There has been a surge in recent years of people looking to alternative medicine for treatment of illness. It is a practice that generates a great deal of controversy both inside and outside of the traditional world of medicine, and an issue that some experts say does not receive enough attention.

What Is Alternative Medicine?
The most commonly accepted definition of alternative medicine is a treatment or substance that is untested or unproven using accepted scientific standards. Common types of alternative medicine include herbs, supplements, therapies and activity programs that fall outside of traditional medical practice and are questionable in terms of safety and effectiveness. For example, acupuncture, massage, meditation, herbal teas, and plant extracts are quite popular forms of alternative medicine that many medical doctors say are ineffective at best and dangerous at worst for some conditions.

Why Is Alternative Medicine So Popular?
Alternative medicine has grown in popularity as more and more people face the inevitable aches, pains and illnesses that come with aging. In some cases, traditional medicine has failed to produce a cure and patients go in search of other options for treatment of their illness. In other cases, patients believe strongly that natural methods of treating illness are superior to traditional medicine so they seek treatment from alternative practitioners rather than medical doctors.

The Risks Of Alternative Medicine
Some of the greatest risks associated with alternative medicine come from the use of substances that are untested, ineffective, and sometimes unsafe. The makers of such substances often make exaggerated claims of effectiveness and/or misrepresent the science associated with the substance in order to convince consumers to buy their product, even if use of the product may endanger the consumer’s health or well-being.

For example, some herbal remedies are promoted as having the ability to improve memory, increase metabolism, or even cure diseases like cancer and heart disease. In practice, though, some remedies may actually cause physiological harm when taken in excessive amounts, ephedra being one well-publicized recent example. Another risk is that a person with a serious condition such as cancer, heart disease or some other chronic illness will forego more traditional treatments that have been proven effective in favor of alternative treatments that are of questionable value. They may be literally risking their lives by treating illness with unproven alternative medicines rather than scientifically validated traditional medicines. Another common risk associated with alternative medicine is when a patient uses both traditional and alternative methods of treatment but does not disclose this to their medical doctor. It is very common for prescription medications to produce negative interactions when taken at the same time as alternative medicines like herbs and plant extracts. These interactions may range from diminished effectiveness all the way up to and including toxicity that causes serious harm. If the medical doctor is not made aware of any other substances the patient may be taking, he or she may unknowingly prescribe a medication that produces and unwanted or harmful interaction.

How To Recognize Potentially Risky Alternative Medicines
A good rule of thumb to follow is that if a product, substance or therapy sounds too good to be true then it probably is. While you may already be familiar with this cliché, it is worth repeating because it is often true when it comes to alternative medicine. Beware of any product that claims to be “miraculous”, “a scientific breakthrough”, “amazingly effective”, “an ancient remedy”, “a secret formula” or possess some other attribute that supposedly makes it superior to more traditional medicines.

If you are considering an alternative form of therapy, such as reflexology, acupuncture, biofeedback or the like, carefully check the qualifications of the therapy practitioner before undergoing treatment. What kind of training has he or she received, and is that training from a reputable source? Research the treatment itself to determine if it is something that has been scientifically tested, evaluated, and found to be effective. Don’t take the practitioner’s word for it, and don’t accept at face value the claims of anyone who stands to make money or benefit in some way if you choose to undergo the treatment.

Finally, ask your doctor about any form of alternative medicine that you are considering. If you don’t feel comfortable doing so then find a doctor with whom you feel more at ease and discuss the alternative treatment you are considering. Remember that a trained medical professional has the education and experience to help you make good, safe decisions about whether or not to use alternative medicine.

About one-sixth of California’s general fund is spent on Medi-Cal coverage. A federal report issued last Thursday projected that public spending on healthcare would outstrip individual spending in just two years. On top of this, the state will witness the largest private individual insurance premium increase in its history as Anthem Blue Cross plans dramatic rate hikes this Spring. These are all indicators of an underlying problem, a sharp rise in treatment costs. The exorbitant price of pharmaceutical drugs and surgical procedures is mostly to blame for this trend. That is why state funding for studies on alternative treatments could open a market to provide vastly cheaper care for millions with preexisting conditions who can’t afford the more dangerous chemical therapies pushed by the Pharmaceutical-Industrial Complex.

