A KENEZIAN BASELINE DEFINITION OF HEALTH FOR ALL RESEARCH EFFORTS SINCE 2001

A KENEZIAN DEFINITION OF HEALTH USED AS THE BASE OF HIS RESEARCH EFFORTS SINCE 2001

A Comprehensive Definition for All Researches Done in 2001 by HAFANI CONSORTIUM OF INTERDISCIPLINARY PROFESSIONALS

Resource Materials From Encyclopædia Britannica Article.

Health in human beings, is the extent of an individual's continuing physical, emotional, mental, and social ability to cope with his environment. This definition, just one of many that are possible, has its drawbacks. The rather fragile individual who stays "well" within the ordinary environment of his or her existence may succumb to a heart attack from heavy shovelling after a snowstorm; or a sea-level dweller may move to a new home in the mountains, where the atmosphere has a lower content of oxygen, and suffer from shortness of breath and anemia until his red blood cell count adjusts itself to the altitude. Thus, even by this definition, the conception of good health must involve some allowance for change in the environment.

Bad health can be defined as the presence of disease, good health as its absence-particularly the absence of continuing disease, because the person afflicted with a sudden attack of seasickness, for example, may not be thought of as having lost his good health as a result of such a mishap.

Actually, there is a wide variable area between health and disease. Only a few examples are necessary to illustrate the point: (1) It is physiologically normal for an individual, 15 to 20 minutes after eating a meal, to have a high blood sugar content. If, however, the sugar content remains elevated two hours later, this condition is abnormal and may be indicative of disease. (2) A "healthy" individual may have developed an allergy, perhaps during early childhood, to a single specific substance. If he never again comes in contact with the antigen that causes the allergy, all other factors remaining normal, he will remain in that state of health. Should he, however, come in contact with that allergen, even 20 or 30 years later, he may suffer anything from a mild allergic reaction-a simple rash-to severe anaphylactic shock, coma, or even death, depending upon the circumstances. Thus it can be seen that, unlike disease, which is frequently recognizable, tangible, and rather easily defined, health is a somewhat nebulous condition, and somewhat difficult to define.

Moreover, physical condition and health are not synonymous terms. A seven-foot-tall basketball player may be in excellent physical condition (although outside the range of normality for height) but may or may not be in good health-depending, for example, on whether or not he has fallen victim to an attack of influenza.

There are further problems in settling upon a definition of human health. A person may be physically strong, resistant to infection, able to cope with physical hardship and other features of his physical environment, and still be considered unhealthy if his mental state, as measured by his behaviour, is deemed unsound. What is mental health? Some say that a person is mentally healthy if he is able to function reasonably well. Others hold that a person is healthy mentally if his behaviour is like that of a majority of his fellows.

In the face of this confusion, it is most useful, perhaps, to define health, good or bad, in terms that can be measured, can be interpreted with respect to the ability of the individual at the time of measurement to function in a normal manner and with respect to the likelihood of imminent disease. These measurements can be found in tables of "reference values" printed in textbooks of clinical medicine, diagnosis, and other references of this type. When an individual is given a health examination, the examination is likely to include a series of tests. Some of these tests are more descriptive than quantitative and can indicate the presence of disease in a seemingly healthy person. Such tests include the electrocardiogram to detect some kinds of heart disease; electromyogram for primary muscle disorders; liver and gall bladder function tests; and X-ray techniques for determining disease or malfunction of internal organs.

Other tests give numerical results (or results that can be assigned numerical values-such as photometric colour determinations) that can be interpreted by the examiner. These are physical and chemical tests, including blood, urine, and spinal-fluid analyses. The results of the tests are compared with the reference values; and the physician receives clues as to the health of his patient and, if the values are abnormal, for the methods of improving his health.

A major difficulty in the interpretation of test results is that of biological variability. Almost without exception these reference values for variables are means or adjusted means of large group measurements. For these values to have significance, they must be considered as lying somewhere near the centre point of a 95 percent range-i.e., the so-called ordinary range or, with reservations, the range from normal to the upper and lower borderline limits. Thus, the 2.5 percent below the lower limit and the 2.5 percent above the upper limit of the 95 percent range are considered areas of abnormality or, perhaps, illness. Some areas have wide 95 percent ranges-blood pressure, for example, may vary considerably throughout the day (e.g., during exercise, fright, or anger) and remain within its range of normality. Other values have ranges so narrow that they are termed physiological constants. An individual's body temperature, for example, rarely varies (when taken at the same anatomical site) by more than a degree (from time of rising until bedtime) without being indicative of infection or other illness.

To cite this page:

•               MLA Style:   "health." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite.  Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009.

•               APA Style:   health. (2009). Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite.  Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica.

I have always argued that many people mistakenly take health to refer only to physical well being of the individual. This totally wrong. The social and mental well being is neglected without many realising that the duo actually produce the physical symptoms that develop into perennial ill-health that later is termed TERMINAL DISEASES. A good example is High Blood Pressure. Just like the philosophical question; WHICH CAME FIRST, THE EGG OR THE HEN? It is absurd that General Practitioners of Human Medicine forgot to emphasise to their patients that there are certain human relationships that produce physical diseases. We need to bring social and mental levels of health in any good definition. Dr Kenez (1981)

Physical fitness (health)

•               major reference

•               prevention of disease

•               relationship to health

•               •  exercise •  strength

Physical fitness is a general concept and is defined in many ways by different scientists. Physical fitness is discussed here in two major categories: health-related physical fitness and motor-performance physical fitness. Despite some overlap between these classifications, there are major differences, as described below.

 Health-related physical fitness

Health-related physical fitness is defined as fitness related to some aspect of health. This type of physical fitness is primarily influenced by an individual's exercise habits; thus, it is a dynamic state and may change. Physical characteristics that constitute health-related physical fitness include strength and endurance of skeletal muscles, joint flexibility, body composition, and cardiorespiratory endurance. All these attributes change in response to appropriate physical conditioning programs, and all are related to health. Strength and endurance of skeletal muscles of the trunk help maintain correct posture and prevent such problems as low back pain. Minimal levels of muscular strength and endurance are needed for routine tasks of living, such as carrying bags of groceries or picking up a young child. Individuals with very low levels of muscular strength and endurance are limited in the performance of routine tasks and have to lead a restricted life. Such limitations are perhaps only indirectly related to health, but individuals who cannot pick up and hug a grandchild or must struggle to get up from a soft chair surely have a lower quality of life than that enjoyed by their fitter peers. Flexibility, or range of motion around the joints, also ranks as an important component of health-related fitness. Lack of flexibility in the lower back and posterior thigh is thought to contribute to low back pain. Extreme lack of flexibility also has a deleterious effect on the quality of life by limiting performance. Body composition refers to the ratio between fat and lean tissue in the body. Excess body fat is clearly related to several health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type II (adult-onset) diabetes mellitus, and certain forms of cancer. Body composition is affected by diet, but exercise habits play a crucial role in preventing obesity and maintaining acceptable levels of body fat. Cardiorespiratory endurance, or aerobic fitness, is probably what most people identify as physical fitness. Aerobic fitness refers to the integrated functional capacity of the heart, lungs, vascular system, and skeletal muscles to expend energy. The basic activity that underlies this type of fitness is aerobic metabolism in the muscle cell, a process in which oxygen is combined with a fuel source (fats or carbohydrates) to release energy and produce carbon dioxide and water. The energy is used by the muscle to contract, thereby exerting force that can be used for movement. For the aerobic reaction to take place, the cardiorespiratory system (i.e., the circulatory and pulmonary systems) must constantly supply oxygen and fuel to the muscle cell and remove carbon dioxide from it. The maximal rate at which aerobic metabolism can occur is thus determined by the functional capacity of the cardiorespiratory system and is measured in the laboratory as maximal oxygen intake. As will be discussed in detail below, aerobic fitness is inversely related to the incidence of coronary heart disease and hypertension.

