Web offers plenty of alternative treatments
- From: rpautrey2 <rpautrey2@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 05:33:49 -0700 (PDT)
Mon July 7, 2008
Web offers plenty of alternative treatments
By Heather Warlick
Staff Writer
Whether it's cleaning your ears with a candle or creating a vacuum to
cure a cold, the Internet offers plenty of alternative treatments for
whatever ails you.
A Web search for "alternative medicine” returns millions of hits, but
verifying how well these methods work often is difficult since anyone
can post a Web site. The term describes treatments that don't fall
into the category of traditional Western medicine.
Though many of these alternative treatments are effective or at least
not harmful, some are unproven or even harmful.
Here is a rundown of facts about some alternative practices. Some are
endorsed by doctors, and some are not.
Ear candling:
Ear candles are long, cone-shape paper and wax devices believed by
some to remove excess wax from the ears. Some people believe the
candles remove bad spirits and negative energy.
The directions for ear candling instruct users to insert the narrow
end of the cone into the ear with the head in a vertical position. The
wide end of the ear candle is then lighted which, in theory, creates a
slight vacuum effect that is thought to warm the excess earwax and
pull it out into the candle.
"I think it's something that a lot of people do, and they don't really
know what the risks are,” said Dr. Rachel Franklin, associate
professor of Family and Preventive Medicine at University of Oklahoma
College of Medicine. "People see this black gooey stuff on the inside
of the candle and go, ‘Wow, it got it all out.'”
In reality, the dark sooty residue is more likely residual wax from
the ear candle and not earwax or other in-ear impurities, Franklin
said.
Risks associated with ear candling include burns, perforation of the
eardrum and blockage of the ear canal with residual wax from the
candle.
A recent study analyzed the results of ear candling.
"In the trial, they compared people who used ear candles before and
after the candling. They found out that it did not create any suction,
it did not remove wax, and in several people, it actually caused
candle wax to drip in the ear and block it,” Franklin said.
Earwax moisturizes the ear canal. If the ear canal gets too dry, it
can cause dizziness, nausea and pain, and it can predispose the ear
for infections of the canal.
Some people do have excess earwax that can become impacted and require
treatment — approximately 10 percent of kids, 5 percent of normal
healthy adults and more than 50 percent of nursing home patients,
according to the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of
Family Physicians. And people with more body hair or oily skin than
average often have more earwax, Franklin said.
"It can be a problem if there's an impaction present, but the
misconception a lot of people have is that any wax equals dirty ears,
and that's not the truth,” Franklin said. Wax impactions often result
from "abusing Q-Tips,” she said.
"Rule of thumb: Don't stick anything into your ear farther than you
can put your pinkie in there,” she said. "Ideally, especially for
people who are mentally handicapped, disabled or for children, they
shouldn't put anything in their ears, period, because it's hard for
them to control that.”
For people who use cotton swabs to dry their ears after a shower or
swimming, Franklin recommends filling a dropper bottle with a mixture
of equal parts of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol. After showering
or swimming, you can put a few drops in your ear to dry the water. An
over-the-counter product for swimmer's ear can be used as well.
Neti pot:
Another of Oz's favorite treatments is the use of a neti pot for sinus-
cleansing nasal irrigation. Users of neti pots swear by the benefits
for sinus and allergy sufferers. The practice that originated in India
as a yogic method of cleansing the sinuses called jala neti involves
funneling noniodized salt water through one nostril, up into the sinus
cavities and out through the other nostril.
On "The Oprah Winfrey Show” last year, Oz demonstrated the neti pot's
use with an audience volunteer, identified as Amy, who suffered from
sinusitis.
"It's actually filling up those little nooks and crannies that you
have and allowing your body to evacuate that stuff so you can actually
begin to function normally,” Oz said.
Amy cautiously eyed the pot, which looks like a miniature version of
Aladdin's lamp, but at Winfrey's and Oz's encouragement, inserted the
spout into her nostril, tilted her head to the side and let the salt
water flow through her sinuses. Winfrey jokingly called the device a
"nose bidet” and, according to The New York Times, that day, "nose
bidet” became among the most popular Google search terms.
A month later, Winfrey did a follow-up interview by telephone, and Amy
said she had used the neti pot daily that month and hadn't had a sinus
headache. Since then, neti pots have become widely used and easily
purchased at local drugstores, natural food stores and online.
On www.oprah.com, Oz offers advice on using neti pots. He notes that
when washing human tissue, skin cells prefer salt water over regular
water, which he says can be irritating.
"I thought it would feel like drowning,” Amy said. "But it feels
good.”
Oz said during the taping that ear, nose and throat doctors who are
specialists in this area often recommend treating sinus and allergy
problems with the neti pot treatment over a lot of drugs "because it
mechanically cleans out the problem.”
Rolfing:
Dr. Mehmet Oz recently sang the praises of rolfing on "The Oprah
Winfrey Show,” undergoing treatment for the show's taping. After that,
the deep muscle massaging practice of rolfing went from the shadows to
the limelight instantly.
