand with them in communities in some parts of Africa. This has been found to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality. These integrations may allay fears and distrust of orthodox medicine in the communities, although some are set in their ways and will stick to their beliefs and misconceptions despite overwhelming evidence.

Adults who have the capacity can decide to refuse orthodox medical treatments. And that's fine if it doesn't put other people in harm's way and is not a public health concern.

Join Medscape's new blog initiative! We're looking for physicians, nurses, PAs, specialists, and other healthcare professionals who are willing to share their expertise in one to two paid blog posts per month. Please email Medscape-Blogs@webmd.net for more information.

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Orthodox vs Alternative Medicine: Which Is the Villain? - Medscape

Study: Up to Two-Thirds of Children with ADHD Have Used Alternative Therapies – ADDitude

August 4, 2022

Up to two-thirds of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to address their symptoms, according to a new study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.

Nutrition modifications; natural products, such as herbs, vitamins, and minerals; and mind-body practices like mindful meditation were the most-reported CAMs. The use of alternative therapies was higher in families where the caregiver preferred natural therapies for ADHD and believed CAMs could synergistically boost conventional medicine.1

In addition, researchers found two predictive factors for alternative therapy use: parents education level (the more educated the parents, the more likely alternative therapies were used) and female gender.

It seems that parents with higher education are open-minded, the researchers wrote. Additionally, they usually try Internet sources, books, and even magazines and other information sources to treat their children.

The study found that more females opted for complementary and alternative medicine than males. One of the most important reasons for the higher CAM use in patients of the female gender is the fact that they usually employ more health services than males, researchers said.2

For the study, researchers reviewed The Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, and Scopus databases from inception to February 10, 2022, for reports of complementary and alternative medicine usage by patients with ADHD. Data came from 12 original papers, which included a total of 4,447 patients, all younger than 18 years old.

To the researchers knowledge, this is the first systematic review to examine the prevalence, possible determinants, and type of alternative therapies used by patients with ADHD.

They recommended training healthcare providers on the most common CAM therapies and possible adverse effects or interactions with conventional medications. They [healthcare providers] should have a deeper and more informed dialog about this matter with ADHD patients, which encourages them to disclose their CAM use, researchers said.

This study had several limitations, such as only including articles published in English, and that most studies were from the U.S. and Australia.

1Wu, J., Li, P., Luo, H., & Lu, Y. (2022). Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use by ADHD Patients: A Systematic Review. Journal of Attention Disorders. doi.org/10.1177/1087054722111155

2Lorber, J., Moore, L. J. (2002). Gender and the Social Construction of Illness. Rowman Altamira.

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Study: Up to Two-Thirds of Children with ADHD Have Used Alternative Therapies - ADDitude

New Greenwich acupuncture practice focuses on physical and mental health, working as a ‘natural pain killer’ – Greenwich Time

GREENWICH An Old Greenwich resident who just opened her own acupuncture business on the west end of town said her interest in the alternative medicine practice was borne from her own experience in managing pain.

I hurt my shoulder swimming 15 years ago, said Susan Knight, who is a general practitioner of acupuncture.

We had had so many sports surgeries in my family that I just couldnt bear it. I went and received acupuncture, and in 11 sessions I was healed. I went in not being able to lift my arm over my shoulder, she said. It was then that I began amassing my collection of books.

After operating her practice out of her home, she launched Susan Knight Acupuncture at 100 Melrose Ave., off West Putnam Avenue near Wendys, in June with a soft opening and held an official ribbon-cutting on Wednesday.

The acupuncture practice focuses on mental health benefits as well as physical benefits, Knight said. She treats chronic pain as well as neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis.

A patient looking to avoid shoulder surgery, for example, can come to her for help, she said, or a patient can come in after surgery. Using acupuncture could allow a patient to steer clear of potentially dangerous and addictive opioids as pain medication, Knight said.

On her website, she cites the National Library of Medicine in saying, Despite overwhelming evidence of a mind-body connection, many people remain unaware that their chronic pain has a direct impact on their mental health. In recent research, acupuncture has been proven to treat psychological disorders, specifically those related to pain.

Worried about needles? No worries, she said, comparing the size of the needles to a coarse human hair. In fact, patients often fall asleep on the table, she said.

This is nothing like receiving a shot, Knight said.

She also pointed out her other services: Acupuncture is more than needles, Knight said. We do dietary therapy and breathing techniques and fire cupping.

The National Institutes of Health said studies have shown that acupuncture is an effective treatment alone or in combination with other therapies to treat nausea caused by surgical anesthesia and cancer chemotherapy, dental pain after surgery, addiction, headaches, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and asthma as well as aid in stroke rehabilitation.

The NIH said it can help with problems related to digestion; emotions; the eyes, ears and throat; the gynecological, musculoskeletal and respiratory systems, and more.

Acupuncture puts the person out of the sympathetic/dominant state, which is like the fight or flight state of your nervous system, Knight said. It can put people in the resting/parasympathetic state. Basically it treats the nervous system and when you put in the acupuncture needles the body releases endorphins, which are natural pain killers.

Acupuncture can be particularly good for teenagers, who are typically not fazed by the needles, Knight said.

Young people have seen it all on Instagram, she said. The fire cupping is something they have seen on Olympic athletes. Anyone under 30 seems to know all about alternative medicine already.

Knight said she would like to help teen anxiety, which she called an epidemic. Knight said she would like to put together a panel of local experts to take on the problem.

There has to be way for us to talk constructively and figure out some community solutions, she said. I would love to make an impact.

During her three years of home practice, Knight earned her masters degree as well as her clinical doctorate. She said she decided it was time to take her work out of the home and into the community.

Knight also said she is prepared for the challenge of owning a business. She has an MBA in marketing and started out in that field.

I didnt want to go back and promote more soda pop, Knight said. I wanted something in line with my values. I thought acupuncture was fascinating and it really works.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com

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New Greenwich acupuncture practice focuses on physical and mental health, working as a 'natural pain killer' - Greenwich Time

Sound therapy – Hillsboro Times Gazette

Pictured is the vibroacoustic table with the singing bowls on top, both of which Deborah Wolfe uses in her sound therapy practice.

Photo by Angela Shepherd

Newly-opened Vibrational Sound Massage was welcomed to downtown Greenfield on Wednesday.

The business opened last month at 228 Jefferson St., within Posey Plaza, Greenfields incubator space.

Vibrational sound therapy is the concept of using soothing sounds and vibrations to positively affect the body and the mind to promote healing and relaxation.

Owner Deborah D. Wolfe offers two types of therapy, one with a vibroacoustic table that sends frequencies into the body, and the other with singing bowls placed on the body.

She was led to this type of therapy through her own experiences in being healed, she said. Wolfe has been certified in sound therapy since 2014.

Her journey began in 2008, when her body became barely functional and she was on disability, she said. Traditional medicine and therapy werent working, some of it actually making her sick, so she started seeking alternative methods to regain her health.

It started with Reike, then light therapy, and eventually sound therapy, she said. While she found some restoration and relief with the other alternative therapies, it was sound therapy that made all the difference.

That is what put me back on my feet, what really turned me around, Wolfe said. I am my own walking testimony.

And today, the 67-year-old shares that healing with others through her work in sound therapy.

Its not only therapy services Wolfe offers, but also jewelry and different musical instruments, like tongue drums. She also makes Native American smudging feathers. She will provide demonstrations for those curious about sound therapy. Additionally, she does sound parties and will travel for those with her singing bowls.

For more information you can stop in, email Wolfe at [emailprotected], or call her at 937-218-6433. Vibrational Sound Massage is currently open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Angela Shepherd is a correspondent for the village of Greenfield.

Pictured is the vibroacoustic table with the singing bowls on top, both of which Deborah Wolfe uses in her sound therapy practice.

Unique business opens in Greenfield

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Sound therapy - Hillsboro Times Gazette

Recent Advances in the Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Review Article – Cureus

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a widely prevalent endocrine disorder in womenaccompanied by various symptoms and implications. It has been known for decades to have an incidence of 8-13% in all reproductive age groups, respectively [1].Anovulation and hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis dysfunction characterise PCOS, although it varies from other types of ovulation failure, marked by inadequate ovarian follicle development or reduced gonadotropin production (or both) (not detected by routine examination). PCOS patients are more likely to have endometrial hyperplasia. Insulin resistance (IR), metabolic syndrome (MS), and persistent low-grade inflammation are some of the other reproductive symptoms of PCOS [2]. Our understanding of the pathophysiological process, diagnosis, and therapy of PCOS has advanced recently. In this study, we focus on lifestyle modifications, type 2 diabetes (T2DM) medications, and bariatric surgery as treatment and prevention methods for metabolic comorbidities in PCOS.

Modifications in Lifestyle

Over half of all PCOS sufferers are overweight or obese[3], so PCOS patients are primarily recommended to reduce weightsince a good, balanced diet combined with regular exercise can raise their metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and help them lose weight safely [4]. Patients of PCOS have hormonal imbalances, high blood cholesterol levels, and are obese. It is critical to understand that working out alone will never be enough to help them lose weight. It is more important to have a healthy diet. ForIndian women, diet is seldom a priority. A healthy diet should be high in fibre and protein (1 g/kg body weight). A 30% calorie deficit, or 500 to 750 kcal per day (1200 to 1500 kcal per day), should be stated. According to various studies, overweight people can lose weight, and PCOS females with infertility had irregular ovulation and more excellent responsiveness to ovulation induction drugs, resulting in higher pregnancy and live birth rates. According to research, reducing up to 5% of one's initial weight can help restore regular menstruation and boost the reaction to ovulation and reproductive medications [5].

Genetics

Speaking genetically, the substantial connection of PCOS susceptibility variants in the meta-analysis of genome-wide association (GWAS) data using the cardinal PCOS-associated variables, ovulatory dysfunction (OD),hyperandrogenism (HA), andpolycystic ovarian morphology(PCOM), backed the idea that various variations can cause PCOS through different mechanisms [5].

Ovulation Inducers

Ovulation inducement is the cornerstone of treatment for infertile PCOS patients who want to become pregnant because 70% of women with PCOS have dysovulation or no ovulation [5].

Clomid citrate(CC) is the drug of choice for ovulation induction in polycystic ovarian syndrome in adolescents [6]. By inhibiting estrogen receptors in the hypothalamus, CC works as an anti-estrogen, increasing the pulse width of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the anterior pituitary as well as an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone production (FSH). Luteinizing hormone (LH) is a hormone that aids in the development of follicles. CC is usually given for five days between the second and fifth days of the period, commencing at 50 mg per day and rising progressively to 150 mg per day. CC can be administered in tandem with metformin for women with PCOS resistant to CC (conditional evidence-based recommendations, moderate-quality evidence). Clomid is responsible for roughly 30% of successful pregnancies; however, 20% of these pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth. Side effects include ovarian enlargement, hyperstimulation syndrome, multiple pregnancies, hot flushes, gas, bloating, and fatigue [7].

Aromatase transformsandrogens into estrogen. In the third generation, letrozole is the most widely used non-steroidal selective AI for inducing ovulation. Letrozole inhibits ovarian estradiol secretion. The sensitivity of the follicles to FSH rises when the pituitary secretes more FSH, increasing the ovulation rate. This is due to the hypothalamus's release of negative feedback and a short rise in androgens in the ovary [6].

