Aug 10, 2010 (CIDRAP News) – “The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) today declared the H1N1 influenza pandemic over, saying worldwide flu activity has returned to typical seasonal patterns and many people have immunity to the virus.

‘The world is no longer in phase 6 of influenza pandemic alert,’ said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan in a press briefing from Hong Kong. ‘We are now moving into the post-pandemic period. The H1N1 virus has largely run its course.’

But she cautioned that the virus has not gone away and bears continued watching, commenting, ‘We expect the H1N1 virus to take on the behavior of a seasonal influenza virus and continue to circulate for some years to come’.”

The WHO reported an initial expectation of over 1,000,000 post-exposure deaths, but fewer than 20,000 cases actually occurred. The markedly lower than projected numbers of deaths is evidence that the virus is not nearly as virulent as was initially anticipated. Hopefully, they’ll let the distributors of the vaccine know so they can stop flooding television with commercials about vaccination and the upcoming flu season.

Contact us with your questions and comments.

Did you know that the FDA has no explicit guidelines regarding when to allow a drug to come to the market, stay in the market versus be removed or to be allowed to return to the market? They simply try to assess benefit/risk ratio, frequently based upon work performed by the product manufacturer. Moreover, the FDA allows more severe side effects with medications applicable to more severe disease . . . . .

The spectrum of health and pain management approaches pursued in our very diverse society is quite broad. An ongoing challenge is the need to acknowledge patients’ philosophical predispositions as part of the fundamentals upon which to initiate and expand upon care plans. Otherwise, conflicting perspectives and inadequate recognition may yield suboptimal results when you could have done better.

A related facet of health and pain care is that of the roles of stakeholder individuals and groups. All involved need to be prepared to integrate sometimes conflicting beliefs and objectives as perceived by a potential plethora of stakeholder (patient, nuclear/other family, community, clinicians, others) values. Not all members share the same significance in decision processes, but all need to be acknowledged to reach satisfactory objectives.

Many healing systems have origins in philosophy. Over time, most incorporate some constructs that can be found to at least have been derived or extracted from spiritual elements of the dominant cultures.

Stakeholders sometimes believe that a particular intervention will work because of previous experience (theirs, or others with whom they are familiar). At other times, they exhibit faith in documentation (commercials, articles) or the word of empowered figures (e.g., parents, prescribing clinicians). Just as faith can come to individuals via the repetition of relevant statements/words of respected clinical sources, faith comes to many Christian patients via repetition of their Word. As such, when Christians consider alternative treatment options, with thousands of years of historically successful implementation, they may consider application of scripture as part of their contemporary intervention.

Faith is generally a part of traditional and contemporary health and pain care approaches. However, faith in its spiritual context, as part of the treatment process, whether via Christian beliefs or another, is only as effective as the role that faith plays in healing within a particular belief system, in conjunction with its level of development in the person who is required to apply it to yield the desired result.

In Christianity, healing and restoration may result from miraculous intervention without input from the beneficiary or it may come in a more pedestrian and protracted manner following prayer, extended proclamation of faith-filled words and demonstration of supportive behaviors including conscientious attention to services provided by medical professionals.

Make sure that the faith applied to your healing, whether by you alone or in conjunction with others, including medical professionals, is consistent with a good understanding of the level of experience and skills of all involved in your health.

Permanent degradation is not a foregone conclusion when you notice problems with memory. Health, nutrition and fitness habits should be evaluated when memory appears to be flagging. Consider the following possible contributors:

1. Poor sleeping habits it the most common cause of occasional slips in memory. Make time for healthy rest.

2. Acute infection frequently clouds thinking. Chronic illness of any type often precipitates excessive mood changes, which has an untoward effect on memory. Take care of your health in general.

3. Emotional distress often adversely affects memory. A calm mind is a healthier mind.

4. Pharmaceutical agents such as sleep agents, opiates, anxiolytics and some blood pressure medications and a good memory often conflicting objectives. Talk to your doctor about any side effects of medications.

5. Alcohol overuse may both effect your cerebral tissues permanently and have numerous short term adverse effects, including affecting memory. Moderate alcohol use significantly. Moreover, there are much healthier sources of anti-oxidants than red wine.

6. Poor circulation is can be circumferential, effecting your body and mind. Exercise regularly.

Eat well (including vitamin supplementation as needed, e.g., B-12), sleep well and exercise regularly. Take care of your health, nutrition and fitness for the good of your memory.

