#complementary medicine

I was reading an article about recession proof businesses and I was surprised to find “spices”, I had to do a little shimmy with my shake. The herbal industry is finally taking off! I give the “vegan” movement some credit for opening the awareness of others to well-being and holistic health. It is like a snowball, once you look at your food you will also look at your health. Then visa versa, when…

Saw that an old Tumblr buddy of mine is suffering from shingles (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE), and thought I’d list some natural/alternative therapies which have been proven helpful in reducing shingles pain:

Papain (derived from papaya) and bromelain (derived from pineapple) (BEWARE: these are contraindicated in people who are taking warfarin, aspirin, or other blood-thinning meds).

Tea from lemon balm, licorice or mint

Echinacea (may also help prevent further shingles outbreaks)

Unfortunately, acupuncture and TENS units have NOT been proven helpful.

@judepax said: Hey Dr Ferox, I'm a vet student and I was wondering if you have any thoughts about dealing with "integrative medicine" people. My school has an "integrative medicine" club and the email they just sent out about possible lunch talk topics includes reiki. Last year when I emailed one of the deans asking if we could add an hour on recognising pseudoscience to the curriculum I got a bs answer about not wanting to offend people who believe in "controversial" things. Any ideas?

I don’t really like the term ‘integrative medicine’. I prefer the term ‘complementary medicine’, which implies that these alternative treatments are used in addition to evidence-based medicine, not to substitute in place of evidence-based medicine.

It’s my opinion that veterinarians have an obligation to use evidence-based medicine wherever possible. My degree name is actually Veterinary science, not veterinary medicine and the core teaching reflected that. We don’t want to offend people, but we have an obligation to be factual.

The AVA has a policy where it would certainly allow practices like homeopathy and reiki to publish in their journals, but only a peer reviewed paper. And so far none of those papers had been up to scratch.

If the principles of evidence-based medicine are taught through the whole of the course, I wouldn’t stress about it. Some people insist on believing things without evidence anyway, and if they’ve found themselves in a science course with science prerequisites surrounded by practitioners of applied science, as most of your professors are going to be doing some sort of research, then there isn’t much you’re going to be able to do as a student.

You could easily argue that any viewpoints presented as an alternative to students should be held to the same standards as the rest of the medicine presented in the course. Failing that, I would hope that most students have enough scientific education and questioning spirit to go ‘hey, this is wishy-washy.’

Some will them go on to try to gather evidence for their complementary medicine of interest, and that’s okay. If there’s anything to these alternatives at all, somebody has to drag them up to standard with peer reviewed papers and future students are it.

I think an hour on recognize pseudoscience is helpful, but really that should be integrated into the whole course, all of the time. It’s important to still know about these things the general public will try, because we’re going to be dealing with the general public.

It might also be fair for the integrative medicine club to host the ‘recognizing pseudoscience’ topic. After all, it’s the students interested in it which will be exposed the most to it. Once you have someone interested in natropathy they’re also often interested in chiropracty, then homeopathy, reiki, psychic readings, crystal essences... and even the students most invested in complementary or alternative medicine will need to draw the line somewhere, and I would hope that waving quartz crystals over a cat with kidney failure is on the ‘nope’ side of that line.

(You want to do it for yourself, for whatever reason, that’s okay, but it’s not something a veterinarian should be prescribing for a patient.)

Alternative medicine is a treatment practice unrelated to drugs, medical and chemical drugs, and traditional medicine, which aim to treat diseases from nature with natural plants and herbs or psychological practices such as meditation and relaxation or traditional traditional practices such as Chinese acupuncture, cupping and hypnosis, and despite the benefits of plants used in treatment Herbs may have some health damage in some cases, and Chinese needles and cupping can have some side effects that vary in severity.

In 1998 a review of the methodology of studies to assess its prevalence in 13 countries about 31% of cancer patients used a form of alternative and complementary medicine. Alternative medicine varies from country to country. Ernest Aidsard says that in Austria and Germany CAM is mainly in the hands of doctors, while some estimates suggest that at least half of alternative practitioners are American doctors. In Germany, herbs are regulated tightly, with half prescribed by doctors and covered by their own health insurance on the basis of the E Committee.

