Forskningscenter   Ny Medicin   Klinik   Boglade   Arbejdslivskvalitet   ABLE   ISHH   Nyheder   Uddannelse   In English  

Velkommen til Forskningcenter for Livskvalitet

Updated 2010-01-12




















Søren Ventegodt, MD, MMedSci, EU-MSc-CAM

Direktør for Forskningscenter for Livskvalitet
Leder af forskningsprojektet ”Klinik for holistisk medicin, psykologi og sexologi”

Director Quality of Life Research Center
Research Clinic for Holistic Medicine and Sexology
Nordic School of Holistic Medicine
Nordic Campus, Interuniversity College

Postadresse/postal address:
Frederiksberg Alle 13A, 2tv
DK-1820 Copenhagen V
Denmark
Direct +45 33 14 11 13
Mobile +45 20 66 67 66

ventegodt@livskvalitet.org
www.livskvalitet.org

Member of Danish Medical Association
Member of International Society of Holistic Health

 

 

 

 

The open source protocol of clinical holistic medicine

PDF

 

 

 

Søren Ventegodt, MD, MMedSci, EU-MSc-CAM1,2,3,4,5,

Niels Jørgen Andersen, MSc4, Isack Kandel, MA, PhD6,7

and Joav Merrick, MD, MMedSci, DMSc5,7,8,9


1Quality of Life Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark;

2Research Clinic for Holistic Medicine

3Nordic School of Holistic Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark;

4Scandinavian Foundation for Holistic Medicine, Sandvika, Norway;

5Interuniversity College, Graz, Austria;

6Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ariel University Center of Samaria, Ariel, Israel;

7National Institute of Child Health and Human Development;

8Office of the Medical Director, Division for Mental Retardation, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jerusalem, Israel;

9Kentucky Children’s Hospital, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States

 

Abstract

 

We have developed the concept of Open Source Research Protocols to allow every patient, physician, researcher and medical authority full and current insight into our international research team’s research and development in clinical holistic medicine (CHM). Only by openness and a free dialog with all interested parties will we be able to avoid bias and secure a high quality and speed in the development of CHM. Holistic mind-body medicine is today developed by researchers all over the world, and the ongoing publication of all aspects of the protocol enable us to guarantee that all aspects have been peer-reviewed and holding up to international standard. A standard both with regard to the quality of the research, the documentation of treatment efficacy and safety and all  ethical, philosophical and methodological aspects. We encourage all medical researchers to shift to the Open Source Research Protocol format to minimize bias and accelerate medical research for the benefit of all patients. We encourage all public and private, national and international research organs, foundations and institutions to support the development of the scientific, holistic medicine and its institutions, financially and politically. Holistic medicine is consciousness-based medicine that uses conversational therapy and bodywork instead or as supplement to drugs and surgery. The experts in holistic medine, especially its physicians, therapists and researchers, needs protection, special attention and support as they might be up against strong commercial interests.

 

 

Keywords: Holistic health and medicine, CAM, clinical medicine, ethics, human development, research.

 

 

Introduction

 

Research in holistic medicine needs to have the same quality as biomedical research protocols. The lack of research expertise and national organs to regulate this kind of research and assure its quality has lead us to develop the concept “Open Source Research Protocol”, where all important procedures, treatment techniques, ethical considerations, documentation standards, systems for quality assurance, including instruments for measurement of effect like questionnaires that have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals (see table 1). The publication of all aspects of the protocol and the research that resulted has made it possible to have an excellent standard of research. We also believe that by publishing all part of the protocol and receiving critique from internationally recognised scientific journals have avoided much of the bias that all research obviously contain.

 

Table 1. The peer-reviewed journals that have published the research protocols and scientific papers on quality of life research and clinical holistic medicine

 

•          Arch Sex Behaviour (sexology) (Medline/PubMed)

•          BMJ (medicine) (Medline/PubMed)

•          Child Care Health Dev (pediatrics) (Medline/PubMed)

•          Eur J Surg (surgery) (Medline/PubMed)

•          Int J Adolesc. Med Health (adolescent medicine, pediatrics) (Medline/PubMed)

•          Int J Child Health Human Dev (pediatrics, human development) (PsycINFO, PubMedCentral)

•          Int J Disabil Hum Dev (disability, human development) (PsycINFO)

•          Ital J Pediatr (pediatrics, adolescent medicine)

•          J Altern Med Res (alternative medicine)

•          J Coll Physicians Surg Pak (Medicine) (Medline/PubMed)

•          J Compl Integr Medicine (alternative medicine) (Medline/PubMed)

•          J Pediatric Adolesc Gynecol (gynecology, pediatrics) (Medline/PubMed)

•          J Pain Management (medicine) (PsycINFO, PubMedCentral)

•          Med Sci Monit (medicine) (MedLine/PubMed)

•          Oral Health Prev Dent (dentistry) (Medline/PubMed)

•          South Med J (medicine) (Medline/PubMed)

•          Social Indicators Research (sociology) (PsycINFO)

•          ScientificWorldJournal (medicine) (Medline/PubMed)

•          Ugeskrift for Læger (medicine) (Medline/PubMed)

 

The research papers have been arranged according to several systematic categories according to the headlines and topics listed in table 2. The general title of the papers is mentioned in the title of the paper to make it easy to identify all papers of a series.

 

Table 2. The most important series of papers that constitute the research protocol in clinical holistic medicine

 

•          QOL methodology describes the method used to measure quality of life used with the Quality of Life Survey Study at the Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Denmark.

•          QOL philosophy describes the philosophy behind our work with quality of life presented in the books “Quality of life. To seize the meaning of life and get well again” (1995), “Life philosophy that heals. Quality of life as medicine” (1999), “Consciousness-based medicine” (2003) and “Principles of Holistic Medicine. Philosophy behind quality of life” (2005). These are publications describing the philosophy on which the entire project is based.

•          QOL theory covers the related life and human points of view described theoretically.

•          QOL questionnaires are the questionnaires used in the Quality of Life Survey Study and later studies.

•          QOL results are results from the Quality of Life Survey Study.

•          Theories of existence are new theories on quality of life and the human nature described coherently and concisely.

•          Holistic medicine describes our research program for the holistic-medical project ― a new research paradigm for researching alternative and holistic medicine and a theory for process of holistic healing.

•          QOL as medicine describes results from the treatment of patients suffering from various chronic diseases, like chronic pains, alcoholism and Whiplash Associated Disorders.

•          Clinical holistic medicine describes how to deal with the variety of problems presented by the patients in the medical clinic using holistic medicine.

•          Human development is a series of papers to address a number of unsolved problems in biology today. First of all, the unsolved enigma concerning how the differentiation from a single zygote to an adult individual happens has been object for severe research through decades. By uncovering a new holistic biological paradigm that introduces an energetic-informational interpretation of reality as a new way to experience biology, these papers try to solve the problems connected with the events of biological ontogenesis from a single cell involvement in the fractal hierarchy, to the function of the human brain and “adult human metamorphosis”.

•          Quality of working life research is a series of paper that addresses the fundamental needs for happiness and efficiency the working situation. This applies to physicians and therapists as well as other occupations. The series of paper analyses how we can develop in our job, and continue to learn and grow, and avoid the routine and boredom that in the end forces us to compromise with quality and patience.

 

 

Research in clinical holistic medicine

 

Millennia ago, around the year 300 BCE, at the island of Cos in old Greece, the students of the famous physician Hippocrates (460-377 BCE) (1) worked to help their patients to step into character, get direction in life, and use their human talents for the benefit of their surrounding world. For all we know this approach was efficient medicine that helped the patients to recover health, quality of life, and ability for which Hippocrates gained great fame. For more than 2,000 years this was what medicine was about in most of Europe.

