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Vol. 2, No. 5, June 2001
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If you order this issue by mail the price is $7.70 (incl. post &
GST) within Australia or $11.00 (inc. post) to overseas (overseas
is GST free) Prices in Australian dollars
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| FEATURES
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Ramesh Manocha
At the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, a Meditation Research
Program has been in progress, under Dr Ramesh Manocha in the
hospital's Natural Therapies Unit. Using the sahaja yoga technique
of meditation, the research has shown promising results for
the treatment of asthma, headache, menopause and depression.
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| THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE MEDIA: REPORTING
RESEARCH |
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Paul Macgregor
There was a flurry of coverage regarding St John's wort and
depression, following the publication on 18 April 2001 of
an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association,
about a clinical trial by Vanderbilt University in America
of St John's wort compared with a placebo, which appeared
to rule it out for major depression. But how appropriate was
the media coverage, and what sort of information do readers
need about research reports? Three print media articles, in
Melbourne's The Age and Herald-Sun, and in The Australian,
are compared by Paul Macgregor (Diversity's Associate Editor),
and they neatly illustrate some of the key issues that need
to be addressed in improving the media coverage of research
into natural therapies
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| HOMOEOPATHY - HOW DOES IT WORK? |
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Anthea Ellison and Paul Macgregor
Homoeopathy is increasing in popularity for the treatment
of physical illnesses. Melbourne homoeopath Anthea Ellison,
and Diversity's Associate Editor, Paul Macgregor, argue that
its fundamental principles also require an integrated application
to the emotional, psychological and spiritual levels, in order
to deal with deep sources of physical disease.
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Jane Hall
"Energy" as a therapeutic agent is increasingly acknowledged
in disciplines such as homoeopathy, flower essences, Therapeutic
Touch and traditional Chinese medicine. Melbourne-based Jane
Hall, who practices energy-based healing, and is also a registered
nurse and midwife, argues that a perspective shift is also
required, of seeing matter itself as a form of organised energy,
part of a matrix in which soul, mind and body are on the same
continuum, and all life is composed of interconnected vibrating
fields, In this view, intent of the practitioner, and relationship
between practitioner and client, are key elements of the healing
process.
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| INFORMED CHOICE: ISOFLAVONES FOR MENOPAUSE |
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Assunta Hunter
Which is best for menopause: isoflavone supplements or the
soy-based foods, and nuts and seeds, from which the supplements
are derived? Melbourne herbalist Assunta Hunter examines the
evidence and compares some popular brands.
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| BUOYANCY: COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES
FOR DRUG USERS |
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Deborah Homburg
Over the last 5 years The Buoyancy Foundation, a drug counselling
service in Melbourne, has integrated complementary therapies
into its "menu" of health services for drug users and those
close to them - demonstrating an approach to dealing with
addiction, and the harmful aspects of drug use, which, in
the view of Buoyancy's Coordinator Deborah Homburg, does not
require rigid reliance on only pharmacological intervention.
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REGULARS |
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NEWS: CHINESE MEDICINE REGISTRATION
The new Victorian Chinese Medicine Registration Board gets
underway, while moves for similar regulation are following
Victoria's lead, with new legislation in Singapore, and
a Health Minister's promise in NSW.
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REVIEWS
• CD-ROM: Hyperhealth v2001 - Natural Health & Nutrition
• Book: Cheryl Beale's Pregnancy: A Guide to Natural
Therapies
• Website: The USA's National Center for Complementary
& Alternative Medicine: http://nccam.nih.gov/
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LETTERS |
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EVENTS |
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