 Motor-performance physical fitness

Motor-performance fitness is defined as the ability of the neuromuscular system to perform specific tasks. Test items used to assess motor-performance fitness include chin-ups, sit-ups, the 50-yard dash, the standing long jump, and the shuttle run (a timed run in which the participant dashes back and forth between two points). The primary physical characteristics measured by these tests are the strength and endurance of the skeletal muscles and the speed or power of the legs. These traits are important for success in many types of athletics. Muscular strength and endurance are also related to some aspects of health, as stated above. There is disagreement among experts about the relative importance of health-related and motor-performance physical fitness. While both types of fitness are obviously desirable, their relative values should be determined by an individual's personal fitness objectives. If success in athletic events is of primary importance, motor-performance fitness should be emphasized. If concern about health is paramount, health-related fitness should be the focus. Different types of fitness may be important not only to different individuals but also to the same individual at different times. The 16-year-old competing on a school athletic team is likely to focus on motor performance. The typical middle-aged individual is not as likely to be concerned about athletic success, emphasizing instead health and appearance. One further point should be made: to a great extent, motor-performance physical fitness is determined by genetic potential. The person who can run fast at 10 years of age will be fast at age 17; although training may enhance racing performance, it will not appreciably change the individual's genetically determined running speed. On the other hand, characteristics of health-related physical fitness, while also partly determined by inheritance, are much more profoundly influenced by exercise habits.

•               Mental fitness (health)

The science of maintaining mental health and preventing the development of psychosis, neurosis, or other mental disorders. Since the founding of the United Nations the concepts of mental health and hygiene have achieved international acceptance. As defined in the 1946 constitution of the World Health Organization, "health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." The term mental health represents a variety of human aspirations: rehabilitation of the mentally disturbed, prevention of mental disorder, reduction of tension in a stressful world, and attainment of a state of well-being in which the individual functions at a level consistent with his or her mental potential. As noted by the World Federation for Mental Health, the concept of optimum mental health refers not to an absolute or ideal state but to the best possible state insofar as circumstances are alterable. Mental health is regarded as a condition of the individual, relative to the capacities and social-environmental context of that person. Mental hygiene includes all measures taken to promote and to preserve mental health. Community mental health refers to the extent to which the organization and functioning of the community determines, or is conducive to, the mental health of its members. Throughout the ages the mentally disturbed have been viewed with a mixture of fear and revulsion. Their fate generally has been one of rejection, neglect, and ill treatment. Though in ancient medical writings there are references to mental disturbance that display views very similar to modern humane attitudes, interspersed in the same literature are instances of socially sanctioned cruelty based upon the belief that mental disorders have supernatural origins such as demonic possession. Even reformers sometimes used harsh methods of treatment; for example, the 18th-century American physician Benjamin Rush endorsed the practice of restraining mental patients with his notorious "tranquilising chair."

•               Social health also called welfare service or social work Social health is any of a variety of governmental programs designed to protect citizens from the economic risks and insecurities of life. The most common types of programs provide benefits to the elderly or retired, the sick or invalid, dependent survivors, mothers, the unemployed, the work-injured, and families. Methods of financing and administration and the scope of coverage and benefits vary widely among countries. Social health embraces any of numerous publicly or privately provided services intended to aid disadvantaged, distressed, or vulnerable persons or groups. The term social service also denotes the profession engaged in rendering such services. The social services have flourished in the 20th century as ideas of social responsibility have developed and spread. The basic concerns of social welfare-poverty, disability and disease, the dependent young and elderly-are as old as society itself. The laws of survival once severely limited the means by which these concerns could be addressed; to share another's burden meant to weaken one's own standing in the fierce struggle of daily existence. As societies developed, however, with their patterns of dependence between members, there arose more systematic responses to the factors that rendered individuals, and thus society at large, vulnerable.

A 01 the Origin and Development of 

KENEZ HEALTH KLINIK

Interdisciplinary Therapeutic Organisation

By:

Dr Jideofo Kenechukwu Danmbaezue

The Team Leader, Hafani Project 007 @ UNTH

A Kenezian Prologue: Throughout the ages, people have turned to herbal medicine for healing; the sixth field of alternative medicine. All cultures have folk medicine traditions that include the use of plants and plant products. Many licensed drugs used all over the world today, originated from roots and plants in the herbal traditions of various cultures, such as the medication commonly used for heart failure, ‘Digitalis', that is derived from foxglove! ‘Quinine', the brand name for ‘Quinacrine', which my generation drank throughout our infant years in the colonial administrtion,1950 until 1960 was manufactured by the British May & Baker Industry from ‘Dogonyaro', a tropical tree our forefathers had been using for treating malaria for ages before the arrival of the first white man on the African continent! Its roots, stem, leaves and flowers had been processed and crystallized in Great Britain, then repackaged in yellow tablet forms and returned to the colonies as the ultimate in the treatment of Malaria; the white man's scourge in West Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people, or 80 percent of the world's population, use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care.

This is exactly what our investigation is all about. If our forefathers survived childhood diseases, developed, evolved and practised their own brand of traditional obstetrics & gynaecology that ensured that our parents lived long enough to give birth to our generation, then a rediscovery of their unique pharmacopoeia will definitely save the lives of many of our unfortunate bothers and sisters who are already struck by the pandemic HIV and its Siamese twin- AIDS! Or, should we fold our arms and wait for the West to provide answers to all medical problems we are also qualified to provide?

We had no other option than to look inwards for cost efficient alternatives; palliative or prophylactic remedies, we could harness from the tropical plants, to halt the fast and unchallenged march of HIV and his troops, stem the tide of social malaise occasioned by promiscuity our youths are learning from western films, video or by surfing the Internet, reduce the use of free condoms or exorbitant drugs currently marketed by the West and so halt the spread of the pandemic in Africa and other developing  nations!

 WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE?

Alternative Medicine, also called unconventional medicine, is the use of therapeutic practices, techniques and beliefs that are outside the realm of mainstream Western health care. Alternative medicine emphasizes therapies that improve quality of life, prevent disease, and address conditions that conventional medicine has limited success in curing, such as chronic back pain and certain cancers.

Proponents of alternative medicine believe that these approaches to healing are safer and more natural and have been shown through experience to work. In certain countries, alternative medical practices are the most widely used methods of health care. However, many practitioners of modern conventional medicine believe these practices are unorthodox and unproven.

By some estimates 83 million United States residents use alternative medicine, spending more than $27 million a year. Reports from Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia also indicate a widespread interest in alternative therapies. A special report prepared for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Alternative Medicine: Expanding Medical Horizons categorizes alternative medicine practices into six fields.

The first field, mind-body intervention, explores the mind's capacity to affect, and perhaps heal, the body. Studies have shown that the mental state has a profound effect on the immune system and subsequently these studies have provoked interest in the mind's role in the cause and course of disease. Specific mind-body interventions include; meditation, hypnosis, art therapy, biofeedback and mental healing.

