rss

Showing posts with label Alternative Medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alternative Medicine. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Traditional Chinese Medicine To Help Stroke Patients Achieve Better Rehabilitation

Now scientists are impressed with how the ancient therapy can help stroke patients get back to a more normal life. NeuroAidTM was historically developed in China as a traditional chinese medicine to help stroke patients achieve better rehabilitation.

Traditional Chinese medicine shop in Tsim Sha ...Image via Wikipedia


Moleac, a bio pharmacy company, is bringing NeuroAid to western medicine internationally and ensures it meets western medicine standards to attend to the needs of stroke sufferers: NeuroAid supports them to achieve better
neurological and functional recovery.

Researchers from the Universitys School of Health Professions and Rehabilitation Sciences and the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) have developed a technology to help stroke patients to re-learn movement, and local people are being invited to participate in trials.

Stroke

Stroke is the number one cause of serious adult disability in the United States. Stroke is currently the third leading cause of death in the United States. Stroke ranks as the third leading cause of death in the world and is a main reason for disability and dependency in the elderly.

Stroke has a greater disability impact than any other medical condition. Stroke-related deficits are severe in approximately one third of the survivors and moderate or mild in the other two thirds. Stroke patients have been shown to achieve significantly lower maximal workloads and heart rate and blood pressure responses than control subjects during progressive exercise testing to volitional fatigue.

Stroke patients usually experience the most dramatic recovery in the first 30 days but may continue to improve more gradually for months. Stroke Drug The first of Moleac's offering is Neuroaid, the first drug that can help patients recover faster from their stroke disabilities.

Patients

Patients suffer physical and other problems, such as loss of memory,vision, spatial awareness and mobility through paralysis. Patients may find that they can no longer understand written words, that they cannot pronounce words anymore, or that they can speak volumes of words but fail to convey the meanings they intend.

Patients in the study were offered 10 weeks the therapy, in which restraint of the unaffected arm forced them to use their affected arm for everyday tasks. Patients then engaged in daily repetitive task and behavioral shaping sessions, which included training in tasks such as opening a lock, turning a doorknob, or pouring a drink.

Patients using simulator training were more likely both to pass the driver's test and to retain the skill level achieved in training. NeuroAidhas shown efficacy for patients who suffered a stroke in the past 6months and have resulting loss of motor function or independence.

Therapy

New methods for speeding recovery will have an enormous impact for the individuals involved and for the costs of providing long-term therapy, support and care.

Now MIT pioneers in the field of robotic therapy are hoping a robotic gym full of machines targeted at different parts of the body will significantly improve stroke patients' movement in arms, wrists, hands, legs and ankles.

In the first clinical trial, the researchers found that stroke patients who used the machine four to five hours a week improved further and faster, as measured by increased function of the impaired limb, than a second group of patients that did not receive robot-assisted therapy. "We're looking for efficiency because in the long run we could -- it might be possible to do some of the therapy with a robot instead of having to ask somebody to drive in to the therapy center.





Read more...

Sunday, September 20, 2009

The Power Of Natural Alternative Medicine - Part 2

Since the 1930s there has been research involving natural alternative medicine. Here are some notable examples of physicians who came to note the power of natural medicine.

Dr's. Wilfred and Evan Shute.
In 1933 Dr's. Wilfred and Evan Shute were some of the first doctors to use large doses of vitamin E to treat heart disease. At that time, antioxidants and free radicals were rather obscure concepts in the chemistry of oxidation, far removed from issues of health and disease. Also at that time, using vitamins to treat serious diseases such as heart disease and diabetes was considered by the medical establishment as misguided at best and outright fraud at worst.

In 1985, Linus Pauling wrote: "The failure of the medical establishment during the last forty years to recognize the value of vitamin E in controlling heart disease is responsible for a tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering and for many early deaths. The interesting story of the efforts to suppress the Shute discoveries about vitamin E illustrates the shocking bias of organized medicine against nutritional measures for achieving improved health."

