Alternative therapies…what exactly does that mean? To many, it means voodoo type of medicine involving witches’ brew and an eye of newt, as a friend of mine commonly notes. The truth of the matter is that alternative therapy encompasses a large group of options including nutrients, herbs, acupuncture, massage therapy, meditation and the list goes on. Many of these therapies have been utilized for centuries with well documented results. So, why is it that so many people frown upon alternative therapies or quickly brush them off, even when traditional Western medicine has failed them? Why do so many physicians quickly dismiss the simplest of vitamin/mineral supplements as an added support measure for their clients?
If you watch the news enough, it seems that pharmaceutical medications have cornered the market on commercials. It seems there is a medication for almost every malady afflicting man kind. Every negative symptom that you can imagine probably has a prescription that can counteract it. Is this necessarily good? Probably not. Lately, it seems that many of these prescription medications have had some negative publicity. There are constant reports of potential negative side effects being reported as well as negative interactions with other prescription medications. Some well know statin medications were recently highlighted as being inferior in one study when compared to a commonly utilized b-vitamin, Niacin, in reduction of LDL and elevation of HDL cholesterol. Did you also know that the statin medications are also commonly linked to a reduction in the necessary Co-enzyme Q10 that is needed for vital cellular energy production? This association could explain why some statin users may be more predisposed to cardiac events.
The overall point is that we, as a general population, are bombarded with commercials and advertisements pushing prescription medications. We feel a few pills in a bottle are the answer to our everyday problems, when in fact, we probably should be paying more attention to our overall health and lifestyle. A few prescription pills will not negate years of bodily neglect, however we are led to believe the opposite.
If one stays current on human medical research, it soon becomes obvious that many diseases can be prevented or slowed in progression through good nutrition. A poor diet as well as negative lifestyle lead to health problems that may or may not be able to be reversed. Vitamins and minerals are being linked heavily with various forms of cardiovascular disease as well as cancer. Deficiencies of these specific vitamins/minerals are noted in afflicted patients. So, this tells us that maybe, just maybe, we could prevent the onset or at least slow the onset of disease through supplementation. For instance, in cardiovascular disease, there is a marker utilized called C-reactive protein. This is an acute phase protein that can be used to determine our overall risk of cardiovascular disease. It is easily screened for, but unfortunately many physicians do not investigate. The point is that levels of C-reactive protein as well as homocysteine can be lowered through the use of vitamin B6 and B12 . This has also been well documented, but unfortunately not well publicized. Another area of hot debate is levels of vitamin D3 and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). There is much research out there to support increasing patient levels of both vitamins might actually support immune function and control or negate several diseases.
So, here I sit, as both a veterinarian and avid researcher, wondering why the general population is not taking better care of themselves through nutrition. In my eyes, the answer is twofold: convenience and ignorance. People eat they way they do for pure covenience, thus the reason fast food chains florish. Another reason they eat they way they do is relative ignorance of nutrition and the overall impact on health. No offense meant to our readers. I encourage my clients, friends and relatives to explore and research their disease conditions and become knowledgable of recent advances or insights. This is how we can become more educated and thus pose more meaningful questions to our caregivers, questioning our treatments and medications.
Chinese medicine is a fascinating area to me and one that I am just really beginning to know and understand. Chinese medicine is based on the idea of holism, in which the body is viewed as a whole or entirety. In order to be healthy, our bodies must be in balance. This balance is thrown off kilter by anything ranging from emotions to diet as well as toxin exposure. The overall point being that when the body is afflicted with disease, we are out of balance as a unit and must regain balance in order to obtain health. Chinese medicine utilizes many forms of therapy including herbs, acupuncture and massage to achieve and regain balance. If you are not familiar with Traditional Chinese medicine, I’ d encourage you to explore it further. Personally, I am an avid user and recipient of acupuncture and herbal therapies and have noted a marked improvement in my overall health.
So, the original question was why aren’t these therapies utilized more often? Well, they are utilized, but by specialized practitioners and only the avid health conscious individual seems to seek them out. Alternative therapies are also unfortunately utilized as a last resort or at the end stages of disease, in which many cases fail purely due to disease progression and then alternative medicine gets a bad report card. I believe that alternative therapies should be utilized in the beginning stages of any disease, whether it is the common cold or early diagnosed cancer. The majority of these therapies can be utilized with traditional western medicine with no negative interactions. Many cases actually benefit from the utilization of both eastern and western medicine.
Our bodies are complex machines, requiring many nutrients to function on a daily basis. When our bodies are sick or diseased, the nutrient levels become depleted and thus the demand is higher. So, why is it not common knowledge to supplement an ailing body? Individual researchers such as Linus Pauling stated the body’s need for vitamins such as ascorbic acid increased with the severity of disease. Linus Pauling was able to document in several hundreds of cases that the administration of intravenous vitamin C could abolish symptoms related to maladies ranging from common colds to cancer and even went on to recommending every individual should supplement with very high doses of Vitamin C on a daily basis. He is not alone in this thought process and there are numerous alternative clinics in the US that utilize these types of therapies for their patients.
I guess my point is to become educated about your disease, question every treatment and every prescription. Too many individuals are consuming so many prescriptions that they have no idea why. This is not only an expensive habit, but a concerning one.
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
www.cur-ost.com
ttending the Rolex Kentucky on April 26-29, 2012. We are very excited and cannot wait to meet so many new people there. It is our goal to come to the needs of our customers. We are dedicating our time to travel to where your need is. We are hoping through being present at the Rolex that we will get some more Cur-Ost EQ lovers that will have the ability to experience what this wonderful product can do, for themselves. The Rolex is a wonderful way to network and get to know many of the individuals, that we as a company, look up to. We are very excited for all the new and upcoming events going on within our company…we will definitely keep you posted!!!! http://www.rk3de.org
