Annemarie St Michael - Your Guide to Self Healing

The high cost of health insurance and prescriptions coupled with a national awareness of the necessity of living healthy life styles, is compelling individuals to seek complimentary and alternative medicine sources for viable, lower cost and often less invasive therapies in order to reduce the use of prescription drugs and expensive medical practitioners.

In a recent Survey by the National Center for Disease Control people were asked to select from five reasons to describe why they used Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. Results were as follows (people could select more than one reason):
Complimentary and Alternative Medicine would improve health when used in combination with conventional medical treatments: 55%
Complimentary and Alternative Medicine would be interesting to try: 50%
Conventional medical treatments would not help: 28%
A conventional medical professional suggested trying Complimentary and Alternative Medicine: 26%
Conventional medical treatments are too expensive: 13%

IS THE TRADITIONAL “PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT” CHANGING THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARD SELF HEALING?

Yes they are! One of the most significant scientific changes affecting the attitudes of medical professionals has been the formation of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, (NCCAM) a component of the National Institutes of Health, which is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, training Complimentary and Alternative Medicine researchers, and disseminating authoritative information to the public and professionals.

University based medical schools are also becoming more invested in Complimentary and Alternative Medicine.

At least 60 percent of U.S. medical schools currently devote classroom time to the teaching of the alternative therapies that are included in Complimentary and Alternative Medicine

In a recent Survey by the National Center for Disease Control survey 26% responded that their medical professionals suggested they try Complimentary and Alternative Medicine

A 2004 report from the Centers for Disease Control states that the numbers of adults that have used some form of complimentary and alternative medicine therapy increased from 42% in 1997 to 75% in 2002.

DO MOST PEOPLE JUST USE COMPLIMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ALONE?
No, surveys have shown that most people use Complimentary and Alternative Medicine along with conventional medicine rather than in place of conventional medicine.

SHOULD I STOP SEEING MY DOCTOR?
No, If you are dissatisfied with your physician, find a new one who will allow you to be actively involved with your medical decision making through complimentary alternative medicine. There are many excellent Medical Doctors, Osteopathic Physicians and Naturopathic Physicians in this country who practice Holistic / Homeopathic/Naturopathic medicine.
The following links will take you to a directory of these types of Physicians
http://www.holisticmedicine.org/public/public.shtml

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMONLY USED COMPLIMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THERAPIES?

A recent survey the shows that of the 10 complimentary alternative medicine therapies most commonly used by individuals in the previous 12 months, most were mind-body interventions.

Self Healing Made Easy will give you the tools to do your own mind-body interventions.

Of the 16 therapies included in the study, the largest increases between 1990 and 1997 were predominantly weighted in the same areas covered in the Self Healing Made Easy products and recommended therapies including the use of herbal medicine, massage, megavitamins, self-help, energy healing, and homeopathy

Rates of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine use are exceptionally high among individuals with life threatening illnesses such as cancer and HIV.

Over 149 million individuals in the United States use complimentary and alternative medicine.

It is popular amongst a broad racial span - African Americans (68.3) percent), White Adults (50.1%) and Asian Adults (48.1%).

CAN I USE SELF HEALING TECHNIQUES, complimentary alternative medicine, TO RELIEVE MENOPAUSAL AILMENTS?

Yes,
Menopausal women often suffer from stress, depression, eating and sleeping disorders among other problems that the SELF HEALING MADE EASY program will empower you to relieve.
For more information on Menopause we suggest you visit
http://menopause-black-cohosh.org/ This site is chocked full of information for the menopausal woman.

Yes,
Annemarie used this same program to self heal her arthritis. She has even written a special edition called SELF HEALING MADE EASY- ARTHRITIS in which she shares the techniques she used.

What is The National Center for Complimentary and

Alternative Medicine’s (NCCAM) role in the field of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine?

NCCAM is the Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. NCCAM is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, training Complimentary And Alternative Medicine researchers, and disseminating authoritative information to the public and professionals.

What are the major types of complementary and alternative medicine?

NCCAM classifies Complimentary and Alternative Medicine therapies into five categories, or domains:
1. Alternative Medical Systems
Alternative medical systems are built upon complete systems of theory and practice. Often, these systems have evolved apart from and earlier than the conventional medical approach used in the United States. Examples of alternative medical systems that have developed in Western cultures include homeopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine. Examples of systems that have developed in non-Western cultures include traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.
2. Mind-Body Interventions
Mind-body medicine uses a variety of techniques designed to enhance the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms. Some techniques that were considered Complimentary and Alternative Medicine in the past have become mainstream (for example, patient support groups and cognitive-behavioral therapy). Other mind-body techniques are still considered Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, including meditation, prayer, mental healing, and therapies that use creative outlets such as art, music, or dance.
3. Biologically Based Therapies
Biologically based therapies in Complimentary and Alternative Medicine use substances found in nature, such as herbs, foods, and vitamins. Some examples include dietary supplements,3 herbal products, and the use of other so-called natural but as yet scientifically unproven therapies (for example, using shark cartilage to treat cancer).
4. Manipulative and Body-Based Methods
Manipulative and body-based methods in Complimentary and Alternative Medicine are based on manipulation and/or movement of one or more parts of the body. Some examples include chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, and massage.
5. Energy Therapies
Energy therapies involve the use of energy fields. They are of two types:

Biofield therapies are intended to affect energy fields that purportedly surround and penetrate the human body. The existence of such fields has not yet been scientifically proven. Some forms of energy therapy manipulate biofields by applying pressure and/or manipulating the body by placing the hands in, or through, these fields. Examples include qi gong, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch.
Bioelectromagnetic- therapies involve the unconventional use of electromagnetic fields, such as pulsed fields, magnetic fields, or alternating-current or direct-current fields.

Are complementary medicine and alternative medicine different from each other?

Complementary alternative medicine is used together with conventional medicine. An example of a complementary alternative medicine therapy is using aromatherapy to help lessen a patient's discomfort following surgery.
Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. An example of an alternative therapy is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of undergoing surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy that has been recommended by a conventional doctor

Integrative medicine, combines mainstream medical therapies and Complimentary and Alternative Medicine therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness.

What is complementary and alternative medicine?

Complementary And Alternative Medicine, as defined by The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.1,2 While some scientific evidence exists regarding some Complimentary And Alternative Medicine therapies, for most there are key questions that are yet to be answered through well-designed scientific studies--questions such as whether these therapies are safe and whether they work for the diseases or medical conditions for which they are used.
The list of what is considered to be Complimentary and Alternative Medicine changes continually, as those therapies that are proven to be safe and effective become adopted into conventional health care and as new approaches to health care emerge.

Notes
1 Conventional medicine is medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and by their allied health professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses. Other terms for conventional medicine include allopathy; Western, mainstream, orthodox, and regular medicine; and biomedicine. Some conventional medical practitioners are also practitioners of CAM.
2 Other terms for complementary and alternative medicine include unconventional, non-conventional, unproven, and irregular medicine or health care.
3 Some uses of dietary supplements have been incorporated into conventional medicine. For example, scientists have found that folic acid prevents certain birth defects and that a regimen of vitamins and zinc can slow the progression of an eye disease called age-related macular degeneration (AMD).