The UK ‘COLLEGE OF MEDICINE’ has recently (and very quietly) renamed itself; it now is THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND INTEGRATED HEALTH (COMIH). This takes it closer to its original intentions of being the successor of the PRINCE OF WALES FOUNDATION FOR INTEGRATED MEDICINE (PWFIM), the organisation that had to be shut down amidst charges of fraud and money-laundering. Originally, the name of COMIH was to be COLLEGE OF INTEGRATED HEALTH (as opposed to disintegrated health?, I asked myself at the time).
Under the leadership of Dr Michael Dixon, OBE (who also led the PWFIM into its demise), the COMIH pursues all sots of activities. One of them seems to be publishing ‘cutting-edge’ articles.
A recent and superb example is on the fascinating subject of ‘holistic dentistry‘:
START OF QUOTE
Professor Sonia Williams … explores how integrated oral health needs to consider the whole body, not just the dentition…
Complementary and alternative approaches can also be considered as complementary to ‘mainstream’ care, with varying levels of evidence cited for their benefit.
Dental hypnosis (British Society of Medical and Dental Hypnosis) can help support patients including those with dental phobia or help to reduce pain experience during treatment.
Acupuncture in dentistry (British Society of Dental Acupuncture) can, for instance, assist with pain relief and allay the tendency to vomit during dental care. There is also a British Homeopathic Dental Association.
For the UK Faculty of General Dental Practitioners, holistic dentistry refers to strengthening the link between general and oral health.
For some others, the term also represents an ‘alternative’ form of dentistry, which may concern itself with the avoidance and elimination of ‘toxic’ filling materials, perceived potential harm from fluoride and root canal treatments and with treating dental malocclusion to put patients back in ‘balance’.
In the USA, there is a Holistic Dental Association, while in the UK, there is the British Society for Mercury-free Dentistry. Unfortunately the evidence base for many of these procedures is weak.
Nevertheless, pressure to avoid mercury in dental restorative materials is becoming mainstream.
In summary, integrated health and care in dentistry can mean different things to different people. The weight of evidence supports the contention that the mouth is an integral part of the body and that attention to the one without taking account of the other can have adverse consequences.
END OF QUOTE
Do I get this right? ‘Holistic dentistry’ in the UK means the recognition that my mouth belongs to my body, and the adoption of a few dubious treatments with w ‘weak’ evidence base?
Well, isn’t this just great? I had no idea that my mouth belongs to my body. And clearly the non-holistic dentists in the UK are oblivious to this fact as well. I am sooooooo glad we got this cleared up.
Thanks COMIH!!!
And what about the alternative treatments used by holistic dentists?
The British Society of Medical and Dental Hypnosis (Scotland) inform us on their website that a trained medical and dental hypnotherapists can help you to deal with a large variety of challenges that you face in your everyday life e.g.
| Asthma | Migraines |
| Anxiety & Stress | Smoking Cessation |
| Dental Problems | Insomnia |
| Weight Problems | Psychosexual Disorders |
| Depression | Pain Management |
| Irritable Bowel | And many other conditions |
I hasten to add that, for most of these conditions, the evidence fails to support the claims.
The British Society of Dental Acupuncture claim on their website that the typical conditions that may be helped by acupuncture are:
- TMJ (jaw joint) problems
- Facial pain
- Muscle spasm in the head and neck
- Stress headaches & Migraine
- Rhinitis & sinusitis
- Gagging
- Dry mouth problems
- Post-operative pain
- Dental anxiety
I hasten to add that, for most of these conditions, the evidence fails to support the claims.
The British Homeopathic Dental Association claim on their website that studies have shown improved bone healing around implants with Symphytum and reduced discomfort and improved healing time with ulcers and beneficial in oral lichen planus.
I hasten to add that none of these claims are not supported by sound evidence.
The COMIH article is entitled “The mouth reflects whole body health – but what does integrated care mean for dentists?’ So, what does it mean? Judging from this article, it means an amalgam (pun intended) of platitudes, bogus claims and outright nonsense.
Pity that they did not change their name to College of Medicine and Integrated Care – I could have abbreviated it as COMIC!
16 Responses to BREAKING NEWS: your mouth is an integral part of your body!
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Truly revolutionary. I am sure not even cardiac surgeons who tell patients to take care of their dentition before cardiac surgery had the slightest idea this was the case.
Just a dirty thought from my sick brain: could “with varying levels of evidence cited for their benefit” include ‘no evidence whatsoever’?
bien sur!
Quel soulagement!
Or Society forHolistic and Integrated Treatment?
British United Naturopaths and Kinesiologists?
Association of Reflexologists, Scientologists and Everything?
Every day you learn something new…
Professor Williams lectures in “functional medicine”. Where? At a college of acupuncture. Not a medical college then. Acupuncture is not medicine as science understands medicine. Qi is undefined in science, meridians are invisible to science.
Functional medicine.
What Orac has described as “personalised medicine gone haywire or making it up as you go along”. Accurately so, I think.
Integrated health and care means different things to different folks, folks.
Oh dear.
Oh dear, oh dear.
Just been exploring the website of Northern College of Acupuncture, where Professor Williams lectures on “functional medicine”.
Came across this page: http://acupuncture-courses.org.uk/acupuncture-training-course/acupuncture-course-curriculum/studying-chinese-medicine-courses
Some of the titles of the books used as a header on the linked page: A Brief History of Qi. Raising the Dead and Restoring Life. [Do What?] Currents of Tradition in Chinese Medicine 1626-2006.
Science has moved on considerably since Harvey published his book on the circulation of the blood in 1628 showing us the scientific way forward in medicine.
Has TCM moved on? Does tradition move on?
Tradition isn’t science. TCM is tradition.
SCM is science. SM is SM wherever it is.
Science is the universal integrator. I’m all for integrated medicine. Here’s to scientific medicine.
Thanks to all for a rollicking good time reading comments!
“Holistic dentistry” is a big pool of platitudes. But the pool is full of money.
I couldn’t suppress a giggle, but isn’t this also a serious indication that the world of education still has a lot of work to do?
Veto! It´s not a lot. Some basics would be enough. But it wouldn´t be funny for the holistic coterie.
I think we are of the same opinion. There is not a whole lot to teach, but it would be quite an immense undertaking to actually get it taught, I think.
Yes, we are. Fairy tales are more interesting obviously.
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/ganzheitliche-medizin-zaehne-mit-beziehungskisten-1.1351926
Good article, thank you for the link. I wholeheartedly agree with you.
Maybe the heart jumps around to hide where the liver should be and the liver jumps up into the chest to outcrowd the lungs ^_^
Sounds like a bad accident. Auutsch!
Sure, but it would be a holistic one!