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| Integrative Medicine
News |
Summer 2007 |
A
Note from the Medical Director
New Massage Therapist
Quality of Dietary Supplements
You Said It Best
Spotlight: Deborah Grice Conway, PhD
Myth or Fact?
A Note from Ronald M. Glick, MD - CIM Medical Director
This
is the first edition of the UPMC Center for Integrative Medicine’s
newsletter Integrative Medicine News. Many positive changes
are happening at the center: We have expanded
our community class offerings and are pleased to announce the addition
of Erin Simon-Custer to the CIM Team.
Because this newsletter is intended to serve as a quarterly communication
between patients, the medical community, and the center, we need your
input. We want this newsletter to reflect your concerns and interests.
Please email
us your feedback, questions, and suggestions for contributions.
Best Regards,
Ron Glick, MD
New
Massage Therapist
The Center for Integrative Medicine is proud to welcome Erin
Simon-Custer, MEd, CMT. Erin has
practiced therapeutic
massage professionally since
1992. For clients of all ages — infants
recovering from difficult births, children and teens with sports injuries,
expectant and new
mothers, and professionals dealing with everyday stressors — Erin
provides relief and insights that enable new beginnings. Welcome,
Erin!
Quality
of Dietary Supplements
According
to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1999
- 2000), 40 percent of adults in the United States use dietary supplements.
The Dietary
Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 placed the responsibility for dietary
supplement safety and good manufacturing practices on the manufacturers of
dietary supplements. The quality of dietary supplements is a concern
for both consumers
and health professionals. Reports in medical journals and the popular media
have highlighted many instances of supplements that failed to contain
ingredients
in the amounts listed on the labels; those that contained elevated levels of
heavy metals such as lead and mercury; and some that were adulterated with
prescription drugs. How do you know which supplements are of good
quality? Some dietary supplement
manufacturers do voluntarily follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and
undergo an independent audit of their manufacturing processes. How
do you identify these
companies? The simplest way is to look for the symbols on the labels
of dietary supplements with the acronyms NSF, NNFA, USP, or ISO (International
Organization for Standardization).
NSF is the National Sanitation Foundation. Dietary supplement companies
that utilize its services are audited every six months. NNFA is
the National Nutritional Foods Association. It performs an independent audit
every three years. USP is the United States Pharmacopeia, a nongovernmental,
nonprofit organization that sets the standard for prescription drugs
and dietary supplements. Once a supplement receives USP verification,
random sampling on a periodic basis is performed to ensure that
GMP
are maintained. In addition to these independent auditors, ConsumerLab.com is
an independent lab that analyzes dietary supplements for labeled
content and quality, then publishes its findings on its web site.
John Laird, ND
You
Said It Best
Words of wisdom from CIM patients:
“It’s like a miracle. Everyone who knows me has seen such a difference.
I am calmer now because I have learned to be mindful of the moment and not
let stress get the best of me.” - Tami Mushinsky
“I’ve
had to spend a lot of time in doctors’ offices in the past few years. Everyone
at CIM has been so kind and friendly. It's the first that I’ve ever enjoyed
going to medical appointments.” - Laura Greenlee
Spotlight: Deborah Grice Conway, PhD
Deborah Grice Conway, PhD, has over 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist
working with children and adults who have been diagnosed with depression,
anxiety disorders, and attention deficit disorder. At CIM, Dr. Conway
also teaches pain management techniques to individuals with chronic pain.
Dr. Conway utilizes traditional psychotherapeutic techniques, such as cognitive
behavioral therapy, as well as cardiac coherence
training, mindfulness meditation practices,
and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
to provide symptom relief. In addition to her work at the Center, Dr. Conway
is a professor
at the Community College of Allegheny County.
Myth
or Fact?
Acupuncture needles are sharp, and they hurt.
MYTH. For some people, the mere thought of needles causes anxiety. This is because
most people picture the type of needle used for blood draws or vaccines. Acupuncture
needles are very different. They are about 25 to 50 times thinner than hypodermic
needles, and the needles are not hollow, but rounded, or filiform, at the tip
allowing for minimal to no pain at insertion. Once the needles are in place,
patients often describe feeling a tingling, traveling warmth, or a mild tightening
sensation at the site of insertion. The Chinese describe this sensation as “de
qi.” It is thought that the therapeutic value comes from this sensation.
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