Studies and Progress Notes (Sept 2008)

* * * STUDIES and PROGRESS NOTES* * *

* *  SPIRITUAL AWARENESS AND WHOLISTIC HEALING * *

Self-healing methods effective for- PTSD in children
A non-drug treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in war traumatized children produced significant and lasting changes in levels of stress, flashbacks, nightmares, and symptoms of withdrawal and numbing in highly traumatized high school children in Kosovo. Approaches included meditation, guided imagery, breathing techniques, and biofeedback as well as self-expression through words, drawings, and movement, provided in12 sessions in an educational, supportive small group setting. The program was conducted by teachers. The number of students having symptoms indicating PTSD was significantly reduced from 100% to 18%. The reduction was maintained at a 3 month follow-up.
Source: Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in post-war Kosovar adolescents using mind-body skills groups: a randomized controlled trial, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2008,

IJHC – WHR Observations

It is helpful to have confirmation that self-healing methods can relieve PTSD in children.

Far simpler and easier methods for relieving PTSD are offered by Energy Psychology methods. See, for instance,
WHEE: Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT  www.wholistichealingresearch.com/wheearticles.html
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)  www.emofree.com

See article on EFT for treatment of Veterans with PTSD in the September 2008 issue of IJHC.

**  FUTURE RESEARCH IN WHOLISTIC HEALING * * 

The IJHC/WHR E-Zine features monthly suggestions for future research in healing.
READERS ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS FOR TOPICS TO STUDY
If your topic is chosen, you ill receive free access to the IJHC for a month, including the current issue and all back issues.
 
The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) is actively pursuing research on Energy psychology methods for PTSD in Veterans.

* *  WHOLISTIC APPROACHES * * 

Narratives of exceptional survivors who work with aboriginal healers

ABSTRACT
Background: The commonalities are described of 47 people who sought traditional aboriginal healers for help with their cancer. All had 10% or less chance of survival at 5 years given the site and stage of their cancer from actuarial table calculations.

Subjects and design: The subjects were compared to a similar group of people who were also working with aboriginal healers and who did not survive past 5 years. Narratives were obtained from the people before and after their work with the healer. These stories were enriched through interviews with family members, friends, health care providers, and the healers themselves, whenever possible. Panels of naïve medical students, graduate students, patients, and health care providers were used to evaluate the stories and to pick themes that consistently emerged (dimension analysis). Once stable dimensions emerged, scenarios were developed to rate patients along these dimensions from “1” to “5.” New panels did the ratings, with at least 3 panels of 3 people per narrative. Comparisons were made between these 2 groups of people, and differences emerged on the dimensions of Present-centeredness; Forgiveness of others; Release of blame, bitterness, and chronic anger; Orientation to process versus outcome; Sense of Humor; Refusal to accept death as immediate prognosis; Plausible (to the patient, his or her family, and the healers) explanation for why he or she got well, including a story reflecting a belief about how he or she can stay well; Supportive community who believes in the person’s cure and protects the person from outsiders who think the person will die; People experience a quantum change, in which major improvements in self-esteem and quality of relationships occurs; and Spiritual transformation.

Conclusions: The two groups of people reported equal increases on the dimensions of Sense of Meaning and Purpose and Faith and Hope, which may be intrinsic to the style of healing of aboriginal elders. 
Source: Mehl-Madrona, Lewis. Narratives of exceptional survivors who work with aboriginal healers, J Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2008, 14(5), 497–504

IJHC – WHR Observations

Both those who survived and those who did not experienced increases in their sense of meaning and purpose and faith and hope. This is a testimonial to the spiritual benefits of Aboriginal healing.

 * *  COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES * * 

Acute and chronic pains have been shown to respond to Acupuncture. This review critically examined peer-reviewed clinical studies assessing the analgesic properties of acupuncture modalities. “Current data regarding the clinical efficacy of acupuncture and related techniques suggest that the benefits are short-lasting. There remains a need for well designed, sham-controlled clinical trials to evaluate the effect of these modalities on clinically relevant outcome measures such as resumption of daily normal activities when used in the management of acute and chronic pain syndromes.”

