New age medicine

[Ahimsa]

Mickey:

I do not think it would be possible to prove that new-age practices are beneficial.

Depends upon what you mean by “new age”. As the NIH links show, vibrational and energy medicine of certain kinds (such as Sound Energy Therapy), have been shown to be beneficial:

Sound Energy Therapy
Sound energy therapy, sometimes referred to as vibrational or frequency therapy, includes music therapy as well as wind chime and tuning fork therapy. The presumptive basis of its effect is that specific sound frequencies resonate with specific organs of the body to heal and support the body. Music therapy has been the most studied among these interventions, with studies dating back to the 1920s, when it was reported that music affected blood pressure.11 Other studies have suggested that music can help reduce pain and anxiety. Music and imagery, alone and in combination, have been used to entrain mood states, reduce acute or chronic pain, and alter certain biochemicals, such as plasma beta-endorphin levels.12 These uses of energy fields truly overlap with the domain of mind-body medicine. (For more information, see NCCAM’s backgrounder “Mind-Body Medicine: An Overview.”)

 

[Karin]

“One of those folks” Well let’s see.

I don’t believe in yoga as a spritual practice (only excersice). I don’t buy into reikki, enneagram, vibrational medicine, holistic medicine, homeopathy, psychic healing, and things of this nature. I’m not sure about accupunture. I believe in The Holy Trinity along with a healthy diet, excersice and traditional medicine. Does that make me “one of those folks”?

 

[Mickey]

Ahimsa:

Music therapy has been the most studied among these interventions, with studies dating back to the 1920s, when it was reported that music affected blood pressure. Other studies have suggested that music can help reduce pain and anxiety. Music and imagery, alone and in combination, have been used to entrain mood states, reduce acute or chronic pain, and alter certain biochemicals, such as plasma beta-endorphin levels.

As a musician, I can accept much of this. But tell me that a sweet ballad is going to cure cancer and I sell you a nice piece of land in the Florida Everglades.

 

[Ortho]

Mickey:

As a musician, I can accept much of this. But tell me that a sweet ballad is going to cure cancer and I sell you a nice piece of land in the Florida Everglades.

Perhaps it won’t cure it, but it may be instrumental in avoiding it.

 

[Mickey]

Ortho:

Perhaps it won’t cure it, but it may be instrumental in avoiding it.

Got any proof?

 

[Strider]

mikew262:

Why are you trying to debunk? If it provides a benefit to somebody, so what?

For an in-depth discussion of the Catholic Church’s view of “New Age” thinking and practices, go here:

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html#2.2.1.%20Enchantment:%20There%20Must%20be%20an%20Angel

Or, you can go to www.vatican.va and search for “Jesus
Christ The Bearer of the Water of Life.”
It is a thorough explanation of the dangers the Church sees in the “New Age,” and the reason, I think, for Mickey’s OP.

 

[Mickey]

Strider:

For an in-depth discussion of the Catholic Church’s view of “New Age” thinking and practices, go here:

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html#2.2.1.%20Enchantment:%20There%20Must%20be%20an%20Angel

Or, you can go to www.vatican.va and search for “Jesus
Christ The Bearer of the Water of Life.”
It is a thorough explanation of the dangers the Church sees in the “New Age,” and the reason, I think, for Mickey’s OP.

Correct again strider. Thanks for the link.

 

[Strider]

Ortho:

Has that been put to a test?

What is involved in Eucharistic Adoration? Is it meditation? What does one do? It may be very similar to Eastern meditation.

Good questions.
Actually, Eucharistic adoration can be meditative, contempletive, it can be vocal prayer, it can be a talk with the best friend one will ever have.

What it is not is similar to Eastern Meditation. Eastern Meditation seeks to “empty the self” and to focus “energy” on the “chi” or center of being.

Catholic prayer, especially Eucharistic adoration, seeks to submit completely to God…to go out of oneself to him and give him praise, glory, adoration; to petition him for what we think we need, if it is his will, to petition him for others; to acknowledge his Glory, to seek his will in all things we do.
For a very much better explanation, go here

catholicfamilycatalog.com/benedictgroeschel.htm
and check out the two tites, “In the presence or Our Lord.”

or check out this link

therealpresence.org/eucharst/book/a10.html

The comment I made about blood pressure is strictly empirical and subjective, but I firmly believe that for someone who understands and believes in the True Presence, the health benefits would be much greater than, but include, reducing hypertension.

 

[Ortho]

Mickey:

Got any proof?

No proof, but most of us don’t live our lives based on proof.

There have been studies showing that the type of music played while a person is under anesthesia has an effect on their recovery from surgery.

There have also been studies showing that certain types of music lower blood pressure, while others raise it.

Science does not proove things. It develops scientific theories based on confirmation of hypothesis.

 

[Ortho]

Strider:

For an in-depth discussion of the Catholic Church’s view of “New Age” thinking and practices, go here:

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html#2.2.1.%20Enchantment:%20There%20Must%20be%20an%20Angel

Or, you can go to www.vatican.va and search for “Jesus
Christ The Bearer of the Water of Life.”
It is a thorough explanation of the dangers the Church sees in the “New Age,” and the reason, I think, for Mickey’s OP.

Is this official Church teaching? Is it from the Magesterium? Papal encyclical? Council? Dogma? Is it binding on all Catholics?

 

[Ortho]

Strider:

Good questions.
Actually, Eucharistic adoration can be meditative, contempletive, it can be vocal prayer, it can be a talk with the best friend one will ever have.

What it is not is similar to Eastern Meditation. Eastern Meditation seeks to “empty the self” and to focus “energy” on the “chi” or center of being.