Dr. Szent-Györgyi.
Dr. Györgyi became interested in a chemical agent, present in plant juices, which had the effect of delaying oxidation, such as the browning of a sliced apple exposed to the air. He suggested that this agent, which was also present in cabbages and oranges, was the mysterious Vitamin. By 1933, he had isolated the substance in kilogram lots and named it "ascorbic acid" which means "the acid which prevents scurvy." In 1937, he won the 1937 Nobel Prize for his discovery of vitamin C. He was the first to predict the use of Vitamin C for cancer.

Irwin Stone, PhD
Irwin Stone became interested in the anti-oxidant properties of ascorbic acid, then newly discovered, as a means of protecting food against deterioration. He continued his study of vitamin C for the next 50 years, and in the 1950s he established that humans would benefit from ingesting much larger amounts of ascorbates than the medical and nutritional establishments considered adequate.

Dr. Fredrick Klenner.
"In the early 1950s, Dr. Fredrick Klenner began his work with mega doses of vitamin C. He used doses up to 100 grams per day orally or intravenously. In clinical reports he recorded the excellent response he saw when it was given in large doses. For example, polio patients given vitamin C suffered no residual defects from their polio. A controlled study in England on 70 children, half given vitamin C and half given placebo, confirmed that none of the ascorbate treated cases developed any paralysis while up to 20 percent of the untreated group did. This study was not published because the Salk Vaccine had just been developed and no one was interested in vitamins. Dr. Klenner's work was ignored."

Dr. Klenner was the first physician to emphasize that small amounts of ascorbate do not work. He said, "If you want results, use adequate ascorbic acid." As a result of seeing consistent cures of a great variety of viral and bacterial diseases with huge doses of vitamin C, he published over twenty medical reports. Orthodox medicine's rejection of his lifesaving work stands as a reminder to all medical mavericks practicing today. "Some physicians," Klenner wrote, "would stand by and see their patient die rather than use ascorbic acid because, in their finite minds, it exists only as a vitamin."

Dr. William J. McCormick.
Over 50 years ago, it was Toronto physician William J. McCormick, M.D., who pioneered the idea that poor collagen formation, due to vitamin C deficiency, was a principal cause of diverse conditions ranging from stretch marks to cardiovascular disease and cancer. This theory would become the foundation for Linus Pauling and Ewan Cameron's decision to employ large doses of vitamin C to fight cancer.

Over twenty years before Pauling, McCormick had already reviewed the nutritional causes of heart disease and noted that four out of five coronary cases in hospital show vitamin C deficiency. McCormick also early proposed vitamin C deficiency as the essential cause of, and effective cure for, numerous communicable illnesses, becoming an early advocate of using vitamin C as an antiviral and an antibiotic. Modern writers often pass by the fact that McCormick actually advocated vitamin C to prevent and cure the formation of some kidney stones as far back as 1946.

Linus Pauling, PhD
It was two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling who coined the term "ortho molecular." Ortho molecular medicine describes the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances which are natural to the body. Pauling identified sickle-cell anemia as the first molecular disease and subsequently laid the foundation for molecular biology, and then developed a theory that explained the molecular basis of vitamin therapy. Irwin Stone first introduced Pauling to Vitamin C, recommending 3,000mg a day, which was 50 times the RDA. Pauling and his wife began taking this amount, the severe colds that he had suffered from several times a year all his life no longer occurred. After a few years he increased his intake of vitamin C to 100 times, then 200 times, and then 300 times the RDA (now 18,000 mg per day). Pauling lived to be 93.

"Professor Pauling, as always, is ahead of his time. The latest research on vitamin C substantiates his twenty-five years of advocacy and investigation on the benefits of vitamin C.", said J. Daniel Kanofsky, MD, MPH, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Josef Issels.
Because of his well-known professional skills, his kindness, and relatively high rate of survivors, many cancer patients in the terminal stage came to consult German Dr. Josef Issels. In 1951, one wealthy and grateful patient funded his private clinic, where he continued his successful work until 1960, when he was arrested by the German 'Kriminalpolizei' on the instigation of his medical opponents. He had to close down his clinic for years, in spite of a report from an independent scientist who had concluded that, of 252 terminal cancer patients with histologically proved metastases, 42 had survived for at least five years (17%) with the Issels therapy. For terminal patients, such a score is disproportionately high.