Gonadotropin treatment for women with anovulatory PCOS. Patients who have failed first-line oral ovulation stimulation medicines should consider this as a second-line alternative, such as AI and SERM[7].

Insulin secretion and function are altered in people with PCOS. The effects of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance on androgen levels in PCOS patients have long been documented. Insulin controls ovarian activity, and excessive insulin levels can harm the ovaries. Muscle cells produce high quantities of androgens in response to excess insulin, delaying follicular development and resulting in the polycystic ovarian morphology characteristic of PCOS. Acanthosis nigricans has long been used to signify insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes PCOS patients more vulnerable to long-term health issues like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, both of which can be fatal[7]. As a result, treating insulin resistance with medications and lifestyle modifications is essential for PCOS therapy [8].

Insulin resistance is traditionally indicated by acanthosis nigricans. Insulin resistance in long termcan have systemicadverse side effects. As a result, insulin resistance treatment, including drugs and lifestyle changes, is critical for PCOS treatment [9].

Metformin is a biguanide medication that has been proven to be both safe and effective. Even though it is still an authorised application, metformin has long been used to treat type 2 diabetes and is one of the most often utilised insulin sensitisers in treating PCOS. Metformin improves insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues by lowering hepatic glucose production, boosting glucose absorption, and reducing hepatic glucose synthesis. Metformin side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal distension. PCOS patients are more likely to acquire prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Obesity can often generate misunderstandings regarding PCOS and type 2diabetes mellitus (T2DM), despite this apparent relationship. As a result, type 2 diabetes prevention is essential in this population, and metformin therapy has been shown to lower the incidence of type 2 diabetes in patients with high PCOS. Compared to the broader public, PCOS patients have a poor lipid profile, with a decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and an increase in triglyceride levels, which are critical predictors of cardiovascular complications. As a result, in PCOS, dyslipidemia treatment is critical. Metformin reduces dyslipidemia by directly reducing hyperinsulinemia or altering the liver's free fatty acid metabolism. Metformin has been demonstrated in several trials to significantly affect dyslipidemia, although it did not affect total cholesterol levels. Metformin is prescribed to women with PCOS at a beginning dose of 500-850 mg per day, which can be raised to 2000 mg per day if tolerated. Metformin in higher doses can help people lose weight and improve their lipid profiles, especially if they are obese and have PCOS. Metformin usage over a long period has also been associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. Metformin has mild gastrointestinal side effects that can be prevented by starting with a modest dose of 500 mg and gradually rising to a maximum dose of 1500 mg once a week [8]. The most common symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, and minor weight loss. Different therapeutic alternatives for metformin-intolerant women with PCOS should be examined due to metformin intolerance and its associated adverse effects.

Inositol, a dietary supplement, aids insulin signalling. Its role in regulating PCOS' metabolic and biochemical components is not well known. According to a new study, menstrual periods and ovulation can be improved. Although this recommendation cautions against using Inositol owing to the limited advantages, it also has a low risk of adverse effects and is cheap [9].

Potentiation refers to protinogens such glucagon-like peptide1 (GLP1) and glucose-dependent unguided polypeptides (GIP) that boost glucose-dependent insulin release, especially after a meal. Reaction to incretins Insulin resistance, especially type 2 diabetes, is linked to a change in incretin function. Researchers revealed that PCOS patients have lower levels of the hormone incretin in a recent study. As a result, targeting this system as a treatment for type 2 diabetes has become a feasible alternative, with improved glycemic control and weight loss in type 2 diabetes patients. Mimetics is a promising drug that targets a specific metabolic target and can be used to treat PCOS in various individuals [8].

Dyslipidemia, which is characterized by high LDL-C, triglycerides, and low HDL-C in PCOS women, is a key predictor of cardiovascular risk. As a consequence, improving the lipid profile and, as a result, decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease would be a successful PCOS therapy. Statins have been shown to help with the treatment of PCOS. A statin (also known as atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin) is a drug that prevents cholesterol from being made. In mice, the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMGCoA) reductase is essential for cholesterol production. HMG-CoA is transformed to mevalonate when this enzyme is inhibited, limiting cholesterol synthesis. In obese women with PCOS, atorvastatin therapy lowered serum malondialdehyde (MDA), an oxidative stress marker. Furthermore, atorvastatinlowers androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels in this group of PCOS women. When compared to a placebo, atorvastatin enhanced serum vitamin D (25(OH)D) in PCOS patients after a 12-week therapy. However, because of its teratogenic potential, It should not be utilized in reproductive-aged young women. until more rigorous evidence is available to establish its efficacy [8].

Spironolactone, flutamide, and finasteride are antigens that reduce hirsutism and acne problems in PCOS patients. Individuals with increased lipid levels, which are frequent in PCOS, may benefit from these antigens. In 40 women with hirsutism, for six months, the effects of spironolactone 100 mg, flutamide 250 mg, and finasteride 5 mg were examined[9]. Despite the fact that there were no significant differences between the groups, all three drugs were effective. Spironolactone (25-100 mg twice daily) is the most commonly given antiandrogen due to its safety, availability, and low cost.

In the treatment of PCOS, the major mechanism of action of OCs is to control menstruation. These drugs also reduce hirsutism, acne, and hirsutism by lowering testosterone levels. Estrogen and progestogen combinations are the most common OCs used to treat hirsutism and acne caused by PCOS. In theory, these medications are more successful than prior formulations at treating androgenic symptoms. After six months of OC therapy, most women with hirsutism achieve clinical improvement. The findings also suggest that antigens and OCs might collaborate to generate synergy. Treatment for PCOS should be offered not just to ease symptoms, but also to avoid long-term complications. Doctors frequently prescribe a combination of oral contraceptives and antigens to lower testosterone levels and alleviate symptoms while preserving the endometrium. Dependence onethinylestradiol and cyproterone acetate should be minimized due to the increased risk of thromboembolic events, and they should not be considered first-line COCP medications [10,11].

PCOS patients who are unable to conceive and are not in danger of becoming pregnant, amenorrhea, or irregular uterine bleeding can be treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Ovarian androgen production is suppressed by monthly progestogen therapy, but abnormal endometrial development is not. MPA also improves insulin sensitivity and lipid profile in PCOS patients [12].

Orlistat

Orlistat is a lipase inhibitor that inhibits triglyceride breakdown in the stomach and pancreas, lowering dietary fat absorption. Orlistat is a weight-loss medicine that has been shown to work, but its effectiveness has been questioned. Orlistat treatment showed significant decreases in body weight and blood levels in a study that investigated the effects of orlistat vs metformin treatment on biochemical and hormonal variables in women with PCOS. Androgen levels are greater than metformin levels[13]. Orlistatalso decreased total cholesterol, testosterone, and IR markers. Orlistat also lowers blood pressure and, due to its weight-loss benefits, may assist to avoid type 2 diabetes in this high-risk group. Orlistat has been linked to increased lipodystrophy, diarrhoea, stomach pain, and flatulence when taken 120 mg three times a day with meals, it is the recommended dosage. It might also lead to a deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins. While orlistat may be helpful in the treatment of obesity, its effectiveness in controlling the metabolic aspect of PCOS is disputed. When compared to peer controls and non-obesity PCOS patients,visceral adiposity Index (VAI) levels were greater in overweight and/or obese PCOS patients, and were linked with several metabolic and inflammatory parameters [14].

Sibutramine

The appetite suppressor sibutramine is used in conjunction with lifestyle changes to treat obesity. It's a reuptake inhibitor of monoamines. It prevents neurotransmitters including serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine from being absorbed [15].

Rimonabant

Rimonabant is a cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor blocker used to treat anorexia and obesity. Rimonabant lowered alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and body weight in obese PCOS patients without nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) [16].

Naltrexone/bupropion

Opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone has a high affinity for the u00b5-opiate receptor, this is connected to eating habits. By decreasing dopamine release, naltrexone has been proven in animal tests to lower food intake, consumption, and binge eating behaviour. It was recently authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction. Antidepressant bupropion can be used to treat depressionand smoking cessation. It acts by preventing the reuptake of dopamine. Weight loss was the most common side effect in clinical trials [15]. Despite the fact that none of these medicines has been authorized by the FDA for the treatment of obesity, scientific trials have shown that combining them results in considerable weight reduction. For example, the combination naltrexone/bupropion (N/B), sold under the oral tablet name Contrave, was recently authorized for the treatment of obesity in the United States and Europe. As a result, naltrexone and bupropion may have clinically significant weight-loss benefits on the metabolic component of PCOS.It's unexpected that this guideline now encompasses infertility surgery and antimicrobial pharmacology in regard to fertility therapy. Despite the paucity of data regarding PCOS and fertility, both treatments should be examined. Because of the potential risks to the baby from pregnancy, women who are having surgery should carefully consider postponing conception until they have achieved nutritional stability after losing weight. Neonatal mortality and growth limitation are two issues that need to be addressed. It can also help those with preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and big gestational age children, as well as comorbidities including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia [16].

There is increasing evidence suggesting that PCOS affects the whole life of a woman, can beginin uteroin genetically predisposed subjects, manifests clinically at puberty, and continues during the reproductive years [16]. Vitamin D insufficiency or inadequacy affects 45-90% of reproductive-age women. According to research, vitamin D insufficiency was associated with a substantial reduction in ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, and the chance of a live delivery in PCOS women receiving ovarian stimulation for infertility [17-20]. Patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome, ovulation dysfunction, and metabolic disorders may benefit from vitamin D medication. To make firm conclusions on the effect of vitamin D supplementation on female reproductive health, randomized, prospective, and controlled studies are required [21].

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Recent Advances in the Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Review Article - Cureus

From Cancer To Paralysis, He’s Treating People With Rare Herbs From His Native Arunachal Pradesh – LifeBeyondNumbers

Meet Andolo Keche, a farmer by profession and a proud father of six daughters and a son. Around 25 years ago, he moved to a small town called Roing. This humble man also has another side to his life.

Andolo has been practicing traditional medicinal and healing therapies and treatments for nearly three decades. Its genesis traces its roots in Donli village, where Andolo was born and raised. This village is nestled deep in the mountains and forests of Lower Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh. Its remoteness cuts it away from the rest of the world and deprives it of basic facilities such as roads, transportation, electricity, and health. Even for a regular kitchen item, one has to trek down to the nearest village, which is 25-30 km.

It is self-explanatory that having access to modern medicine is out of the question in case of ill health. Thus, it has kept the villagers faith in their only resort, i.e., tried and tested traditionally practiced medicines. I am the third generation practicing such alternative treatments. I learnt it from my father, Erudu Keche, who had picked up the expertise and skills from his father. I remember, during my childhood, my father used those medicines to treat me whenever I fell sick. It created an interest in me. Growing up, I started learning more about medicinal plants and herbs, which evolved with time.

Today, his healers kitty has many fascinating natural ingredients. Mishmi Teeta, also called Coptis Teeta, is one of the most popular medicinal herbs he has been widely using. Its an endangered plant. Its rhizome is used as an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. To acquire this herb, he has to go to mountainous terrain. Locally known as Amrit Lata or Guduchi, it can cure wounds and cuts because of its antiseptic properties.

