This time of year, it’s a fair bet that all but the hardiest partygoer will be on some kind of health kick. According to the bright-eyed, fresh-faced and shiny-haired team at the Organic Pharmacy, one should detox four times a year, in tune with the seasons. This is because detox is not just designed to counter the effects of seasonal over-indulgence, but to calm the symptoms of stress and environmental pollution: headaches, poor sleep, anxiety, eczema, weight gain, wrinkles and even hormonal imbalances.

To this end, I find myself sitting in a neat, all-white room with Dr Shamini Singh, attached to a “bio-energetic device” called the Quantum QXCI.

I look a little like something out of a Seventies Open University program, only without the moustache. Dr Singh has compiled a dossier of my every ache and pain and plugged me in to the technology that, somehow, uses the principles of quantum physics to scan for allergens, viruses, toxins, fungi, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which can then be tackled effectively.

In all, 3,500 different measurements are taken. We examine the readings. They tell me which foods I should avoid, measure my mental energy and check all my organs, from my spleen to my heart. I have to say, having been skeptical of the device, I now find myself fascinated. Either the thing is a mind reader or it really has some genuine use. It confirms the results of recent blood tests: an under active thyroid, low ferratin, folic acid and vitamin B levels.

It also tells me that I have problems with my adenoids (which I do), that deadly nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, potatoes) give me indigestion (yup) and that there is inflammation in my body (a bad back). This makes me well-disposed towards its other findings, which include the excellent news that I have good mental vitality and the less good news that I am both extremely anxious and dehydrated. I also discover that wheat, egg whites, pork and, somewhat bizarrely, honeydew melon don’t agree with me.

I could go on, but there is nothing more dull than another person’s health. Although the machine is whizzy, the real expert is Dr Singh. She prescribes an action plan of supplements and herbal tinctures. Three weeks on and I am feeling comparatively perky. Less sluggish, fewer headaches, and a marked improvement in my digestion. Now for the hard part: keeping it up.

A health assessment using the Quantum QXCI body scanner costs £150. The Organic Pharmacy (020-7376 9200; www.theorganicpharmacy.com)

Alternative therapies examined
A scientific look at different approaches
By January W. Payne, The Washington Post (7/18/2005)

Out of frustration with conventional medicine or in hopes of preventing or treating disease, health consumers continue to turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, herbs and supplements.

But of the many treatments in the rapidly growing, frequently bewildering field, what really works? With little gold-standard evidence to go by, that's been a hard question to answer. Long-standing attempts to perform high-quality research continue.

There is a "real effort to use state-of-the-art methodology — using randomized, controlled trials (to determine) whether a (nonconventional) treatment is efficacious or not," said Michael Irwin, a professor at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute specializing in mind-body medicine, including meditation and yoga.

Some of the biggest and best-designed trials are funded by the federal government, through the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a unit of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). One NCCAM-funded trial, for example, is investigating whether massaging premature infants three times a day for 10 days speeds weight gain. Another trial, expected to produce results late this year, is studying the effectiveness of the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin in treating osteoarthritis pain.

Many consumers aren't waiting for the verdicts. CAM therapies such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, osteopathy, massage and chiropractic care generated $36.5 billion in revenue last year, according to Nutrition Business Journal, an industry publication, up 67.4 percent from 1997, the first year it tallied such data.

In a survey of 34,000 readers of Consumer Reports, published in its August 2005 issue, nearly half reported using complementary or alternative treatments during the last two years. Respondents reported mostly good results with hands-on treatments, such as massage and chiropractic care for treatment of back pain and arthritis. But such self-reports don't constitute convincing evidence that a therapy is safe or effective, say experts.

Below is a quick survey of some CAM treatments that have been the subject of the most rigorous independent studies. Research does not support the therapies in all cases. The list is not exhaustive — far too many treatments exist for that to be feasible. Some widely used therapies that have undergone little scientific scrutiny, such as homeopathy and intercessory prayer, are discussed in an accompanying article. Small, less conclusive studies suggest benefits for some therapies.