Issels believed that cancer was the end stage, the ultimate symptom, of a lifetime of immune system damage which had created an environment for the tumor to grow. He argued that conventional therapy just looked at the tumor without recognizing this longtime pre conditioning period. Dr. Issels saw the body as having great potential to heal itself. Good nutrition and a clean environment were central to his therapy.

In the end, Issels was proven to be right. From 1967 to 1970, Professor J. Anderson of King's College Hospital and member of the World Health Organization inspected Issels' reopened clinic. He confirmed the highly significant survival rate of Issels' terminal cancer patients. His legacy is continued by the work of his wife, Ilsa and his son Christian.

Dr. William Kaufman.
Dr. Kaufman was among the very first physicians to therapeutically employ mega doses of vitamin B3 (niacin, or niacin amide). He prescribed as much as 5,000 mg of niacin amide daily, in many divided doses, to dramatically improve and restore range of joint motion in arthritic patients. Kaufman said, "I noted that niacin amide (alone or combined with other vitamins) in a thousand patient-years of use has caused no adverse side effects."

Over 50 years ago, Kaufman showed remarkable foresight half a century into the future of ortho molecular medicine, describing how the lack of a just a single nutrient can cause diverse diseases, including what is now known as attention-deficit hyper activity disorder.

Emanuel Cheraskin, MD, DMD.
Dr. Cheraskin was among the very first to recognize and demonstrate that oral health indicates total body health. "Health is the fastest growing failing business in western civilization," he said. "Why is it so many of us are 40 going on 70, and so few 70 going on 40?" The answer, he said, was our neglect of the paramount value of nutrition, an educational deficiency that Dr. Cheraskin devoted a lifetime to eradicating.

Hugh Desaix Riordan, M.D.
Hugh Riordan was one of the most knowledgeable, both as a maverick par excellence and as an historian of mavericks. Hugh was an ortho molecular fighter, who fought hard and consistently on behalf of ortho molecular concepts. He was challenged legally when he wanted to treat his patients with high dose vitamins in the hospital. He won. He was the first to demonstrate how large doses of vitamin C are chemotherapeutic for cancer patients. His main work had to do with the schizophrenic syndrome and with the treatment of cancer using nontoxic vitamin C chemotherapy. Hugh was the leader in making available to cancer patients a treatment that is effective, safe, economical and very tolerable.

Abram Hoffer, M.D., PhD
Dr. Abram Hoffer has spent the past five decades conducting research related to the practice of ortho molecular medicine, which emphasizes the use of nutrients in optimum doses for the treatment of a wide range of diseases.

In 1952, Dr. Hoffer and his colleagues began developing a more effective treatment for schizophrenia that involved a biochemical hypothesis. They tried two nutrients: vitamin C and vitamin B3. He found that we could halve the two-year recovery rate of patients just by adding these vitamins to the program. This was the first major systematic attempt to use large dosages of vitamins therapeutically. In 1955 he also discovered that niacin lowered cholesterol levels.

These pioneers and others were first ridiculed, and were ignored by the medical establishment, but were eventually proven to be right.

This publication is courtesy of RMBarry Publications who publish various books about Melaleuca Products (also commonly misspelled as meleleuca")





Read more...

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Power of Natural Alternative Medicine - Part 1

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."...Thomas Edison, 1902.

Edison applied Image via Wikipedia



We have many different options for healthcare today, but the focus will be on biologically based treatments and prevention. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines the scope of biologically based practices to include, but is not limited to, botanicals, animal-derived extracts, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, proteins, prebiotics and probiotics, whole diets, and functional foods.

But first, let's take a look at the different philosophies of healthcare practiced today. Allopathic, alternative, complementary, integrative-what does it all mean? Each includes many different kinds of therapies, and although alternative, complementary and integrative are sometimes used interchangeably, the general focus of each is different.

Allopathic medicine focuses on disease and the treatment of the physical body with drugs and surgery. These are conventional physicians with the title of M.D. that are universally recognized as having a medical degree.

Alternative medicine includes those therapies not generally recommended by allopathic physicians. It includes Energy Medicine, Ethnomedicine, Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Homeopathic Medicine, Botanical or Herbal Medicine, Bio molecular Medicine, Manual Medicine, Spiritual Medicine.