"Oprah has been a big promoter of rolfing,” said Dan Gentry, an
Oklahoma City rolfer. He has been a certified rolfer for 21 years.
Rolfing Structural Integration is the hands-on manipulation of muscles
and the fascia that surrounds them. It was developed by Ida P. Rolf 50
years ago. According to www.rolf.org, it works on the connective
tissue to release, realign and balance the whole body. Rolfing is
believed to enhance patients' posture and freedom of movement.
Since Oz's and Winfrey's endorsement of rolfing, Gentry's practice has
steadily increased, and he said he is booked solid several months out.
Gentry charges $150 per session and plans to add rolfers to meet the
demand.
Wade Penn has been seeing Gentry on and off for 14 years. His sister
in California told him about the treatment, saying it made her feel 18
again. Persuaded by her testimony, Penn sought treatment from Gentry
even though he had no drastic health problems at the time.
"You just get tensed up over the years,” Penn said. "I had my muscles
tied up in knots, and he just straightened them all out, and he makes
you walk straighter and better and lighter.”
When a patient comes to Gentry in pain, he identifies the source of
pain and devises a treatment strategy to address it. Once the patient
is comfortable, Gentry often continues treatment by beginning a 10-
step program
"What I do is I go in and lengthen those muscles, taking the pressure
off those nerves, and then I work on the muscles that are working
against one another,” he said. He has about a 98 percent success rate
with his patients and said he believes in the treatment because he
sees the benefits to his patients every day.
Penn believes, too. A few years after he began seeing Gentry, he had
to undergo major back surgery that resulted in severe nerve damage in
his right leg and foot. He said he began seeing Gentry every week when
his traditional physical therapy didn't help his pain.
"Dan's really helped the nerve problems in my leg and back, and I
don't have near the pain,” he said.
These days, Penn says he is a walking example of the benefits of
rolfing.
"I feel pretty doggone good, and for somebody that's not supposed to
be walking, I'm up running and walking. I feel great. Rolfing is just
a great thing. I'm all for it. It does wonders.”
Fire cupping and coining:
In traditional Chinese medicine and in alternative medicines found in
many other global societies, fire cupping is an accepted practice in
which people apply acupressure by creating a vacuum effect using a
heated cup. The vacuum pulls the skin upward, where it is held for the
duration of therapy. The therapy is used to relieve muscular pain and
various respiratory conditions such as the common cold, pneumonia and
bronchitis.
Cupping therapy leaves large circular welts on the skin, and Franklin
said the reasons Western doctors are concerned about the practice is
the possibility of burns and bruising. But the practice is part of a
respected and recognized therapy in other cultures.
Another such practice is called coining or cao gi. According to
altmed.creighton.edu, the practice of coining is most commonly seen in
Southeast Asia and involves rubbing heated oil on the skin, most
commonly the chest, back or shoulders, and then vigorously rubbing a
coin over the area in a linear fashion until a red mark is seen.
The Web site states that coining is believed to allow a path by which
a "bad wind” can be released from the body. This "wind” is believed to
be the cause of the patient's illness. Advocates use this method to
treat a variety of minor ailments including fever, chills, headache,
colds and cough.
Though American doctors occasionally see patients who practice
coining, it is not common in the United States. The practice concerns
doctors because of the potential for burns, bruises, renal contusions
and brain hemorrhage, Franklin said.
"It's more a point that people be aware that if they see other people
with this on their skin, they're not abusing themselves. This is part
of a respected and recognized traditional medicine in their community.
We don't have any evidence in Western medicine that it does anything,
but we don't believe it's harmful, either,” Franklin said. She also
warned that it is not a good idea to cup or coin yourself.
Other alternative practices:
There are many other alternative practices that doctors warn against
but that haven't been found to be harmful. Use of magnetic or copper
bracelets to alleviate arthritis and carpal tunnel pain is one
example. The Family and Preventive Medicine Department at University
of Oklahoma College of Medicine conducted a study in 2002 comparing
the pain-relieving effects of magnetic bracelets versus placebos and
found little or no difference in pain relief.
"That said, wearing magnets is not harmful, so it's one of those
things where the placebo effect is nevertheless an effect. If there is
no harm, then I don't criticize the practice as long as the patient
doesn't have unrealistic expectations,” said Dr. Rachel Franklin,
associate professor of family and preventive medicine at the OU
College of Medicine.
Static magnets have been used for centuries to relieve pain and to
achieve health benefits such as increased energy. Critics say magnets
have no effect on muscle tissues, bones, blood vessels or organs
because typical therapeutic magnets create such a small magnetic
field. Doctors also worry that self-treatment with magnetic therapies
could stop people from seeking treatment for an underlying medical
problem.
Also, most magnetic therapy products carry a label warning that they
may interfere with the function of pacemakers, implanted medical
devices or insulin pumps. Also, pregnant women are warned against
using magnetic therapy.
©2008 Produced by NewsOK.com
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