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2004-2005 Broadcast Season
Broadcast Program Transcripts
Episode #2025
Alternative Remedies for Health
Holt: With increasing concern in the African American community over health disparities, is it time to seek alternative methods for maintaining wellness? We'll learn about some of those alternatives next, on Black Issues Forum.
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Voiceover: Funding for this program is made possible in part by UNC-TV members.
Holt: Good evening everyone. I'm Deborah Holt and welcome to Black Issues Forum. A 2002 government survey revealed that more than a third of American adults have tried alternative therapies, and now more than 95 of the nation's 125 medical schools require some kind of complementary and alternative medicine coursework, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. What is alternative medicine? How does it work, and is it effective? We'll address these questions tonight with a very knowledgeable panel of guests. Please note that information in the program is for informational purposes and is not intended for use as diagnosis or treatment of a health problem or as a substitute for consulting a licensed healthcare professional for medical advice, instruction, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact your physician or appropriate licensed healthcare professional. The field of alternative and complementary medicine is extremely vast, so tonight we'll just get a brief introduction to alternative methods being used by more and more Americans. Before we meet our studio guests, let's meet two African American alternative medicine practitioners here in North Carolina.
F: Good morning!
Holt: This is a typical doctor's office. There are patients, a busy but friendly receptionist, and of course, a doctor. But Dr. George Tyler is not a doctor of medicine; he's a doctor of chiropractic.
Tyler: One of the reasons why your back is hurting is because your muscles are out of balance. We work on the brain, the spinal cord, and the nervous system, and that relationship. And do that by keeping lines of communication open between the brain and the body via the nervous system, and that's done through what we call spinal adjustments. The brain of course, controls everything we do, it controls everything in the body, and it does this through sending signals through the spinal cord through the rest of the body. When those signals are clear, we're functioning at 100% optimum. Anything less than optimum is when we have problems. Chiropractors call the condition when we're functioning less than optimum, subluxation. So as a chiropractor what I do is work on the body to clear subluxations and to keep the brain and the body functioning at optimum levels . . . Very tender in here, that's not uncommon after having an auto accident like you had . . . People think of specifically neck and back problems with chiropractic because a lot of people are introduced to chiropractic after say an automobile accident or after a fall or some condition in which they may twist or hurt or sprain their neck or back. But chiropractic is a holistic profession. It treats the whole body.
Now, as a chiropractor, I don't specifically treat, say, diabetes, or say, high blood pressure, but it's been well-documented that people with these type conditions and other conditions improve when their backs, necks, their whole spine, are in alignment, because their body is functioning at an optimal level.
F: Well, I was taking Vioxx and I was taking Motrin, things like that, because I had a rotator cuff problem in my left shoulder.
M: My wife had gone to the doctor, and they were talking about these peels and everything they were going to take, so I asked him about it and everything, he said, "Well, come see me."
F: Well, now I don't take any medicine. I feel better than I ever felt in years, and now-about two weeks ago I even went to the Outer Banks and went to the lighthouse, so you know, I'm doing very well.
Holt: These patients have had a very positive experience with chiropractic here at the back and neck center. But Dr. Tyler is well-aware of misconceptions and fears held by many who are unfamiliar with chiropractic.
Tyler: I try to respond with education, because most of the skepticism I receive is from people who have heard something such as "Oh, my uncle went to a chiropractor, and he broke his neck," or "My sister-in-law went to a chiropractor, and now she can't sit down right." Education is the key for dispelling myths, rumors and elevating the chiropractic system.
Holt: Chiropractic is recognized by the National Institute of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. It falls under the category of alternative medicine called "manipulative and body-based methods." There are four other categories, including alternative medical systems, mind/body interventions, and biologically based therapies. The fifth category is energy therapies, and one example of this method is a practice called Reiki.
Carter: Come on in, just follow that little hallway there.
Holt: Reverend Michael Carter has been practicing Reiki since 1991. Reiki is based on the belief that when the spiritual energy is channeled through a Reiki practitioner, the patient's spirit is healed, which in turn, heals the physical body.
Carter: A Japanese Christian by the name of Dr. Usui was in Japan, and he was trying to find out what type of healing Jesus and the disciples were doing, and he came to this country in the 1880s, and went to the University of Chicago, got his degree, went back to Japan. On his way to Japan, he stopped off in Tibet. He met these monks there that said, "Hey, man, we've been doing this for 5,000 years." It was taught in the mystery schools of Babylon, Rome, Egypt, Sumer and India. Ancient civilizations knew about it, and there's no belief system behind it, but it is a science.