Bio-electromagnetic applications, the second field of alternative medicine, make use of the body's response to non-thermal, non-ionising radiation. Current uses involve bone repair, nerve stimulation, wound healing, treatment of osteoarthritis and immune system stimulation.

The third field is alternative systems of medical practice. In each variation of this system, the practice is usually characterised by a specific theory of health and disease, an educational programme to teach its concepts to new practitioners and often a legal mandate to regulate its practice. Examples include; Acupuncture, popularised by the Chinese, Ayurvedic medicine, Homeopathy and Naturopathy.

Touch and manipulation are the mainstays of the manual healing methods, which constitute the fourth field of alternative medicine. Practitioners of chiropractic and massage therapies such as Rolfing structural integration believe that dysfunction of one part of the body often affects the function of other, not necessarily connected, parts. Manipulating bones or soft tissues or realigning body parts will therefore restore health.

The pharmacological and biological treatments that make up the fifth field of alternative medicine consist of an assortment of drugs and vaccines not yet accepted in mainstream medicine. Compounds such as anti-neoplastins (from human blood and urine) for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), various products of the honeybee for arthritis, and iscador (a liquid extract from mistletoe) for tumours have not been scientifically evaluated because of the expense of conducting safety and effectiveness studies.

Throughout the ages, people have turned for healing to herbal medicine, the sixth field of alternative medicine. All cultures have folk medicine traditions that include the use of plants and plant products. Many licensed drugs used today originated in the herbal traditions of various cultures, such as the medication commonly used for heart failure, digitalis, which is derived from foxglove. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people, or 80 percent of the world's population, use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care.

This is exactly what our investigation is all about. If our forefathers survived childhood diseases, developed, evolved and practised their own brand of traditional obstetrics & gynaecology that ensured that our parents lived long enough to give birth to our generation, then a rediscovery of their unique pharmacopoeia will definitely save the lives of many of our unfortunate bothers and sister who are already struck by the pandemic HIV and its Siamese twin- AIDS!

THE PHILOSOPHY OF HAFANI RESEARCH CONSORTIUM IN PREFERRING THE USE OF HERBAL MEDICINE TO TREAT HIV

WE HAD NO OTHER OPTION THAN TO LOOK INWARDS FOR COST EFFICIENT ALTERNATIVES; PALLIATIVE OR PROPHYLACTIC REMEDIES, TO STEM THE SPREAD OF THE PANDEMIC IN AFRICA AND REDUCE THE EXORBITANT DRUGS MARKETED BY THE WEST.

Use of "Moringa Oleifera" in Hafani's Alternative Therapy

Our search for cheaper means of caring for PLWA in the rural community who may not have access to synthetic multivitamins took us the doors of Epidemiologists. One of our consultants, who works at the National Arbovirus and Vectors; Research Division of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr N. A. Ozumba, has processed and packaged the leaf powder form of this great plant, which he labelled "MOVITAAMIN", abbreviated DOM.

 

The name is derived thus: MO-VIT-AA-MIN tells us that the plant Moringa Oleifera is very rich in and provides the Vitamins, the essential Amino Acids, and Minerals that our body needs.

In this case, it goes beyond supplementing human nutrition to the more significant function of bolstering the immune system of people living with HIV-AIDS, thereby enhancing prophylaxis and improving the appetite of its beneficiaries! In the field, it has been sampled and tested on pregnant and breast-feeding women, malnourished infants and people living with HIV-AIDS for three years with magnificent results. It is equally reported to have increased the physical and mental well being of those who use it just as food supplement! We have scientifically documented evidence that any interested research scientist can verify, duplicate, replicate, validate and standardise!

"Moringa Oleifera", comes from the botanical family; Moringaceae, of the genus; Moringa. Fourteen species make up the genus, but our choice is the most popular and the best known in scientific circles. It is a fast growing and drought-resistant tree, native to Northern India but now widely distributed all over the tropics and sub-tropical zones of the world. It was known and highly valued by the ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek civilisations. Recently it has been recognised as a multipurpose plant with vast potentials, in human and animal nutrition, traditional folk medicine, agro-forestry, and is equally used for water purification by environmentalists, production of high quality oils for the cosmetic industry, and it used in illumination and as lubricant for fine watches.                          

(For details consult Morton; 1991, Folkard and Sutherland; 1996).

 

In   Nigeria, the plant grows profusely in the wild all the year round since we are yet to appreciate and exploit its nutritional values. Whereas it called the horseradish tree in Britain, ben aile in France, in Nigeria, the Fulani call it; Rini maka, the Hausas call it; Zongalla gandi, the Yoruba call it; Idagbo monoye, while the landlords of Igboland label it;Odudu Oyibo or Ikwe oyibo!

The leaves are outstanding among all leafy vegetables in the tropics as it a very rich source of both Vitamin A and Vitamin C when eaten raw! They are equally a good source of the various versions of the B vitamins and soluble minerals. "The Calcium content is high for a plant. Phosphorus is low as it should be. The content of Iron is very good. (It is reportedly prescribed for anaemia in the Philippines). They are an excellent source of protein and very low source of fat and carbohydrates. Thus the leaves are on of the vest plant foods tat can be found"(Martin cited in Price, 2000).

 Going through the comparative table analysing the content of these vitamins per 100 grams of the plant, the dried Leaf Powder contains twice much more than both the Pods and fresh Leaves do! For more details, consult Fugile et al; 1999 & 2000). In the West African sub-region only in Senegal is the plant fully exploited for its nutritional value. However, every part of the Moringa plant is used in traditional medicine in every rural community in the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Presently, scientific laboratory investigations and our experimentation in the search for alternative management strategies for HIV-AIDS in Africa at UNTH from 2001 2005, have confirmed its therapeutic efficiency as well as its remedial effectiveness in nutrition/dietetics by pre-literate healers all over the globe! It is this certainty that emboldens us to recommend that other health researchers evaluate our claims! With the three regimens code-named HAT/2003/…VCO, AVT and SMV, we have achieved success in arresting the sporadic spread of the pandemic in our community! You, too, can!!

Many licensed drugs used today originated in the herbal traditions of various cultures, and therefore Hafani Research Consortium utilised the natural roots, herbs and other resources in the tropics to alleviate the throes of our kith and kin dying from the incurable HIV-AIDS pandemic rather than complacently wait for foreign patented drugs. We neither owe anyone any excuses, explanations nor apologies for using what we have in the tropics to manage the health issues and medical problems facing us as altruistic, patriotic and humanitarian research scientists. The age when Africans and Asians stood still when Europeans sneezed is over and gone for good. We must paddle our own canoes and stop being stagnated or regressed adolescents waiting for our daily bread to be rationed out to us!

 

Hafani Research Consortium is blazing the trail! Do you care for our rural communities? You can only answer that question by taking a resolution to stop sitting on the fence. Are you still tied to the apron strings of your erstwhile colonial masters? This is opportune time to liberate yourself and others. Apply the knowledge of scientific research you acquired in the university and alleviate the problems of our brothers and sisters by appropriating the high sounding prefixes and accolades attached to your names! This, and only this, is our mission!