On other continents similar medical systems were developed. The medicine wheel of the native Americans, the African Sangoma culture, the Samic Shamans of northern Europe, the healers of the Australian Aboriginals, the ayurvedic doctors of India, the acupuncturists of China, and the herbal doctors of Tibet all seems to be fundamentally character medicine (2-8). All the theories and the medical understanding from these pre-modern cultures are now being integrated into what has been called integrative or transcultural medicine. Many of the old medical systems are reappearing in modern time as alternative, complementary and psychosocial medicine. This huge body of theory is now being offered as a European Union Master of Science degree (2-8).

Interestingly, two huge movements of the last century have put this old knowledge into use: psychoanalysis (9) and psychodynamic therapy (10,11) (most importantly STPP or short term psychodynamic psychotherapy) (12,13) going though the mind on the one hand and through the body on the other. Bodywork developed through most importantly Reich (14), Lowen (15) and Rosen (16) with sexual therapy along the tantric tradition (17). A third road, but much less common path has been directly though the spiritual reconnection with the world (18,19).

Our international research collaboration became interested in existential healing from the data that originated from the epidemiological research at the Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet) starting in 1958-61 at the Research Unit for Prospective Pediatrics and the Copenhagen Perinatal Birth Cohort 1959-61. Almost 20 years ago we were conducting epidemiological research on quality of life, closely examining the connection between global quality of life and health for more than 11.000 people in a series of huge surveys (see 20 for a review of these studies) using large and extensive questionnaires, some of them with over 3,000 questions. We found (quite surprisingly) from this huge data base that quality of life, mental and physical health, and ability of social, sexual and working ability seemed to be caused primarily by the consciousness and philosophy of life of the person in question. Objective data were only to a small extent involved, like being adopted, coming from a family with only one breadwinner, mother being mentally ill, or the person in question financially poor or poorly educated (which are obviously very much socially inherited) (20). Clinical holistic medicine is holistic mind-body medicine, which is also clinical medicine, i.e. medicine based on patient self-exploration and self-insight for obtaining existential healing. It is also called holistic body psychotherapy, mindful mind-body medicine, and similar names.

 

 

The open source research protocol

 

We have always revealed the sources of funding and support in the papers constituting the Open Source Research Protocol (20-244), as we do in the present paper. Today we are in the strange situation that very few controlled clinic studies have been made, sine most of the research has been conducted by using the patients as their own control.

The rationale for this is that almost all patients that seek complementary medical treatment of the holistic, existential type, has tried biomedical treatment first, and after this often several complementary and alternative types of treatment, before they came to the Copenhagen Research Clinic and entered our research protocol. In one study, the patients had their problems and suffering for 8.9 years (mean) (115). As nothing had helped these patients before the came to our clinic, we find it justified to use them as their own controls. Quite remarkably we have been able to help every second of the patients independent of the type of problem they have presented, and independent of the seriousness of the problem (126-133). In our recent protocols we have only included patients, who experienced their problem as “bad” or “very bad” on a five point Likert scale (126-133).

We have used a new research paradigm called the “square curve paradigm” (78), that documents the lasting effect of an immediate significant improvement, that comes simultaneously with the process of existential healing of the patient – the process that we call Antonovsky-salutogenesis. One of the great concerns in our project has been to cover also the philosophical (21-40), methodological (54-61) and interdisciplinary aspects (41-53,77-70,134-139) of the research, which has lead to many series of papers. We have also found it extremely important to find the dimensions we need to intervene on to help the patients in many different research designs to avoid the bias from one specific research strategy. Therefore the prospective cohort design has been extremely important in our research.

The international collaboration has constantly been expanded and today about 30 different researchers have participated in the scientific work that constitutes the Open Source Research Protocol. Most importantly we have developed a unique concept of recording the case, including measuring before and after the treatment with validated quality of life and health questionnaire, which has allowed us to monitor every side effect and unexpected event during the treatment (see table 3).

We are happy to notice that clinical holistic medicine seems to be an extremely efficient type of treatment that causes no harm without side effects (126-133,170,227-230). We also know that this kind of therapy can prevent suicide (227-230), and even side effects from biomedical, pharmaceutical treatments (170).

 

Table 3. Yearly itemized account of side effects and serious complications or events for the treatment with clinical holistic medicine

 

Itemized account 31/12 1991: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 1992: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 1993: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 1994: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 1995: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 1996: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 1997: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 1998: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 1999: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 2000: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 2001: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 2002: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 2003: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 2004: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 2005: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 2006: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 2007: No side effects or serious complications or events

Itemized account 31/12 2008: No side effects or serious complications or events

 

 

Quality assurance

 

The strategy for data collection and quality assurance in the clinic for CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) and holistic medicine has been developed in the Research Clinic for Holistic Medicine, where it has been used since 2004 (168). We are using a questionnaire (QOL10) measuring global quality of life (QOL1, QOL5) (58,59,63), self-rated mental and physical health, self-rated social, sexual and working ability, self-rated I-strength, self-rated self esteem (relation to self) and relation to partner and friends. We measure before treatment, after treatment (three month) and again one year after the treatment has been completed (127).

The complete lack of side or adverse effects from ethical and professionally conducted consciousness-based medicine has been documented through a systematic review of the literature (170).

This is an extremely lucky situation, meaning that the physician, who is working with holistic medicine does not need a clinical assurance. In Denmark the Scientific Ethical Committee (Helsinki) accepted from the very beginning that our research in “quality of life as medicine” (holistic medicine) was not covered by their domain (Copenhagen Scientific Ethical Committee under the numbers (KF)V. 100.1762-90, (KF)V. 100.2123/91, (KF)V. 01-502/93, (KF)V. 01-026/97, (KF)V. 01-162/97, (KF)V. 01-198/97)

A simple way to judge the therapeutic value of a treatment is to compare the likelihood for the patient benefiting for the cure with the likelihood for the patient being harmed; this can simply be expressed as the “Number Needed to treat to Harm” (NNtH or simply NNH) over “Number Needed to treat to Benefit” (NNtB or simply NNT). The therapeutic value (TV) can thus be defined as NNH/NNT and if TV is 1 or below 1, the treatment harms more patient that it benefits.

This is of course not a fair estimate, if the benefits qualitatively are of more value than the harms – compare surviving from appendicitis vs. the post surgical pain (TV<1 as not every patient survives, but every patients will have the pain).

To solve this problem the QALY (Quality-Adjusted Life-Years) concept has been developed, and if one converts the benefits and harms into the same global quality of life scale, they can be compared fairly (171,237,241).

 

 

 

Ethical aspects

 

The rationale for treating with clinical holistic medicine is naturally its high efficacy (see table 4) (126-133 see also 227-233,238) compared with the complete lack of adverse/side effects (126-133,170,227-230,233). Hippocrates’ ethics “primum non nocera”, “first do no harm”, is fully respected in clinical holistic medicine, but not always adapted or possible in biomedicine (172,173,239-241). Scientific holistic medicine has had its highly developed ethics already from its first days, when it was created as a science by Hippocrates and his students (1,225,231). We have carefully considered all ethical aspects relevant for today’s practice of holistic medicine and holistic sexology and have participated in the development of the ethical rules of the International Society of Holistic Health that organise holistic medical practitioners worldwide (125) (see also the society’s homepage on www.internationalsocietyforholistichealth.com).  