Taxus Baccata is another plant I use for cancer treatment. However, this plant needs to be used in the right dosage under strict supervision. The hills and forests of Arunachal have many herbs and plants. I use over 100 herbs for treating my patients.

His practice necessitated him to continue researching simultaneously. Especially in Roing, he observed a massive demand for traditional medicines. He felt the need to broaden his knowledge and reach. Thus, in 2010, he started his clinic called Idu-Mishmi Ayurvedic Clinic.

I did a rough sketch of how to proceed with the steam healing. During my younger days, I worked as a mason and gained experience in house/room construction. With a few helpers, I could build a gas chamber. Its a modest setup with two small rooms where the patient can sit. The rooms have holes for the gas to pass. I boil all the medicinal herbs together in a big container. A tube collects the steam and is connected to the two rooms. Before treating any patient, I tried it through self-experimenting.

He has had patients suffering from Cancer, Paralysis, Jaundice, TB, and others. Most of them were the ones who got tired of using allopathy medicines and not receiving any relief. Andolos occupational commitment to farming forced him to discontinue his clinic for some years. But the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and followed by new variants of viruses and diseases, brought him back to his medicinal practice.

He compares allopathy and his treatment stream and says he treated his wifes fever and headache several times using Mishmi Teeta. It has worked 100%. Allopathy medicines provide instant solutions, like curing a particular ailment faster than herbal medicines. The latter might take some time to act, but the result is much better as it treats the root cause, not the symptoms.

Also, read: This Mother Is On A Mission To Protect Children And Preserve The Heritage Of Arunachal Pradesh

Sharing a few most notable cases that he has handled, he informs:

Almost seven years ago, Mr. Gite Linggi suffered a stroke due to which he was restricted to a wheelchair. He was on modern medicines, but it didnt help. Slowly, over a course of more than two months, his lower limbs got dysfunctional. That is when he approached me. I put him on steam healing therapy for a month. No exaggeration, after taking it regularly for a week, he could move his limbs. His health started restoring. He gave up a few bad lifestyle habits like the consumption of alcohol and smoking. It was needed to get the benefit of steam healing. From the second month of the treatment, he was off the wheelchair. It amazed his family, friends and onlookers.

For Andolo, it was a reaffirmation of the power of medicinal herbs and shrubs, which could cure even a patient who survived a massive cardiac stroke and paralysis.

Andolo participated in various workshops pan India during his engagement with an NGO. He also partook in several state-organized seminars highlighting the importance of traditional medicines. One such workshop conducted by the Odisha government made him meet many fellow traditional medicinal practitioners from across the country. It was an educating experience to know that each community, state, or society has its own unique, age-old treatment and medicines. However, he also realized the lack of awareness across the country.

While this alternative healing treatment has miraculous benefits, it doesnt come easy for the practitioner.

Availability of the ingredients is one of the most significant concerns. Andolo has to travel far-off lands in rugged terrain to source the needed herbs, plants, and shrubs. Often, he has to hike and trek to almost unapproachable places where the ingredients are grown, and if needed, he has to stay there for a week. However, all his efforts feel rewarded when he witnesses his patients improve and become healthier.

Andolo is a man from the land of mountains. His heart bleeds to watch the mass destruction of forests and hills, annihilating the biodiversity to meet the land demand of an ever-increasing population. It takes a toll on the rare flora that breeds in remote locations.

The medicines I use to cure people need specific habitat, climate, and weather to grow. Even if I want to grow them here in my garden, its impossible. For instance, medicine like Coptis Teeta is found only in the mountainous region. The plain area like Roing isnt conducive. A new dam is coming up on the Dibang River. I can only hope for the best.

Also, read: An Impromptu Trek Is Now Impacting 1600+ Lives By Lighting Up 430+ Houses In Arunachal Pradesh

How receptive is the youth toward preserving their medical heritage? Does he intend to pass such enriched traditional knowledge to the next generation?

I have made sure all my daughters are aware of these medicines. Long back, when we were too poor to afford medicine, I treated them using only these herbal therapies. I never took them to the hospital. I am proud to say that my eldest daughter has done many projects on ayurvedic medicinal plants during her school days. As of today, I can run my clinic due to the constant support of my daughters, Disha, Maya and Liya.

In the meantime, if its not his daughters aim to be tribal healers or they want to focus on their life and dreams, he cant ask them to be there for him all the time. His practice will become even more challenging as he grows older. Thus, he will be overwhelmed if people come forward to support him in his cause to keep this ancient healing therapy alive.

Andolo plans to run the clinic and help people understand the herbal way and its importance. He further adds that in this modern world, most people lack patience. For example, if one gets a headache, he/she wants it to stop immediately. No one has the time to understand the underlying issue triggering the headache.

Andolo has some health advice for people.

Ayurveda or holistic herbal medicine teaches us to be patient, to know the root of the problem and create awareness that once it is identified, we can avoid it next time. It aims to restore health by pinpointing the underlying causes of the diseases and strives to uproot them. Meanwhile, it involves detoxifying, cleansing, strengthening body tissues and balancing the body, ensuring a complete cure.

As Indians, we can do our bit to help traditional healers like Andolo Keche, who have kept our healing heritage alive. A little help can go a long way.

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From Cancer To Paralysis, He's Treating People With Rare Herbs From His Native Arunachal Pradesh - LifeBeyondNumbers

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) – NCI

Complementary and alternative medicine includes practices such as massage, acupuncture, tai chi, and drinking green tea.

Credit: iStock

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard medical care. People with cancer may use CAM to

Integrative medicine is an approach to medical care that combines conventional medicine with CAM practices that have shown through science to be safe and effective. This approach often stresses thepatient's preferences, and it attempts to address the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of health.

Conventional medicineis a system in which health professionals who hold an M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degree treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery. It is also practiced by other health professionals, such as nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, and therapists. Itmay also be called allopathic medicine,biomedicine, Western, mainstream, or orthodox medicine. Some conventional medical care practitioners are also practitioners of CAM.

Standard medical careis treatment that is accepted by medical experts as a proper treatment for a certain type of disease and that is widely used by healthcare professionals. Also called best practice, standard of care, and standard therapy.

Complementary medicine is used along with standard medical treatmentbut isnot considered by itself to be standard treatment.One example is using acupuncture to help lessen some side effects of cancer treatment.Less research has been done for most types of complementary medicine.

Alternative medicine is used instead of standard medical treatment. One example is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of cancer drugs that are prescribed by an oncologist. Less research has been done for most types of alternative medicine.

For details about specific CAM therapies, NCI provides evidence-based Physician Data Query (PDQ) information for many CAM therapies in versions for both the patient and health professional.

Scientists learn about CAM therapies every day, but there is still more to learn. This list is meant to be an introduction to what types of CAM are practiced, not an endorsement.Some of the therapies listed below still need more research to prove that they can be helpful. If you have cancer, youshould discuss yourthoughts about using CAM with yourhealth care provider before using the therapies listed below.

People may use the term "natural," "holistic," "home remedy," or "Eastern Medicine" to refer to CAM. However, experts often use five categories to describe it. These are listed below with examples for each.

These combine mental focus, breathing, and body movements to help relax the body and mind. Some examples are

This type of CAM uses things found in nature. Some examples are

These are based on working with one ormore parts of the body. Some examples are

Energy healing is based on the belief that a vital energy flows through the body. The goal is to balance the energy flow in the patient. There's not enough evidence to support the existence of energy fields. However, there are no harmful effects in using these approaches. Some examples are

These are healing systems and beliefs that have evolved over time in different cultures and parts of the world. Some examples are

Some CAM therapies have undergone careful evaluation and have been found to be generally safe and effective. These include acupuncture, yoga, and meditation to name a few. However, there are others that do not work, may be harmful, or could interactnegativelywith your medicines.

CAM therapies include a wide variety of botanicals and nutritional products, such as herbal and dietary supplements,and vitamins. These products do not have to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being sold to the public. Also, a prescription isn't needed to buy them. Therefore, it's up to you to decide what's best for you. Some tips to keep in mind are below.

It's always important for you to have a healthy diet, but especially now. Do the best you can to have a well-rounded approach, eating a variety of foods that are good for you. For advice about eating during and after cancer treatment, see the NCI booklet, Eating Hints.

Cancer patients who want to use CAM should talk with their doctor or nurse. This is an important step because things that seem safe could be harmful or even interfere with your cancer treatment. It's also a good idea to learn if the therapy you're thinking about has been proven to do what it claims to do. Examples of questions to ask are below.

What types of CAM therapies might help me

Don't be afraid to ask questions.It's okay to feel hesitant when asking about using CAM. But doctors want to know what concerns you have so they can give you the best possible care. Let them know that you would like to use CAM methods and want their input.

NCI and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) are currently sponsoring or cosponsoringclinical trials that test CAM treatments and therapies in people. Some study the effects of complementary approaches used in addition to conventional treatments, and some compare alternative therapies with conventional treatments. You can find a list of all cancer CAM clinical trialshere.

Lifelines: Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Dr. Jeffrey D. White, OCCAM Director, explains the use of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer.

Patients, their families, and their health care providers can learn about CAM therapies and practitioners from the following government agencies:

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Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) - NCI

Benefits of Alternative Medicine – Everglades University

Alternative medicine has been playing a large role in the healing industry for centuries and its popularity is showing no sign of slowing down.

The numerous benefits directly linked with alternative or natural medicine has created a wave of interest, especially in the western world, that seems to continue to grow at a rapid rate.

Alternative medicine includes a range of treatments that, while considered unorthodox, have various advantages that many modern forms of medicine simply cannot achieve.

Due to its practices being generally not accepted as a traditional or standard approach in the medical field, alternative medicine consistently receives criticism and backlash for being backwards and unreliable.

Unfortunately natural medicine is also commonly associated as a remedy that is only used by those who are unable to afford modern treatment despite the countless studies focused on the subject that say otherwise.

One study, for example, found that majority of individuals who use alternative medicine use it because they find these health care alternatives to be more congruent with their own values, beliefs, and philosophical orientations toward health and life says the Jama Network.

There is no denying the substantial difference between a standard hospital room with sophisticated tools and equipment and an acupuncture table where needles are inserted into specific points of the body to help cure ailments such as depression or anxiety.

Just because the former is considered superior doesnt mean the latter isnt as effective.

There are several common forms and their benefits of alternative medicine are extraordinary and have been helping people in need for hundreds of years. Lets take a look.

An extremely popular form of alternative medicine, acupuncture has helped millions of Americans with its use of needles and/or electric stimulation and is even used by licensed physicians who say it has increased success in treating problems that often resist Western medicine, such as female sexual dysfunction.

This ancient Chinese technique has been tested with case-controlled clinical studies and has shown that acupuncture can successfully help cure illnesses such as:

Herbal medicine is tailored around the use of plants, roots, berries, and leaves and is utilized to employ the bodys natural healing capabilities.

This technique has not only been around for thousands of years but it has also been known to help cure conditions such as heart problems, skin rashes, chronic fatigue, and premenstrual cycle, obesity and more.