Complementary medicine includes therapies used by both alternative and allopathic physicians. It includes Exercise Medicine, Environmental Medicine, Social Medicine, Nutritional Medicine.

Integrative medicine is the attempt to integrate the many philosophies of medicine, allopathic, complementary, and alternative, to treat the whole person, physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual.

Many people are hesitant about trusting their healthcare to anyone other than an allopathic physician. But did you know that Naturopathic Medical Doctors are the only physicians who receive complete training in conventional medicine as well as natural medicine? Licensed Naturopathic medical doctors (N.M.D./N.D.) attend a four-year graduate level Naturopathic medical school where they are educated in all of the same basic sciences as a conventional M.D. In addition to this training, they are extensively educated in the philosophy and implementation of safe and effective natural therapeutics with a strong emphasis on disease prevention. Unfortunately, some states do not yet offer licensing for Naturopathic Doctors.

Allopathic physicians and pharmaceutical drugs are, and always will be, necessary for acute, emergency medical care and trauma, as well as for conditions that cannot be controlled with lifestyle changes, good nutrition and supplements. But many conditions can be prevented and controlled with lifestyle changes and biologically based medicine. Just as many pharmaceutical drugs can interact with other drugs, some biologically based supplements may interact with drugs and cause side effects, so a healthcare provider should always be consulted before adding supplements to the diet. In some cases, alternative therapy may actually have beneficial synergistic effects in conjunction with existing medical therapy, even when not feasible as a replacement.

Biologically based medicine is not new. It was practiced for thousands of years before pharmaceutical companies began manufacturing the first synthetic drugs. In addition, many of the pharmaceutical preparations used around the world are based on plants. As late as the 1930's, the formulation of about 80% of synthetic pharmaceutical drugs began with a natural compound. Today, about 25% of prescription drugs contain active ingredients derived from plants.

The United States has the most advanced medical system in the world, yet the population is increasingly turning to natural healing methods. However, the U.S. still lags behind world stats. A survey of 31,000 U.S. adults conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2004 showed that 35 percent use some form of complementary and alternative medicine. Today, the World Health Organization estimates that herbal medicine is still the primary source of health care for approximately 80 percent of the world's population.

Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. These diseases and other chronic diseases such as obesity, depression, metabolic and digestive disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and fibroids, account for 7 of every 10 deaths and affect the quality of life of 90 million Americans. Chronic diseases are among the most prevalent and most costly, yet they are the most preventable.

Conventional physicians treat chronic diseases with expensive pharmaceuticals that may temporarily relieve the painful or uncomfortable symptoms, but the drugs do nothing to resolve the underlying cause, and may actually cause other side effects and serious problems. Because nutrition affects our immune system, organ function, hormonal balance and cellular metabolism, many of these chronic conditions and diseases can be traced to a nutrition deficiency. When the deficiency is not corrected, symptoms begin to appear and eventually lead to disease and premature aging.

Many pharmaceuticals can effectively be replaced with multi vitamin supplements, botanicals, amino acids, prebiotics and probiotics, fresh foods and functional foods for both prevention and treatment. Because herbs work synergistically, combinations of herbs with similar properties enhance the properties of each. This is why choosing a product containing a combination of different herbs is usually more effective than choosing individual selections. An example of this is the combination of valerian, passion flower and hops to promote relaxation and restful sleep. All three have a relaxing effect on the body. Valerian relaxes muscle tension, while hops relaxes the nervous system, and passiflora acts as a sedative. Popular alternative medicine company Melaleuca even offers a product called RestEZ that offers a supplement that contains all three natural sleep enhancers: valerian, passion flower and hops.

In part two of The Power of Natural Alternative Medicine we will discuss the regulation of nutritional supplements and little known history of natural medicine.







Read more...

Friday, September 18, 2009

The Origins Of Alternative Medicine

The origins of alternative medicine, also known as holistic medicine, can be traced back thousands of years to the very roots of medicine. Many millennia ago, physicians or

VivoCity in SingaporeImage via Wikipedia

healers would assess the sick person’s emotional condition in addition to their physical symptoms before beginning treatment. The roots of alternative medicine deal with the symptoms of the “whole” person, not merely the physical signs of illness. This is radically different from traditional medicine today.