Holt: Even after knowing the definition of Reiki, it can still be a difficult concept to grasp. Revered Carter told me that perhaps the best way to understand this science was to experience it.
Carter: "Ray" means universal, "ki" means energy; in Chinese they call it "chi," they're talking about the energy. People give it different names. Christians say it's the Holy Spirit. But whatever it is, it's a universal energy. We're breathing it in right now, so are the plants. It boosts your immune system and it makes your body-people have said, "I feel whole, I feel lighter," and that's the definition of health, being holistic, body, mind and spirit beings. For people who are having emotional difficulties, for people who are having some aches and pains, Reiki has been known to relieve those.
Holt: Essentially what Reverend Carter did in my abbreviated Reiki session was to open up what he called chakras through my body, starting with __ position one at my crown, and working down to my feet. A normal session would take 50 minutes to an hour, and both the front and back sides of my body would receive treatment.
Carter: I do find that especially for African American, not limited to, it's been hard accepting Reiki. It's changing, because the culture thing, "Where is Jesus fitting in there?" and Jesus may have done a higher form of Reiki, I don't know, but I do know that healing didn't stop after the crucifixion, and if you believe in a resurrection.
Holt: We've just met two alternative medicine practitioners, now let's meet some more. I'd like to introduce Judith Carroll, a food educator and self-taught herbal practitioner. Also on loan to us, courtesy of Blacknificent Books in Raleigh, Dr. Kweku Andoh, an ethnobotanist, and author of several books on ethnobotany and natural healing. We also have our chiropractor, who you met indirectly a few minutes ago, Dr. George Tyler, who runs his own practice at the back and neck center of North Raleigh, and we have Dr. Almaz Smith, a traditional family medicine doctor at Duke Family Medicine who believes in an integrative approach to healthcare. Welcome to all of you. Thank you so much for coming out.
M: Thank you for having us.
Holt: Dr. Andoh, let me just start with you. What is an ethnobotanist?
Andoh: Well, ethnobotany is simply the study of the science of plants, and it also looks at the relationship between people of a particular culture, and how these people use the plants that grow around them, either for food or medicine or indeed for their entire household needs. Now, not only does the field of ethnobotany include the exact science of botany, but it also embraces anthropology, history, linguistics, the law and the legend, the belief of the people, ___ very selected ___ vegetation. So in a nutshell, this is the definition of an ethnobotanist, of which I have, for the last 45 years, have devoted my time to studying all the medicinal and nutritional plants that are used by culture groups of people.
Holt: And in your studies, what have you learned about African American peoples and our relationship to what are now termed alternative remedies?
Andoh: I have come to learn that African American as a group, suffer from many anomalies, such as, of course, you know the stress factor that is involved in the general population as a whole, and then coupled with the fact that we have neglected to eat some of our own food, you see, and as a biologist, let me say that if you do not eat your own food, or some of the food that is part of your genetic makeup, what will happen is that your system will break down. So African Americans as a rule must begin now to look at some of the cultural foods to include some of them in your natural diet, ____ to overcome high blood pressure and diabetes and many of these debilitating diseases. This is my work. So my work is connecting the people back to the soil and back to the nature, and back to the food that is part and parcel of our cultural heritage.
Holt: Thank you. Let me get a couple of definitions out of the way. Dr. Smith, we've mentioned complementary medicine, alternative, and also integrative. Can you distinguish between the three of those for us?
Smith: Well, in general, we like to think about alternative medicine together as complementary. It's usually using nontraditional modalities of care and that typically involves things from mind/body, whether that's mindfulness or hypnotherapy, to chiropractor or spinal manipulation, as well as herbal remedies, homeopathic methods of care, all to achieve overall health, and when we say complementary, that involves those modalities in addition to traditional medicine.
Holt: And does this include also holistic medicine?
Smith: Yes. Holistic involves just paying attention to not only the mind, the spirit and the body in terms of care.
Holt: Ms. Carroll, now you are a self-taught herbalist, and also a food educator. How did you become interested in this? How long have you been practicing healthier ways of eating and taking care of yourself?
Carroll: Well, this is something I've done for probably now 25 years. I started this because I just became interested in alternative methods. It seemed that there were too many pills to be taking that weren't really working, and I became a vegetarian too, many years ago, so that took me into the health food stores. And health food stores had information, they had libraries there, and I would read, I'd buy the books, I'd go in, go to the library and read more, and this is how I became involved in this. So food is very important to your well-being and the plants being a part of that as well.