       Specific ethical discussions are to be found in the papers presenting the specific holistic medical (82,109) and holistic sexological tools (84,114,115,118,120,122,124,225).

 

Table 4. Treatment success rate when all treatment failures (non-responders), drop-outs of the survey, and dropouts of treatment are taken as non-responders. Patient’s own experience as measured self-rated with the questionnaire QOL10, and the patient is taken as cured if the state of the measured factor was bad or very bad before treatment and not bad after treatment (and one year after treatment, statistically, using the square curve paradigm). The data comes from clinical studies covering the holistic treatment of 600 patients. (CHM: Clinical holistic medicine. HMS: Holistic manual sexology. HMS-D: Holistic manual sexology – Dodson’s method for treating chronic anorgasmia)

 

Physical illness  (CHM) 39%(p=0.05) (126,128)

Mental illness (CHM) 57% (p=0.05) (129)

Low quality of life (CHM) 56% (p=0.05) (131)

Low self-esteem   (CHM)   61% (p=0.05) (132)

Low working ability (CHM) 52% (p=0.05) (133)

Sexual dysfunction(CHM) 42% (p=0.05) (130)

Sexual dysfunction (HMS) 56% (p=0.05) (115)

Sexual dysfunction (HMS-D) 93% (p=0.05) (169)

 

 

Informed consent

 

The most important aspect of ethical conduct is full information to the patient and the openness of the protocol with public and scientific publications that will give every patient the possibility to see exactly what the principles, procedures, results, and side effects of the treatment are. An important aspect of communication and decision making by the patients is the selection of material for reading by the patient and also verbally explained to the patient, before initiating the treatment and making the therapeutic contract. The patient filling in the questionnaire and the other papers related to the treatment is legally taken as a written consent. As not every patient is able to read scientific papers, we have also published easy-to-read books on quality of life philosophy, clinical holistic medicine and the results from the research, which have been included as a part of the research protocol (209-217). In the Research Clinic for Holistic Medicine in Copenhagen, we also have one page of written patient information giving just the core information and we have put a summary of the research on our homepage (www.livskvalitet.org). For researchers we have collected the most important papers in a series of books on principles of holistic medicine (154-156).

Before treatment in holistic medicine the patient should be informed about the course of the treatment in general terms and it is recommended to also receive a written contract for the treatment signed by the patient.

 

 

Insurance

 

One ting that makes the practice of medicine very difficult and expensive is the need for medical insurance. This need comes from practicing medicine with a risk of harming the patient. From the very beginning the Scientific Ethical Committee accepted that holistic, consciousness-based medicine was so risk-free that we did not need insurance. This is a strong indicator of clinical holistic medicine being harmless, in spite of its efficacy. Today we know five different types of formal errors that can be made in clinical holistic medicine, but none of them are causing harm to the patients (232). Recent reviews and metaanalysis of holistic mind-body medicine and non-drug CAM in general have documented that this kind of medicine is extremely safe for the patient and even preventing suicide (227-230). 

 

 

Political and financial aspects

 

The political and financial aspects of medical research are well known and one of the aspects that we just recently have started to explore is how to get holistic medicine accepted as valid, medical treatment in countries, where biomedicine is seen as the only medicine. We know today that many different types of pharmaceutical products are almost without therapeutic value and compared with the above-mentioned efficacy much less attractive, but strong commercial interests work against[]e development of the concept "cacyestern world is crionically illt , allowing for peer review and crituique of all part of it. the holistic medicine and even sometimes against the researchers that develop it. We encourage everybody to analyse and discriminate carefully the facts and the fictions about the holistic physicians and researchers in holistic medicine, when stories about misconduct and abuse by such people hit the media and public authorities, as these stories might be false, fabricated, and planted by biomedical colleagues in close collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry (236).

In recent years the whole network of researchers in holistic medicine have been bothered by a diversity of hostile actions against their clinical and research practices. Rumours have often started in the media by biomedical colleges working closely together with the pharmaceutical industry, most often psychiatrists who are completely dependent on the use of psychopharmacological drugs with false accusations of sexual abuse of patients in the media. These tactics have been common and patients have been manipulated to tell they were abused even when the physician had not touched them at all (this happened to the first author in 2005) or child pornography downloaded on computers, while the researchers were on holiday and followed by “anonymous tips” to the police. Often the researchers have been in severe shock for a long time and even ill for extended periods of time. Recently, in the Nordic countries and Central Europe, leading researchers in holistic medicine and salutogenesis have been forced to flee their country, because of continued attacks on their personal character (236).

Fortunately national authorities as well as international experts have recently started to recognize the clinical, holistic medicine as scientific and efficient. Recently the Interuniversity College, Graz, has graduated a number of therapists with the master degree on the basis of their research work in clinical holistic medicine (219-226), making Austria the first country to officially acknowledge clinical holistic medicine as a scientific complementary-medical treatment system. In USA the conflicts between biomedicine and complementary medicine (CAM including holistic medicine) has often reached the court system and the supreme court of California has in the last decade realised this and systematically judged in support of the practitioners of CAM and holistic medicine in these conflicts.

 

 

Conclusions

 

The Open Source Research Protocol give all interested parties – patients, physicians, therapists, researchers and politicians direct admission to all important parts of the protocol, allowing for peer review and critique of all part of it. The publication allows other researchers to be inspired and use part for their own research and practice. This is important, because the trend of chronic illness/disability in our societies has been on the increase.

We recommend that the pharmaceutical companies also start using the concept of Open Source Research Protocol; obviously if you want to keep what you are doing secret this is now attractive, but many of the aspects of the protocol could easily be published, and this would give confidence in the industry and its products.

We encourage all public and private, national and international research organs, foundations and institutions to support the development of scientific, holistic medicine and its institutions financially and politically. The experts in the holistic medical field, especially the holistic physicians and researchers in holistic medicine, needs protection as they are often attacked by people connected to biomedicine. This presumably, because the development of holistic medicine (that in principle works though the patients consciousness and not pharmaceutical drugs), is a serious threat to strong commercial interests. We encourage the police and other public authorities to investigate all attacks from biomedicine carefully and the media not to publish stories of violent and sexual abuse of patients by the holistic physicians, therapists and researchers until these stories, that might have been fabricated and false, have been investigated by the police and found to be true.

 

Acknowledgments

 

The Danish Quality of Life Survey, Quality of Life Research Center and the Research Clinic for Holistic Medicine, Copenhagen, was from 1987 till today supported by grants from the 1991 Pharmacy Foundation, the Goodwill-fonden, the JL-Foundation, E Danielsen and Wife's Foundation, Emmerick Meyer's Trust, the Frimodt-Heineken Foundation, the Hede Nielsen Family Foundation, Petrus Andersens Fond, Wholesaler CP Frederiksens Study Trust, Else and Mogens Wedell-Wedellsborg's Foundation and IMK Almene Fond. The research in quality of life and scientific complementary and holistic medicine was approved by the Copenhagen Scientific Ethical Committee under the numbers (KF)V. 100.1762-90, (KF)V. 100.2123/91, (KF)V. 01-502/93, (KF)V. 01-026/97, (KF)V. 01-162/97, (KF)V. 01-198/97, and further correspondence. We declare no conflicts of interest.

 

References

 

1.            Jones WHS. Hippocrates. Vol. I–IV. London: William Heinemann, 1923-1931.

2.            Antonella R. Introduction of regulatory methods. Graz, Austria: Interuniversity College, 2004.

3.            Blättner B. Fundamentals of salutogenesis. Graz, Austria: Interuniversity College, 2004.

4.            Endler PC. Master program for complementary, psychosocial and integrated health sciences Graz, Austria: Interuniversity College, 2004.