In medicine today, people demand to be cured immediately, and the demand for medicines and treatments that do so is very high. Most physicians today are trained to assess physical symptoms and base treatments on that, without much consideration of the person’s emotional or intellectual state.

Since its inception, alternative medicine has survived the ages and stages of the field of medicine. Despite the prevalence of modern medical practices, there are still millions of people worldwide that take advantage of alternative treatments for ailments or well-being. Some of these alternative treatments include massage therapy, herbal remedies, and meditation. Massage is one of the most long-standing forms of alternative treatment, and it is highly popular today as a treatment for aches and pains, and as a means of stress release and relaxation. Most people probably don’t even think about massage as a type of alternative medicine.

Through the ages, every society has used their own forms of alternative medicines and treatments. There is over 5000 years of history and many types of treatments that were used far and wide, and many traditional medical treatments can even find their roots in alternative medicine from long ago.

Long ago in Europe, medical issues were treated by one of two types of healers, the physicians or the folk healers. The folk healers appealed to the poorer factions of society, in that they used natural treatments that were more affordable and easier to come by. Folk healers were often highly respected in these underprivileged sections of society. Folk healers often incorporated philosophy and religious faith into their healing practices, which helped to strengthen a sick person’s mind and spirit, as well as his body.

Eventually, folk medicine evolved into the traditional medicine we are familiar with in today’s world. With each passing century, many great advances have been made in treatments and cures for various diseases and conditions.

Despite the dominance of traditional medicine in the world today, there is still a place for alternative medicine. It is alive and well, and used by many people around the world through massage therapy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, herbal remedies, meditation, and many other forms of alternative treatments. Many physicians now support many of these treatments, making them less alternative.

The origins of alternative medicine were very forward thinking. Alternative medicine has survived through the millennia because it has real validity, despite a great deal of ridicule through the ages. Though they do not have the immediate effect that many drugs and treatments of traditional medicine, they are a feasible option for a person to consider.




Read more...

Thursday, September 17, 2009

What Is Alternative Medicine?

This is a term used to describe the different forms of medicine other than conventional methods. Alternative medicine includes a wide variety of medical practices including non-European (non-Western) medical practices and will include some new approaches to medicine. There is also a term called complementary medicine. This is a combination of conventional medicine coupled with alternative medicine.

With increasing research and new findings in medicine there is a universal rise in the We

Basic Acupuncture.Image via Wikipedia

stern nations of alternative medicine. In the Eastern part of the world, namely the Orient, some forms of alternative medicine has been practiced for many centuries. Part of this trend in the West may be due to the growth of medical education among people and the increased amount of travel to different regions. More literature is now available on this subject and medical societies specializing in different forms of alternative medicine are available.

Some of the most common forms of alternate medicine are :

>> Acupuncture
>> Homeopathy
>> Naturopathic medicine
>> Osteopathy

Acupuncture: this is an ancient art which had its origins in the Orient. It involves manipulating and inserting needles into special points in the body. It is thought to restore health and create well-being. There are several forms of acupuncture which are taught worldwide. This is one of the most famous forms of alternative medicine.

Homeopathy: is a form of medicine that tries to stimulate the body’s immune system in order to promote healing. The practice of Homeopathy endeavors to bring the entire body back into homeostasis, or balance.

Naturopathic medicine: Is a practice that is designed to stimulate the body’s own healing system. This system utilizes multiple forms of alternative medicine. It can also be referred to as Natural therapy, and can include dietary supplements, exercise and different foods.

Osteopathy: Was originally a form of alternative medicine based on manipulation of the joints. It is still used for chronic back pain. It is often used with other forms of medicine.

When treating illness and serious diseases it is important to consult your physician before taking any decisions. Many doctors will endorse some sort of alternative medicine coupled with conventional medicine, especially if conventional medicine is not proving very effective for a chronic condition. Despite the lack of credibilty given it by MD.s, some alternative medicine can work surprisingly well. It will all depend on your particular illness and your own body’s functionality whether alternative medicine will work well for you.





Read more...

what where
job title, keywords or company
city, state or zip jobs by job search
 

Community

Followers

Featured

Do subscribe to Get tips on Herbal Remedy and Secrets