NCCAM was established in October 1991, as the “Office of Alternative Medicine” (OAM), which was re-established as NCCAM in October 1998. Its mission statement declares that it is “dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science; training complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) researchers; and disseminating authoritative information to the public and professionals.”

Joseph M. Jacobs was appointed the first director of the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) in 1992. Initially, Jacobs’ insistence on rigorous scientific methdology caused friction with the Office’s patrons, such as Senator Tom Harkin. Harkin criticized the “unbendable rules of randomized clinical trials” and, citing his use of bee pollen to treat his allergies, stated: “It is not necessary for the scientific community to understand the process before the American public can benefit from these therapies.” Harkin’s office reportedly pressured the OAM to fund studies of specific “pet theories”, including bee pollen and antineoplastons. In the face of increasing resistance to the use of scientific methodology in the study of alternative medicine, one of the OAM board members, Barrie Cassileth, publicly criticized the office, saying: “The degree to which nonsense has trickled down to every aspect of this office is astonishing… It’s the only place where opinions are counted as equal to data.” Finally, in 1994, Harkin appeared on television with cancer patients who blamed Jacobs of blocking their access to antineoplastons, leading Jacobs to resign from the OAM in frustration with the political climate.

With the OAM’s increasing budget in the 1990s, the Office drew increasing criticism for disdaining the scientific study of alternative approaches in favor of uncritical boosterism. Paul Berg, a Nobel laureate in chemistry, wrote to the Senate that “Quackery will always prey on the gullible and uninformed, but we should not provide it with cover from the N.I.H.” Allen Bromley, then president of the American Physical Society, similarly wrote to Congress that the OAM had “emerged as an undiscriminate advocate of unconventional medicine. It has bestowed the considerable prestige of the NIH on a variety of highly dubious practices, some of which clearly violate basic laws of physics and more clearly resemble witchcraft.” A ”New York Times” editorial described the OAM as “Tom Harkin’s folly”.

Ultimately, in 1998 the Office of Alternative Medicine was elevated to the status of an NIH Center and renamed the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). With the increasing profile and budget of the Center, Stephen Straus, a former laboratory chief at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, was brought in to head NCCAM with a mandate to promote a more rigorous and scientific approach to the study of alternative medicine. On January 24, 2008, Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., was named Director of NCCAM.

The NCCAM funds research into complementary and alternative medicine, including support for clinical trials of CAM techniques.

Focus

The four primary areas of focus are:

*Research – support clinical and basic science research projects in CAM by awarding grants across the country and around the world; we also design, study, and analyze clinical and laboratory-based studies on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

*Research training and career development – award grants that provide training and career development opportunities for predoctoral, postdoctoral, and career researchers.

*Outreach – sponsor conferences, educational programs, and exhibits; operate an information clearinghouse to answer inquiries and requests for information; provide a Web site and printed publications; and hold town meetings at selected locations in the United States.

*Integration – integrate scientifically proven CAM practices into conventional medicine by announcing published research results; studying ways to integrate evidence-based CAM practices into conventional medical practice; and supporting programs to develop models for incorporating CAM into the curriculum of medical, dental, and nursing schools.

The forms of medical systems covered include:

* Whole medical systems such as homeopathy, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, and ayurveda.

* Mind-body medicine such as meditation, prayer, mental healing, art therapy, music therapy, and dance therapy.

* Biologically based practices such as dietary supplements, herbal supplements, and other scientifically unproven therapies such as shark cartilage.

* Manipulative and Body-Based Practices such as spinal manipulation (both chiropractic and osteopathic) and massage.

* Energy therapies such as qi gong, reiki, therapeutic touch, and electromagnetic therapy.

Operations

The NCCAM charter states that “Of the 18 appointed members (of the council) 12 shall be selected from among the leading representatives of the health and scientific disciplines (including not less than 2 individuals who are leaders in the fields of public health and the behavioral or social sciences) relevant to the activities of the NCCAM, particularly representatives of the health and scientific disciplines in the area of complementary and alternative medicine. Nine of the members shall be practitioners licensed in one or more of the major systems with which the Center is involved. Six of the members shall be appointed by the Secretary from the general public and shall include leaders in the fields of public policy, law, health policy, economics, and management. Three of the six shall represent the interests of individual consumers of complementary and alternative medicine.”.