We are not holding briefs for anyone, group of persons or institution. We do not represent any religious or political organisation, not even the WHO nor the UN. We are simply medical experts and natural scientists motivated by the need to find lasting solutions to the throes our kith and kin are passing through by suffering this pandemic. We are ordinary humanitarians trying our best to be our "brothers/sisters keepers"!

If the International Scientific Community is stating that they have no cure for now, shall we remain complacent while our women and children are plagued by this contraption of western science; whereas they are busy doling out free condoms and their own brands of anti-retroviral drugs that are merely prophylactic, our relatives are dying in millions here in Africa? No! ‘God forbid bad thing' our native folks say!

The Almighty Creator in his Infinite Wisdom had/has endowed every community with the natural remedies for all the diseases that abound in their environment. It is left for dedicated elders and renowned sages in these communities to discover these healing remedies and employ them the maximum benefits that their kith and kin can derive there from.

 

HEALTH FOODS IN MANAGEMENT OF HIV-AIDS

I          INTRODUCTION

Health Foods are a general term for foods and food products that meet certain criteria during their production and processing. In this article, the term health foods is used to describe organic foods, natural foods, herbal teas, and food supplements, including vitamin and mineral pills and products such as lecithin and kelp. Interest in health foods accompanied the growing interest in adequate nutrition and family health that WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS have instituted since the 1970s. As demand for purely organic and natural foods increased, people became concerned about the frequent adulterations in the food industry. The presence of chemical additives, pesticides and herbicides in consumable foods raised questions about the nutritive value of many highly processed foods. More people became wary and so began to shop only in health food stores, and food cooperatives sprang up in great numbers.

II                              ORGANIC FOODS

Organic foods are more correctly termed organically grown foods. They are grown without using growth hormones, antibiotics, or synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. Organically grown foods are fertilized with manure and composts, and alternative methods are used to control pests and weeds. Some advocates of organic farming believe that organic food is more nutritious than food produced by conventional farming methods; however, no valid studies support this claim. A study by the WHO has indicated, however, that organic farming may have other long-term benefits. These benefits include preservation of the topsoil, improved water quality, and healthy populations of beneficial insects that keep destructive pests under control.

Organic farming makes up a small but rapidly growing segment of agriculture in developed countries. Export of organic products is increasing, especially to Europe, where interest in organic farming is widespread. In theUnited States, concern about the labelling and certification of organic foods led to the establishment of the 1990 Federal Organic Foods Production Act. The act mandates that all food labelled organic must be produced according to specific guidelines.

III                             NATURAL FOODS

Although no official definition exists for natural foods, many scientists and consumers agree that natural foods are those that have been subjected to minimal processing and contain no artificial additives or ingredients. Many nutritionists refer to these as basic and traditional foods. Interest in natural foods arose as more and more consumers became aware that refining foods resulted in a less nutritious product. Refining whole-wheat flour into white flour, for example, removes a great many nutrients and the dietary fibre. Common natural foods include wheat germ, raw sugar, un-sulphured molasses, whole grain bread without preservatives, and granola.

IV                            VITAMINS AND OTHER PRODUCTS

Many claims have been made about the benefits of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrition supplements. Studies have shown that while some may fulfil their promise, others have no effect or may even be harmful if misused. For example, large intakes of vitamins A or D are known to be toxic. Dolomite, sold as a source of calcium and magnesium, has been reported to contain high levels of other minerals, such as lead, arsenic, and mercury, which can be dangerous. Although many people think that herbal teas are beneficial in various ways, their safety has never been studied. Many health food users believe that natural vitamins are superior to synthetic vitamins. However, natural vitamins, although isolated from foods, are chemically identical to those synthesised in the laboratory. The human body is unable to tell the difference between natural and synthetic vitamins and handles them exactly alike.

Current use of synthetic food products is where we have problems in our computer age! This Family Health Organisation has been in the forefront of the campaign against reliance by many housewives on these synthetic food fads. In our country, commercial adverts on television give the wrong signals that these easy-to-prepare food items are nourishing. This is far from the truth. In their countries of manufacture, they are only stopgap snacks for the busy worker, manager or industrialist to postpone hunger pangs until one gets home to eat a balanced diet!

We must enlighten our people that unless lots of vegetables, meat, fish, eggs and onions are added to them, these synthetic food fads are injurious to their family's health! This we can only achieve by counteracting it with regular advocacy aimed at correcting the damage already done to the growing minds of our children who now prefer "indomie, macaroni and spaghetti" that are really chemical compounds to naturally produced, processed and prepared rice!

DANMBAEZUE. J. K., CHUKWUKA C. J., EZIKE C. A., IBE. B. C.,OHANU M. E., OHOTU E., ONWUASOIGWE O., OZIGBOH Q. C. And our USA-based colleagues; N.N. MBAEZUE & L. E. OKOROHA.

© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation & 2001-2005 Hafani Research Consortium. All rights regarding originality, patent and creativity reserved.

                                 

Homeopathy

Homeopathy, alternative system of medicine developed in the early 19th century, based on the concept that disease can be cured when a patient is treated with minute quantities of a substance that produces symptoms of the disease in a healthy person. Homeopathy focuses on healing the underlying cause of disease, not simply eliminating the symptoms caused by the disease.

The study of homeopathy was founded in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann (1753-1843), a German physician and chemist who had become disillusioned with the conventional practice of medicine. Hahnemann based his innovative medical treatment on the healing power of a good diet, exercise, fresh air, and minimum doses of natural medications. This approach to medicine was a radical concept at the time.

Homeopathy was introduced in the United States in 1825, and the American Institute of Homeopathy-the national society of homeopathic physicians-was founded in 1844. Its popularity peaked in the late 19th century when 15 percent of American physicians were homeopaths. With the rise of modern clinical medicine near the turn of the century, homeopathy lost its popularity. However, the growth of alternative medicine since the early 1980s has garnered renewed interest in homeopathy in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Homeopathy is based on three principles: the law of similars, the single medicine, and the law of infinitesimals. According to the law of similars-frequently referred to as the phenomenon of "like cures like"-a disease is cured by a medicine that creates symptoms in a healthy person similar to what the patient is experiencing. Hahnemann established this principle when he investigated cinchona, the bark of a tropical evergreen tree and a natural source of quinine used to treat malaria. He observed that a healthy person who took cinchona developed symptoms of malaria, and decided that the effectiveness of the drug came from its ability to cause symptoms similar to those of the actual disease. Using this approach, a homeopathic physician prescribes medication that matches most closely the symptoms presented by an individual patient. Hahnemann used the Greek words homoios and pathos, which mean "similar sickness," to name the new approach to medical treatment.

The principle of the single medicine is based on a belief that one remedy should cover all physical, mental, and emotional symptoms experienced by a patient to cure the whole person. This practice contrasts with conventional medicine, which usually uses separate medications for the treatment of each symptom.

The law of infinitesimals was established by Hahnemann when he observed that large amounts of substances prescribed for treatments caused a wide range of negative side effects in patients. He determined through experiments that taking minute levels of a medication strengthens its potency and increases the length of its effectiveness. Homeopathic physicians use this principle as a guideline in prescribing ultra-minute levels of nontoxic medications, which are prepared from vegetable and animal tissues as well as from minerals and chemicals, to promote safe and reliable cures. The use of minimal doses is one of conventional medicine's primary objections to homeopathy. Critics note that trace amounts of ingredients used in minimal doses are so small that medications are exempt from United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for scientific proof of a drug's effectiveness against disease.

