Alternative Medicine Health Wisdom

Posts Tagged ‘Medical’

After examining the claims of homeopathy , the House of Commons select committee on science and technology has concluded that the NHS should no longer provide funding for the treatment. Homeopathy – a 200-year-old complementary medical …

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Asian civilizations are practicing medication for over 2,five hundred years. Indeed, the oldest textbook of drugs is the Chinese Medical Classic, The Yellow.

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Asian civilizations have been practicing drugs for over two,500 years. Indeed, the oldest textbook of medicine is that the Chinese Medical Classic, The Yellow.

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5000 Year-Old Medical Secret Unearthed! When you get sick, you go to the doctor. And the doctor will, of course, prescribe medicines . You will go and buy.

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The history of alternative medicine is a rather interesting one, and has itsorigins in traditional methods of medicine. Alternative medicine has beenin existence since time immemorial. Being a primeval science, this medicinalsystem has been known to man since the early days of his time on Earth. Usingnatural ingredients to prevent and cure most illnesses has perhaps been man’s greatest foray into medical science. Traditional medical practitioners aimed at prevention of diseases associated with an increase in resistance of the human body. As an expert rightly pointed out, “The study of the history of alternative medicine is fascinating on a variety of levels, not just concerning other and often better ways of preserving and restoring health.”

Practised for thousands of years, alternative medicine includes systems likeAcupuncture, Ayurveda and traditional Asian medicine. Alternative medicine branchesout from the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatments andtherapies. CAM is often combined with formal, conventional medicine, integratingboth medical practices, in order to give the best results to patients. It can be said thatthe earlier methods of medicine were attempted at achieving a balance between bodilyand natural energy. Energies were sought as positive and negative energies, wherepositive energies were to bring in happiness and health and negative energies anincapacitation of resistance to face any ailments. Matters of utmost importance indeciding therapies or treatments in these earlier medical systems were factors likeone’s lifestyle, one’s habits of eating and one’s occupational pressures.

The earliest use of traditional remedies dates back to 2800 BC in China.Practised all over the world in more than a hundred disciplines, alternative medicinehas aided medical tourism in an unprecedented manner. Using alternative medicineand following alternative medical practices not only removes any possible additionalaffects of the illness but also increases the resilience of the body. It is generallyclaimed that natural remedies are not only less inimical to human physiologybut they also help in retaining body pliancy. Systems of natural, traditionalmedicines use a combination of ingredients to restore the bodily constituents. Infact, natural remedies are considered more as food, given their natural constituents.Since alternative medicine is based on completely natural methods and there isno usage of any chemicals, there is no danger of any interference with the organicsystem. A holistic approach as opposed to looking at a set of symptoms and atreatment that delves into the root-cause of an illness are some of the distinct andhighly acknowledged features of alternative medicine. It is also opined thatwidespread use of modern medicine has deteriorated the immune system in thehuman physiology and has resulted in these modern medicines becoming lesseffective. It is also often said that alternative medicine is the only way to curesome incurable diseases.

A Brief History of Alternative Medicine

The history of alternative medicine can be traced back to some 5000 years, when the Chinese and Indians discovered traditional and Ayurvedic therapies to heal the body and the mind. The real objective was to identify the deterrents in the body system which caused ailments, andstrengthened the body’s immunity. The therapies mainly incorporated self-care, lifestylechanges and various preventive measures. The normal practices that were followed in the early stages of the history of alternative medicine include the extractions of the bark of willow trees. Many kitchen ingredients were also used for treating patients. The treatments were considered as the blessings of God, as it brought immense relief to the writhing bodies and prayer was considered as one of the strongest weapons in waging war against ailments.Source: “A Brief History of Alternative Medicine”, http://www.med-help.net/med-history-of-alternativemedicine.html

Alternative Medicine and Medical Tourism

Today, alternative medicine holds out immense potential in attracting medicaltourists. For example, India is likely to become a major hub for medical tourism,with revenues from the industry estimated to grow from US$333 million in 2007to US$2.2 billion by 2012, says a study by the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) and McKinsey.3 The major competitive advantages that India faces are costeffectiveness and traditional medical systems like Ayurveda and Naturopathy.The world has witnessed the development of many traditional as well as modernsystems of medicine in the 20th century. Path-breaking discoveries like penicillin,technological advancements in modern surgery, major research advancement in stemcell research and genetic structure, and the development of traditional medical systemslike traditional Chinese system of medicine, Acupuncture, Osteopathy, Homeopathy,Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani and others have all been a part of developments in theomnipotent territory of global medicine. The major competitive advantages that Indiahas are cost effectiveness and traditional medical systems like Ayurveda and Naturopathy.The last few years have seen countries with their own individual expertise attractingtourists from all over the world and promoting medical tourism like never before.