Holt: I think a lot of people, a lot of viewers, might wonder, how effective is this? I take medicine, I take care of myself; what kind of research is out there to really support the strength of what's being termed as alternative and complementary medicines. Dr. Tyler, can you talk a little bit about some of the research that has stood behind chiropractic?
Tyler: Well, certainly. Chiropractic is, has been researched, especially in the last decade, has been increasing studies and research, and as a matter of fact right now there's a large study on the effects of chiropractic and asthma being done by the foundation for chiropractic education and research. Large study nationwide has just begun, and for those who have been to chiropractors that have had asthma and other conditions, they'll already tell you, they know it works. So we are eager to see what the results of the study will find but we also have to keep in mind that studies are sometimes, the way that they are conducted, you'll find that different outcomes may not, the outcome of the study may not say, "Okay, chiropractic is 1,000% effective as far as correcting asthma," or whatever condition they're studying.
Holt: It may not be conclusive.
Tyler: It may not be conclusive, but you'll find, basically the proof is going to be in the pudding. And chiropractic, again, is spinal manipulation, it's nothing new, 100 years old in this country, but spinal manipulation goes back for every, for pretty every culture, the ancient Chinese, the ancient Japanese, all the cultures of Egypt, it's been very effective. Like I say, the proof has been there over the centuries that this is a very effective form of healthcare.
Smith: I'd actually like to second that, what you just said, what you just said. There are definitely studies that are randomized control trials that do show that chiropractic medicine is effective, especially for low back pain, it's just as effective as physical therapy and other traditional methods of care, so there are some studies that do document that.
Holt: I was just going to ask you, what is being said in the medical community about the alternative medicine practitioners. What's really being said? Is there respect?
Smith: Oh, I think that traditional medicine is really opening up now to alternative methods of care; we have to, because we're seeing a lot of patients coming into the office who are using herbs, and often times they won't share it with us unless they're having a problem with drug interactions, so it's becoming a thing that we're forced to pay attention to. And I think it's a good thing, too, because I think it can be complementary to medicine, but it is very important for patients to let their doctors know that if they're using another form of care, so they can complement each other rather than antagonize each other.
Holt: I'd like to talk a little bit about a person who is new to this initiates and goes about it, because some plants can be just as deadly as a manmade drug. So, Dr. Andoh?
Andoh: Of course, of course. Plants can be viewed as a chemical factory. All the plants you see around us are very toxic, very useful, but that doesn't mean that they aren't beneficial; they are. But it requires knowledge; it requires, you might say, wisdom. As we used to say before the advent of allopathic medicine, you see, our forebearers learned through many modalities to determine those plants that are beneficial, and how they should be used, and I hazard to say there are very useful pointers there for the science community to learn [ph] and here I'm thinking of even one plant in particular, that is we aim to explore the whole world. There is something called the tree of life. Everybody who reads the Bible has heard of the tree of life. It is true that such a thing exists; it is scientifically called moringa oleifera. What science had found is that there is nothing in this world than can compare with this moringa in terms of vitamins for vitamins' sake. And again, what science has found is that this perhaps has the only natural substance that reduces blood pressure naturally, and also mediates sugar level. Such an important tool that could actually revolutionize our health __ system.
Holt: And where is this tree?
Andoh: This tree of course, I studied it through botany, this is what we are introducing to the world as we speak, so now I have written extensively about it, I'm going to talk a lot about it, and really give all the history and the scientific validation that goes with this, so this again people can begin to read. Education is the tool that we must use. Don't take my word for it; you should go read about moringa oleifera, that is the scientific name, moringa oleifera. And you will be so amazed that in this world there is such an important tool in our midst that can address many, many concerns. And I mentioned high blood pressure, diabetes, glaucoma, viral infection. Well, one of the uses, you see, Moringa caught the eye of the science of America because of selenium content. ___ all the vitamins have the selenium, and what selenium will do, if it happened to be in the food source, it will change [ph] the replication of virus; the virus cannot replicate again, and you weaken it; it's such an important tool that we can even use to ___ this HIV and AIDS.
Holt: That's somewhat unbelievable because we've always been taught that viruses are just indestructible, right, Dr. Smith.
Smith: Well, you know, if you can find a cure for the cold virus, that would be great.
