When people think of “alternative” medicine, they often associate it with charlatans, charlatans, and pseudoscience.
But research suggests that some remedies, once taken off the shelf, can help treat a range of conditions, from pain to depression and even cancer.
Last week, a US study claimed to demonstrate for the first time that mindfulness meditation can act as a pain reliever, decreasing the brain’s responses responsible for pain.
It followed major research in March that found a supplement made from seafood had “anti-cancer benefits”. In the study of 400,000 people, there was a 16% lower risk of lung cancer in those who took the pills regularly.
And research spanning decades has indicated that St. John’s wort may be as effective as antidepressants in people with mild to moderate depression.
This research has convinced even the staunchest critics that there may be a place for alternative medicine in the way we treat modern disease.
Professor Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter, has made a career of calling treatments without scientific support.
He recently authored the book Charles: The Alternative Prince, where he denounced the Prince of Wales’ obsession with homeopathy.
But he admitted that not all alternative medicine should be tarred with the same brush, and is keeping an eye on five of the most promising treatments in the field:
Professor Edzard Ernst (inset), the world’s leading expert on alternative medicine, says research has suggested that glucosamine (above left), meditation (above), St. John’s wort (above right), TENS (bottom left) and melatonin (aa bottom right) could all be beneficial for a range of medical conditions
St. John’s wort for depression
Alternative medicines could also help treat another condition that is becoming more common in modern society: depression.
Around 4.5 per cent of Britons are thought to be clinically depressed, up by a fifth by some estimates since the turn of the century.
NHS doctors currently prescribe cognitive behavioral therapy or antidepressants. But the latter can cause a number of side effects, including headaches, nausea and trouble sleeping, leading some to seek alternatives.
St. John’s wort is a flower that has long been used to treat mental health issues. It is one of the most well-researched herbal remedies and is taken as a daily capsule, costing around 25p per pill.
There is good evidence that St. John’s wort can reduce symptoms in people with mild to moderate, but not major, depression. In many studies it appears to work just as well as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a popular type of antidepressant often prescribed to treat depression.
Mindfulness the new paracetamol?
A study suggests that trendy mindfulness meditation could be used as a pain reliever.
The practice involves “being present” with your thoughts and feelings, usually using breathing techniques.
It’s said to help people feel less anxious when faced with stressful emotional situations, but now scientists say they’ve shown for the first time that it can also treat physical pain.
They gave about 30 healthy Americans an eight-week mindfulness course and then compared them to a control group.
Participants received a brain scan before and after the course while their limbs were exposed to heat to establish a pain response.
Those who practiced mindfulness showed less activity in brain regions responsible for pain compared to the control group.
A separate experiment on long-term mindfulness followers indicated that they had physical changes in the brain that influenced their perception of pain.
University of Wisconsin researchers say the findings suggest mindfulness could be used instead of opioids or other pain relievers for people with chronic pain.
The practice of mindfulness is on the rise, especially in the United States, with some studies estimating that 5.7 million Americans have tried it at least once.
The latest paper was done by researchers at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California, a nonprofit think tank that produces research for the US Air Force.
The meta-analysis, published in Systematic Reviews in 2016, looked at 35 studies including 6,993 patients who were given the herbal remedy, a placebo or antidepressants.
They found that people taking St. John’s wort was as effective as antidepressants, although they caused one-third fewer side effects. It was also 53% more effective than taking a placebo.
The authors wrote: ‘[St John’s wort] Monotherapy for mild and moderate depression is superior to placebo in improving symptoms of depression and is not significantly different from antidepressant medication.
“Adverse events reported in RCTs were comparable to placebo and fewer compared to antidepressants.”
Professor Ernst said: “This is very encouraging, but caution is still needed.
“St. John’s wort interacts powerfully with about 50 percent of all prescription drugs and can therefore cause considerable harm.”
TENS for pain
According to Professor Ernst, knee pain, menstrual cramps and endometriosis flare-ups could be helped by a special treatment that causes electricity in the body.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) aims to relieve pain by blocking nerve signals using a gentle electrical current.
The use of electricity to relieve pain was first reported by the Romans, and Emperor Claudius’ court physician noted that standing on electric fish on the beach reduced his pain in year 63 AD
The first modern TENS machine was patented in the US in 1974, initially used for chronic pain, although it has since been expanded for a variety of pain conditions.
Professor Ernst told MailOnline: ‘Put simply, it consists of a small battery-powered generator of a low-voltage electric current that is connected to electrodes that patients attach to the area of pain.
“The electric current is thought to stimulate nerve cells that block the transmission of pain signals, modifying the perception of pain.”
The NHS currently recommends that people considering TENS speak to their GP, who may refer them to a physiotherapist or pain clinic for treatment.
But he says there is “not enough good quality scientific evidence to say for sure whether TENS is a reliable method of pain relief”.
However, Professor Ernst pointed to a review published in February of 381 trials with a total of more than 24,500 participants.
Published in BMJ Open, it found there was “moderate-certainty evidence that pain intensity is lower during or immediately after TENS compared with placebo and with no serious adverse events.”
Glucosamine for cancer
Another treatment that has long been promoted by alternative medicine enthusiasts is glucosamine.
Glucosamine is found naturally in the body in cartilage, a tough tissue that helps cushion our joints. Other natural sources include chicken bone ends and shellfish shells.
They are sold as supplements for as little as 20p a pill.
Over the years, studies have not definitively shown whether pills can treat pain on a large scale. But they are generally considered safe and many osteoarthritis sufferers report feeling some pain relief.
GPs on the NHS no longer prescribe it for patients with arthritis due to a lack of concrete research.
But new research in March linked the pills to a lower risk of cancer.
The study of nearly 440,000 middle-aged adults published in the European Respiratory Journal found the pills had “anti-cancer benefits.”
The researchers found that the 82,600 participants who said they took the pills “regularly” had a 16 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer over the 11-year study period. They were also 12% less likely to die from the disease.
However, the research failed to show that the pills caused the lower risk, with other factors potentially at play.
Other studies have linked glucosamine use to a lower risk of heart disease.
The supplement is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties, which could help reduce the risk of cancer and clogged arteries, allowing the immune system to function at its best.
Professor Ernst said: “Although this is just the latest in a series of studies showing similar things, population studies cannot conclusively establish a causal effect. Clinical trials are now needed to do this “.
Meditation for back pain
Chronic back pain is an increasingly common problem in the modern world, with many of us suffering from hunched over desks all day.
But the solution could be found in ancient practice in the form of meditation, Professor Ernst suggested.
Meditation was first recorded in the earliest scriptures of Hinduism, which were written around 1500 BC, and can be traced back to 5000 BC.
The practice involves focusing the mind on a particular object, thought or activity, to increase attention and achieve a calm and clear state of mind.
Since then, it has been adopted in the West as part of consciousness, with research showing that it is beneficial for a range of mental and medical disorders, including high blood pressure.
A study published in Pain Medicine in February has suggested that meditation could help people with back pain.
Researchers from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan reviewed 12 trials involving a total of more than 1,150 patients.
He found that people who meditated had significantly reduced back pain after starting the practice compared to those who didn’t.
The authors said, “Meditation-based therapies constitute a safe and effective alternative approach to the management of CLBP.”
Meditation is thought to relieve pain by altering the structure of the brain, making the sensation less intense.
Professor Ernst said the review suggested meditation could be beneficial for people living with pain.
He said: “This is encouraging because, unlike chiropractic, meditation is not associated with serious adverse effects.”
A study published last week put about 30 healthy Americans through an eight-week mindfulness course and then…