Quality of life, subjective well-being, and religiosity in Muslim college students

Randomized Controlled Crime: Postcolonial Sciences in Alternative Medicine Research

Notes:

• The ambiguous terrain of ‘fact-making’ in biomedical clinical research is explored by way of an investigation of the criminalization of Tibetan medicine and Tibetan medical practitioners who participate in the global pharmaceutical pursuit of new medical products. Transcultural encounters between biomedical research interests and Tibetan medical practitioners suggest the production of awkward alliances between the state, markets, and measures of medical efficacy on an uneven global playing field. Moving beyond the possibility that a postcolonial science will be inherently hybrid, this paper seeks to uncover the inequalities of such hybrid-making encounters. When ‘medical facts’ must be derived from ‘magical beliefs’ in the centres of biomedical science, the state often intervenes to criminalize practitioners of alternative medicine. But, when profits are to be made on the fact that ‘the magical’ sells in alternative medicine, the state also makes it possible to shift ownership of medical knowledge, sometimes by way of the randomized controlled trial and the pursuit of active ingredients. The possibility of relocating the label of ‘crime’ is explored in this paper by way of an inquiry into processes that enable this shift in ownership, and a relocation of what constitutes medical ‘fact’ versus ‘belief’.

Biomedical research ethics: an Islamic view, part I

Tags:

• Bioethical Issues
• Biomedical Research
• Ethics, Research
• Humans
• ISLAM

Notes:

• Most of the currently accepted western basic principles of ethics in research are consistent with the instructions of Islam. This statement may come as a surprise to some western researchers. In this article, I will discuss why Islam rejects secularization and this is not because the ethical principles embedded in Islam’s teachings are archaic and out of touch with current realities. In addition, I will point out the agreement between general broad principles of research ethics and Islamic teachings concerning life; this would show clearly that Islam has addressed the regulation of ethics in research more than 14 centuries ago.

Biomedical research ethics: an Islamic view, part II

Tags:

• Adult
• Age Factors
• Attitude
• Bioethics
• Child
• Ethics, Research
• Female
• Humans
• Informed Consent
• ISLAM
• Male
• Parental Consent
• Sex Factors
• Third-Party Consent
• Women's Rights

Notes:

• In part I of this article I discussed why Islam rejects secularization and this is not because the ethical principles embedded in Islam’s teachings are archaic and out of touch with current realities. In addition, I pointed out the agreement between general broad principles of research ethics and Islamic teachings concerning life; which showed clearly that Islam has addressed the regulation of ethics in research more than 14 centuries ago. In this part, I will address two controversial issues concerning women’s rights and age of consent for children as possible research subjects in a Muslim community.

Ethical guidelines in genetics and genomics. An Islamic perspective

Tags:

• Female
• Genetic Counseling
• Genetic Diseases, Inborn
• Genetics
• Genome, Human
• Guidelines as Topic
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Middle East
• Religion and Medicine

Notes:

• We are at a time of unprecedented increase in knowledge of rapidly changing technology. Such biotechnology especially when it involves human subjects raises complex ethical, legal, social and religious issues. A World Health Organization expert consultation concluded that “genetics advances will only be acceptable if their application is carried out ethically, with due regard to autonomy, justice, education and the beliefs and resources of each nation and community.” Public health authorities are increasingly concerned by the high rate of births with genetic disorders especially in developing countries where Muslims are a majority. Therefore, it is imperative to scrutinize the available methods of prevention and management of genetic disorders. A minimum level of cultural awareness is a necessary prerequisite for the delivery of care that is culturally sensitive, especially in Islamic countries. Islam presents a complete moral, ethical, and medical framework, it is a religion which encompasses the secular with the spiritual, the mundane with the celestial and hence forms the basis of the ethical, moral and even juridical attitudes and laws towards any problem or situation. Islamic teachings carry a great deal of instructions for health promotion and disease prevention including hereditary and genetic disorders, therefore, we will discuss how these teachings play an important role in the diagnostic, management and preventive measures including: genomic research; population genetic screening pre-marital screening, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis; assisted reproduction technology; stem cell therapy; genetic counseling and others.

Counselling about genetic disease: an Islamic perspective

Tags:

• Attitude to Health
• Confidentiality
• Consanguinity
• Genetic Counseling
• Genetic Diseases, Inborn
• Genetic Screening
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Human Rights
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Marriage
• Middle East
• Patient Advocacy
• Preimplantation Diagnosis
• Premarital Examinations
• Religion and Medicine
• Religion and Psychology
• Reproduction

Notes:

• Genetic counselling is the process by which an individual or a family obtains information about a genetic condition that may affect them, so that they can take the appropriate decisions about marriage, reproduction and health management. Islamic teaching encourages counselling and stresses that the counsellor should be considerate, compassionate and should keep the secrets of the person or family involved. He/she should not impose his/her views on the clients. Some Arab countries encourage premarital medical examination to detect carriers of common hereditary diseases such as thalassaemia. However, this is still controversial, as it infringes the human rights of individuals. Reproductive options open to carriers of hereditary diseases are outlined in this paper, such as prenatal diagnosis, adoption, donation of a sperm, ova or preembryo and preimplantation diagnosis, and their acceptability within Islam is discussed.

Aesthetic surgery and religion: Islamic law perspective

Tags:

• Arabs
• Attitude to Health
• Cultural Characteristics
• Ethics, Medical
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Reconstructive Surgical Procedures
• Religion and Medicine
• Social Justice
• Social Values
• Surgery, Plastic

Notes:

• Background: Plastic surgeons are called upon to perform aesthetic surgery on patients of every gender, race, lifestyle, and religion. Currently, it may seem natural that cosmetic surgery should be perceived as permissible, and in our modern liberal age, it seems strange to attempt justifying certain surgical acts in the light of a particular cultural or religious tradition. Yet every day, cruel realities demonstrate that although the foremost intention of any scripture or tradition has been mainly to promote religious and moral values, most religions, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, invariably affect human behavior and attitude deeply, dictating some rigid positions regarding critical health issues. Methods: A Web search was conducted, and the literature was reviewed using the Medline search tool. Results: Islamic law closely regulates and governs the life of every Muslim. Bioethical deliberation is inseparable from the religion itself, which emphasizes continuities between body and mind, between material and spiritual realms, and between ethics and jurisprudence. Conclusions: The rule in Islam is that individuals should be satisfied with the way Allah has created them. Islam welcomes, however, the practice of plastic surgery as long as it is done for the benefit of patients. Even if it clearly considers “changing the creation of Allah” as unlawful, Islamic law is ambiguous regarding cosmetic surgery. Its objection to cosmetic surgery is not absolute. It is rather an objection to exaggeration and extremism. It has been mentioned that “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty.”

Integrating Western medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine in GP surgeries and the community: a review of the two pilot schemes

Tags:

• Complementary Therapies
• England
• Family Practice
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Holistic Health
• Humans
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional
• Mental Disorders
• Pilot Projects
• Program Evaluation

Notes:

• The popularity of complementary medicine has been relentless over the past decade. Among the most popular are Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which has a long and unbroken history. This article reports on two integrated health care pilot schemes where TCM and Western medicine are merged, to varying degrees, for the benefits of patients. One of the schemes focuses on general medicine whilst the other focuses on mental health. The authors conclude that the integrated schemes have many advantages and, on the whole, are beneficial for patients. The issues involved and learning points are discussed.

Cancer--an ayurvedic perspective

Tags:

• Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
• Humans
• Medicine, Ayurvedic
• Neoplasms
• Plants, Medicinal

Notes:

• An integrated approach is needed to manage cancer using the growing body of knowledge gained through scientific developments. Thousands of herbal and traditional compounds are being screened worldwide to validate their use as anti-cancerous drugs. The science of Ayurveda is supposed to add a step on to the curative aspects of cancers that have resemblance with clinical entities of arbuda and granthi mentioned in Sushrutha samhita. Hence, an attempt is made in this review to discuss about the pathology and therapeutic management of various cancers described in Ayurveda. Review of literature on anticancer drugs of plant origin revealed identification of newer ayurvedic drugs that are not mentioned in the ancient texts. These new findings add up to ayurvedic science that has been developed through ages. In addition, details of experimental and clinical studies conducted on single and compound ayurvedic preparations for their anticancer efficacy strongly emphasize ayurvedic therapy as a scientifically driven one and not simply unconventional.

American Acupuncture and Efficacy: Meanings and Their Points of Insertion

Notes:

• By its very definition, efficacy’s meanings remain fluid, their particularities contingent on context. The change seen as significant may occur on a symbolic level or through the removal of physical symptoms. It may address conditions of a social body. Some discussions differentiate between “healing” and “curing.” Many of these meanings surface when examining what efficacy means in the practice of acupuncture in the United States. This complex phenomenon is possible largely because acupuncture draws on the qi paradigm on the one hand, allowing for the most ephemeral dimensions of experience to be included in considerations of efficacy. On the other hand, in the most material sense, acupuncture is also susceptible to being conceptualized as a device, independent of that same paradigm, allowing for the insertion of biomedical models and criteria. Pluralism within acupuncture itself intersects with, and even embodies, the medical pluralism of U.S. culture.

