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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Zen meditation: an integration of current evidence

Tags:

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

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.

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.

A Comprehensive Review of Health Benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi

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.

Detection of nighttime melatonin level in Chinese Original Quiet Sitting

A Confucian philosophy of medicine and some implications

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.