Practitioners claim that homeopathy offers an effective substitute for antibiotics, is often the best treatment for viral infections, and reduces or eliminates the need for some surgical procedures. However, homeopathy also recommends the use of conventional medical treatment and surgery in cases of severe infections and serious illness.      Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003

Acupuncture

I                               INTRODUCTION

Acupuncture, ancient Chinese medical procedure involving insertion and manipulation of needles at any of more than 360 points in the human body. Applied to relieve pain during surgery or in rheumatic conditions, and to treat many other illnesses, acupuncture is used today in most hospitals in China and by some private practitioners in Japan and elsewhere, including the United States.

Acupressure, a variant in which the practitioner uses manipulation rather than penetration to alleviate pain or other symptoms, is in widespread use in Japan and has begun to find adherents in the U.S. Also known as shiatsu, acupressure is administered by pressing with the fingertips-and sometimes the elbows or knees-along a complex network of trigger points (see below) in the patient's body.

II                              HISTORY

Acupuncture needles dating from 4,000 years ago have been found in China. The first needles were stone; later, bronze, gold, or silver were used, and today needles are usually made of steel. Initially, needles were used only to prick boils and ulcers. Acupuncture was developed in response to the theory that there are special meridian points on the body connected to the internal organs and that vital energy flows along the meridian lines. According to this theory, diseases are caused by interrupted energy flow, and inserting and twirling needles restores normal flow.

III                             TREATMENT

The primary use of acupuncture in China today is for surgical analgesia. Chinese surgeons estimate that 30 percent of surgical patients obtain adequate analgesia with acupuncture, which is now performed by sending electrical current through the needles rather than by twirling them. American physicians who have observed surgery performed while the patient is under acupuncture have verified that it is effective in some patients, but put the figure closer to 10 percent. Brain surgery is especially amenable to this form of analgesia. Chinese surgeons claim that acupuncture is superior to Western, drug-induced analgesia in that it does not disturb normal body physiology and therefore does not make the patient vulnerable to shock.

Chinese doctors also treat some forms of heart disease with acupuncture. As part of an attempt to put the practice on a more scientific basis, one Chinese study tested the effects of acupuncture treatment on more than 600 people with chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart. Results showed that almost all the patients greatly reduced their use of medicine and that most were able to resume work. Other physiological conditions treated with acupuncture are ulcer, hypertension (high blood pressure), appendicitis, and asthma.

In the United States, scientists have begun to investigate the use of acupuncture to treat a variety of medical conditions. In 1998 a National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel reviewed scientific studies of acupuncture and concluded that the technique effectively relieves nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and surgical anesthesia. Good evidence also suggests that acupuncture relieves nausea during pregnancy and pain after dental surgery. Controlled studies of acupuncture for other medical conditions have not yet produced conclusive results.

The Image Works/W. Hill, Jr.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine that stimulates specific points in the body in order to restore a proper balance of various chemicals. This practice is used to treat a range of conditions, including chronic pain, drug addiction, arthritis, and mental illness.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

How acupuncture works remains uncertain. Both Western and Eastern scientists have shown, by producing acupuncture analgesia in rabbits, that the effects are not simply a matter of suggestion. After the discovery in 1975 of enkephalins and endorphins (natural pain inhibitors in the body), some neurophysiologists suggested that the needles may trigger the release of one or more of these substances, which inhibit pain signals by blocking their pathway through the spinal cord. This view is supported by both American and Chinese studies showing that placing acupuncture needles in certain parts of the brain of dogs causes a rise in the level of endorphins in the spinal fluid. Scientists in the U.S. have also shown that acupuncture analgesia is at least partly reversible by naloxone, a drug that blocks the action of morphine and morphinelike chemicals such as endorphins. See also Pain.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopaedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

THE DEBATE OVER ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Alternative medicine is rapidly gaining popularity in the United States. Members of the mainstream medical establishment, however, have long cautioned that many alternative cures have not undergone vigorous testing. In this November 1999 Encarta Yearbook special report, journalist and author Shari Roan explores both sides of the debate over alternative medicine.

The Debate Over Alternative Medicine

By Shari Roan

Michael Alferez was a robust, 28-year-old probation officer in Los Angeles, California, when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease of the central nervous system that attacks and destroys tissues in the brain and spinal cord. An unflappable, good-natured young man, Alferez (not his real name) found a respected neurologist who specialized in the incurable disease and followed the doctor's orders faithfully. Even so, Alferez's health continued to fail. By age 34 he had difficulty using stairs and began collecting disability benefits. That was when he heard about "the bees."

Although really nothing more than a folk remedy, bee venom therapy (also known as apitherapy) has become increasingly popular among people with MS and arthritis. Users believe that the venom bolsters the immune system's ability to fight these diseases. Alferez approached his doctor, neurologist Richard Shubin of Pasadena, California, about using bee stings to improve his health.

"He said, 'It's up to you,'" Alferez recalled, and in 1998 Alferez began receiving a total of about 90 bee stings in three treatment sessions per week. "With MS, you reach a point where there is no hope. You're willing to try anything."

Shubin, meanwhile, was more cautious. "I tell patients that bee stings can be dangerous. But there may be some component in the bee venom that might have some effect on the immune system." Still, he sighs, "In the field of alternative medicine, it's very difficult to know what's on the up-and-up."

Doctors such as Shubin probably would once have been aghast if a patient expressed interest in bee venom therapy, and would have been unlikely to give the patient the go-ahead. But that was before popular interest in alternative medicine exploded in the 1980s. By the late 1990s alternative medicine had established a seemingly permanent presence in American health care.

Nevertheless, some conventional practitioners still vehemently oppose alternative medicine. Critics argue that the benefits touted by alternative medicine have not been scientifically proven and could cause serious harm in some cases. They also note that, in sharp contrast to the years of training required to become a mainstream health-care provider, there are few or no qualifications needed to practice some types of alternative medicine. These concerns and others have spawned a heated debate over whether alternative medicine, also known as complementary medicine, should be subject to stricter laws and regulations.

A Growing Movement

The United States has one of the world's fastest growing alternative health-care markets. But that is perhaps only because it has so much ground to gain when compared to other nations. What Americans call alternative medicine is considered traditional or conventional medicine in an estimated 65 to 80 percent of the world, according to Wayne Jonas, a former director of the Office of Alternative Medicine, now the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). "Even in countries where modern Western biomedicine dominates, the public makes extensive use of complementary and alternative practices," Jonas notes.

The existence of the NCCAM is a reflection of the growing national interest in alternative medicine. The center was founded to facilitate and conduct research into alternative medicine. Originally created in 1992 by the Congress of the United States as the Office of Alternative Medicine, it was replaced in 1998 by the NCCAM, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The organization's annual budget grew from $2 million in 1993 to $50 million in 1999. The NCCAM sponsors research into many areas of alternative medicine, including comparisons between how alternative medicine is viewed in the United States and elsewhere in the world.

Conventional medicine remains the first choice for treating serious illness throughout Canada, South America, Australia, and much of Europe, Jonas says. But 40 percent of physicians in the Netherlands use homeopathy, and 70 percent of German pain clinics-which specialize in treating people with chronic pain-rely on acupuncture. Homeopathy is based on the principle that "like cures like" and emphasizes diet, exercise, and natural medications. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice that treats disorders by inserting needles under the skin.