The psychologizing of Chinese healing practices in the United States

Tags:

• Acupuncture Therapy
• Affect
• China
• Culture
• Humans
• Language
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional
• Mental Healing
• Psychotherapy
• Religion and Psychology
• Spiritualism
• United States

Notes:

• This paper explores ways in which Chinese healing practices have undergone acculturation in the United States since the early 1970s. Reacting to what is perceived as biomedicine’s focus on the physiological, those who describe themselves as favoring a holistic orientation often use the language of “energy blockage” to explain illness, whether thought of as “physical,” “emotional,” or “spiritual.” Acupuncture in particular has been appropriated as one modality with which to “unblock” such conditions, leading to its being used by some practitioners in conjunction with more psychotherapeutic approaches which include valuing the verbalizing of feelings. Some non-Chinese practitioners in the United States, returning to older Chinese texts to develop “an American acupuncture,” are reinserting diagnoses eliminated from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by the People’s Republic of China as “superstition.” The assumption has been that many such diagnostic categories refer to psychological or spiritual conditions, and therefore may be useful in those American contexts which favor this orientation. Among these categories are those drawn from traditions of demonology in Chinese medicine. What was once a religious category in China turns psychological in the American setting. At the same time, many who use these terms have, since the late 1960s, increasingly conflated the psychological and the religious, the latter being reframed as “spiritual.” Thus, this indigenization of Chinese practices is a complex synthesis which can be described as simultaneously medical, psychotherapeutic, and religious.

Alternative mind-body therapies used by adults with medical conditions

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Anxiety Disorders
• Complementary Therapies
• Depressive Disorder
• Female
• Health Status
• Humans
• Male
• Meditation
• Middle Aged
• Psychophysiology
• Young Adult

Notes:

• Objective: Mind-body therapies (MBT) are used by 16.6% of adults in the United States. Little is known about the patterns of and reasons for use of MBT by adults with common medical conditions. Methods: We analyzed data on MBT use from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey Alternative Medicine Supplement (n=31,044). MBT included relaxation techniques (deep breathing exercises, guided imagery, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation), yoga, tai chi, and qigong. To identify medical conditions associated with use of MBT overall and of individual MBT, we used multivariable models adjusted for sociodemographic factors, insurance status, and health habits. Among users of MBT (n=5170), we assessed which medical conditions were most frequently treated with MBT, additional rationale for using MBT, and perceived helpfulness. Results: We found a positive association between MBT use and several medical conditions including various pain syndromes and anxiety/depression. Among adults using MBT to treat specific medical conditions, MBT was most commonly used for anxiety/depression and musculoskeletal pain syndromes. More than 50% of respondents used MBT in conjunction with conventional medical care, and 20% used MBT for conditions they thought conventional medicine would not help. Overall, we found high rates (68-90%) of perceived helpfulness of MBT for specific medical conditions. Discussion: MBT is commonly used by patients with prevalent medical conditions. Further research is needed to determine the reasons for widespread use of MBT for treatment of specific medical conditions and to evaluate the efficacy of MBT.

T'ai chi and qigong for health: patterns of use in the United States

Notes:

• Background: Little is known in the United States about those who practice t’ai chi and qigong, two mind-body techniques that originated in Asia. Objective: The objective of this study is to characterize use of t’ai chi and qigong for health with regard to sociodemographics, health status, medical conditions, perceptions of helpfulness, and disclosure of use to medical professionals. Methods: We analyzed associations of t’ai chi and qigong use for health using cross-sectional data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Alternative Medicine Supplement (n = 31,044). The 2002 NHIS estimated the number of t’ai chi and qigong users for health to be 2.5 and 0.5 million persons, respectively. We collapsed t’ai chi and qigong use into a single category (TCQ) for analysis, representing 2.8 million individuals. Results: We found that neither age nor sex was associated with TCQ use. TCQ users were more likely than nonusers to be Asian than white (odds ratio [OR] 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30-3.15), college educated (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.97-3.03), and less likely to live in the Midwest (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42-0.96) or the southern United States (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.36-0.72) than the West. TCQ use was associated independently with higher reports of musculoskeletal conditions (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.11-1.83), severe sprains (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.14-2.40), and asthma (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.08-2.10). Half of TCQ users also used yoga for health in the last 12 months. Most TCQ users reported their practice to be important to maintain health, but only a quarter of users disclosed their practice to a medical professional. Conclusions: In the United States, TCQ is practiced for health by a diverse population, and users report benefits for maintaining health. Further research is needed to establish efficacy and safety for target populations, including those with musculoskeletal and pulmonary disease, as well as for preventive health.

Bioethics for clinicians: 20. Chinese bioethics

Tags:

• Aged
• Attitude to Health
• Bioethics
• Canada
• China
• Confucianism
• Cultural Characteristics
• Decision Making
• Ethics, Medical
• Family Relations
• Humans
• Informed Consent
• Patient Advocacy
• Physician-Patient Relations

Notes:

• Chinese Canadians form one of the largest groups in the Canadian cultural mosaic. Many of the assumptions implicit in a Western autonomy-based approach to bioethical deliberation may not be shared by Chinese Canadians. In traditional Chinese culture, greater social and moral meaning rests in the interdependence of family and community, which overrides self-determination. Consequently, many Chinese may vest in family members the right to receive and disclose information, to make decisions and to organize patient care. Furthermore, interactions between Chinese patients and health care workers may be affected by important differences in values and goals and in the perception of the nature and meaning of illness. Acknowledging and negotiating these differences can lead to considerable improvement in communication and in the quality of care.

Cultural and spiritual meanings of childbirth. Orthodox Jewish and Mormon women

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Attitude to Health
• Canada
• Christianity
• Cultural Characteristics
• Female
• Holistic Nursing
• Humans
• Jews
• Labor, Obstetric
• Middle Aged
• Nursing Methodology Research
• Pastoral Care
• Pregnancy
• Religion and Psychology
• WOMEN

Notes:

• This descriptive, phenomenological study investigated the cultural and spiritual meanings of the childbirth experience from the personal perspectives of 30 Canadian Orthodox Jewish and 30 American Mormon women. Fewer Jewish women had childbirth education and attendance of their partners during childbirth than did Mormon women. Participants in the study, having codified belief systems, expressed the primary importance of bearing children in obedience to religious law. Birth was articulated as a bittersweet paradox, often accompanied by a sense of empowerment. Women described the importance of personal connectedness with others and with God, the importance of childbearing, and the spiritual and emotional dimensions of their childbirth experiences. Religious beliefs help women define the meaning of childbirth and may provide coping mechanisms for the intensity of giving birth. It is essential for holistic nurses to value and acknowledge the cultural and spiritual dimensions of the childbirth experience.

East meets West: integrating psychotherapy approaches for Muslim women

Tags:

• Arabs
• Attitude to Health
• Cultural Characteristics
• Emigration and Immigration
• Female
• Health Services Needs and Demand
• Holistic Health
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Middle East
• Nursing Methodology Research
• Psychotherapeutic Processes
• United States
• Women's Health
• Women's Health Services

Notes:

• Psychotherapists’ knowledge and understanding of Muslim women’s culture is essential for them to effectively treat patients. Muslim women’s culture is based on Islam, which permeates their thinking patterns, their interaction with themselves and others, and all activities of their daily lives. Western psychotherapy ineffectively treats Muslim women because its individualistic and fragmented method is contrary to the Muslim population’s holistic spiritual approach to life. This article provides a theoretical integration of Eastern and Western therapeutic concepts for Muslim women, to promote a more effective therapeutic approach for this population residing in the United States.

Religion, spirituality, health and medicine: why should Indian physicians care?

Tags:

• Attitude of Health Personnel
• Hinduism
• Humans
• India
• Physician's Role
• Religion and Medicine
• spirituality

Notes:

• Religion, spirituality, health and medicine have common roots in the conceptual framework of relationship amongst human beings, nature and God. Of late, there has been a surge in interest in understanding the interplay of religion, spirituality, health and medicine, both in popular and scientific literature. A number of published empirical studies suggest that religious involvement is associated with better outcomes in physical and mental health. Despite some methodological limitations, these studies do point towards a positive association between religious involvement and better health. When faced with disease, disability and death, many patients would like physicians to address their emotional and spiritual needs, as well. The renewed interest in the interaction of religion and spirituality with health and medicine has significant implications in the Indian context. Although religion is translated as dharma in major Indian languages, dharma and religion are etymologically different and dharma is closer to spirituality than religion as an organized institution. Religion and spirituality play important roles in the lives of millions of Indians and therefore, Indian physicians need to respectfully acknowledge religious issues and address the spiritual needs of their patients. Incorporating religion and spirituality into health and medicine may also go a long way in making the practice of medicine more holistic, ethical and compassionate. It may also offer new opportunities to learn more about Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine and have more enriched understanding and collaborative interaction between different systems of medicine. Indian physicians may also find religion and spirituality significant and fulfilling in their own lives.

Zen meditation: an integration of current evidence

Tags:

• Cognition Disorders
• Electroencephalography
• Humans
• Hypertension
• Meditation
• Relaxation Therapy
• Stress, Psychological

Ethical issues in end-of-life geriatric care: the approach of three monotheistic religions-Judaism, Catholicism, and Islam

Tags:

• Aged
• Catholicism
• Ethics, Medical
• Geriatrics
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Judaism
• Religion and Medicine
• Terminal Care

Notes:

• Ethical dilemmas pervade modern geriatric medicine. What is considered right or wrong will differ depending on, among other things, the patient’s religion. The three Abrahamic monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity (its Catholic variant), and Islam all have carefully considered positions on medical ethics. Although much is held in common, there are significant differences. The authors present three clinical cases, each of which presents ethical dilemmas typical of geriatric care, especially at the end of life. On the basis of these scenarios, the normative ethical position of each religion is compared and contrasted. It is hoped that this approach will offer the geriatrician a useful approach to treating patients in an increasingly multicultural society.

