We call this technique the million dollar self help technique because it so valuable in helping a number of conditions like asthma, allergies, sinuses and digestive upset. And the best part is all you really need is a golf ball.
Barbara Kunz invented this. It is truly a simple way to do self help on your hands. We use it in all our self help books.
Kevin Kunz
http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.dk.com/reflexology
Tweet me @twitter.com/kevinkunz
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Showing posts with label CAM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CAM. Show all posts
Monday, August 8, 2011
Monday, October 18, 2010
Science doesn’t always tell the whole story when it comes to reflexology
Science doesn’t always tell the whole story. Or so it seems when considering reflexology. A recent German study notes that reflexology is among CAM practices that “may not have been covered adequately” by databases “which disseminate relevant resources” to “clinicians, researchers and healthcare professionals as well as the lay public”
Translation: information about existing reflexology research is probably not available—to doctors giving information to patients; to researchers considering reflexology; to other healthcare professionals or to the general public. (See abstracts below.)
On the other hand, reflexology is making strides in the real world when consideration is given to practicality and what works. Consider guidelines for the treatment of endometriosis by the UK’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists with 12,000 members:
“The aim of this guideline is to provide clinicians with up-to-date information about the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis, based upon the best available evidence.The treatment options are examined in the light of presenting symptoms and associated infertility. … “Many women with endometriosis report that nutritional and complementary therapies such as homeopathy, reflexology, traditional Chinese medicine or herbal treatments, do improve pain symptoms. While there is no evidence from randomised controlled trials in endometriosis to support these treatments, they should not be ruled out if the woman feels that they could be beneficial to her overall pain management and/or quality of life, or work in conjunction with more traditional therapies.” “Green-top Guideline No. 24 October 2006” from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/uploaded-files/GT24InvestigationEndometriosis2006.pdf
Or a similar finding from another source:
“ This is the third Endometriosis Annual Evidence Update. The purpose of the second Evidence Update in March 2008 was to summarise and update the information contained in the guidelines produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in 2006 and the European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology (ESHRE) in 2005. … “Women may rely on complementary medicine approaches (e.g. homeopathy, reflexology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbal treatments). There is no evidence from RCTs to support the use of these therapies in endometriosis but it is generally recommended that they should not be ruled out if the woman feels that they could be beneficial to her overall pain management and/or quality of life, or work in conjunction with more traditional therapies.”:
Stephen Kennedy, Clinical Reader/Head of Department, Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Oxford, who is trustee of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation.
http://www.tripdatabase.com/doc/1034940-Is-reflexology-an-effective-intervention--A-systematic-review-of-randomised-controlled-trials
But here seems to be a bias in the system:
“A Study of Databases CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine)”
“…This overview aims at systematically retrieving and describing all databases covering the field of CAM. One of the requirements for inclusion was that the database would also have to be published in a medical journal.… “The databases AMED, CAMbase, EMBASE, and MEDLINE/PubMed were searched between December 2008 and December 2009 for publications relevant to CAM databases. The authors' specialist library was also searched for grey literature to be included.… “Conclusions: Although this overview is quite comprehensive with respect to the field of CAM, certain CAM practices such as chiropractic, massage, reflexology, meditation or yoga may not have been covered adequately. A more detailed assessment of the quality of the included databases might give additional insights into the listed resources. The creation of a personalised meta-search engine is suggested, towards which this overview could be seen as a first step.”
Boehm K, Raak C, Vollmar HC, Ostermann T., “An overview of 45 published database resources for complementary and alternative medicine.” Health Info Libr J. 2010 Jun;27(2):93-105. Center of Integrative Medicine, University of Witten/Herdecke, Gerhard-Kienle-Weg 4, 58313 Herdecke, Germany, drkatjaboehm@gmail.com PMID: 20565550 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20565550)
So are we dealing with a scientific bias about reflexology that is systemic? It seems so particularly with endometriosis. Does that mean people have to suffer until the scientists can get over this bias? Seems like it.
