The independent., October 18, 2007, Page Page 8, Image 8

Page 8
The INDEPENDENT, October 18, 2007
To Your Health!
By Judy Hargis, P.A., and Audeen Wagner
Holistic Medicine
We hear a lot these days about holistic medi-
cine (or “alternative” or “integrative” or “comple-
mentary” medicine). This is the start of a series
of articles on the subject, which we hope will be
of use to our readers.
First of all, What Is It??! Holistic medicine de-
fines health as a state of complete physical,
mental, and social well being – hence, the word
holistic. It refers to the idea that a ‘thing’ (in this
case, the human body) is greater than its
parts...something like “2 + 2 is not 4 but more than 4.” The concepts of health and
fitness involve more than just taking care of the various parts of the body; attention
is paid to emotional and spiritual health as well. The goal is “a wellness that encom-
passes the entire person, rather than just the lack of physical pain or disease.”
The practice of holistic medicine includes a number of complementary and al-
ternative methods of treatment, including naturopathic medicine, natural products,
Eastern practices (such as acupuncture and other traditional Oriental methods),
and much more. The idea of “holism” has been around for a long time, but in more
recent years, the conventional medical community has begun to recognize it and
integrate its ideas into the health care system. In the U.S., the first National Con-
ference on Holistic Health was held in 1975.
Holistic medicine is a rapidly growing field. In 1990, Americans made an estimat-
ed 425 million visits to alternative health practitioners. Patients are finding it helpful
to use alternative methods of treating and preventing disease. Here are some of the
alternative therapies that have been studied with grants from the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) in recent years:
• Acupuncture. Used to treat depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder,
osteoarthritis, and post-operative dental pain.
• Hypnosis. For chronic low back pain and to accelerate fracture healing.
• Ayruvedic herbals. Used for Parkinson’s disease. (Ayurvedic medicine is a ho-
listic system based on the belief that herbals, massage, and other stress relievers
help the body make its own natural drugs.)
• Biofeedback. For diabetes and low back pain. (Biofeedback is the conscious
control of body functions such as the heart and blood vessels.)
• Imagery. Studied for use with asthma and breast cancer patients. (With im-
agery, patients are guided to see themselves in different physical, emotional and
spiritual environments.)
Do these methods sound a little hard to believe or understand? The good news
is, they work for many patients, who are having successful results with these ideas,
which seem “different.” The whole medical community is recognizing the use of
complementary treatments to enhance procedures. (The above list of studies, of
course, does not encompass all the possible uses of those therapies – you’ve prob-
ably heard of using hypnosis for stopping smoking or losing weight, for instance.
The problems listed are only the ones recently studied by the NIH.)
It is good to know that there are many ways to treat and prevent illnesses, and
that world-wide traditional methods in health and prevention therapies are being in-
tegrated into modern practices.
“Alternative” and “complementary” medicine doesn’t mean that patients should
not see their “regular” doctor, by any means. A doctor’s role in combating disease
by using remedies such as drugs or surgery, is a comforting reality when you are
sick. The idea of integrating other treatment methods into conventional practices
seems to be a growing trend.
Here is a true story to illustrate the difference between conventional and holistic
practices, and a perfect example of how they can, and do, work together for the bet-
terment of the patient:
A patient with a cancerous growth in her neck that had spread to the base of her
tongue was told by her oncologist that radiating her mouth and throat offered the
best chance of cure. Unfortunately, X-ray therapy often burns the delicate tissues
of the mouth, making eating and swallowing painful and difficult. There would be
swelling and soreness and she might lose some teeth! The patient consulted a spe-
cialist in Alternative Medicine, and she was advised to have the radiation, but to
gargle with sesame oil before and after each session. The cancer specialists were
somewhat amused by this, but did not object – it could do no harm, and they had
nothing better to offer. To their astonishment the patient did not suffer any of the
devastating symptoms, and even her sense of taste remained almost completely
normal! Her oncologist’s chart notes indicated that her mouth was “remarkably well
hydrated with excellent saliva production. She clearly was extraordinarily positive
throughout the course of the treatment, which was obviously to her great benefit.”
Dr. Rosenfeld, who tells the story, felt strongly that the sesame oil “did the trick” and
that it is an excellent example of how patients can benefit when conventional and
alternative practitioners work together to provide them with the “best of both
worlds.”
The holistic view of treating the physical, mental and social well-being certainly
should be considered a welcome addition to medical practice.
October has been named Domestic Violence Awareness month
October is being introduced
as National Domestic Violence
Awareness Month, by the Co-
lumbia County Women’s Re-
source Center. This is an op-
portunity for our community to
participate in activities to raise
awareness and understanding
regarding the issue of domestic
violence. Domestic violence is
defined as a pattern of behav-
iors that one individual uses to
gain power and control of an-
other individual. There are cur-
rently six types of recognized
abuse: Physical, Emotional/
Verbal, Sexual, Social, Spiritu-
al, and Financial.
Nearly 5.3 million incidents
of domestic violence occur
each year among U.S. women
ages 18 and older, 3.2 million
occur among men, and be-
tween 3.3. and 10 million chil-
dren are exposed to domestic
violence in the United States.
Nationally, the cost of intimate
partner violence exceeds $5.8
billion each year. Intimate part-
ner violence costs Oregonians
nearly $55 million every year,
with more than two-thirds of
those dollars spent on health
care services.
Domestic Violence is an is-
sue that affects all communities
despite socioeconomic status,
race, religion, age, class, or ed-
ucation level.
Columbia County Women’s
Resource Center and Columbia
County Domestic Violence
State Farm ®
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710
Bunny Girt, Agent
1229 N. Adair
PO Box 543
Cornelius, OR 97113-0543
Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667
bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com
Council would like to invite
community members to join us
in recognizing October as Do-
mestic Violence Awareness
Month by participating in
awareness events and educa-
tional opportunities. There is
currently a Domestic Violence
Awareness Month billboard,
Please see page 14
Diabetes Burnout topic of free talk
Diabetes Burnout is the
name of a free, no registration
required, discussion on Satur-
day, October 27, from 9:00
a.m. to noon, at Tuality Health
Education Center, 334 SE 8th
Ave., Hillsboro.
Do you find dealing with
your diabetes frustrating? Do
you get tired of having to pay
attention to carbohydrates and
blood-sugar monitoring? Do
you sometimes feel that you
just want to quit?
Michael Fulop, Psy.D., is a
diabetes specialist and will
show how not to let diabetes
limit the choices in your life.
Enjoy food, refreshments
and an opportunity to learn how
to work through the challenges
of diabetes.
Free breast health information
Empowerment
through
Knowledge: Breast Health for
Every Woman will be the sub-
ject of an informative discus-
sion by Dr. Deborah Nixdorf,
N.D., L.Ac., at Banks Curves,
163 N. Main, Ste. B on
Wednesday, October 24 from
7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Call 503-324-9262 to regis-
ter for this free class. Refresh-
ments will be served.