Mutated future?

tampering with genes in human sperm and eggs is outlawed, as any unforeseen side effects would be passed on to future generations. However, us health officials are worried that the human repro-ductive cells may have accidentally been contaminated during gene therapy trials.

Roots

" medicinal Plants for Survival" was the theme at the International Conference on Medicinal Plants held in Bangalore from February 16 to 19.

Hone the homemade

THE relatively new field of ethnoveterinary medicine, which is establishing itself as a serious discipline, has far-reaching implications for the well-being of livestock in the developing world. Ethnoveterinary medicine is the knowledge possessed by non-literate cultures with regard to animal health and disease that is passed on in the form of an oral tradition down the generations.

Due recognition

The latest Western celebrity to seek the East's heating touch is British billionaire and father-in-law of cricket icon lmran Khan, Sir James Goldsmith. The healer is the renowned metal therapist based in Dehra Dun, Uttar Pradesh,'Vaidya Balendu Prakash, who is treating Goldsmith, 64, in Paris for cancer. The cancer, that first appeared in Goldsmith's liver in 1993, went into remission and surfaced in his pancreas in 1995. It has recently led to

Due recognition

alternative medicine is pass in the West now. But the Vancouver Hospital, the second largest in Canada, has formally recognised alternative therapy by opening a new Tzu Chi Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The institute will soon begin research and treatment programmes into pain, fatigue and chronic illnesses. Conventional researchers and traditional practitioners will devise new methods of assessing effects of herbal remedies.

Thought therapy

close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Relax. Concentrate on a word, an image or just plain void. In other words, meditate. Let the mind take over the body, and various ailments afflicting the duo are tamed.

The other course

The forms of alternative medicine

Mind-body intervention psychotherapy: includes combining medication with discussion, listening to the patient or using more active behavioural and emotive psychological methods; can hasten recovery in somatic illnesses. support groups: group therapy and counselling combined with diet and exercise can reverse diseases like angina pectoris. meditation: increases longevity and quality of life, reduces anxiety, blood pressure and serum cholesterol level.

Nectar notes

The US National Cancer Institute has found that Maharishi Amrit Kalash (MAK) 4 and 5, ayurvedic formulations developed by the Maharishi International University, significantly inhibit cancer cell growth in both human tumour and rat epithelial cell systems. Prepared from a wide variety of herbs and spices in a base of wholecane sugar, ghee and honey, MAK has also been found to enhance cognitive functioning, prevent illness and alleviate detrimental effects of the aging process.

Eco-healing

Environmental medicine studies the interfaces among chemicals, food and inhalants in the environment and the biological function of the individual. It was founded in the 1940s by Theron Randolph, who, along with others, developed a new model and associated clinical principles that would help a physician to diagnose an illness by studying the environmental factors affecting the patient. Today, environmental medicine is practised by more than 3,000 practitioners the world over.