Telemedicine includes live chats on integrative medicine

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Live chats are being included as part of a University of Maryland integrative medicine initiative.

Live chat on alternative medicine:

Live chat: Alternative medicine

About 38 percent of U.S. adults and approximately 12 percent of children use some form of complementary medicine, according to a 2007 National Health Interview Survey. Ever wondered if homeopathy, osteopathy and other forms of holistic medicine would be right for you?

Join us at noon today for a live chat with Dr. Joyce Frye of the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Medicine or add questions below starting now.

Duke integrative medicine program gears up:

he Duke Integrative Medicine Program uses a model called “The Wheel of Health.” The wheel is made up of the following components: movement, exercise and rest; nutrition; personal and professional development; physical environment; relationships and communication; spirituality and mind-body connection.

A powerful question that an IHC could ask a client is, “If nothing in your life changes, what is your likely health scenario in five years? Ten years?”

This question is meant to raise consciousness; just as there are consequences to actions, there are consequences to inaction as well. We should all be aware that staying the course is one choice; exploring current behaviors, making changes and setting goals, would be another. An individual could be motivated to act by envisioning life in five or 10 years if those goals are met, or even surpassed.

Do you have a change you want to make but you're not sure how to start? Do you feel afraid to try because you've failed before? Is there something going on in your life that you think is keeping you from living your life to the fullest but feel stuck with it?

Integrative medicine touted:

Many chronic diseases now faced by Americans are preventable, and as health care dollars shrink, prevention becomes a lot more appealing to the average consumer.

Osteoporosis is one of those preventable diseases. Osteoporosis literally means "porous bones" and predicts a significantly increased risk of fracture.

Most osteoporotic fractures occur in the hip, spine and wrist. Hip and spine fractures in particular can be debilitating, and many people who fracture a hip never walk again.

Drugs can treat osteoporosis, but their effectiveness is limited and they have a lot of side effects.

The best treatment by far is prevention: regular exercise, healthy nutrition, adequate vitamin D, calcium and the like.

Recent data suggest that another way to prevent osteoporosis is to minimize the use of certain prescription medications, including meds for depression and heartburn.

Studies over the past 10 years have suggested that the main class of drugs used to treat depression, the "SSRIs," are associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis.

SSRIs include Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Celexa, and they are some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the world.

Data presented last month at the American Psychiatric Association meeting have reinforced the concern over osteoporosis. Researchers in Canada looked at the Manitoba Healthcare Database between 2000 and 2007 and found that those people who were taking SSRIs were 40 percent more likely to have osteoporosis.

The Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Research group has also reported that the risk of fractures in adults over the age of 50 who use SSRIs on a daily basis was twice as high as those who were not taking these drugs.

Scientists hypothesize that SSRIs contribute to osteoporosis by interfering with the formation of healthy bone.

While SSRIs may be a lifesaver for people with severe depression, recent data have suggested that the drugs may not be much better than a placebo pill for people with only mild to moderate depression.

Still, millions of prescriptions are written for these drugs every year. In fact, since the mid 1990s, prescriptions have almost doubled, and the amount of money spent by pharmaceutical firms to advertise these drugs has nearly quadrupled.

What can you do to treat mild depression without drugs? Cognitive therapy and exercise often work wonders, as do healthy nutrition, meditation, volunteer work and gratitude.

And what about those heartburn meds? They're also bad for your bones. This past month, the FDA posted an advisory about the increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures in people who take PPI medications, especially in high doses or for long periods of time.

Cleveland Clinic has a wellness branch:
 

The practices also are securing for the Clinic a leading position in the wellness industry — which one economist estimates could approach $1 trillion this year — and helping focus the nation on a less-costly well-care system to replace its sick-care system.

“The state of our nation is only as good as the state of our health,” Cosgrove says in an interactive invitation to wellness at the Clinic’s Web site. “The good news is that each of us can make a difference by making positive changes in our eating and exercising habits, and by making smoking a thing of the past. Together, we can make our country healthier and happier, and lower the cost of healthcare for all.”

In June 2007, the Clinic took an usual step toward institutionalizing wellness — it started a Wellness Institute and appointed the nation’s first chief wellness officer — Dr. Michael Roizen — as its chairman.

An anesthesiologist by training, Roizen also is a New York Times best-selling co-author of several “YOU” books, TV talk show regular and one of the media’s go-to authorities on wellness. He leads wellness initiatives like Shape Up & Go for the Clinic’s 40,000 employees, as well as the institute’s seven practices.

