Alternative Medicine Use On The Rise
from the desk of Ted Duboise
Source: Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin R. CDC National Health Reports #12. United States, 2007. Dec. 2006
Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has long been known to improve people’s lives. However, Big Pharma, FDA, and mainstream physicians refused to recognized CAM – even though numerous studies, research, and clinical trials have proven that CAM is preventive health care, not sick care.
Health care reform took a huge leap this past March in Washington when over 650 people attended the Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public. The summit was produced by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). By all accounts, it was the largest and most diverse group ever assembled to focus on integrative health. In attendance were healthcare providers, Senators, and speakers from several universities.
Recognizing CAM, the consensus was to change the term to “Integrative Health or Integrative Medicine”. It seemed that all attendees were in agreement that integrative health was the “true” healthcare reform.
Integrative medicine is described as orienting the health care process to create a seamless engagement by patients and caregivers of the full range of physical, psychological, social, preventive and therapeutic factors known to be effective and necessary for the achievement of optimal health.
For a complete summary of the summit, including notes, videos, speeches and comments, go to the website at
Summit on Integrative Medicine.
Learn more at National Institutes of Health.
