A KENEZIAN
DEFINITION OF HEALTH USED AS THE BASE FOR ALL HIS HUMANITARIAN RESEARCH EFFORTS FROM 1985 TO 2015
A Comprehensive Definition for All Researches Done in 2001
by HAFANI CONSORTIUM OF INTERDISCIPLINARY PROFESSIONALS
Resource Materials From Encyclopædia Britannica
Article.
Health in human beings,
is the extent of an individual's continuing physical, emotional, mental, and
social ability to cope with his environment.
This definition, just
one of many that are possible, has its drawbacks. The rather fragile individual
who stays "well" within the ordinary environment of his or her
existence may succumb to a heart attack from heavy shovelling after a
snowstorm; or a sea-level dweller may move to a new home in the mountains,
where the atmosphere has a lower content of oxygen, and suffer from shortness
of breath and anemia until his red blood cell count adjusts itself to the
altitude. Thus, even by this definition, the conception of good health must
involve some allowance for change in the environment.
Bad health can be
defined as the presence of disease, good health as its absence-particularly the
absence of continuing disease, because the person afflicted with a sudden
attack of seasickness, for example, may not be thought of as having lost his
good health as a result of such a mishap.
Actually, there is a
wide variable area between health and disease. Only a few examples are
necessary to illustrate the point: (1) It is physiologically normal for an
individual, 15 to 20 minutes after eating a meal, to have a high blood sugar
content. If, however, the sugar content remains elevated two hours later, this
condition is abnormal and may be indicative of disease. (2) A
"healthy" individual may have developed an allergy, perhaps during
early childhood, to a single specific substance. If he never again comes in
contact with the antigen that causes the allergy, all other factors remaining
normal, he will remain in that state of health. Should he, however, come in
contact with that allergen, even 20 or 30 years later, he may suffer anything from
a mild allergic reaction-a simple rash-to severe anaphylactic shock, coma, or
even death, depending upon the circumstances. Thus it can be seen that, unlike
disease, which is frequently recognizable, tangible, and rather easily defined,
health is a somewhat nebulous condition, and somewhat difficult to define.
Moreover, physical
condition and health are not synonymous terms. A seven-foot-tall basketball
player may be in excellent physical condition (although outside the range of
normality for height) but may or may not be in good health-depending, for
example, on whether or not he has fallen victim to an attack of influenza.
There are further
problems in settling upon a definition of human health. A person may be
physically strong, resistant to infection, able to cope with physical hardship
and other features of his physical environment, and still be considered
unhealthy if his mental state, as measured by his behaviour, is deemed unsound.
What is mental health? Some say that a person is mentally healthy if he is able
to function reasonably well. Others hold that a person is healthy mentally if
his behaviour is like that of a majority of his fellows.
In the face of this
confusion, it is most useful, perhaps, to define health, good or bad, in terms
that can be measured, can be interpreted with respect to the ability of the
individual at the time of measurement to function in a normal manner and with
respect to the likelihood of imminent disease. These measurements can be found
in tables of "reference values" printed in textbooks of clinical
medicine, diagnosis, and other references of this type. When an individual is
given a health examination, the examination is likely to include a series of
tests. Some of these tests are more descriptive than quantitative and can
indicate the presence of disease in a seemingly healthy person. Such tests
include the electrocardiogram to detect some kinds of heart disease;
electromyogram for primary muscle disorders; liver and gall bladder function
tests; and X-ray techniques for determining disease or malfunction of internal
organs.
Other tests give
numerical results (or results that can be assigned numerical values-such as
photometric colour determinations) that can be interpreted by the examiner.
These are physical and chemical tests, including blood, urine, and spinal-fluid
analyses. The results of the tests are compared with the reference values; and
the physician receives clues as to the health of his patient and, if the values
are abnormal, for the methods of improving his health.
A major difficulty in
the interpretation of test results is that of biological variability. Almost
without exception these reference values for variables are means or adjusted
means of large group measurements. For these values to have significance, they
must be considered as lying somewhere near the centre point of a 95 percent
range-i.e., the so-called ordinary range or, with reservations, the range from
normal to the upper and lower borderline limits. Thus, the 2.5 percent below
the lower limit and the 2.5 percent above the upper limit of the 95 percent
range are considered areas of abnormality or, perhaps, illness. Some areas have
wide 95 percent ranges-blood pressure, for example, may vary considerably
throughout the day (e.g., during exercise, fright, or anger) and remain within
its range of normality. Other values have ranges so narrow that they are termed
physiological constants. An individual's body temperature, for example, rarely
varies (when taken at the same anatomical site) by more than a degree (from
time of rising until bedtime) without being indicative of infection or other
illness.
To cite this page:
• MLA Style: "health." Encyclopædia Britannica.
Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago
• APA Style: health. (2009). Encyclopædia Britannica.
Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago
I have always argued
that many people mistakenly take health to refer only to physical well being of
the individual. This totally wrong. The social and mental well being is
neglected without many realising that the duo actually produce the physical
symptoms that develop into perennial ill-health that later is termed TERMINAL
DISEASES. A good example is High Blood Pressure. Just like the philosophical
question; WHICH CAME FIRST, THE EGG OR THE HEN? It is absurd that General
Practitioners of Human Medicine forgot to emphasise to their patients that
there are certain human relationships that produce physical diseases. We need
to bring social and mental levels of health in any good definition. Dr Kenez
(1981)
Physical fitness
(health)
• major reference
• prevention of disease
• relationship to health
• • exercise •
strength
Physical fitness is a
general concept and is defined in many ways by different scientists. Physical
fitness is discussed here in two major categories: health-related physical
fitness and motor-performance physical fitness. Despite some overlap between
these classifications, there are major differences, as described below.
Health-related physical fitness
Health-related physical
fitness is defined as fitness related to some aspect of health. This type of physical
fitness is primarily influenced by an individual's exercise habits; thus, it is
a dynamic state and may change. Physical characteristics that constitute
health-related physical fitness include strength and endurance of skeletal
muscles, joint flexibility, body composition, and cardiorespiratory endurance.
All these attributes change in response to appropriate physical conditioning
programs, and all are related to health. Strength and endurance of skeletal
muscles of the trunk help maintain correct posture and prevent such problems as
low back pain. Minimal levels of muscular strength and endurance are needed for
routine tasks of living, such as carrying bags of groceries or picking up a
young child. Individuals with very low levels of muscular strength and
endurance are limited in the performance of routine tasks and have to lead a
restricted life. Such limitations are perhaps only indirectly related to
health, but individuals who cannot pick up and hug a grandchild or must
struggle to get up from a soft chair surely have a lower quality of life than
that enjoyed by their fitter peers. Flexibility, or range of motion around the
joints, also ranks as an important component of health-related fitness. Lack of
flexibility in the lower back and posterior thigh is thought to contribute to
low back pain. Extreme lack of flexibility also has a deleterious effect on the
quality of life by limiting performance. Body composition refers to the ratio
between fat and lean tissue in the body. Excess body fat is clearly related to
several health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type II
(adult-onset) diabetes mellitus, and certain forms of cancer. Body composition
is affected by diet, but exercise habits play a crucial role in preventing
obesity and maintaining acceptable levels of body fat. Cardiorespiratory
endurance, or aerobic fitness, is probably what most people identify as
physical fitness. Aerobic fitness refers to the integrated functional capacity
of the heart, lungs, vascular system, and skeletal muscles to expend energy.
