Category Archives: holistic medicine

Open Letter to Consumer Reports – In Defense of Homeopathy

Posted on July 25, 2008 by continuum wellness| Leave a comment

Liddell Laboratories Sends Open Letter to Consumer Reports – In Defense of Homeopathy
MORAGA, Calif., July 24, 2008
Dear Mr. Podolsky:

Below is a significant body of evidence that refutes your recent article on homeopathy, Homeopathic Drugs — Look-Alike Medicines. In your article you say that “there’s little evidence to back up the notion … that homeopathy can improve health.” I believe that the accuracy of your article suffered greatly from inadequate research.
When people tell me that there is little convincing proof of the efficacy of homeopathy, I always find that they have not had access to the relevant scientific literature. As you will see below, there are an abundance studies demonstrating the efficacy of homeopathic remedies:

1. Clinical Trials in Homeopathy, the British (more)

Posted in healing, healing philosophy, Health, health beliefs, health care, holistic medicine, Homeopathy, Uncategorized

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Patients “misled” by contrasting views on complementary medicine

Posted on July 18, 2008 by continuum wellness| Leave a comment

Patients are being continuously and seriously misled by both sides of the debate on complementary medicine, according to a leading clinical expert.

One of the most important questions about complementary medicine — does it generate more harm than good? — remains unanswered because two alternative and antagonistic attitudes are influencing the evidence, says Professor Edzard Ernst in the journal BMJ Clinical Evidence.

According to Professor Ernst, the sceptics often ignore the evidence for complementary medicine.

He says that, despite thousands of clinical trials and hundreds of systematic reviews, mainstream journals rarely publish positive findings, giving the impression that little serious research is being done in this field, or that the findings show complementary medicine to be useless or even dangerous.

In contrast, he argues, the proponents claim that “scientific evidence cannot be applied to complementary medicine” when data fail to show what they had hoped for.

But the real loser in these ongoing disputes is the patient, warns Professor Ernst.

He points out that complementary medicine has become important not because of the eagerness of doctors, the interests of scientists or the attention of politicians, but because of the “almost insatiable hunger of patients.”

In Britain, £1.6bn is spent each year on complementary medicine —therapies rarely available on the NHS — yet there is little evidence available to patients about what really works.

To remedy the situation, reliable information intended specifically for lay people must be produced as a matter of urgency, Professor Ernst concludes.

BMJ Clinical Evidence

Posted in alternative medicine, complementary medicine, healing, Health, health beliefs, holistic medicine, medical news

Acupuncture Research – Help for Depression

Posted on June 12, 2008 by continuum wellness| 2 Comments

A recent study of alternative healing methods for depression found acupuncture beneficial. The study was done at a school for Traditional Chinese Medicine. The researchers enlisted a group of about 40 people with severe depression, and allocated half to get 12 acupuncture treatments over eight weeks.

All were taking a standard SSRI antidepressant like Aropax, Prozac or Zoloft. (more). Western medical practitioners remain skeptical, saying the study was limited in its format and there was no proof the treatment continued to work over time.

Posted in alternative medicine, holistic medicine, Uncategorized

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Prince of Wales Supports Complementary Therapies

Posted on May 16, 2008 by continuum wellness| 2 Comments

There really is more than one way to look at something. In the process of learning some prefer the tactile touch of books, some like the ease of an audio tape or CD, someone else may want a one on one with a tutor but the point is learning took place. Perhaps it is not the best example but I hope you see the conclusion that I am reaching. Herbal medicine, Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Homeopathic medicine, Flower essences, body work, massage, sweats, fasting, even leeching is staging a come back. There are many ways to tap into healing. Remember that laughter cured Norman Cousins when the doctors told him that he was incurable. Why are some so close-minded?

The article below is from the BBC. Click on the link to read the article.

Complementary therapies should be given a greater role in the NHS, a report commissioned by the Prince of Wales has said.

The report, by economist Christopher Smallwood, said patients with conditions such as back pain and stress can benefit from some of the therapies.

However, there is a shortage of treatments such as acupuncture and osteopathy in poorer areas.

The report does not say wider use would bring huge NHS savings.

The report covers the ‘Big Five’ complementary and alternative therapies – osteopathy and chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy and herbal medicine.

Millions of people use complementary therapies in the UK, and demand is growing. About half of GPs now provide some kind of access to such treatments.
(more)

Be Well

Posted in Ayurveda, complementary medicine, healing, Health, health beliefs, health care, healthy mind, holistic medicine, Homeopathy, medicine, self-healing, thoughts, Uncategorized

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Medical Errors Cost Billions

Posted on April 9, 2008 by continuum wellness| Leave a comment

Avoidable medical errors, such as bed sores, surgical instruments left in the body after surgery and urinary tract infections linked to catheter use will not be eligible for reimbursement. Starting Oct. 1, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will stop reimbursing hospitals for the treatment of eight major preventable errors…more.

