International Links for April, 2009
Herbal medicines could benefit patients suffering from gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders that cannot be treated using conventional drug therapy. In a study published in Neurogastroenterology and Motility, researchers reviewed data on Japanese herbal medicines and found them to be effective in reducing the symptoms of GI disorders such as functional dyspepsia, constipation, and postoperative ileus.
"Japanese herbal medicines have been used in East Asia for thousands of years," says lead researcher Hidekazu Suzuki, Associate Professor at the Keio University School of Medicine. "Our review of the world medical literature reveals that herbal medicines serve a valuable role in the management of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders."
Many of the drugs used to treat GI motility disorders are ineffective or cause unwanted side effects and, in some cases, this has led to drugs being withdrawn from the market. Herbal medicine is an attractive alternative.
www.eurekalert.org
Millions of people suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders and they often try a host of over-the-counter and prescription drugs to find relief from symptoms ranging from stomach pain to flatulence and heartburn. But what happens when the drugs don't work or they produce worrisome and even intolerable side effects? A study just published in the journal Neurogastroenterology and Motility says there's a solution -- Japanese herbal medicine.
www.naturalnews.com
health.usnews.com
From Ghana: Work on the ultra-modern processing centre for members of Ashanti Regional Branch of Ghana National Association of Traditional Healers (GNATH) being constructed at Abuakwa near Kumasi is near completion. The project estimated at several thousands of Ghana cedis is being funded by the association in collaboration with Speed Ghana, an NGO. Briefing Ghana News Agency on the project in Kumasi on Tuesday, Mr Kwame Asante-Boakye, Kumasi Metropolitan Chairman of the association, said when completed the centre would help train members on good herbal practices.
He said the centre would train traditional healers to upgrade their knowledge in marketing, labeling and packaging of their products.
www.ghanaweb.com
From the Stars and Stripes, YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — In the "tough it out" and "never let them see you sweat" culture of the military, reaching out for help can be hard for those suffering from harmful stress.
That’s why Pacific Air Forces invited Dr. Bridget C. Cantrell, a licensed mental health counselor specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder, to give workshops at bases throughout the Pacific. In the past couple of weeks, she visited Kadena Air Base and Misawa Air Base. She was wrapping up her Japan trips Thursday and Friday at Yokota.
There is a lot of innovative things going on," she said, mentioning virtual reality simulators, acupuncture and a technique using patterns of light, sound or touch, known as eye-movement desensitization reprogramming, or EMDR. "[The military] is opening up to reach more people," she said, "instead of just having one tried and true technique to use on everybody."
www.stripes.com
Swiss news: Campaigners have called for a legal boost for homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine and other alternative forms of medicine. Voters will decide on May 17 whether to include alternative medical treatments in the list of services paid for by the mandatory health insurance.
Launching a campaign on Friday for such treatments to be enshrined in law, supporters said they were unlikely to put an additional financial strain on health costs and were not intended to compete with conventional medicine.
In 2005 the interior ministry, in charge of health matters, struck alternative medicines off the list, but surveys show that such healthcare methods are very popular. Parliament later agreed alternative medicines should be given legal weight.
www.swissinfo.ch
Acupuncture Used for Treatment of Uterine Fibroids in Cuba
SAN CRISTOBAL, Cuba,: The use of natural medicine, particularly acupuncture, in this province has broadened the treatment prospects for uterine fibroids, which affect one in every three women in Cuba.
As an initiative of Pinar del Rio's gynecologist Ana Rodriguez Núñez, the therapeutic alternative is implemented on a regular basis at the Comandante Pinares General Hospital, after being successfully used for the first time in the island in Santiago de Cuba. In 2008, some 200 women affected with this benign tumor were treated in that eastern province.
www.cubanews.ain.cu
PARIS – Anna Marie Mattson grew up in Dallas but has lived in France since 1990. Her doctor offers a choice of traditional medical care, homeopathy or acupuncture. All are covered by national health insurance. If she wants, Mattson can also go to a spa and bill her heath insurance. "The French want to keep people healthy," she said.
This isn't about generous medical treatments, high taxation or any of the other shorthand Americans might use to describe the French health care system. It's about the definition of medical care, which the French define differently.
www.dallasnews.com
Women who come to deliver babies at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tzrifin, Israel, may ask for acupuncture to relieve their pain. The service is an experimental project provided by the hospital's obstetrics department and its complementary medicine service. Studies have shown that acupuncture can reduce the desire to receive analgesics in half.
www.jpost.com