There are about four billion people (80% of the worlds population) who are currently using herbal medication treatment as their primary health care further proving the benefits of alternative medicine.

Similar to acupuncture, acupressure therapists use their feet, hands and elbows to focus on the pressure points of the bodys meridians or channels of the body instead of needles.

Meridians are believed to be the invisible channels that carries the flow of energy, or chi, that connects all parts of your body and acts as a passageway for communication between your vital organs.

The theory goes that when one of these meridians is blocked or out of balance, illness can occur according to WebMD.

Acupressure has been known to relieve anxiety for individuals who are about to endure surgery and nausea for those are in the process of chemotherapy. Acupressure also helps those dealing with motion sickness and sickness from pregnancy.

Generally referred more as a complementary medicine as opposed to alternative due to its wider range of acceptance, chiropractic is constantly used to help develop strong bones and healthy surrounding muscles.

Chiropractors focus on manipulating the spinal cord with force exerted from their hands to realign and ensure proper form in regards to the spine.

They focus on the direct relationship between the nervous system and the spine to reduce pain in the lower back or neck. It also helps headaches, joint pain and high blood pressure.

Alternative medicine has helped people for hundreds of years and will continue to help people for years to come.

Prices for modern medicine are skyrocketing and there are countless cases of people finding help and relief from alternative medicine.

Alternative medicine works to find the core of the problem and takes a different route than most are used to.

With so many countless benefits of alternative medicine it only makes sense that we offer a degree program that specializes in the teaching and preparation for entry-level careers in the respected field as we understand and recognize the unlimited potential.

If youre interested in learning more about our degree with a Major in Alternative Medicine do not hesitate to reach out to Request More Information.

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Benefits of Alternative Medicine - Everglades University

FDA Regulatory News and Trends – Lexology

Welcome to the inaugural issue of FDA Regulatory News and Trends, designed to help you identify significant legal developments and navigate the evolving business, legal and regulatory world.

FDA Warning Letter focuses on GMP failures at 503B compounding outsourcing facility. After a brief hiatus from the string of Warning Letters sent to 503B outsourcing facilities in mid- to late 2021, on June 7, 2022, FDA issued a Warning Letter to Hybrid Pharma, LLC based on an inspection ending in September 2021. FDA appears to be coming back with a vengeance, as the same Hybrid Pharma facility received a previous Warning Letter in November 2018. Read more.

Guidance coming to supplements industry on new dietary ingredients. The FDA intends to release multiple draft guidance documents to the dietary supplements industry in the form of relatively small, discrete topics related to New Dietary Ingredients, an FDA executive said on May 26. Betsy Jean Yakes, acting director of the agencys Division of Research & Evaluation, made those comments at the IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas conference in Washington, DC. An FDA spokesperson elaborated that the agency has announced its intent to finalize the NDI Notification Procedures and Timeframes sections of its guidance in its Foods Program Guidance Under Development. Under the law governing NDIs, a manufacturer that wishes to introduce a new ingredient in a supplement must file a notification with the FDA 75 days before marketing the ingredient.

FDA says it now has the staff to review pre-submissions for non-COVID-19 products. The FDA said in a May 31 blog post that it now has the staff it needs to review pre-submissions for medical devices that arent related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the post, Jeff Shuren, director of the agencys Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), and William Maisel, director of its Office of Product Evaluation and Quality (OPEQ), noted that since the beginning of the pandemic, the demand for medical devices has far exceeded the demand in any previous public health emergency. This, they said, had significantly overloaded the agencys ability to review requests for Emergency Use Authorization (EUAs) as well as conventional requests. The post also noted that in December 2021, the agency had highlighted that it was prioritizing work in this area that is related to COVID-19 and that it had a limited ability at that time to accept non-COVID pre-submissions. In the May 31 post, the agency said that things have changed and that it is pleased to announce that, as of June 1, 2022, CDRH plans to accept all non-COVID IVD pre-submissions and that due to the continued elevated workload related to COVID, its likely these IVD pre-submissions will initially be reviewed under an extended timeline.

FDA withdraws COVID-era guidance on marketing submissions and applications. On June 7, the FDA announced it is withdrawing a guidance document entitled Effects of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on Formal Meetings and User Fee Applications for Medical DevicesQuestions and Answers (Revised). This document was originally issued in June 2020 and updated in December 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency said it is withdrawing this guidance document because it recognizes that the conditions that created the need for these policies have evolved and that they are no longer needed essentially, that the pandemic has decreased in scope and severity. The effective date of the withdrawal of the guidance is July 7, 2022. A key aspect of the withdrawal is that the agency said it has determined it is in the interest of the public health to return to pre-pandemic policies regarding hold times for marketing submissions and applications to the FDA. Reverting to policies regarding hold times described in the preexisting guidance documents should facilitate more timely premarket review of innovative and potentially lifesaving devices, the agency said.

FDA issues industry guidance on tropical disease priority review vouchers. On June 13, the FDA issued a guidance for industry entitled Tropical Disease Priority Review Vouchers. The guidance explains how the agency implements provisions of section 524 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and how sponsors may qualify for a priority review voucher based on eligibility criteria set forth in the statute. It also discusses how to use priority review vouchers and how priority review vouchers may be transferred to other sponsors. The idea behind section 524 is to stimulate research into possible drugs for certain tropical diseases that affect millions of people and to create a way to give priority review vouchers to sponsors of diseases that can treat those diseases. Priority review means that applications for those drugs take priority over any other type of drug application.

Ex-Eli Lilly employee files suit claiming she was fired for making allegations about the manufacture of Trulicity. Amrit Mula, a former senior human resources employee at Eli Lilly & Co., filed a federal lawsuit on June 6 claiming that she was fired after reporting manufacturing and data falsification issues related to the pharmaceutical companys products, including its blockbuster diabetes drug Trulicity. The suit was filed in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey. Mula, who was an associate director of employee relations at Eli Lilly in Branchburg, New Jersey, contends in the lawsuit that she repeatedly asked her superiors, starting in 2018, to remedy manufacturing violations involving several biologic drugs, including Trulicity. Lilly executives responded by marginalizing, harassing and eventually terminating her position under false pretenses, she said in the lawsuit. The US Department of Justice last year launched a criminal investigation into alleged manufacturing irregularities at the plant.

Guidance for small businesses on importation rule. On May 25, the FDA issued a nonbinding Industry Guidance document concerning the implementation of its 2020 rule on the importation of prescription drugs from Canada. The guidance document is specifically designed, the FDA said, to aid small businesses in their efforts to comply with the rule. The document reviews the structure of the importation program. It points out that the program, under section 804 of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, will be implemented through time-limited Section 804 Importation Programs (SIPs), which will be reviewed and authorized by the agency and managed by states or Indian tribes, or in certain future circumstances by pharmacists or wholesale distributors. The purpose of the final rule, the guidance notes, is to achieve a significant reduction in the cost of covered products to the American consumer while posing no additional risk to public health and safety.

FDA rescinds approval for a drug being used against lymphoma. On June 1, the FDA withdrew for safety and health reasons -- its February 5, 2021 accelerated approval for a new cancer drug, Ukoniq or umbralisib. Ukoniq had been approved to treat two types of lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. However, findings from a post-market clinical trial continued to show a possible increased risk of death in patients receiving the drug, leading the agency to determine that the risks of treatment with Ukoniq outweigh its benefits. Based on this determination, the drugs manufacturer, TG Therapeutics, announced it was voluntarily withdrawing Ukoniq from the market for the approved uses in these two types of lymphoma. The FDA told doctors to stop prescribing Ukoniq and to switch to alternative treatments for patients who were taking it. The drug had been approved in February 2021. The pending user fee legislative proposals contains additional authorities for FDA to require additional clinical studies for accelerated approvals and take enforcement action based on those results.

Appeals court rejects challenge to FDA ban on sale of raw butter. On June 10, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, affirming the ruling of a US district judge, found against a farmer who had asserted that the FDAs regulation banning the interstate sale of raw butter violates the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The appeals court found that the FDA acted reasonably when it concluded that raw butter was too dangerous to be sold interstate. The court pointed out that when Congress set a standard of identity for butter, it explicitly prevented the FDA from altering that definition. The plaintiff in the case, the court noted, contended that the pasteurization requirement for butter does alter that definition in violation of the law. But, the court concluded, That is incorrect: The pasteurization rule did not amend the statutory standard of identity for butter, either formally or functionally. Raw-cream butter, though unpasteurized, is still butter, notwithstanding the FDAs determination that its interstate sale would threaten public health.

FDA provides guidance on risk management for the pharma industry. On June 14, the FDA released a new guidance document titled Quality Risk Management that is intended to offer to pharmaceutical companies a systematic approach to quality risk management for better, more informed, and timely decisions. The agency, recognizing that the manufacture and use of pharmaceuticals necessarily entails some risk, said that the document specifically provides guidance on the principles and some of the tools of quality risk management that can enable more effective and consistent risk-based decisions, both by regulators and industry, regarding the quality of drug substances and drug (medicinal) products across the product lifecycle. The FDA noted that the guidance provides principles and examples of tools for quality risk management that can be applied to different aspects of pharmaceutical quality. These aspects include development, manufacturing, distribution, and the inspection and submission/review processes throughout the lifecycle of drug substances, drug products, biological and biotechnological products.

Program to help device makers find new ways to sterilize their devices. On June 7, the FDA announced it is considering a master file pilot program for premarket approval holders whose approved medical devices are sterilized using radiation. The FDA is doing this because of global supply chain constraints and the need to support sterilization supply chain resiliency. If implemented, this program would help medical device manufacturers advance alternative ways to sterilize their approved medical devices, including changing radiation sources. The FDA is working with sterilization experts, medical device manufacturers, and other government agencies to advance alternative ways to sterilize medical devices while maintaining device safety and effectiveness. Sterilization master file pilot programs are often used to encourage new ways to sterilize medical devices that reduce the potential impact of ethylene oxide on the environment and on public health. Ethylene oxide is used to sterilize about 50 percent of all sterilized medical devices, but long-term exposure to it is linked to certain cancers.

New FDA guidance points to priority in finding drugs to treat serious bacterial diseases. On May 24, the FDA issued a nonbinding Industry Guidance document titled Antibacterial Therapies for Patients With an Unmet Medical Need for the Treatment of Serious Bacterial Diseases Questions and Answers (Revision 1). A major purpose of the guidance document is to emphasize that since many serious cases of bacterial disease persist in hospitals and other settings especially cases that cannot be treated by currently available drugs it is important to prioritize efforts to find new appropriate drugs. The guidance quotes a previous FDA statement noting that it is appropriate to exercise the broadest flexibility in applying the statutory standards, while preserving appropriate guarantees for safety and effectiveness. These procedures reflect the recognition that physicians and patients are generally willing to accept greater risks or side effects from products that treat life-threatening and severely debilitating illnesses, than they would accept from products that treat less serious illnesses. These procedures also reflect the recognition that the benefits of the drug need to be evaluated in light of the severity of the disease being treated.