5.            Endler PC. Working and writing scientifically in complementary medicine and integrated health sciences. Graz, Austria: Interuniversity College, 2004.

6.            Kratky KW. Complementary medicine systems. Comparison and integration. New York, Nova Sci, 2008.

7.            Pass PF. Fundamentals of depth psychology. Therapeutic relationship formation between self-awareness and casework Graz, Austria: Interuniversity College, 2004.

8.            Spranger HH. Fundamentals of regulatory biology. Paradigms and scientific backgrounds of regulatory methods Graz, Austria: Interuniversity College, 2004.

9.            Jones E. The life and works of Sigmund Freud. New York: Basic Books, 1961.

10.        Jung CG. Man and his symbols. New York: Anchor Press, 1964.

11.        Jung CG. Psychology and alchemy. Collected works of CG Jung, Vol 12. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ Press, 1968.

12.        Leichsenring F, Rabung S, Leibing E. The efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in specific psychiatric disorders: a meta-analysis. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2004;61(12):1208-16.

13.        Leichsenring F. (2005) Are psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapies effective? A review of empirical data. Int J Psychoanal 2005;86(Pt 3):841-68.

14.        Reich W. [Die Function des Orgasmus]. Köln: Kiepenheuer Witsch 1969. [German]

15.        Lowen A. Honoring the body. Alachua, FL: Bioenergetics Press, 2004.

16.        Rosen M, Brenner S. Rosen method bodywork. Accessing the unconscious through touch. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2003.

17.        Anand M. The art of sexual ecstasy. The path of sacred sexuality for western lovers. New York: Jeremy P Tarcher/Putnam, 1989.

18.        Antonovsky A. Health, stress and coping. London: Jossey-Bass, 1985.

19.        Antonovsky A. Unravelling the mystery of health. How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987.

20.        Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Andersen NJ, Nielsen M, Mohammed M, Merrick J. Global quality of life (QOL), health and ability are primarily determined by our consciousness. Research findings from Denmark 1991-2004. Soc Indicator Res 2005;71:87-122. PDF

21.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Quality of life philosophy: when life sparkles or can we make wisdom a science? ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1160-3.PDF

22.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. QOL philosophy I: Quality of life, happiness, and meaning of life. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1164-75.PDF

23.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kromann M, Merrick J. QOL philosophy II: What is a human being? ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1176-85.PDF

24.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. QOL philosophy III: Towards a new biology. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1186-98.PDF

25.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. QOL philosophy IV: The brain and consciousness. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1199-1209.PDF

26.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. QOL philosophy V: Seizing the meaning of life and getting well again. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1210-29.PDF

27.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. QOL philosophy VI: The concepts. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1230-40.PDF

28.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Philosophy of science: how to identify the potential research for the day after tomorrow? ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:483-9.PDF

29.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Quality of life theory I. The IQOL theory: An integrative theory of the global quality of life concept. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1030-40.PDF

30.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Quality of life theory II. Quality of life as the realization of life potential: A biological theory of human being. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1041-9.PDF

31.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Quality of life theory III. Maslow revisited. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1050-7.PDF

32.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Editorial: Five theories of human existence. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1272-6.PDF

33.        Ventegodt S. The life mission theory: A theory for a consciousness-based medicine. Int J Adolesc Med Health 2003;15(1):89-91.PDF

34.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. The life mission theory II: The structure of the life purpose and the ego. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1277-85.PDF

35.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. The life mission theory III: Theory of talent. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1286-93.PDF

36.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. The life mission theory IV. A theory of child development. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1294-1301.PDF

37.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. The life mission theory V. A theory of the anti-self and explaining the evil side of man. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1302-13.PDF

38.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. The life mission theory VI: A theory for the human character. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:859-80.PDF

39.        Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Life Mission Theory VII: Theory of existential (Antonovsky) coherence: a theory of quality of life, health and ability for use in holistic medicine. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:377-89.PDF

40.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Life mission theory VIII: A theory for pain. J Pain Manage 2008;1(1):5-10.PDF

41.        Hermansen TD, Ventegodt S, Rald E, Clausen B, Nielsen ML, Merrick J. Human development I: twenty fundamental problems of biology, medicine, and neuro-psychology related to biological information. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:747-59. PDF

42.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Nielsen ML, Clausen B, Merrick J. Human development II: we need an integrated theory for matter, life and consciousness to understand life and healing. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:760-6. PDF

43.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Rald E, Flensborg-Madsen T, Nielsen ML, Clausen B, Merrick J. Human development III: bridging brain-mind and body-mind. introduction to "deep" (fractal, poly-ray) cosmology. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:767-76. PDF

44.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Flensborg-Madsen T, Nielsen ML, Clausen B, Merrick J. Human development IV: the living cell has information-directed self-organisation. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:1132-8. PDF

45.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Flensborg-Madsen T, Nielsen ML, Clausen B, Merrick J. Human development V: biochemistry unable to explain the emergence of biological form (morphogenesis) and therefore a new principle as source of biological information is needed. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:1359-67. PDF

46.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Flensborg-Madsen T, Nielsen M, Merrick J. Human development VI: Supracellular morphogenesis. The origin of biological and cellular order. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:1424-33.

47.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Flensborg-Madsen T, Rald E, Nielsen ML, Merrick J. Human development VII: A spiral fractal model of fine structure of physical energy could explain central aspects of biological information, biological organization and biological creativity. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:1434-40. PDF

48.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Flensborg-Madsen T, Nielsen ML, Merrick J. Human development VIII: A theory of “deep” quantum chemistry and cell consciousness: Quantum chemistry controls genes and biochemistry to give cells and higher organisms consciousness and complex behavior. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:1441-53. PDF

49.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Flensborg-Madsen T, Rald E, Nielsen ML, Merrick J. Human development IX: A model of the wholeness of man, his consciousness and collective consciousness. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:1454-9. PDF

50.        Hermansen TD, Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Human development X: Explanation of macroevolution — top-down evolution materializes consciousness. The origin of metamorphosis. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:1656-66. PDF

51.        Hermansen TD, Ventegodt S, Kandel I. Human development XI: the structure of the cerebral cortex. Are there really modules in the brain? ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:1922-9. PDF

52.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XII: a theory for the structure and function of the human brain. ScientificWorldJournal 2008;8:621-42. PDF

53.        Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XIII: the connection between the structure of the overtone system and the tone language of music. Some implications for our understanding of the human brain. ScientificWorldJournal 2008;8:643-57.PDF

54.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Editorial-A new method for generic measuring of the global quality of life. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:946-9. PDF

55.        Ventegodt S, Hilden J, Merrick J. Measurement of quality of life I: A Methodological Framework. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:950-61. PDF

56.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Measurement of quality of life II. From philosophy of life to science. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:962-71. PDF

57.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Measurement of quality of life III: From the IQOL theory to the global, generic SEQOL questionnaire. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:972-91. PDF

58.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Measurement of quality of life IV: Use of the SEQOL, QOL5, QOL1 and other global and generic questionnaires. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:992-1001. PDF

59.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Measurement of quality of life V: How to use the SEQOL, QOL5, QOL1 and other and generic questionnaires for research. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1002-14.PDF

60.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Measurement of quality of life VI: Quality-adjusted life years (QALY) is an unfortunate use of quality of life concept. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1015-9.PDF

61.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Measurement of quality of life VII: Statistical covariation and global quality of life data. The method of weight-modified linear regression. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1020-9.PDF

62.        Ventegodt S, Henneberg EW, Merrick J, Lindholt JS. Validation of two global and generic quality of life questionnaires for population screening: SCREENQOL and SEQOL. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:412-21.PDF

63.        Lindholt JS, Ventegodt S, Henneberg EW. Development and validation of QoL5 for clinical databases. A short, global and generic questionnaire based on an integrated theory of the quality of life. Eur J Surg 2002;168:103-7.PDF

64.        Ventegodt S. Sex and the quality of life in Denmark. Arch Sex Behav 1998;27(3):295-307.

65.        Ventegodt S. A prospective study on quality of life and traumatic events in early life – 30 year follow-up. Child Care Health Dev 1998;25(3):213-21. PDF

66.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Long-term effects of maternal smoking on quality of life. Results from the Copenhagen Perinatal Birth Cohort 1959-61. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:714-20.

