In the United States, more patients are turning to alternative and complementary medicine as part of their health care.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) say that nearly 40% of adults have used some type of therapy that isn’t taught in medical schools. More than 40 US universities, including Stanford, UCLA, Duke, and The George Washington University, have integrative medicine centers.
Jean Ayers is not a regular patient. She is studying to be a physician assistant at The George Washington University, which includes taking an elective course in integrative medicine. Participating in treatments is strongly encouraged.
“In most of my training as a physician assistant, we look at a patient’s history and symptoms and then come up with a … differential diagnosis,” says Ayers. “Here we focus more on the symptoms as indicative of lifestyle and symbolic of larger issues.”
The Center for Integrative Medicine at The George Washington University Medical Center was founded in 1988 by Dr. John Pan, who had practiced as an obstetrician and gynecologist for more than 25 years. He says the center has about 6,000 patient visits a year. Most have tried conventional medicine.
“They have gone to Hopkins. They have gone to the Mayo Clinic,” says Pan. “They aren’t solving their problem. They are telling them nothing can be done, you have to live with it, and they are seeking the last resort.”
More Americans are turning to alternative medicine-some when they feel traditional medicine has failed them.
That includes patients like Anna Sterud. After a two- year battle with ovarian cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy, and a clinical trial, she decided to try vitamin C infusions.
“I’m very much for scientifically proven methods of treatment, but when you feel your time is starting to run out, you feel you just have to go 100 percent and look for alternatives, and that is what I did.”
With more Americans turning to alternatives, the US government founded The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine as part of the NIH.
“Our job here at the NIH is to bring really good science to these really interesting practices,” says Dr. Josephine Briggs, the center’s director.
Practices that are considered outside mainstream medicine include the use of dietary supplements, meditation, yoga, chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, therapeutic touch, and massage. A survey by the NIH in 2007 indicated 4 in 10 Americans use one of these practices, most often to treat pain.
“I think that the extent to which Americans are interested in these practices is a good reason for them being studied,” says Briggs. “We do our best to provide reliable information on our website about methods. That material is carefully reviewed by peers and scientific experts.”
Dr. Deirdre Orceyre is both a naturopathic physician and Chinese medicine practitioner at the Center for Integrative Medicine. She sometimes uses acupuncture for her patients.
“I try my best to use it in conjunction with the more Western model with natural or conventional and bring that in as a perspective and a healing modality.”
That is the philosophy behind integrative medicine: to complement Western treatments with other methods.
“For me it was very important to do both because I believe in the scientifically approved methods,” says Sterud, the cancer patient.
She’s encouraged that her oncologist has asked her to share information on her experience at the Center for Integrative Medicine.
This article was brought to my attention by a client. Thank you very much for doing so. At this time, homeopathy is not included as one of the modalities under the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. There are homeopaths working to make this happen. But the homeopathic community in the US is divided on the idea of being accepted in this way. Many fear government control will interfere with the way homeopaths are allowed to practice. Looking at the recent decisions in the UK and Australia to reduce the public’s access to homeopathy, I believe that homeopaths in the US who don’t want homeopathy to be included under the NIH have a valid argument. ~ Myra
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SOURCE
The Epoch Times (Voice of America News) 09/12/2010
Myra Nissen, CCH
Copyright © 2012 – , Myra Nissen.
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This article was brought to you by Myra Nissen, CCH, RSHom(NA), Board Certified Classical Homeopath. Myra teaches women how to recognize their body’s unique needs and cues and uses homeopathy to help empower women to take control of their bodies, health and well-being. Find out more, she regularly publishes articles with home care tips for health and well-being in several venues. Visit her blog www.myranissen.com/blog.