Moving Beyond Health to Flourishing: The Effects of Yoga Teacher Training

Bioethics for clinicians: 19. Hinduism and Sikhism

Tags:

• Adult
• Bioethics
• Canada
• Cultural Diversity
• Female
• Hinduism
• Humans
• India
• Male
• Physician-Patient Relations
• Religion and Medicine

Notes:

• Hindus and Sikhs constitute important minority communities in Canada. Although their cultural and religious traditions have profound differences, they both traditionally take a duty-based rather than rights-based approach to ethical decision-making. These traditions also share a belief in rebirth, a concept of karma (in which experiences in one life influence experiences in future lives), an emphasis on the value of purity, and a holistic view of the person that affirms the importance of family, culture, environment and the spiritual dimension of experience. Physicians with Hindu and Sikh patients need to be sensitive to and respectful of the diversity of their cultural and religious assumptions regarding human nature, purity, health and illness, life and death, and the status of the individual.

Medicine, Modernization, and Cultural Crisis in China and India

Tags:

• Medicine, Ayurvedic
• Medicine, Oriental

Bioethics for clinicians: 21. Islamic bioethics

Tags:

• Abortion, Induced
• Attitude to Death
• Bioethics
• Canada
• Female
• Fertilization in Vitro
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Pregnancy
• Religion and Medicine
• Tissue Donors

Notes:

• Islamic bioethics derives from a combination of principles, duties and rights, and, to a certain extent, a call to virtue. In Islam, bioethical decision-making is carried out within a framework of values derived from revelation and tradition. It is intimately linked to the broad ethical teachings of the Qur’an and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammed, and thus to the interpretation of Islamic law. In this way, Islam has the flexibility to respond to new biomedical technologies. Islamic bioethics emphasizes prevention and teaches that the patient must be treated with respect and compassion and that the physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of the illness experience be taken into account. Because Islam shares many foundational values with Judaism and Christianity, the informed Canadian physician will find Islamic bioethics quite familiar. Canadian Muslims come from varied backgrounds and have varying degrees of religious observance. Physicians need to recognize this diversity and avoid a stereotypical approach to Muslim patients.

Theories and Management of Aging: Modern and Ayurveda Perspectives

Notes:

• Aging is a complex phenomenon, a sum total of changes that occur in a living organism with the passage of time and lead to decreasing ability to survive stress, increasing functional impairment and growing probability of death. There are many theories of aging and skin remains the largest organ of the study. Skin aging is described as a consequence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The most common amongst visible signs of skin aging are wrinkles and there are various therapies including antiaging cosmeceuticals, sunscreens, chemical peeling, injectable agents, such as botox, fibrel, autologous fat grafting as also few surgical procedures have been used. Ayurveda, the Indian traditional medicine, describes aging with great details. This review provides modern and Ayurvedic perspectives on theories and management of aging.

Spirituality, psychiatry and participation: a cultural analysis

Tags:

• Attitude to Health
• Culture
• Humans
• Patient Participation
• Psychiatry
• Religion and Psychology
• spirituality

Notes:

• This article begins by asking whether religion and spirituality are useful terms for cross-cultural comparisons. After discussing the increasing distinction between religion and spirituality in Western cultures, it points out how the terms religion and spirituality are used in divergent ways in the literature and the need for conceptual clarification in this area. Broadly, spirituality relates to interconnectedness, ultimate meaning or life force itself. The current use of the term spirituality in Western cultures derives both from Christian spirituality and ‘New Age’ thinking, which often appropriates ideas from Eastern religious traditions. The sociocultural roots of this division are complex, involving both growth of individualism, the pursuit of meaning and discontent with materialism and scientific rationalism. This situation is contrasted with other monotheistic religions where there is no distinction between religion and spirituality. This turn to spirituality has influenced health care professionals’ conceptualizations of health and healing. The implications for psychiatry are discussed. I conclude that spirituality is a way of ‘being in the world’ and shares affinities with Tambiah’s notion of a participatory mode of thinking.

Yoga in Female Sexual Functions

Yoga in male sexual functioning: a noncompararive pilot study

Unconventional Medicine in the United States -- Prevalence, Costs, and Patterns of Use

Notes:

• Background: Many people use unconventional therapies for health problems, but the extent of this use and the costs are not known. We conducted a national survey to determine the prevalence, costs, and patterns of use of unconventional therapies, such as acupuncture and chiropractic. Methods: We limited the therapies studied to 16 commonly used interventions neither taught widely in U.S. medical schools nor generally available in U.S. hospitals. We completed telephone interviews with 1539 adults (response rate, 67 percent) in a national sample of adults 18 years of age or older in 1990. We asked respondents to report any serious or bothersome medical conditions and details of their use of conventional medical services; we then inquired about their use of unconventional therapy. Results: One in three respondents (34 percent) reported using at least one unconventional therapy in the past year, and a third of these saw providers for unconventional therapy. The latter group had made an average of 19 visits to such providers during the preceding year, with an average charge per visit of $27.60. The frequency of use of unconventional therapy varied somewhat among sociodemographic groups, with the highest use reported by nonblack persons from 25 to 49 years of age who had relatively more education and higher incomes. The majority used unconventional therapy for chronic, as opposed to life-threatening, medical conditions. Among those who used unconventional therapy for serious medical conditions, the vast majority (83 percent) also sought treatment for the same condition from a medical doctor; however, 72 percent of the respondents who used unconventional therapy did not inform their medical doctor that they had done so. Extrapolation to the U.S. population suggests that in 1990 Americans made an estimated 425 million visits to providers of unconventional therapy. This number exceeds the number of visits to all U.S. primary care physicians (388 million). Expenditures associated with use of unconventional therapy in 1990 amounted to approximately $13.7 billion, three quarters of which ($10.3 billion) was paid out of pocket. This figure is comparable to the $12.8 billion spent out of pocket annually for all hospitalizations in the United States. Conclusions: The frequency of use of unconventional therapy in the United States is far higher than previously reported. Medical doctors should ask about their patients’ use of unconventional therapy whenever they obtain a medical history.

Religious and spiritual issues in medical genetics

Tags:

• Genetics, Medical
• Humans
• religion

Yoga clinical research review

Tags:

• Cortisol
• Pain
• Vagal activity
• yoga

Do religious restrictions influence ectopic pregnancy management? A national qualitative study

AIDS in contemporary Islamic ethical literature

Tags:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Ethics
• Homosexuality, Male
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Sex Education
• Sexual behavior

Notes:

• AIDS has been mentioned in Islamic ethical literature since about 1985 as an illness pertaining to European and American homosexuals. Only since about 1990 has the presence of HIV/AIDS in Islamic countries cast light on the fact that the actual sexual behaviour of the population does not always conform to religious norms. The increase in the numbers of people with HIV has compelled religious leaders to take a stand on sexual practices they consider “deviant”, from prostitution to homosexuality and extramarital sex. The aim of this paper is to analyse the attitude of Muslim religious authorities towards individual sexual behaviour and AIDS. It is based mainly on contemporary legal responses that largely provide the necessary information on most of Islamic medical ethics. According to Muslim scholars, AIDS is a warning from God not to indulge in illicit conduct. As a remedy against the spread of AIDS, they encourage compliance with traditional family values and the enhancement of faith and devotion and strongly oppose sex education. They oppose promotion of condoms or any form of safe sex outside of marriage, which they perceive as promoting promiscuity and defiance of divine law. All the above-mentioned arguments are not exhaustive of the Islamic attitude towards AIDS. Some religious groups disagree with such a conservative way of conceiving the fight against AIDS as being antithetical to both men’s and women’s well-being. They support an alternative view of reproductive health and human rights within the Islamic framework and stress the great tolerance of Islam and why it must include people with HIV and AIDS.

Moving Lines and Variable Criteria: Differences/Connections between Allpathic and Alternative Medicine

Notes:

• The standard narratives of medicine recognize its origins in natural cures and in religious or spiritual discourses. The uneasy relationships of such practices (now designated as complementary or alternative medicine [CAM]) to conventional health care today can be tracked to the formation of medicine as a distinct profession based on modern science. The author accepts four statements as a framework for exploring CAM in the context of modern medicine. The first is that all versions of unconventional medicine depend for their identity on the existence of conventional medicine. The second is that the distinctions between alternative and conventional medicine are variables of time, place, and the attitudes of health care practitioners. Third, CAM today in the West occupies no sharp and distinctive category. There are instead continuums of various slopes and lengths on which types of complementary and alternative medicine are arrayed. Fourth, the turn to CAM may represent a chronic (and, to some, welcome) inclination of the human intellect to delimit the energies of material inquiries with metaphysical baselines and options.

Changes in Attitudes of Japanese Doctors toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine--Comparison of Surveys in 1999 and 2005 in Kyoto

Notes:

• We surveyed the attitudes of Japanese medical doctors toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in 1999. It is supposed that the situation concerning CAM has been changing recently. The aim of the present study is to survey the attitude of doctors toward CAM again, and to examine changes in attitude over the last 6 years. The attitudes of medical doctors belonging to the Kyoto Medical Association toward CAM were surveyed by a structured, self-administered questionnaire in 1999 and 2005. The results showed that the doctors familiar with the term ‘CAM’, practicing CAM therapies, and attending meetings or training courses related with CAM, increased significantly from 1999 to 2005. The doctors who possessed knowledge of CAM also increased significantly from 1999 to 2005. Almost all doctors believed in the effectiveness of Kampo (Japanese traditional herbal medicine) and acupuncture. The number of doctors who believed in the effectiveness of aromatherapy and ayurveda increased significantly in 2005, compared with 1999. In the near future, 58% of doctors desired to practice CAM therapies. In conclusion, the numbers of doctors who practice CAM therapies, possess CAM knowledge and desire to practice such therapies have increased over the last 6 years in Japan.