Facts About the Pharaohs in Alternative Medicine

One of the greatest civilizations on Earth is that the ancient civilization of Pharaonic Egypt, which stunned the entire world and stood in front of the interpretation of the mystery of this greatness that extended for centuries, did not fade or decay like other modern civilizations that could not withstand the changes that Passed by the world.

Important Note: 

The Pharaohs discovered alternative medicine before Greece! Although the discovery of antibiotics has been fairly recent, the ancient Egyptians used to treat the infection using mold bread. The moldy bread grows on Penicillium, which extracts penicillin, one of the most common antibiotics.

When the body was embalmed, the body was emptied from all organs, from the brain to the intestine. Each of these organs was placed in a dedicated vase, but the only organ that was not removed was the heart.

Alternative medicine in China

A set of inherited medical rules or beliefs that rely on the principle of the existence of energy for the body in general called “qi” and the pronunciation of "ki", which moves through the body through different levels called meridians, and therefore any imbalance or loss of balance in the energy flow of this body leads to the emergence of "ki" Chinese doctors have practiced these medical beliefs in China for thousands of years and these techniques have begun to gain popularity among the peoples of the western world recently. 

Chinese Herbal Medicine 

Since ancient times, China has excelled in the use of medicinal herbs through the practice of alternative medicine. Chinese herbs are the mainstays of Chinese traditional medicine. Despite the controversy over the effectiveness of these herbs, there are studies that confirm that they succeeded in treating various diseases, Many herbs have been used in ancient Chinese medicine. Sources of most of these herbs have been used in the Arab world. The secret of herbal and alternative medicine is known to be from the era of Chinese emperors. 

Chinese acupuncture and hermitage were first used. In ancient Chinese literature, the emperor (Fu-Ze) was the first to give the Chinese wisdom, analysis and interpretation of cosmic and natural phenomena and was also the first to introduce Chinese acupuncture. The Emperor (Fu-Zi), along with the Emperor Shen-nong, are the first to introduce the idea of. "hermit farms" in China for the widespread exploitation of Chinese herbs used in the treatment of various diseases. 

TCM can be used in many medical fields. The Chinese Medicine Department of Tian Tan Bukhua treats many of the most common diseases, and TCM treats some diseases such as: 

1. Chronic pain for neurological diseases and their activation 2. Digestive problems 3. Irregular menstruation 4. Chronic fatigue 5. Cough and asthma 6. People with weak immunity 7. Relieve mood disorders 

Chinese Acupressure 

Chinese acupuncture is a method of ancient Chinese medicine, which is based on the stitches of several needles too thin in the skin of the patient in the count of areas or by disease, and is a complementary medical procedure (complementary medicine), as it differs radically from the different methods and followed in The traditional basis of Chinese acupuncture is based on the belief that energy in the body travels through channels, which are called meridians. 

They believe that any loss This energy has the ability to move p T the body lead to the occurrence of diseases and that acupuncture treatment is that restores the flow of energy and help wellness treatment. This method is used to treat many diseases, but often used to relieve pain such as headaches, tooth pain and back pain. It is rumored that this method of treatment addresses asthma, anxiety and some infertility. 

How is Traditional Acupuncture Treated? 

Before the acupuncturist begins to examine the condition, the individual is required to fill out complete data regarding his / her health condition. Then the acupuncturist will ask some important questions for the individual, including his / her health, lifestyle, diet, emotions and emotions, blood circulation, temperature, appetite, pressure, food sensitivity, response to changes in atmosphere and seasons.

The specialist also examines the person, sees the color of his face, his voice and the color of his tongue, and examines three pulse points in the wrist of each hand and evaluates them to find out the twelve Meridians.

The acupuncturist then begins to diagnose the condition and start treatment. Typically, the specialist uses 6-12 needles during treatment. The number of needles does not indicate the intensification of treatment, but rather the importance of replacing the needles in the body in a precise manner. 