Warning Letter sent to maker of hand-sanitizing products. On May 23, the FDA sent a Warning Letter to Missouri-based Aire-Master of America, telling the company that it is engaging in significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for finished pharmaceuticals. Because of these violations, the agency said, its drug products are to be considered adulterated under federal law. The company manufactures hand-sanitizing products. The FDA also noted several other violations and told the company that its products are unapproved new drugs because they are not generally recognized as safe and effective for use under the conditions prescribed, recommended, or suggested in their labeling. New drugs may not be introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce without prior approval from the FDA, the agency said in the Warning Letter. The FDA also strongly recommended that the company hire a consultant to help it meet the requirements of CGMP.

The future of diagnostic regulation. DLA Piper Partner Bethany J. Hills joined Dr. Timothy Stenzel, Director, Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health, CDRH, William G. Morice, Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic and Mike Dobias, Officer, Health Care Products, The Pew Charitable Trusts to discuss important trends in diagnostic regulation at the Food Drug Law Institute Annual conference in Washington, DC on June 15, 2022. Dr. Stenzel provided a deep overview of the lessons learned by CDRH from the COVID pandemic, touching on important innovations in over-the-counter and home testing technologies. A key takeaway is that technologies that are well understood by the FDA can benefit from more efficient regulatory authorization review, while novel technologies take longer and Dr. Stenzel encouraged continued development of novel technologies. Dr. Morice spoke on topics of addressing health access disparities and the infrastructure issues that require updating and restructuring for the future success of deploying diagnostic technologies rapidly. Dr. Stenzel described a number of programs where government supported test validation was very effective and allowed for rapid deployment of tests that would have otherwise been inaccessible. Finally, Mike Dobias and Dr. Morice discussed in depth the pending legislation, the VALID Act, embedded in the proposed user fee bills, that will fundamentally change the way diagnostics are categories and regulated. Mr. Dobias provided an overview of the classification framework, the technology certification program for testing modifications and the available exemptions from pre-market authorization, while Dr. Morice focused on the need for clarity and predictability in the delivery and innovation of diagnostics and the ways the legislation could address those concerns. Key other topics included addressing cost barriers to diagnostic testing and dealing with large data and delivery gaps as tests become more available to consumers directly in their homes.

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FDA Regulatory News and Trends - Lexology

Dangerous herbal abortion misinformation is thriving on WitchTok – Input

Katy Willis grew up in a witchcraft-friendly home. Her mother is an ancestral medicine practitioner and Reiki master, and Willis inherited her moms talents for spiritual practices like energy healing, tarot reading, and spell work.

The 24-year-old Willis, who lives in small-town Ohio, deepened her practice by traveling to Mexico in 2021, where she learned about herbalism from an expert, drinking different teas designed to help her with ailments like period cramps. Needless to say, shes no stranger to the benefits of alternative medicine.

Willis passion for herbs and magic led her to TikTok, where there is a thriving witchcraft culture. (Hashtags like #witch, #witchcraft, and #witchtok have amassed more than 100 billion views total.) I know theres some people who do this for the aesthetic its definitely trendy, says Willis, who has 123,000 followers on her TikTok account, @amidnightwitch.

I think TikTok really intrigued people to learn more about how witchcraft works, she continues, and I do believe the majority of people practicing witchcraft believe in it.

This belief, it turns out, could be putting people with uteruses in danger. The Supreme Courts recent ruling revoking the landmark abortion rights decision Roe v. Wade left many people who can get pregnant scrambling for resources and aid as abortion was effectively outlawed in large parts of the U.S. Willis observed many people turning to WitchTok. And she was horrified when she saw the advice on offer.

I don't know a whole lot about how to make teas or medicine or any of the sorts, but I am educated enough to know whats harmful, says Willis. There's a lot of misinformation going on about how to use herbs as an abortion [method]. That can be extremely harmful to people and their health.

Willis is one of several creators who has raised the alarm about herbal abortions, which are going viral on TikTok. Videos published since the high courts June 24 decision which offer advice about using herbs like mugwort, cinnamon, feverfew, and papaya seeds as alternatives to medical abortions have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and more are appearing on the platform each day.

Onlookers and medical professionals are worried that such misinformation could do more harm than good, putting pregnant people at risk by endangering their lives or leading them away from resources that could help them.

According to herbalists and witches who are active on TikTok, the spread of misinformation about herbal abortions can be traced back to last falls SB8 ruling in Texas, when concerns about the sanctity of Roe v. Wade were raised by women across the U.S. One of the more recent videos which gave recommended doses of papaya seeds, goji berries, black cohosh, chamomile tea, evening primrose oil, and mugwort as DIY abortifacients has been viewed over one million times since it was published on May 4.

I noticed it about that time, and it kind of died out very quickly, says Shawna Bynum, a 41-year-old community herbalist and apothecary owner from Texas who has more than 21,000 followers on her TikTok account, @livingearthherbology. The videos began to spread again when the high courts draft decision was leaked. It was a bombardment of misinformation, and it hasnt really stopped since then, Bynum says.

Medical practitioners echo Bynums concerns. [Herbal abortions] are only partially effective, and theres no accurate data about how effective they are. The only effective methods are the abortion pill or surgical termination, says Dr. Adeeti Gupta, a New York City-based OBGYN and founder of the walk-in womens health center group Walk In GYN Care.

I would strongly recommend against them, Gupta adds. Even if its in early pregnancy, it can lead to heavy bleeding, infection, and death. Every abortion procedure should be supervised by a trained medical provider.

Bynum has noticed many of the videos are published by new witches and self-taught herbalists, who are often under the age of 25 and their videos have been so successful that, as an expert herbalist, shes been inundated with questions about abortifacient herbs.

The last couple of days, Ive gotten a couple hundred emails asking for more information. Im like, This is not the time to fuck around and find out if these herbs are going to work, says Bynum, who has posted warnings on her own TikTok page about the dangers of such practices.

Although she understands that TikTok witches are trying to help, she stresses that they are hurting their followers. The kneejerk reaction is to try and be a helper, she says. But its more detrimental than helpful.

Willis is concerned many TikTokers are creating these videos to rack up views, without recognizing the damage they could do. I feel like a lot of people do it for clickbait or clout, and they dont understand the harm that it could bring. Theres so many young, naive women watching these videos and saving them for later, she says.

Willis has been combating misinformation as far back as May by amplifying videos that outline why abortifacient herbs dont work. After all, shes seen the damage they can do IRL. I had a friend who went through a herbal abortion. She took advice through someone she met on TikTok, and she went through two weeks of hell, Willis says. It worked, but its a one in a million chance.

Of course, not everyone believes that distributing this information is a bad thing. I saw people werent talking about some of the herbs I knew about, and not every video hits everyones For You page. So I thought if I also made a video, more people would be able to see them, says Lauren Blosser, a 26-year-old nursing student from Michigan with 12,600 followers on her TikTok account, @ahobbitgrandma.

Her video of herbs you should not look up if you dont want to have a miscarriage a tongue-in-cheek way of distributing information about abortifacients in which Blosser winks at the camera has been viewed over 300,000 times since she published it in 2020. I tried to make it easy to digest, so women could research it themselves, she says. Obviously, you shouldnt make a decision based on TikTok.

Lauren BlosserLauren Blosser

Shes seen her video gaining more traction in the wake of the Roe v. Wade ruling. Im still getting likes. Im glad people are still seeing it, says Blosser, who tells Input that she is not an herbalist and based her video on her own research. Ive definitely noticed more people duetting, commenting, and sharing it.

Willis says that many videos like the one Blosser has produced are rife with misinformation and dangerous recommendations. Ive seen people recommend herbs that are poisonous. Its just like, Yeah, itll kill your child thats in your womb, 100 percent. But its also going to cause all these other issues that could lead to your own death, she says.

She points to pennyroyal, a herb often recommended on TikTok as an abortifacient, which can cause damage to a persons liver and kidneys. I don't think people think about that, Willis says. Its really insane how much these videos get normalized and popularized.

Bynum knows these videos often find women when they are in a desperate position and wants them to recognize that modern medicine exists for a reason. There was a time when your only option was herbal medicine, so thats what people used. At the same time, lets be real: Women died, or it was unsuccessful, and babies were born with birth defects, she says.

The most likely thing thats going to happen is people will get go sick theyll need to see a doctor, she continues. And then, with mandatory reporting, theyll be arrested for attempted murder.

Blosser, meanwhile, has a different point of view. I dont believe everything should just be straight-up Western medicine, she says. Women have been using these herbs for centuries. Its an important tool to have in your belt like, better safe than sorry if it came down to it. I couldnt tell someone how much to go out and consume. But I think I can plant that seed of knowledge.

Medical professionals wish users like Blosser wouldnt go around planting their seeds of knowledge. Dr. Meera Shah, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic in New York State, tells Input that herbal treatments are ineffective methods of abortion and urges people considering them to pursue proper medical care.

People in need of abortion can contact their local Planned Parenthood health center to discuss safe and legal options with a trained healthcare professional, she says. Plan C has more information about the difference between getting an abortion from a doctor or nurse and a self-managed abortion, including legal considerations.

Both Willis and Bynum are firmly on the side of the doctors who condemn herbal abortion treatments, and they are trying their best to amplify the work of content creators who advise against such practices. Since the courts decision, Willis has reposted videos about deleting period-tracking app data and finding local protests in favor of abortion rights.

My hope is that people really just get that message: Lets focus more on whats actually helpful, Willis says, rather than taking the risk of something that might end your life.

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Dangerous herbal abortion misinformation is thriving on WitchTok - Input

Why Your Pain Happens, and What the Future of Alternative Pain Relief Really Looks Like in the Opioid Crisis – Prevention Magazine

Lets talk about what pain is, exactly. You know its an uncomfortable physical feeling, but its actually much more than that. In fact, the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage. The IASP goes on to point out that the lived feeling of pain is shaped by biological, psychological, and social factors, so your version of pain will always be different from that of your spouse or siblinga sensation you describe as merely annoying could have them reeling in agony.

As, well, painful as it may be, though, pain does serve a purpose. Pain is fundamentally our harm alarm, says Sean Mackey, M.D., Ph.D., a professor and chief of the Stanford Division of Pain Medicine in Palo Alto, CA. It is an experience that keeps us out of danger. Pain is an incredibly wonderful thing when its working correctly. The problem, of course, is that it doesnt always. Lets say you break your arm. In a healthy scenario, pain signals travel from the injury site through your spinal cord to your brain to let you know that you need care and you probably shouldnt repeat whatever behavior led to the fracture. But if theres a kink in that pain-perception system, the pain could become chronic, lasting long after the wound has healeda mystery researchers are trying to untangle.

Theres a bit of controversy over the nature of chronic pain and how it evolves, says Dr. Mackey. One theory, he says, is that after an injury like that broken arm, signals get rewired in the brain to perpetuate the experience of pain even though the original pain stimulus is gone. Another theory posits that after an injury, low-grade pain signals continue to travel to your spinal cord and brain, but its as if an amplifier has been installedyour brain interprets the signals to be more intense than they are.