The basic activity that underlies this type of fitness is aerobic metabolism in
the muscle cell, a process in which oxygen is combined with a fuel source (fats
or carbohydrates) to release energy and produce carbon dioxide and water. The
energy is used by the muscle to contract, thereby exerting force that can be
used for movement. For the aerobic reaction to take place, the
cardiorespiratory system (i.e., the circulatory and pulmonary systems) must
constantly supply oxygen and fuel to the muscle cell and remove carbon dioxide
from it. The maximal rate at which aerobic metabolism can occur is thus
determined by the functional capacity of the cardiorespiratory system and is
measured in the laboratory as maximal oxygen intake. As will be discussed in
detail below, aerobic fitness is inversely related to the incidence of coronary
heart disease and hypertension.
Motor-performance physical fitness
Motor-performance
fitness is defined as the ability of the neuromuscular system to perform specific
tasks. Test items used to assess motor-performance fitness include chin-ups,
sit-ups, the 50-yard dash, the standing long jump, and the shuttle run (a timed
run in which the participant dashes back and forth between two points). The
primary physical characteristics measured by these tests are the strength and
endurance of the skeletal muscles and the speed or power of the legs. These
traits are important for success in many types of athletics. Muscular strength
and endurance are also related to some aspects of health, as stated above.
There is disagreement among experts about the relative importance of
health-related and motor-performance physical fitness. While both types of
fitness are obviously desirable, their relative values should be determined by
an individual's personal fitness objectives. If success in athletic events is
of primary importance, motor-performance fitness should be emphasized. If
concern about health is paramount, health-related fitness should be the focus.
Different types of fitness may be important not only to different individuals
but also to the same individual at different times. The 16-year-old competing
on a school athletic team is likely to focus on motor performance. The typical
middle-aged individual is not as likely to be concerned about athletic success,
emphasizing instead health and appearance. One further point should be made: to
a great extent, motor-performance physical fitness is determined by genetic
potential. The person who can run fast at 10 years of age will be fast at age
17; although training may enhance racing performance, it will not appreciably
change the individual's genetically determined running speed. On the other
hand, characteristics of health-related physical fitness, while also partly
determined by inheritance, are much more profoundly influenced by exercise
habits.
• Mental fitness (health)
The science of
maintaining mental health and preventing the development of psychosis,
neurosis, or other mental disorders. Since the founding of the United Nations
the concepts of mental health and hygiene have achieved international
acceptance. As defined in the 1946 constitution of the World Health
Organization, "health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social
well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." The term
mental health represents a variety of human aspirations: rehabilitation of the
mentally disturbed, prevention of mental disorder, reduction of tension in a
stressful world, and attainment of a state of well-being in which the
individual functions at a level consistent with his or her mental potential. As
noted by the World Federation for Mental Health, the concept of optimum mental
health refers not to an absolute or ideal state but to the best possible state
insofar as circumstances are alterable. Mental health is regarded as a
condition of the individual, relative to the capacities and
social-environmental context of that person. Mental hygiene includes all
measures taken to promote and to preserve mental health. Community mental
health refers to the extent to which the organization and functioning of the
community determines, or is conducive to, the mental health of its members.
Throughout the ages the mentally disturbed have been viewed with a mixture of fear
and revulsion. Their fate generally has been one of rejection, neglect, and ill
treatment. Though in ancient medical writings there are references to mental
disturbance that display views very similar to modern humane attitudes,
interspersed in the same literature are instances of socially sanctioned
cruelty based upon the belief that mental disorders have supernatural origins
such as demonic possession. Even reformers sometimes used harsh methods of
treatment; for example, the 18th-century American physician Benjamin Rush
endorsed the practice of restraining mental patients with his notorious
"tranquilising chair."
• Social health also called
welfare service or social work Social health is any of a variety of
governmental programs designed to protect citizens from the economic risks and
insecurities of life. The most common types of programs provide benefits to the
elderly or retired, the sick or invalid, dependent survivors, mothers, the
unemployed, the work-injured, and families. Methods of financing and
administration and the scope of coverage and benefits vary widely among
countries. Social health embraces any of numerous publicly or privately
provided services intended to aid disadvantaged, distressed, or vulnerable
persons or groups. The term social service also denotes the profession engaged
in rendering such services. The social services have flourished in the 20th
century as ideas of social responsibility have developed and spread. The basic
concerns of social welfare-poverty, disability and disease, the dependent young
and elderly-are as old as society itself. The laws of survival once severely
limited the means by which these concerns could be addressed; to share
another's burden meant to weaken one's own standing in the fierce struggle of
daily existence. As societies developed, however, with their patterns of
dependence between members, there arose more systematic responses to the
factors that rendered individuals, and thus society at large, vulnerable.
A 01 the Origin and
Development of
KENEZ HEALTH KLINIK
Interdisciplinary
Therapeutic Organisation
By:
Dr Jideofo Kenechukwu
Danmbaezue
The Team Leader, Hafani
Project 007 @ UNTH
A Kenezian Prologue:
Throughout the ages, people have turned to herbal medicine for healing; the
sixth field of alternative medicine. All cultures have folk medicine traditions
that include the use of plants and plant products. Many licensed drugs used all
over the world today, originated from roots and plants in the herbal traditions
of various cultures, such as the medication commonly used for heart failure,
‘Digitalis', that is derived from foxglove! ‘Quinine', the brand name for
‘Quinacrine', which my generation drank throughout our infant years in the
colonial administrtion,1950 until 1960 was manufactured by the British May
& Baker Industry from ‘Dogonyaro', a tropical tree our forefathers had been
using for treating malaria for ages before the arrival of the first white man
on the African continent! Its roots, stem, leaves and flowers had been processed
and crystallized in Great Britain, then repackaged in yellow tablet forms and
returned to the colonies as the ultimate in the treatment of Malaria; the white
man's scourge in West Africa.
The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people, or 80 percent of the
world's population, use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care.