For further information on research into specific treatments, see the Web sites for NCCAM (http://nccam.nih.gov) or the Mayo Clinic's Complementary & Alternative Medicine Center (www.mayoclinic.com; search for "alternative medicine"). For details about herbs and supplements, consult NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), http://ods.od.nih.gov.

Acupuncture

A facet of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is one of the most thoroughly researched CAM therapies. Developed more than 2,000 years ago, this treatment involves inserting thin needles into the skin at specific points on the body, and manipulating them by hand or electrical stimulation.

A meta-analysis of 33 randomized, controlled trials, published in last month's Annals of Internal Medicine, found acupuncture more effective than sham treatment for short-term relief of chronic low-back pain. Not enough data existed to compare acupuncture to other therapies. Little is known about the mechanism by which acupuncture relieves pain.

Another study, published in 2004 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that acupuncture appeared to help relieve pain and improve function for patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Manipulative Therapies

NCCAM counted 537 clinical trials involving such manipulative and body-based therapies as chiropractic manipulation and massage between 1994 and 2004; 422 were randomized, controlled trials.

Chiropractic. Studies of chiropractic treatments, which involve manipulation of the spine, joints and muscles, for low-back pain have been of "uneven quality and insufficient to allow firm conclusions," reports NCCAM.

A 2003 Annals of Internal Medicine meta-analysis of 39 randomized clinical trials found chiropractic care more effective than sham treatments for acute and chronic low-back pain. No difference in effectiveness was found compared to such treatment categories as doctor's care, physical therapy and exercises.

NCCAM says more research is needed to determine the value of chiropractic care for other medical conditions, such as arthritis. More research is also necessary to understand what happens in the body during and after chiropractic treatments.

Massage Therapy. Studies suggest that this approach, involving joint manipulation complemented by physical therapy and the teaching of proper posture, can produce physiological changes tied to feeling better. It's been shown to alter various chemical, hormonal and immune markers, such as levels of substance P (a protein that increases pain messages) in those with chronic pain, according to NCCAM.

But a single research group did most of the studies. Further research by other groups is needed, says NCCAM, along with a better understanding of the mechanism by which massage works.

Mind-body medicine

This category encompasses therapies that call on "emotional, mental, social, spiritual and behavioral factors" to impact health, according to NCCAM. Such popular techniques as meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback and guided imagery fall under this rubric.

Considerable evidence suggests mind-body therapies can improve postsurgical outcomes and reduce mortality rates from coronary artery disease by using various techniques to reduce anger, hostility and stress. Mind-body therapies have also been shown effective in treating incontinence, chronic low-back pain, headaches, insomnia, and nausea, vomiting, pain and functioning problems caused by chemotherapy, according to an extensive 2003 review published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Practice.

A shortcoming of the studies analyzed was the absence of sham treatment groups, because practitioners and patients often could not be blinded to the type of treatment being given.

Meditation. This technique has been found to activate parts of the brain used for attention and control of the nervous system. In a 2003 study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers used magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) to show that meditation increased left-brain activity, which is associated with positive emotional states.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Evidence suggests that this technique, a form of psychotherapy used to help patients change dysfunctional patterns of thinking, may be useful as a complementary treatment for coronary artery disease and some chronic pain conditions because it can help patients learn to deal with stress. Studies show this technique may be useful for treating many chronic conditions, when it is combined with an educational or informational component, NCCAM says.

Biofeedback. Evidence supports the effectiveness of this relatively well-researched technique. Using sensors that track bodily changes, patients learn to relieve stress and chronic pain by controlling functions such as heart rate, muscle tension, breathing, skin temperature and blood pressure through relaxation, imagery and other techniques. Biofeedback has been proven helpful in treating about 150 medical conditions, including migraines, arthritis and fibromyalgia, according to the Mayo Clinic.