Complementary Medicine from the Mayo Clinic
As we reported earlier on
AltMD, alternative and complementary medicines are going mainstream, with the help of powerful media voices like
Oprah Winfrey and
Dr. Oz. Another well-respected voice in the world of medicine that is touting the affects of complementary medicine comes straight from the
Mayo Clinic, College of Medicine itself as an institution.
This published list consists of the Mayo Clinic’s best recommendations in complementary medicine in which safety, standardization, a need not met in traditional medicine, and overall effectiveness were the measurement benchmarks.
Not surprising, first on the list was acupuncture. According to the Heart Spring article, the Mayo clinic reported that "acupuncture can prevent and treat nausea and vomiting and help relieve many types of pain, including that from osteoarthritis, low back pain, neck pain, headaches and post-surgical pain."
Guided imagery and hypnosis were next in the rankings. Massage and meditation also ranked in the Mayo Clinic’s top five, reporting that, “Mayo has used meditation to treat anxiety and high blood pressure and to help people quit smoking without medication. An analysis of 20 studies found that meditation helped patients cope with epilepsy, premenstrual syndrome, menopausal symptoms, autoimmune disease and anxiety during cancer treatment.
Music therapy and yoga were also top scorers in complementary medicine. Make sure to read the full article for more of the Mayo Clinic’s Top 10 Recommendations for Complementary Medicine and further explanations of their effectiveness.