This is exactly what our
investigation is all about. If our forefathers survived childhood diseases,
developed, evolved and practised their own brand of traditional obstetrics
& gynaecology that ensured that our parents lived long enough to give birth
to our generation, then a rediscovery of their unique pharmacopoeia will
definitely save the lives of many of our unfortunate bothers and sisters who are
already struck by the pandemic HIV and its Siamese twin- AIDS! Or, should we
fold our arms and wait for the West to provide answers to all medical problems
we are also qualified to provide?
We had no other option
than to look inwards for cost efficient alternatives; palliative or
prophylactic remedies, we could harness from the tropical plants, to halt the
fast and unchallenged march of HIV and his troops, stem the tide of social
malaise occasioned by promiscuity our youths are learning from western films, video
or by surfing the Internet, reduce the use of free condoms or exorbitant drugs
currently marketed by the West and so halt the spread of the pandemic in Africa
and other developing nations!
WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE?
Alternative Medicine,
also called unconventional medicine, is the use of therapeutic practices,
techniques and beliefs that are outside the realm of mainstream Western health
care. Alternative medicine emphasizes therapies that improve quality of life,
prevent disease, and address conditions that conventional medicine has limited
success in curing, such as chronic back pain and certain cancers.
Proponents of
alternative medicine believe that these approaches to healing are safer and
more natural and have been shown through experience to work. In certain
countries, alternative medical practices are the most widely used methods of
health care. However, many practitioners of modern conventional medicine
believe these practices are unorthodox and unproven.
By some estimates 83
million United States Canada , the United Kingdom and Australia
The first field,
mind-body intervention, explores the mind's capacity to affect, and perhaps
heal, the body. Studies have shown that the mental state has a profound effect
on the immune system and subsequently these studies have provoked interest in
the mind's role in the cause and course of disease. Specific mind-body
interventions include; meditation, hypnosis, art therapy, biofeedback and
mental healing.
Bio-electromagnetic
applications, the second field of alternative medicine, make use of the body's
response to non-thermal, non-ionising radiation. Current uses involve bone
repair, nerve stimulation, wound healing, treatment of osteoarthritis and
immune system stimulation.
The third field is
alternative systems of medical practice. In each variation of this system, the
practice is usually characterised by a specific theory of health and disease,
an educational programme to teach its concepts to new practitioners and often a
legal mandate to regulate its practice. Examples include; Acupuncture,
popularised by the Chinese, Ayurvedic medicine, Homeopathy and Naturopathy.
Touch and manipulation
are the mainstays of the manual healing methods, which constitute the fourth
field of alternative medicine. Practitioners of chiropractic and massage
therapies such as Rolfing structural integration believe that dysfunction of
one part of the body often affects the function of other, not necessarily connected,
parts. Manipulating bones or soft tissues or realigning body parts will
therefore restore health.
The pharmacological and
biological treatments that make up the fifth field of alternative medicine
consist of an assortment of drugs and vaccines not yet accepted in mainstream
medicine. Compounds such as anti-neoplastins (from human blood and urine) for
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), various products of the honeybee for
arthritis, and iscador (a liquid extract from mistletoe) for tumours have not
been scientifically evaluated because of the expense of conducting safety and
effectiveness studies.
Throughout the ages,
people have turned for healing to herbal medicine, the sixth field of
alternative medicine. All cultures have folk medicine traditions that include
the use of plants and plant products. Many licensed drugs used today originated
in the herbal traditions of various cultures, such as the medication commonly
used for heart failure, digitalis, which is derived from foxglove. The World
Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people, or 80 percent of the
world's population, use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care.
This is exactly what our
investigation is all about. If our forefathers survived childhood diseases,
developed, evolved and practised their own brand of traditional obstetrics
& gynaecology that ensured that our parents lived long enough to give birth
to our generation, then a rediscovery of their unique pharmacopoeia will
definitely save the lives of many of our unfortunate bothers and sister who are
already struck by the pandemic HIV and its Siamese twin- AIDS!
THE PHILOSOPHY OF HAFANI
RESEARCH CONSORTIUM IN PREFERRING THE USE OF HERBAL MEDICINE TO TREAT HIV
WE HAD NO OTHER OPTION
THAN TO LOOK INWARDS FOR COST EFFICIENT ALTERNATIVES; PALLIATIVE OR
PROPHYLACTIC REMEDIES, TO STEM THE SPREAD OF THE PANDEMIC IN AFRICA
AND REDUCE THE EXORBITANT DRUGS MARKETED BY THE WEST.
Use of "Moringa
Oleifera" in Hafani's Alternative Therapy
Our search for cheaper means
of caring for PLWA in the rural community who may not have access to synthetic
multivitamins took us the doors of Epidemiologists. One of our consultants, who
works at the National Arbovirus and Vectors; Research Division of the Federal
Ministry of Health, Dr N. A. Ozumba, has processed and packaged the leaf powder
form of this great plant, which he labelled "MOVITAAMIN", abbreviated
DOM.
The name is derived
thus: MO-VIT-AA-MIN tells us that the plant Moringa Oleifera is very rich in
and provides the Vitamins, the essential Amino Acids, and Minerals that our
body needs.
In this case, it goes
beyond supplementing human nutrition to the more significant function of
bolstering the immune system of people living with HIV-AIDS, thereby enhancing
prophylaxis and improving the appetite of its beneficiaries! In the field, it
has been sampled and tested on pregnant and breast-feeding women, malnourished
infants and people living with HIV-AIDS for three years with magnificent
results. It is equally reported to have increased the physical and mental well
being of those who use it just as food supplement! We have scientifically
documented evidence that any interested research scientist can verify,
duplicate, replicate, validate and standardise!
"Moringa
Oleifera", comes from the botanical family; Moringaceae, of the genus;
Moringa. Fourteen species make up the genus, but our choice is the most popular
and the best known in scientific circles. It is a fast growing and
drought-resistant tree, native to Northern India
(For details consult
Morton; 1991, Folkard and Sutherland; 1996).
In Nigeria
The leaves are
outstanding among all leafy vegetables in the tropics as it a very rich source
of both Vitamin A and Vitamin C when eaten raw! They are equally a good source
of the various versions of the B vitamins and soluble minerals. "The
Calcium content is high for a plant. Phosphorus is low as it should be. The
content of Iron is very good. (It is reportedly prescribed for anaemia in the Philippines
Going through the comparative table analysing
the content of these vitamins per 100 grams of the plant, the dried Leaf Powder
contains twice much more than both the Pods and fresh Leaves do! For more details,
consult Fugile et al; 1999 & 2000). In the West African sub-region only in Senegal Americas , Africa and Asia .
Presently, scientific
laboratory investigations and our experimentation in the search for alternative
management strategies for HIV-AIDS in Africa
at UNTH from 2001 2005, have confirmed its therapeutic efficiency as well as
its remedial effectiveness in nutrition/dietetics by pre-literate healers all
over the globe! It is this certainty that emboldens us to recommend that other
health researchers evaluate our claims! With the three regimens code-named
HAT/2003/…VCO, AVT and SMV, we have achieved success in arresting the sporadic
spread of the pandemic in our community! You, too, can!!
