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COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES FOR THE CONTEMPORARY HEALTHCARE Edited by Marcelo Saad and Roberta de Medeiros Complementary Therapies for the Contemporary Healthcare http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/3307 Edited by Marcelo Saad and Roberta de Medeiros Contributors Roberta de Medeiros, Marcelo Saad, Trisha Dunning, Vilelmine Carayanni, Anson Chui Yan Tang, Graham Wilfred Ewing, Vitor Engrácia Valenti, Luiz Carlos de Abreu, Heraldo L. Guida, Luiz Carlos M. Vanderlei, Lucas Lima Ferreira, Celso Ferreira, Maria Franco Trindade Medeiros, Luci de Senna-Valle, Regina Helena Potsch Andreata, Kalavathy Ramasamy, Zuhailah Mohd Shafawi, Vasudevan Mani, Ho Yin Wan, Abu Bakar Abdul Majeed, Bowirrat Abdalla, Mustafa Yassin, Menachem Abir, Bishara Bisharat, Zaher Armaly Published by InTech Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia Copyright © 2012 InTech All chapters are Open Access distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. After this work has been published by InTech, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any publication of which they are the author, and to make other personal use of the work. Any republication, referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify the original source. Notice Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in the published chapters. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book. Publishing Process Manager Dragana Manestar Typesetting InTech Prepress, Novi Sad Cover InTech Design Team First published October, 2012 Printed in Croatia A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com Additional hard copies can be obtained from orders@intechopen.com Complementary Therapies for the Contemporary Healthcare, Edited by Marcelo Saad and Roberta de Medeiros p. cm. ISBN 978-953-51-0801-6 Contents Preface IX Section 1 Current Scenario 1 Chapter 1 Complementary Therapies – Considerations Before Recommend, Tolerate or Proscribe Them 3 Roberta de Medeiros and Marcelo Saad Chapter 2 Integrating Complementary and Conventional Care Using Quality Use of Medicines as a Framework 17 Trisha Dunning Chapter 3 Evaluating Homeopathic Therapies for Contemporary Health Care: An Evident Priority 33 Vilelmine Carayanni Section 2 Diagnostic Resources 59 Chapter 4 Review of Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulse Diagnosis Quantification 61 Anson Chui Yan Tang Chapter 5 Does the Cognitive Top-Down Systems Biology Approach, Embodied in Virtual Scanning, Provide Us with a Theoretical Framework to Explain the Function of Most Complementary and Alternative and Most Orthodox Biomedical Techniques? 81 Graham Wilfred Ewing Chapter 6 Musical Auditory Stimulation and Cardiac Autonomic Regulation 111 Vitor Engrácia Valenti, Luiz Carlos de Abreu, Heraldo L. Guida, Luiz Carlos M. Vanderlei, Lucas Lima Ferreira and Celso Ferreira Chapter 7 Spiritual-Religious Coping – Health Services Empowering Patients’ Resources 127 Marcelo Saad and Roberta de Medeiros VI Contents Section 3 Therapeutic Resources 145 Chapter 8 Botanical Species as Traditional Therapy: A Quantitative Analisys of the Knowledge Among Ranchers in Southeastern Brazil 147 Maria Franco Trindade Medeiros, Luci de Senna-Valle and Regina Helena Potsch Andreata Chapter 9 Hypocholesterolaemic Effects of Probiotics 163 Kalavathy Ramasamy, Zuhailah Mohd Shafawi, Vasudevan Mani, Ho Yin Wan and Abu Bakar Abdul Majeed Chapter 10 Traditional and Modern Medicine Harmonizing the Two Approaches in the Treatment of Neurodegeneration (Alzheimer’s Disease – AD) 181 Bowirrat Abdalla, Mustafa Yassin, Menachem Abir, Bishara Bisharat and Zaher Armaly Chapter 11 Distant Healing by the Supposed Vital Energy – Scientific Bases 213 Marcelo Saad and Roberta de Medeiros Preface The concepts of health, illness and healing have evolved over the centuries. But it was always a concern of humanity to eliminate suffering and prevent death. The resources used for these purposes were evolving as knowledge about the nature of the diseases improved. Modern medicine achieved amazing progresses but, in recent years, many patients have expressed their dissatisfaction with the conventional healthcare because of its increasingly technical approach, morbidity by the side effects of treatment and the absence of cure for certain diseases. Complementary therapies (CTs) are practices, products or systems for health that are outside the domain of conventional medicine (also called Western or allopathic medicine), used either to treat illnesses or to promote health and well-being. Defining CTs is difficult, because the field is very broad and constantly changing. The list of what is considered CT changes