Taking a Second Look at Complementary Medicine

Most of us have heard of alternative medicine. We've seen it mentioned in health magazines and newsletters, or broadcast on television-anywhere from obscure cable channels to network TV. But despite all the hoopla, most Americans are still unclear about the true aspects of the alternative health movement. We seem to be unable to go beyond the too often quoted study that appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, stating that one in about every three Americans uses alternative treatments, without telling his or her doctor. What's all the secrecy about?

Though recognized as a term, many perceive alternative medicine to be a vague and unfocused field, encompassing anything from vitamins, herbs, and crystals, to magnetic fields, and energy healing. While all of these therapies may be considered "alternative" in the true sense of the word, they have perhaps overshadowed the scientific progress that has been accomplished by scientists, researchers, and physicians in the alternative and nutritional medical fields within the past several years.

Much research is being conducted on the value of nutritional and preventative medicine, giving us new insight into the body's innate healing abilities, as well as ways to build up and create natural defenses in the body. We are learning how vitamins interact with one another, and the way they interact with traditional therapies; we are examining the way the body responds to specific antioxidants and phytochemicals; we are aware of not just antibiotics, but also of the new concept of probiotics. The idea that health is more than just the absence of disease is at last emerging from the philosophical realm and making its way through the scientific world. A fundamental shift is taking place in our perception of health, and nutritional research is entering a new phase which will revolutionize medicine.

Alternative medicine owes its existence to the merging of Eastern philosophies and Western medicine. The integration of the two has allowed for a medicine that has the advantage of sophisticated state of the art technology, concentrating not only on the elimination of disease, but also on the enhancement of physical and emotional well-being. Tests have been developed within the past several years, allowing physicians to go beyond the standard detection of pathogens, and to evaluate each patient's biological blueprints.

Often, tests performed by alternative physicians search for -and detect- factors that are usually overlooked by standard tests, in particular in the area of nutrition, allergies, and antioxidant levels. Tests that are performed at the Firshein Center include:

Nutritional Status: NutraSmartSM examines nutrient levels not only in the serum, but also at the cellular level. This test detects specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies, particularly B12, which is a growing problem among vegetarians. Other common deficiencies are RBC zinc and RBC magnesium.

Environmental Allergies, Chemical Sensitivities, and Toxic Reactions: With the spring season upon us, checking for allergies is particularly important for those suffering with asthma and chronic sinus congestion. In addition, most of us are exposed to toxins in our environment, often unknowingly. Exposure can occur as easily in a factory, as it can in an office building or in your home. With over fifty thousand chemicals commonly in use, accompanied by poor ventilation and outgasing in many buildings, significant burden may be placed on the immune system. There are specific lab tests that can determine underlying problems. In addition, toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury can greatly alter normal enzymatic function. Tests of the blood, urine, and hair determine your level of exposure to various toxins.

Intestinal Permeability, and Intestinal Dysbiosis: It has been estimated that one out of ten Americans has a parasite. And with the use of antibiotics, birth control pills, and Prednisone, alterations of the bacterial flora are increasingly common. These alterations have been linked to a host of serious illnesses, such as rheumatoid conditions, secondary infections, candida, and allergies. They may also play a hidden role in estrogen related conditions such as PMS and menopause.

Hidden Food Allergies: Long underestimated, food allergies and sensitivities are now viewed as serious contributors to a number of illnesses, including asthma, chronic headaches, and intestinal problems such as colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Immune Status: Evaluation of the function of natural killer cells, and T and B cells-which act as markers for various immune-altered states. Proper immune function is essential for the prevention and treatment of disease.

The Western World While Western medicine typically focuses on a patient,s symptoms, alternative medicine concentrates on proper immune function. Instead of drawing decisive conclusions about the cause of a disease based on apparent symptoms, and prescribing a standard treatment plan, alternative physicians search to determine the underlying cause of a disease, examining each patient's unique needs, sensitivities and tendencies, and presenting them with a variety of treatment options. Most importantly, the patient is the one who makes the final decision.

Patients' Response Carol, a sixty-two-year old diabetic, recently arrived to our office, complaining of severe fatigue. Convinced that her symptoms were related to diabetes, she had long avoided nontraditional medical care. However, she was shown to have vitamin B and zinc deficiencies and allergy tests revealed sensitivities to wheat and dairy. Furthermore, her natural killer cells proved low, and her viral titers were elevated. After a thorough evaluation, she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. Intravenous vitamin therapy, and kutapressin-an immune stimulant-were administered, along with a diet that minimized her food allergies. She is now symptom-free.

Peter, a thirty-five-year old vegetarian architect, had been experiencing chronic bloating and intermittent constipation and diarrhea for nearly a year. He had been diagnosed with everything from irritable bowel syndrome, to colitis. His doctors had prescribed him prednisone-a powerful anti-inflammatory drug with long-term side effects ranging from cataracts and osteoporosis, to kidney disease and heart failure. An evaluation of his allergies, however, along with a vitamin analysis, and a check for intestinal dysbiosis revealed a positive culture for yeast, a B vitamin deficiency, and an allergy to soy. We treated his allergies and his yeast condition, and administered intravenous vitamin therapy. His illness has since been resolved.

Undoubtedly, Western medicine has accomplished incredible feats in the maintenance and preservation of human life. Thanks to persistent research, hospitals are now able to perform procedures that would not have been dreamt of just decades ago. Despite all its glory, however, Western medicine is reaching a dead-end, as increasing numbers of patients are coming to the realization that health care is not keeping up with their needs.

Fighting the symptoms of a disease, after all, can only go on for so long. Taking cortisone for your inflamed joints or intestines will help you for some time, but soon enough you'll find your immune system compromised, and your body struggling with new illnesses. Antihistamines will control your inflammation, but they will not address the root of your problem, which may be an allergy or an immune overload. Antibiotics will counteract your infection, but it will not take long before your intestinal flora goes out of balance. These are just examples, and anyone who's perused the medication aisles of the drug store knows that there is a "fix-me-up" remedy for nearly any problem. Consumers are coming to terms with the fact that the quick fix approach is just what the name implies-it is quick and short term.

To a nation obsessed with fast solutions-from TV dinners to two-week weight loss shakes-change has been slow to come by. And while researchers in Europe were already discussing the benefits of raw fruits, vegetables and herbs, America was busy promoting sugar loaded fat-free cookies and diet colas. Slowly but surely, however, the word is spreading, and viable organizations and facilities are being set up nationwide to serve and educate the public on the benefits of an alternative, comprehensive approach to health.

For more information about natural approaches to health care read The Nutraceutical Revolution, by Dr. Richard Firshein

by Dr. Richard Firshein