The NCCAM budget for 2005 was $123 million. For fiscal year 2009 (ending September 30, 2009), it was $122 million.

Research in alternative medicine is done elsewhere at NIH, notably in the National Cancer Institute. The NIH’s Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine had the same budget as NCCAM, $122 million, for fiscal year 2009. Other parts of NIH had an additional $50 million for FY 2009; NIH’s total budget was about $29 billion.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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In the Western medical tradition genital massage of a woman to orgasm by a physician or midwife was a standard treatment for female hysteria, an ailment considered common and chronic in women. In 1653, Pieter van Foreest advised the technique of genital massage for a disease called “womb disease” to bring the woman into “hysterical paroxysm”.

Such cases were quite profitable for physicians, since the patients were at no risk of death, but needed constant treatment. However, the vaginal massage procedure (generally referred to as ‘pelvic massage’) was tedious and time consuming for physicians. The technique was difficult for a physician to master and could take hours to achieve “hysterical paroxysm.” Referral to midwives, which had been common practice, meant a loss of business for the physician, and at times husbands were asked to assist.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Erotic massage, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Canine massage is a branch of massage therapy that promotes health in dogs. Specifically, canine massage therapy is a form of alternative therapy whose benefits can include helping to relieve pain, helping to make joints more flexible, improving the range of motion, and benefiting the immune system of dogs. It uses touch to maintain or improve both physical and emotional well-being.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Canine massage, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Before beginning a massage, practitioners should first check the horses health, by checking vital signs, and cleaning the horse of any dirt and checking for injuries. They should work in a large, clear, quiet space that is free of any obstacles and small animals. The horse should either be held by a handler or secured so that it has a full range of head motion for relaxation. The massage should start out with light, gentle pressure and move slowly to deeper strokes. A record should be kept of all treatments, with schedules for what will come in the future.

Four T’s

The Four T’s to remember while massaging are temperature, texture, tenderness and tension.

The horses body temperature is about 38 degrees Celsius or 99-101 degrees Fahrenheit. If there is a body temperature fluctuation that may mean that there is some sort of muscle soreness or injury. Texture is how the skin “feels” which basically the elasticity and the density of the skin. Is the skin healthy or does it feel a bit softer or kind of puffy, which could mean that it is swollen. Tenderness means is the area that you are working with is sensitive to the touch which may be severe or not. Tension means have certain muscles been overworked when this happens the muscle is receiving less blood, nutrients, and oxygen, which can cause a toxic build-up and trigger stress points.

Massaging the head

Massaging the head of the horse requires a light touch, since you are working on bones, muscles and nerve endings that are small and close to the skin. Some horses are not comfortable with having their faces touched, and so practitioners must be extra careful when working in this area. Some spots on the head, such as the upper lip/gums, lower jaw, around the eyes and the ears, will trigger strong responses.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Equine massage, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Infant massage is massage given to a young infants involving tactile and kinesthetic stroke and rubbing stimulation as a therapy to enhance their cognitive and physical development. Such contact is also found in other mammals where the mother provides tactile stimulation as part of their care through licking, grooming, and physical contact. Infant massage is widespread in traditional societies. Research finds that massage enhances neural development and body growth in rodents and humans and is particularly important for preterm infants.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Infant massage, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Prostate massage is the massage or stimulation of the male prostate gland for sexual stimulation or medical purposes.

The prostate takes part in the sexual response cycle, and is essential for ejaculation. Normally, in mammals found to be most active during the time of ejaculation, this organ also faces many threats from disease. Due to its close proximity to the anterior rectal wall, it can be stimulated manually via the anus. Manual massage may lead to an urge to urinate, excretion of prostatic fluids without orgasm, and pain .

Digital rectal examination (DRE)

Prostate massage is part of the digital rectal examination (DRE) routinely given to men by urologists in order to look for nodules of prostate cancer and to obtain an expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) specimen for microscopy and microbiological culture to screen for prostatitis.