From ancient medicine to modern medicine: ayurvedic concepts of health and their role in inflammation and cancer

Tags:

• Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
• Cachexia
• Herbal Medicine
• Humans
• Inflammation
• Life Style
• Medicine, Ayurvedic
• Medicine, Traditional
• Neoplasms

Notes:

• Recent statistics indicate that the overall cancer incidence in the United States, in spite of billions of dollars spent on research each year, has not changed significantly in the last half-century. Cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, and colon, although most common in the Western world, are least common in the Eastern world. Allopathic medicine commonly practiced currently is only 100 years old. Although traditional medicine has been around for thousands of years, no integration exists between it and allopathic medicine. Ayurveda, the science of long life and one of the most ancient medical systems still practiced on the Indian subcontinent, can be used in combination with modern medicine to provide better treatment of cancer. This review focuses on the ayurvedic concept of the causes of cancer and its linkage with inflammation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. How ayurvedic medicine can be integrated with allopathic medicine is also discussed in this review.

Medical ethics and Islam: principles and practice

Tags:

• Child
• Cultural Characteristics
• Delivery of Health Care
• Ethics, Medical
• Great Britain
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Pediatrics
• Physician-Patient Relations
• Religion and Medicine

Notes:

• A minimum level of cultural awareness is a necessary prerequisite for the delivery of care that is culturally sensitive. In this paper we simplify and highlight certain key teachings in Islamic medical ethics and explore their applications. We hope that the insights gained will aid clinicians to better understand their Muslim patients and deliver care that pays due respect to their beliefs.

AIDS and Islam in America

Tags:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• African Americans
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seroprevalence
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Religion and Medicine
• Sexual behavior
• United States

Notes:

• Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States. African Americans make up the largest part of the Muslim community in America, and they are also the individuals at greatest risk for contracting HIV. With the objective of understanding the impact of religious and cultural beliefs on HIV risk behaviors, this article reviews the literature on HIV and AIDS in Muslim communities in America. While no specific data exists regarding HIV seroprevalence or the risk factors for transmission of HIV in specifically American Muslim communities, the available information is presented describing American Muslims’ attitudes and beliefs regarding HIV. Furthermore, in order to help clinicians improve the delivery of HIV preventive services to members of these communities, Islamic doctrine is described in relation to the three main risk factors for acquiring HIV: sexual activity, drug use and perinatal transmission. American Muslims make up a diverse population which have unique needs regarding prevention of HIV and AIDS. These needs must be more fully investigated and understood in order to minimize rates of HIV transmission in these rapidly growing communities.

Bioethics for clinicians: 22. Jewish bioethics

Tags:

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Bioethics
• Euthanasia, Passive
• Female
• Humans
• Judaism
• Life Support Care
• Religion and Medicine

Notes:

• Jewish bioethics in the contemporary era emerges from the traditional practice of applying principles of Jewish law (Halacha) to ethical dilemmas. The Bible (written law) and the Talmud (oral law) are the foundational texts on which such deliberations are based. Interpretation of passages in these texts attempts to identify the duties of physicians, patients and families faced with difficult health care decisions. Although Jewish law is an integral consideration of religiously observant Jews, secularized Jewish patients often welcome the wisdom of their tradition when considering treatment options. Jewish bioethics exemplifies how an ethical system based on duties may differ from the secular rights-based model prevalent in North American society.

Transplantation ethics from the Islamic point of view

Tags:

• Adult
• Brain Death
• Ethics, Medical
• Humans
• Informed Consent
• Iran
• ISLAM
• Living Donors
• Organ Transplantation
• Tissue and Organ Harvesting
• Tissue Donors

Notes:

• Organ transplantation has been transformed from an experimental procedure at Western academic centers to an increasingly common procedure in private and public hospitals throughout the world. Attendant with advancements in organ harvesting, preservation, and transplantation come moral issues. Islam is a holistic religion that takes into account social affairs of man as well as spiritual ones. Islam has a long history of ethics literature including the subgenre of medical ethics. Historical considerations are discussed as to why Muslim thinkers were late to consider contemporary medical issues such as organ donation. Islam respects life and values the needs of the living over the dead, thus allowing organ donation to be considered in certain circumstances. The sources of Islamic law are discussed in brief in order for non-Muslims to appreciate how the parameters of organ transplantation are derived. The Islamic viewpoint, both Shiite and Sunni, is examined in relation to organ donation and its various sources. The advantages and disadvantages of brain dead and cadaveric donation is reviewed with technical and ethical considerations. The Islamic concept of brain death, informed and proxy consent are also discussed. We discuss the concept of rewarded donation as a way to alleviate the current shortage of organs available for transplantation and consider secular and religious support for such a program. Suggestions are made for greater discussion and exchange of ideas between secular and religious thinkers in the Islamic world and between the Islamic world and secular Western countries.

Ethical Challenges and Opportunities at the Edge: Incorporating Spirituality and Religion Into Psychotherapy

Effect of integrated yoga practices on immune responses in examination stress - A preliminary study

Neo-Pagan patients' preferences regarding physician discussion of spirituality

Tags:

• Attitude to Health
• Data Collection
• Humans
• Patient Satisfaction
• Physician-Patient Relations
• Physician's Role
• Questionnaires
• religion
• spirituality

Muslim breast cancer survivor spirituality: coping strategy or health seeking behavior hindrance?

The Emergence of an Urban U. S. Chinese Medicine

Notes:

• Fieldwork conducted among a diverse sample of non-Asian patients of Chinese medicine in New York City during 1989 and 1990 showed that they are formulating models of health, illness, and healing based mainly upon their own bodily experience with therapy. They view the Chinese medical therapy that they receive as holistic, in contrast to the fragmentary nature of biomedicine. While some practitioners who were interviewed also spoke of personal encounters with the healing mechanisms of this non-Western form of treatment, the models of both Asians and non-Asians in this second category tended to focus upon Confucian or Taoist ideals of order and responsibility. It is hypothesized that, while certainly affected by socioeconomic and political exigencies, an urban U.S. variant of Chinese medicine may be emerging from the ground up; that is, from the consumers and therapists who are most intimately involved with the system.

Prescribing Yoga

Issues in Islamic biomedical ethics: a primer for the pediatrician

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Attitude to Death
• Bioethics
• Child
• Child Development
• Child Rearing
• Cultural Characteristics
• Female
• Human Rights
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Jurisprudence
• Male
• PARENTING
• Religion and Medicine
• United States

Notes:

• The United States is becoming increasingly pluralistic. Pediatricians must become familiar with the factors that affect the emotional, physical, and spiritual health of their patients that are outside the kin of the traditionally dominant value system. Although many articles have addressed the cultural and ethnic factors, very few have considered the impact of religion. Islam, as the largest and fastest-growing religion in the world, has adherent throughout the world, including the United States, with 50% of US Muslims being indigenous converts. Islam presents a complete moral, ethical, and medical framework that, while it sometimes concurs, at times diverges or even conflicts with the US secular ethical framework. This article introduces the pediatrician to the Islamic principles of ethics within the field of pediatric care and child-rearing. It demonstrates how these principles may impact outpatient and inpatient care. Special attention is also given to adolescent and end-of-life issues.

Social work and the house of Islam: orienting practitioners to the beliefs and values of Muslims in the United States

Tags:

• Conflict (Psychology)
• Cultural Characteristics
• Cultural Diversity
• Emigration and Immigration
• Family Relations
• Female
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Professional-Patient Relations
• September 11 Terrorist Attacks
• Social Values
• Social Work
• United States

Notes:

• Despite the media attention focused on the Islamic community after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Muslims remain one of the most misunderstood populations in the United States. Few articles have appeared in the social work literature orienting practitioners to the Islamic community, and much of the mainstream media coverage misrepresents the population.This article reviews the basic beliefs, practices, and values that commonly characterize, or inform, the House of Islam in the United States. The organizations that embody and sustain the Muslim communities that constitute the House of Islam are profiled, and areas of possible value conflicts are examined.The article concludes by offering suggestions for integrating the article’s themes into practice settings. Particular attention is given to enhancing cultural competence and to suggestions for spiritual assessment and interventions.

Traditional Hawaiian Healing Arts Enrich Conventional Medical Practices

Abortion and protection of the human fetus: religious and legal problems in Pakistan

Tags:

• Abortion, Legal
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Beginning of Human Life
• Female
• Fetus
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Legislation, Medical
• Moral Obligations
• Pakistan
• Pregnancy
• Religion and Medicine
• Young Adult

Contemporary practices in Lakota healthcare

Tags:

• Cultural Characteristics
• Delivery of Health Care
• Health Behavior
• Health promotion
• Humans
• Indians, North American
• Life Style
• Medicine, Traditional
• Patient Care Team
• Religion and Medicine
• South Dakota
• Spiritual Therapies
• United States
• United States Indian Health Service

Notes:

• Objectives This article provides strategies for health care delivery for the Oglala Lakota on the Pine Ridge reservation of South Dakota. Methods: Both authors relied on their field experience as well as health care literature for constructing this article. Stella Iron Cloud is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Conclusions: It is important to attend to the internal heterogeneity of Oglala culture, differences across Native American groups, as well as changes over time. There is a consistent importance in acknowledging the importance of family, creating good relationships built on reciprocity in effective healthcare delivery, and respecting the close interrelationship between spirituality and healing and individual self-determination. One must also address with sensitivity many factors which cause poor health on the reservation.

