Alternative Medicine

Asia Health Guide, April 7, 2008

Apr 7, 2008

Acupuncture needles get planted on the flabby frame of Cheng Jian, a 20-year-old student undergoing treatment to cure obesity. The discomfort, he says, is nothing compared to the pain of being extremely obese. Twenty-five years of China's economic boom have brought good life, sedentary lifestyles and fat-laden food -- swelling people's waistlines. "The number of obese youths grows 10 percent every year," says Aimin hospital director Shi Lidong. "It's partly because they are spoiled by doting parents and grandparents." Aimin's doctors offer unconventional treatment. "Acupuncture mainly helps reduce appetite and improve metabolism. But our treatment is holistic." In the virtual fat farm, patients are given meals with carefully counted calories. They are also counseled on how to change eating habits. In between meals, they do physical exercises, like running and dance aerobics. The fat farm's solution is basic: eat less, and exercise more. Here, the chubby generation learns how to burn calories and melt the fat away. But some weight-watchers still get nightmares while trying to curb their cravings. Fat-farmers get emotional support and inspiration from graduates like Meng Qinggang, Aimin's most celebrated success story. Jan 28, 2008

Dr. Andrew Weil wasn't sure exactly how he hurt his knee; all he knew was that it was painful. But instead of turning to cortisone shots or heavy doses of pain medication, Weil turned to the ancient Chinese medicine practice of acupuncture. "It worked -- my knee felt much better," says Weil. Americans spend billions of dollars each year on alternative medicine, everything from chiropractic care to hypnosis. Weil says alternative medicine can work wonders -- acupuncture, certain herbs, guided imagery. For example, Dr. Brian Berman, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has done a series of studies showing acupuncture's benefits for osteoarthritis of the knee. Extensive studies have also been done on mind-body approaches such as guided imagery, and on some herbs, including St. John's wort. But on the other hand, there also is a lot of quackery out there, Weil says. "I've seen it all, [including] products that claim to increase sexual vigor, cure cancer and allay financial anxiety." So how do you know what works and what doesn't when it comes to alternative medicine? Just a decade ago, there weren't many well-done, independent studies on herbs, acupuncture, massage or hypnosis, so patients didn't have many facts to guide them. But in 1999, eight academic medical centers, including Harvard, Duke and Stanford, banded together with the purpose of encouraging research and education on alternative medicine. Eight years later, the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine has 38 member universities, and has gathered evidence about what practices have solid science behind them. Jan 27, 2008

Coca-Cola

Seems like Coca-Cola is coming full circle some 120 years after its invention by druggist John Stith Pemberton. Well, sort of. Yesterday the soft-drink giant unveiled the Coca-Cola Research Center for Chinese Medicine in Beijing. Coca-Cola has set up a lab to experiment with new Chinese herbal flavors for Coke and other beverage products. It's the first international company to open such a facility at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. Coca-Cola plans to have its researchers develop beverages using Chinese herbal ingredients and formulas. A Coca-Cola spokesperson had this to say "This collaboration will ultimately help us bring the insights and benefits of traditional Chinese medicine to consumers all over the world." And it should probably give them a bit more cred than Vitamin Water. Though to be frank, I'm not quite sure I'm ready for Diet Coke with ginseng. Jan 27, 2008

ZZ

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