Kevin Kunz
Translation: information about existing reflexology research is probably not available—to doctors giving information to patients; to researchers considering reflexology; to other healthcare professionals or to the general public. (See abstracts below.)
On the other hand, reflexology is making strides in the real world when consideration is given to practicality and what works. Consider guidelines for the treatment of endometriosis by the UK’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists with 12,000 members:
“The aim of this guideline is to provide clinicians with up-to-date information about the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis, based upon the best available evidence.The treatment options are examined in the light of presenting symptoms and associated infertility. … “Many women with endometriosis report that nutritional and complementary therapies such as homeopathy, reflexology, traditional Chinese medicine or herbal treatments, do improve pain symptoms. While there is no evidence from randomised controlled trials in endometriosis to support these treatments, they should not be ruled out if the woman feels that they could be beneficial to her overall pain management and/or quality of life, or work in conjunction with more traditional therapies.” “Green-top Guideline No. 24 October 2006” from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/uploaded-files/GT24InvestigationEndometriosis2006.pdf
Or a similar finding from another source:
“ This is the third Endometriosis Annual Evidence Update. The purpose of the second Evidence Update in March 2008 was to summarise and update the information contained in the guidelines produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in 2006 and the European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology (ESHRE) in 2005. … “Women may rely on complementary medicine approaches (e.g. homeopathy, reflexology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbal treatments). There is no evidence from RCTs to support the use of these therapies in endometriosis but it is generally recommended that they should not be ruled out if the woman feels that they could be beneficial to her overall pain management and/or quality of life, or work in conjunction with more traditional therapies.”:
Stephen Kennedy, Clinical Reader/Head of Department, Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Oxford, who is trustee of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation.
http://www.tripdatabase.com/doc/1034940-Is-reflexology-an-effective-intervention--A-systematic-review-of-randomised-controlled-trials
But here seems to be a bias in the system:
“A Study of Databases CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine)”
“…This overview aims at systematically retrieving and describing all databases covering the field of CAM. One of the requirements for inclusion was that the database would also have to be published in a medical journal.… “The databases AMED, CAMbase, EMBASE, and MEDLINE/PubMed were searched between December 2008 and December 2009 for publications relevant to CAM databases. The authors' specialist library was also searched for grey literature to be included.… “Conclusions: Although this overview is quite comprehensive with respect to the field of CAM, certain CAM practices such as chiropractic, massage, reflexology, meditation or yoga may not have been covered adequately. A more detailed assessment of the quality of the included databases might give additional insights into the listed resources. The creation of a personalised meta-search engine is suggested, towards which this overview could be seen as a first step.”
Boehm K, Raak C, Vollmar HC, Ostermann T., “An overview of 45 published database resources for complementary and alternative medicine.” Health Info Libr J. 2010 Jun;27(2):93-105. Center of Integrative Medicine, University of Witten/Herdecke, Gerhard-Kienle-Weg 4, 58313 Herdecke, Germany, drkatjaboehm@gmail.com PMID: 20565550 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20565550)
So are we dealing with a scientific bias about reflexology that is systemic? It seems so particularly with endometriosis. Does that mean people have to suffer until the scientists can get over this bias? Seems like it.
Kevin Kunz
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Reflexology and the Global Health Crisis
The challenge of providing health care is an issue around the world with CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) seen as a possible form of relief for governments struggling to meet health care demands of their citizens. So, where does reflexology fit into such a discussion?
While admittedly I haven’t carefully researched the issue, I was interested in what was said about it in a survey of American medical school students. In the recent research, it is noted “Complementary and alternative medicine is receiving increased attention in light of the global health crisis and the significant role of traditional medicine in meeting public health needs in developing countries,” said study author Ryan Abbott, a researcher at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. “Integrating CAM into mainstream health care is now a global phenomenon, with policy makers at the highest levels endorsing the importance of a historically marginalized form of health care.”