When needles are inserted, the person feels a slight tingling. Once the needles enter the body, the person will not suffer from any pain and will feel comfortable throughout the treatment. The individual should tell the treatment specialist if he feels pain, numbness or discomfort.

Best Regards,                                                                                                    Solomon J.                                                                          (Naturopath/Alternative Therapist) 

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I’ve already written this blog post once, in my dream. It contains my personal thoughts and ideas on my own use of herbs for myself, and draws on a variety of ideas about our bodies and the world.

Did you know that almost every mammal’s heart beats around 1 billion times in their lifetime? This doesn’t seem strange until you consider that the lifespan of a mouse is 2-3 years, whilst the lifespan of a human or elephant spans multiple decades. And yet, our hearts each beat 1 billion times, the same amount over a different time period. The first time I heard this fact, it struck me as a universal truth, a secret hinting at the mechanisms of how life and our bodies work. (For more on this, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUWUHf-rzks) Couple this with our knowledge that cells can only replicate a set number of times (the Hayflick limit). Lifespan appears to be a number, as opposed to a period of time. Some people live longer - they have slower resting heart rates, their cells are not constantly damaged by hazardous substances from their environment, requiring them to replicate over and over again. Some people experience significantly more physical (this includes mental) stress and damage. Their bodies work harder; they live shorter lives, but their cells divide and heart beats the same amount of times as the rest of us.

I hypothesise that the tempo at which we live our lives has much to do this. We are given a finite amount of resources - how fast we use them is up to us. What would it feel like to live our lives at the pace of a mouse, the heart of which races at up to 840 beats per minute? How about an elephant, the rate of which is significantly slower, at 30 beats per minute? Our lives are all equally as long, biologically speaking.

How does herbal medicine tie into any of this?

This is not a neat explanation. There is much that we don’t know. However, one view within herbal medicine is to look at the resources of a person in question - how much potential energy do they have? Do they have resources they are not utilising? Have they used up their resources working to flat-out exhaustion, and need support building more? A body low on nutrients and phytochemicals provided by plants works harder to function at the same level as a body that is healthy and high on resources. The strain on their hearts and cells is higher to perform, whilst their ability to do so is lower.

Plants support our energy and resources through their unique blends of compounds and minerals. Hawthorn, for example, was found in an experimental study to slow the heart rates of people, whilst making the heart beat stronger and overall function more efficiently. This is not limited to herbal medicines; there is a reason eating fruits and vegetables is so highly recommended. Herbal medicines simply provide a wider variety of these compounds, many of which have actions that our everyday fruit and veg simply does not possess - the reasons for this will be described in a different post.

Another action many herbs possess is a protective action on our tissues and organs. For example, the hepatoprotective properties of Milk thistle lower the damage from harmful substances and molecules on our liver, such as alcohol, poisons and even toxins in hepatitis. Antioxidants are widely thought to contribute to this, which many herbs are high in - yet there are many more compounds within herbs likely to be contributing to this action, such as anti-inflammatory compounds, protecting from inflammatory damage, and others that are still to be researched.

If our cells do not sustain damage in the first place, there is no need for them to replicate and lower their lifespan. And the thing is, they will - the very air we breathe slowly damages our bodies over time, as do most things in our environment. Yet, if we adapt better to this onslaught, we might enjoy healthier and longer (time-wise) lives.

Hi!

If you want to become a healer, the first thing I’d recommend to get an idea of all the different types of alternative medicine out there would be to go to a fair type event. In the UK we have Mind Body Soul fairs, where healers, craftsmen, witches, massage therapists, herbalists, artists and lots of other people come together and each have a stand selling products and giving advice to the public.

There are loads of different branches of healing, so I’m gonna give you a very brief list of some of the types of therapies out there. In order to practice a lot of these therapies on other people, you do need to go on an accredited course and register with a governing body. The laws are very different for different therapies in different countries, so I’d look up laws in your country if this is something you’d like to do professionally. I’m gonna put the ones that either I or my mother have trained in in italic.