67.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Long-term effects of maternal medication on global quality of life measured with SEQOL. Results from the Copenhagen Perinatal Birth Cohort 1959-61. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:707-13.

68.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Psychoactive drugs and quality of life. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:694-706. PDF

69.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Lifestyle, quality of life and health. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:811-25.

70.        Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. The health and social situation of the mother during pregnancy and global quality of life of the child as an adult. Results from the prospective Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort 1959-1961. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:950-8.

71.        Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Anderson NJ, Merrick J. Factors during pregnancy, delivery and birth affecting global quality of life of the adult child at long-term follow-up. Results from the prospective Copenhagen Perinatal Birth Cohort 1959-61. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:933-41.

72.        Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Events in pregnancy, delivery, and infancy and long-term effects on global quality of life: results from the Copenhagen Perinatal Birth Cohort 1959-61. Med Sci Monit 2005;11(8):CR357-65.

73.        Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Andersen NJ, Morad M, Merrick J. Quality of life and events in the first year of life. Results from the prospective Copenhagen Birth Cohort 1959-61. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:106-15.

74.        Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. What influence do major events in life have on our later quality of life? A retrospective study on life events and associated emotions. Med Sci Monit 2006;12(2):SR9-15.

75.        Ventegodt S. Every contact with the patient must be therapeutic. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2007;20(6):323-4.

76.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Psychosomatic reasons for chronic pains. South Med J 2005;98(11):1063.

77.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Holistic medicine: Scientific challenges. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1108-16. PDF

78.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Holistic Medicine II: The square-curve paradigm for research in alternative, complementary and holistic medicine: A cost-effective, easy and scientifically valid design for evidence based medicine. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1117-27.PDF

79.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Holistic Medicine III: The holistic process theory of healing. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1138-46.PDF

80.        Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Holistic Medicine IV: Principles of the holistic process of healing in a group setting. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:1294-1301.PDF

81.        Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Applied consciousness-based medicine. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:96-9.PDF

82.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Classic art of healing or the therapeutic touch. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:134-47.PDF

83.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: The “new medicine”, the multiparadigmatic physician and the medical record. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:273-85.PDF

84.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Holistic pelvic examination and holistic treatment of infertility. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:148-58.PDF

85.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Hyam E, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Use and limitations of the biomedical paradigm. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:295-306.PDF

86.        Ventegodt, S., Morad, M., Kandel, I., and Merrick, J. (2004) Clinical holistic medicine: Social problems disguised as illness. ScientificWorldJournal 4, 286-294.PDF

87.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine Tools for a medical science based on consciousness. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:347-61.PDF

88.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Prevention through healthy lifestyle and quality of life. Oral Health Prev Dent 2004;1:239-45.PDF

89.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Hyam E, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: When biomedicine is inadequate. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:333-46.PDF

90.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Holistic treatment of children. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:581-8.PDF

91.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Problems in sex and living together. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:562-70.PDF

92.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Hyam E, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Holistic sexology and treatment of vulvodynia through existential therapy and acceptance through touch. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:571-80.PDF

93.        Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Andersen NJ, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: A Pilot on HIV and Quality of Life and a Suggested treatment of HIV and AIDS. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:264-72.PDF

94.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Induction of Spontaneous Remission of Cancer by Recovery of the Human Character and the Purpose of Life (the Life Mission). ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:362-77.PDF

95.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Treatment of physical health problems without a known cause, exemplified by hypertension and tinnitus. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:716-24.PDF

96.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Developing from asthma, allergy and eczema. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:936-42. PDF

97.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Press J, Merrick J, Shek D. Clinical holistic medicine: Holistic adolescent medicine. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:551-61.PDF

98.        Ventegodt S, Solheim E, Saunte ME, Morad M, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Metastatic cancer. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:913-35.PDF

99.        Ventegodt S, Morad M, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: a psychological theory of dependency to improve quality of life. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:638-48.PDF

100.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Chronic infections and autoimmune diseases. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:155-64.PDF

101.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Neikrug S, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Holistic treatment of rape and incest traumas. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:288-97.PDF

102.     Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Chronic pain in the locomotor system. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:165-72.PDF

103.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Chronic pain in internal organs. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:205-10.PDF

104.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Neikrug S, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: The existential crisis – life crisis, stress and burnout. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:300-12.PDF

105.     Ventegodt S, Gringols G, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Holistic rehabilitation. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:280-7.PDF

106.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Neikrug S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Mental disorders in a holistic perspective. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:313-23.PDF

107.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Neikrug S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical Holistic Medicine: Holistic Treatment of Mental Disorders. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:427-45.PDF

108.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: The patient with multiple diseases. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:324-39.PDF

109.     Ventegodt S, Clausen B, Nielsen ML, Merrick J. Advanced tools for holistic medicine. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2048-65.PDF

110.     Ventegodt S, Clausen B, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: The case story of Anna: I. Long term effect of child sexual abuse and incest with a treatment approach. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:1965-76.PDF

111.     Ventegodt S, Clausen B, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: the case story of Anna. II. Patient diary as a tool in treatment. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2006-34.PDF

112.     Ventegodt S, Clausen B, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: The case story of Anna. III. Rehabilitation of philosophy of life during holistic existential therapy for childhood sexual abuse. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2080-91.PDF

113.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Suicide from a holistic point of view. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:759-66.

114.     Ventegodt S, Clausen B, Omar HA, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Holistic sexology and acupressure through the vagina (Hippocratic pelvic massage). ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2066-79.PDF

115.     Ventegodt S, Clausen B, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Pilot study on the effect of vaginal acupressure (Hippocratic pelvic massage). ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2100-16.PDF

116.     Ventegodt S. [Min brug af vaginal akupressur]. My use of acupressure. Ugeskr Laeger 2006;168(7):715-6. [Danish]

117.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. A short history of clinical holistic medicine. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:1622-30.PDF

118.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Five tools for manual sexological examination and treatment. J Altern Med res, in press.

119.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Pain and pleasure in sexuality. An analysis for use in clinical holistic medicine. J Pain Manage 2008;1(1):11-28.

120.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: how to recover memory without "implanting" memories in your patient. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:1579-89.PDF

121.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine (mindful short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy complimented with bodywork) in the treatment of schizophrenia (ICD10-F20/DSM-IV Code 295) and other psychotic mental diseases. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:1987-2008.PDF

122.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. How to use implanted memories of incest as a tool for dissolving a strong female Oedipus complex. Int J Child Health Hum Dev 2010;3(1), in press.

123.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Personality disorders and clinical holistic medicine. The revival of traditional holistic medicine in a modern scientific form. In: Hagen JC, Jensen EI, eds. Personality disorders: New research. New York: Nova Sci, in press.