Hmmm. If I were to substitute the word reflexology for “complementary and alternative medicine” or CAM, would it create accurate statements? Well…I suppose you could quibble over “developing” countries (China? Korea?). But … “historically marginalized form of health care?” I mulled it over…history…marginalized. OK, I can see that. We’re talking about the official sanctioning of an idea by the government and the health care professionals of a country.
You know what? I decided my problem was with the part: “Integrating CAM into mainstream health care is now a global phenomenon”—the word now, specifically. I state here and now, au contraire. Inject the word reflexology into these statements and what you have is not an accurate portrayal of reflexology. You cannot make such a blanket statement.
Take reflexology use in China, for example. You cannot say that integrating reflexology into mainstream health care is a phenomena in China. It is a fact established over twenty years of government and medical profession sanctioned use. And, twenty years ago they acted on years of research that established reflexology as valid.
China has a rich tradition of reflexology dating back millennia—and including ancient medical uses. In modern times, reflexology use for medical care has been under development with government encouragement for twenty years. In 1991, following years of research into reflexology by medical doctors, the Ministry of Health approved organization of the China Reflexology Association confirming the role of reflexology in “preventing and curing diseases, and preserving health.” In the intervening years it is probable that thousands of randomized controlled trials (RCT) have been conducted. Twenty years ago, it was research into constipation and reflexology. More recently it’s constipation with stroke patients and postpartum mothers. A Class One license is issued to reflexologists who practice in medicine. Patients are released from hospital stays and sent home with self or family reflexology programs to be applied. Today—now— the Chinese government has decided its million reflexologists are not enough—five million are needed and training standards need to be increased.
And guess what? It’s not just a matter of “Integrating reflexology into mainstream health care.” It’s a matter of understanding how the “traditional medicine” is utilized. Countries that have integrated reflexology into their mainstream medical systems have actually integrated uses of reflexology into society as a whole. Aside from reflexology use in medical care in China, reflexology parlors thrive with knowledgeable consumers seeking to “treat” themselves with reflexology (as opposed to expecting medical results), at home reflexology is common and senior citizens line up twice a day in parks to participate in the “fashionable fitness activity.” Chinese doctors discuss the healthy benefits of tap shek (reflexology path walking). The government has encouraged tap shek use including it in its ten year Fitness Plan and funding the building of paths in parks and sports/fitness centers.
And, don’t get me started about Korea. Their nurses undertook 59 reflexology studies from 1990 to 2007. It’s many more now. And, by the way, there are 20 reflexology paths in Seoul—some built just for children—with more scattered about the country.
So what am I saying here? Wake up Western health policy makers. Your counterparts in the Far East are a generation and more ahead of you in their successful use of reflexology to help their citizens’ health. Also, you’ll need to do more than just recognize how patients can benefit from reflexology use by medicine, more than merely making it another medical care service. You must explore and give credence to what individuals can do for their own health. Recognize what individuals themselves contribute by walking the reflexology path, applying self reflexology, and using reflexology for their families. (There are studies in all of these areas, by the way.)
Back to my main point: where does reflexology fit in for governments struggling to meet health care needs? That’s a tough one. Frankly, people are already fitting reflexology into their own health seeking habits. I guess, the best that can be said is that one day, policy makers will notice—maybe.
Barbara Kunz
While admittedly I haven’t carefully researched the issue, I was interested in what was said about it in a survey of American medical school students. In the recent research, it is noted “Complementary and alternative medicine is receiving increased attention in light of the global health crisis and the significant role of traditional medicine in meeting public health needs in developing countries,” said study author Ryan Abbott, a researcher at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. “Integrating CAM into mainstream health care is now a global phenomenon, with policy makers at the highest levels endorsing the importance of a historically marginalized form of health care.”
Hmmm. If I were to substitute the word reflexology for “complementary and alternative medicine” or CAM, would it create accurate statements? Well…I suppose you could quibble over “developing” countries (China? Korea?). But … “historically marginalized form of health care?” I mulled it over…history…marginalized. OK, I can see that. We’re talking about the official sanctioning of an idea by the government and the health care professionals of a country.