Last week, Roizen said he is working to spin out the Clinic’s first wellness businesses — a natural beauty Web site based on his YOU: Being Beautiful book with co-author Dr. Mehmet Oz and an email-based wellness coaching business. Roizen’s dream is spinning out a company that opens one disease reversal center for every five fast-food restaurants nationwide.

The centers would be based on the Wellness Institute’s Lifestyle 180 program, which runs group sessions that teach patients to manage or reverse 10 diseases — ranging from diabetes to breast cancer — with diet, exercise and stress management, as well as traditional drugs or surgeries.

At the Wellness Institute, East meets West. Acupuncturists work with classically taught chemotherapists to minimize the nausea of patients being treated for cancer. Traditional talk therapy mingles with hypnosis, art and breathe therapies to help patients overcome addictions, pain and stress.

Dr. Tom Morledge, leader of the Wellness Institute’s Prescriptive Wellness practice, might prescribe an acupressure bracelet to minimize post-surgical nausea for a patient who is having gynecologic surgery.

Integrative Medicine includes holistic medicine, acupuncture, Reiki, massage therapy, mind-body coaching and nutritional counseling. “So that means bringing alternative medicines with proven efficacy and safety into Western medicine,” said Dr. Tanya Edwards, the family physician who is medical director for the Center of Integrative Medicine.

Integrative medicine used in Haiti:

 

Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 10, 2010 -- Dr. David P. Sniezek, a medical staff consultant at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC and the medical director of the Advanced Integrative Rehabilitation and Pain Center in Foggy Bottom, spent nine days volunteering his integrative medicine skills in Haiti....

Sniezek said working with a credible relief organization, such as AWB, is crucial in a disaster zone. People that travel alone without support, knowing the language, or understanding the social infrastructure in Haiti can easily become a liability.

"For me the biggest challenge was the language and environment," said Sniezek. Fortunately, AWB provided drivers and translators which made their jobs much easier. As a result, his team was able to take their work to the countryside where there were cities of tents.

Another goal for this mission and AWB was to develop a school to provide training for this treatment method to the Haitian people.

"AWB is working with government health officials to make this dream a reality," said Sniezek. "One of the organizational challenges facing AWB is funding. AWB needs a steady flow of funds to continue their work.”

Each member for this mission was hand-picked and each assigned tasks based on skills needed for this particular disaster. "On this mission medical first aid knowledge was required and, fortunately, we were stocked with the appropriate medications and supplies,” said Sniezek.

Sniezek recalls an incident in the field when a construction worker approached him on foot with a fairly deep and lengthy laceration to his hand requesting medical attention. "We were far from any medical facility and he was bleeding through a dirty shirt that he wrapped around his hand. As far as supplies were concerned, we did not have everything that I wanted, but we had everything that I needed to clean, repair, and dress the wound," said Sniezek. "Before we leave the safe house in the morning we prepare by bringing filtered water and rations for two days in the event that we experience another disaster, such as an aftershock," says Sniezek.

Sniezek says their success was based on the support of their parent organization, AWB, and the unique set of skills and personalities of his team. "We are very proud of what we were able to accomplish here in Haiti," said Sniezek, "And we plan to stay together as a team ready to deploy when and wherever the next disaster strikes."

Sniezek's team provides impartial help to people in need without discrimination and independent of political power. "We do not expect to change the world. We work alongside people that struggle to survive violence or neglect and we constantly aim to improve the quality of care we provide," says Sniezek.

If going to a disaster zone is not an option, donations to reputable aid agencies working on the ground can be just as valuable.

About Dr. Sniezek
David P. Sniezek, DC, MD, FAAMA, FAAIM is a 1989 graduate of the Rehabilitation Medicine program at the George Washington University Medical Center, the Harvard Medical School Structural Acupuncture for Physicians program, and the UCLA School of Medicine Medical Acupuncture for Physicians program. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, a Fellow of the American Academy of Geriatric Medicine, and American Association of Integrative Medicine. Dr. Sniezek has been recognized by the Washingtonian Magazine as a “Top Doctor” in the field of Rehabilitation Medicine.

For more information you can contact Dr. Sniezek's office at 202-296-3555 or visit his website at Advanced Integrative Rehabilitation and Pain Center.

North Carolina news:

RALEIGH – The Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine (CCIM) continues its ongoing wellness presentation series by hosting “Using Integrative Medicine for Cancer Control and Treatment” on Tuesday, June 15 from 7-8:00PM.  This free presentation will be held at CCIM’s office at 4505 Fair Meadow Lane, Suite 111 in Raleigh and will be presented by CCIM Nutrition Educator and Integrative Health Coach, Mark Mead, MSc.

This 60-minute presentation will focus on the biochemistry of cancer, as well as innovative therapies and lifestyle strategies that will bolster an individual’s response to treatments and help keep cancer at bay over the long term. 