Because so much is unknown about the mechanisms behind chronic pain, it can be difficult to treat. For acute pain like that of a headache or a broken arm, you might take acetaminophen or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) like ibuprofen, both of which are non-opioid analgesics that decrease the production of painful mediators called prostaglandins, says Anuj Malhotra, M.D., assistant director of the Pain Management Division at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

What causes chronic pain, though, is sometimes completely different, so the same treatments may not work. You dont have the same responsiveness to those medications, or they may become less safe in certain patient populations with longer-term use, says Dr. Malhotra. For instance, too much acetaminophen can lead to liver damage, while overusing NSAIDs can put you at risk for digestive problems, kidney damage, and bleeding.

Thats why scientists are constantly searching for innovative treatments for chronic pain. Consider this: Research shows that an estimated 20% of U.S. adults (about 50 million people) have chronic pain, and 8% struggle with high-impact chronic pain (pain that has lasted three months or longer and is accompanied by at least one major activity restriction). For those with high-impact chronic pain, it can be hard to move, work, sleep, socialize, get dressed, or bathe, says Mary Driscoll, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and a research psychologist at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT. And when people have pain, theres rarely a reprieve, so it may get better or worse, but its always there.

That physical stress can have emotional effects as well, she says: It can prompt people to become socially isolated or challenge their sense of self. It can also perpetuate fears of injury or disability and elicit feelings of helplessness, anger, and frustrationand contribute to things like depression and avoidance of activity. On top of all that, chronic pain is invisible to those around the sufferer, which makes it hard for others to understand and often leads people in pain to feel stigmatized. Its no wonder sufferers may try anything to get relief.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Purdue Pharma sent sales reps all over the country claiming that its new opioid, OxyContin, was effective at treating pain and had a low risk of addiction, physicians and patients were desperate to believe it. Twenty years later, opioids are still causing harmand driving the news. In September, a settlement between Purdue Pharma and thousands of state, local, and tribal governments was approved by a bankruptcy judge, then unraveled by a federal judge. In October, Hulu launched its popular drama series Dopesick, inspired by real investigations into OxyContins deceptive marketing. Finally, in November, a report from the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics declared that the number of annual deaths related to drug overdoses topped 100,000 for the first time in 2021and 75% of those were linked to opioids.

The OxyContin saga is complicated, involving failures of government oversight and accusations of greed and lies, but the upshot for patients is that even though people didnt think they would become addicted, many did. Opioids cover pain regardless of the source, but they dont treat the cause of the pain, explains Dr. Malhotra. With no way to address the pain trigger, he says, your body gets used to the medication, so youre going to need a higher dose in order to get the same results. With a higher dose come more side effects and the potential for overdose or addiction, he adds. Indeed, research has long shown that taking opioids for chronic pain increases the chances of addiction.

Pain specialists and researchers have been consumed with the aftermath of the opioid epidemic, but the solution isnt as simple as no longer prescribing them. There was abuse, but as doctors attempted to restrict access, pain patients who were doing well on opioids found themselves forcefully tapered and accused of being addicts, says Dr. Mackey. On the other hand, theres a greater awareness that physicians were prescribing, in general, too many opioids, he says. As clinicians, we needed to reevaluate for whom we were prescribing opioids and in what circumstances and recognize that in most cases, opioids are not a first-line treatment for chronic pain.

If theres a silver lining to the opioid epidemic, its that it brought greater attention to innovative and non-pharmacological treatments. Physicians are having more conversations with patients about alternative options, for which insurance coverage is increasing, and new treatments are being studied.

One that looks promising is spinal cord stimulation, in which a small insulated wire or lead is placed along the spinal cord above the area where the pain is generated. For example, if you have pain in your legs, those signals come into the lumbar spine, so the leads are placed in the thoracic spine and you can modulate the signal before it gets to your brain, where you process it, says Dr. Malhotra. In some cases, he says, the modulation could be something you would feel, like warmth or a buzzing sensation that replaces the pain, or it could be at a high frequency that blocked the pain signal, meaning you wouldnt feel anything.

Another option thats gaining steam is virtual reality (VR). In one study, when hospitalized patients used VR goggles to access relaxation experiences, they reported less pain than patients who watched yoga and meditation videos on their hospital televisions. Other research suggests that VR therapy could help relieve the phantom-limb pain from which amputees often suffer. With the therapy, you could be skiing down a mountain and doing activities using your legs even after an amputation, tricking your brain to suppress symptoms of pain, explains Leena Mathew, M.D., a professor of anesthesiology and director of the Pain Medicine Fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

New medications are in the works too, one of which was inspired by congenital insensitivity to pain (CIPA), a condition that prevents people from feeling pain (not a good thingif you cant feel that a stove is hot, you might rest your arm on it). In people with CIPA, says Dr. Malhotra, often there is a mutation in a particular sodium channel throughout the body, so there are some medications that are targeted toward purposely inactivating this channel more specifically to treat painful areas. Another subset of medicines is aimed at a protein involved in pain transmission and inflammation in the brain and spinal cord.

Of course, these are just a few treatment optionsthere are plenty of other procedures, medications, and alternative therapies out there. But no matter what path you decide to take, remember that chronic pain is similar to conditions like diabetes and asthma: It often cant be cured, but there are tools to help mitigate it. Go in with a mindset that you need to work hand in hand with your clinician, and the solution may involve a degree of management of your pain to help you be more functional and have a better quality of life, Dr. Mackey says.

As much progress as weve made with pain treatment, not everyone has equal access to it. Not only is good insurance coverage a luxury in the U.S., but insurance is not the only barrier. People cant always afford to take time away from work or caregiving to go to physical therapy twice a week or cook healthy meals regularly. Plus, research shows that women are more likely than men to report having painful conditions, but women and people of color are less likely to have their pain taken seriously by health care providers than are men or white people. These issues are the result of an incredibly complex and unfair health care system, but by raising concerns with doctors, we can start to move the needle. At the very least, we all have to acknowledge that disparities exist, says Dr. Mathew. Try using the strategies below to advocate for yourself.

Seeking pain care can be a frustrating endeavor, admits Driscoll. But the more you can pinpoint how pain affects you and what aspects of your life you want to improve, she says, the easier it is to identify treatments. For example, if pain has led you to give up activities or dampens your mood, an intervention like CBT may help. If its affecting your ability to walk, then PT, yoga, or even a treatment such as pain injections might be key. Some literature suggests that when a woman comes in with fibromyalgia, providers may assume whats bothering her most is painand that may be true for some women, but in many cases its fatigue, says Driscoll. So if the provider is treating the pain or thinks pain is the biggest problem, then the woman walks out with a treatment plan thats not really addressing whats bothering her the most. Being clear with providers about how pain interferes with your life is essential.

If you have a diagnosis, reach out to patient advocacy organizations that focus on the condition and see if they have educational resources. Im not asking people to try to train to be doctorsthats not the message, says Dr. Mackey. But learn as much as you can, because that will make you more empowered to advocate for yourself.

This can be tough, especially if you live in a rural area or have an insurance plan with few in-network providers, but its impor tant. You need to find a clinician with whom you can establish a good partnership, somebody whos going to validate whats going on, says Dr. Mackey. If theres no one nearby, he suggests asking whether your insurance covers telemedicine.

A lot of my success in practice with patients is actually when theyre patient, so to speak, says Trahan. Healing takes time. Be willing to work with your doctor to try different approaches and put in the time to let them be effective.

Try these drug-free strategies for combating common pain points.

If neck tension or bad posture is causing your pain, try to sit up straight and gently bring your chin toward your chest. Slowly bring your chin back up and repeat several times. This lubricates the facet joints in the neck, which can help decrease stiffness and reduce pain, Trahan explains. You can also put a drop of lavender essential oil on each thumb, then use your thumbs to massage the soft tissue behind your ears. The combo of aromatherapy and massage should relax your neck muscles.

With pain in this area, you have to look at what youre doing throughout the day, says Trahan. Instead of crossing your legs when you sit, keep your knees hip-width apart. Rather than leaning on one hip when you stand, put equal weight on both legs. It might feel unnatural at first, but you get used to that posture and then start experiencing less hip pain because youre not overusing the muscles and tendons and ligaments of that joint, Trahan says. If you have osteoarthritis in your hips, she also suggests that you perform hip stretches, such as lying on your back with your knees bent and windshield-wipering your legs from side to side a few times a day. This motion helps wash out inflammatory proteins and the extra fluid in the hips while stretching and expanding the ligaments, she says.

Not sure whats causing your back to ache? Trahan suggests strengthening your core, because it works in tandem with and supports back muscles. A few exercises established by back expert Stuart McGill, Ph.D., can help you build a strong core for injury prevention and rehabilitation, including curl-ups: Lie on your back with one leg out straight and the other knee bent, foot on the floor. Place one or both hands under the curve of your low back and slowly raise your shoulders, chest, neck, and head a couple of inches off the floor in a straight line. Pause for a few deep breaths, then lower your body again.

Depending on the source of your pain, you may want to mention to your doc these science-backed non-pharmacological options.

During acupuncture, very thin needles are inserted into certain parts of the body. It can be viewed through the Eastern lens, which considers meridians or pathways in the body, says Dr. Malhotra, or the Western lens, which theorizes that the needles activate new nerve endings, taking your attention away from the original pain and telling your brain it was a false signal.

Physical therapy is a movement-based intervention in which a practitioner guides a person through specific exercises that can, when done repeatedly, help lessen pain. One 2021 study found that patients with lower-back pain who were prescribed PT in the emergency room had greater improvement in functioning and used fewer high-risk medications in the following three months compared with those with similar pain who received the usual care in the ER.

The idea of this therapy is not to imply that the pain is all in your headit is very real. But since pain can influence your emotional well-being (and vice versa), psychological treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (CBT-CP) can help. CBT-CP gives you tools to recognize pain and cope with it in a more useful way. For example, pain is a stressor, which can lead to muscle tension, and when muscles are tight, that can make the underlying pain worse, says Driscoll. CBT-CP teaches people to recognize that this process is going on in the body and encourages use of a relaxation strategy like deep breathing or visualization to reduce the pain. Learning to pace yourself is another tool Driscoll says is often taught during CBT-CP, to help you recognize the impulse to push through activities that may lead to pain flares. Once youre aware of these impulses, CBT-CP helps you identify ways to accomplish tasks with less pain.

Yoga combines the benefits of movement with the perks of a mindfulness and relaxation practice. The key is to find an instructor who has experience and training in working with your conditionstart with one-on-one sessions if youre new to yoga. The instructor can give you modifications and tips on how to adapt the poses to your needs.

Your body cant function well if you dont provide it with all the nutrients it needs to do its job, preferably through a healthy, well-rounded eating plan. If your diet is deficient in certain nutrients, you might need to supplement, says Sarah Trahan, N.M.D., a staff physician at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences in Tempe, AZ, who focuses on acute and chronic pain management using regenerative medicine. Common vitamins and minerals can be helpful in preventing or reducing pain, but research also supports the use of turmeric, omega-3 fatty acids, and cannabidiol (CBD). Therapeutic doses of these supplements can be just as effective as some analgesic meds, but make sure to talk to your doctor before taking any.

Studies have linked various lifestyle factorsincluding a high-fat diet, unmanaged stress, inadequate sleep, and smokingto increased pain. That means regardless of the approach to pain relief you and your physician decide on, its going to be a lot harder to feel a difference if you have a foundation of unhealthy habits. As Trahan says, You can fertilize the garden, but if you never water it, the fertilizer was just wasted money.