124.     Ventegodt S, Braga K, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: A sexological approach to eating disorders. In: Columbus F, ed. Appetite: Control, perceptions and disturbances. New York: Nova Sci, in press.

125.     de Vibe M, Bell E, Merrick J, Omar HA, Ventegodt S. Ethics and holistic healthcare practice. Int J Child Health Human Dev 2008;1(1):23-8.PDF

126.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. A study in experienced chronic pain in the holistic medicin clinic using mindful psychodynamic short time psychotherapy complemted with bodywork. J Pain Manage 2008;1(1):55-62.

127.     Ventegodt S, Thegler S, Andreasen T, Struve F, Enevoldsen L, Bassaine L, Torp M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Psychodynamic short-time therapy complemented with bodywork. A clinical follow-up study of 109 Patients. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2220-38.PDF

128.     Ventegodt S, Thegler S, Andreasen T, Struve F, Enevoldsen L, Bassaine L, Torp M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine (mindful, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy complemented with bodywork) in the treatment of experienced physical illness and chronic pain. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:310-6.PDF

129.     Ventegodt S, Thegler S, Andreasen T, Struve F, Enevoldsen L, Bassaine L, Torp M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine (mindful, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy complemented with bodywork) in the treatment of experienced mental illness. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:306-9.PDF

130.     Ventegodt S, Thegler S, Andreasen T, Struve F, Enevoldsen L, Bassaine L, Torp M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine (mindful, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy complemented with bodywork) in the treatment of experienced impaired sexual functioning. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:324-9.PDF

131.     Ventegodt S, Thegler S, Andreasen T, Struve F, Enevoldsen L, Bassaine L, Torp M, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine (mindful, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy complemented with bodywork) improves quality of life, health, and ability by induction of Antonovsky-salutogenesis. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:317-23.PDF

132.     Ventegodt S, Thegler S, Andreasen T, Struve F, Enevoldsen L, Bassaine L, Torp M, Merrick J. Self-reported low self-esteem. Intervention and follow-up in a clinical setting. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:299-305.PDF

133.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine in the recovery of working ability. A study using Antonovsky salutogenesis. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):219-22.

134.     Flensborg-Madsen T, Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Sense of coherence and physical health. A Review of previous findings. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:665-73.PDF

135.     Flensborg-Madsen T, Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Why is Antonovsky’s sense of coherence not correlated to physical health? Analysing Antonovsky’s 29-item sense of coherence scale (SOCS). ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:767-76.PDF

136.     Flensborg-Madsen T, Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Sense of coherence and health. The construction of an amendment to Antonovsky’s sense of coherence scale (SOC II). ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2133–9.PDF

137.     Flensborg-Madsen T, Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Sense of coherence and physical health. A crosssectional study using a new SOC scale (SOC II). ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2200-11.PDF

138.     Flensborg-Madsen T, Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Sense of coherence and physical health. Testing Antonovsky’s theory. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2212-9.PDF

139.     Flensborg-Madsen T, Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Sense of coherence and health. The emotional sense of coherence (SOC-E) was found to be the best-known predictor of physical health. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:2147-57.PDF

140.     Merrick J, Ventegodt S. What is a good death ? To use death as a mirror and find the quality of life. BMJ 2003 October 31. http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/327/7406/66#39303

141.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Medicine and the past. Lesson to learn about the pelvic examination and its sexually suppressive procedure. BMJ Rapid Responses 2004 Febr 20. http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/328/7437/0-g#50997

142.     Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. If it doesn't work, stop it. Do something else! BMJ Rapid Responses 2004 Apr 26. http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/328/7446/1016-a#57718

143.     Merrick J, Morad M, Kandel I, Ventegodt S. Spiritual health, intellectual disability and health care. BMJ Rapid Response 2004 Jul 16. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/329/7458/123#67434

144.     Ventegodt S, Morad M, Kandel I, Merrick J. Maternal smoking and quality of life more than thirty years later. BMJ Rapid Responses 2004 Jul 30. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/329/7460/250#69316

145.     Merrick J, Morad M, Kandel I, Ventegodt S. Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in residential care centers for people with intellectual disability. BMJ Rapid Responses 2004 Jul 23. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/329/7459/204#68360

146.     Merrick J, Morad M, Kandel I, Ventegodt S. People with intellectual disability, health needs and policy. BMJ Rapid responses 2004 Aug 20. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/329/7463/414#71560

147.     Ventegodt S, Vardi G, Merrick J. Holistic adolescent sexology: How to counsel and treat young people to alleviate and prevent sexual problems. BMJ Rapid responses 2005 Jan 15. http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/330/7483/107#92872

148.     Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Merrick J. Evidence based medicine in favor of biomedicine and it seems that holistic medicine has been forgotten? BMJ Rapid responses 2004 Nov 11. http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/329/7473/987#85053

149.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Placebo explained: Consciousness causal to health. BMJ Rapid responses 2004 Oct 22. http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/329/7472/927#80636

150.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Academic medicine must deliver skilled physicians. A different academic training is needed. BMJ Rapid responses 2004 Oct 09. http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/329/7469/0-g -77606

151.     Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. Chronic illness, the patient and the holistic medical toolbox. BMJ Rapid responses 2004 Sep 15. http://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/329/7466/582#74372

152.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Medicine has gone astray - we must reverse the alienation now. BMJ Rapid responses 2005 Mar 10. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/330/7490/515.

153.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. The consensus paradigm for qualitative research in holistic medicine. BMJ 2005 Nov 24. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/331/7526/0-d#122164

154.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Principles of holistic medicine. Philosophy behind quality of life. Victoria, BC: Trafford, 2005. Website: www.trafford.com/05-1706

155.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Principles of holistic medicine. Quality of life and health. New York: Hippocrates Sci Publ, 2005.Website: www.trafford.com/05-2481

156.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Principles of holistic medicine. Global quality of life.Theory, research and methodology. New York: Hippocrates Sci Publ, 2005.www.trafford.com/05-3048

157.     Ventegodt S. Measuring the quality of life. From theory to practice. Copenhagen: Forskningscentrets Forlag, 1996.

158.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. The human being and the quality of working life. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):115-6.

159.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Quality of working life research I. Quality of life, happiness and meaning of life. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):117-25.

160.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Quality of working life research II. Personal quality of life. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):127-33.

161.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Quality of working life research III. Mastery in the process of work. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):135-40.

162.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Quality of working life research IV. Cooperation with colleagues and management. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):141-6.

163.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Quality of working life research V. Creating real value for customers and the environment. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):147-52.

164.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Quality of working life research VI. Are you on your way up in life – or down? Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):153-63.

165.     Ventegodt, S., Andersen, N.J., Kandel ,I., Enevoldsen, L., and Merrick, J. (2008) Improving working-life quality, quality of life and health in companies Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):165-84.

166.     Ventegodt, S., Andersen, N.J., and Merrick, J. (2008) Scientific research in the quality of working life (QWL): Generic measuring of the global working life quality with the SEQWL questionnaire. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):201-17.

167.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. The connection between working-life quality and the employee value to the company. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2008;7(2):223-31.

168.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. QOL10 for clinical quality-assurance and research in treatment-efficacy: Ten key questions for measuring the global quality of life, self-rated physical and mental health, and self-rated social-, sexual- and working ability. J Altern Med Res 2009;1(2), in press.

169.     Struck P, Ventegodt S. Clinical holistic medicine: Teaching orgasm for females with chronic anorgasmia using the Betty Dodson method. ScientificWorldJournal 2008;8:883-95.PDF

170.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. A review of side effects and adverse events of non-drug medicine (non-pharmaceutical CAM): Psychotherapy, mind-body medicine and clinical holistic medicine. J Compl Integr Medicine 2009, In press.PDF

171.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. The effect of antipsychotic drugs and non-drug therapy on borderline and psychotic mentally ill patient’s quality-adjusted life-years (QALY). J Altern Med Res 2009, In press.