India

In India, medical tourism in alternative medicine has its ancestry in South Indiaand some places in North-Eastern India. Internationally famed for its natural remedies and therapies, Kerala’s schools of medicine have embraced Siddha,Naturopathy and Ayurveda in treating their patients. These traditional medicalpractices are estimated to attract high-end medical tourists from Europe andMiddle Eastern countries. The vital advantages that a country like India faceswith regard to medical tourism are its traditional therapies like yoga and Ayurvedacombined with tourist attractions in states like Kerala and north-eastern states.Naturopathy, a therapeutic system based on natural remedies, trusts naturalelements like air, water and sunlight, combined with therapeutic massages andconditioning and toning of the human body. Naturopathy believes that the humanbody has the capacity to heal on its own, provided it is in a healthy environment.With a holistic approach to well-being, Naturopathy believes that the threephysical entities – the physical body, the supernatural soul and the mind – mustbe integrated through natural energies. “A recent survey shows that 76% of globaldrugs are consumed by USA and European countries. We believe that freedomfrom diseases and drugs can only be achieved by living a natural life style.”4Ayurveda, the most ancient health care system, takes its ingredients from nature.The use of herbs, materials like gold and mercury and many household ingredientsmake this science easily accessible to common man. Ayurveda claims to cure diseaseslike diabetes with the aid of nature. The Siddha medical system, which is a part ofAyurveda, employs herbs, minerals and advanced scientific techniques under ancientprinciples of medical science to cure many chronic diseases. It is named as one ofthe most complicated and intricate forms of medicine. Siddha considers natureand man as one essential entity. It claims that physiological characteristics likehuman aging can itself be arrested with natural remedies.

Naturopathy has evolved medical tourism in India in more than one ways.With its systems of medication using all natural ingredients to restore the holisticdisease-fighting nature of the human body, the medicine has created increasedchances of its own survival through tourists from all parts of the world visitingIndia to reap its benefits. As Vitthal Kamat of the Kamat Group of Hotels says,“With Naturopathy and Ayurveda along with the world renowned tourist attractionsand heritage places, the tourism sector can grow in leaps and bounds.”5 Naturopathyin “KayaKalp”, a naturopathy centre in Himachal Pradesh, run by the Vivekananda Medical Research Trust in India has served medical tourists in detoxifying, immunizing and rejuvenating through Yoga, Pranayama, Panchkarma, Meditation and Naturopathy. Its therapies are claimed to be drug-less and extremely natural. Naturopathy takes the help of Ayurvedic preparations for healing processes like Panchkarma and improvement of blood circulation.

India’s pioneer in alternative therapy – medical tourism, Kerala, has visitorsfrom all over the world in the months of June, July and August. These months arelooked upon as the best period for cure of bodily ailments through Ayurveda.High quality medical facilities provided at low prices are the main tourist attractionin Kerala. Mr. M Narayanan, head of Poovar Island Resort says that there aretourists from countries like Australia, Europe and Germany. The packages offeredin these Ayurvedic spas include services like Ayurvedic oil massages, powdermassages, vegetarian diets, detoxification programs and a lifestyle change. In factit is little known that Ayurveda includes not just massages, but a whole gamut ofservices like herbal and natural diet plans, natural healing therapies, and thereforea full-fledged medical system.

Ayurveda Gram, a unique Ayurvedic Institution in Bangalore offers Ayurvedain its wellness form to medical tourists. It offers services like Customized Yoga,Pranayama, Meditation, and a vegetarian diet to boost metabolism. Its sprawlingcampus full of medicinal herbs and natural surrounds helps in the processes ofcure for specific ailments like Arthiritis, Spondilytis, Cholesterol, Sinusitis, PepticUlcer and Obesity. Other therapies by Ayurveda Gram include Stress Managementtherapies, Panchkarma and rejuvenation therapies.

