Studies and Progress Notes (December 2007)

Therapeutic touch in treatment of fibromyalgia

Abstract: This pilot study tested the effectiveness of 6 therapeutic touch treatments on the experience of pain and quality of life for persons with fibromyalgia syndrome. Its findings support that subjects who received therapeutic touch had a statistically significant decrease in pain for each pretherapeutic to posttherapeutic touch treatment, as well as significant improvement in quality of life from pre-first to pre-sixth treatment. Therapeutic touch may be an effective treatment for relieving pain and improving quality of life in this specific population of persons with fibromyalgia syndrome.
Wichita State University and the Kansas Heart Hospital, Wichita, KS, USA.

Source: Denison B. Touch the pain away: new research on therapeutic touch and persons with fibromyalgia syndrome, Holistic Nursing Practice 2004 May-Jun;18(3):142-51. bdenison@sbcusa.com

IJHC – WHR Observations

Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome that may include generalized pains, fatigue, weakness, brain fog, and multiple allergy syndrome. It is good to have early evidence that spiritual healing can be helpful in fibromyalgia, supporting numerous anecdotal reports of similar benefits. Conventional medicine appears to have little to offer for this problem.

**  FUTURE RESEARCH IN WHOLISTIC HEALING * * 

The IJHC/WHR E-Zine features monthly suggestions for future research in healing.
READERS ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS FOR TOPICS TO STUDY
If your topic is chosen, you ill receive free access to the IJHC for a month, including the current issue and all back issues.
 
 
Healer healing vs self-healing

One of the theories for the efficacy of spiritual healing is that healers activate latent self-healing capacities of healees. It would be most interesting to see a study of Therapeutic Touch and WHEE (or other Energy Psychology methods), separately and in combination, for fibromyalgia and other medical problems. This might begin to tease out how much of the effects of TT are due to external energies contributed by the healer and how much these are due to self-healing by the healee.

* *  WHOLISTIC APPROACHES * * 

Doctors who are breast cancer survivors share tips

Vitamin D and exercise are recommended.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/14328391/detail.html

IJHC – WHR Observations

“Beating the statistics” means working to be among those who survive longer. There are many wholistic approaches to promote healing for cancer. Anyone who wants to pursue this path of self-healing and healer/ therapist healing can find wide varieties of resources on the Web.

There are sufficient numbers of reports of wholistic cures of cancers, multiple sclerosis and other problems - which conventional medicine considers incurable - that there is reason to hope one can find treatments outside the conventional medical establishment, as complements to conventional care.

 * *  COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES * * 

Treating PTSD in Non-Traditional Ways

“With the rise of psychological ailments among Iraq and Afghanistan War vets, military and VA hospitals have begun to rethink how they deal with this age-old scourge of war. Here is a rundown on six new methods of handling combat-related emotional trauma.”

This article suggests the following for PTSD: hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, meditation, imagery, animal assisted therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), acupuncture, virtual reality therapy, and other approaches.

Source: http://www.vfw.org/
index.cfm?fa=news.magDtl&dtl=3&mid=3832

IJHC-WHR Observations

Many complementary/ alternative approaches are now available for treatment of PTSD. EMDR has the strongest research database, but is recommended for use only in the therapist’s office because it can sometimes produce heavy emotional releases. EFT can be used for self-healing.

Another helpful therapy is WHEE: Whole Health - Easily and Effectively
AKA  Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT.
See article on WHEE for trauma and re-entry problems after being in a war zone
re-entryprotocolforde-stressing.html

More CAM reviews at
www.naturalhealthvillage.com
www.mdlinx.com/FamilyMDLinx 
www.ucalgary.ca/~camig/litsearch.html
AMSA website
www.amsa.org/humed/camresources/camnews.cfm

* * TECHNOLOGY * *

Germany warns citizens to avoid using Wi-Fi

“People should avoid using Wi-Fi wherever possible because of the risks it may pose to health, the German government has said. The same is true of cell phones and laptops…

A growing number of scientists, along with a diverse collection of technology critics, are pointing out that our bodies constantly generate electrical pulses as part of their normal functioning. They maintain that incoming radiation from modern technology may be fouling those signals…

Research has shown increases in cancers and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with exposure to low frequency electromagnetic fields.

“…when scientific studies are funded by industry, the results a lot less likely to show that EM fields are a health hazard.”

IJHC – WHR Observations

The precautionary principle recommends that unless a technology or therapy is proven to be safe, it should not be recommended. Industry works on the cost-benefits principle – not for health but for corportate profits.

It would appear that caution is warranted in exposure to the electromagnetic fields of cell phones. Austria is also following this principle where it comes to cell phone towers.

You might want to check whether your school or church have rented space for such towers on their roofs. This is becoming a common practice.

Source: http://environment.independent.co.uk/
green_living/article2944417.ece
  
For more information, visit Environmnental Health Perspectives; Microwave News; the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Other helpful sites: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12527940&dopt=Abstract

http://www.epidem.com/pt/re/epidemiology/
abstract.00001648-200411000-00003.htm;
jsessionid=BEOyWEE1KCQb9CrKSN6rn1
YJ3csNRGCJKqw0dFbAQETpl2sYcOGR!
-2051185547!-949856031!9001!-1

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2728149.stm

http://www.ehponline.org/docs/1995/103-1/forum.html

* *  ENVIRONMENT (HEALING OUR PLANET) * *

Ecolect: Creating a sustainable materials database and community

“Ecolect is a new online sustainable materials database and community created ‘to be the largest, freely accessible sustainable materials library in the world.’

The site was created to save designers time and money by answering these questions: where do I find sustainable materials, what makes them sustainable, and who else is using them and how…"

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/
ecolect_creatin.php

IJHC – WHR Observations

What would you choose when there is a choice between ecologically friendly and ecologically damaging manufacturing and products?

Excellent discussion on global water issues
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/water/
?section=collaborators&page=collaborators_stpaul## 

* *  HUMAN ECOLOGY* * 

When care is destructive

Care International says no to $46 million

“If there's one thing you don't hear of very often in the aid sector, it is relief groups turning down donations. So it's no surprise that Care International's decision to turn down $46 million of U.S. food aid has raised sparks.

Care says it will phase out by 2009 "monetised" food aid from the U.S. government. This is effectively surplus grain given by the U.S. to aid groups to ship and sell in the developing world to fund relief programmes.

Supporters say it is a legitimate and effective way of raising and transferring money. Critics say it simply distorts local markets, undercuts local farmers and -- put simply -- hurts those it is intended to help.

"The truth is that the subsidised importation from America reduces the growth in the local market," says Care worker George Odo on the group's website. "It destroys the very thing it is trying to promote."

According to Time magazine, only 22 percent of all food aid was sold rather than distributed in 2005. European countries all but phased out monetised aid in the 1990s.

The world's largest food distribution agency, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), says it stopped monetisation years ago and has no intentions to restart it.

Aid workers increasingly say the most effective way of delivering food aid is to buy as locally as possible to reduce delivery costs and support local farmers. They say the American-style system of delivering surplus food from U.S. farmers - even when it is delivered directly to beneficiaries - is simply less effective”…

Source: Reuters alternet
http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/
36072/2007/07/24-140729-1.htm

 
IJHC – WHR Observations

Many governments, including prominently the US, tie strings around their charity to other countries. It is good to see that aid agencies are confronting this practice – that often benefits the donor country and may be harmful to the recipients.

See also holiday giving – under Websites in this issue of the eZine