Tuesday, September 04, 2007 Fad therapies By Part 1
THROUGH the years, caring of human illnesses usually comes in two forms: the conventional and the non-conventional methods of treatment. The non-conventional is a form of medical intervention that has limited scientific evidence of therapeutic effectiveness. This form of treatment is not commonly taught in medical schools and not used in hospitals.
Non-conventional treatment is also known as non-traditional, unorthodox or alternative treatment whose therapeutic philosophy is not considered mainstream. This medical intervention is just a passing trend often passionately pursued by its practitioner. The prevailing medical community considers this form of treatment as fad therapy.
Dr. S. Braganza and associates suggested the operational definition of fad therapies: 1.) Therapies used for a limited period of time. 2.) Therapies used without proven efficacy, 3.) Therapies used by a limited number of patients, and 4.) Therapies which are not considered mainstream. (Pediatrics in Review, Oct. 2005).
There are illnesses that are often targeted by fad therapies. Most are chronic; others are catastrophic with poor prognosis. It is not possible to discuss each fad therapy in this presentation. Instead, their treatment philosophies are identified and grouped commonly into: metabolic, herbal-food supplement, spiritual-prayer-faith healing, diet and megavitamins. Discussion will be limited only on therapies that commonly concern children.
Metabolic Therapies
Proponents of metabolic therapies believed that human ailments including chronic diseases and cancer are the results of cellular degeneration of the body producing toxins that interfere with the body's metabolism (sum of all physical and chemical changes that takes place in the body to sustain function and growth including healing). Added to this are the toxins found in the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe including the substances we abuse (tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
Metabolic treatment is essentially a form of detoxification process to help the body get rid of the toxins. Practitioners vary in their style of metabolic treatment. Some use fasting and special diets. Others use vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Majority use cellular cleansing. The most common are hyperthermia and colonic irrigation.
Fasting is a form of renewal and rejuvenation. The length of fasting varies from few days for colds and "flu" to several days or months for chronic diseases and cancer. Only water is recommended during fasting. Fruits and juices are not allowed by some.
Special diet varies upon the practitioners. Some will use vegetarian diet of food organically grown. Juices are made from these foods and given to patient every hour on the hour for 13 hours a day for 1-2 weeks. Others will put patient on certain food during a given period such as the mono-diet, that is eating only one food either apple or rice, or the cave man's diet which consists of raw vegetables and rice for a period of two weeks or more.
Hyperthermia is to elevate body temperature to destroy toxin producing microorganisms that are susceptible to heat while not inflicting damage to normal tissues. Proponents also believed that cancer cells are susceptible and die at higher temperatures than normal cells. In addition, high body temperature stimulates the immune system.
The technique of producing hyperthermia varies from simple hot baths, steam baths and saunas to high-tech procedures such the use of high energy sound waves to microwave. Added to hot baths are the following: drinking of hot soup, putting hot water bottle on the abdomen and wrap around blanket to sweat for several hours or as tolerated. Toxins are eliminated through perspiration and sweating.
For treatment of cancer, the patient is anesthetized first and wrapped in special blanket then heated to 42(C. There are many complications including surface skin burns, increase in intracranial pressures, convulsions, cataracts, male sterility, etc.
Colonic irrigation cleanses and detoxifies the large bowel. The colon is the main part of the large intestine which consists of the ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid colon. Colonic irrigation is the washing out of contents of the large bowel by means of enema using water. Vitamins, herbs and sometimes shark's cartilage are added to the water. Vitamins enhance the body's ability to detoxify and neutralize toxins in the body.
Some use coffee. Proponents of this treatment believed that coffee is an effective cleanser of toxins as an enema but not as a drink since coffee is notably excluded in the special diet used in the treatment.
One of the complications of colonic irrigation is fluid and electrolyte imbalance. The colon has no digestive function but it can absorb large amount of water and electrolytes. Children can easily become water intoxicated resulting in convulsions. In severe cases, the child will die. Those who survive will have brain damage and mental retardation.
Another complication where children are also at greater risk is bowel necrosis and perforation leading to abdominal infection. The infection easily spreads to the blood with the development of a life-threatening blood poisoning. If not treated properly the patient will die. (To be continued)