AYUSH, the department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddhaand Homeopathy was formed under the Indian Medicine Central Council Act,1970. One of the most recent awareness activities undertaken by AYUSH was ahealth fair organized in parts of Hyderabad, Chennai, Indore and New Delhi.AYUSH ensured that the major Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha manufacturers inIndia participated in this health fair.

Another famous Ayurvedic centre in India is the C V N Kalari Centre forAyurveda. Kalari is one of the approved Ayurvedic centres recognized by theKerala Tourism Department.6 Kalari has its customers from many foreign countries. The centre specializes in Marma Chikitsa (the application of pressure on specificnerve points) and other special practices of healing. Having both therapeutic andrejuvenative aspects in them, these specialized healing procedures take extensive helpof Ayurveda to treat the ailing.Some Ayurvedic resorts have formulated Ayurvedic kitchens that help improvethe effectiveness of oil treatments. Diet regimens, detoxification programs and otherprocesses that give a glowing skin to the customer are very popular. Some of theseAyurvedic resorts also arrange for cooking classes to help their customers acquireand maintain the lifestyle that they are introduced to in these spas and resorts.Ananda, an Ayurvedic Spa in the Himalayas is one of the most famous destinationresorts in India. It offers specialty Ayurvedic packages like Aroma therapy massages,reflexology programs for rejuvenation, stress release programs, personalized Yogasessions, body composition analysis and weight reduction programs through Yogaand Ayurveda. Ananda claims that its packages and therapies cure many ailmentslike headaches, nausea, climatic disorders, facial paralysis, insomnia, asthma, neuralgiaand does general improvement of metabolism.

China

The 3000 year-old method of traditional medicine in China has gained popularityas the world’s most popular medicine, being used by more than a quarter of theworld in treating even chronic diseases like cancer, AIDS, allergies and heart diseases.Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) uses medicinal herbs, therapeutic exercisesand acupuncture to cure ailments. TCM diagnoses illnesses based on the five elementstheory and the yin-yang theory. The five elements theory base their evaluation on thefive elements – wood, fire, earth, metal and water to establish a connection betweenhuman physiology and pathology and the natural environment.7 The movement ofthese five elements constantly rules the functioning of the human body and thusestablishes the interdependence of both.

The yin-yang theory calls for comprehending the bright and dark sides ofthe universe, in other words, the opposite properties of the universe.8 The relativenature of yin and yang represents the interrelationship between substance and function. As traditional chinese medical practitioners say “Only with amplesubstance can the human body function in a healthy way; and only when thefunctional processes are in good condition, can the essential substances beappropriately refreshed.”

Chinese herbal medicine is more known as Chinese materia medica. This includesChinese crude medicine, prepared drugs in pieces, traditional Chinese patentedmedicines and simplified Chinese medicinal preparations. Chinese herbology, a majoraspect of TCM addresses the art of combining medicinal herbs.10 It visualizes theentire human body’s balance of energies and spirit to treat a medical condition.Herbs are combined into different potions of various characteristics for the sake ofdifferent individuals being treated by TCM practitioners. Herbs like Astragalus,Ginkgo, Ginger, Green Tea, Siberian Ginseng and Garlic are used to treat severalailments. Around 300 mineral and animal extracts and 400 formulae are used tocure diseases, in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Acupuncture, as part of TCM is used to unblock the flow of vital energy throughthe human body.11 One of the oldest healing techniques in the world, this traditionalmethod aims at “restoring health through simulation of specific points on the body.”12Ailments like nausea, addictions and some kinds of pains are claimed to be treatedwith the help of acupuncture.

Taking advantage of its abundant human resources, China is luring medical touristsinto its web of alternative medical therapies. Wellness packages in China come atlow costs and without any side-effects, thanks to proliferated Traditional ChineseMedicine. Several massages and spas have been set up in recent times that providemental health and physical well-being to medical tourists with the help of Chinesemedicinal herbs. Wellness apartments are established for the purpose of servingsenior medical tourists. These wellness apartments facilitate these tourists inpractising their own hobbies and also conducting medical activities like Taiji.