Many licensed drugs used
today originated in the herbal traditions of various cultures, and therefore
Hafani Research Consortium utilised the natural roots, herbs and other
resources in the tropics to alleviate the throes of our kith and kin dying from
the incurable HIV-AIDS pandemic rather than complacently wait for foreign
patented drugs. We neither owe anyone any excuses, explanations nor apologies
for using what we have in the tropics to manage the health issues and medical
problems facing us as altruistic, patriotic and humanitarian research
scientists. The age when Africans and Asians stood still when Europeans sneezed
is over and gone for good. We must paddle our own canoes and stop being
stagnated or regressed adolescents waiting for our daily bread to be rationed
out to us!
Hafani Research
Consortium is blazing the trail! Do you care for our rural communities? You can
only answer that question by taking a resolution to stop sitting on the fence.
Are you still tied to the apron strings of your erstwhile colonial masters?
This is opportune time to liberate yourself and others. Apply the knowledge of
scientific research you acquired in the university and alleviate the problems
of our brothers and sisters by appropriating the high sounding prefixes and
accolades attached to your names! This, and only this, is our mission!
We are not holding
briefs for anyone, group of persons or institution. We do not represent any
religious or political organisation, not even the WHO nor the UN. We are simply
medical experts and natural scientists motivated by the need to find lasting
solutions to the throes our kith and kin are passing through by suffering this
pandemic. We are ordinary humanitarians trying our best to be our
"brothers/sisters keepers"!
If the International
Scientific Community is stating that they have no cure for now, shall we remain
complacent while our women and children are plagued by this contraption of
western science; whereas they are busy doling out free condoms and their own
brands of anti-retroviral drugs that are merely prophylactic, our relatives are
dying in millions here in Africa? No! ‘God forbid bad thing' our native folks
say!
The Almighty Creator in
his Infinite Wisdom had/has endowed every community with the natural remedies
for all the diseases that abound in their environment. It is left for dedicated
elders and renowned sages in these communities to discover these healing
remedies and employ them the maximum benefits that their kith and kin can
derive there from.
HEALTH FOODS IN
MANAGEMENT OF HIV-AIDS
I INTRODUCTION
Health Foods are a
general term for foods and food products that meet certain criteria during
their production and processing. In this article, the term health foods is used
to describe organic foods, natural foods, herbal teas, and food supplements,
including vitamin and mineral pills and products such as lecithin and kelp.
Interest in health foods accompanied the growing interest in adequate nutrition
and family health that WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS have instituted since the 1970s.
As demand for purely organic and natural foods increased, people became
concerned about the frequent adulterations in the food industry. The presence
of chemical additives, pesticides and herbicides in consumable foods raised
questions about the nutritive value of many highly processed foods. More people
became wary and so began to shop only in health food stores, and food
cooperatives sprang up in great numbers.
II ORGANIC FOODS
Organic foods are more
correctly termed organically grown foods. They are grown without using growth
hormones, antibiotics, or synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.
Organically grown foods are fertilized with manure and composts, and
alternative methods are used to control pests and weeds. Some advocates of
organic farming believe that organic food is more nutritious than food produced
by conventional farming methods; however, no valid studies support this claim.
A study by the WHO has indicated, however, that organic farming may have other
long-term benefits. These benefits include preservation of the topsoil,
improved water quality, and healthy populations of beneficial insects that keep
destructive pests under control.
Organic farming makes up
a small but rapidly growing segment of agriculture in developed countries.
Export of organic products is increasing, especially to Europe ,
where interest in organic farming is widespread. In theUnited States, concern
about the labelling and certification of organic foods led to the establishment
of the 1990 Federal Organic Foods Production Act. The act mandates that all
food labelled organic must be produced according to specific guidelines.
III NATURAL FOODS
Although no official
definition exists for natural foods, many scientists and consumers agree that
natural foods are those that have been subjected to minimal processing and
contain no artificial additives or ingredients. Many nutritionists refer to
these as basic and traditional foods. Interest in natural foods arose as more
and more consumers became aware that refining foods resulted in a less
nutritious product. Refining whole-wheat flour into white flour, for example,
removes a great many nutrients and the dietary fibre. Common natural foods
include wheat germ, raw sugar, un-sulphured molasses, whole grain bread without
preservatives, and granola.
IV VITAMINS AND OTHER
PRODUCTS
Many claims have been
made about the benefits of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrition supplements.
Studies have shown that while some may fulfil their promise, others have no
effect or may even be harmful if misused. For example, large intakes of vitamins
A or D are known to be toxic. Dolomite, sold as a source of calcium and
magnesium, has been reported to contain high levels of other minerals, such as
lead, arsenic, and mercury, which can be dangerous. Although many people think
that herbal teas are beneficial in various ways, their safety has never been
studied. Many health food users believe that natural vitamins are superior to
synthetic vitamins. However, natural vitamins, although isolated from foods,
are chemically identical to those synthesised in the laboratory. The human body
is unable to tell the difference between natural and synthetic vitamins and
handles them exactly alike.
Current use of synthetic
food products is where we have problems in our computer age! This Family Health
Organisation has been in the forefront of the campaign against reliance by many
housewives on these synthetic food fads. In our country, commercial adverts on
television give the wrong signals that these easy-to-prepare food items are
nourishing. This is far from the truth. In their countries of manufacture, they
are only stopgap snacks for the busy worker, manager or industrialist to
postpone hunger pangs until one gets home to eat a balanced diet!
We must enlighten our
people that unless lots of vegetables, meat, fish, eggs and onions are added to
them, these synthetic food fads are injurious to their family's health! This we
can only achieve by counteracting it with regular advocacy aimed at correcting
the damage already done to the growing minds of our children who now prefer
"indomie, macaroni and spaghetti" that are really chemical compounds
to naturally produced, processed and prepared rice!
DANMBAEZUE. J. K.,
CHUKWUKA C. J., EZIKE C. A., IBE. B. C.,OHANU M. E., OHOTU E., ONWUASOIGWE O.,
OZIGBOH Q. C. And our USA-based colleagues; N.N. MBAEZUE & L. E. OKOROHA.
© 1993-2003 Microsoft
Corporation & 2001-2005 Hafani Research Consortium. All rights regarding
originality, patent and creativity reserved.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy, alternative
system of medicine developed in the early 19th century, based on the concept
that disease can be cured when a patient is treated with minute quantities of a
substance that produces symptoms of the disease in a healthy person. Homeopathy
focuses on healing the underlying cause of disease, not simply eliminating the
symptoms caused by the disease.