172.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. First do no harm: an analysis of the risk aspects and side effects of clinical holistic medicine compared with standard psychiatric biomedical treatment. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:1810-20.PDF

173.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Biomedicine or holistic medicine for treating mentally ill patients? A philosophical and economical analysis. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:1978-86.PDF

174.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Factors influencing the therapeutic decision-making. From academic knowledge to emotional intelligence and spiritual “crazy” wisdom. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:1932-49.PDF

175.     Ventegodt S, Thegler S, Andreasen T, Struve F, Jacobsen S, Torp M, Ægedius H, Enevoldsen L, Merrick J. A review and integrative analysis of ancient holistic character medicine systems. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:1821-31.PDF

176.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Quality of life and philosophy of life determines physical and mental health: status over research findings from the Quality of Life Research Center, Copenhagen, 1991-2007. ScientificWorldJournal 2007;7:1743-51.PDF

177.     Ventegodt S, Merrick E, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: the Dean Ornish program (”opening the heart”) in cardiovascular disease. ScientificWorldJournal 2006;6:1977-84.PDF

178.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Rationality and irrationality in Ryke Geerd Hamer’s System for holistic treatment of metastatic cancer. ScientificWorldJournal 2005;5:93–102. PDF

179.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ, Bendix T. A combination of gestalt therapy, Rosen Body Work and Cranio Sacral therapy did not help in chronic whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) – results of a randomised clinical trial. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:1055-68.PDF

180.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Quality of life as medicine. A pilot study of patients with chronic illness and pain. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:520-32.PDF

181.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Quality of life as medicine II. A pilot study of a five-day “Quality of Life and Health” cure for patients with alcoholism. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:842-52.PDF

182.     Ventegodt S, Clausen B, Langhorn M, Kroman M, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Quality of Life as Medicine III. A qualitative analysis of the effect of a five days intervention with existential holistic group therapy or a quality of life course as a modern rite of passage. ScientificWorldJournal 2004;4:124-33.PDF

183.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Psychoactive drugs and quality of life. ScientificWorldJournal 2003;3:694-706.

184.     Ventegodt S. [En teori for bevidsthedsorienteret medicin: Livsformålsteorien (life mission theory)]. Awareness-oriented (holistic) medical theory: the purpose of life theory (the life mission theory)] Ugeskr Laeger 2003;165(6):590. [Danish]

185.     Ventegodt S. A prospective study on quality of life and traumatic events in early life—a 30-year follow-up. Child Care Health Dev 1999;25(3):213-21.

186.     Ventegodt S, Struck P, Merrick J. Medical ethics: Therapeutic dilemmas in the sexology clinic. J Altern Med res 2009;1(3), in press.

187.     Ventegodt S, Jacobsen S, Merrick J. A case of induced spontaneous remission in a patient with non-Hodgkin B-Lymphoma. J Altern Med Res 2009;1(1), in press.

188.     Ventegodt S, Merrick S. Concept to self in holistic medicine: Coming from love, freeing the soul, the ego and the physical self. In: Columbus F, ed. Advances in psychology research. New York: Nova Science, 2006:59-67.

189.     Ventegodt S. Quality of life and disease. The need for a new medical model. In: Lund AB, ed. Health services in the 21th Century. Copenhagen: Committee Health Information, 1994:81-83.

190.     Ventegodt S, Flensborg-Madsen T, Andersen NJ, Nielsen M, Morad M, Merrick J. Global quality of life (QOL), health and ability are primarily determined by our consciousness. Research findings from Denmark 1991-2004. In: Shek DTL, Chan YK, Lee PSN, eds. Quality of life research in Chinese, Western and global contexts. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer, 2005:87-122.

191.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Philosophy of life and suicide. In: Merrick J, Zalsman G, eds. Suicidal behavior in adolescence. An international perspective. Tel Aviv: freunbd Publ House, 2005:9-17.

192.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. What is the most efficient way to improve health: Changing your lifestyle or improving your quality of life? In: Kinger LV, ed. Focus on lifestyle and health research. New York: Nova Science, 2005;1-22.

193.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. What is a good death? In: Kandel I, Schofield P, Merrick J, eds. Aging and disability. Research and clinical perspectives. Victoria, BC: Int Acad Press, 2007:241-52.

194.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Suicide in holistic medicine. In: Kandel I, Schofield P, Merrick J. Aging and disability. Research and clinical perspectives. Victoria, BC: Int Acad Press, 2007:259-68.

195.     Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XIV: Degeneration and regeneration of existence. Metamorphosis changes the purpose of life, the level of existential responsibility, and the depth of consciousness (the ray-number of the cosmology). J Altern Med Res 2009;1(3), in press. 

196.     Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XV: The biochemical hypothesis for the etiology of the mental diseases is not substantiated. J Altern Med Res 2009;1(3), in press.

197.     Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XVI: General etiology of mental diseases and the role of re-metamorphosis in spontaneous recovery (“Monster theory”). J Altern Med Res 2009;1(3), in press. 

198.     Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XVII: Jerne’s anti-idiotypic network theory cannot explain self-nonself discrimination. J Altern Med Res 2009;1(3), in press. 

199.     Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XVIII: A theory for immune system regulation (the “self-nonself discrimination”). J Altern Med Res 2009;1(3), in press. 

200.     Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XIX: The aetiology of somatic diseases. The reason for the energetic chrisis of patients in accelerated personal growth. J Altern Med Res 2009;1(3), in press.

201.     Ventegodt S, Hermansen TD, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XX: A theory for accelerated, spontaneous existential healing (salutogenesis): Adult human metamorphosis. J Altern Med Res 2009;1(3), in press.

202.     Hermansen TD, Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XXI: How the fly got its wings. The “fly-wing theory” explains how top down evolution gave the fly its wings, and how the Self’s intent materializes biological order and body-form during fylogenesis and ontogenesis (metamorphosis). J Altern Med Res 2009;1(3), in press.

203.     Hermansen TD, Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Human development XXII: Antonovsky salutogenesis induced by holistic therapy gives spontaneous recovery. Salutogenesis might be controlled by the human genes for metamorphosis. If such genes are controlled by our (sub)consciousness this could explain the large and well known placebo effect. J Altern Med Res 2009;1(3), in press.

204.     Ventegodt S, Morad M, Merrick J. The problem of consciousness. BMJ 2006 Febr 03. On-line at: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/332/7536/0-f#127464

205.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. CAM is tested unfairly against placebo – CAM is offering highly efficient placebo cures that should be tested with respect for its nature. BMJ 2007 Oct 14. On-line: http://www.bmj.com
/cgi/eletters/335/7623/743#178119.

206.     Omar HA, Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Holistic adolescent medicine. Ital J Pediatr 2005;31(5):284-7.