The patient as person in an increasingly gene-centric universe: how healthcare professionals should think about genomics and evolution

Tags:

• Biological Evolution
• Genomics
• Humans
• Physician-Patient Relations

Ayurveda and gynecological disorders

Tags:

• Female
• Genital Diseases, Female
• Humans
• Medicine, Ayurvedic
• Phytotherapy
• Plant Components
• Plant Extracts
• Plant Preparations

Notes:

• The science of life--Ayurveda is practiced in India since time immemorial. Besides being cheap and easily available Ayurvedic drugs are considered safe. Moreover, there is surge in the interest in Ayurveda due to quest of alternative medicines. Many of the gynecological disorders being not reported to the physicians, are treated with household remedies in India. The science of Ayurveda deals with these issues in a systematic manner as evident from the classification of diseases available and the number of plant drugs or the combinations thereof available for the treatment. In the present article, Ayurvedic herbal formulations and single plant drugs used traditionally in treatment of gynecological disorders are described.

A Comprehensive Review of Health Benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi

Oral hygiene and periodontal status among Terapanthi Svetambar Jain monks in India

Arterial pulse system: modern methods for traditional Indian medicine

Tags:

• Algorithms
• Arteries
• Diagnosis, Differential
• Humans
• India
• Medicine, East Asian Traditional
• Models, Cardiovascular
• Pulse

Notes:

• Ayurveda is one of the most comprehensive healing systems in the world and has classified the body system according to the theory of Tridosha to overcome ailments. Diagnosis similar to the traditional pulse-based method requires a system of clean input signals, and extensive experiments for obtaining classification features. In this paper we briefly describe our system of generating pulse waveforms and use various feature detecting methods to show that an arterial pulse contains typical physiological properties. The beat-to-beat variability is captured using a complex B-spline mother wavelet based peak detection algorithm. We also capture--to our knowledge for the first time--the self-similarity in the physiological signal, and quantifiable chaotic behavior using recurrence plot structures.

"Love your neighbor like yourself": a Jewish ethical approach to the use of pain medication with potentially dangerous side effects

The Practice of Reality Therapy from the Islamic Perspective in Malaysia and Variety of Custom in Asia.

Tags:

• HADITH (Shiites)
• LIBRARY research
• Malaysia
• REALITY therapy
• RELIGION & culture
• WOMEN with disabilities

Yoga as a complementary therapy for children and adolescents: a guide for clinicians

Herbal medicine research in Taiwan

Notes:

• Of all the countries in the world, why did you choose Taiwan to pursue your study? It is a question that I (comments of the first author) have answered a thousand times. My first visit to a laboratory at National Taiwan University opened my eyes to the possibilities of herbal medicine research, especially in the area of veterinary medicine. It became my ambition to link the knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda from the Indian subcontinent and their integration with other systems of medicine, including Western medicine (WM), to achieve the concept of Sustainable Medicine, firstly for animals and then for humans. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has implemented a technology development program to quickly establish the key technologies, and this is a moment of opportunity for Taiwan’s traditional herbal medicine industry to upgrade and transform itself. This paper, initially intended to be a student’s narration, has evolved into a multi-author treatise on the present state and likely future scenario of herbal medicine research in Taiwan.

Colostomy irrigation: an important issue for Muslim individuals

Tags:

• Adult
• Colostomy
• Fecal Incontinence
• Flatulence
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Quality of Life
• Therapeutic Irrigation

Yoga as a therapeutic intervention: a bibliometric analysis of published research studies

Tags:

• Bibliometrics
• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Humans
• Mental Disorders
• Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
• yoga

Notes:

• Although yoga is historically a spiritual discipline, it has also been used clinically as a therapeutic intervention. A bibliometric analysis on the biomedical journal literature involving research on the clinical application of yoga has revealed an increase in publication frequency over the past 3 decades with a substantial and growing use of randomized controlled trials. Types of medical conditions have included psychopathological (e.g. depression, anxiety), cardiovascular (e.g. hypertension, heart disease), respiratory (e.g. asthma), diabetes and a variety of others. A majority of this research has been conducted by Indian investigators and published in Indian journals, particularly yoga specialty journals, although recent trends indicate increasing contributions from investigators in the U.S. and England. Yoga therapy is a relatively novel and emerging clinical discipline within the broad category of mind-body medicine, whose growth is consistent with the burgeoning popularity of yoga in the West and the increasing worldwide use of alternative medicine.

Ayurvedic Interiors: Person, Space, and Episteme in Three Medical Practices

Tags:

• Medicine, Ayurvedic

Contemporary medical ethics: an overview from Iran

Tags:

• Beneficence
• Bioethical Issues
• Codes of Ethics
• Ethical Theory
• Ethics, Medical
• Hippocratic Oath
• History, 20th Century
• History, 21st Century
• Humans
• Iran
• ISLAM
• Moral Obligations
• Morals
• Personal Autonomy
• Principle-Based Ethics
• Social Justice

Notes:

• The growing potential of biomedical technologies has increasingly been associated with discussions surrounding the ethical aspects of the new technologies in different societies. Advances in genetics, stem cell research and organ transplantation are some of the medical issues that have raised important ethical and social issues. Special attention has been paid towards moral ethics in Islam and medical and religious professions in Iran have voiced the requirement for an emphasis on ethics. In the last decade, great strides have been made in biomedical ethics, especially in the field of education, research and legislation. In this article, contemporary medical ethics in Iran, and the related moral philosophy, have been reviewed in brief and we have discussed some of the activities in the field of medical ethics that have been carried out in our country within recent years. These activities have included the establishment of the National and Regional Committees for Medical Research Ethics and the production of national codes of ethics in biomedical research in the 1990 s and the introduction of a comprehensive strategic plan for medical ethics at the national level in 2002. This paper will discuss these issues, along with the production, in 2005, of the Specific National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research.

Learning activities to enhance research literacy in a CAM college curriculum

Tags:

• Acupuncture
• Biomedical Research
• Breathing Exercises
• Complementary Therapies
• Curriculum
• Education, Graduate
• Evidence-Based Medicine
• Humans
• Learning
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional
• Oregon
• Pilot Projects
• Program Evaluation
• Universities

Notes:

• As complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies become increasingly accepted healthcare options, it is of major importance for CAM institutions to enhance research literacy and an evidence-based perspective in their curricula. A research education program for students and faculty at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM), developed in collaboration with the Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing, has been supported by an R25 award from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). A key initiative of OCOM’s grant is the design of learning activities that infuse a research perspective into nonresearch courses in both the traditional Chinese medicine and biomedicine curricula. This approach was pilot-tested in course sequences chosen from each of the 3 years of the master’s degree program. Learner-centered activities included Infusing Evidence and Reflection Into Introductory Qigong Classes (Year 1: Qigong), Using Evidence to Inform Acupuncture Point Selection (Year 2: Point Actions and Indications), and Media and Research in Western Clinical Medicine (Year 3: Western Clinical Diagnosis). Among the lessons learned are the need to infuse learning activities into the curriculum in a manner that minimizes interactivity redundancy and reinforces learning, the importance for faculty to communicate to students the rationale for introducing the learning activities, and the value of creating a learning activity design template to guide faculty recognition of essential elements in design and evaluation and to provide sustainable overviews of the learning activities.

Culturally sensitive care of the Muslim patient

Tags:

• Delivery of Health Care
• Humans
• ISLAM
• religion

Notes:

• The number of Muslims in the United States is growing. This article outlines a few of the major beliefs in Islam. Religious and philosophical factors that affect health care are discussed, and practical suggestions are made for nursing actions that lead to culture care preservation, culture care accommodation, and culture care restructuring. Major topics covered include the need for cleanliness, preparation for prayer, modesty, family structure, fasting and diet, and care of the dying.

Utilizing spiritual ecograms with Native American families and children to promote cultural competence in family therapy.

Tags:

• American Indians
• children
• Cultural Competency
• Family
• Family Therapy
• Native American families
• SOCIAL skills
• SOCIOCULTURAL factors
• spiritual ecograms
• Therapists

Developing Spiritual Competency With Native Americans: Promoting Wellness Through Balance and Harmony

Detection of nighttime melatonin level in Chinese Original Quiet Sitting

A Confucian philosophy of medicine and some implications

Bioethics for clinicians: 27. Catholic bioethics

Tags:

• Adult
• Bioethics
• Canada
• Catholicism
• Clinical Medicine
• Female
• Humans

Notes:

• There is a long tradition of bioethical reasoning within the Roman Catholic faith, a tradition expressed in scripture, the writings of the Doctors of the Church, papal encyclical documents and reflections by contemporary Catholic theologians. Catholic bioethics is concerned with a broad range of issues, including social justice and the right to health care, the duty to preserve life and the limits of that duty, the ethics of human reproduction and end-of-life decisions. Fundamental to Catholic bioethics is a belief in the sanctity of life and a metaphysical conception of the person as a composite of body and soul. Although there is considerable consensus among Catholic thinkers, differences in philosophical approach have given rise to some diversity of opinion with respect to specific issues. Given the influential history of Catholic reflection on ethical matters, the number of people in Canada who profess to be Catholic, and the continuing presence of Catholic health care institutions, it is helpful for clinicians to be familiar with the central tenets of this tradition while respecting the differing perspectives of patients who identify themselves as Catholic.

