Alternative Care
Alternative Care
There is new information on the use of massage in our September 2007 newsletter. Hypnosis info exists in our Dec 2007 newsletter. Our Feb 2008 newsletter contains info about Music therapy and pain relief. Our April 2008 issue contains info on Tai Chi and Laughter Yoga.
Due to the increasing interest in alternative and complimentary medicine from our site visitors, we’re going to expand and provide updated information on various practices as they come to our attention.
Understanding Yoga’s Origin and Purpose. Yoga describes the joining of the body, mind, and spirit. In the classic 2000-year-old treatise on yogic philosophy, The Yoga Sutras, the Indian sage Patanjali, known as “The Father of Yoga,” defined yoga as “that which restrains the thought process and makes the mind serene.” He emphasized that yoga provides a psychological approach to healing the body and achieving self-realization. By performing postures, known as asanas, and by controlling breathing, known as pranayama, individuals would be able to cleanse their bodies’ organs and systems and achieve a higher state of consciousness. Physicians who
acknowledge the role of the mind in healing are practicing a yogic philosophy.
Hatha yoga, used in the studies cited in this article, affects the mind through the body. Defined as the yoga of physical activity that cultivates both the mind and body, Hatha yoga consists of cleansing and physical exercises in combination with meditation. Hatha yoga is one of several branches of yoga that includes Raja, the yoga of meditation, Karma, the yoga of service, Jnana, the yoga of wisdom, Bhakti, the yoga of devotion, and Tantra, the yoga of ritual. Most Westerners practice one of the Hatha yoga styles such as Iyengar, Bikram, Sivandanda, Kripalu, Kundalini, and Astanga (redefined today as Power Yoga). The Hatha yoga generally taught in the West is a system of postures and breathing exercises. Hatha yoga is usually seen as a way of preparing the body and mind for meditation. As a complete system, Hatha yoga is a comparatively recent development Explaining Yoga’s Application as a Therapeutic Health Tool Therapeutic yoga is the performance of postures for treating medical
disorders. Some of the many current styles of Hatha yoga ”Iyengar, Kundalini, Kripalu, and Sivandanda” have developed distinct approaches. Iyengar yoga, based on the teachings of living Yoga master BKS Iyengar, prescribes an orderly and progressive series of postures adjusted to meet a student’s needs and physical
conditions. As a therapy, yoga works to refine human physiology. Performed properly, the asanas are believed to affect every gland and organ in the body. A knowledgeable teacher trained in the Iyengar tradition of yoga can adapt the body to positions to ensure that bones and joints are correctly aligned to achieve physiologic changes. Body weight is distributed evenly on the joints and muscles to prevent injuries. To accomplish desired results and to reduce strain, Iyengar yoga patients use props such as chairs, belts, blankets, and blocks to stabilize positions. Each posture has a specific shape to which the body must be adapted rather than the posture adapted to the body.
Yoga is an appropriate complementary medical treatment for patients suffering from anatomical disorders such as bone and joint disorders. For patients suffering from OA of the finger joints, a sequence of asanas is chosen to realign the skeletal structure and loosen stiff joints. Because many musculoskeletal problems are mechanical, yoga offers an option to change alignment and alleviate musculoskeletal problems. The goal of Iyengar yoga is to realign bones, muscles, and joints. This realignment reduces stress and may enable patients to re-establish anatomical relationships.
Studying Musculoskeletal Problems: Raman’s Use of Yoga to Treat Musculoskeletal Problems. Dr. Krishna Raman, a physician practicing in Madras, India, combines Western medicine with yoga to treat common and complimented ailments. Raman’s writings describe how the Iyengar method of Hatha yoga can supplement traditional medicine and alternative approaches when treating musculoskeletal problems.
Raman’s studies are based on the following hypotheses: asanas may strengthen and align bones and muscles; inverted postures may be used to rest the legs; and forward bending poses may be used to stretch muscles.
A sequence of asanas derived from Iyengar yoga are described for various types of back problems and arthritis, but no objective documentation of their value accompanies these descriptions. Raman cautions that yoga teachers must teach and individuals must learn the correct methods, considering the disease; however, he does not detail how to teach and individualize these methods. Different ailments require different sequences. For example, a sequence for the knee is used to create joint space.
Raman addresses specific metabolic diseases like gout and advises patients not to perform any exercises during acute attacks. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, initial treatment with medication is prescribed. Once joint mobility improves, the patient may add yoga therapy if properly supervised and performed.
Identifying Qualified Yoga Teachers. The numerous approaches to yoga and the wide variation among teachers and practitioners who are willing to offer yoga-based approaches to treatment can confuse both physician and patient. How to pick a yoga teacher is even less clear than how to pick a physician. Some credentialing is available, but there is little agreement in the field as to what credentialing would mean or what it would encompass.
Not all yoga is the same, and how to select an appropriate instructor is unclear. Many Western-oriented presentations about yoga that exaggerate and make extravagant, inappropriate claims should be viewed with caution. If research is not documented, physicians and patients should not rely on those concepts. Programs that gradually build from the simplest asanas seem most reasonable. For most patients suffering from arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders, the more conservative gradual yoga approaches are the most sensible approaches for physicians to explore and authorize.