Americans are catching up. According to the nation's leading surveyor of the alternative movement, David M. Eisenberg of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, 4 in 10 Americans used alternative therapies in 1997, a 50 percent jump from 1990. Included in the list of alternative therapies were relaxation techniques, chiropractic treatments, massage, commercial weight-loss programs, lifestyle diets, herbal medicine, self-help groups, hypnosis, homeopathy, and folk remedies. Writing in the November 1998 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Eisenberg also reported that more Americans visited alternative providers than primary care doctors in 1997, boosting alternative medicine to an estimated $21.2 billion industry.

Eisenberg is not the only researcher to find evidence of increasing public interest in alternative medical treatments. According to Jonas, fully half of U.S. cancer patients use unconventional therapies during the course of their illnesses, and about half of all doctors either employ alternative medical treatments themselves or recommend complementary therapies to their patients. "In the past, users of alternative medicine were one of two types: true believers or people about to die. Now, they are the man next door," says John Weeks, executive editor of Alternative Medicine Integration and Coverage, a trade publication on alternative medicine based inSeattle, Washington.

The alternative medicine movement has found some of its strongest support among members of the baby boom generation (people born in the years 1946 to 1960). One of the baby boomers' major contributions to the emergence of alternative medicine has been the concept that health is influenced by spirituality, emotions, personal empowerment, and behavior. Many people have found that the philosophies behind alternative medicine fit well with these beliefs.

As popular interest has grown, even mainstream medical organizations have expressed interest in alternative medicine. In November 1998 the American Medical Association (AMA) devoted an entire issue of Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA to studies on alternative therapies. More than half of the alternative treatments under study were found effective.

Meanwhile, more and more conventional physicians are seeking training in alternative medicine. As of 1999, 67 of the 127 medical schools in the United States taught alternative medicine as part of a required course. Among these are prominent schools such as Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts; Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; and the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City.

Why Are People Turning to Alternative Medicine?

The onset of the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic (HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS) in the mid-1980s was one of the reasons people began turning to alternative medicine. Conventional medicine was unable to provide an effective treatment, leading people to seek other therapies. Public interest in alternative medicine also grew as people realized that victory in the fight against cancer was a long way off.

Other perceived shortcomings of conventional medicine centered around chronic ailments. For example, a 1998 study published in the JAMA by John Astin, a researcher at Stanford University in California, found that the health problems for which Americans most frequently use alternative therapies include chronic pain, muscle strains or sprains, headaches, arthritis, and addictions.

But not everyone who uses alternative medical procedures does so because they are dissatisfied with the results from mainstream treatments. "Alternative health care is becoming more widespread and popular for reasons that have nothing to do with alternative medicine," says Michael Goldstein, a professor of public health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the author of Alternative Health Care: Medicine, Miracle, or Mirage? (1999). "There is a negative feeling toward conventional medicine and the way it deals with particular problems such as chronic illness. And there is an increasing dissatisfaction with the way care is provided."

For example, many people have expressed discontent with the health care provided by managed health-care plans. Managed health-care companies, such as health maintenance organizations (HMOs), often limit patients' choice of treatment options and providers to hold down costs. Critics of this cost-cutting approach believe it depersonalizes medical care and reduces doctors' interest in developing a relationship with their patients.

One measure of the increasing popularity of alternative medicine is that some managed care companies have begun to cover alternative treatments. Most major health insurance companies now cover at least one form of alternative therapy, often because the alternative therapy is less expensive than the conventional treatment. A 1997 study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion by Kenneth R. Pelletier, a researcher atStanford University, found that 30 major U.S. insurers cover at least one form of alternative therapy. The benefits are typically tightly controlled, however.

Another factor behind the rising popularity of alternative health care is that many Americans (16.3 percent of the population, or about 44.3 million people in 1998) do not have health insurance or suffer from ailments that their insurance plan does not or will not cover. This situation has opened the door to practitioners who tout inexpensive, seemingly natural, ways to heal in lieu of mainstream, and more expensive, solutions.

The Debate over Alternative Medicine

The Hippocratic oath, which is traditionally sworn by all physicians who enter medical practice, calls for them to exercise their art "solely for the cure of your patients." In adherence to this axiom, and in the interest of public health, mainstream medical treatments are tested rigorously before being used to treat patients. As more and more people turn to alternative medicine, they want similar assurances that these remedies are safe and effective. The need for such assurances has prompted a lively debate over the pros and cons of alternative medicine as well as calls for additional research and regulation.

Most alternative therapies that have attracted a large following in the West are either well regulated, as in the case of acupuncture, or carry no obvious health risks, as in the case of massage therapy. In 1997 the NIH released a report attesting to the benefits of acupuncture for post-operative pain and for nausea from cancer chemotherapy and pregnancy. And acupuncture is considered very safe when sterile, disposable needles are used by a trained practitioner. Massage therapy is also widely practiced and accepted in the United States. So long as care is taken to ensure that massage will not make a particular condition worse, it is widely considered safe.

But the vast majority of alternative practices remain largely unproven, and their popularity is based to a great extent on the anecdotal experiences of patients. Several treatments fall into this category: homeopathy; naturopathy, which combines alternative therapies with modern diagnostic methods; aromatherapy, which uses the medicinal properties believed to be contained in the extracts of certain plants; and therapeutic touch, which involves manipulating the patient's "energy flow" to promote healing.

Relative to aromatherapy and therapeutic touch, homeopathy and naturopathy are more widely accepted. For example, the September 1997 issue of the British medical journal Lancet published an analysis of 89 studies on homeopathy. The analysis concluded that some homeopathic treatments were probably effective.

Therapeutic touch and aromatherapy are scientifically unsupported treatments. Delores Krieger, a New York nurse, and Dora Kunz, an alternative medicine practitioner, developed therapeutic touch in the early 1970s. Despite little scientific support for this practice, many doctors agree that the practice is pleasant for the patient, who may feel better afterward, perhaps due to the encounter with the caregiver. Aromatherapy, meanwhile, is considered harmless, but experts encourage users to be careful with some of the substances, such as clove and cinnamon, because of the potential for allergic reactions.

The unifying similarity between these and most other alternative medical practices is the general lack of scientific data about their effectiveness. Thus, conventional doctors find it particularly unfortunate when a patient opts for an unproved therapy in place of mainstream treatments. The need for additional research was summed up in a September 1998 editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine: "There cannot be two kinds of medicine-conventional and alternative. There is only medicine that has been adequately tested and medicine that has not, medicine that works and medicine that may or may not work." But the editorial also noted that some proponents of alternative medicine have resisted calls for further research, believing that "the scientific method is simply not applicable to their remedies."

One challenge facing those who seek to test the effectiveness of alternative therapies is the placebo effect. The placebo effect is a temporary improvement in a patient's condition that is often attributed to the patient's belief that the treatment is working. Many mainstream medical practitioners argue that the benefits of some alternative therapies can often be attributed to the placebo effect.

The placebo effect can also skew research into conventional treatments. To account for this, conventional researchers use blind or double-blind tests when testing new therapies. In a blind test the test subject does not know whether they are receiving the treatment being studied or a placebo (a substitute, such as a sugar pill). In a double-blind test neither the test subjects nor those conducting the test know which subjects are receiving the treatment under study and which are not. These methods eliminate the possibility of bias and help researchers determine the true effectiveness of the treatment.

