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
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
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
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
Danmbaezue Jideofo Kenechukwu
THAT THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD IS STILL TRUE VISIT THIS WEBSITE FOR THE EVIDENCE
http://wwwrenigborel.blogspot.com/2014/03/why-does-world-keep-quite-while-evil-is.html?showComment=1396921877626#c495072539214367367
Psalms 1
1:1
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
NKJV
NO ONE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WAS A CHRISTIAN, ENOCH WAS NOT, ELIJAH WAS NOT, MOSES WAS NOT, JOSHUA WAS NOT, SAMSON, DAVID, SOLOMON,,AND LASTLY JESUS OF NAZARETH WAS NOT ... PRESENT DAY CHRISTIANITY IS IDOLATROUS, ROMANTISED, MITHRAISM.