Andoh: Just like sickle cell anemia that afflict black people, African Americans suffer from sickle cell anemia; it turns out that sickle cell anemia is not a disease, but rather a nutritional deficiency. If your food contains that ____ that oxygen-promoting substances, as I've been trying to get our people to begin to use some of their food, their system will remain balanced and in harmony, in such a way that all systems will work perfect.
Holt: Ms. Carroll, it's so hard to find these items, though. Where do you find them so that you can begin if you want to seek alternative remedies or just seek more healthier ways of eating and taking care of yourself and being responsible for your health.
Carroll: Well, today we do have other than health food stores, we have major corporations now that are addressing this need. We have new supermarkets that will have the alternative therapies and foods in them, rather than just these foods that are manufactured for the sake of the bottom line and not the good of the consumer. So we have now corporations that are out there opening stores in our areas that are more health-minded, and I think that we should seek them out, and as I said, in all of these stores, they have departments where they have information that is readily available, and classes that are given on an almost daily basis to provide information to consumers so that we know when we walk in the store what we can do to help, be more healthy, and eat more heathfully.
Holt: Let's talk a little bit about nutrients and minerals and vitamin supplements. I know that in the field of chiropractic, it's more than just lower back pain relief, as you mentioned, holistic. What kind of training have you gotten in being able take recommendations about vitamins, minerals, what can you--?
Tyler: Along with the chiropractic education, we receive several hundred hours of nutritional counseling as well before we even get our degree, so we just use that along with spinal manipulation in order to help people again get to an optimal level of health. In my practice, personally recommend different vitamins pertaining again for pain, typically for patients who come in with pain, but those who are coming in with other conditions, which I do see many of those people, specifically we try to raise their health levels by giving what they're deficient in.
Holt: I'd like to take this opportunity now. Judith, you've brought us some pictures of your favorite herbs, and let's talk a little bit about them. Let's take a look at one that's probably common to a lot of viewers, the aloe vera plant.
Carroll: Aloe vera, yes.
Holt: What's that used for?
Carroll: Now this is mainly for skin. It's the best skin moisturizer that you can get. Do we all agree? This is something that is very common. It can be grown here in North Carolina.
Holt: And how about the peppermint plant?
Carroll: Peppermint as well. We always hear-
Andoh: That can also be grown, yes.
Holt: And what's it good for? Do you grind it up? What happens with the peppermint?
Carroll: It would be nice in a tea, a peppermint tea for indigestion.
Holt: Is that strong enough?
Carroll: Yes, it's strong enough. We see so much about indigestion and heartburn in commercials from foods that we're eating, so this is something that can be taken very commonly, a peppermint tea. You'll notice in restaurants, they'll give you a little peppermint after your meal; that's what it's for.
Holt: Is that what that's for?
Carroll: To help with digestion.
Holt: [LAUGHS] And here we thought-
Carroll: Instead of the sugar, have it in a form of a tea.
Holt: And I noticed in a lot of Indian restaurants they have the doll [ph], some sort of seed you can eat, I don't know if that's medicinal as well.
Carroll: Fennell?
Holt: Fennell, that's it, yes.
Carroll: Fennell is also something good.
Holt: And then I've heard a lot about tea tree. Dr. Andoh?
Andoh: Tea tree. Eucalyptus. Yes. Tea tree is very useful. Of course it's very useful, of course it's native to Australia and New Zealand, but now can be found all over the world. The oil is very, very beneficial, anti-bacteria, and also alleviates blemishes on the skin.
Carroll: Insect bites.
[OVERLAPPING/INDISCERNIBLE]
Holt: Now I've heard that when you go and get these oils and things, you have to make sure that they're essential oils, and that they're pure. How do you know? Is there a way to ascertain?
Smith: I would like to comment on that. That's one of the problems when you do use herbs is that you do have to be careful that it isn't FDA-regulated in terms of the industry of herbs, and what you read in the bottle isn't necessary what is completely in the bottle, because it isn't a regulated industry completely, so you do have to be careful and finding a reputable manufacturer is important; and any modality that you use, whether it's acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, going to a licensed professional, is obviously best. So again, also with herbs, where they're grown-
Andoh: What they are-
Smith: Rainfall, all can affect the potency of the herbs, so you have to be careful.
Holt: You wouldn't believe, we have so much more to talk about, but we're going to have to save it for another program. I'd like to thank all of our guests and you for joining us tonight. For more information about tonight's program, visit us online at www.unctv.org/bif or give us a call at 919-549-7167. For Black Issues Forum, I am Deborah Holt. Have a good night.
Voiceover: Funding for this program is made possible in part by UNC-TV members.
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