Germany

Germany’s alternative medical practices have their origins in Homeopathy, amedical system that was developed by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician.Homeopathy considers symptoms as disturbances of vital forces that haveconnection with the human body. Homeopathic advocators believe that thismedical system has the ability to cure acute diseases like flu, cold, pains, depressionand fatigue, constipation, irritability other than chronic diseases. It is claimed tocure allergies and allergic disorders like Eczema and Asthma. Moreover, thismedical system is child friendly, in the sense, that the medication given byhomeopaths is sweet to the tooth and therefore acceptable. Homeopaths are knownfor debonair and their hands free treatment of patients. They concentrate moreon the patient’s state of mind and attitude towards life. The preparation of differentpotions in Homeopathy is done mostly with the help of herbs, minerals andanimal extracts. Also, it is often reasoned that since the dosage that homeopathsprescribe is in such minute constitutions and because they come in dilutions ofsubstances like water and alcohol there is no chance of any side-effects.Germany also stands famous for its herbal remedies. Regulated by CommissionE14 on the purity and pharmaceutical activity, these herbal medicines in Germanyhave come a long way in preventing and curing many diseases like cancer, AIDS andother serious ailments. Most physicians in Germany are required to be educated inAlternative therapies, so that it serves complimentary to modern medical treatments.As Mark Blumenthal, chairman of the American Botanical Council points out, “Mostof the clinical research that’s conducted on the leading herbal medicines in the UnitedStates comes from Germany.”15

With more than 300 spa towns, Germany has become the premier destinationfor health and wellness in Europe.16 One of the most famous resorts in Germanyis the Baltic Spa Resort in Warnemunde. Situated on the shore of the Baltic Sea,it idealizes the sea as a “homeopathic pharmacy” and claims that “it contains allimportant trace elements and has a similar composition to human blood”17 Sea water is said to have revitalizing effects in treating bodily ailments like respiratoryillnesses, sleep disorders and obesity. Other than these, mental disorders likedepression, anxiety and agony are claimed to be cured with the help of the sea.Sea breeze is said to be specifically effective in treating cardio-vascular as well asdermatological conditions. Major advantages that Germany faces are in terms ofboth cost and quality. As Axel Steller, the CEO of the Arab German HealthFoundation points out, “In the US, operations are four to five times more expensiveas they are in Germany”.

Japan

Japanese medicine is known as Kanpo or Kampo, a herbal medicine that forms partof well-researched modern clinical methods and also traditional methods ofmedicine. A Japanese variant of the traditional Chinese medicine or the Orientalmedicine, Kanpo adheres to the body’s natural instincts and natural mechanismof healing. For this purpose, medical treatment involves diagnosis of the tongue,abdomen and pulse. At each stage of the treatment, different formulae that arenecessary to bring the body back to normalcy, are prepared by the physician.These herbal medicines are regulated by the Japanese Government. Kanpomedicine is used to cure many acute and chronic ailments like cardio-vascular,respiratory, digestive, reproductive and dermatological conditions and immunesystem corrections and even disorders like bedwetting, high cholesterol andhepatitis. Though Kanpo therapies take longer than usual to work, this medicalsystem uses some very natural diagnosis and treatment methods and conceptslike water, blood and air to identify bodily symptoms. Also, it is claimed thatthese herbal medicines produce no side-effects because of their naturalcompositions. Japanese therapists of Anma visit countries like India and Singaporeto help in promotion of health tourism. Anma, a traditional Japanese massage, issaid to be a complete form of Shiastu19 that treats the body to release blood flowin a proper manner to rejuvenate the body.

Apart from attracting tourists for its natural herbal medical treatments, Medicaltourism in Japan has become popular thanks to its volcanic areas that have allowedthe formation of some hot mineral water springs called Onsen. Japanese Onsen serve as places where the ailing can get alternative treatments to modern medicalpractices. These have medicinal properties that heal wounds, alleviate pains andreplenish energy levels. Senior tourists and people suffering from many kinds ofaches and pains come flocking to these mineral water springs. The healingproperties of these springs are accentuated by the surrounding volcanic soil thatis composed of many minerals and curative elements.