Posted in food, girls, happiness, Health, health care, healthy body, healthy mind, heart attack, herbs, holistic medicine, nutrition, pesticides, Uncategorized, wellness, Zocor

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A Healing Method Holds Promise as Antidote to 9/11 Toxicity

Posted on March 31, 2008 by continuum wellness| 1 Comment

There are many who still suffer from the tragic events of 9/11. A natural herbal detox program developed by an Ayurvedic physican shows a promise of relief. The study abstract, below.

Ayurvedic herbal supplements as an antidote to 9/11 toxicity
Dahl JJ, Falk K.

Phoenix House Foundation, New York, New York, USA.

An in-treatment web-based survey was conducted in 2005 with 50 New York World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers, volunteers, and area residents and workers who were treated with Ayurvedic herbs for post-9/11 symptoms. The survey documented pretreatment efforts at symptom relief, post-treatment symptom impact, and the context for using the herbal intervention. Herbal treatment was administered and monitored by a private non-profit organization. The natural detoxification and immune-strengthening program consists of 4 herbal supplements developed by an Ayurvedic physician. A minimum 6-month basic program was recommended, but many participants continued to 1 year and longer. All 50 respondents reported high incidence of alleviation of previously intractable symptoms, chiefly respiratory symptoms, fatigue, and depression.

Altern Ther Health Med. 2008 Jan-Feb;14(1):24-8

Posted in 911, Ayurveda, depression, detox, drugs, healing, Health, health care, herbal therapy, herbs, holistic, holistic medicine, Uncategorized

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The BBC Abandons Its Complementary Medicine Website Due to Pressure

Posted on March 1, 2008 by continuum wellness| 2 Comments

Natural and holistic methods of health care are viable and valuable approaches to health care. Read the full story.

(NaturalNews) The BBC, Britain’s venerable TV station known and respected worldwide for its impartiality and integrity, has suddenly closed down the Complementary Medicine section on its Health website (www.bbc.co.uk/health) .

This is believed to be in response to a curious and abnormal amount of letters and e-mails demanding that information on such therapies as homeopathy and cranial osteopathy be removed.

The BBC Health website is one of the most widely accessed websites in the world and has been online for almost 15 years. Its Complementary Medicine section had in excess of 40 pages on “alternative” therapies, objective evaluations, a practitioner ‘search’ facility, and other useful information. But the controllers of BBC Health have now decided to abandon all coverage of Complementary Medicine.

Recently, in the UK, there has been a concerted attack on “alternative” medicine from people like University College London Professor David Colquhoun who described 61 university complementary medicine courses (45 of them science degrees) as “gobbledygook”. Professor Colquhoun went on to say that, “the teaching of complementary medicine under a science banner was worse than ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees in golf management and baking…”

Another critic of “complementary” medicine is Michael Baum, Emeritus Professor of Surgery at University College London, who caused a storm by criticizing Prince Charles’s support for the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital (RLHH). “Homeopathy,” says Professor Baum, “is no better than witchcraft.” Criticising a £20 million refurbishment of the RLHH Professor Baum says that that money would have been better spent on drugs like Herceptin.

In May 2006, Prince Charles had addressed the World Health Assembly in Geneva to argue for homeopathy and its kindred therapies. The Prince urged a return to remedies “rooted in ancient traditions that intuitively understood the need to maintain balance and harmony with our minds, bodies and the natural world.”

The decision by BBC controllers is a curious one, especially at a time when more than 40% of Britons use some form of “complementary” medicine and spend £1.6 billion pounds annually (Ernst). In Britain, the BBC is a public service broadcaster and its remit is to broadcast for the benefit of the public – not for commercial concerns. As public outrage begins to grow, we are sure to hear a lot more about this sinister development in the days and weeks ahead.

The BBC, in response to criticism of their action, says that the “complementary health section was incomplete and, therefore, not of a satisfactory editorial standard.” They go on to say, “The BBC will continue to cover complementary health in other areas of its output, such as TV, radio and news programmes, and may reassess its complementary health content in future.”

If you have ever accessed the BBC’s “Complementary Medicine” site or believe that it should be restored, please take just a minute to complain or express your views using their online comment form at: (www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/)

http://www.naturalnews.com/022734.html

Posted in alternative medicine, complementary medicine, Health, health care, holistic medicine, Homeopathy

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