Health and Spirituality as Contemporary Concerns

Notes:

• One theme of particular importance in contemporary U. S. religion and quasi-religion is health and healing. Groups as diverse as Pentecostal Christians and New Age groups, women’s spirituality groups and New Thought churches are promoting non-medical approaches to health and healing. Indeed, to many contemporary Americans, health and healing appear to be salient metaphors for salvation and holiness. Religious and quasi-religious attention to health is adamantly holistic in the belief that spiritual, emotional, social, and physical aspects of well-being are fundamentally interconnected. To understand the significance of this widespread focus on health and healing, we need to look beyond the religious groups themselves and appreciate some twentieth-century structural and cultural changes in the meanings of the body, the self, and the nature of well-being.

Caring for the Islamic patient

Tags:

• Adult
• Attitude to Death
• Attitude to Health
• Female
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Perioperative Nursing
• Religion and Medicine
• Transcultural Nursing
• United States

Notes:

• The delivery of culturally sensitive care by perioperative nurses is an essential element of patient advocacy. To provide culturally astute care, nurses must familiarize themselves with the world’s religious and ethnic groups. Islam is a worldwide religion and, like all religions, is practiced along a spectrum ranging from very conservative and traditional practices to the more liberal and contemporary ones. A person may accept some, all, or none, of the principles discussed in this manuscript. Additionally, the patient’s country of origin plays an integral role in the planning of culturally competent care.

Caring for patients of diverse religious traditions: Islam, a way of life for Muslims

Tags:

• Arabs
• Attitude to Death
• Attitude to Health
• Community Health Nursing
• Cultural Diversity
• Empathy
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Home Care Services
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Nurse-Patient Relations
• Social Values
• Transcultural Nursing

Notes:

• You have been a nurse for many years, yet you have never cared for a patient who practices Islam until now. You are assigned to a Muslim family for a home visit. What aspects about Muslim beliefs and way of life might be helpful to know before your visit?

Healthcare and disease management in Ayurveda

Tags:

• Delivery of Health Care, Integrated
• Humans
• Medicine, Ayurvedic
• United States

Notes:

• Because the disharmony of mental doshas (satogun, rajogun, and tamogun) and body doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha) are the major cause of illness, the goal of illness management in Ayurveda is to bring back harmony among the doshas. The management includes clinical examination, diagnosis, and dietary and lifestyle interventions and treatment. The clinical examination consists of Astha Sthana Pariksha (8-point diagnosis: pulse-diagnosis, urine, stool, tongue, voice and body sound, eye, skin, and total body appearance examinations) and examination of the digestive system and the patient’s physical strength. The treatment consists of cleansing (Panchkarma), palliation (improve digestion, remove toxic waste, fasting, observe thirst, exercise, sunbathing, and meditation), mental nurturing, and spiritual healing depending on the disturbed doshas and the patient’s constitution. The preferred use of bhasms and herbal formulas over the respective metallic salts or the single herbs is discussed. This review suggests a great potential for integration of Ayurvedic therapies into the healthcare system in the United States.

Foundations for a Psychotherapy of Virtue: An Integrated Catholic Perspective.

Tags:

• Anthropology
• CATHOLICS
• Christians
• MENTAL illness -- Treatment
• Psychiatry
• Psychotherapy
• spirituality
• THERAPEUTICS
• virtue

Rationality and religion in the public debate on embryo stem cell research and prenatal diagnostics

Tags:

• Bioethics
• Biomedical Research
• Embryo Research
• Ethics, Medical
• Humans
• Preimplantation Diagnosis
• Prenatal Diagnosis
• PUBLIC opinion
• Religion and Medicine

Medical ethics and the Islamic tradition

Tags:

• Cultural Diversity
• Ethics, Medical
• History, Medieval
• History, Modern 1601-
• Internationality
• ISLAM
• Medicine, Arabic
• Moral Obligations
• Morals
• Religion and Medicine
• Social Values
• Theology
• Virtues

Notes:

• After tracing the main features of the foundational ethical perspectives and their relationship to the rise of medical practice in early Islam, the paper focuses on the development of the moral concept of adab. This concept served as an important tool in defining and shaping an ethical tradition based on the integration of the Hippocratic tradition into Muslim medicine and its underlying moral values. The existence of plural therapeutic systems and their moral and theological sources are also noted and an attempt is made to show how all of these diverse modes co-existed through most of the pre-modern history of medicine among Muslims. The paper ends by outlining the impact the European colonial and cultural encounter with the World of Islam had, in creating a duality in medical practice, education and institutions, thus limiting sustained and meaningful discourse between modern medical science and the ethical values of Islam.

Integrating modern dermatology and Ayurveda in the treatment of vitiligo and lymphedema in India

The measurement of body-mind-spirit well-being toward multidimensionality and transcultural applicability

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Asian Continental Ancestry Group
• Attitude to Health
• China
• Cross-Cultural Comparison
• Female
• Holistic Health
• Hong Kong
• Humans
• Male
• mental health
• Middle Aged
• Mind-Body Relations (Metaphysics)
• Personal Satisfaction
• Personality Inventory
• Reproducibility of Results
• Social Work
• spirituality
• Stress, Psychological

Notes:

• The Body-Mind-Spirit model of health promotion (Chan, Ho & Chow, 2002) guided the construction of a multidimensional inventory for assessing holistic health. Named Body-Mind-Spirit Well-Being Inventory (BMSWBI), it comprises four scales: Physical Distress, Daily Functioning, Affect, and Spirituality (differentiated from religiosity and conceived as ecumenical). Respondents (674 Chinese adults from Hong Kong) completed the BMSWBI via the Internet. Results indicate that all four scales have high reliability, with alpha coefficients ranging from .87 to .92, and concurrent validity. Factor analysis indicates that (a) positive and negative affect form two distinct factors; and (b) spirituality comprises three distinct aspects, tranquility, resistance to disorientation, and resilience. Spirituality is positively associated with mental well-being, positive affect, satisfaction with life, and hope; but negatively associated with negative affect and perceived stress. These results suggest that the inventory may be used to assess different dimensions of health satisfactorily.

Religious Orientation, Personality, and Attitudes About Human Stem Cell Research.

Tags:

• ATTITUDE (Psychology) -- Research
• PERSONALITY -- Religious aspects
• PSYCHOLOGY -- Research
• STEM cells -- Moral & ethical aspects
• STEM cells -- Research -- Religious aspects

The three main monotheistic religions and GM food technology: an overview of perspectives

Metaphysical and value underpinnings of traditional medicine in West Africa

The Effect of Add-On Yogic Prana Energization Technique (YPET) on Healing of Fresh Fractures: A Randomized Control Study

Islamic medical ethics: a primer

Tags:

• Ethics, Medical
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Literature
• Morals
• Physician's Role

Notes:

• Modern medical practice is becoming increasingly pluralistic and diverse. Hence, cultural competency and awareness are given more focus in physician training seminars and within medical school curricula. A renewed interest in describing the varied ethical constructs of specific populations has taken place within medical literature. This paper aims to provide an overview of Islamic Medical Ethics. Beginning with a definition of Islamic Medical Ethics, the reader will be introduced to the scope of Islamic Medical Ethics literature, from that aimed at developing moral character to writings grounded in Islamic law. In the latter form, there is an attempt to derive an Islamic perspective on bioethical issues such as abortion, gender relations within the patient-doctor relationship, end-of-life care and euthanasia. It is hoped that the insights gained will aid both clinicians and ethicists to better understand the Islamic paradigm of medical ethics and thereby positively affect patient care.

The perceived role of Islam in immigrant Muslim medical practice within the USA: an exploratory qualitative study

Tags:

• Adult
• Cultural Characteristics
• Emigrants and Immigrants
• Female
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Physicians
• Pilot Projects
• Professional Practice
• Qualitative Research
• Religion and Medicine
• United States

Notes:

• Background: Islam and Muslims are underrepresented in the medical literature and the influence of physician’s cultural beliefs and religious values upon the clinical encounter has been understudied. Objective: To elicit the perceived influence of Islam upon the practice patterns of immigrant Muslim physicians in the USA. Design: Ten face-to-face, in-depth, semistructured interviews with Muslim physicians from various backgrounds and specialties trained outside the USA and practising within the the country. Data were analysed according to the conventions of qualitative research using a modified grounded-theory approach. Results: There were a variety of views on the role of Islam in medical practice. Several themes emerged from our interviews: (1) a trend to view Islam as enhancing virtuous professional behaviour; (2) the perception of Islam as influencing the scope of medical practice through setting boundaries on career choices, defining acceptable medical procedures and shaping social interactions with physician peers; (3) a perceived need for Islamic religious experts within Islamic medical ethical deliberation. Limitations: This is a pilot study intended to yield themes and hypotheses for further investigation and is not meant to fully characterise Muslim physicians at large. Conclusions: Immigrant Muslim physicians practising within the USA perceive Islam to play a variable role within their clinical practice, from influencing interpersonal relations and character development to affecting specialty choice and procedures performed. Areas of ethical challenges identified include catering to populations with lifestyles at odds with Islamic teachings, end-of-life care and maintaining a faith identity within the culture of medicine. Further study of the interplay between Islam and Muslim medical practice and the manner and degree to which Islamic values and law inform ethical decision-making is needed.

Traditional medicine-inspired approaches to drug discovery: can Ayurveda show the way forward?

