Alternative Appeal

As alternative modes of healing gain popularity, PITAHC gives primary care the priority

By Michelle Ciriacruz

Photos by Boaner Medina

A lot more people like what they see and get from alternative medicine. Recent years have seen a rising trend where alternative modalities such as acupuncture, massage therapy, and herbal medicine are being embraced, no longer by a self-conscious minority, but by an eager majority.

    A study by David Eisenberg (Journal of American Medical Association) to determine alternative medicine use in the United States suggests that the number of American visits to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers in 1997 made a significant increase (47.3 percent) since a similar study was conducted in 1990. That year, both conventional and alternative medicine seemed to enjoy equal acceptance with the American population, with family care physicians and practitioners of alternative healing therapies each receiving around 400 million visits.

    The following years, however, experienced a surge in people's interest with the ancient styles of healing, or the newer alternative ones. In 1997, the 629 million visits of Americans to CAM providers exceeded those of their more conventional colleagues in the health care business-the primary care physicians.

    Since the trend and styles of the more developed countries are often reliable guides of what to expect on our own home ground, the spread of alternative healing therapies among our own people seems inevitable. Already, the demand for aromatherapy products and herbal remedies has risen; they are being sold left and right in commercial centers. Reflexology, food supplements, and even diagnostic devices enjoy a growing patronage. Yet the exact role of alternative medicine in relation with the current health care system remains undefined.

    Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care director general Dr. Alfonso T. Lagaya says that the consumer industry is not the only aspect of society being affected by the rise of alternative healing modalities; even patients are now demanding from their physicians "any scientific or authoritative statement regarding alternative medicine." The American Academy of Family Medicine, Philippine Academy of Family Physicians, Philippine College of Chest Physicians, Philippine Neurological Association, and Philipine Gerontology and Geriatrics Association have all included lectures about it in their conventions.

    PITAHC was created in 1997 by the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act (TAMA) to provide safe, beneficial, affordable and culturally-acceptable traditional and health care products, services, and technologies to every Filipino, and to promote advocacy, research, and skills training along these lines. PITAHC is also tasked to conserve and protect natural health resources and technology from unwarranted exploitation.

    Ultimately, the goal is "to integrate these traditional healing practices with the current health care system," says Dr. Lagaya. The World Health Organization has already funded a series of meetings between PITAHC and the academics, participated in by officers and members of the following: Association of Philippine Colleges, Association of Deans of Philippine Medical Colleges, and the different schools of nursing, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy, midwifery, dentistry, and nutrition in the country.

    They reviewed alternative healing modalities that could be integrated into the current health and sciences curriculum of these schools. Currently, the National Teachers Training Center at the University of the Philippines is refining the product of these meetings for presentation to the Commission on Higher Education as soon as it is completed.

    The programs PITAHC have set up are prioritized according to certain criteria. Of the alternative medicine modalities being endorsed by the Department of Health, acupuncture, and massage therapy are at the forefront since there is already firm evidence that they are safe and effective. Moreover, they have good backing from the WHO, which conducts extensive studies on their use and application.

    Of the 10 herbal medicines, lagundi and sambong are registered with the Bureau of Food and Drugs. PITAHC is actively involved in their production and marketing, maintaining four herbal processing plants in Cagayan Valley, Tacloban City, Davao, and Cotabato. The rest of the herbs--yerba buena, tsaang gubat, niyug-niyugan, bayabas, akapulko, ulasimang bato, bawang, and ampalaya--are also being promoted by PITAHC in its community-based and livelihood projects where town folks are taught to prepare herbal decoctions, syrups, and ointment for primary health care. Herbal soap-making is also taught.

    Unlike with massage therapy and herbal preparation, however, PITAHC prefers to train only medical doctors in acupuncture, because of the risk of infection and nerve damage. So far, it has trained 241 physicians in acupuncture, almost 4,452 laypeople in acupressure, and 4,329 in herbal preparations. However, PITAHC emphasizes to all participants that these modalities are not meant to replace western medicine but complement it.

    Meanwhile, noninvasive healing methods that fit within the primary health care system and the Filipino culture are next in PITAHC's priority list. Most energy healing methods could qualify, as long as the centers that offer these services link up with PITAHC and are included in its directory of practitioners. This creation of a directory is actually the first step in PITAHC's accreditation process. Establishing a communication network among the respondents follow soon after. July 29 last year, PITAHC introduced the energy healing modalities to the public during its national symposium on energy healing and diagnostic devices held in Pasay City.

    It was a prime opportunity for practitioners of divine healing, pranic healing, reiki, Qi-gong, Tetada Kalimasada, and polarity therapy to discuss the principles of their practice to the public. Representatives of ayurvedic medicine, macrobiotics, meditation, iridology, and several diagnostic devices were also in attendance. Noted research authority in the paranormal sciences and alternative medicine Mr. Jaime Licauco presented a talk on the interaction between human intention and inanimate/animate system and how cancer therapy can be aided by visualization.

    There is need for further research and development for these modalities, however, and to come up with a policy and set standards before their safety and effectiveness can be guaranteed. PITAHC will need to work with a committee composed of practitioners and scientific researchers to come up with evidence-based studies.

    The first priority modalities-the 10 herbal medicines, acupuncture, and massage therapy-already have standards of practice instituted, which the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority helped formulate. Only a code of ethics needs to be formulated for them to reach full accreditation by PITAHC.

    The accreditation program was established in response to a clamor from the practitioners themselves. Originally, says Dr. Lagaya, the intention was just to put up a database. When the practitioners were contacted, however, they clamored for a system that goes beyond mere networking. This way, says Dr. Lagaya, if PITAHC has no regulatory powers, which could be counterproductive anyway, , the principle of "positive reinforcement" could be used to raise to the highest level of quality possible the varied services and products classified under alternative medicine.

    Dr. Lagaya hopes that PITAHC would be able to come up this year with a national certification program for massage therapy. A candidate will have to go through three certification levels. Having a first level certification means the practitioner can only do relaxation massage. A practice with a second level certification means the practitioner is qualified to treat common ailments like migraine and shoulder pain. The third means he or she is certified to treat more complicated disorders.