The study of homeopathy
was founded in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann (1753-1843), a German physician and
chemist who had become disillusioned with the conventional practice of
medicine. Hahnemann based his innovative medical treatment on the healing power
of a good diet, exercise, fresh air, and minimum doses of natural medications.
This approach to medicine was a radical concept at the time.
Homeopathy was introduced
in the United States in 1825, and the American Institute of Homeopathy-the
national society of homeopathic physicians-was founded in 1844. Its popularity
peaked in the late 19th century when 15 percent of American physicians were
homeopaths. With the rise of modern clinical medicine near the turn of the
century, homeopathy lost its popularity. However, the growth of alternative
medicine since the early 1980s has garnered renewed interest in homeopathy in
the United States and the United Kingdom
Homeopathy is based on
three principles: the law of similars, the single medicine, and the law of
infinitesimals. According to the law of similars-frequently referred to as the
phenomenon of "like cures like"-a disease is cured by a medicine that
creates symptoms in a healthy person similar to what the patient is
experiencing. Hahnemann established this principle when he investigated
cinchona, the bark of a tropical evergreen tree and a natural source of quinine
used to treat malaria. He observed that a healthy person who took cinchona
developed symptoms of malaria, and decided that the effectiveness of the drug
came from its ability to cause symptoms similar to those of the actual disease.
Using this approach, a homeopathic physician prescribes medication that matches
most closely the symptoms presented by an individual patient. Hahnemann used
the Greek words homoios and pathos, which mean "similar sickness," to
name the new approach to medical treatment.
The principle of the
single medicine is based on a belief that one remedy should cover all physical,
mental, and emotional symptoms experienced by a patient to cure the whole
person. This practice contrasts with conventional medicine, which usually uses
separate medications for the treatment of each symptom.
The law of
infinitesimals was established by Hahnemann when he observed that large amounts
of substances prescribed for treatments caused a wide range of negative side
effects in patients. He determined through experiments that taking minute
levels of a medication strengthens its potency and increases the length of its
effectiveness. Homeopathic physicians use this principle as a guideline in
prescribing ultra-minute levels of nontoxic medications, which are prepared
from vegetable and animal tissues as well as from minerals and chemicals, to
promote safe and reliable cures. The use of minimal doses is one of
conventional medicine's primary objections to homeopathy. Critics note that
trace amounts of ingredients used in minimal doses are so small that medications
are exempt from United
States
Practitioners claim that
homeopathy offers an effective substitute for antibiotics, is often the best
treatment for viral infections, and reduces or eliminates the need for some
surgical procedures. However, homeopathy also recommends the use of
conventional medical treatment and surgery in cases of severe infections and
serious illness. Microsoft ® Encarta
® Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003
Acupuncture
I INTRODUCTION
Acupuncture, ancient
Chinese medical procedure involving insertion and manipulation of needles at
any of more than 360 points in the human body. Applied to relieve pain during
surgery or in rheumatic conditions, and to treat many other illnesses,
acupuncture is used today in most hospitals in China and by some private
practitioners in Japan and elsewhere, including the United States.
Acupressure, a variant
in which the practitioner uses manipulation rather than penetration to
alleviate pain or other symptoms, is in widespread use in Japan and has begun to find adherents in the U.S.
II HISTORY
Acupuncture needles
dating from 4,000 years ago have been found in China
III TREATMENT
The primary use of
acupuncture in China
Chinese doctors also
treat some forms of heart disease with acupuncture. As part of an attempt to
put the practice on a more scientific basis, one Chinese study tested the
effects of acupuncture treatment on more than 600 people with chest pain caused
by reduced blood flow to the heart. Results showed that almost all the patients
greatly reduced their use of medicine and that most were able to resume work.
Other physiological conditions treated with acupuncture are ulcer, hypertension
(high blood pressure), appendicitis, and asthma.
In the United States 1998
a National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel reviewed
scientific studies of acupuncture and concluded that the technique effectively
relieves nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and surgical anesthesia.
Good evidence also suggests that acupuncture relieves nausea during pregnancy
and pain after dental surgery. Controlled studies of acupuncture for other
medical conditions have not yet produced conclusive results.
The Image Works/W. Hill,
Jr.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a
traditional Chinese medicine that stimulates specific points in the body in
order to restore a proper balance of various chemicals. This practice is used
to treat a range of conditions, including chronic pain, drug addiction,
arthritis, and mental illness.
Microsoft ® Encarta ®
Encyclopedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
How acupuncture works
remains uncertain. Both Western and Eastern scientists have shown, by producing
acupuncture analgesia in rabbits, that the effects are not simply a matter of
suggestion. After the discovery in 1975 of enkephalins and endorphins (natural
pain inhibitors in the body), some neurophysiologists suggested that the
needles may trigger the release of one or more of these substances, which
inhibit pain signals by blocking their pathway through the spinal cord. This
view is supported by both American and Chinese studies showing that placing
acupuncture needles in certain parts of the brain of dogs causes a rise in the
level of endorphins in the spinal fluid. Scientists in the U.S.
Microsoft ® Encarta ®
Encyclopaedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
THE DEBATE OVER
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
Alternative medicine is
rapidly gaining popularity in the United States Shari
Roan explores both sides of the debate over alternative medicine.
The Debate Over
Alternative Medicine
By Shari
Roan
Michael Alferez was a
robust, 28-year-old probation officer in Los
Angeles , California
Although really nothing
more than a folk remedy, bee venom therapy (also known as apitherapy) has
become increasingly popular among people with MS and arthritis. Users believe
that the venom bolsters the immune system's ability to fight these diseases.
Alferez approached his doctor, neurologist Richard Shubin of Pasadena, California,
about using bee stings to improve his health.
"He said, 'It's up
to you,'" Alferez recalled, and in 1998 Alferez began receiving a total of
about 90 bee stings in three treatment sessions per week. "With MS, you
reach a point where there is no hope. You're willing to try anything."
Shubin, meanwhile, was
more cautious. "I tell patients that bee stings can be dangerous. But
there may be some component in the bee venom that might have some effect on the
immune system." Still, he sighs, "In the field of alternative
medicine, it's very difficult to know what's on the up-and-up."
Doctors such as Shubin
probably would once have been aghast if a patient expressed interest in bee
venom therapy, and would have been unlikely to give the patient the go-ahead. But
that was before popular interest in alternative medicine exploded in the 1980s.
By the late 1990s alternative medicine had established a seemingly permanent
presence in American health care.
Nevertheless, some
conventional practitioners still vehemently oppose alternative medicine.
Critics argue that the benefits touted by alternative medicine have not been
scientifically proven and could cause serious harm in some cases. They also
note that, in sharp contrast to the years of training required to become a
mainstream health-care provider, there are few or no qualifications needed to
practice some types of alternative medicine. These concerns and others have
spawned a heated debate over whether alternative medicine, also known as
complementary medicine, should be subject to stricter laws and regulations.