continually, and therapies whose safety and effectiveness are demonstrated may become part of conventional medicine. The number of patients who question their general practitioners about CTs increases continuously. These therapies complement the conventional medicine by fulfill demands not attended by the standard approach and by diversify the conceptual chart of medicine. An approach oriented for a broader meaning of cure (physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual) should combine in a coordinated way treatments from conventional medicine and CTs for which there is some high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness. Modernly, this is achieved by the "Integrative Medicine" approach. This is aligned to the concept of patient-centered healthcare, which is the provision of what an individual needs particularly. It is a model of care that promotes patient recovery at all levels. However, there are several issues still unanswered in the field of CTs, that include: How does it work? Will it interact with conventional medical treatments already in use? What objective benefits can be expected? Do the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks? How long must the treatment last? In order to walk towards a balanced situation in the field of CTs, we need to ask and answer questions that generate useful directions. Using a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), we may risk to frame the current scenario and to X Preface project the possible future of CTs. Besides the here listed strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats, there must be many others. 1. STRENGTHS are characteristics that give to the issue an advantage. This item has to do with survival. Key questions for this issue include: What are our advantages? What other people see as our strengths? What we do exceptionally well? What valuable assets do we have? We may identify at least two major Strengths of CTs: the public preference and the ancient tradition. 1.1. Public Preference. The interest in CTs among patients is increasing worldwide. One of the main reasons is a growing trend for patients to take a more proactive approach to their own health. Patients also focus self-care to prevent diseases and improve quality of life. Also, some individuals feel some frustration with the dominant health care system. The patients expect that the health services respect and support their willing about CTs, following the model of patient-centered care. Many people are prone to pay for CTs out-of-pocket to be treated in a more holistic way. 1.2. Ancient Tradition. Many CTs have originated hundreds or thousands years ago, and have successfully survived till our days. This only fact may be viewed as a proof of value of these techniques, which deserves the due respect. The ancestral root of many CTs produces a great appeal for the ancient knowledge they save. 2. WEAKNESSES (or Limitations) are characteristics that place the issue at a disadvantage. This item has to do with maintenance. Key questions for this issue include: What do we do badly? What should we avoid? There are weak links in the chain? What could we do better? From what we are criticized? Where are we vulnerable? We may identify at least two major Weaknesses of CTs: the “mystique” language and the unpredictability of outcomes. 2.1. “Mystique” language. Communication is a weak point in CTs. The concepts of the techniques are often elaborate, transcending biophysical models and employing the principles of salutogenesis. Terms as “prana” and “chi”, among many others, don’t correlate to modern biologic concepts. This gap reinforces the skepticism among scientists. Also there are some misunderstandings, such thinking that "every natural product must be healthy", hiding the fact that, as with any medical treatment, there can be risks with some CT. 2.2. Unpredictability of Outcomes. The lack of uniformity on the patients’ responses to CTs is responsible for many reports of bad results on researches. Many CTs work well for some patients while don’t work at all for others. There may be factors determining these differences, which remain still unknown because these factors must be beyond the data obtained from randomized double-blind clinical trials. 3. OPPORTUNITIES are external chances to improve performance. This item has to do with growth. Key questions for this issue include: What are the good opportunities . COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES FOR THE CONTEMPORARY HEALTHCARE Edited by Marcelo Saad and Roberta de Medeiros Complementary Therapies. poorly Complementary Therapies for the Contemporary Healthcare 4 educated individuals [3]. This goes against the idea that using CT is a non informed