ACUPUNCTURE ANALGESIA: II. CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Source: Anesthesia & Analgesia (2008: 106)
http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/cgi/content/
abstract/106/2/611

IJHC – WHR Observations

It is difficult to know how reliable the conclusions of this review may be, since the research designs considered to be ‘better’ by conventional Western medicine insist on standardized protocols of acupuncture treatments. This is contrary to the philosophy and clinical practice of acupuncture, which individualizes treatments to each person.

Self-treatments for pain, such as WHEE, offer the advantage that people with pains are able to use these methods for pain relief whenever they experience pains.

Vitamin B1 supplement may prevent anorexia

 “Approximately one in twenty teenage girls in America is struggling with an eating disorder. Parents can help eliminate the risk of anorexia by providing their children with vitamin supplements.

Anorexia is an acknowledged clinical marker of beriberi, the disease specifically caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1 (thiamine). [1] Anorexia is also commonly observed as an early symptom of pellagra (niacin deficiency) [2] and is a known complication of scurvy, vitamin C deficiency. [3] Prevention is especially important, because beriberi/anorexia often does not respond well even to treatment with high doses of thiamine for months, and sometimes does not respond at all. [1] But as a rule, high potency vitamin supplements are an effective cure for the loss of muscle mass caused by beriberi and the skin lesions caused by pellagra.

The vitamin B1 in almost every multivitamin and B-complex vitamin pill is either thiamine mononitrate or thiamine hydrochloride. The body's ability to absorb these two forms of thiamine is limited [4] by the maximum amount that can be handled by the body's two specialized thiamine transport proteins. [5]. This means many doses per day of oral thiamine are necessary for effective treatment. Another class of thiamine molecules, called allithiamines, are much better absorbed. [6] Since allithiamines are not included in standard multivitamin preparations, we recommend their reformulation to include this specific form of B1.

The conventional medical approach to eating disorders such as anorexia typically includes psychological/behavioral treatment, medication, and food-groups dietetics. It is surprisingly rare for physicians to link eating disorders with vitamin deficiency, and few doctors recommend vitamin supplements for prevention.

Dieting without supplementation causes vitamin deficiency, and vitamin deficiency can lead to anorexia. Dieting is the number one cause of vitamin/mineral deficiency in America. Deficiency is entirely preventable with nutrition supplements. A fraction of the population is more prone to becoming thiamine deficient while dieting due to genetic conditions associated with proteins that bind thiamine [7,8]. The risk of thiamine deficiency is also increased by eating processed foods. A high intake of simple carbohydrates requires increased thiamine intake. Vitamin and mineral supplements contain no calories, and do not cause weight loss nor weight gain. They do help promote normal appetite.”

References:

[1] D. Lonsdale. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2006 March; 3(1): 49-59.
[2] S. R. Roberts. "Pellagra: Its Symptoms and Treatment," The American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 20, No. 11 (Aug., 1920), p 885-890.
[3] L. Goebel. http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2086.htm Last bullet in section on physical symptoms.
[4] D. Bender. "The Nutritional Biochemistry of the Vitamins," Cambridge University Press, 2003, page 151.
[5] V.S. Subramanian et al. "Vitamin B1 (thiamine) uptake by human retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) cells: mechanism and regulation." Journal of Physiology (Oxford, United Kingdom, 2006), Volume Date 2007, 582(1), 73-85.
[6] T.P.S. Nibber, "Reply to Dr. Lonsdale," Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, August-Sept. 2004. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_253-254/ai_n6176277/pg_2   
[7] B.H. Robinson, N. MacKay, K. Chun, and M. Ling, "Disorders of pyruvate carboxylase and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex." Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disorders, 19, 452-62.
[8] D. Bender, "The Nutritional Biochemistry of the Vitamins", Cambridge University Press, 2003. Sections on Thiamine Responsive Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Deficiency (p 156) and on Maple Syrup disease (p 158).

