The Best Kept Secret in Medicine?
The word ‘stress’ is so commonly heard these days that it’s difficult to believe that it has only been used in the context of the human condition for about 80 years. It was introduced by endocrinologist, Hans Selye, who did a huge amount of work that demonstrated the role of stress hormones (mainly adrenalin and noradrenalin) in the causation of disease. Since then, doctors have been convinced that stress is the cause or exacerbating feature in a large proportion of patients consulting them.
In the mid 20th century this led to the prescription of minor tranquilisers such as Valium (diazepam) for so many stressed-out patients that The Rolling Stones even wrote a song about it. This chemical way of dealing with stress became unfashionable as we found out that these ‘minor tranquilisers’ were dangerously addictive.
Before the first Valium was popped however, a system of teaching profound relaxation to patients was developed in Germany and later in Canada. It was called Autogenic Training (Therapy) and it’s premise was simple: If you teach patients to suggest to themselves that they have the physical symptoms experienced by people in deep meditation or hypnosis, they too will experience profound relaxation of mind and body with the potential of huge benefits to physical health.
The founders (Johannes Schulz and Wolfgang Luther) spend decades perfecting the technique until they settled on a highly effective way of teaching the technique to patients either individually or in groups over 8-10 sessions. Results in all sorts of stress-related chronic problems such as insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, anxiety, migraine and many other problems were excellent and continue to be so.
So the $64 000 question is: Why is Autogenic Therapy not well known?
There is so much stress around that I think there is a strong case for AT to be available in every GP’s waiting room every night. You can get Autogenic Training (AT) lessons on the NHS at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital with a simple GP referral and there are quite a few (though not nearly enough) AT teachers all over the country. That it is hardly known is a total disgrace. What reason can there be for this? That it’s not available in a bottle? Surely not.
Professor Edzard Ernst is well known to readers of this blog as one of homeopathy’s most vicious critics. When he implied that homeopaths are lying to their patients I challenged him to a duel but I am not here today to bury Ernst but to praise him. For guess what? He is a patron of the British Autogenic Society and loves AT! So my question to Ernst is the following: Why spend so much of your time trashing CAM and homeopathy in particular when you know how good AT is and how badly it needs publicity. Why not spend more time promoting those so-called ‘alternative and complimentary’ approaches that even you know work instead of writing negative, sneering articles and books about those you are sceptical about?
For more information on Autogenic Therapy contact the British Society for Autogenic Therapy.
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Comments
Thanks Linda, I completely agree with you. And the worst thing we can do is get vindictive and vituperative about these people no matter how they treat us.
Indeed, for under anger is always fear. So much of their behaviour stems from a belief that they live in a dangerous world and everyone is out to get them, so they are constantly either attacking or defending, which is quite sad really. Nothing good could come of being vindictive because it just adds fuel to the fire.
I think it helps to understand this and attempt to treat them homeopathically and skilfully with no fear of our own. I had to laugh when one self-appointed ‘skeptic’ on Twitter rather limply accused me of having diluted his argument until there was nothing left! 
Hmm, I feel a blog on the psyche of ‘skeptics’ coming on … !
I believe that Abraham Lincoln once said.
“The best way to get rid of your enemy is to make them your friend”.
Please if this is a misquote forgive me my error.
But it does sum up the attitude we should be trying to promote. So much of this internet blogging thing seems to revolve around animosity and anger.
So best wishes to all
Hey Doc,
Who is this guy? Why is homeopathy being attacked? It’s harmless, profitable and even helpful. Moreover, many patients are very satisfied with it.
There are enough problems within orthodox medicine. That pie-chart deserves study, because it is almost bleak.
The orthodox house needs cleaning first; then guilt-free stone throwing can proceed.
AT helps stress. People pay for help. Even with gold.
Regards,
Fritz Kabongo MD
Really enjoyed Dr Brian Kaplan’s blog and he asks the 64 million dollar question at the end. Why are our detractors picking on us when they have the choice to be constructive, creative, positive and contributory to the fields they feel able to support?
And maybe actually help some people while they’re at it for a change, as I have yet to see an evidence base for scepticism improving health and well-being.
I think they’re angry about all sorts of other things (that we could probably help them with LOL), suppressed except where they find what seems to them an easy target and unleash it. Rather like bullies in a playground. Bullies tend to give up and pick on someone else when you stand up to them though
, brilliant idea to challenge him to a duel!