A Growing Movement
The United States
The existence of the
NCCAM is a reflection of the growing national interest in alternative medicine.
The center was founded to facilitate and conduct research into alternative
medicine. Originally created in 1992 by the Congress of the United States United States
Conventional medicine
remains the first choice for treating serious illness throughout Canada , South America ,
Australia , and much of Europe , Jonas says. But 40 percent of physicians in the Netherlands
Americans are catching
up. According to the nation's leading surveyor of the alternative movement,
David M. Eisenberg of Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center
in Boston , Massachusetts 4 in 10 Americans used
alternative therapies in 1997,
a 50 percent jump from 1990. Included in the list of
alternative therapies were relaxation techniques, chiropractic treatments,
massage, commercial weight-loss programs, lifestyle diets, herbal medicine,
self-help groups, hypnosis, homeopathy, and folk remedies. Writing in the
November 1998 issue of the New England Journal
of Medicine, Eisenberg also reported that more Americans visited alternative
providers than primary care doctors in 1997, boosting alternative medicine to
an estimated $21.2 billion industry.
Eisenberg is not the
only researcher to find evidence of increasing public interest in alternative
medical treatments. According to Jonas, fully half of U.S. Washington
The alternative medicine
movement has found some of its strongest support among members of the baby boom
generation (people born in the years 1946 to 1960). One of the baby boomers'
major contributions to the emergence of alternative medicine has been the
concept that health is influenced by spirituality, emotions, personal
empowerment, and behavior. Many people have found that the philosophies behind
alternative medicine fit well with these beliefs.
As popular interest has
grown, even mainstream medical organizations have expressed interest in
alternative medicine. In November 1998 the American Medical Association (AMA)
devoted an entire issue of Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA to
studies on alternative therapies. More than half of the alternative treatments
under study were found effective.
Meanwhile, more and more
conventional physicians are seeking training in alternative medicine. As of
1999, 67 of the 127 medical schools in the United States
Why Are People Turning
to Alternative Medicine?
The onset of the human
immunodeficiency virus epidemic (HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune
deficiency syndrome, or AIDS) in the mid-1980s was one of the reasons people
began turning to alternative medicine. Conventional medicine was unable to
provide an effective treatment, leading people to seek other therapies. Public
interest in alternative medicine also grew as people realized that victory in
the fight against cancer was a long way off.
Other perceived
shortcomings of conventional medicine centered around chronic ailments. For
example, a 1998 study published in the JAMA by John Astin, a researcher at
Stanford University in California, found that the health problems for which
Americans most frequently use alternative therapies include chronic pain,
muscle strains or sprains, headaches, arthritis, and addictions.
But not everyone who
uses alternative medical procedures does so because they are dissatisfied with
the results from mainstream treatments. "Alternative health care is
becoming more widespread and popular for reasons that have nothing to do with
alternative medicine," says Michael Goldstein, a professor of public
health at the University of California , Los
Angeles
For example, many people
have expressed discontent with the health care provided by managed health-care
plans. Managed health-care companies, such as health maintenance organizations
(HMOs), often limit patients' choice of treatment options and providers to hold
down costs. Critics of this cost-cutting approach believe it depersonalizes
medical care and reduces doctors' interest in developing a relationship with
their patients.
One measure of the
increasing popularity of alternative medicine is that some managed care companies
have begun to cover alternative treatments. Most major health insurance
companies now cover at least one form of alternative therapy, often because the
alternative therapy is less expensive than the conventional treatment. A 1997
study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion by Kenneth R.
Pelletier, a researcher atStanford University , found that 30 major U.S.
Another factor behind
the rising popularity of alternative health care is that many Americans (16.3
percent of the population, or about 44.3 million people in 1998) do not have
health insurance or suffer from ailments that their insurance plan does not or
will not cover. This situation has opened the door to practitioners who tout
inexpensive, seemingly natural, ways to heal in lieu of mainstream, and more
expensive, solutions.
The Debate over
Alternative Medicine
The Hippocratic oath,
which is traditionally sworn by all physicians who enter medical practice,
calls for them to exercise their art "solely for the cure of your
patients." In adherence to this axiom, and in the interest of public
health, mainstream medical treatments are tested rigorously before being used
to treat patients. As more and more people turn to alternative medicine, they
want similar assurances that these remedies are safe and effective. The need
for such assurances has prompted a lively debate over the pros and cons of
alternative medicine as well as calls for additional research and regulation.
Most alternative
therapies that have attracted a large following in the West are either well
regulated, as in the case of acupuncture, or carry no obvious health risks, as
in the case of massage therapy. In 1997 the NIH released a report attesting to
the benefits of acupuncture for post-operative pain and for nausea from cancer
chemotherapy and pregnancy. And acupuncture is considered very safe when
sterile, disposable needles are used by a trained practitioner. Massage therapy
is also widely practiced and accepted in the United States
But the vast majority of
alternative practices remain largely unproven, and their popularity is based to
a great extent on the anecdotal experiences of patients. Several treatments
fall into this category: homeopathy; naturopathy, which combines alternative
therapies with modern diagnostic methods; aromatherapy, which uses the
medicinal properties believed to be contained in the extracts of certain
plants; and therapeutic touch, which involves manipulating the patient's
"energy flow" to promote healing.
Relative to aromatherapy
and therapeutic touch, homeopathy and naturopathy are more widely accepted. For
example, the September 1997 issue of the British medical journal Lancet
published an analysis of 89 studies on homeopathy. The analysis concluded that
some homeopathic treatments were probably effective.
Therapeutic touch and
aromatherapy are scientifically unsupported treatments. Delores Krieger, a New
York nurse, and Dora Kunz, an alternative medicine practitioner, developed
therapeutic touch in the early 1970s. Despite little scientific support for
this practice, many doctors agree that the practice is pleasant for the
patient, who may feel better afterward, perhaps due to the encounter with the
caregiver. Aromatherapy, meanwhile, is considered harmless, but experts
encourage users to be careful with some of the substances, such as clove and
cinnamon, because of the potential for allergic reactions.
The unifying similarity
between these and most other alternative medical practices is the general lack
of scientific data about their effectiveness. Thus, conventional doctors find
it particularly unfortunate when a patient opts for an unproved therapy in
place of mainstream treatments. The need for additional research was summed up
in a September 1998 editorial in the New England
Journal of Medicine: "There cannot be two kinds of medicine-conventional
and alternative. There is only medicine that has been adequately tested and
medicine that has not, medicine that works and medicine that may or may not
work." But the editorial also noted that some proponents of alternative
medicine have resisted calls for further research, believing that "the
scientific method is simply not applicable to their remedies."