Source: Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, February 9, 2008
http://www.orthomolecular.org/  

IJHC – WHR Observations

This looks like a good theory, but no evidence is presented in this discussion to confirm it. For those struggling with anorexia, this would be an easy treatment to explore.

More CAM reviews at
http://www.naturalhealthvillage.com/
www.mdlinx.com/FamilyMDLinx 
 www.ucalgary.ca/~camig/litsearch.html
AMSA website
www.amsa.org/humed/camresources/camnews.cfm

* * TECHNOLOGY * *

Organic dye collects solar energy from window panes to convert to electricity

“Harvesting sunlight before turning it into electricity could become easier thanks to an exotic organic dye developed in the US.

Coated onto an ordinary sheet of glass, the dye traps light inside the glass allowing it to be channelled to photovoltaic cells placed along the edges of the sheet.

The technique, say its inventors, could turn up to 20% of incident light into electricity at a fraction of the cost of conventional photovoltaic cells.”

Source: www.technology.newscientist.com/article/
dn14293-organic-dye-lets-window-panes-harvest-the-sun.html

 IJHC – WHR Observations

What a blessing this could be in saving our environment and perhaps contributing to saving our planet from global heating.

Getting more out of your Googling

- Google is a global White Pages and Yellow Pages. Search for "phonebook: home depot norwalk, ct," Google instantly produces the address and phone number of the Norwalk Home Depot. This works with names ("phonebook:robert jones las vegas, NV") as well as businesses. Don't put any space after "phonebook." And in all of the following examples, don't type the quotes shown here.

- Google is a package tracker. Type a FedEx or UPS package number (just the digits); when you click Search, Google offers a link to its tracking information.

- Google is a calculator. Type in an equation ("32+2345*3-234="). Click Search to see the answer.

- Google is a units-of-measurement converter. Type "teaspoons in a gallon," for example, or "centimeters in a foot." Click Search to see the answer.

- Google is a stock ticker. Type in AAPL or MSFT, for example, to see a link to the current Apple or Microsoft stock price, graphs, financial news, and so on.

= Google is an atlas. Type in an area code, like 212, to see a Mapquest map of the area.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/25/technology/circuits/
25POGUE-EMAIL.html?ex=1201496400&en=88a4aa9f2a24f4ff&ei=5070

* *  ENVIRONMENT (HEALING OUR PLANET) * *

Top 100 ways global heating will change your life

“Say goodbye to French wines, baseball and the Great Barrier Reef. Say hello to massive amounts of mosquitoes, the Northwest Passage and hurricanes.”

Source: Center for American Progress
http://www.alternet.org/environment/63895/
top_100_ways_global_warming_will_change_your_life/

IJHC – WHR Observations

This is a sobering read.

What are YOU doing to help save our planet?

The Animal Kingdom storms Reality TV and the Documentary Industry

“With the rise of ‘reality’ TV shows like Meerkat Manor and the explosion of animal documentaries such as Arctic Circle, wildlife is finding new popularity in Hollywood... but so is the dangerous idea that nature exists to entertain us.”

Source: www.alternet.org/movies/60781/
the_animal_kingdom_storms_reality_tv_and_the_documentary_industry/

IJHC – WHR Observations

In the balance, I believe that any consciousness of nature can be a help in sensitizing people to other species and their rights to survive on this planet. Following the lives of animal families can help to waken the awareness that animals are conscious beings, who deserve the right to continue living on this planet alongside humankind.