Outlook of Medical Tourism in Alternative Medicine

Alternative medicine is here to stay, claim some traditional medical practitioners.Given its perceived advantages over the modern medical techniques and the expensivewestern medicines, alternative medical therapy is gaining ground in many developingas well as developed countries. Practices like Ayurveda and Homeopathy claim thatsurgery may always be the last option in case of treatment of an ailment. Naturalmedicines like herbs and minerals can all be partaken as food and not medicines assuch, since their composition is all natural. Alternative medicine is used in conjunctionwith modern medicine to treat many chronic ailments like diabetes and AIDS. Thishelps modern medical practitioners to evolve a closer relationship with the patientand cure him to a greater extent, thus giving him a new perspective to life. It followsthat one should never overlook the disposition of the traditional cures suggested byour ancestors. These provide a standpoint from where one can comprehend theprofundity of traditional and alternative medicine, and gauge the tremendous potentialof alternative medicine in medical tourism.

Please seek author’s permission for reprint. Send a reprint request to kirrti82@gmail.com.

References1. www.hinduonnet.com2. “Kerala”, www.takekerala.com3. “Prospects of Medical Tourism in India”, www.mpiweb.org4. “Medical Tourism push for Penang and Langkawi”, http://thestar.com.my5. www.wikipedia.com

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A list of some of the alternative medicine practices you’re likely to encounter in the United States. Some of these are considered border-line acceptable even in the professional medical field, and many understand that this is unfortunate.

Mostly these are just scams, quackery, and nonsense, which unfortunately gullible people believe in if they are desperate and grasping at false hope. Keep your eyes peeled for any of these, and be prepared to stamp out the harmful ones.

Doman-Delacato Treatment
This approach, also called “patterning,” was developed during the mid-1950s and is still offered at the Institutes for Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its proponents claim that the great majority of cases of mental retardation, learning problems, and behavior disorders are caused by brain damage and poor neurological organization. The treatment is based on the idea that high levels of motor or sensory stimulation can train the nervous system and lessen or overcome handicaps caused by brain damage.

Parents following the program are advised to exercise the child’s limbs repeatedly and use other measures said to increase blood flow to the brain and decrease irritability. In 1982 and 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued position statements concluding that “patterning” has no merit, that its proponents’ claims are false, and that the demands on families are so great that in some cases there may be actual harm in its use. In 1996, neurologist Steven Novella, M.D., reviewed the scientific literature and concluded that “patterning” was a pseudoscience.

Orthomolecular Therapy
Orthomolecular therapy is defined by its proponents as the treatment of disease by varying the concentrations of substances normally already present in the human body. Its proponents claim that many diseases are caused by molecular imbalances that are corrected by administration of the “right” nutrient molecules at the right time.

Orthomolecular therapy dates back at least to the early 1950s when a few psychiatrists began adding massive doses of nutrients to their treatment of many severe mental problems. The original substance was vitamin B3, and the therapy was termed “megavitamin therapy.” Later the treatment regimen was expanded to include other vitamins, minerals, hormones, and dietary supplements, any of which may be combined with conventional drug therapy and even electroshock treatments. A few hundred physicians now use this approach to treat a variety of conditions, both of a mental and physical aspect.

Raw Milk
Raw milk is milk in its unpasteurized state. Public health authorities advocate pasteurization to destroy all disease-producing bacteria that may be present. Health faddists claim that it destroys the essential nutrients. Although about 10% to 30% of the heat-sensitive vitamins, which are vitamin C and thiamine, are destroyed in the pasteurizing process, milk is not a significant source of these nutrients in the first place.

Contaminated raw milk can be a source of harmful bacteria, including those that cause undulant fever, dysentery, salmonellosis, and tuberculosis. “Certified” milk, obtained from cows certified as healthy, is unpasteurized milk with a bacteria count below a specified standard, but it still contains significant numbers of disease-producing organisms.

Rife Frequency Generator
The Attorneys General of Wisconsin and Minnesota have sued to stop an unlicensed woman, Shelvie Rettmann, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, from representing that she cures cancer. In December 1997, Wisconsin Attorney General James Doyle showed that a Wisconsin resident who was diagnosed with advanced colon and liver cancer used Rettmann’s services after being told that she could cure the woman’s cancer. Although medical doctors had recommended chemotherapy, Rettmann had told her otherwise.