The issue of testing is not the only problem facing the alternative medicine movement. As managed care companies have added coverage for treatments such as acupuncture and botanical medicine, they have been challenged to find enough credible practitioners. For example, naturopaths are licensed only in Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. Although 36 states license acupuncturists and about half license massage therapists, many alternative practitioners can practice their craft without a license, degree, or any type of credential. Anyone, for example, can call himself or herself a nutritionist-from a registered dietitian (RD) with a college degree to a high-school dropout peddling hair analyses to check for vitamin deficiencies.

Another long-standing problem is the vast array of inflated claims attached to advertising for alternative medical products. In 1997 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) examined alternative medicines and treatments advertised on the Internet. The survey found hundreds of misleading claims for alternative health products, most carrying "outrageous claims about the curative powers of the products," according to one FTC attorney.

Although some states have licensing requirements and the FTC occasionally polices alternative remedies, consumers can do little to distinguish between legitimate and worthless therapies and therapists. Many proponents of alternative medicine believe this is perhaps the single biggest barrier to their movement. Medical doctors might lose their licenses for offering unproved therapies in place of standard care. However, no penalties are assessed against unlicensed practitioners who offer chelation (a treatment that removes heavy metals from the bloodstream), oxygen therapy, or any number of untested and controversial therapies.

"They're Trying to Take Our Vitamins Away!"

Some types of alternative medicine have become so popular that efforts to regulate them have met with fierce resistance. In the early 1990s, for example, an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended new rules to ensure the safety of vitamin supplements taken in doses beyond the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). The panel also suggested that amino acids (an organic compound that serves as the building blocks for proteins) be regulated in the same way as drugs.

The resulting debate brought Americans' desire to seek alternative means of healing and preventing disease into sharp focus. It was also a case study in the challenges facing efforts to regulate alternative therapies.

The panel's recommendation aimed to close one of the most glaring loopholes in the regulation of medicinal substances in the United States: the sale of vitamin, mineral, herbal, and amino acid supplements. Consumption of vitamins and minerals is a well-accepted part of traditional medicine, and studies have shown the potential benefits of using these and other substances. For example, several plant substances have shown promise, such as saw palmetto (a type of palm), for treating prostate enlargement, feverfew (a type of herb) for easing migraine headache pain, and horse chestnut extract for shrinking varicose veins. But the use of vitamins and minerals above the RDA, along with herbs and amino acids, remains on the fringe of conventional health care.

Health risks from the use of supplements are well documented. In 1989, for example, authorities began removing the amino acid L-tryptophan from the market after more than 1,500 people became seriously ill with eosinophilia mylagia syndrome (EMS), a rare blood disorder caused by impurities in the supplement. And several heart attacks and deaths have been reported from the use of the herb ma huang (also known as ephedra). This herb can be especially dangerous when combined with caffeine because ma huang and caffeine are both stimulants. When taken together, they could possibly trigger a heart attack.

Despite these well-established risks, the panel's proposal unleashed a fury of opposition. Consumer response was so massive-nurtured by the public relations arm of the supplement industry-that lawmakers received more letters of protest than at any time since the Vietnam War (1959-1975). "They're trying to take our vitamins away!" said one outraged consumer, a 55-year-old man who had survived cancer but had lost his 5-year-old daughter to another form of the disease.

This outpouring of opposition sparked a bipartisan congressional effort to counter the proposal. The effort was spearheaded by Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican whose constituents included the Utah herb industry, and Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat who had close friendships with leaders in the field of alternative health care.

In October 1994 Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). Instead of imposing stricter oversight, DSHEA gave supplement manufacturers wide latitude to sell their products without the same government oversight that applies to drugs. DSHEA defines dietary supplements as foods, although manufacturers are limited in the health claims they can make in marketing their products. But manufacturers are not required to prove that their products work or even contain the amount of active ingredients listed on the labels. DSHEA also established the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) to "explore the role of dietary supplements in the improvement of health care."

"DSHEA was a way of giving consumers control over their health. It was saying 'The doctor doesn't know everything,'" says Michael H. Cohen, an associate professor of law at Chapman University School of Law in Orange,California, and the author of Complementary & Alternative Medicine: Legal Boundaries and Regulatory Perspectives (1998).

Other experts decried DSHEA. A September 1998 editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine said that DSHEA allowed untested products to flood the market, "subject only to the scruples of their manufacturers.… It is time for the scientific community to stop giving alternative medicine a free ride."

Despite calls for stricter regulation, consumers have embraced dietary supplements, creating a multimillion-dollar industry. According to a 1997 report by market research firm Information Resources, Inc., herb sales in food, drug, and discount stores rose 56 percent from 1996 to 1997, to $339 million. But the dearth of regulations to guarantee quality products and the lack of scientific scrutiny of their effectiveness continue to dog the industry. Because of this, the NCCAM recommends that consumers discuss the use of supplements with their physician, purchase products from established pharmaceutical companies, and not exceed the recommended dosages.

Is Alternative Medicine Here to Stay?

Despite the unevenness within the field of alternative medicine-from therapies that scientific studies show hold great promise to unproved and possibly harmful remedies-the future looks bright for the continued growth of alternative medicine. The factors shaping its evolution, including the costs of high-tech, modern medicine and changing consumer philosophies, suggest that it is not a passing trend.

For example, a 1998 study showed that alternative medicine is most popular among people aged 25 to 49, a group that makes up about 38 percent of the total U.S. population. And a 1999 survey, conducted by The Hartman Group, an industry marketing and research firm in Bellevue, Washington, found that 70 percent of all Americans take at least one dietary supplement. "It's the consumer who is changing," says Karen Raterman, editor of Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine. "Individuals are reclaiming the right to take care of their own health."

To be sure, however, there will be continued calls for more study of alternative remedies and scrutiny of practitioners to separate the legitimate from the worthless. Already some evidence indicates that alternative health businesses are doing more self-policing to protect consumer confidence. For example, Maryland-based Nutramax Laboratories has pledged to use only pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing practices and to sponsor controlled clinical research to show the safety and effectiveness of its products. And mainstream pharmaceutical companies that have entered the herb business will not be willing to risk their reputations by providing inferior or harmful products. The recent addition of alternative health course work in medical schools will elevate physicians' knowledge, enabling them to be better counselors to their patients.

Meanwhile, the battle over the regulation of alternative remedies promises to continue. Already, a debate is underway in Congress about the need to close loopholes and tighten some freedoms now conferred by the DSHEA. In December 1998, for example, the AMA voted to try to work with Congress to modify the DSHEA so that products would undergo evaluation by the FDA for safety and effectiveness. But no one now dares to "take away our vitamins" or deny consumers the power to choose from a broadening array of healing practices.

About the author: Shari Roan is a health writer for the Los Angeles Times. She is also the author of several health and science books, including Postpartum Depression: Every Woman's Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention (1997).

For further reading:

Bratman, Steven. The Alternative Medicine Sourcebook: A Realistic Evaluation of Alternative Healing Methods. Lowell House, 1999.

Cassileth, Barrie R. The Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to Alternative and Complementary Therapies. Norton, 1998.

Cohen, Michael H. Complementary & Alternative Medicine: Legal Boundaries and Regulatory Perspectives. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

Fugh-Berman, Adriane. Alternative Medicine-What Works: A Comprehensive, Easy-to-Read Review of the Scientific Evidence, Pro and Con. Odonian Press, 1996.