You know what? I decided my problem was with the part: “Integrating CAM into mainstream health care is now a global phenomenon”—the word now, specifically. I state here and now, au contraire. Inject the word reflexology into these statements and what you have is not an accurate portrayal of reflexology. You cannot make such a blanket statement.
Take reflexology use in China, for example. You cannot say that integrating reflexology into mainstream health care is a phenomena in China. It is a fact established over twenty years of government and medical profession sanctioned use. And, twenty years ago they acted on years of research that established reflexology as valid.
China has a rich tradition of reflexology dating back millennia—and including ancient medical uses. In modern times, reflexology use for medical care has been under development with government encouragement for twenty years. In 1991, following years of research into reflexology by medical doctors, the Ministry of Health approved organization of the China Reflexology Association confirming the role of reflexology in “preventing and curing diseases, and preserving health.” In the intervening years it is probable that thousands of randomized controlled trials (RCT) have been conducted. Twenty years ago, it was research into constipation and reflexology. More recently it’s constipation with stroke patients and postpartum mothers. A Class One license is issued to reflexologists who practice in medicine. Patients are released from hospital stays and sent home with self or family reflexology programs to be applied. Today—now— the Chinese government has decided its million reflexologists are not enough—five million are needed and training standards need to be increased.
And guess what? It’s not just a matter of “Integrating reflexology into mainstream health care.” It’s a matter of understanding how the “traditional medicine” is utilized. Countries that have integrated reflexology into their mainstream medical systems have actually integrated uses of reflexology into society as a whole. Aside from reflexology use in medical care in China, reflexology parlors thrive with knowledgeable consumers seeking to “treat” themselves with reflexology (as opposed to expecting medical results), at home reflexology is common and senior citizens line up twice a day in parks to participate in the “fashionable fitness activity.” Chinese doctors discuss the healthy benefits of tap shek (reflexology path walking). The government has encouraged tap shek use including it in its ten year Fitness Plan and funding the building of paths in parks and sports/fitness centers.
And, don’t get me started about Korea. Their nurses undertook 59 reflexology studies from 1990 to 2007. It’s many more now. And, by the way, there are 20 reflexology paths in Seoul—some built just for children—with more scattered about the country.
So what am I saying here? Wake up Western health policy makers. Your counterparts in the Far East are a generation and more ahead of you in their successful use of reflexology to help their citizens’ health. Also, you’ll need to do more than just recognize how patients can benefit from reflexology use by medicine, more than merely making it another medical care service. You must explore and give credence to what individuals can do for their own health. Recognize what individuals themselves contribute by walking the reflexology path, applying self reflexology, and using reflexology for their families. (There are studies in all of these areas, by the way.)
Back to my main point: where does reflexology fit in for governments struggling to meet health care needs? That’s a tough one. Frankly, people are already fitting reflexology into their own health seeking habits. I guess, the best that can be said is that one day, policy makers will notice—maybe.
Barbara Kunz
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Shouldn't Scientific Medicine Be More Open-Minded? - WSJ.com
"There are already over 1,000 scientific studies showing a variety of complementary and alternative medicine therapies to be valid or effective. Financial incentive is lacking for large clinical trials using ancient modalities that are not patentable or profit-engendering like a new drug."
Bhaswati Bhattacharya M.D., MPH
Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Medicine
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York
Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Medicine
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York
I thought was an interesting comment. There is a concerted effort at this point to ask why there isn't more research in CAM by the skeptics and on the other hand to attack the funding of studies on CAM.
This is all about money, isn't it? It really is quite naive of us to think that these skeptics really care about people, they are thinking in terms of profit for the medical industry. And the ones that aren't thinking of money but think they have some sort of cause are really being duped into service for Big Pharma and the medical powers that be.
I really liked a phrase I heard recently. It talked about "science by pronouncement". You don't need any facts. You simply know what is true. Isn't that being psychic?
Read the rest. There are several good responses to the bigotry of STEVE SALERNO, the Touch That Doesn't Heal
Deepak Chopra's Comments
Kevin Kunz
http://www.reflexology-research.com
http://www.dk.com/reflexology
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