Forum 1-18/teitelman/dt1st/mark2nd
In 1997, consumers in California and Hawaii spent $2.8 billion on vitamins, herbs, dietary supplements and similar alternative treatments. Studies of the effectiveness of these cures, meanwhile, have had extremely mixed results. With some people expressing an almost evangelical zeal about herbal potions, and others saying they’re little more than placebos, the Business Journal asks:
Have you ever tried an alternative medical treatment, and did it work?
George Shewchuk
Manager
Windes & McClaughry Accountancy Corp.
No I haven’t. You are basically looking for something to help you out whatever works, you know. I know that there are people who are into taking algae, and people are really hot on wheat grass right now. It tastes really bad and I’ve heard people say that because it tastes bad it’s supposed to help you, and I don’t buy into that. But if it helps them, great. Personally, I just prefer not to.
Robert Schiff
Owner
The Big Picture
Actually, about three years ago I went to see a woman who worked with a doctor but was not one herself. She suggested that I change my dietary habits and take certain specific vitamins on a regular basis. Well, it cured me. I have stayed with the vitamins, I try to exercise regularly and get enough sleep and, touch wood, I have been very healthy.
Robert McCoy[picNM1-4]
Vice President
Pittard Sullivan
Yes I have. I use chiropractic and herbal medicine. I actually broke my neck six years ago, I had a fractured vertebrae. It just snapped while I was working out in a gym. I was told that I had two choices, surgery or nothing. Instead, I went to a sports physiologist who used heat and ultrasound therapy with no medication. It’s called hot/cold therapy, and causes the scar tissue to disintegrate instead of having a surgeon go in and cut the scar tissue out. It was very successful. On a CAT scan, there is very little trace of the injury.
Ann Cavanah
President
Petey & Me Productions
Yes I have. I had a terrible cold, my head was congested and I’d had a migraine for days. I have to honestly say, I was not a believer in alternative medicine, but a friend persuaded me to go. I went to a German acupuncturist. He did not perform acupuncture on me. Instead he gave me a therapeutic healing massage. He just massaged the back of my neck, and by touching certain pressure points he completely and instantly cleared my head and my headache was gone. Then I went home and instantly fell into a deep sleep. I was totally relaxed. I hadn’t slept in days, and when I woke, my cold was gone and I felt great.
Heather Noelte[pic NM9-21]
Associate
Pircher, Nichols & Meeks
Yes. I had deep vein thrombosis a few years ago. I feel that alternative medicine really saved my leg. The treatment I received was primarily chiropractic. There are health care treatments that have been around for as long as people, that are not considered “traditional,” that have a tremendous amount of value. Alternative treatments frequently include more choices, wise choices, that are often less drastic than methods that are routinely used in traditional medicine.
Frederick Denitz[picNM1-4]
Senior Vice President
Imperial Bank
Yes I have. Since 1980, after suffering a pulled muscle in my back from my UCLA cheerleading days, I’ve used both acupuncture and chiropractic medicine. I continue to use acupuncture treatment whenever my back pain flares up, and I strongly endorse it. Most corporate insurance policies for medical treatment cover both chiropractic and acupuncture treatments, which is a good thing for employees.