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Why Your Pain Happens, and What the Future of Alternative Pain Relief Really Looks Like in the Opioid Crisis - Prevention Magazine

Great Huts to host Wellness Day in Portland this Saturday – Jamaica Observer

Great Huts' Wellness Day will feature wellness practitioners sharing ancient wisdom and healing practices at various locations of the resorts picturesque cliffside property in Portland.

PORTLAND, Jamaica Great Huts will host its Wellness Day in Portland on Saturday, July 2, featuring an array of wellness practitioners sharing ancient wisdom and healing practices at various locations of the resorts picturesque cliffside property.

Our objective is to help Jamaicans and visitors alike heal by sharing traditional knowledge and supporting patrons on their own individual health journey. It is of tremendous benefit to our bodies, mind and spirits to immerse in nature, which makes this unique experience so incredible and why we are making it easy to travel to Portland with transport included as an option, said Vivene Levison, Managing Partner of the resort, in a press release.

Dubbed A celebration of body mind and spirit, the wellness day begins with yin yoga on the Great Huts beach with African trained Sky Barrett at 10 am followed by Learn the Fundamentals of Ayurveda; Ancient Science of Life with Dr Anjali Talcherkar.

The release stated that Ayurveda is one of the worlds oldest holistic healing systems and heavily practiced in Nepal and India where over 80 per cent of the population report using it, according to Wikipedia.

Patrons are encouraged to learn more from lead speaker Anjali who holds a doctorate in integrative medicine and a master's degree in psychology. Her focus is in the area of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in mental health, combining Eastern medicine and breath-based, yogic practices with traditional interventions, the release added.

The next workshop that follows is entitled Cultivating your Auric Field featuring Paula Hurlock, Covenor of Wellness Experience Jamaica, a consortium of practitioners.

Jamaica is home to over 80 per cent of the planets healing herbs. We share, endorse and validate ancestral wisdom and traditional Jamaican remedies. We believe that there is a knowledge gap and it is their hope that this platform will assist in sharing vital information for our population. But the average millenial or city dweller do not know the herbs our grandmothers used to heal the family, Hurlock said.

The days wraps up with a Tea Time Meditation with Usui Reiki Master Deanna Thomas.

Transportation is being offered from the Jamaica Pegasus in Kingston to Portland and back. The scheduled pick up at Jamaica Pegasus is at 7:30 am Saturday.

The days activities including the yoga, workshops, vegan lunch and Tea Time Meditation with transport cost J$13,500.

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Great Huts to host Wellness Day in Portland this Saturday - Jamaica Observer

What Is Infrared Sauna Therapy? – Everyday Health

Infrared saunas have been studied for a variety of problems, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic pain syndromes, and injuries, says Melinda Ring, MD, the executive director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University in Chicago. Its important to keep in mind that currently, research on infrared therapy is limited and more is needed to explore exactly what benefits it may provide, she explains. Whats more, much of the existing body of literature on the health benefits of sauna bathing is on traditional Finnish saunas and is not specific to infrared therapy. While the studies below speak to infrared sauna bathing specifically, they are, as a whole, based on small groups of people.

Heres a look at what more recent research suggests infrared sauna may be able to do for your health.

Another research review, published in August 2018 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, explains the potential connection between saunas and heart health. The authors concluded that sauna bathing, including infrared sauna use, may reduce blood pressure, improve blood vessel function, reduce inflammation, and calm the nervous system, among other changes. Whats more, the hearts reaction to sauna bathing may also be akin to walking, something that strengthens the heart and is recommended for people who have heart failure.

Studies on the use of infrared sauna and exercise recovery are not consistent across the board. Other past research found that well-trained runners who performed a simulated trail-running race recovered better and faster when they used cryotherapy (cold therapy) than with far-infrared or no therapy.

Theres no doubt that stepping into an infrared sauna feels good for most people. And for certain groups of people, it may also do more.

A smallpast study looked at mildly depressed people who were treated for 15 minutes once a day for five days in a far-infrared sauna and then told to lie in bed for 30 minutes. Over four weeks they reported fewer physical complaints (such as discomfort and pain thats viewed as mentally distressing), more relaxation, and an improvement in appetite compared with the control group. The authors theorized that thermal therapy is sedating (boosting relaxation) and may have an effect on the nervous system, triggering the chill and calm parasympathetic nervous system. A change in appetite is one symptom of depression, and this study also indicates that infrared sauna use may impact hunger hormones in a positive way.

Another small study, published in September 2020 in the Korean Journal of Family Medicine, concluded that infrared sauna use among 38 obese individuals improved their quality of life (something that other research has shown is lower in folks with a higher BMI). In the study, participants sat in an infrared sauna for 15 minutes and rested in room temp air for 30 minutes twice a day for four consecutive days. After the four days, those taking infrared saunas reported less pain and discomfort, as well as less anxiety and depression.

An infrared sauna is a warm, quiet space with nothing to distract you, which could also potentially be a factor in its therapeutic benefits, in addition to the actual infrared exposure. It can trigger your relaxation response to decrease stress, says Simms. One caveat, says Simms: You wont get this benefit if you go in there and scroll social media or answer emails on your phone. As a review published in April 2018 in Evidence-Based Alternative and Complementary Medicine points out, sauna bathing might release endorphins, strongly support you to stop and practice mindfulness, reduce stress and improve relaxation, and can simply give you a break in your day for self-care thats psychologically beneficial. People come out feeling really energized. An infrared sauna session can be invigorating, says Simms.

A small amount of research has suggested that those with inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, may benefit from infrared sauna therapy, which has been found to lessen pain and stiffness, concludes the aforementioned review in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which looked at the results of four studies specific to rheumatological diseases.

One of these past studies, published in Clinical Rheumatology, concluded that people with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis who used infrared therapy eight times over a four-week period had less pain, stiffness, and fatigue over the short-term, though these differences were small.

In addition, that same review looked at two randomized controlled trials of people with chronic pain disorders who used infrared therapy. One randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that using the sauna for eight weeks helped people with chronic tension headaches reduce headache intensity by 44 percent. The authors theorized that some of the effect could be from the relaxation response, which may decrease activity of the sympathetic nervous system, responsible for the fight-or-flight response. Another small past trial with 46 participants found that people with a chronic pain disorder had improvements in mood and were more likely to return to work after practicing sauna bathing.

Finally, a pilot study published in Internal Medicine evaluated 10 people with chronic fatigue syndrome who sat in a far-infrared sauna for 15 minutes and then lay in a bed under a blanket for 30 minutes once a day, five days a week for four weeks found that the therapy helped reduce pain after treatment and improved mood. The authors theorized that this therapy may have worked by reducing the oxidative stress that may play a role in symptoms; the warmth was also likely relaxing, contributing to a boost in mood.

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What Is Infrared Sauna Therapy? - Everyday Health

Where is the best place to get treated for cancer? – Yahoo News

Where is the best place to get treated for cancer?

Mexico has become the first tourist destination for Americans when it comes to health matters. Several factors contribute to Americans decision to get their health issues treated in cities such as Tijuana and Mexicali.One of these factors, and perhaps the most relevant one to understand this social phenomenon, is the excellent quality of specialized doctors when it comes to treating cancer or malignant tumors. Also, patients can find breakthroughs in laparoscopy and robotic surgery in Tijuana.Economy is another important factor. Medical treatment costs are 30% to 70% cheaper in Mexico than in the United States. One can add to this relevant fact another one: geographical position. There is a symbiotic relation between both countries. For example, Mexico offers high-quality medical services and very affordable prices, while American patients play a tourist role. Every year, the number of foreigners who are looking for a medical center to treat their diseases in Mexico increases.According to an article published by the BBC, Tijuana received around 1,2 million people for medical tourism in 2018. This year, this number reached 2,5 million people. This has already been noticed by investors who are working to offer better lodging facilities not only for patients, but also their companions.

The low cost of treatments, consultations, and medications, as well as the prestige that doctors in the border have, have made Tijuana the first medical destination for Americans. In addition, there are a lot of Americans who are looking for alternative cancer treatments, which means they focus even more on this border city.If you want to find out more information about alternative cancer treatments, call MedBaja services at (619) 333-6066 or leave your information in the form down below:

Many patients are looking for alternative treatments because conventional ones such as chemotherapy tend to have a lot of side effects with hair loss in different parts of the body (known as alopecia) as the best known. However, it is a long list: anemia, changes in skin and nails, fertility problems in women and men, deliriums, diarrhea, edema, nausea, and vomiting are some of these side effects.Chemotherapy is a chemical process that acts directly on active human cells, stopping their multiplication and destroying them. Unfortunately, it not only destroys cancer cells, but also healthy cells.In an investigation titled Toxicity of oncological treatments, Doctor Christina Caballero writes that the most affected cells during chemotherapy are healthy cells, and the side effects, or toxic effects, have a direct consequence when it comes to quality of life, causing fear in some patients. She, however, adds at the end that the effects are bearable.

Despite the variety of medications that exist nowadays to treat cancerous conditions, side effects or toxic effects continue to appear. In the words of Doctor Caballero, despite the great number of selectivity with these directed therapies, a series of collateral effects, sometimes unpredictable, emerges.Physical wear caused by side effects makes patients look for other types of treatments, for example, alternative medicine.If you wish to combat your condition with more natural and less invasive treatments, ITC has the answer. Call MedBaja services at (619) 333-6066 or leave your information in the form down below:

Complementary or alternative medicine, instead of a conventional procedure as it is often done under the scientific method, consists of healing the body through therapies unrelated to the use of medications.In Tijuana, the capital of medical tourism, you will find Immunity Therapy Center, Cancer Tutor certified center to treat cancer. It offers a second point of view against traditional medicine and its difficult side effects. Immunity Therapy Center holds itself to account through strict assessment and evaluation processes that ratify it as a high-quality option, capable of assisting and treating cancer problems.

They also have around 28 alternative treatments to fight cancer. Some of these are: Vaccine Against Specific Killer Cells, Intravenous Curcumin Treatment, Viral Vaccination Cancer Treatment, Enzyme Therapy, Biomagnetic Therapy, among others.Get treated by the best professionals. Find out all about the ideal cancer treatment for you with MedBaja services at (619) 333-6066 or leave your information in the form down below:

Learn More about Immunity Therapy Center

Types of alternative cancer treatmentsMore than 21 alternative therapies and natural treatments for cancer are combined with traditional treatments. Some of the options are:

Enzyme therapy Vitamin and mineral therapies Oxygen therapy biomagnetic therapy Laser therapy HALO therapy Hyperthermia

It is important to note that most stays are for six weeks, but depending on the patient and the progress of their condition, this period may be longer or shorter. Instructions are provided so that the patient can continue their treatment at home after leaving the center.

This type of treatment is unique because of its use of alternative therapy, and therefore not covered by medical insurance, so each patient must pay for his or her own expenses. Patients can contact the center for help finding the best payment option.

Most patients come to the center accompanied by a loved one, so that they have the support and company of someone they trust, which is crucial when undergoing treatment for disease.