At their first meeting, Rettmann photographed the woman and her daughter with a Polaroid camera and put the photos in a cup fastened to a radionics machine. After informing the mother that she had colon and blood cancer and the daughter that she had breast cancer, Rettmann allegedly advised both to have treatments with a Rife Frequency Generator, a special diet, dietary supplements, a regimen of baths, and something called ‘foot zoning’, which is a type of foot massage claimed to break up accumulated deposits at the end of foot nerve endings in order to help heal the body.

VAX-D Therapy
The VAX-D Therapeutic Table is a motorized traction device which is used to stretch the lower back. VAX-D is an acronym for “vertebral axial decompression.” The device is a two-part table in which the upper part is fixed to the table frame and the lower part slides back and forth to provide sudden intermittent traction. The patient is then anchored to the lower part by a pelvic harness.

VAX-D therapy is usually provided on an outpatient setting for the purpose of relieving back pain. Its providers, including chiropractors, medical and osteopathic physicians, and physical therapists, commonly recommend twenty sessions of 30-45 minutes, with a total cost of several thousand dollars. During the treatment, the patient lies face-down with the upper part of the body on the stationary portion of the table, and with arms overhead, grasping handles attached to the this part of the table. A pneumatic cylinder drives the two parts of the table apart and together to provide gradual stretching alternating with relaxation of the stretching. A typical cycle includes a minute of each half.

Auditory Integration Training
Abbreviated as AIT, this was developed as a treatment for autism by Guy Berard in France in the 1960s and since was introduced into the United States in 1991. It has also been advocated for children and adults with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, depression, migraine headaches, and many other mental conditions.

Proponents claim that individuals with these disorders have hearing that is disorganized, hypersensitive, different between the two ears, or otherwise abnormal. The first step in AIT is an audiogram, a diagram that determines the auditory thresholds to more frequencies than are typically measured during hearing tests. Suitable individuals then undergo training sessions, which are typically two half-hour sessions per day over a 10-day period, that involve listening to music that has been computer-modified to remove frequencies to which they are hypersensitive.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Audiology have warned that no well-designed scientific studies demonstrate that AIT is of any use. AIT devices do not have FDA approval for treating autism, attention deficit disorder, or any other mental condition. In 1997, the FDA banned the importation of the Electric Ear or any other AIT device made by Tomatis International, of Paris, France, and they are now illegal.

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Traditional Chinese Medicine , also known as TCM, is a 5000-year-old eastern medical system that includes a method for diagnosis and treatment. This medical model emphasizes a lifestyle that promotes health as much as it offers …

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A list of some of the alternative medicine practices you’re likely to encounter in the United States. Some of these are considered border-line acceptable even in the professional medical field, and many understand that this is unfortunate. Mostly these are just scams, quackery, and nonsense, which unfortunately gullible people believe in if they are desperate and grasping at false hope. Keep your eyes peeled for any of these, and be prepared to stamp out the harmful ones.

Hallelujah Diet
“Reverend” George M. Malkmus claims to have eliminated his colon cancer and other serious health problems more than twenty-five years ago by “following biblical principles for a natural diet and healthy lifestyle.” He and his wife Rhonda Jean operate ‘Hallelujah Acres’, where they hold seminars, sell products, and advocate a diet that consists of raw fruits and vegetables.

Malkmus and his followers claim that his methods have helped people with obesity, cancer, arthritis, and more than a hundred other health problems. He is a very eloquent speaker who is capable of inspiring people who trust in what he says. It has been speculated that he is in fact running a cult, with an unknown number of followers at the ‘Hallelujah Acres’ site.

Intra-Cellular Hyperthermia
Nicholas Bachynsky, a medical doctor whose license was revoked in the early 1990s, is largely responsible for the persistence of intracellular hyperthermia as a treatment. In April of 2004, he was imprisoned in a Floria jail to await trial on fraud charges related to sale of phony stock in a business founded on the alleged treatment.

