Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine

EAT AND GET THIN

In the late 1990s it seemed everyone in the United States was trying to lose weight, and the preferred diet of the era was a high-protein, low-carbohydrate regime. Popularized by "the diet doctor," Dr. Robert C. Atkins, and his best-selling books, the diet did not limit the amount a person could eat. He maintained that by changing what people ate they could change their metabolism so that fat stores were mobilized and consumed, and weight loss would occur in the absence of limited portions or hunger.

The fundamental concept is that carbohydrates disrupt the balance of sugars and the natural hormone, insulin, which regulates them, thus promoting fat storage and weight gain. By eliminating carbohydrates the body goes into ketosis with resulting weight loss. Nutritionists and physicians questioned the safety of the low-carbohydrate plans. The absence of fiber found in cereals or vegetables, for example, caused bowel disturbances in some dieters. Cardiologists voiced concern with a diet that is high in meat, cheese, eggs, and cream. Atkins maintained that those who followed his regime would experience a lowering of their serum lipids and an improvement in high-to-low density ratios. He also argued that much of the criticism came from economic interests, because many of the foods used in his diet meant minimal profits to the food industry.

The benefits of Atkins's diet were inconclusive. There was no research to indicate that the diet kept weight off. Even Atkins admitted that there were no long-term weight loss studies of his diet—and losing weight and keeping it off are really two different problems.

Source:

Carole Sugarman, "Eat Fat, Get Thin?" Washington Post Health Magazine (23 November 1999): 11-14.

No Doctors

Various alternative medicines and remedies became popular during the 1990s, some of which faded from view as rapidly as they entered the popular consciousness. Because they were classified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as tood supplements rather than medications, they received no federal approval and could be purchased without a prescription. Melatonin, a naturally occurring inexpensive sleep medicine, took the nation by storm in 1995 as a remedy for jet lag. Herbal medicines such as St. John's Wort (for depression), ginkgo biloba (for Alzheimer's disease), milk thistle (for liver disease), saw palmetto (for prostate problems), or Garcinia cambogia (for weight loss) flooded the market, The manufacturers of Metabolife, a weight-loss product, saw sales zoom to close to $1 billion in 1999 in spite of concerns by physicians that some of its components might be dangerous without proper monitoring. Though Americans spent as much as $27 billion a year on herbal remedies, the major drug companies showed little interest since the naturally occurring ingredients could not be patented. As a result, research lagged far behind the enthusiasm for natural, but often potent and sometimes dangerous, remedies.

Muscle Drugs

Herbal formulas such as creatine also gained popularity among some athletes. When Mark McGuire hit his record-breaking seventieth home run in 1998, he was taking a supplement, androstenedione, to build his muscles. He stopped taking the medication after the 1998 season, however, and had almost as good a year in 1999 without it. He ceased using the supplement in order not to encourage its use by young athletes. Phoenix Suns forward Tom Gugliotta's seizure and respiratory arrest was attributed to the use of an over-the-counter herbal supplement containing gamma butyrolactone, which supposedly hastens muscle recovery and serves as a sleep aid.

Yoga and Touch

Traditional forms of nonmedical treatment also gained in popularity, Massage, or touch therapy, was reputed to help not only muscle aches and pains, but also to reduce blood pressure, improve the immune system, and raise levels of the mood-elevating brain chemical serotonin. Though less risky than some supplements, not all of the claims of its enthusiasts could be supported. Emily Rosa, a fourth-grade student in Colorado, did an experiment that was reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association, debunking the idea that an energy field is generated by therapeutic touch. Acupuncture, on the other hand, was found to be effective by a National Institute of Health (NIH) panel in treating painful disorders of the muscles and skeletal system.

Insurance

Dr. Dean Ornish of Sausalito, California, believed that even blocked arteries could be opened without surgery, using a regime of meditation, yoga, group support, and a low-fat vegetarian diet. His documented results are so good that forty major insurance companies decided to cover the program as an alternative to surgery. His program cost $5,500 rather than the $15,000 for an angioplasty or $40,000 for bypass surgery. Insurance companies that had been reluctant to pay for alternative therapies became more enthusiastic when they discovered that they usually cost far less than traditional medicine and surgery. The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began funding a demonstration study in late 1999 to determine if Medicare coverage of the program would save that program money. Chiropractic care, long despised by physicians and insurance companies, also came to be covered by many insurance companies, though often under state mandate. A few insurance companies also covered acupuncture.

Sources:

Geoffrev Cowley, "Healers," Newsweek, 131 (16 March 1998): 50-54.

Cowley, "Melatonin," Newsweek, 126 (7 August 1995): 46-49.

Cowley and Patricia King, "Going Mainstream," Newsweek, 125 (26 June 1995): 56-57.

Cowley and Jamie Reno, "Mad About Metabolife," Newsweek, 134 (4 October 1999): 52.

John Greenwald, "Herbal Healing," Time, 152 (23 November 1998): 60-67.

"Herbal Supplement Might be Factor in Gugliotta's Seizure," USA Today, 28 December 1999.

Michael D. Lemonick, "Emily's Little Experiment," Time, 151 (13 April 1998): 67.

Karen Springen and Marc Peyser, "The New Muscle Candy," Newsweek, 131(12 January l998):68.

Ann Underwood, "The Magic of Touch," Newsweek, 131 (6 April 1998): 71-72.