Wha' huh? AAP addresses CAM

Interesting article floated my way (thanks Jack!) about how the American Academy of Pediatrics have seen a rise in patients who utilize some forms of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) and felt compelled to address the issue. For the uninitiated, CAM, as defined by The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional Western medicine.

Complementary Medicine means that any of these diverse modalities, such as massage therapy, biofeedback, acupuncture, or guided imagery is used in conjunction with Western medicine.

Alternative Medicine proscribes to exclusivity, meaning that a modality is used in place of Western medicine, like using herbs to treat an infection rather than using antibiotics.

I find this whole issue of CAM and Western medicine holding hands together an intriguing idea, and became the foundation behind my book, Donovan's Paradigm. My character of Kim Donovan is trying to rewrite the medical books, starting with the surgical ward of her new hospital and runs into all kinds of heat.

What I find interesting about this article is its revelation of how some previously wiggy types of treatment wended their way into Western medicine. Things that were thought inane have now gained respectability with the majority of medical personnel. Modalities like the aforementioned acupuncture, massage therapy, biofeedback, hypnotherapy have been tested and integrated into doctors' verbiage and treatment plans.

So much so, that the language of medicine is changing. What used to be CAM has morphed into integrative medicine and holistic medicine, which is a nice way of saying "stuff we're willing to accept because we've tested it enough to prove its efficacy" and "no effing way." It's like a plus and minus column, and those columns shift depending upon the medical community's ability to test it for viable results. I'm hopeful that one day Reiki will move to the plus column.

The article is all quite science-y, but the end result is that the medical community realizes this CAM/Integrative/holistic stuff isn't going to disappear anytime soon, and they're studying it so they can provide better information to their patients.

Damn. Kim would be so proud.

“Why didn’t I get better?”

The woman was indignant when she confronted me at a book event Q & A. “My Reiki lady told me I’d get better, and I still have acid reflux!”

Hooboy, how does one inform without admitting that the Reiki therapist appears to be a dolt? And, wait a minute, why should I care? The therapist is a dolt.

What brought on this whole line of questioning was my story about how Reiki freed me from the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. The Ritalin that had fired the synapses in my brain for so many years was now too strong, and I couldn’t tolerate it. After stopping the meds, my brain fired all on its own. Talk about ultimate balance. I got so balanced that I also couldn’t tolerate taking hormone replacement therapy after a complete hysterectomy ten years prior. My doc is still completely and utterly confused as to why.

I looked at the lady and plunged in. “Look, I have no idea why I no longer have ADD or why I don’t need HRTs,” I explained. “I went into Reiki for research and had no expectations of what it would do for me. In fact, I was an ardent skeptic. However, since taking the journey with Reiki, I realize that the energy balanced out whatever was creating these manifestations. But what worked for me doesn’t mean it’s going to work for everyone. I have a very good friend who’s been a Reiki Master for seven years and suffers terribly with ADD.” I shrugged. “Go figure.”

“So how does that fly in the face of what my Reiki lady told me?”

I took a breath and impeached her therapist. “Unless we’re talking about a doc and meds, no one can or should tell you that they can cure anything. Reiki is a divine intelligent energy that works on its own schedule and intent. Therapists are merely the conduit. Reiki works in spite of us. To promise anything more is irresponsible and potentially dangerous.”

She rested her elbows on her knees and stared at me. “So why did you get better?”

“Maybe on some cosmic level I no longer needed ADD.” I held up my hand to stave off the expected throwing of verbal knives. “I know, I know, you’re about to cut my throat for suggesting that disease comes into our lives because we need them, and that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m suggesting that it’s possible my body or my soul was ready to give this up. It’s like a car that’s has a misaligned wheel and drives like a knock-kneed donkey. The mechanic realigns the wheel so it’s in synch with the rest of the car, and the result is that we have a smooth ride. But, unlike the mechanic, we aren’t the director of the energy, merely the purveyor. But like the mechanic, we can put our hands on the source of the problem and give it our direct attention – NOT intention. Thar be a difference. It's possible that my body and Reiki were in the same place at the right time. I've seen amazing and startling recoveries from some serious diseases. But can I say it works for everyone all the time? No way.”

The woman sat back and appeared deflated. “So my Reiki lady can’t fix my acid reflux?”

“Your Reiki lady can’t fix anything. She can transfer energy from her hands to your body and let the energy do its thing. To take ownership of the promise to healing someone is arrogant. The true credit for healing goes to the Reiki, in whatever form that healing takes place.”

The poor woman was visibly deflated. “I feel like I’ve been sold a bill of goods.”

“I think your therapist” – and yes, I choked on the words – “has allowed her ego to get in the way. You might think about finding another Reiki therapist who can better explain Reiki and attend to your expectations.”

I then proceeded to offer a quickie treatment to her after the Q & A – which she took me up on.
As I rested my hands on her shoulders, I could feel the tension welling up inside her. She was a bundle of nerves. My hands burned, she had her “Ahhh” Moment, and the tension eventually melted.

She turned to me with glazed eyes and smiled. “I’ve never felt that good. Thank you." She held up a copy of my book. "Will you sign your book for me?”

Heh, do I look like an idiot?

I signed her book and gave her a hug. I then made a mental note to seek out her “Reiki lady” and tie her to a fence post and make her listen to “I’m An Oscar Meyer Weiner” from dawn to dusk.