Goldberg, Burton. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Future Medicine Publishing, 1998.

Goldstein, Michael S. Alternative Health Care: Medicine, Miracle or Mirage? Temple University Press, 1999.

Spencer, John W. and Jacobs, Joseph J., eds. Complementary/Alternative Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach. Mosby-Year Book, 1999..

Source: Encarta Yearbook, November 1999.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopaedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Chiropractic

I                               INTRODUCTION

Chiropractic, form of health care that prevents disease and maintains a patient's health and well-being through spinal manipulation, which involves adjusting the vertebrae in the spinal column, without the use of drugs or surgery. Chiropractic focuses on the relationship between the spinal column, the nervous system, the circulatory system, and a patient's nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle choices. The practice examines the combined effect of these factors on a patient's overall health and the prevention of disease.

Chiropractic is based on the theory that our nervous system is the key to maintaining homeostasis, or a healthy balance, in our bodies. Doctors of chiropractic (DC), known as chiropractors, believe that the body is susceptible to disease when this balance is disrupted by misaligned vertebrae, or subluxations, and any other joints and muscles that disturb the proper functioning of the nervous system due to tissue injury. Chiropractors use carefully applied hand pressure in a thrusting motion to improve vertebra or joint mobility, which in turn improves nerve function and reduces pain. One theory suggests that chiropractic therapy triggers the release of the body's endorphins, natural painkillers produced in the brain. Chiropractors believe that chiropractic is most effective soon after the patient has experienced pain and before the body deteriorates into a chronic state of disease.

Chiropractors primarily treat patients with conditions such as back pain, neck pain, and headaches. In addition to spinal manipulation, chiropractors are also qualified to provide soft tissue manipulation, such as muscle massage and ultrasound stimulation of deep tissue; physical examinations; X rays; counseling on lifestyle and nutritional changes; and counseling on exercises aimed at building flexibility, strength, and overall well-being. Chiropractors refer patients to another health care provider if the patient's condition or disease would be better treated through other medical approaches.

Photo Researchers, Inc./Art Stein/Science Source

Chiropractic Exam

Practitioners of chiropractic believe that many ailments and diseases can be healed by the manual adjustment of bone and tissue. Chiropractors offer non-surgical remedies for back and neck pain, headaches, and other conditions. Chiropractic is also considered a preventative health-care method.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopaedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

II                              THE PROFESSION

Nearly 80,000 licensed chiropractors practice in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, and many other nations. In the United States, there is one chiropractor for every 3,300 residents and chiropractors treat approximately 10 percent of the adult population each year. Chiropractic is the third largest doctoral-level health profession in the United States, after medicine and dentistry. Chiropractors must pass national board exams and become state licensed in order to practice. Most states also require continuing education and yearly license renewal.

In the United States, the Council on Chiropractic Education and its Commission on Accreditation recognize 16 fully accredited chiropractic colleges. To be accepted to a chiropractic college, a student must complete a minimum of two years of college, with coursework in biology, zoology, general or inorganic chemistry, and related laboratory work. Chiropractic colleges require four to five years of professional resident study, including clinical experience under strict supervision. Curriculum includes no less than 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory, and clinical experience to prepare the chiropractor to be a primary health care provider.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), located in Arlington, Virginia, fosters high standards of education, ethics, and professional expertise necessary to meet the requirements of the profession and the public. The research arm of the profession, the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER), supports meaningful research and efforts to educate its own members and the public to institute positive change in the chiropractic profession and the broader health care system.

III                             HISTORY OF CHIROPRACTIC

Spinal manipulation has been practiced since the beginning of recorded time. Chinese records from about 2700 BC provide one of the earliest written references to spinal manipulation. Papyrus records kept by the Greeks and dating back to at least 1500 BC note instructions for manipulating the legs in treating conditions of the lower back. Records also indicate that the ancient Japanese, Indians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Syrians, Tibetans, and Native Americans practiced soft-tissue manipulation.

Chiropractic in the United States was first practiced more than 100 years ago by Daniel David Palmer, originally of Canada. He first performed spinal manipulation in 1895 on a patient who had become deaf 17 years earlier after he felt something "give" in his back. Palmer examined the back and gave a crude adjustment to what he believed was a misplaced vertebra in the upper spine. The patient then observed that his hearing improved. Palmer continued to explore the relationship between joint dysfunction, its effect on the nervous system, and the impact of both on human health. In 1897 he founded the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.

During its 100-year history in the United States, the chiropractic profession has faced and overcome many obstacles, including a boycott of the profession by the American Medical Association (AMA). After nearly two decades of legal action by the chiropractic community fighting this boycott, in 1992 the Supreme Court of the United States sided in favor of the chiropractic profession, stating that the AMA had acted in violation of antitrust laws. As part of the legal settlement, the AMA released to its members an ethics opinion on chiropractic, stating that it was thereafter ethical for medical doctors to refer and associate with doctors of chiropractic. Today, the two professions enjoy strengthened ties, as witnessed through the interchange of college faculty and the increase in inter-profession referrals.

Contributed By:

Edward L. Maurer

Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopaedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

BRIEF RESUME ON THE AUTHOR

Dr. J. K. Danmbaezue, was a fifty-five year old research scientist privately employed as an existential family therapist with an outfit in Ihiala, at the beginning of this unique search for HIV-AIDS ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN AFRICA where he treated and still treats people with personality disorders, counsels prospective bachelors and spinsters and other middle-aged adults about to wed, administering standardised psychological tests and utilizing their results objectively to re-direct incompatible couples.

He also has three NGOs all Community Based Charitable organisations;

1. KENEZ HEALTH KLINIK WORLDWIDE;  an interdisciplinary therapeutic organisation for treating individuals having medical problems whereby a patient is seen by three consultants or professionals in the relevant branches of medicine contemporaneously,

2. HAPPY FAMILY NETWORK INTERNATIONAL, a multidisciplinary  family counselling and research consortium poised to find solutions to those terminal or endemic diseases that reduce family health, success and happiness in most homes all over the globe, and finally

3. INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT, an all-comers spiritual fellowship for natural scientists, existential philosophers and rational beings of all races, climes and statuses, which aims at the globalization of those principles he has neatly encapsulated in THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER OF THE ANIMATOR, THE KENEZIAN CREED and his LETTER TO ALL EDUCATIONISTS with the sole objective of institutionalising ONE ALMIGHTY CREATOR, ONE CREATED UNIVERSE and therefore ONE HUMAN FAMILY FOR UNIVERSAL PEACE.

He is happily married to a Business Educationist; Mrs A.N.C Mbaezue and has three nice kids.  He holds a Doctor of Science degree in Psychometrics besides being a Fellow of the African College of Research Scientists. For the past twenty five years he has been a student of the Holy Spirit of God, the Creator of the universe we share with other beings. His lay apostolate spans equality of all humans, liberalisation of social contract and integration of all belief systems, which will ensure optimum health, social success and shared happiness for all the members of each family unit on earth and humanity in general at all times. From 2001 to date he has been fighting the greatest enemy of the marriage institution & family life!

 Dr. Jideofo  Kenechukwu Danmbaezue,

B.Phil., B.Sc., pjsc, M.Sc., D.Sc.

The Founding Research Scientist of Kenez Health Klinik

& Team Leader of HAFANI RESEARCH CONSORTIUM