Your Health Blog

Alternative health care can be a great choice for anyone who feels they are out of options with traditional medicine. Many doctors now even recommend some alternative health care practices for their patients. Alternative health care will continue to grow and one day, will possibly, work hand in hand with traditional medicine.

Alternative health care is not new and has been around for quite some time. Alternative health care is practices that are not scientifically proven. A good example is what is called a home remedy. These are practices that people have used for centuries and that they believe to work. Alternative health care is coming back into the forefront of medicine because many people are concerned about the side effects of modern medicine practices.

Alternative health care is usually not covered under insurance policies. Practices like acupuncture and aromatherapy are example of alternative health care that some insurance policies are starting to cover. Other things, like alternative medication, are something that most insurance companies will still not cover.

Some alternative health care practices do not involve medication at all. There are alternative practices that involve using the mind to heal the body. Some examples of the most popular forms of alternative health care practices include herbal medications, hypnosis and massage therapy.

It’s Alternative

There is concern from the medical community that using alternative health care over traditional health care can be harmful to a person. Many people, though, seek alternative health care in situations where traditional medicine has failed them. A good example of this is in the treatment of arthritis. There are many alternative practices and medications that have shown to be quite effective for arthritis sufferers, where traditional medicine can only go so far to provide relief.

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A recent case in the news highlights an alarming trend in “alternative”
health care—how difficult it is becoming to both obtain and provide
alternative care in the United States. Dr. James Michael Shortt (an M.D.)
practicing longevity medicine in Greenville, South Carolina, has been sued
by the relatives of a patient who died under his care, and may be indicted
for murder. (AP/LA Times 1-09-05.)

The information in the media concerning this unfortunate case is very
instructive if read with a discerning eye. Dr. Shortt is being sued because
he administered a therapy that is outside “the standards of care of the
medical profession.” This phrase is key. Another cause of action in the
lawsuit was that Dr. Shortt had told the patient that her multiple sclerosis
was caused by a bacteria or virus and that the organism(s) could be killed
by hydrogen peroxide infusions. Finally, the coroner and pathologist who
examined the patient attributed her death to “complications caused by the
hydrogen peroxide infusion, which the pathologist said ‘had no legitimate
use . . . in the medical literature.’ ”

The missing data in this homicide ruling is that the patient was taking two
prescriptions prescribed by her mainstream physician—Tegretol and
Copaxone. If you read the Physician’s Desk Reference, there are warnings that
both of these substances may cause exactly the kinds of side effects that she
died from. Hydrogen Peroxide does not cause these effects. Even more
disturbing, is that one of these drugs is not approved for use with Multiple
Sclerosis. So who is truly at fault here? (If you want the technical
details, please contact Dr. Richards directly.)

Dr. Shortt consulted with the International Oxidative Medicine Association,
which developed the regimens he used. The group found that Dr. Shortt had
followed its “well-established” protocols. These protocols are clinically
established in thousands of patients. Dr. Shortt himself has treated over
1,800 patients with this protocol.

The issues here that are highlighted within this unfortunate set of
circumstances are:

1) The legal establishment makes the assumption that the medical
profession has proven treatments and, more importantly, the only legal
treatments for conditions of human health.

If you’ve been following the news, you know how fallacious this is. Vioxx
is only the latest example of a substance, approved for use, that has proven
to be life-threatening. Where was “the medical literature” when this drug
was approved for use? How did it achieve acceptance without better
scrutiny? I predict that we will soon have another scandal in the news –
statins and the way in which they cause heart failure.

2) The medical profession uses its peer review process to decide
what information and research enters the public realm and becomes part of
the accepted “medical literature”.

Any information that is outside the medical paradigm (read alternative
therapies) is systematically shut out by peer review and never gets
published in medically accepted journals. I can give you hundreds of
references documenting the link between Lyme disease and over 350 chronic
health conditions. But, the medical profession chooses to selectively
ignore them.