More public funds were spent on “healthcare” last year than ever before. We aren’t as a culture, however, seeing a return on this investment. There is now evidence to suggest that the West is experiencing an overall decrease in the health of its citizens. Children today are less fit, more obese, and more likely to fall victim to a variety of degenerative diseases. Mine is the first generation that is predicted to have a shorter lifespan than its predecessor’s. Moreover, based on statistical evidence cited in a 2003 paper, “Death by Medicine,” researchers claim “the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States.” The report indicates that iatrogenic fatalities now outpace heart disease and cancer as the leading cause of preventable death in the country. These are not symptoms of a malfunctioning healthcare system; they are signs that health is not the aim in what can be called a sickcare industry.

Opponents of what has come to be called “alternative medicine” point to a lack of empirical data supporting its efficacy in treating FDA designated diseases. This is a major talking point for mainstream medicine but as Tony Isaacs of Natural News points out:

Drug companies are by far the largest source of funding for medical studies and the cost of such studies is a huge barrier for natural alternatives. The FDA trial process costs hundreds of millions of dollars, and no one can afford to get a natural item approved that they cannot control. Whole herbs and extracts of herbs that contain multiple compounds found in nature cannot be patented.

California can break the of FDA/Big Pharma monopoly on the prescription drug market and work to get naturally grown remedies approved for medicinal use. In this way, costs will come down as competition mounts to produce the best quality treatments. Why not offer state funds to investigate the curative claims of plant and mineral compounds with the FDA? Better yet, the state could establish its own regulatory agency to study natural remedies at a fraction of the cost. Independent research on the effectiveness of vitamins, minerals and plant based medicine is too well documented to ignore the potential for reducing healthcare costs. Isaacs has a point when he states, “…as long as the FDA and FTC continue their campaigns of censorship against nutritional cures and natural remedies, we will always have a health care crisis. You know why? Because no nation in the world can afford to foot the bill for a country full of sick people.”

No matter how many drugs we create, illness will always abound if the role of proper diet and regular exercise in preventing disease is not universally appreciated. The production of food locally and organically through community gardens addresses both issues by offering the opportunity of therapeutic physical labor and the training necessary to grow a perfectly balanced diet anywhere workable land is available. Those who can’t garden can still benefit if California were to get serious about supporting local food distribution networks so all households can be weened off of processed diets. Start up grants for Community Supported Agriculture networks and farmers markets can do just that.

The importance of a local food economy to the healthcare of its participants can not be underestimated and the costs to taxpayers will be more than offset by reduced medical expenditures for the state in years to come. I have written more extensively on the social and economic benefits of municipal urban gardening in a previous article.

With all the debate over rising healthcare costs and single-payer plans, has anyone stopped to ask the simple question: why do we even need health insurance? The sedentary and synthetic ways of living born from the industrialization of agriculture have yielded their fruit. True healthcare reform will take a social revolution on an individual scale. Personal accountability and individual responsibility for one’s own health is ultimately required to stop this upward trend in medical costs.

by Chris Hinyub

Describe the role of 4 complementary therapies in relation to orthodox treatments.? - role of complementary therapy and orthdox treatment

I have described the roles of the four complementary therapies in conjunction with orthodox treatments. I need to talk, whether a treatment or diagnosis, what kind of trouble if it is part of the digestive and endocrine systems, it is a cardio-respiratory diseases, and if s' acts of mental disorder.

Please help me, because it is part of an order for college and I find it very difficult.

Wanting to make a difference! Desire to achieve more in life as life's so short as it is. With that said "I am thinking STRONGLY of going back to school". I am wanting to work in the hospital. I am scared , but I know I need to move on from the car wash and the bad negative behavior from my family. It's hard when I care about the car wash and want it to be better, but my parents just drag it down and want to not accept change with the future. I can make more money plus benefits and retirement if I work some where else. It would be nice to have security! Knowing when I was going to get paid, how much, I could budget more. Their are a lot of positive sides and not a lot of negative as long as my kids are taken care of I am happy.