207.     Ventegodt S. [Livskvalitet – at erobre livets mening og blive rask igen]. Quality of Life. To seize the meaning of life and become well again. Copenhagen: Forskningscentrets Forlag, 1995. [Danish]

208.     Ventegodt S. [Livsfilosofi der helbreder]. Philosophy of life that heals. Copenhagen: Forskningscenterets Forlag, 1999. [Danish]

209.     Ventegodt S. [Livskvalitet som medicin]. Quality of life as medicine Copenhagen: Forskningscenterets Forlag, 2001. [Danish]

210.     Ventegodt S. [Bevidsthedsmedicin – set gennem lægejournalen]. Consciousness-based medicine. Copenhagen: Forskningscenterets Forlag, 2003. [Danish]

211.     Ventegodt S. [Livskvalitet i Danmark]. Quality of life in Denmark. Results from a population survey. Copenhagen: Forskningscentrets Forlag, 1995. [partly in Danish]

212.     Ventegodt S. [Livskvalitet hos 4500 31-33 årige]. The quality of life of 4500 31-33 year-olds. Result from a study of the Prospective Pediatric Cohort of persons born at the University Hospital in Copenhagen. Copenhagen: Forskningscentrets Forlag, 1996. [partly in Danish]

213.     Ventegodt S. [Livskvalitet og omstændigheder tidligt i livet]. The quality of life and factors in pregnancy, birth and infancy. Results from a follow-up study of the Prospective Pediatric Cohort of persons born at the University Hospital in Copenhagen 1959-61. Copenhagen: Forskningscentrets Forlag, 1995. [partly in Danish]

214.     Ventegodt S. [Livskvalitet og livets store begivenheder]. The quality of life and major events in life. Copenhagen: Forskningscentrets Forlag, 2000. [partly in Danish]

215.     Ventegodt S. [Måling af livskvalitet. Fra teori til praksis]. Copenhagen: Forskningscentrets Forlag, 1995. [Danish]

216.     Carter JP. Racketeering in medicine. The supression of alternatives. Norfolk, VA: Hampton Roads Publ, 1993.

217.     Struve F. Clinical holistic medicine: Psychodynamic short-time therapy complemented with bodywork. A clinical follow-up study of 109 patients. Dissertation. Graz: Interuniversity College, 2008.

218.     Torp M. Clinical holistic medicine (mindful, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy complemented with bodywork) in the treatment of experienced impaired sexual functioning. Dissertation. Graz: Interuniversity College, 2008.

219.     Thegler S. Clinical holistic medicine (mindful, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy complemented with bodywork) improves quality of life, health, and ability by induction of Antonovsky-salutogenesis. Dissertation. Graz: Interuniversity College, 2008.

220.     Andresen T. Clinical holistic medicine (mindful, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy complemented with bodywork) in the treatment of experienced physical illness and chronic pain. Dissertation. Graz: Interuniversity College, 2008.

221.     Jacobsen S. Clinical holistic medicine (mindful, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy complemented with bodywork) in the treatment of experienced mental illness. Dissertation. Graz: Interuniversity College, 2008.

222.     Enevoldsen L. Self-reported low self-esteem. Intervention and follow-up in a clinical setting. Dissertation. Graz: Interuniversity College, 2008.

223.     Ægidius H. A review and integrative analyses of ancient holistic character medicine systems. Dissertation. Graz: Interuniversity College, 2008.

224.     Nielsen ML. Advanced tools for holistic medicine. Dissertation. Graz: Interuniversity College, 2008.

225.     Ventegodt S. Life mission theory IX: Integrative, ethical theory. J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

226.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Merrick J. Documenting effect in clinical holistic medicine using the case record. Development of a Rating Scale for Therapeutic Progress, version 1.0 based upon the holistic process theory of healing. J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

227.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. Metaanalysis of positive effects, side effects, and adverse events of holistic mind-body medicine, subtype holistic, clinical medicine: “clinical holistic medicine” (Denmark, Israel) “mindful mind-body medicine” (Sweden), “biodynamic body psychotherapy” (UK), and “biodynamishe körperpsychotherapie“ (Germany). A review. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2009, in press.

228.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Effect, side effects and adverse events of non-pharmaceutical medicine. A review. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2009, in press.

229.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Positive effects, side effects and negative events of intensive, clinical, holistic therapy. A review of the program "meet yourself" characterized by intensive body-psychotherapy combined with mindfulness meditation at Mullingstorp in Sweden. J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

230.     Allmer C, Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Positive effects, side effects and adverse events of clinical holistic medicine. A review of Gerda Boyesen’s nonpharmaceutical mind-body medicine (biodynamic body-psychotherapy) at two centres in United Kingdom and Germany. Int J Adolesc Med Health 2009, in press.

231.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical medicine and psychodynamic psychotherapy. Evaluation of the patient before intervention. J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

232.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. Formal errors in nonpharmaceutical medicine (CAM): Clinical medicine, mind-body medicine, body-psychotherapy, holistic medicine, clinical holistic medicine and sexology. Int J Adolesc Med Health 2009, in press.

233.     Ventegodt S, Braga K, Andersen TK, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine: Holistic sexology and female quality of life. J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

234.     Levenson FB, Levenson MD, Ventegodt S, Merrick, J. Psychodynamic psychotherapy, therapeutic touch and cancer. A review of the method of intervention and study of 75 cases. J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

235.     Levenson FB, Levenson MD, Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen FS. Qualitative analysis of a case report series of 75 cancer patients treated with psychodynamic psychotherapy combined with therapeutic touch (clinical holistic medicine). J Altern Med Res 2009, in press

236.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J, Andersen NJ. Bio- and alternative medicine in conflict. Human rights protection of the alternative therapist. J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

237.     Ventegodt s, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J.

Tools for comparative evaluation of the effect of drug and non-drug medical treatments. J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

238.     Ventegodt S, Omar H, Merrick J. Quality of life as medicine. Submitted to Social Indicator Research 2009.

239.     Ventegodt S Andersen NJ, Kandel I. An ethical analysis of contemporary use of coercive persuasion (“brainwashing”, “mind control”) in psychiatry. J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

240.     Ventegodt S, Kandel, I Merrick J. The therapeutic value of antipsychotic drugs: A critical analysis of Cochrane meta-analyses of the therapeutic value of anti-psychotic drugs used in Denmark   J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

241.     Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick, J.  The effect of antipsychotic drugs and non-drug therapy on borderline and psychotic mentally ill patient’s quality-adjusted life-years (QALY). J Altern Med Res 2009, in press.

242.     Ventegodt S, Kandel I, Merrick J. Clinical holistic medicine and neurological dysfunction. Some thoughts and case stories. Int J Disabil Hum Dev 2009;8(3), in press.

243.     Ventegodt S, Kandel, I, Merrick, J. Holistic psychiatry: A model for holistic diagnoses and holistic treatment of mild, borderline and psychotic personality disorders. J Altern Med Res, in press.

244.     Ventegodt S, Merrick J. The purpose of the medical ethic of Hippocrates was efficient healing of the patient. J Altern Med Res, in press.

245. Ventegodt S, Andersen NJ, Kandel I, Merrick J. The open source protocol of clinical holistic medicine. J Altern Med Res 2009;1(2), 129-44.PDF

 

 

 

Submitted: August 21, 2008.

Revised: January 02, 2009.

Accepted: January 20, 2009.

 

 


* Correspondence: Søren Ventegodt, MD, MMedSci, EU-MSc-CAM, Director, Quality of Life Research Center, Classensgade 11C, 1 sal, DK-2100 Copenhagen O, Denmark. Tel: +45-33-141113; Fax: +45-33-141123; E-mail: ventegodt@livskvalitet.org


Copyright warning. The scientific papers on this site is protected by copyright and cannot be downloaded legally. Some of the papers are Public Access and can be downloaded free of charge. Please go to the homepage of the individual scientific journal to see if the paper you are interested in can be downloaded for free. If not it can be downloaded if you pay the page charge. The copies of the presented papers belong to the Quality of Life Research Center and can legally only be read on our homepage. We are sorry for the inconvenience.