One challenge facing
those who seek to test the effectiveness of alternative therapies is the
placebo effect. The placebo effect is a temporary improvement in a patient's
condition that is often attributed to the patient's belief that the treatment
is working. Many mainstream medical practitioners argue that the benefits of
some alternative therapies can often be attributed to the placebo effect.
The placebo effect can
also skew research into conventional treatments. To account for this,
conventional researchers use blind or double-blind tests when testing new
therapies. In a blind test the test subject does not know whether they are
receiving the treatment being studied or a placebo (a substitute, such as a
sugar pill). In a double-blind test neither the test subjects nor those
conducting the test know which subjects are receiving the treatment under study
and which are not. These methods eliminate the possibility of bias and help
researchers determine the true effectiveness of the treatment.
The issue of testing is
not the only problem facing the alternative medicine movement. As managed care
companies have added coverage for treatments such as acupuncture and botanical
medicine, they have been challenged to find enough credible practitioners. For
example, naturopaths are licensed only in Alaska ,
Arizona , Connecticut ,
Florida , Hawaii ,
Maine , Montana ,
New Hampshire , Oregon ,
Utah , Vermont ,
and Washington
Another long-standing
problem is the vast array of inflated claims attached to advertising for
alternative medical products. In 1997 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
examined alternative medicines and treatments advertised on the Internet. The
survey found hundreds of misleading claims for alternative health products,
most carrying "outrageous claims about the curative powers of the
products," according to one FTC attorney.
Although some states
have licensing requirements and the FTC occasionally polices alternative
remedies, consumers can do little to distinguish between legitimate and
worthless therapies and therapists. Many proponents of alternative medicine
believe this is perhaps the single biggest barrier to their movement. Medical
doctors might lose their licenses for offering unproved therapies in place of
standard care. However, no penalties are assessed against unlicensed
practitioners who offer chelation (a treatment that removes heavy metals from
the bloodstream), oxygen therapy, or any number of untested and controversial
therapies.
"They're Trying to
Take Our Vitamins Away!"
Some types of
alternative medicine have become so popular that efforts to regulate them have
met with fierce resistance. In the early 1990s, for example, an advisory panel
to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended new rules to ensure
the safety of vitamin supplements taken in doses beyond the Recommended Daily
Allowance (RDA). The panel also suggested that amino acids (an organic compound
that serves as the building blocks for proteins) be regulated in the same way
as drugs.
The resulting debate
brought Americans' desire to seek alternative means of healing and preventing
disease into sharp focus. It was also a case study in the challenges facing
efforts to regulate alternative therapies.
The panel's
recommendation aimed to close one of the most glaring loopholes in the
regulation of medicinal substances in the United States
Health risks from the
use of supplements are well documented. In 1989, for example, authorities began
removing the amino acid L-tryptophan from the market after more than 1,500
people became seriously ill with eosinophilia mylagia syndrome (EMS ), a rare blood disorder caused by impurities in the
supplement. And several heart attacks and deaths have been reported from the
use of the herb ma huang (also known as ephedra). This herb can be especially
dangerous when combined with caffeine because ma huang and caffeine are both
stimulants. When taken together, they could possibly trigger a heart attack.
Despite these
well-established risks, the panel's proposal unleashed a fury of opposition.
Consumer response was so massive-nurtured by the public relations arm of the
supplement industry-that lawmakers received more letters of protest than at any
time since the Vietnam War (1959-1975). "They're trying to take our
vitamins away!" said one outraged consumer, a 55-year-old man who had
survived cancer but had lost his 5-year-old daughter to another form of the disease.
This outpouring of
opposition sparked a bipartisan congressional effort to counter the proposal.
The effort was spearheaded by Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah
Republican whose constituents included the Utah
herb industry, and Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa
In October 1994 Congress
passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). Instead of
imposing stricter oversight, DSHEA gave supplement manufacturers wide latitude
to sell their products without the same government oversight that applies to
drugs. DSHEA defines dietary supplements as foods, although manufacturers are
limited in the health claims they can make in marketing their products. But
manufacturers are not required to prove that their products work or even
contain the amount of active ingredients listed on the labels. DSHEA also
established the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) to "explore the role
of dietary supplements in the improvement of health care."
"DSHEA was a way of
giving consumers control over their health. It was saying 'The doctor doesn't
know everything,'" says Michael H. Cohen, an associate professor of law at
Chapman University School of Law in Orange,California, and the author of
Complementary & Alternative Medicine: Legal Boundaries and Regulatory
Perspectives (1998).
Other experts decried
DSHEA. A September 1998 editorial in the New England
Journal of Medicine said that DSHEA allowed untested products to flood the
market, "subject only to the scruples of their manufacturers.… It is time
for the scientific community to stop giving alternative medicine a free
ride."
Despite calls for
stricter regulation, consumers have embraced dietary supplements, creating a
multimillion-dollar industry. According to a 1997 report by market research
firm Information Resources, Inc., herb sales in food, drug, and discount stores
rose 56 percent from 1996 to 1997, to $339 million. But the dearth of
regulations to guarantee quality products and the lack of scientific scrutiny
of their effectiveness continue to dog the industry. Because of this, the NCCAM
recommends that consumers discuss the use of supplements with their physician,
purchase products from established pharmaceutical companies, and not exceed the
recommended dosages.
Is Alternative Medicine
Here to Stay?
Despite the unevenness
within the field of alternative medicine-from therapies that scientific studies
show hold great promise to unproved and possibly harmful remedies-the future
looks bright for the continued growth of alternative medicine. The factors
shaping its evolution, including the costs of high-tech, modern medicine and
changing consumer philosophies, suggest that it is not a passing trend.
For example, a 1998
study showed that alternative medicine is most popular among people aged 25 to 49, a group that makes up
about 38 percent of the total U.S. Bellevue ,
Washington
To be sure, however,
there will be continued calls for more study of alternative remedies and
scrutiny of practitioners to separate the legitimate from the worthless.
Already some evidence indicates that alternative health businesses are doing
more self-policing to protect consumer confidence. For example, Maryland-based
Nutramax Laboratories has pledged to use only pharmaceutical-grade
manufacturing practices and to sponsor controlled clinical research to show the
safety and effectiveness of its products. And mainstream pharmaceutical
companies that have entered the herb business will not be willing to risk their
reputations by providing inferior or harmful products. The recent addition of
alternative health course work in medical schools will elevate physicians'
knowledge, enabling them to be better counselors to their patients.
Meanwhile, the battle
over the regulation of alternative remedies promises to continue. Already, a
debate is underway in Congress about the need to close loopholes and tighten
some freedoms now conferred by the DSHEA. In December 1998, for example, the
AMA voted to try to work with Congress to modify the DSHEA so that products
would undergo evaluation by the FDA for safety and effectiveness. But no one
now dares to "take away our vitamins" or deny consumers the power to
choose from a broadening array of healing practices.