Tags:

• Medicine, Ayurvedic

Notes:

• Drug discovery strategies based on natural products and traditional medicines are re-emerging as attractive options. We suggest that drug discovery and development need not always be confined to new molecular entities. Rationally designed, carefully standardized, synergistic traditional herbal formulations and botanical drug products with robust scientific evidence can also be alternatives. A reverse pharmacology approach, inspired by traditional medicine and Ayurveda, can offer a smart strategy for new drug candidates to facilitate discovery process and also for the development of rational synergistic botanical formulations.

Bioethics for clinicians: 28. Protestant bioethics

Tags:

• Bioethics
• Christianity
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Humans
• Physician-Patient Relations
• Religion and Medicine

Notes:

• “Protestant” is a term applied to many different Christian denominations, with a wide range of beliefs, who trace their common origin to the Reformation of the 16th century. Protestant ideas have profoundly influenced modern bioethics, and most Protestants would see mainstream bioethics as compatible with their personal beliefs. This makes it difficult to define a uniquely Protestant approach to bioethics. In this article we provide an overview of common Protestant beliefs and highlight concepts that have emerged from Protestant denominations that are particularly relevant to bioethics. These include the sovereignty of God, the value of autonomy and the idea of medicine as a calling as well as a profession. Most Canadian physicians will find that they share certain values and beliefs with the majority of their Protestant patients. Physicians should be particularly sensitive to their Protestant patients’ beliefs when dealing with end-of-life issues, concerns about consent and refusal of care, and beginning-of-life issues such as abortion, genetic testing and the use of assisted reproductive technologies. Physicians should also recognize that members of certain Protestant groups and denominations may have unique wishes concerning treatment. Understanding how to elicit these wishes and respond appropriately will allow physicians to enhance patient care and minimize conflict.

Psychiatry and Islam

Tags:

• Australia
• Cross-Cultural Comparison
• Cultural Characteristics
• Forensic Psychiatry
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Physician's Role
• Psychiatry
• Religion and Psychology
• Social Values

Notes:

• Objective: To explore psychiatry in Islam, with a view to informing Western psychiatrists working with Islamic patients, and Islamic medical students studying in Western countries. Methods: The first necessary step was to acquire some understanding of Islam, Sharia and Sharia law, as the basis on which the available psychiatric literature was considered. Standard textbooks on Islam and English-language papers in the psychiatric literature were examined. Discussions with knowledgeable Muslim people were conducted. Results: Islam shares roots with the other Abrahamic, monotheistic religions: Judaism and Christianity. A central issues is unity: the unity of God, unity with God and unity within the Islamic community. Islam is more than a religion, because it informs all aspects of behaviour and has been described as ‘a comprehensive way of life’. Individualism is less important than the welfare of the community. The Sharia is a list of rules and regulations derived from authentic sources. Psychiatric services in Islam, according to Western standards, are somewhat limited. This issue is being addressed through epidemiological studies, provision of new services and policy development. Although mental health legislation is not universal, forensic psychiatry has a role, in many ways similar to that in the West. Conclusion: Islam is based on unity and core values of compassion, justice and benevolence. Islamic psychiatry has a proud early history, and advances are occurring. There is an opportunity for the profession of psychiatry to bridge religious, ethnic and cultural boundaries.

African-American Muslim women and health care

Tags:

• African Americans
• Attitude to Health
• Culture
• Family
• Female
• Health Services Needs and Demand
• Health Services Research
• Holistic Health
• Humans
• Interpersonal Relations
• ISLAM
• Physician-Patient Relations
• United States
• Women's Health Services

Notes:

• Muslims constitute a growing proportion of the African-American population. This paper explores the health practices, health behaviors, and code of ethics as informed by the Islamic religion within the context of African-American Muslim women’s lives. An overview of the history of Islam in the world, and in the U.S., the main Islamic tenets, and the socio-cultural context of African-American Muslim women provides the broad framework for this paper. This information will be helpful in meeting the health needs of African-American Islamic women, within an outreach/community health promotion setting, within a clinical/hospital setting, or within a home care setting.

Some Hindu Insights on a Global Ethic in the Context of Diseases and Epidemics

Tags:

• Inda

Notes:

• As we develop a global ethic in the context of diseases, we need to reconsider the wisdom of the religious traditions, for there is more to ailments than their material causes. In the Hindu framework, aside from the Ayurvedic system, which is based on herbal medicines and a philosophical framework, there is the insight that much of what we experience is a direct consequence of our karma (consequential actions). Therefore, here one emphasizes self-restraint and self-discipline in contexts that are conducive to self-hurting behavior.

Comparison of body dissatisfaction and cosmetic rhinoplasty with levels of veil practicing in Islamic women

Tags:

• Adult
• Analysis of Variance
• BODY image
• Body Mass Index
• Clothing
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• depression
• Female
• Humans
• Iran
• ISLAM
• Patient Satisfaction
• Prevalence
• Rhinoplasty
• Self Concept
• WOMEN

Asian Medicine in America: The Ayurvedic Case

Tags:

• Medicine, Ayurvedic

Notes:

• Ayurveda, the classical South Asian medical tradition, was first introduced to American audiences in the mid-1980s as a holistic alternative to biomedical orthodoxy. This article argues that transplanted Ayurveda is shaped not only by aspects of American medical culture, but by millennial, heterodox elements of American religious culture, such as the loose cluster of beliefs and practices known as the New Age. Because New Age Ayurvedic practices occupy the ideological and statutory middle ground between medicine and metaphysics, they face a unique professionalizing dilemma: whether to present themselves as healing religions or as practicing branches of medicine. Drawing on an ethnographic study of this professionalizing dilemma in legal, clinical and popular arenas, this article shows that New Age Ayurveda-far from being a monolith-reveals a wide-ranging plurality of sub-traditions in practice. Taken together, they suggest multiple modes of reinvention and a variety of professionalizing routes that Ayurveda follows other than licensing and institutional credentialization.

The role of spirituality healing with perceptions of the medical encounter among Latinos

Notes:

• Background: Little is known about the relationship between spirituality healing and perceptions about the medical encounter among Latinos. Objectives To examine the association between spirituality healing and attitudes of self-reported perceptions about the medical encounter. Design: A cross-sectional telephone survey. Patricipants: 3,728 Latinos aged >or=18 years residing in the United States from Wave 1 of the Pew Hispanic Center/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Latino Health Survey. Measurements: Dependent variables were ever prayed for healing (yes/no), ever asked others to pray for healing (yes/no), considered important spiritual healing (very vs. somewhat or not important), and ever consulted a ‘curandero’ (folk healer in Latin America) (yes/no). The primary independent variables were feelings about the last time seeing a Doctor (confused by information given, or frustrated by lack of information) and perception of quality of medical care (excellent, good, fair or poor) within the past 12 months. Results: Six percent of individuals reported that they had ever consulted a curandero, 60% prayed for healing, 49% asked others to pray for healing, and 69% considered spiritual healing as very important. In multivariable analyses, feeling confused was associated with increased odds of consulting a curandero (OR = 1.58; 95% CI, 1.02-2.45), praying for healing (OR = 1.30; 95% CI, 1.03-1.64), asking others to pray for healing (OR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.03-1.62), and considering spiritual healing as very important (OR = 1.30; 95% CI, 1.01-1.66). Feeling frustrated by a lack of information was associated with asking others to pray for healing (OR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.04-1.60). A better perception of quality of medical care was associated with lower odds of consulting a curandero (OR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.70-0.98). Conclusion: Feelings about the medical encounter were associated with spirituality healing, praying for healing, and asking others to pray for healing. Feeling confused and perception of poor quality of medical care were associated with consulting a curandero.

Ethics of the Spirit: Comparing Ethical Views and Usages of Spiritually Influenced Interventions

Islamic medical ethics in the 20th century

Tags:

• Bioethical Issues
• Egypt
• Ethics, Medical
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Religion and Medicine
• Social Justice
• Theology
• Tissue and Organ Procurement

Notes:

• While the practice of Western medicine is known today to doctors of all ethnic and religious groups, its standards are subject to the availability of resources. The medical ethics guiding each doctor is influenced by his/her religious or cultural background or affiliation, and that is where diversity exists. Much has been written about Jewish and Christian medical ethics. Islamic medical ethics has never been discussed as an independent field of ethics, although several selected topics, especially those concerning sexuality, birth control and abortions, have been more discussed than others. Islamic medical ethics in the 20th century will be characterised on the basis of Egyptian fatawa (legal opinions) issued by famous Muslim scholars and several doctors. Some of the issues discussed by Islamic medical ethics are universal: abortions, organ transplants, artificial insemination, cosmetic surgery, doctor-patient relations, etc. Other issues are typically Islamic, such as impediments to fasting in Ramadan, diseases and physical conditions that cause infringement of the state of purity, medicines containing alcohol, etc. Muslims’ attitudes to both types of ethical issues often prove that pragmatism prevails and the aim is to seek a compromise between Islamic heritage and the achievements of modern medicine, as long as basic Islamic dogma is not violated.

