Statesman Journal Newspaper, Wellness Insert. Feb. 20, 2000.

byToni Gilbert

Millions of Americans are turning to alternative and complementary therapies. Studies have shown that 80 percent of people diagnosed with cancer seek alternative care. These studies also claim that people seeking alternative therapies often do not consult their primary care physician about their choice.

While traditional medicine shines in many areas---and is unparalleled in the world with treatment of acute infectious diseases, surgical procedures, understanding the mechanisms of chronic disease---it is not fully holistic.

Currently, traditional medicine offers the best the nation has to offer in the areas of surgery and pharmaceuticals but it often overlooks the psychological and spiritual aspects of a person dealing with a life-altering disease or injury.

In the future, our medical systems could be enhanced by a more vigorous holistic approach in looking at complex diseases and their effect of the whole person. This more complete system would use multiple interventions to develop optimal therapies. This would create an integrated system in which the patient would have the option of selecting from traditional, alternative, and complementary therapies.

Unfortunately, this holistic system does not yet exist under one roof. Today, if patients are faced with a life-threatening illness and want to integrate alternative or complementary therapy into their treatment regimen, they are left primarily on their own to search out and find a competent practitioner.

The choices we have among forms of medicine that sometimes seem to compete and even contradict one another are mind-boggling. Dealing with any kind of medicine is intimidating. One person's choice of medicine can literally be another's poison.

Several factors can influence our decisions. We have taught that medical matters, decisions, and recommendations are best left to authorities and experts outside ourselves. For the most of us, this means our chosen, trusted physician. This is what we grew up with, and is the easiest path to follow.

Some of us, who take a more introspective approach, will base our choice on religious, philosophical, or psychological considerations. For others, the choices are limited by purely economic considerations. Those who must depend upon insurance coverage or government programs may find a narrow range of freedom of choice, usually limited to traditional medicine.

The irony is that nontraditional forms of medicine tend to be less costly and more prevention-oriented than traditional medicine. This fact is not lost on some government agencies and insurance companies. They are showing a new openness to alternatives, given the long-term economics and limited success of traditional medicine with many conditions.

The most important issue involved in seeking alternative and complementary care is finding practitioners who are well trained and properly licensed or certified in their scope of practice. It is especially important that patients involve their primary care physicians in the decision to seek adjunctive care. These physicians have the greatest amount of training and, if they are up on the latest research, can provide information to assist and guide the decisions in what is accepted care.

Your primary care physician should be able to provide information about alternative and complementary therapies such as: chiropractic science, massage therapy, acupuncture, hypnosis, guided imagery, music therapy, art therapy, yoga, prayer, energy healing, meditation, biofeedback, and so on.

You can research adjunctive therapies on your own. In 1992 Congress mandated the creation of the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM)---which now also includes complementary medicine and is sometimes known as the Office of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCAM). Its purpose is to evaluate and offer information about the effectiveness, strengths, and limitations of nontraditional medicine.

The OAM's clearinghouse is a focal point for information resulting from its programs and research activities. It prepares fact sheets, information packages, and publications to enhance public understanding about complementary and alternative medicine research supported by the National Institute of Health in Washington DC. This public information is free of charge. Contact the OAM at (888) 644-6226, or use their web site access at http://nccam.nih.gov/.