All of these therapies are holistic, which means that they look at the body as a whole, rather than just treating symptoms.

Acupuncture- This has been in use for thousands of years, mainly in China, though it has grown in popularity elsewhere over the last hundred years or so. Acupuncturists will insert very fine needles into the body to connect with your energy. This is often used to treat specific conditions after an in-depth consultation

Aromatherapy- Smells can trigger emotional and physical responses from us, and aromatherapy uses essential oils to achieve this effect. Oils are either smelled or used topically. This can be very effective, though in order to practice this safely you really do need to train, as some oils can be dangerous for your pets or to use in certain ways.

Ayurveda- This is one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems, developed in India a few thousand years ago. It’s a really complex and fascinating form of medicine, and works with several different principles and philosophies. I find it kind of hard to explain, because it’s quite complex and I’ve not studied it in depth, but I thought I’d include it because it is growing in popularity.

Homeopathy- This is based on the principle of like cures like. Hahnemann is the founder, and it’s been going in it’s modern form for about 200 years! The concept is often used by medical practitioners for treating pollen allergies; while a large amount of pollen can cause allergic reactions, smaller amounts given over time can de-sensitise a person.

Herbalism- Plants have been used as a form of medicine for thousands of years, and we’re not the only species to have ever used it! Evidence of herbalism has been found in Neanderthal burial sites, and some species of animals use herbs to self medicate. Herbalists use parts of herbs to treat people with all kinds of issues, and it’s nice because you can use plants grown in your own garden to make your own remedies!

Reflexology- There are points in your head, hands and feet that correspond with all of the other parts of your body. Reflexology treatments can be very relaxing, and aim to restore the body’s balance in a gentle way/

Kinesiology- This focuses on how our muscles work, and uses muscle testing to get an idea of a person’s wellbeing and figure out which muscles are out of balance. A lovely kinesiologist friend of mine gave me a massage and told me all sorts of things about myself that were very accurate. This is a good therapy to learn if you don’t mind being hands on, as you will need to touch the person you’re working with.

Iridology- This is the practice of using patterns, colours and marks in the iris to determine things about the client’s health. They’re not just a window to the soul, they’re a window to the body as well! This became popular a couple of hundred years ago, but there is evidence that is has been in use for much longer.

Reiki- Reiki is a form on energy healing that was created in Japan by Mikao Usui about a hundred years ago. It works on the principle that a practitioner is able to channel energy into a client to unblock energy pathways and promote wellbeing. There are different types from different areas. As you need to be attuned by a Reiki Master practitioner, I wouldn’t recommend doing an Internet course for this one. I’ve trained in Usui Reiki, Angelic Reiki, and Reiki for animals.

Hello sprouts!

Now that I have finally finished my undergraduate education, I am growing restless not only with the monotony of working but with my excess energy. For many years I have been fascinated by herbs and their medicinal properties. Being a nurse in the medical field has its advantages because it allows me to study them more closely and work in close proximity to medicines which are derived from these same herbs and plants. While I love my job as a nurse, the profession is not a huge proponent of alternative therapies and naturopathic medicine. My heart has always been vested in this particular subject and I wanted to weave that into my life in some way.

One of my dreams has been to create medicinal and herb-centered beauty and spa products and sell them to those who love botanical creations. So, this begs the question, if I create and Etsy store, would anyone be interested in creations like this?

If so, I am also struggling to choose a name for this endeavor. I have a few in mind but just need a little help coming up with a final decision and would love some input!

A few names I have been thinking of include:

Hollyfrost Apothecary

Eldergleam Apothecary

Honeystrand Apothecary

Black Briary Apothecary

Candlehearth Apothecary

Sleeping Giant Apothecary

Mistveil Apothecary

Heartwood Apothecary

In case you missed it: 

Check out the February 2017 issue of North Wing Magazine, the newest member of the Pager Publications, Inc. family, entitled "Complementary Medicine: What's the Point?" at https://goo.gl/qf3STw.