A review of clinical trials of tai chi and qigong in older adults

Tags:

• Adaptation, Psychological
• Aged
• Breathing Exercises
• Health promotion
• Humans
• Middle Aged
• Physical Fitness
• Postural Balance
• Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
• Tai Ji

Therapeutic benefits of qigong exercises in combination with drugs

Tags:

• Breathing Exercises
• COMBINED modality therapy
• Hypertension
• Neoplasms
• Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
• Respiratory Tract Diseases
• Retrospective Studies

Notes:

• This article reviews clinical studies from the Qigong Bibliographic Database, developed by the Qigong Institute, a nonprofit organization. This database was started in 1994 and holds approximately 1300 references going back to 1986, covering medical applications, scientific, and experimental studies on qigong from China, the United States, and Europe. Records in English have been compiled from International Qigong conferences and seminars, scientific journals, magazines, dissertations, MEDLINE, and other databases. The therapeutic role of qigong exercises combined with drugs is reported for three medical conditions that require drug therapy for health maintenance: hypertension, respiratory disease, and cancer. In these studies, drugs were administered to all patients who were divided into two groups, a group that practiced qigong exercises and a control group that did not. Taken together, these studies suggest that practicing qigong exercises may favorably affect many functions of the body, permit reduction of the dosage of drugs required for health maintenance, and provide greater health benefits than the use of drug therapy alone. For hypertensive patients, combining qigong practice with drug therapy for hypertensive patients resulted in reduced incidence of stroke and mortality and reduced dosage of drugs required for blood pressure maintenance. For asthma patients, the combination therapy permitted reduction in drug dosage, the need for sick leave, duration of hospitalization, and costs of therapy. For cancer patients, the combination therapy reduced the side effects of cancer therapy. Also reported is a study showing that the practice of qigong helps to rehabilitate drug addicts. The reported studies do not necessarily measure up to the strict protocols required for randomized controlled clinical trials.

"Hindu" bioethics?

Tags:

• Biomedical Enhancement
• Hinduism
• Humans
• India
• Religion and Medicine
• Religion and Science

Notes:

• The author offers a commentary on the question, “Are there Hindu bioethics?” After deconstructing the term “Hindu,” the author shows that there are indeed no Hindu bioethics. He shows that from a classical and Brahminical perspective, medicine is an inappropriate and impure profession.

Utilization of Ayurveda in health care: an approach for prevention, health promotion, and treatment of disease. Part 1--Ayurveda, the science of life

Tags:

• Antioxidants
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Health promotion
• Holistic Health
• Humans
• India
• Life Style
• Medicine, Ayurvedic
• Meditation
• Phytotherapy
• Plant Extracts
• Research Design
• Spices

Notes:

• Ayurveda is a natural health care system that originated in India more than 5000 years ago. Its main objective is to achieve optimal health and well-being through a comprehensive approach that addresses mind, body, behavior, and environment. Ayurveda emphasizes prevention and health promotion, and provides treatment for disease. It considers the development of consciousness to be essential for optimal health and meditation as the main technique for achieving this. Treatment of disease is highly individualized and depends on the psychophysiologic constitution of the patient. There are different dietary and lifestyle recommendations for each season of the year. Common spices are utilized in treatment, as well as herbs and herbal mixtures, and special preparations known as Rasayanas are used for rejuvenation, promotion of longevity, and slowing of the aging process. A group of purification procedures known as Panchakarma removes toxins from the physiology. Whereas Western allopathic medicine is excellent in handling acute medical crises, Ayurveda demonstrates an ability to manage chronic disorders that Western medicine has been unable to. It may be projected from Ayurveda’s comprehensive approach, emphasis on prevention, and ability to manage chronic disorders that its widespread use would improve the health status of the world’s population.

Utilization of Ayurveda in health care: an approach for prevention, health promotion, and treatment of disease. Part 2--Ayurveda in primary health care

Tags:

• Alzheimer Disease
• Anxiety
• depression
• Health promotion
• Humans
• Medicine, Ayurvedic
• Mind-Body Relations (Metaphysics)
• Neoplasms
• Parkinson Disease
• Phytotherapy
• Plant Extracts
• Plants, Medicinal
• Primary Health Care
• Sleep Disorders

Notes:

• Ayurveda is a comprehensive natural health care system that originated in India more than 5000 years ago. It is still widely used in India as a system of primary health care, and interest in it is growing worldwide as well. Ayurveda has unique concepts and methodologies to address health care throughout the course of life, from pregnancy and infant care to geriatric disorders. Common spices are utilized, as well as herbs, herbal mixtures, and special preparations known as Rasayanas. Purification procedures known as Panchakarma remove toxins from the physiology. Research has been conducted worldwide on Ayurveda. There are encouraging results for its effectiveness in treating various ailments, including chronic disorders associated with the aging process. Pilot studies presented in this paper were conducted on depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. These preliminary studies yielded positive results and provide a basis for conducting larger, more rigorous clinical trials. Conducting research that compares Ayurveda’s comprehensive treatment approach, Western allopathic treatment, and an integrated approach combining the Ayurvedic and allopathic treatments would shed light on which treatment approach is the most effective for the benefit of the patient.

Religiosity and determinants of safe sex in Iranian non-medical male students

Tags:

• Adult
• Humans
• Interviews as Topic
• Iran
• Male
• Religion and Sex
• Safe Sex
• Young Adult

Muslim women's experiences with health care providers in a rural area of the United States

Tags:

• Acculturation
• Adult
• Assertiveness
• Attitude of Health Personnel
• Attitude to Health
• Clinical Competence
• Communication Barriers
• Cooperative Behavior
• Cultural Competency
• Female
• Gender Identity
• Health Services Needs and Demand
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Nursing Methodology Research
• Patient Education as Topic
• Power (Psychology)
• Professional Role
• Professional-Patient Relations
• Qualitative Research
• Questionnaires
• Rural Health Services
• Southeastern United States
• WOMEN

Notes:

• This study used phenomenology to explore the experience of Muslim women through descriptions of their encounters with health care providers in a rural area. Participants (N = 7) were eligible for inclusion if the foreign-born woman had lived in the area for at least 2 years, had interaction with a health care provider within the last 6 months, and was able to articulate her experience either in English or through a interpreter. Data were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed for the emergence of reoccurring themes, employing decision trails. Constant comparative analysis was used to promote the integrity of the data. Three themes were identified: (1) perceived power of the provider, (2) religiously defined gender relations, and (3) being a stranger in the U.S. healthcare system. Education of the Muslim patient and the provider is needed to increase health care satisfaction and use by rural Muslim women.

An assessment of the ayurvedic concept of cancer and a new paradigm of anticancer treatment in Ayurveda

Tags:

• Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
• Humans
• Medicine, Ayurvedic
• Mind-Body Relations (Metaphysics)
• Neoplasms
• Phytotherapy
• Plant Extracts
• Plants, Medicinal

Notes:

• This paper critically examines the Ayurvedic concept of cancer diathesis and its pathogenesis in terms of the theory of Tridosa, Sapta Dhatus (body tissues), the Agni or body’s biologic fire, Srotámsi (i.e., channels of the body), and the generic sequence of events in the genesis of a disease (e.g., Satkriyakala). All this depicts a new paradigm of the disease state. This paper also examines the scope of plant drugs used in the treatment of cancer. A retrospective meta-analysis of observations on 85 plant drugs reported to have an anticancer effect indicates that herbs with Katu, Tikta, Kasaya Rasa (bitter, pungent, and astringent taste), Usna Virya (e.g., hot biopotency), and Katu Vipaka (catabolic active metabolites), and herbs with dry, coarse, light, and sharp biophysical properties have significantly greater possibilities of producing anticancer effects.

An Islamic approach to psychology and mental health

Mesmer minus magic: hypnosis and modern medicine

Tags:

• France
• History, 18th Century
• History, 19th Century
• History, 20th Century
• Humans
• Hypnosis
• Magic
• Philosophy, Medical
• Psychotherapy

Notes:

• The implications and effects of the French commission that passed judgment on Mesmer’s work is examined in light of the pioneering role of hypnosis as the first Western conception of a psychotherapy, the ancient philosophical debate between idealism and empiricism, and the conflict in modern medicine between biotechnological emphasis on cure and the need for care as many previously terminal illnesses are converted to chronic diseases. The panel’s report is interpreted as negative about the literal theory of animal magnetism but actually supportive of the potential therapeutic power of suggestion and “positive thinking.” This aspect of hypnosis is described as a forerunner of modern cognitive therapies of depression and other illnesses. The panel exerted a constructive effect in applying scientific method and rigorous evaluation to hypnotic treatment, an application of Enlightenment philosophy that presaged the Flexner era in modern medicine. Both hypnosis and medicine ultimately benefited.

Ayurveda's role in preventing disease

Tags:

• Humans
• Medicine, Ayurvedic
• Preventive Medicine

Notes:

• Modern medical science is currently in the throes of a revolution which is likely to have a dramatic impact on both the theory of medicine and the way it is practised. The mechanistic model which served biomedicine well for many years is gradually collapsing, thanks to the efforts of dedicated researchers who have looked beyond that model’s flaws. Thus we now know that networks of chemical communication exist between the nervous and immune systems, and that prayer at a distance can positively affect the conditions of those who are seriously ill, even when the prayer and the patient are not known to one another. Another participant in this exciting climate of change and ferment is Ayurveda, India’s ancient medical system. While Ayurveda has already contributed much to modern medicine (reserpine, gugulipid, plastic surgery), its real contributions are yet to be made. While some of these are likely to come in matters of materia medica and technique, most will likely be derived from Ayurveda’s way of seeing the world, its “darshana.” This paper outlines a few of the ways in which Ayurveda’s “vision” is likely to facilitate medicine’s ability to teach people not just how to avoid disease but how to proactively develop and maintain a healthy “state.”

Spiritual dimensions of surgical palliative care

Nursing ethics in the seventh-day adventist religious tradition

Exploring the Islamic tradition for resonance and dissonance with cognitive therapy for depression.

Tags:

• Cognitive Therapy
• Culture
• DEPRESSION, Mental -- Treatment
• ISLAM

Providing alternative health care: an ancient system for a modern age