Unlike the practices, patients who use alternative medicine are not alternative patients. Over 80 percent of those who used unconventional practices in 1990 used these practices along with conventional medicine. These were the same patients seen in the offices of conventional physicians. Thus complementary and alternative practices are not used to replace conventional medicine, but instead, to fill in where conventional medicine requires supplementation and support. Establishment of the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine Viable and valid options in health care require research and knowledge about the risks and benefits of medical practices.
Research provides the tools for practitioners to execute their art.
The legislation also called for the establishment of a Program Advisory Council. After assuming directorship of the Office of Alternative Medicine in July 1995, I began to assess the scope, needs, and strategies required to support and carryout research in these diverse and often complex areas. I decided to reorganize the office into six functional sections, in order to address specific aspects of the Congressional mandate. The Database and Evaluation Section, critically evaluates and categorizes research studies in CAM areas, provides a method for continually accessing and updating this critically appraised literature, and channels much of this information to the Clearinghouse. The Research Development and Investigation Section, proactively screens, prioritizes, and provides technical support to the most promising research opportunities in CAM from around the world.