To learn more about the center and its therapies, visit the following link. This could be the life opportunity youve been looking for.

Get in contact with a specialist and learn about Alternative Cancer Treatments in Tijuana, fill-out the contact form below:

Alternative Cancer Treatment in Mexico | Survivor Testimonials

Call us at MedBaja Services on (619)333-6066 to find out more about this cheap, revolutionary, and holistic approach to cancer treatment, or fill out the form below so we may contact you immediately.

INDEX: CANCER TREATMENTS IN MEXICOIs it safe to travel to Tijuana to receive cancer treatment?What to expect from an Alternative Cancer Treatment in Mexico?What makes Tijuana a leader in alternative cancer treatments?Viral anti-cancer vaccine, an innovative alternative treatment in TijuanaWhy is cancer treatment significantly more affordable in tijuana?How to choose a cancer center in Mexico?Where can I find a Cancer Tutor Verified Center in Tijuana?ITC: The best level of healthcare for cancer patients is in TijuanaTestimonial from a Cancer Survivor Treated in Tijuana, MexicoGuanabana: Why Fly to Tijuana, Mexico, For This Alternative Treatment?Anticancer Uses of Turmeric: Why Travel to Tijuana For This Asian Cuisine?5 Safer Natural Alternatives to Chemotherapy Available in Tijuana, MexicoWhat is the Cost of Cancer Treatment in Mexico?5 groundbreaking alternative cancer treatments in MexicoViral anti-cancer vaccine, an innovative alternative treatment in Tijuana

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Where is the best place to get treated for cancer? - Yahoo News

Nasal washing for hay fever – how to reduce symptoms with alternative therapies – The Mirror

Avoiding pollen is next to impossible for most, and when it does strike the consequence to sufferers means a whole host of unpleasant symptoms. But there are a number of ways, some lesser-known, to help relieve hay fever

Image: Getty)

Hay fever patients across the UK are facing worsened symptoms as the summer gets underway and pollen count soars.

As the Met Office warned in June, very high pollen levels will affect the more than 10 million people who experience seasonal allergies.

And experts have noted that June has already seen the highest pollen levels in England and Wales so far this year.

Max Wiseberg, airborne allergens expert and creator of HayMax organic allergen barrier balms, said sufferers "need to be well prepared and do everything they can to lessen their hay fever symptoms".

Pharmaceutical remedies are generally based on either antihistamines or steroid nasal sprays, whilst natural remedies are based on physical preventative measures, immune boosters or natural antihistamines," Max explained.

"The interesting thing about this is that many of these remedies can be complementary to each other.

So, if one helps, but doesnt do the whole job, you may be able to try other remedies at the same time and get a better result.

In other words, you can create your own, bespoke hay fever first aid kit that suits your specific needs.

Popular treatments for hay fever sufferers include:

Nasal washing, or nasal sinus irrigation, is basically just pouring a saltwater solution into one nostril and letting it drain out the other.

The ancient Indian practice can help rinse out mucus, bacteria, and allergens like dust and pollen.

That means you may need less allergy medicine or nasal decongestants.

According to Head and Neck surgeons, nasal washing can be done following these steps:

Any container with a spout should work, but you can buy a specialist neti pot to help.

You can also buy natural eye drops which contain a herb called Euphrasia (more commonly known as Eyebright), adds Wiseberg.

Butterbur is a herbal extract believed to have an antihistamine-like effect on hay fever symptoms, and is widely available in capsules.

Quercetin is thought to limit the release of histamine. As well as being found naturally in many foods, it can also be taken in a capsule.

Turmeric is another lesser-known solution according to Wiseberg and has been shown to have anti-allergy properties.

Most often used in dried form, it can also be bought fresh and is available in tablet and capsule form, he advised.

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Nasal washing for hay fever - how to reduce symptoms with alternative therapies - The Mirror

India and US went pro-choice around the same time. Only one strengthened its abortion laws – ThePrint

PastForward is a deep research offering from ThePrint on issues from Indias modern history that continue to guide the present and determine the future. As William Faulkner famously said, The past is never dead. Its not even past. Indians are now hungrier and curiouser to know what brought us to key issues of the day. Here is the link to the previous editions of PastForward on Indian history, Green Revolution, 1962 India-China war, J&K accession, caste census and Pokhran nuclear tests.

In a judgment that will have far reaching consequences, the US Supreme Court last week overturnedits own 1973 Roe vs Wade judgment against state restriction on abortion, setting womens sexual and reproductive health rights back by many decades.

Roe vs Wade was a landmark when it was originally passed; but what is less known is that Indian womens right to abortion predated that seminal case when Norma McCorvey, a Texas resident, challenged Henry Wade district attorney of Dallas county, demanding the right to abort her baby. Although, by the time the right to abort came, McCorvey had already delivered her baby. Jane Roe was the alias used to protect her identity.

Two years before the US Supreme Court judgment, in India, womens right to seek an abortion was established by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. Much water has flown under the bridge since then. In 2021, the revised MTP Act took into account changed social realities and also the advancements made in medical field, which expanded the safe abortion window considerably. The most important change that the 2021 law brought was not the expansion of permissible limit for abortion from 20 weeks of gestation to 24 weeks. It was in its recognition of the need to make abortions accessible for all women irrespective of their marital status.

ThePrint takes a look at how Indias abortion law evolved.

Also read: Who was Jane Roe of Roe v Wade? What overturning of the 1973 judgment means for American women

The MTP Act of 1971 allowed abortions up to 20 weeks provided two registered medical practitioners agreed that continuing the pregnancy involved a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or the unborn child, including mental or physical abnormalities. For a pregnancy caused by rape, the law allows abortion, holding that pregnancy in such a case presumed to constitute a grave injury to the mental health of the pregnant woman. Contraceptive failure was also an acceptable ground for abortion in case of a married woman as per this law.

The genesis of the law lay in a government committee that was constituted in 1964, much before Roe vs Wades initiation date of 1970. Until then, Indian law had a provision for an imprisonment of up to three years for the provider of abortion services and of up to seven years for the woman seeking those services. Exception was allowed in the case of miscarriage to save the life of the pregnant woman in good faith.

In its report submitted in 1966, the committee headed by then-minister of public health, law and judiciary Shantilal Shah said: The committee considers the above provision too restrictive; and therefore recommends that it should be liberalised to allow termination of pregnancy by a qualified medical practitioner acting in good faith However, the committee was clear that abortion was unviable as a method to control population growth.

A 2016 article in the journal Indian Law Institute Law Review noted that the MTP Act was implemented in the month of April, 1972 and again revised in the year of 1975 to eliminate time consuming procedures for the approval of the place and to make services more readily available. This Act was amended in the year 2002 and again in 2005.

Also read: How changes to pregnancy termination bill give women better options for abortion

Throughout the amendments in the MTP Act, there was one constant abortions were legally allowed in the country only till 20 weeks of pregnancy. This had to do with the available medical facilities and the assessment at those points of time about what constitutes a safe window for abortion without jeopardising the life of the mother. But with the advent of advanced medical equipment, it became possible for doctors to detect foetal abnormalities well beyond the 20-week deadline, making the decision of carrying pregnancy through a fraught question for the would-be parents.

One such instance came in 2008 when Mumbai couple Haresh and Niketa Mehta approached the Bombay High Court for permission to abort their baby, which doctors said would be born with a congenital heart block. Their application was turned down and Niketa eventually miscarried. The case became one of the landmarks in the long journey of the Indian abortion law in allowing abortions beyond the 20-week barrier.

There have been cases where courts have granted permission beyond the permissible time limit. In 2015, a 14-year-old rape victim from Gujarat was permitted by the Supreme Court to abort after 20 weeks as a special case. The court, however, asserted that this case could not be used as a precedent to grant permission in another similar case.

On the other hand, in 2020, the Kerala High Court denied permission to a couple to abort their 35-week foetus.

The longstanding need to review the limit in gestation age, which doctors and patients have been arguing in favour of for years, was finally met in 2021 when a new MTP Act came into force that allowed abortion up to 24 weeks. The upper gestation limit, the law says, will not apply in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities diagnosed by a medical board. The board will include one paediatrician, one gynaecologist and one radiologist or sonologist. But why that law marked a shift in mindset lies in a paragraph which says: For the purposes of clause (that is when the pregnancy is less than 20 weeks old), where any pregnancy occurs as a result of failure of any device or method used by any woman or her partner for the purpose of limiting the number of children or preventing pregnancy, the anguish caused by such pregnancy may be presumed to constitute a grave injury to the mental health of the pregnant woman.

This was a major shift from the earlier law when contraceptive failure was an acceptable reason for abortion only for married women, leaving many unmarried pregnant women at the mercy of quacks and illegal service providers. The original draft of the Bill had included the contraceptive failure clause only for married women but the ministry of health pushed for a more inclusive language to ensure better access to safe abortion services. According to a 2018 study by the Guttmacher Institute, 50% of pregnancies in six of the largest Indian states Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are unintended. According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)s State of the World Population Report 2022, 67 per cent of all abortions that happened in India between 2007-2011 were unsafe.

Also read: Why Indias law on abortion does not use the word abortion

The two thorny questions in the abortion law have always been: who can deliver the essential health service and who can seek it the latter being more of a social nature but one that requires a legal framework. Indias position on this question has evolved with time, taking into account social realities so that the question of who needs an abortion is now looked at through the prism of individual rights rather than societal norms. But in a country where doctors are chronically in short supply even the 1966 report mentioned this problem the question of who is qualified to provide abortion services is complicated as well. So, around 2014-15, the ministry of health and family welfare proposed an amendment to the MTP Act, 1971 to allow ayurveda, naturopathy, and homeopathy practitioners to perform medical abortions that is, abortions that did not require any surgical intervention.

The proposal caused a backlash, particularly from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the largest body of allopathic doctors in the country. But what put paid to the plan was not the uproar but the death of a woman in Maharashtras Sangli district in 2017, allegedly after she sought an abortion from an unqualified person. Ahomoeopathy doctor was later caught allegedly running an illegal sex-selective abortion racket. Following the incident, the MTP Act, despite being included in the agenda of the Union Cabinet, was not taken up for several months. The PMO stepped in and askedthe health ministry to ensure better implementation of the MTP Act, 1971 and the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 before trying to amend either. The PCPNDT Act is meant to stop sex selective abortions. The Sangli incident also caused concerns in the highest levels of the government about the implications of increasing the provider base in a country where regulations tend to fall repeatedly short.

The plan to allow practitioners of alternative medicine to perform abortions was dropped and eventually when the MTP Act, 2021 came into effect, the status of a provider was limited only to qualified allopathic practitioners.

The MTP Act, 2021 was hailed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a progressive step towards equitable access to abortion services. In a historic move to provide universal access reproductive health services, India amended the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act 1971 to further empower women by providing comprehensive abortion care to all. The new Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act 2021 expands the access to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian and social grounds to ensure universal access to comprehensive care. The new law, which came into force from 25 March 2021, will contribute towards ending preventable maternal mortality to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3.1, 3.7 and 5.6, WHO said in a statement in April 2021.

(Edited by Prashant)

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India and US went pro-choice around the same time. Only one strengthened its abortion laws - ThePrint