Holistic Treatment Methods (any good links?)

[Lianad]

Hi everyone, today I got a startling email through work stating that we will be having a lunch and learn on Thursday with a local "healing and spa center" to discuss stress and most importantly:

"They will discuss how holistic treatment methods work for stress management. A doctor of oriental medicine will conduct the training session and provide informational literature. "

Now I know holistic in general refers to all sorts of quack science and medicine from crystal healing, lay on hands, homeopathy etc. But does anyone have any idea what they might be explaining in this seminar in regards to stress?

I'm quite irritated at the moment the company I work for is supporting this and spreading this crap to employees and I'd like to file an anonymous letter stating that. But I'm unsure as to what exactly they will be teaching, even though I know it will be quack no matter what it is.

So I ask, one, has anyone seen any sessions like this on holistic treatments for stress and can offer an idea as to what they might be trying to sell? And two, does anyone have any good links to research on holistic treatments and the sham they are? Googling holistic I end up just finding a ton of links all speaking about homeopathy and not necessarily the broad topic.

Thanks

[JoeTheJuggler]

By "holistic" they mean that they treat the "whole person" rather than treating a disease or specific symptoms.

It sounds nice unless you phrase it this way:

The disease concept says that if you don't have a disease, you're OK.

The holistic approach must mean that you always lack something--you need constant adjustments, you lack supplements or vitamins or herbs in a normal healthy diet, or you need your chakras aligned, your chi balanced, or your aura cleansed.

I don't know what they're going to try to sell you. I wouldn't turn down a sauna and massage paid for by the company, but I somehow suspect you're in for more wooish stuff.

When they start trying to sell you stuff, I'd point out how stressful you find sales pitches to be--especially when the sales pitch is rather dishonestly presented as an employee benefit of some sort.

Edit: Oh yeah, Quackwatch (http://www.quackwatch.org/) is a good resource, but I wouldn't know where to begin without knowing yet what they're going to pitch. Maybe you should start by checking out the healing spa if you have its name.

[JonWhite]

Could include anything, from sensible to stupid.

Could someone simply not 'phone them and ask what methods their course will cover?

(perhaps if necessary even under the guise of asking o.b.o. some fictitious company, possibly interested in sending its own employees?)

[Lianad]

Joe, thanks a lot for the input. You gave a great explanation of Holistic as a whole which I was unaware of.

I do know the name of the spa, yet googling it does not seem to come up with any website for it. I do know they sell "stop smoking" techniques using PST or Photon Stimulation Treatment, which as you probably know is that bogus laser crap that obviously is just a placebo.

I'm tempted to go just to find out what they will be trying to sell, although I have a feeling I might end up blurting out something that could get me into trouble, so I'm still on the edge as to whether I should even attend.

Thanks again for the info.

[Blue Wode]

And two, does anyone have any good links to research on holistic treatments and the sham they are?


These three articles are well worth a read:

Holism: repeating it so often that people begin to believe it
http://journals.medicinescomplete.com/journals/fact/current/fact1104a02t01.htm

Being wholistic
http://journals.medicinescomplete.com/journals/fact/current/fact0804a03t01.htm

Holistic medicine - holism as it's related to medicine
http://www.skeptics.org.uk/explanation.php?dir=articles/explanations&article=holistic.php

Good luck, and do let us know how the seminar goes on Thursday (ETA - if you go).