The claim is that it is effective against cancer and Lyme disease by way of the intravenous administration of 2-4- dinitrophenol (DNP), which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned more than sixty years ago.

Herbal Medicine
Americans are now spending billions of dollars per year for herbal capsules and tablets, bulk herbs, and herbal teas. Although the teas are consumed for their flavor, most of these products are probably used for supposed medicinal qualities. Sales by multilevel distributors and pharmacies amount to hundreds of millions more for products that are obviously intended for harmful self-medication.

Herbs are also marketed by naturopaths, acupuncturists, iridologists, chiropractors, and unlicensed herbalists, many of whom prescribe them for the entire gamut of health problems of every description. Many such practitioners are not qualified to make appropriate medical diagnoses or to determine how the products they prescribe compare to proven drugs, and are not licensed to do anything at all, for that matter.

Mesotherapy
Touted as a nonsurgical alternative to liposuction, mesotherapy involves the injecting of medications and plant extracts into the layers of fat and connective tissue under the skin.

The injected ingredients may include agents that are used to open blood vessels, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, enzymes, nutrients, antibiotics, herbal cures, and hormones. Mesotherapy is said to be used in conjunction with dietary modification, hormone replacement therapy, exercise and nutritional supplements. No drug is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in mesotherapy, and none will.

Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique
Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique (B.E.S.T.), came out during the mid-1970s by chiropractor MiltonTed Morter, Jr., of Rogers, Arkansas. It is claimed to be “a holistic program that coordinates and balances the workings of all the systems of the body.” Morter defines B.E.S.T. as “a nonforceful chiropractic technique for the 21st century that removed interference from the nervous system by the use of the hands.” Morter claims that such interferences occur when subtle pulses in different parts of the body are not synchronized.

Neuralyn
Between April 1997 and June 2000, Beverly and Thomas Vigil of Meridian, Idaho, touted a product called Neuralyn on the Internet and elsewhere as a highly effective treatment for spinal cord injuries and other ailments. The couple claimed that Neuralyn was an all-natural substance made up of B vitamins, amino acids, and extracts of plants from the Yucatan Peninsula region. According to Thomas Vigil, the idea for Neuralyn came from a dream.

In fact, the Vigils teamed up with pharmacist David Taylor and concocted Neuralyn using a number of homeopathic ingredients as well as a couple of topical anesthetics. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson, more than 100 people, most of them paraplegics or quadriplegics, paid up to $10,000 per person to come to clinics in Idaho, Utah and Colorado for Neuralyn treatment.

These people were told that Neuralyn treatments had been 85% to 95% successful, and that the product would enable spinal cord injury patients to move, stand on their own, or walk again by regrowing new nerve cells. The Vigils are now in custody facing charges.

Optometric Visual Training
This approach is based on an idea that learning can be improved by exercises that stimulate coordination of the eye muscles or improve hand-eye coordination. Its proponents assume that the basic problem that leads to reading disability is some deficit in the muscles of the visual system.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Ophthalmology have spoken out against this approach and cautioned that no eye-muscle defects can produce the learning disabilities associated with dyslexia. Dyslexia is actually a reading disorder characterized by omissions, faulty word substitutions, and impaired comprehension. It isn’t due to mental retardation, lack of schooling, or brain damage.

Thought Field Therapy
Abbreviated as TFT, its founder, psychologist Roger J. Callahan, Ph.D., claims that TFT “provides a code to nature’s healing system and addresses their fundamental causes, balancing the body’s energy system and allowing you to eliminate negative emotions within minutes and promote the body’s own healing ability.”

The Callahan Techniques site also recommends dietary supplementation for the persons who “suffer from multiple environmental sensitivities and even allergies which aggravate psychological problems.” During the TFT sessions, the therapist uses sequences of finger taps on “acupressure points” of the hands, face, and upper body. The patient at the same time does repetitive activities, such as repeats statements, counts, rolls the eyes, or hums a tune while visualizing a distressing situation.

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The researchers from the University of York and the Hull York Medical School have found that a person getting acupuncture experiences a sensation called ‘deqi’ which deactivates the pain processing areas of the brain.

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According to scientists from the University of York and the Hull York Medical School, the consequences of acupuncture on the brain could offer comprehension of.

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