Yoga Links
Herbal Therapy Use for Pain. Herbal therapies are more likely to be used by those with a better education, poorer health status, and a holistic orientation to health; those wanting relief from symptoms or seeking improvement in their general condition; and those who had a transformational experience that changed their world view (Astin, 1998; Kimby et al., 2003; Oldendick et al., 2000). The most commonly used natural products are echinacea, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, and garlic supplements (Barnes, et al., 2004). In the United States, approximately $4 billion per year is spent on herbal products, with an annual growth of more than 30% (Rees, 2001). During the 1990s, there was an estimated 380% increase in the sale of herbal substances. In 2002, a survey found 19% of adults had used natural products such as herbal medicine, functional foods (garlic), or animal-based supplements (Barnes, et al., 2004). Approximately $76 million was spent in 2002 for just three of these supplements alone: androstenedione, kava, and yohimbe (Dangerous Supplements: Still at Large, 2004).
The use of herbal therapies comes with potential risks that are worth noting to consumers of herbs for medicinal purposes. Active ingredients in herbal therapies or drugs may produce herb/herb or herb/drugs interactions that have undesirable side effects (Ernst, 1998; Fugh-Berman & Ernst, 2001). For example, when combined with levodopa, kava can cause an increase in the number and duration of “off” periods; St. John’s wort taken with sertraline (Zoloft) may produce nausea, vomiting, or anxiety (Fugh-Berman & Ernst, 2001).
Herbal therapies and drugs are often made of more than one active element. This further complicates what pharmacologic ingredient is causing the interaction or undesirable side effect (Izzo & Ernst, 2001; Fugh-Berman & Ernst, 2001).
A lack of standardization of herbal remedies also makes it challenging to understand what causes adverse interactions. Contamination, misidentification of an herbal plant, or an incorrectly substituted plant all raise issues of quality (Drew & Myers, 1997; Ernst, 1998) and can result potentially in an unwanted side effect. Of 400 users of complementary medicine surveyed, Abbot, White, and Ernst (1996) found 8% of those who tried herbal remedies had an adverse reaction.
Incorrect preparations, incorrect dosages, lack of standardization, substitution, or improper processing of plants can result in unwanted combinations of ingredients in herbal therapies (Drew & Myers, 1997; Ernst, 1998). The pharmacologically active component may not necessarily be known, making it difficult to understand how the therapies work (Ernst, 2000). Unwanted ingredients may lead to contamination, for example, when bovine spongiform encephalopathy from bovine organs was found in dietary supplements (Department of Agriculture, 2000; Scott et al., 1999). Cassileth and Deng (2004) contend that herbs are diluted natural drugs that contain scores of different chemicals that may not have been documented. A CAM user may not anticipate the potential interactions with other medications or herbal preparations.
A lack of strict government regulation diminishes efforts at prevention of potentially harmful results of herbal remedies. In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) to set regulation standards of herbal therapies for medical benefit. DSHEA relieved pressure from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on herb manufacturers to prove health benefits of herbal therapies, thereby permitting them to make it to the marketplace without demonstrating any benefits (Larsen & Berry, 2003). This creates a difficulty, because 59% of respondents to an Internet survey believe herbal products must be approved by a government agency similar to the FDA (Widespread Ignorance of Regulation and Labeling of Vitamins, Minerals and Food Supplements, According to a National Harris Interactive Survey, 2002).
DSHEA also allows herbal manufacturers to make three types of claims without FDA approval: (1) nutrient content claims, (2) health claims, and (3) nutrient support or structure-function claims (Kurtzweil, 1998; Overview of Dietary Supplements, 2001). Limited federal authority has led to animal products being included in dietary supplements, increasing the possibility of contamination. Consumers need to be wary of false claims, insufficient labels, and the potential for animal products to be included in the herbal therapy.
Those individuals considering herbal therapy use for pain control also may struggle to find credible sources of information. A recent U.S. investigation suggests that information provided by health food stores can be dangerously misleading, because potentially uneducated health food store employees may freely give advice about treatment for life-threatening illnesses (Phillips, Nichols, & King, 1995). Likewise, prominent herbal therapy product web sites often convey incorrect information (Morris & Avorn, 2003). A review of Internet
web sites found 273 (81%) of 338 sites made one or more health claims that may or may not be proven.
Links
* Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States
http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3793/4829/24487.aspx
* Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine
http://www.imconsortium.org
* Continuum Center for Health and Healing @
Beth Israel Medical Center in NYC
http://www.healthandhealingny.org/research/reviews.asp
* Medline Plus: Drugs and Supplements
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/herb_All.html
* National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://nccam.nih.gov
* Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://www.cancer.gov/CAM/
Additional Alternative Therapies :
- Accupuncture
- Heat Therapy-Ultrasound —–> Physical Therapy webpage
- Music Therapy —–>Feb 2008 Newsletter
- Prolotherapy
- Electromagntic Therapy
- Massage ——> Sept 2007 Newsletter
- Neural Surgery
- Phenol Injections
- Hydrotherapy ( Aquatic )
- Polarity Therapy
- Tens Therapy ——> visit our December 07 Newsletter
- Reflexology
- Vitamins and Supplements —–> on this webpage
Copyright. c4d. 2007-8