3) Most of the research in the United States is funded by the
pharmaceutical industry. Natural remedies, which cannot be patented,
provide no profit incentive to the pharmaceutical houses and are, therefore,
ignored – even though they are safer in many cases than the approved drugs.
There is a large body of research work in Europe and in Asia on the efficacy
of many “natural” remedies that simply do not show up here in the U.S.

4) There are a wide variety of conditions for which the medical
profession has no etiology. MS is one. There is research showing that many
of these conditions are linked to the Lyme disease parasite; however, the
medical profession is busy pretending that wide spread Lyme disease doesn’t
exist, despite massive amounts of evidence to the contrary. MS has been
specifically linked to the Lyme organism (for example, Fallon BA, Kochevar
JM, Gaito A., Nields JA, “The Underdiagnosis of neuropsychiatric Lyme
disease in children and adults,” Psych Clin North Am., 1998,
Sep;21(3):693-703. From the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University
Medical Center, New York, New York. The abstract specifically references
the connection between Lyme Disease and multiple sclerosis.)

I personally believe that the medical profession is fighting for its
credibility, because there are so many conditions for which they have no
effective treatment. Whenever possible, the full weight of the medical
board and the legal system is brought to bear on any medical practitioner
who dares to buck the system. Dr. Shortt is only the latest in a long line
of distinguished predecessors.

The only solution that I can see to this dilemma is that the public become
informed about what is going on and start a grass roots movement to oppose
this entrenched power grab. Your health and your health care freedom depend
upon it.

—Dr. N. Rowan Richards, D.C., D.A.B.C.I., F.I.A.C.A.

By: Dr. N. Rowan Richards

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While conventional medicine is the common academic course for some students, prospective alternative medicine practitioners like massage therapists, acupuncturists, and chiropractors are quickly growing alternative health care fields.

Chiropractic, for example, is part of the many fascinating disciplines of complementary and alternative health careers available today. The chiropractic field offers a new look into healthcare. Based on interesting concepts, alternative health careers like chiropractic include the belief that the human body has powerful self-healing capabilities that the spine and its function have a close relationship with the body’s health, and that making careful adjustments to the spine can help the body function more efficiently and healthfully.

Alternative health careers in chiropractic require a fair amount of education and training. Students interested in pursuing this natural healthcare field should note that most chiropractic colleges and schools require educational prerequisites, and are often comprised of over 4,000 academic and practical training hours.

Acupuncture

If you are not easily scared by needles, then alternative health careers in acupuncture and Oriental medicine might be ideal for you. This unique alternative health care occupation is based on the concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and believes that the body must be in balance to achieve optimal health. In addition to using specific needling techniques along the body’s meridians (energy channels), acupuncture and Oriental medicine integrates additional natural health treatments like moxibustion, cupping, herbal medicine, Tai Chi, Qigong, and Tuina (Chinese medical massage) to restore health and to promote healing.

Like chiropractic, students interested in alternative health careers in acupuncture must sometimes meet certain educational prerequisites prior to applying to the school of choice. And as with most practitioner fields, acupuncturists must meet licensing requirements as mandated by the State or Province in which they reside. This often means that extensive academic and hands-on training must be met before candidates can begin to practice legally.

Massage Therapy

Don’t have time for a lengthy educational program? Massage therapy is one of the fastest-growing alternative health careers today. With an exceptional occupational forecast, students pursuing the field of massage therapy have an excellent career outlook.

There are over 80 variations of masotherapy from which to choose — including Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, and sports massage, among others. Alternative health careers in massage therapy offer practitioners and clients unique healing treatments that are focused on the body’s self-healing capabilities. Not only do certified massage therapists have the opportunity to work alongside family healthcare providers, chiropractic doctors, and acupuncturists — in some cases, professional massage practitioners work with animals in veterinarian clinics as well.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in achieving alternative health carriers, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore alternative health careers near you.

Alternative Health Occupations offer Innovative Perspective on Health and Healing

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By: CarolAnn Bailey-Lloyd

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