Finding Your Way in the CAM World

The number of modalities and options for treatment available in complementary and alternative medicine can be quite daunting to those who are looking into this field for the first time. With names like craniosacral therapy, acupuncture, SCENAR, rolfing, chiropractic, homeopathy, herbalism, etc. selecting what might work can be challenging. In any medical field, one therapy does not necessarily fit all. In traditional medicine seeing a specialist may actually narrow one’s choices. When you see a orthopedic surgeon, likely surgery will be the main option.

So what are some guidelines for exploring the natural, holistic options? Read more »

An Evolutionary Perspective of Medicine

In trying to explain the action of SCENAR to others, there are three scenarios I’ve found to choose from.The first, having to do with the physical action of the electrical pulses that cause the nerve fibers in the body to release neuropeptides (the chemicals the body uses to heal itself); second, is a deeper explanation having to do with the energetic communication of the instrument and the body/mind to enhance the energetic alignment inherent in the natural state of wholeness; and finally, the deepest explanation having to do with the change in awareness and consciousness related to the experience of wholeness and presence within and beyond the body that comes to an individual after a number of SCENAR sessions.

Initially, only the first explanation is used, but as the number of sessions increase, discussions arise related to the other two explanations because of the individual’s curiosity related to the changes in their experience of their bodies and themselves. There grows within them a confidence in what their body/mind feels like when it is becoming whole. One person put it this way when I asked how they were feeling, “I know my body is healing. What twinges of discomfort I may occasionally feel, I know are just what is being healed at the moment, and are really inconsequential, because I know the feeling of health that is now present with me.”

To my surprise, I recently found in the book, Reinventing Medicine, by Larry Dossey, MD, an explanation of the evolution of medicine that parallels these three explanations I’ve discovered related to my SCENAR work. He describes three eras related to our understanding of wellness and healing that have guided the development of western medicine since the mid 1860’s.

Era I (Mechanical Medicine) began to take shape in the last third of the nineteenth century and can be called materialistic, mechanistic, or physical medicine. It encompasses the therapies that largely dominate western medicine today–drugs, surgery, etc. It is based upon the classical laws of matter and energy as described by Sir Isaac Newton. Mind and consciousness are considered a result of brain mechanisms.

Era II (Mind-Body Medicine) began to emerge after WWII with research into “psychosomatic disease” and the “placebo effect.” It became clear as a result of this research that our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts profoundly affect our bodies, sometimes to the degree of life and death. These discoveries were an enhancement to the Era I methodologies, and expanded the understanding of the unified nature of the body and mind and health. The field of alternative and complementary medicine emerged as a major social force shaping medical care that grants a major role for psychological and spiritual factors in health. However, the mind-body effects remain centered within the individual–one’s own mind affecting one’s own body. This limitation opened up the further evolution into Era III.

Era III (Non-local Medicine) is emerging now. It describes the mind as being a factor in healing not only within the individual but also between individuals. Mind is considered to be not completely localized to points in space (brains and bodies) or time (present moment or single lifetimes). Mind is unbounded by space and time and thus is ultimately unitary or one. This medicine includes any therapy in which the effects of consciousness bridge between different persons such as all forms of distant healing, intercessory prayer, and transpersonal imagery. Current research is documenting these effects and applications of quantum theory to biology are creating greater clarity about the nature of consciousness and the profound connectedness that underlies our existence as individuals.

So, in our quest for healing and health, medicine has continued to evolve as our awareness and understanding have expanded through research. It will be interesting to see how Era III manifests in our abilities to know our own healing capacities and the possibilities of extending healing to each other and the planet.

February is National Wise Health Consumer Month

Seems like every month is claimed as some kind of national something-or-other month by numerous groups, but this one caught my eye. It was part of a newsletter sent out by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which I have found to be a relatively reliable source of good information and worth subscribing to.

The website link in the newsletter contains information on Dietary and Herbal Supplements, Cost Information (which had an excellent discussion of insurance issues) and Research Results from NCCAM funded CAM research. I found the Herbs at a Glance page to be very well done containing a list of 42 herbs including information about what the herb is used for, how it is used, what the science says, and side effects and cautions.

This seemed like good information, so am passing it along.

SCENAR: Acupuncture Without the Needles

Do you resonate with the concepts behind acupuncture of clearing blocked energy channels and enhancing the body’s ability to heal itself, but are uncomfortable with needles? Then the SCENAR might be for you.

Referred to as “acupuncture without the needles” in Europe and Australia, the SCENAR uses the frequencies native to the body to open up blocked energy channels and activate the body’s own capacity to heal itself. My first SCENAR trainer was an acupuncturist in Austin, who used needles for 15 years, but after discovering the SCENAR, quit using needles preferring the gentleness of the device as well as its effectiveness. He found he could accomplish the desired healing more quickly and without “needle anxiety” as he called it.

The SCENAR can identify and treat blocked acupuncture points as well as reduce inflammation and re-educate spasming muscles to relax and return to their natural positions. It is also used to help the body restore its internal balance, just as acupuncture does.

So, if you are hesitant about needles, call us at 337-6854 to schedule an appointment. Mention this post and we’ll give you a 20% discount on your sessions.

Dr. Andrew Weil Pushes Prevention

The Charlotte Observer wrote a story about Dr. Andrew Weil who will be in Charlotte next Tuesday to speak at Queens University of Charlotte about his new book, Why Our Health Matters: A Vision of Medicine That Can Transform Our Future. The article is well written, and it may be worth one’s while to go to Charlotte to see him. Read the article here

September is National Pain Awareness Month

As if we weren’t aware of it enough already!

Pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined! It is estimated that seventy-six million Americans suffer with chronic pain. Pain of any type is the most frequent reason for physician consultation in the US and eighty-five percent of pain patients leave their physician consultation without a specific diagnosis. The annual cost of chronic pain in the US including health care expenses, lost income, and lost productivity is estimated to be $100 billion. In the most recent Complementary and Alternative survey released July 31 of this year, it was found that American adults are most likely to use CAM therapies to treat pain. As the population ages coupled with the stressful American lifestyle, this trend is unlikely to do anything but increase.

Clients frequently come to us after having spent a great deal of money and time in conventional therapies of drugs, phyiscal therapy, and surgery, only to have their pain return. They are often discouraged. Alternative therapies, based in the body-mind concept, work with pain from a much broader perspective and can offer pain relief through a variety of modalities (which can be somewhat overwhelming to someone just beginning to explore the alternative options).

Over this month, we will provide information about pain itself and pain relief related to the major alternative modalities including SCENAR, as well as provide information on ways that individuals can diminish their experience of pain themselves.

For more information on research being done related to pain and alternative therapies, you can go to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine website.

The Living Matrix Movie Final Post

This is the last post from the paper of questions and answers found on the Living Martix movie facebook webpage. Hope you have found the information to be interesting and worth the read. If you can see the movie, do so.

These are stories of chronic illness. Why does bioenergetic medicine seem to be most effective on chronic illness as opposed to other types of diseases and injuries?

Bioenergetic medicine addresses any condition in which disturbed information can be corrected with healing information. It is often perceived as targeting chronic illness because patients come to it only after seeking traditional medicine over long periods of time, when their illness has long surpassed the chronic criteria.

Chronic illness is the result of disturbed information or energy blocks in the body, whether through illness or exposure to different stresses in our lives and our enviornoment. These stressors commonly cause and imbalance in some part of our system, and if it isn’t corrected, signs/symptoms occur. Eventually a serious disease or chronic illness manifests. Bioenergetics works to rebalance the body’s natural flow of energy, alleviate illness, and restore well being.

This is a great discription of what the SCENAR does. However, it is the most effective on acute injuries. In that situation, the body is already alert to the issue and the SCENAR gives it extra support in its healing efforts. We have personally seen immediate SCENAR treatment after a severe injury prevent swelling and bruising,  and the next day, it was as if the trauma never happened. With chronic conditions, where energy has become blocked, it takes longer to support the body in its healing.

Who’s really interested in alternative health care?

* In the UK, spending on CAM grew by 931 percent between 1990s and 2000s.

* Australians spent $4.13 billion in 2005 on CAM treatments

* 80% of the people in Africa use alternative medicine

* 75% of the population in France has used complementary medicine at least once

* 77% of pain clinics in Germany provide acupuncture

* WHO chose traditional Chinese Medicine for worldwide propagation to meet the health care needs of the twenty-first century.

* In the US, 38% of adults (4 in 10) and 12% of children (1 in 9) use some form of complementary and laternative medicine, according to a 2007 study conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Health.

2oo7 National CAM Use Study

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products such as herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic, and acupuncture that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine. The CAM component of this most recent National Health Interview Survey was developed by the NCCAM (the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine-  http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats/costs ). The last survey of this type was done in 2002. This study data was released July 31. The study was conducted in 2007.

In analyzing the costs, it was found that CAM accounts for approximately 1.5% of total health care expenditures in this country and 11.2% of total out-of-pocket expenditures for health care. Americans spent 33.9 billion dollars on CAM over the past 12 months which accounts for slightly more than one-tenth of the out-of-pocket health care dollars spent. This represents an equivalent of one quarter of the total out-of-pocket spending on physician visits. The survey showed about 35 cents of each alternative therapy dollars was for visits to alternative healthcare practitioners. Purchases of  natural non-vitamin, non-mineral products is equivalent to approximately one-third of total out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs.  More than one-third of adults (38.3%) use alternative medicine.

In looking at the data between 2002 and 2007 some interesting stabilities and shifts in the data can be noted. CAM is still predominantly used for pain treatment, especially back and neck pain. However, in 2002, consumers used CAM for head and chest cold treatment (9.5%) at a much higher rate than in 2007 (2%). In 2002 the most popular non-vitamin/non-mineral products used were echinacea (40.3%), gingseng (24.1%), ginko (21.7%), and garlic (19.9%). In 2007, consumers were using fish oils/omega 3 (37.4%), glucosamine (19.9%), echinacea (19.8%) and flaxseed (15.9%). All but one (echinacea) of the top four products used in 2007 were not even on the list in 2002. Soy supplements, which in 2002 were at the bottom of the list (9.4%), did not appear on the 2007 list.

There was a 2.3% increase in adult use of CAM between 2002 and 2007. The greatest use being among those age 30-69, and the highest percentage of those being age 50-59 (44.1%).

The 2007 survey included data about use of CAM by children. The most common therapies used were natural products, chiropractic/osteopathic, deep breathing, and yoga. Disease conditions for which CAM is most frequently used for children are back/neck pain, head/chest colds, and anxiety/stress.

SCENAR is considered a part of the CAM practice of biofeedback. It is good for treating pain, anxiety and stress, as well as promoting overall well being.

MAHEC Complementary and Alternative Medicine Conference

Next weekend, June 27-28,  MAHEC will hold its second annual CAM conference. We were vendors there last year and were impressed with the presented material as well as the breakout sessions. We will be vendors there again this year, and wanted to pass along this great opportunity to see what is going on in this field not only nationally, but locally as well. You can get more information on what will be presented at www.mahec.net/calendar (keyword: CAM)

We will be giving demonstrations of the SCENAR, so if you haven’t tried it out, come by and see us. If you know what a great little device it is, come by our table and get a free short session. Mention that you heard about this conference from our blog, and we will give you a full session at our office for only $45!

Looking forward to seeing you there!