Alternative therapies grow in NH
News Desk
conditions from physical ailments such as head and muscle aches, joint
pain or fibromyalgia to emotional or mental ...
Alternative therapies grow in NH
By SARAH SHEMKUS
Union Leader Correspondent
Milford - Sharon Densmore would like to teach the world to breathe.
"Just learning how to breathe can do so much," she said, explaining the
proper method of inhaling deeply and fully, from the diaphragm.
Once the technique is mastered, she explained, tension melts away,
leaving one relaxed and calm in the face of daily frustrations.
Today, Densmore, a former business manager, applies her excitement for
breathing - as well as her extensive studies of yoga, somatic
education, and Reiki - to Somatic Health and Healing, a small
alternative healing studio she runs out of her home on Orange Street.
Among the services she offers are Reiki treatments, a technique
intended to restore the proper flow of energy around the patient's
body; somatic education, a therapy that emphasizes proper use of the
body to achieve pain relief; and kundalini yoga.
As Densmore explained it, healing is a passion for her.
"My business is designed to help people feel better and heal when they
have not been helped by traditional Western medicine," she said of her
practice, which opened as an official business on May 4.
Spending more
The numbers, however, indicate that her venture may also be a shrewd
business move.
In 1997, Americans spent an estimated $36 to $42 billion on alternative
therapies such as acupuncture, massage, yoga, and homeopathic
treatments.
Of this sum, as much as $20 billion was spent on private healing
practitioners, according to data from the National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National
Institutes for Health, the federal government's medical research
agency.
This spending is more than the public paid in out-of-pocket
hospitalization costs that same year. And evidence indicates that the
popularity of alternative therapies - also frequently called
integrative or complementary medicine - is growing nationwide.
Nearly half of all Americans use some form of alternative healing,
according to a recent New York Times article, representing a 14 percent
increase over the past decade.
In Concord
"Business has increased, interest has increased," said Pat Smith,
practice manager at the Center for Integrative Medicine in Concord.
"It's becoming much more acceptable."
Densmore has noticed an increase in inquiries, she said, but the exact
number of clients she has served is hard to estimate because when she
does her job well, they don't have to come back.
Complementary therapies can be used to treat a variety of conditions
from physical ailments such as head and muscle aches, joint pain or
fibromyalgia to emotional or mental disorders such as depression or
anxiety.
The appeal, said Dr. Lynn Durand, also with the Center for Integrative
Medicine, is an approach that focuses on overall wellness rather than
the control of specific symptoms.
"They're getting more of their health care needs addressed," he said.
"More than just a prescription pad approach to their health."
Alternative therapies are also gaining acceptance from many mainstream
medical facilities.
For example, St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua and Concord Hospital offer a
range of treatments from acupuncture, meditation, Reiki, massage, yoga
and music therapy. Universities as prestigious as Harvard, Duke, and
Columbia have centers for the study of integrative medicine.
Effectiveness
But do they work? Durand and Densmore attest to results they have seen,
and some studies do show limited effects for certain treatments. One
recent NCCAM report indicated the efficacy of acupuncture for knee
pain, while another failed to produce evidence that echinacea can ward
off the common cold.
While the evidence is mixed, there are still those with doubts. Durand
noted that some traditional physicians are skeptical of practices
beyond their conventional training.
Doubters, however, do not disturb Densmore, who acknowledged that her
practices are just a few of the possible ways of healing.
"I don't profess to know all the answers," she said. "I just know the
results I get."