Mead will also discuss key, research-based strategies for optimizing wellness, healing, and long-range remission maintenance after a diagnosis of cancer. 

Mead has co-written and researched two books on cancer, including the Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer.  He also serves as editor for a peer-reviewed cancer journal and as a research associate for a Chicago-based cancer institute.  “Cancer, in most cases, does not present a single ‘target’ for a magic bullet,” he explains.  “Instead, it is a disease of multiple targets, all of which must be approached from multiple angles.”

Mead has been guiding people in the areas of nutrition, fitness, and natural healing for the past 25 years.  He earned his master’s degree in Nutrition from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, along with Biology and Science Education degrees from Reed College and East Carolina University, respectively. 

Seating for this presentation is limited and advanced registration is required in case of cancellation.  To reserve your seat, contact The Carolina Center at (919) 571-4391 or register via e-mail to register@carolinacenter.com
 
About The Carolina Center

The Carolina Center utilizes a combination of advanced complementary and alternative therapies, along with dietary and lifestyle modifications, to treat a wide variety of chronic illnesses and immune system dysfunctions. The primary goal is first and foremost to support the body’s ability to heal itself, while also addressing the underlying causes and changing the unique conditions that drive many diseases forward.  Along with individually tailored nutritional and botanical regimens, the Center utilizes a number of innovative approaches, including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Colon Hydrotherapy, IV Glutathione, Cellular and Bioenergetic Testing, and various strategies for Biological Detoxification to help patients with chronic exposures to heavy metals, mold, parasites, and multiple chemicals.   For more information, call (919) 571-4391 or visit www.carolinacenter.com. 

Univ. of Colorado news:

A new $26 million state-of-the-art health and wellness center will open in 2010 at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, bringing more attention to Colorado and metro Denver’s focus on health and fitness. The groundbreaking, originally scheduled for June 8, 2010, will be postponed until later this summer. The 100,000 square foot wellness center brings together into one facility the Center for Integrative Medicine, the Center for Human Nutrition, and the Center for Women’s Health Research to conduct research and deliver care. A fitness center features the newest exercise technology and equipment, including a warm water therapy pool, running/walking track, exercise areas and nearly a hundred pieces of equipment. The Health and Wellness Center will focus on alternative medicines, holistic techniques, weight management and nutritional education, complete with a demonstration kitchen.

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Our health care, business law, and alternative medicine law attorneys regularly consult and advise on telemedicine and other health care law and business legal matters involving online enterprises and emerging or established companies.  For legal advice concerning telemedicine and other health care practices, whether involving physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, life coaches, fitness consultants, or CAM providers such as acupuncturists, nutritionists and dietitians, homeopaths, naturopathic physicians, hypnotherapists, energy healers, and others, contact our health care lawyers today.

Our law firm has many successes with health care and business law clients, whose practices are transforming the business and health care landscape as we know it.

Michael H. Cohen is an attorney providing business legal advice to green entrepreneurs and companies, and health care law advice to businesses and physicians, acupuncturists, naturopaths, homeopaths and others in the holistic health, wellness, and green industries. As a founding attorney of the Global Vision Law Group, he represents businesses poised for vertical lift, whose leaders are conscious, intuitive, and committed to shaping a better world. Michael also advises medical spas and integrative medicine clinics, physicians, chiropractors, naturopathic physicians, massage therapists, energy healers, nutritionists and herbalists, dietary supplement and cosmetics companies, and businesses with bio-energy and other technologies and medical devices. Michael offers the Entrepreneur’s Legal Toolkit as a series of legal guides to businesses. The first legal e-book deals with Contract Essentials, giving legal tips every business needs to negotiate its legal agreements; the second addresses legal issues faced by multi-level marketing companies and individuals involved in multilevel marketing and direct sales; and the third one so far is a HIPAA Regulations and Privacy Manual at far less the cost than it would take for an attorney to prepare.

Michael also sponsors Being Central, a Portal for Potential, which gives access to other, pre-paid legal services. 

Read reviews of Michael’s work on the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Law Blog. And visit the Flat Rate Legal Services page for information on legal services offered at a flat rate or project fee (such as incorporation for entrepreneurs, review and drafting of business contracts, trademark, and health law services for CAM providers and others).

Michael’s clientele  through the Global Vision Law Group includes businesses not only in California, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. states, but also abroad. To speak with a lawyer about health care law issues pertaining to complementary and alternative medicine, or to consult a business lawyer about laws and legal issues for entrepreneurs and new enterprises that are seeking legal advice, contact the Global Vision Law Group today. 

 

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