Homeopathy is generally superior to placebo, particularly in immune-related conditions. But it has been discounted by ideologically biased researchers, who have excluded almost all published studies, referring to virtual data, and using inappropriate statistics, writes physician Robert Hahn in a critical analysis in Forschende Komplementärmedizin. Read more
Tags: alternative medicine, bias, CAM, CI, communication, confidence interval, conflict, controversy, David Finer, Edzard Ernst, evidence, Forschende Komplementärmedizin, homeopathy, ideology, odds ratio, OR, placebo, randomized controlled trial, RCT, review, Robert HahnThe 15th European Skeptics Congress in Stockholm mobilized speakers from around 10 countries and about 160 participants. The theme of self-deception ran through most contributions. The lectures will air on the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company´s Educational Channel later this fall. This is the first report by I C´s medical reporter David Finer. Read more
Tags: alternative medicine, attitude, Bemuddler Prize, CAM, communication, David Finer, deception, irrational, prayer, skeptics, Vetenskap och Folkbildning, VoFThe concept of personalized medicine has become synonymous with risk factor identification and treatment. But according to a German study, our understanding of the term is in fact more in line with personal development, integrative care, authenticity, self-determination and wellbeing. Values which we look for in complementary, alternative and integrative care. Read more
Tags: attitude, authenticity, biomarker, Brigitte Franzel, CAM, communication, complementary and alternative medicine, conceptions, cytochrome P450, David Finer, discourse, ethnography, grapefruit, health care, individualized medicine, integrative medicine, meaning, narrative, patient, patient-doctor communication, person-centered, personalized medicine, researchIs the health care system patient-centered? Hardly. Because by definition, if it were, the word itself would be superfluous, right? The concept exists because – as everyone who has ever been a patient or a “significant other” knows to their detriment – health care is a world unto itself, where as a patient, you sometimes feel like an uninvited guest. Read more
Tags: Agency for health care analysis, alternative, Angela Coulter, attitude, communication, compassion, complementary medicine, continuity, ethics, holistic, integrative care, media, option, paternalism, patient, patient satisfaction, patient-centered, professionalism, research, serviceA study on participants in clinical trials (“human guinea pigs”) challenges the basic assumption that one can distinguish specific from non-specific treatment effects. It also shows that curiosity, altruism and status-seeking are part of the reason why people take part in clinical trials. Read more
Tags: acupuncture, CAM, choice, clinical trial, communication, David Finer, ECIM, George Lewith, Health Technology Assessment, meaning, orthodox medicine, participation, patient-doctor communication, placebo, treatment effect– In a caring conversation with a patient, we may suddenly see them as fellow human beings with their own life story. That is a good prescription against burnout, said kidney specialist and author Astrid Seeberger during a theme day on altruism in Stockholm recently. Read more
Tags: adherence, altruism, Astrid Seeberger, brain, Cabaret, care, caring, CCARE, Centre for Compassion and Altruism, clinical encounter, CNS, communication, compassion, compliance, concordance, cyberspace, Dan Hasson, David Finer, diagnosis, education, emotion, empathy, encounter, face to face, feeling, food, generosity, generous, golden rule, guidelines, health promotion, HealthWatch, Jakob Eklund, Karolinska Institutet, kidney, Ludvig Igra, Mälardalens Högskola, mirror neurons, mirroring, MR, MRI, narcotics, Nazi, Nazism, nephrology, nursing, patient-doctor, patient-doctor communication, psychology, reward system, self-compassion, self-esteem, sex, sleep, sociology, Stefan Einhorn, Stockholm University, story, storytelling, stress, stress management, stress research, suicide, sustainability, sustainable, teachingDownward spiraling emotions typical of affective disorders may be lastingly offset by recourse to ”loving kindness”-meditation. IC´s reporter Johanna Hök took part in the seventh international CAM research conference in Portland, Oregon. Read more
Tags: acupuncture, anxiety, CAM, Claudia Witt, communication, David Eisenberg, disease, emotion, Harvard, I C, illness, Integrative Care Science Center, Johanna Hök, loving kindness, lumbar pain, meditation, narrative, nocebo, Osher, pain, patient-doctor communication, placebo, schizophreniaPatients and health care staff should communicate more about herbal medicines, says Barbro Gerdén, M.D. at the Swedish Medical Product Agency. Since 2008, there has been an ongoing campaign in USA promoting that message. Read more
Tags: cancer, communication, herbal, I C, Integrative Care Science Center, nursing, over-the-counter, patient-doctor communication