About the author: Shari
Roan is a health writer for the Los
Angeles
For further reading:
Bratman, Steven. The
Alternative Medicine Sourcebook: A Realistic Evaluation of Alternative Healing
Methods. Lowell
Cassileth, Barrie R. The
Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to Alternative and
Complementary Therapies. Norton, 1998.
Cohen, Michael H.
Complementary & Alternative Medicine: Legal Boundaries and Regulatory
Perspectives. Johns
Hopkins University
Fugh-Berman, Adriane.
Alternative Medicine-What Works: A Comprehensive, Easy-to-Read Review of the
Scientific Evidence, Pro and Con. Odonian Press, 1996.
Goldberg, Burton
Goldstein, Michael S.
Alternative Health Care: Medicine, Miracle or Mirage? Temple University
Spencer, John W. and
Jacobs, Joseph J., eds. Complementary/Alternative Medicine: An Evidence-Based
Approach. Mosby-Year Book, 1999..
Source: Encarta
Yearbook, November 1999.
Microsoft ® Encarta ®
Encyclopaedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Chiropractic
I INTRODUCTION
Chiropractic, form of
health care that prevents disease and maintains a patient's health and
well-being through spinal manipulation, which involves adjusting the vertebrae
in the spinal column, without the use of drugs or surgery. Chiropractic focuses
on the relationship between the spinal column, the nervous system, the
circulatory system, and a patient's nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle
choices. The practice examines the combined effect of these factors on a
patient's overall health and the prevention of disease.
Chiropractic is based on
the theory that our nervous system is the key to maintaining homeostasis, or a
healthy balance, in our bodies. Doctors of chiropractic (DC), known as
chiropractors, believe that the body is susceptible to disease when this
balance is disrupted by misaligned vertebrae, or subluxations, and any other
joints and muscles that disturb the proper functioning of the nervous system
due to tissue injury. Chiropractors use carefully applied hand pressure in a
thrusting motion to improve vertebra or joint mobility, which in turn improves
nerve function and reduces pain. One theory suggests that chiropractic therapy
triggers the release of the body's endorphins, natural painkillers produced in
the brain. Chiropractors believe that chiropractic is most effective soon after
the patient has experienced pain and before the body deteriorates into a
chronic state of disease.
Chiropractors primarily
treat patients with conditions such as back pain, neck pain, and headaches. In
addition to spinal manipulation, chiropractors are also qualified to provide
soft tissue manipulation, such as muscle massage and ultrasound stimulation of
deep tissue; physical examinations; X rays; counseling on lifestyle and
nutritional changes; and counseling on exercises aimed at building flexibility,
strength, and overall well-being. Chiropractors refer patients to another
health care provider if the patient's condition or disease would be better
treated through other medical approaches.
Photo Researchers,
Inc./Art Stein/Science Source
Chiropractic Exam
Practitioners of
chiropractic believe that many ailments and diseases can be healed by the
manual adjustment of bone and tissue. Chiropractors offer non-surgical remedies
for back and neck pain, headaches, and other conditions. Chiropractic is also
considered a preventative health-care method.
Microsoft ® Encarta ®
Encyclopaedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
II THE PROFESSION
Nearly 80,000 licensed
chiropractors practice in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia , Puerto Rico ,
Canada United
States United
States
In the United States
The American
Chiropractic Association (ACA), located in Arlington , Virginia
III HISTORY OF
CHIROPRACTIC
Spinal manipulation has
been practiced since the beginning of recorded time. Chinese records from about
2700 BC provide one of the earliest written references to spinal manipulation.
Papyrus records kept by the Greeks and dating back to at least 1500 BC note
instructions for manipulating the legs in treating conditions of the lower
back. Records also indicate that the ancient Japanese, Indians, Egyptians,
Babylonians, Syrians, Tibetans, and Native Americans practiced soft-tissue
manipulation.
Chiropractic in the United States was first practiced more than 100
years ago by Daniel David Palmer, originally of Canada Palmer School
of Chiropractic in Davenport ,
Iowa
During its 100-year
history in the United States United States
Contributed By:
Edward L. Maurer
Microsoft ® Encarta ®
Encyclopaedia 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
BRIEF RESUME ON THE
AUTHOR
Dr. J. K. Danmbaezue,
was a fifty-five year old research scientist privately employed as an
existential family therapist with an outfit in Ihiala, at the beginning of this
unique search for HIV-AIDS ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN AFRICA where he
treated and still treats people with personality disorders, counsels
prospective bachelors and spinsters and other middle-aged adults about to wed,
administering standardised psychological tests and utilizing their results
objectively to re-direct incompatible couples.
He also has three NGOs
all Community Based Charitable organisations;
1. KENEZ HEALTH KLINIK
WORLDWIDE; an interdisciplinary
therapeutic organisation for treating individuals having medical problems
whereby a patient is seen by three consultants or professionals in the relevant
branches of medicine contemporaneously,
2. HAPPY FAMILY NETWORK
INTERNATIONAL, a multidisciplinary
family counselling and research consortium poised to find solutions to
those terminal or endemic diseases that reduce family health, success and
happiness in most homes all over the globe, and finally
3. INTEGRATIONAL
SPIRITAN MOVEMENT, an all-comers spiritual fellowship for natural scientists,
existential philosophers and rational beings of all races, climes and statuses,
which aims at the globalization of those principles he has neatly encapsulated
in THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER OF THE ANIMATOR, THE KENEZIAN CREED and his LETTER TO
ALL EDUCATIONISTS with the sole objective of institutionalising ONE ALMIGHTY
CREATOR, ONE CREATED UNIVERSE and therefore ONE HUMAN FAMILY FOR UNIVERSAL PEACE.
He is happily married to
a Business Educationist; Mrs A.N.C Mbaezue and has three nice kids. He holds a Doctor of Science degree in
Psychometrics besides being a Fellow of the African College
Dr. Jideofo
Kenechukwu Danmbaezue,
B.Phil., B.Sc., pjsc,
M.Sc., D.Sc.
The Founding Research
Scientist of Kenez Health Klinik International
& Team Leader of
HAFANI RESEARCH CONSORTIUM at
UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA TEACHING HOSPITAL, ENUGU.
I have always argued
that many people mistakenly take health to refer only to physical well being of
the individual. This totally wrong. The social and mental well being is
neglected without many realising that the duo actually produce the physical
symptoms that develop into perennial ill-health that later is termed TERMINAL
DISEASES. A good example is High Blood Pressure. Just like the philosophical
question; WHICH CAME FIRST, THE EGG OR THE HEN? It is absurd that General
Practitioners of Human Medicine forgot to emphasise to their patients that
there are certain human relationships that produce physical diseases. We need
to bring social and mental levels of health in any good definition. Dr Kenez
(1981)
No comments:
Post a Comment