Chinese Medicine, classical and traditional involves a range practices originating in eastern Asia. Although well accepted throughout China and many other parts of the world, it is considered an alternative medicine. (follow hi-lited text link for more . . .)

Contemporary western health care recognizes the association between tinnitus, experiencing a ringing sound in the ears, and overuse of aspirin. More recent studies suggest that regular use of common pain relievers (acetaminophen, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and aspirin) also increase the risk of experiencing hearing loss. The data does not point to the mechanism, just the association. Look at our other posts regarding alternative pain treatment strategies. However, to the extent that you use these types of products, use them cautiously and with consideration.

There of a number of alternative health practitioners who would suggest that if you are exposed to water soluble toxins, you should be able to extrude these toxins from your body via perspiration. The logic might be reasonable if the toxin is not already absorbed into your body in another cellular structure, thereby still in general circulation.

Toxins in our circulation will be most efficiently and effectively be addressed by our liver enzymes and our urinary system. For water soluble toxins to be substantially addressed by perspiration they would have to persist at very high circulatory volumes in the presence liver and kidneys that are not working very inefficiently. It would then be highly likely that you would be experiencing other symptoms related to their circulatory concentration and subsequent effects on other organs. It is unreasonable to attempt to “detoxify” your body by sweating.

As such, what are you doing in a moist sauna, steam room or sweat lodge? In the case of sore superficial muscles, you may be increasing circulation to these muscles, nourishing, oxygenating and relaxing them. In the case of an upper respiratory condition that is acutely or chronically producing bothersome pulmonary or sinus mucous, you may be loosening the congestion. In the case of small vessel narrowing in your hands and feet, you may be helping with vasodilatation, improving your peripheral circulation.

Not everyone is physically fit enough for prolonged exposure in these environments. Additionally, not all of these environments are readily adjustable to set temperatures that would be tolerable for the most sensitive. Uncontrolled heat exposure in inadequately monitored settings may result in unanticipated dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and death.

That said, if you still believe that you can detoxify yourself via perspiration, put on a comfortable work out attire and exercise; shape up and clean yourself out.

Whether you want to reduce back stress or fatigue or stimulate your blood circulation, an inversion table makes a great household accessory. An inversion table contributes to your body’s overall health via lumbar traction, relieving pressure . . . . . (follow link for complete article)

In America, opium was sold legally and conveniently and at low prices throughout the nineteenth century. Morphine came into common use during the Civil War for management of pain, heroin toward the end of the century. These opiates and countless pharmaceutical preparations of similar products were as freely accessible as our numerous over the counter products today. Five regular portals of legal distribution included:
• Physicians.
• Drugstores that provided products with and without prescriptions.
• Grocery and general stores stocked and sold opiates.
• Opiates that could be ordered by mail.
• Opium and morphine as common ingredients in hundreds of proprietary medicines and other products.
Most of the opium consumed in the United States during the nineteenth century was legally imported. Morphine was legally manufactured here from the imported opium and opium poppies were also legally grown within the United States.
Alternative herbs and medicines for pain care often face tremendous community opposition. Some would say rightfully so, because we now know better and do better by our population. But, if such were true we would make cigarettes and liquor illegal given all of the injury and disease associated with these products.

Effective and appropriate alternative pain management is a matter of perspective and merits our support.

Spinal Inversion-traction for Pain Relief. by Dean

Do you think hanging upside down to relieve back pain is unusual, or a new-age approach? Reconsider your perceptions. Inversion probably goes back to the dawn of documented human medical care.

19 elements of your foot and back pain treatment plan. by Douglas

A patient presents for pain management. This is the initial visit.

Alternative pain management pathways. by Douglas

You are aware that there are various means to address low back pain. As alternatives may differ substantially,  . . . . .

Work-related low back pain and alternative treatment. by Douglas

You hurt your back at work and are not sure what to do. If your symptoms are not localized or are incapacitating regarding your ability to work, what will you do?

Cure my low back pain by nailing it back together? by Douglas

You present to your primary care physician in the following manner.  Chief complaint - low back pain.

Cure your low back pain. It is all in your mind. by Douglas

While causes of back pain may not be all in the mind, experiencing the symptoms is all in the mind. That is to say, in the absence of a neural connection between that which you are experiencing in your back and signals transmitted to your brain, there would be no pain (i.e., if a tree fell in the woods all alone, did it make noise?).

Alternative Pain Management | Cure your pain. by Douglas

People present to clinicians every day with the objective of management. Presuming the validity of the pain, consider the following treatment options.