Catholic prayer, especially Eucharistic adoration, seeks to submit completely to God…to go out of oneself to him and give him praise, glory, adoration; to petition him for what we think we need, if it is his will, to petition him for others; to acknowledge his Glory, to seek his will in all things we do.
For a very much better explanation, go here

catholicfamilycatalog.com/benedictgroeschel.htm
and check out the two tites, “In the presence or Our Lord.”

or check out this link

therealpresence.org/eucharst/book/a10.html

The comment I made about blood pressure is strictly empirical and subjective, but I firmly believe that for someone who understands and believes in the True Presence, the health benefits would be much greater than, but include, reducing hypertension.

There are many variations of Eastern meditation. One variation seeks to empty the mind of all extraneous thoughts, then meditate on God. I suspect we may be seeing the same type of phenomena.

 

[Mickey]

Ortho:

No proof, but most of us don’t live our lives based on proof.

There have been studies showing that the type of music played while a person is under anesthesia has an effect on their recovery from surgery.

There have also been studies showing that certain types of music lower blood pressure, while others raise it.

Science does not proove things. It develops scientific theories based on confirmation of hypothesis.

Yeah, I already know that ortho. Show me the studies that show how music can help one avoid cancer.

 

[mikew262]

Mickey:

I do not think it would be possible to prove that new-age practices are beneficial.

I can’t speak for all “New Age” therapies, but some do work. Reiki for instance defintely has provided benefits to folks. My wife is a R.N., former massage therapist, and a current Reiki Master. Her proof that it works has come from her old clients. Many nurses incorporate it into their work and it is taught at some nursing schools. See this link from Nursing Week: nurseweek.com/news/features/01-05/reiki.html

The problem is that many folks are close minded and if something doesn’t fall into a person’s definition of normal, then it must be “hooey”.

 

[mikew262]

Mickey:

Yeah, I already know that ortho. Show me the studies that show how music can help one avoid cancer.

Nobody claims that! However, listening to certain music can reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure. Sounds like benefits to me.

 

[Mickey]

Ortho:

Is this official Church teaching? Is it from the Magesterium? Papal encyclical? Council? Dogma? Is it binding on all Catholics?

With all due respect, I asked for information opposed to the new-age industry of psychic healing, vibrational medicine, angel therapy, etc.

There is no intention on a debate regarding encyclicals, dogma, councils, and Magisterium and how they may relate to the new-age craze. If this interests you then start a thread.

 

[Mickey]

mikew262:

Nobody claims that! However, listening to certain music can reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure. Sounds like benefits to me.

Again, if you read all these posts, I do not disagree on the benefits of music toward states of relaxation–I am a musician. This is not what I am referring to—sheesh!

 

[Peace-bwu]

NIH notes homeopathy’s lack of therapeutic efficacy:

Homeopathy
One Western approach with implications for energy medicine is homeopathy… Homeopathic medicine is based on the principle of similars, and remedies are often prescribed in high dilutions. In most cases, the dilution may not contain any molecules of the original agents at all. As a consequence, homoeopathic remedies, at least when applied in high dilutions, cannot act by pharmacological means. Theories for a potential mechanism of action invoke the homeopathic solution, therefore, postulating that information is stored in the dilution process by physical means. Other than a study reported by the Benveniste laboratory17 and other smaller studies, this hypothesis has not been supported by scientific research. There have been numerous clinical studies of homeopathic approaches, but systematic reviews point out the overall poor quality and inconsistency of these studies.18

I entered this thread because a very good friend of mine (Catholic by a thread) is doing homeopathy. This friend totally swears by it. I don’t plan on doing it, but am trying to understand exactly what it is and what the Catholic response to this practice is. She mentioned today that she her remedy is 'cancer" it was made by taking cancer cells and somehow putting them in water or other vehicle. Her" personality" is prone to cancer so this is basically like innoculating her against the behavior of helping others to her own detriment. It is totally foreign to me and I am not one to fly off the handle without understanding something new to me. She also mentioned today that a person who is overly sexual may be prescribed to taking a remedy that is made from gonnoreah pus! She says it may not have any molecules of the stuff left, but the remedy would still have the “energy” of that thing. It would level out their tendency to be overly sexual.

 

[Mickey]

mikew262:

I can’t speak for all “New Age” therapies, but some do work. Reiki for instance defintely has provided benefits to folks. My wife is a R.N., former massage therapist, and a current Reiki Master. Her proof that it works has come from her old clients. Many nurses incorporate it into their work and it is taught at some nursing schools. See this link from Nursing Week: nurseweek.com/news/features/01-05/reiki.html

The problem is that many folks are close minded and if something doesn’t fall into a person’s definition of normal, then it must be “hooey”.

I will not address reikki because if you heard what I had to say about it, you would not be a happy camper. Do a google search if you would like to know what the Catholic Church has to say about it. Otherwise, start a thread.

 

[Ortho]

Mickey:

Yeah, I already know that ortho. Show me the studies that show how music can help one avoid cancer.

If high blood pressure is a contributory cause of cancer, would that help? Do you know the cause of cancer? What?

 

[Mickey]

Peace-bwu:

I entered this thread because a very good friend of mine (Catholic by a thread) is doing homeopathy. This friend totally swears by it. I don’t plan on doing it, but am trying to understand exactly what it is and what the Catholic response to this practice is. She mentioned today that she her remedy is 'cancer" it was made by taking cancer cells and somehow putting them in water or other vehicle. Her" personality" is prone to cancer so this is basically like innoculating her against the behavior of helping others to her own detriment. It is totally foreign to me and I am not one to fly off the handle without understanding something new to me. She also mentioned today that a person who is overly sexual may be prescribed to taking a remedy that is made from gonnoreah pus! She says it may not have any molecules of the stuff left, but the remedy would still have the “energy” of that thing. It would level out their tendency to be overly sexual.

Homeopothy is comparable to voo-doo.