 * *  HUMAN ECOLOGY* * 

Healing the post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is destroying humankind and our planet

All appears to change when we change.
      Henri Amiel

Abstract
There is fascinating, impressive research evidence suggesting that a collective consciousness exists. Meta-analyses confirming telepathy, clairsentience, psychokinesis as components of collective consciousness are of such a high confidence levels that the chances that these results are random occurrences range between less than one in a million to one in ten million billion billion. To a lesser degree, but still impressive, are many individual studies of spiritual healing, with results reaching to probabilities of less than one in a thousand, and a meta-analysis of distant intentional effects on electrodermal responses at a probability of less than one in a billion. If we accept collective consciousness as a fact of our existence, then each of us is like a brain cell in the mind of the All.

The collective consciousness may then offer us various ways to address and heal the ills of our planet – directly and through shifts in the collective consciousness of humanity and of broader planetary awarenesses.

As we clear the dross of our personal, individual consciousness, we are thereby contributing in a small way to the clearing of the collective consciousness. When I release angers, resentments, hurts and other negative feelings from my personal consciousness, then I am clearing my former negative contributions from the collective consciousness. This article suggests that releases of collective negativity can be markedly enhanced if we set the intention that all our personal releases will simultaneously invite releases of similar negativities from others in the collective consciousness of which we are a part – taking a lesson from Ho'oponopono, which teaches this approach in individual therapy/healing. This type of release can clear our inherited consciousness through our family of origin, as well as the consciousness of our families of choice, community, nation and the globe.

Transcending space and time through the collective consciousness, it is possible to clear our lingering negativities from our own and others' past lives, past relationships, and the past lives of everyone in the collective consciousness through all time. All therapists can help to release major collections of negativity by systematically facilitating with their clients similar releases as individuals, and this is simultaneously an opportunity to release a load of collective consciousness negativity.

Such a concerted focus on clearing collective negativity could help to transform the negativity of humankind, which manifests as a collective post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  This is vitally important because humanity carries enormous collective PTSD residues that are expressed as the abused becoming abusers. This is one of the core psychological mechanisms bringing us to the point of the collective suicide of humanity and the genocide of countless other species on this planet through wars, global heating, pollution and wanton ecological mismanagement.

Using Ho’oponopono (a Hawaiian healing method), WHEE (Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT), or any of many other varieties of healing as a platform to heal the collective consciousness, we can release the angers, fears and hurts that lead us collectively to behave in these destructive ways. At the same time, each of us can be using our own individual healings not only to release negativity, but also to build positive, healing energies in ourselves and the collective consciousness, as practiced in WHEE (Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT). Similarly, therapists can help clients to do this type of clearing as they practice self-healing approaches on their own.

Source: Benor Daniel J. Using any therapy as an opportunity to heal the collective consciousness and our planet: lessons from Ho'oponopono and WHEE, International J Healing and Caring, 2008, 8(3), 1-18. Read this editorial

IJHC – WHR Observations

We are at what may be the final crossroads of humankind. We must choose between immediate, drastic changes in our relationship with our planet and everything on it vs. continuing our unsupportable lifestyles that are destroying our planet and threatening to roast us into oblivion.

In large measure, our abusive behavior towards each other and our planet closely parallels the behaviors of abusers who were themselves abused. This is an issue that can be addressed therapeutically.

Eating locally grown food

“It is tempting to dismiss locally grown food as just another elite fashion, but its merits may mean it will be a long-term phenomenon.”
Source: David Bollier, Why the hype about local food may be more than just a trend - By OnTheCommons.org -
www.alternet.org/environment/93652/
why_the_hype_about_local_food_may_be_more_than_just_a_trend/

IJHC – WHR Observations

If we are to reduce the carbon emissions that are creating global heating, there are great savings to be had by consuming locally grown food. Shipping potatoes, peas, carrots, apples and strawberries from thousands of miles away to our local grocery chain store adds an enormous burden of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This is often totally unnecessary, as local farms can produce these fruits and veggies. We may not have them year-round, but our children and grandchildren may live to enjoy them.

Recommended further reading: The 100 Mile Diet