Significant Points

• Job opportunities should be very good.
• Hospitals will account for the vast majority of job openings, but a growing number of openings will arise in other settings.
• An associate degree is the minimum educational requirement, but a bachelor's or master's degree may be important for advancement.
• All States, except Alaska and Hawaii, require respiratory therapists to be licensed.

Nature of the Work About this section

Respiratory therapists—also known as respiratory care practitioners—evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Practicing under the direction of a physician, respiratory therapists assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care therapeutic treatments and diagnostic procedures, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. They consult with physicians and other healthcare staff to help develop and modify patient care plans. Therapists also provide complex therapy requiring considerable independent judgment, such as caring for patients on life support in intensive-care units of hospitals.
Respiratory therapists evaluate and treat all types of patients, ranging from premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed to elderly people whose lungs are diseased. They provide temporary relief to patients with chronic asthma or emphysema and give emergency care to patients who are victims of a heart attack, stroke, drowning, or shock.
Respiratory therapists interview patients, perform limited physical examinations, and conduct diagnostic tests. For example, respiratory therapists test a patient's breathing capacity and determine the concentration of oxygen and other gases in a patient's blood. They also measure a patient's pH, which indicates the acidity or alkalinity of the blood. To evaluate a patient's lung capacity, respiratory therapists have the patient breathe into an instrument that measures the volume and flow of oxygen during inhalation and exhalation. By comparing the reading with the norm for the patient's age, height, weight, and sex, respiratory therapists can provide information that helps determine whether the patient has any lung deficiencies. To analyze oxygen, carbon dioxide, and blood pH levels, therapists draw an arterial blood sample, place it in a blood gas analyzer, and relay the results to a physician, who then makes treatment decisions.
To treat patients, respiratory therapists use oxygen or oxygen mixtures, chest physiotherapy, and aerosol medications—liquid medications suspended in a gas that forms a mist which is inhaled. They teach patients how to inhale the aerosol properly to ensure its effectiveness. When a patient has difficulty getting enough oxygen into his or her blood, therapists increase the patient's concentration of oxygen by placing an oxygen mask or nasal cannula on the patient and setting the oxygen flow at the level prescribed by a physician. Therapists also connect patients who cannot breathe on their own to ventilators that deliver pressurized oxygen into the lungs. The therapists insert a tube into the patient's trachea, or windpipe; connect the tube to the ventilator; and set the rate, volume, and oxygen concentration of the oxygen mixture entering the patient's lungs.
Therapists perform regular assessments of patients and equipment. If a patient appears to be having difficulty breathing or if the oxygen, carbon dioxide, or pH level of the blood is abnormal, therapists change the ventilator setting according to the doctor's orders or check the equipment for mechanical problems.
Respiratory therapists perform chest physiotherapy on patients to remove mucus from their lungs and make it easier for them to breathe. Therapists place patients in positions that help drain mucus, and then vibrate the patients' rib cages, often by tapping on the chest, and tell the patients to cough. Chest physiotherapy may be needed after surgery, for example, because anesthesia depresses respiration. As a result, physiotherapy may be prescribed to help get the patient's lungs back to normal and to prevent congestion. Chest physiotherapy also helps patients suffering from lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, that cause mucus to collect in the lungs.
Therapists who work in home care teach patients and their families to use ventilators and other life-support systems. In addition, these therapists visit patients in their homes to inspect and clean equipment, evaluate the home environment, and ensure that patients have sufficient knowledge of their diseases and the proper use of their medications and equipment. Therapists also make emergency visits if equipment problems arise.
In some hospitals, therapists perform tasks that fall outside their traditional role. Therapists are becoming involved in areas such as pulmonary rehabilitation, smoking-cessation counseling, disease prevention, case management, and polysomnography—the diagnosis of breathing disorders during sleep, such as apnea. Respiratory therapists also increasingly treat critical-care patients, either as part of surface and air transport teams or as part of rapid-response teams in hospitals.
Work environment. Respiratory therapists generally work between 35 and 40 hours a week. Because hospitals operate around the clock, therapists can work evenings, nights, or weekends. They spend long periods standing and walking between patients' rooms. In an emergency, therapists work under the stress of the situation. Respiratory therapists employed in home healthcare must travel frequently to patients' homes.
Respiratory therapists are trained to work with gases stored under pressure. Adherence to safety precautions and regular maintenance and testing of equipment minimize the risk of injury. As in many other health occupations, respiratory therapists are exposed to infectious diseases, but by carefully following proper procedures, they can minimize these risks.

Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care answers Is there anything I can do? – Hospice Volunteers Make a Difference from SENIOR Magazine 

Colorado Springs SENIOR Magazine 

Is there anything I can do? – Hospice Volunteers Make a Difference 

By: Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care 

The roots of hospice care in America are grounded in the dedicated work of volunteers who sought to provide a more compassionate, dignified experience for the dying. As the hospice movement grew, the use of paid staff members became more prevalent. However, the volunteer component remained and flourished. In fact, Medicare requires that a minimum of five percent of hospice patient care hours be provided by trained volunteers. 

Today there are more than 400,000 hospice volunteers in the United States who play a vital role in more than 4,200 hospice care programs. Their presence, either being with patients and their loved ones directly or working behind the scenes in offices, enhances the success of hospice care.  

Volunteer opportunities may vary from one provider to the other, but all of them matter. Here are a few ways to serve: 

Patient Care Volunteers

Volunteers support patients and families in their homes by helping with meals, running errands, doing chores around the house or spending time visiting. Volunteers in long-term care and assisted living facilities help with errands, visiting with and reading to patients, and supporting the staff. Volunteers in hospice inpatient facilities spend quality time with patients and families and assist staff in routine patient care. 

Complementary Therapies Volunteers

Some hospice providers offer a variety of complementary therapies. Volunteers contribute in numerous ways to complement traditional patient care. Medical research has demonstrated that complementary therapies can be instrumental in relieving stress, decreasing pain, and adding quality of life to one’s remaining days. All therapies are administered by licensed professionals and specially trained volunteers. Some examples are: 

Touch therapies which incorporate massage, aromatherapy and other types of touch modalities to enhance patient comfort. 

Pet therapy provides interaction with trained or therapy-screened animals to calm or lift spirits. 

Music Therapy offers the gift of music to soothe, inspire, and bring joy to patients, families and friends. 

Other unique integrative therapies may also be offered, including acupuncture, creative expression, and guided imagery, to name a few. 

Bereavement Volunteers

Families are offered grief support for a 13-month period after the death of a loved one. Bereavement volunteers help provide emotional support to grieving family members with phone calls and one-on-one visits. 

Administrative Volunteers

Volunteers assist office staff with critical administrative assignments, and assist with community outreach, fundraising and other special projects. 

You may wonder if hospice work is right for you. Volunteers need to feel comfortable and supported in their role, so ask about what kind of training you could receive. Topics should include patient care, communication, family dynamics, the dying process and bereavement, along with specialized training for your specific job description.  

President and CEO of Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, Martha Barton lauds the value of volunteers in hospice. “One of the great joys of this work is seeing so many give so much. Each day our care teams are joined by volunteers who step with grace and compassion into the lives of patients and families in need. The gift of their time and their touch can make all the difference.” 

Most hospice volunteers say they get far more than they give. They have the satisfaction of knowing that the work they do, indeed, makes a difference. And they have opportunities to be with very special people at an incredibly unique time of life. 

To learn how you can offer your support to Pikes Peak Hospice patients and their families, contact us at (719) 633-3400. For more information about Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, visit us at www.pikespeakhospice.org.

The Palliative Care East Centre, to be built in the grounds of the James Paget University Hospital, will provide a much-needed care base for patients and their families in the Great Yarmouth & Waveney area. With professionals and volunteers working under the same roof, it will bring together first-class clinical care, complementary therapies, psychological and spiritual support, and practical advice on social care and financial matters.