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I sometimes fantasise (as I know many
of us do) about what it would be like to live in another era, say before
electricity, the car, radio, television, or the telephone. In fact, to
many centenarians alive today, the miracle of seeing something happening
live on television around the world, or even picking up the telephone
and speaking to someone on another continent, must seem as fantastic as
flying through outer space appears to us.
Those of us middle aged or older remember time
before the television; however, our children and grandchildren have grown
up with TV from day one, and consider totally normal watching the Olympics
or Manchester United football games anywhere in the world.
So it is with the internet, which is just at
the start of one of the most significant technological revolutions ever.
Although we are all tired of hearing the overworked cliché “The Information
Superhighway”, the changes which have already come about with the
internet, and which are only a small portent of its full-blown transformation,
have already made a huge difference to the way I work at Positive
Health, as well as in my individual capacity as a researcher and
practitioner within Complementary Medicine.
Thanks to the “miracle” of email, I
can correspond with, send to and receive articles and graphic images almost
instantly from authors anywhere in the world – Australia, USA, India,
as well as the UK. This compares to perhaps a week or more by “snail
mail”.
In my role as Editor, as well as scientific author,
I can log onto the internet to answer all manner of queries posed by readers:
reactions and side effects of drugs; the formula and mechanism of a particular
vitamin or herbal supplement; support groups and complementary approaches
available to treat a particular health condition.
Last week the daughter of a practitioner I know
took an overdose of paracetamol; I was able to access emergency information
regarding treatment for this potentially fatal poisoning. (Her daughter
has now fully recovered.)
Many people use the internet to obtain vital
information; women from around the world with breast cancer use discussion
forums for support and to keep up-to-date with the latest treatment approaches;
women with infertility problems “chat” with other women from
around the world to offer support while going through the roller coaster
ride of IVF treatment.
Complementary practitioners can use the internet
in a myriad of ways to enhance and deepen their knowledge of their field.
Nutritionists and herbalists can search the internet for particular treatments
for a given ailment, or for a specific nutrient or herb. Homoeopaths can
use the internet to check the Materia Medica regarding a particular
remedy, or to verify contraindications in a patient’s prescribed
drug regime. Bodyworkers can log onto sites providing detailed 3D anatomical
images of the body – muscles, joints and nerves – in colour
and rotatable to verify their diagnosis and corroborate their treatment
regimes.
As internet technology advances, the speed and
availability of audio, video and movie images will increase, enabling
complementary practitioners to conference or consult with our professional
colleagues regarding a particular patient’s condition, or to discuss
the advantages of one treatment regime over another.
Regarding healing and energy medicine disciplines,
it is simply incredible to be able to access information to the most diverse
disciplines, including healing, meditation, crystal healing, reiki, the
energy of water; there is literally no therapy without an internet site.
Today, even surrounded as I am with hundreds
of books on every subject imaginable in complementary medicine, it is
often faster and more informative to search the internet than trawl through
numerous books to find what I need to know.
Many practitioners I know are somewhat reluctant
computer users; and reading Positive Health, we are all aware
of the risks posed of spending too much time in front of a VDU screen,
especially if our posture is not correct! The internet will never replace
books and magazines, but it is a tremendous tool which I am certain will
enhance all our lives within complementary medicine.
As a start to the new millennium, I invite all
readers to log onto and visit our internet site – www.positivehealth.com
– more than 1000 pages of articles, research updates, links, and
listings. Enjoy the January 2000 issue, which features outstanding articles
affecting all of our lives.
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