Twist, not shout Alternative medicine goes mainstream. By Linda Melone
Chronic pain from neck surgery for a herniated disc brought Pam Folgner to the end of her rope. Three MRIs determined her neck was "perfect," according to her doctors, but Folgner lived in constant pain. "It felt like I had a 50-lb. bag of cement on my back," Folgner says. "I couldn't shake the pain." After five years and visits to chronic pain specialists, she was faced with a choice: painkillers or Botox injections into her back (used for pain). Folgner didn't want either and, on a whim, decided to try acupuncture.
"It took a few weeks and a number of sessions, but I've been pain-free for two years and only occasionally have to go back if I do something to reinjure myself," Folgner says.
She became party to the 36% of U.S. adults who use some form of complementary and alternative medicine or CAM. (When prayer, used specifically for health reason is included in the definition of CAM, the number jumps to 62%.) In addition, recent studies published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary medicine found adults age 65 and over who use CAM include them as part of their ongoing health regimen. Moreover, approximately half of the doctors in the U.S. refer people to complementary and alternative practitioners.
"Acupuncture is no longer some practice that takes place in a dark, dirty room in the back," says Kathleen Albertson, the Mission Viejo acupuncturist who treated Folgner.
CAM defined
Although the two terms are often used interchangeably,
complementary and alternative medicine refer to different
approaches. Complementary treatments are those used
along with conventional medical treatments, such as
practicing tai chi along with anxiety medication.
Alternative approaches, on the other hand, take the
place of conventional methods, where a patient may
use a homeopath instead of a regular doctor. Nonetheless,
the popularity of both forms of treatment confirms
the extent to which Americans have turned to CAM approaches
in hopes that they would help treat and prevent disease.
Examples of CAM include healing systems like ayurveda
medicine, homeopathy and naturopathy as well as mind-body
practices like meditation, hypnosis and biofeedback.
Dietary approaches may include herbs, teas, supplements
or oils, while touch and energy therapies like Reiki
and Pranic healing work to balance and align the energy
or "chi" of the body.
Does it work?
"Effectiveness is very individual," says Albertson, "But
pain, in general, responds well to acupuncture. As
a rule of thumb, I tell people to allow one month of
treatment for every year you've had the problem. You'll
know within five to 10 treatments if you're feeling
better."
Deborah King, an intuitive healer based in Los Angeles,
uses energy medicine to "unblock certain areas of the energy field that surround the body." She admits that, while she can't promise to restore robust perfect health in her patients, "almost every client reports some improvement." A former real estate attorney and hotel developer, King left the corporate rat race for the world of unconventional medicine and now boasts a fully-booked practice. "I don't disparage Western medicine," she says. "In
fact, as I tell my clients, I consider traditional
doctors to be partners in healing."
Although many people experience profound results from
alternative therapies, conventional doctors recommend
caution. Beware when an alternative medicine practitioner
makes exaggerated claims or asks you to forgo your
conventional doctor's treatments in lieu of their unproven
therapies. So, before you drink that tea or allow anyone
to probe you with needles, consult with your regular
doctor for information about the risks and benefits
of CAM and which method would work best for you. OCM
