Article: Growing Alternatives - Alternative Medicine Going Mainstream

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http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/GoodMorningAmerica/GMA001214Alternati

ve_Med_1.html

 

Growing Alternatives - Alternative Medicine Going Mainstream

 

N E W Y O R K, Dec. 4 - When prominent cardiac surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz

prepares for surgery he does so in a state-of-the art hospital with

every tool of modern medicine available to him.

 

But what might surprise or even shock most doctors is Oz's use of

ancient healing traditions.

 

He plays hypnosis tapes to soothe his patient's unconscious mind, and

calls on the services of an energy healer to cleanse his patient's

energy fields.

 

" I have been accused by some of my colleagues as being too open-minded

and they say it actually in a very loving way, " said Oz, director of the

Heart Assist Device Program at New York Presbyterian Medical Center.

" And I understand why they make that argument because most people do

have to draw lines in their life just to focus their energies. "

 

 

Over the past five years, Oz and his team at the hospital's

Complementary Medicine Program, has studied everything from guided

imagery to aromatherapy to garlic. His studies have shown that the

hypnosis/relaxation tape combination helps surgical and long-term

recovery in his heart patients.

 

 

For example, they have less bleeding during surgery than patients who

didn't get the combination and they require almost no post-operative

pain medication.

 

 

In the first part of Good Morning America's three-part series:

Alternative Medicine: East, West and the Mind, Dr. Nancy Snyderman

visited Oz, one of many doctors who are responding to patients' desires

to try alternative medicine.

 

 

Not So Alternative Anymore

Two out of three Americans use some form of alternative medicine. And

whether it's tai chi or aromatherapy, " alternative " medicine is not so

alternative anymore.

 

 

The long-running divide between alternative and mainstream medicine is

disappearing with leading medical journals now referring to alternative

treatments as " complementary " or " integrative " medicine.

Acupuncturists, hypnotists, massage therapists and meditation

instructors are working at new complementary centers attached to major

hospitals. A Consumer Reports survey this year found that almost 35

percent of readers had used alternative therapies such as herbals,

massage or chiropractic manipulation to treat the worst two medical

conditions that they had over the past two years.

 

 

A majority of respondents, 58 percent, treated their medical conditions

with conventional means. But those who used alternative therapies were

not shy about it, as they might have been in the past. Some 60 percent

of the readers surveyed who used alternative therapies told their

doctors about it, according to the survey.

The key to Oz's technique is integrating traditional Western

medicine with complementary techniques to help heal the mind, body and

spirit. It's an approach that even the most high-tech surgeons are

supporting.

 

 

One reason could be that patients are, literally, buying into

alternative medicine. Sales of dietary supplements, including vitamins,

reached $14.7 billion in 1999, according to the Nutrition Business

Journal. And the Consumer Reports survey found that over two years,

readers who tried them spent up to $300 on alternative therapies.

 

 

Here are some alternative treatments outlined in Alternative Medicine,

The Definitive Guide, published by Future Medicine Publishing, Puyallup,

Wash.

 

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Acupuncture originated in

China over 5,000 years ago. It is based on the belief that a person's

health is determined by having a balanced flow of " qi " (also spelled

chi), the vital life energy circulating through the body. When special

needles are inserted into acupoints just under the skin, they help

correct and rebalance this flow of energy, relieving pain and/or

restoring health. It is used as a healing treatment for numerous

conditions ranging from the common cold to addiction and chronic fatigue

syndrome. It is also used as an adjunctive treatment for AIDS.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Applied kinesiology

identifies weaknesses in specific muscles to pinpoint imbalances in the

body's organs and glands. By stimulating or relaxing these key muscles,

an applied kinesiologist can diagnose and resolve a variety of health

problems.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Aromatherapy uses the

essential oils extracted from flowers, leaves, branches or roots, to

treat everything from infections and skin disorders to immune

deficiencies and stress. The benefits of the oils may be gleaned through

inhalation, external application, or ingestion (with proper medical

guidance only.)

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Biofeedback Training teaches

a person to use simple electronic devices to change and control their

body's vital functions. For example, someone who wants to regulate their

heart rate would use a device that beeps or flashes for every heartbeat

and they would learn how to regulate it themselves.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Bodywork therapies such as

massage, deep tissue manipulation, movement awareness and energy

balancing are used to reduce pain, soothe injured muscles, stimulate

blood and lymphatic circulation and promote deep relaxation. Deep-tissue

massage, for example, is described as releasing chronic muscular tension

by using slow strokes across the grain of muscle.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Chiropractic adjustments of

the spine and joints are used to influence the body's nervous system and

natural defense mechanisms in order to alleviate pain and improve

general health.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Energy Medicine uses

diagnostic screening devices to measure the various electromagnetic

frequencies sent out by the body, in order to detect imbalances that may

be causing illness, or contributing to future disease. The input of

electromagnetic signals that specifically counteract the affected

frequencies is designed to restore a normal energy balance within the

body.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Guided Imagery uses the

power of the mind to bring about a positive physical response, sort of

the opposite of " worrying yourself sick. " It can reduce stress and slow

heart rate, stimulate the immune system and reduce pain.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Herbal Medicine is the most

ancient form of health care known to mankind, and various herbs are used

to aid health conditions ranging from premenstrual syndrome to heart

disease and cancer. Garlic and its preparations, for example, are known

for battling everything from coughs and bronchitis to ulcers and gout.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Homeopathy is a low-cost

nontoxic system of medicine that works on the theory of " like cures

like. " When taken in small quantities, dilutions of natural substances

from plants, animals and minerals that would prompt different symptoms

of illness instead help cure the same illnesses.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Hypnotherapy uses the power

of suggestion and trancelike states to reach into the deepest levels of

a person's mind to bring positive changes to their behavior. It is used

to manage numerous medical and psychological problems including helping

a person stop smoking, overcoming alcohol and substance abuse and

controlling eating.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Meditation, which centers

around breathing and focusing the mind, is used to make people feel less

anxious and more in control. It is supposed to balance a person's

physical, emotional and mental states, and it may be used as an aid in

treating stress and pain management. It is also used as part of an

overall treatment for other conditions, including hypertension and heart

disease.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Mind/Body Medicine

recognizes the profound interconnection of mind and body, using methods

such as meditation, imagery and biofeedback to impact health, based on

the concept that mood, attitude and belief can affect virtually every

chronic illness. For instance, fear, cynicism and a sense of

hopelessness and helplessness can have a detrimental effect on health,

while courage, a sense of humor and hopefulness can be beneficial.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Osteopathy is a form of

physical medicine that helps restore the structural balance of the

musculoskeletal system. It combines joint manipulation, physical

therapy, and postural re-education to treat spinal and joint

difficulties, arthritis, digestive disorders, menstrual problems and

chronic pain.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Qigong is an ancient

exercise practiced by more than 200 million people in China every day.

It combines movement, meditation and breath regulation to enhance of the

flow of vital energy in the body, improve blood circulation and enhance

immune function.

 

<http://a.abcnews.com/images/aquadot.gif> Yoga is among the oldest

known systems of health, based on the concept that if the mind is

chronically restless and agitated, the health of the body will suffer.

It uses physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation practices

to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, regulate heart rate and even

retard the aging process.

 

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ve_Med_1.html