. Alternative, complementary and holistic health care .

Hello everybody!

I don’t normally read this newsgroup, but I am hoping somebody out there
may be able to answer some questions for me.

I have recently started treatment with a chiropractor, and am quite mystified
by some of the diagnostic techniques he uses.

In order to diagnose my problem(s) and to measure the success of his
treatments, he tests the strength of some weak and little-used muscles.  The
two favourite tests are 1) having me resist his attempts to squeeze together
my fingers which are splayed as wide as possible 2) having me resist his
attempts to push my bent arm – held at shoulder height – down.

Sometimes he has me hold the fingers of my free hand in a particular spot
in my ear or on my collar bone, while performing test 2. Sometimes he yanks
on my upper front teeth, or exposes me to flourescent light in conjunction
with test 2. The latter is supposed to test whether I am sensitive to
electro-magnetic radiation, I think. He has even performed these tests
with a calcium tablet on my tongue! to prove that I need calcium.

This all seems pretty weird to me – I am accustomed to ‘plain vanilla’
chiropracters who crack your spine and maybe press on muscle knots and
that’s it.

Is there any research which proves the effectiveness of these odd
techniques?

Please reply by email since I don’t normally read this group. I will
post a summary to this group.

Sharon

–
~~      Sharon A. Sproat                s…@crosfield.co.uk        ~~
~~      Crosfield Electronics Ltd.                              ~~
~~      Three Cherry Trees Lane         (0442) 343373           ~~
~~      Hemel Hempstead, Herts, UK                              ~~

Does anybody know of any good alternatives to standard drugs for the
prevention or treatment of migraines?

I’ve tried a series of drugs prescribed by a neurologist but still
experience regular, incapacitating migraines.  Please advise here or
e-mail me directly.  Thanks much!  –patti

I had a painful sore throat for 5 days so I went to our Student Health
Services, and, after a brief examination, the Nurse Practioner diagnosed
Apthous Viral Infection of my throat (tonsils?), and said there is not
much I could do except treat the pain with throat lozenges.  Actually,
she did offer to prescribe some other low-key pain killing thing I could
dab on my throat but said it would wipe away as soon as I ate something.

It’s the first time I’ve heard this name "Apthous Virus" but I wonder if
I had it before.  In college I suffered a 2 weeks-long flu that came
with a terribly painful throat, and I wonder if Apthous was responsible
for that one too.

I asked some questions to the NP, but I guess I don’t trust her opinion
100%:

1.  Is there any known cure for Apthous?
2.  What is the best way to deal with the pain?
3.  Can this infection spread into other parts of my body, e.g. turn
into the flu?
4.  Does taking antihistamine raise one’s susceptability to viral
infections?  (I have allergies).
5.  Are there particular ways that one contracts Apthous?
6.  Can one get rid of Apthous or does it stay resident in your body and
flare up occasionally?

Plus I’d like to hear any other useful info about dealing with Apthous.
I don’t think I’m a hypochondriac and am not panicking about this — I’m
just irritated by my painful throat and … well, guess I have a few
minutes to post an article and read the responses.

Thanks.

–
John Kim  k…@cs.umass.edu

CAUTION:  Do not insert swab into the eye, ear canal or any other body canal.

My wife was diagnosed 18 months ago with myatonic muscular dystrophy.
She’s a 48 year old white, and suffers from atrophy of the muscles
in the last two joints of her fingers and painful cramps in her shoulder
blades. She has had some success in restoring some function with
homeopathic remedies, bok-flower remedies, and cranial osteopathic
treatments. Please send me any suggestions for treatment — the medical
community treats her like a terminal case "Well, you won’t deteriorate
too fast. No, there’s no treatment."

My mother has severe lower back / leg pain. We are looking for advice
on anything that might help – conventional or alternative.

The details are: She is 62 years old, and quite obese, she also has type
II diabetes. The pain developed after a fall on a hard marble floor, and
involves the front and outer aspects of her right leg, as well as her
lower back and buttock. It is bad enough to severely limit her mobility,
and to bring her to tears.

She has seen two doctors so far. The first, an orthopedist, examined her
and said that she did not have a ruptured disk, and that her reflexes etc
were normal. This doctor said it wasn’t sciatia, and described it as
"mechanical, reflected pain". He did not take X-Rays, but perscribed an
anti-inflamatory (indomethacin?) and a muscle relaxer. These had little
effect after 10 days, and she than went to an osteopath who is giving her
lidocaine injections into muscles in the lower back. This seems to be
helping somewhat, but its too early to tell for sure.  The osteopath said
is was sciatica.

Thanks in advance for any help!

                       -Steve Dunn

I’m sure this topic has been discussed before here.   There is
supposed to be
a vitamin that helps to keep the mosquitos and other bugs away.  Does
anyone
know what that vitamin is?

Thanks
Mark

Has anyone had any experience with skin creams which contain fruit acids
– positive or negative? Do they live up the promises? Has anyone heard of
or used Alpha Hydrox? It’s active ingredient is Glycolic acid : 8% of a
pure 70% solution. Any dermatologist out there? Is this stuff
safe/effective at reducing appearance of fine lines/wrinkles? It claims
to exfoliate dead cells from the skin’s surface and improve texture, and
elasticity. Would appreciate any comments on this.

I trying to find out if anyone knows of electronic databases, or files
available on the NET for the Materia Medica.  A vet friend of mine who is
starting to use homeopathy to treat animals is also into computers and would
like to have an electronic Materia Medica.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

In an Australian regional newspaper today – the following item appeared –
any response to this story or its contents would be appreciated:
"Vitamin Warning"
Women who took vitamin C pills in the belief they would ward of colds and
the flu could developm chronic health problems or die as a result of the
intake, a visiting US professor said in Sydney yesterday.
‘Vitamin C supplements do more harm than good because they change the
status of iron in the body’, Professor Victor Herbet said.
Digestion of vitamin C supplements released too much stored iron in the
body and could cause severe long-term problems.
But vitamin C could benefit people with an iron deficiency, such as
anaemia, because it increased the release of necessary iron into the
body.
Professor Herbert said women, who lost much of their body’s iron during
rheir menstrual cycle, could get a healthy dosage of iron by eating the
right foods.
The pills were worthless against the cold virus."
end of quote – ‘The West Australian Thursday June 23 1994 p.13

Tom Hogarth
PhD Student – Northern Territory University –
currently living in Perth and utilising  -  thoga…@yarrow.wt.uwa.edu.au
"the university of wa has nothing to do with my opinions, only my money"

I am a 40-ish woman – my hair is getting thin.  Is there anything I can
take to help it grow in thicker?  Vitamins? Minerals?  I already take
TONS of vits. etc., but maybe there’s something else I need to do.

Thanks for the info. in advance.