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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
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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
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