Will modern medicine change or self-destruct?

Epidemiological studies show a growing dissatisfaction with conventional Western Medicine and its handling of chronic debilitating illnesses. The argument is that conventional medicine, which is excellent for treating acute illness, has extraplated that paradigm to deal with chronic illnesses, resulting in the introduction of more powerful medications, increased side effects and reduced success. In realizing this, many medical schools have accepted and incorporated changes in the medical curriculum. Despite this, there is great resistance, particularly in North America, to accept other paradigms that show validity. This refusal to adapt and be flexible affords the opportunity for the creation of other health providers to supply a demand previously dominated by physicians. This is causing a more constricted medical practice in these countries. Based on medical physiology, there is a scientific way to measure health. This evaluation compares the patient's current biological terrain or physiological state to an ideal one. As a result, patients can be monitored as their terrain begins to "drift away" from a ideal healthy state and interventions can be made and evaluated before symptomatology appears. Further data are confirming that specific chronic illnesses exist in particular physiological milieus or "biological terrains". Changing the terrains to what is the ideal state produces remissions which are cost effective, less invasive and accomplishes this with fewer side effects. The author will present these concepts and data to show improvement in chronic illnesses treated at the Research Center for Alternative Medicine.(AU)

Is the current status of Western medicine on its way out? - abstract

Epidemiological studies show that there is an increasing number of the North American population using alternative medicine. The highest is in the 25 to 49 year age group, who are relatively more educated with higher incomes (Eisenberg et al). Since political factors have major impact on health, the consumerization of health will set future trends. Patients are becoming increasingly assertive mwith regard to exercising choices. They are becoming more litigious towards doctors and are demanding greater participation in the shape of the health care system and allocation of resources (Coulter). Current concepts in quantum physics give very strong credence to the alternative paradigm. Governments in Europe now recognize these medicines as being very cost effective, pro active and efficient. Western medicine is based on an illness module, alternative on a wellness one. Of 21 major causes of illness and death today in the U.S. population, 19 are entirely lifestyle related (U.S. Surgeon General). This focuses the attention to the wellness model which places responsibility on the patients to review their lifestyles. Capra notes, "General Practioners administering this type of primary care need not be medical doctors, nor experts in any of the scientific disciplines concerned." In the new evolving model, interventions will take place earlier and the patient moved through a highly organized, stematized delivery system. When trauma or the disease process is advanced, the patient is then moved on to the medical practitioner, who now brings up the rear rather than leads the van (AU)

Traditional chinese medicine east meets west in medicine of the future - abstract

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a recorded history dating back 5,000 years. During that time, it has survived primarily in mainland China and outlying areas. It was introduced in a dynamic way to the West on President Nixon's visit to China. Criticisms of this tradition by Westerners have been mainly on unfamiliarity, and the resulting conceptualization of Traditional Chinese Medicine with a Western model. Western Medicine uses the basic concepts of Newtonian Philosophy. This relates to matter having cause and effect. Traditional Chinese Medicine fits in more with the concepts of Albert Einstein, which regard matter as having an energy component. Chinese Medicine focuses on the balancing of the energy system within the body. Modern physics, either directly or indirectly, is beginning to show these concepts in a much more scientific fashion. As a result, an integrated approach to medicine can combine these two traditions. Western Medicine can deal with the energy components of the molecule. An example of this is the concept of childhood Attention Deficit Disorders. In diagnosing by the traditional Chinese method, they are seen as having excess energy which needs to be reduced so that the child can become harmonious with himself. Clinical applications have already shown improvement in this area. There is also potential for studies in various areas of psychiatry such as depression and anxiety disorders which would be easy to measure. This affords the opportunity for a potential reduction of medication and the possibility of potentiating the combined effects for quicker, more efficient and economical delivery of health care (AU)

Violence association with sleep disorders - abstract

Over the past few years, there have been isolated court cases in which defendants are acquitted for violent acts and, in one case, homicide because of sleep disorders which appeared to precipitate the violence. The literature has been scanty and the authors decided to follow up with some sleep lab observations. The presentation will include a brief summary about sleep states and findings which show sleep abnormalities under laboratory conditions. There will be a video presentation of violent behaviour and a brief discussion about the potential for further studies (AU)

Physical and psychiatric problems triggered by undiagnosed sleep apnoea - abstract

A brief presentation of what sleep apnoea represents with the highlighting of a case which presents with difficult-to-treat physical and psychiatric illnesses. The treatment of the sleep apnoea usually causes a cessation of the secondary symptoms (AU)