Prostatitis

In the late 1990s, some doctors tried prostate massage in conjunction with antibiotics for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis with uncertain results. In recent trials, however, prostate massage was not shown to improve outcomes compared to antibiotics alone. As a consequence of these findings, prostate massage is not used in the treatment of any medical disorder today, and prostate massage should ”never” be performed on patients with acute prostatitis, because the infection can spread elsewhere in the body if massage is performed.

Risks

In addition, prostate massage can be risky. Some of the documented consequences are life-threatening periprostatic hemorrhage, cellulitis, Fournier’s gangrene, septicaemia, possible disturbance and metastasis of prostate cancer to other parts of the body, and hemorrhoidal flare-up.

Animal husbandry

Electroejaculation is a procedure in which nerves are stimulated via an electric probe, which is inserted into the rectum adjacent to the prostate. It is most commonly encountered in animal husbandry for the purpose of collecting semen samples for testing or breeding.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Prostate massage, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Symptomatic relief of muscle and nerve pain can be obtained by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and/or muscle relaxants. Conservative treatment usually begins with stretching exercises and massage, and avoidance of contributory activities, such as running, bicycling, rowing, etc. Some clinicians recommend formal physical therapy, including the teaching of stretching techniques, massage, and strengthening of the core muscles (abs, back, etc.) to reduce strain on the piriformis. Stretching exercises will target the piriformis, but may also include the hamstrings and hip muscles, in order to adequately reduce pain and increase range of motion. Patients with piriformis syndrome may also find relief from ice and heat. Ice can be helpful when the pain starts, or immediately after an activity that causes pain. This may be simply an ice pack, or ice massage. Alternating heat and ice is often helpful. Custom foot orthotics also help with both treatment and prevention. Gait correction can reduce the use of the piriformis, allowing the muscle to relax and heal itself. Ultrasound is another option, providing deeper heat than heat packs alone.

Failure of conservative treatments described above may lead to consideration of various therapeutic injections such as local anesthetics (e.g., lidocaine), Anti-inflammatory drugs and/or corticosteroids, botulinum toxin (BTX, BOTOX), or a combination of the three. Injection technique (discussed in above section) is a significant issue since the piriformis is a very deep seated muscle. A radiologist may assist in this clinical setting by injecting a small dose of medication containing a paralysing agent such as botulinum toxin under CT control. This inactivates the piriformis muscle for 3–6 months, without resulting in leg weakness or impaired activity.

Rarely surgery may be recommended. The prognosis is generally good. Minimal access surgery using newly-reported techniques has also proven successful in a large-scale formal outcome published in 2005.

Failure of piriformis syndrome treatment may be secondary to an underlying obturator internus muscle injury.[http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/308798-treatment#TreatmentMedicalIssuesComplications]

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Piriformis syndrome, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Vacuum massage is a type of therapeutic massage which is used for body sculpting, cellulite reduction and to treat such diseases as osteochondrosis, colds, bronchitis and pneumonia. The medical effect of this massage is realized by means of vacuum that causes the local rush of blood and lymph to skin from deep lying tissues, which exerts the reflex influence on vessels of internal organs. Usually vacuum massage is performed by using rubber glass, a small silicone massager.

Vacuum massage is believed to be one of the most trusted and efficient treatment against cellulite. It smooths hypodermic fat layer and skin becomes more elastic.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Vacuum massage, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Erotic massage or sensuous massage is the use of massage techniques to achieve or enhance sexual arousal. Massages have been used for medical purposes for a very long time. Its use for erotic purposes also has a long history. Today it is used by some couples on occasions as part of lovemaking, either as foreplay or as the final sex act. Erotic massages typically feature massages in erogenous zones of the body to increase sexual arousal.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Erotic massage, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Typical services include:

*Balneotherapy

*Body treatments such as body wraps, aromatherapy

*Cooking lessons

*Facials — facial cleansing with a variety of products

*Fitness consultation

*Hair spa treatment

*Massage

*Medical treatment

*Nail care, pedicure

*Nutrition counseling

*Skin exfoliation — including chemical peels and microdermabrasion

*Waxing — the removal of body hair with hot wax

*Weight loss

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Destination spa, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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