Mainstream and Alternative Medicine: Converging Paths Require Common Standards
Authors: Stuart Bondurant, Harold C. Sox
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Editorials18 January 2005Mainstream and Alternative Medicine: Converging Paths Require Common StandardsStuart Bondurant, MD and Harold C. Sox, MD, EditorStuart Bondurant, MDFrom Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057. and Harold C. Sox, MD, EditorFrom Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-2-200501180-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The health care practices subsumed under the title "complementary and alternative medicine" (CAM) are now a substantial and growing part of health care. In the United States, office visits to CAM providers now outnumber visits to primary care physicians (1). The U.S. population spends more than $30 billion on CAM each year (1). Despite patient interest, CAM has existed largely outside of the world of mainstream medicine until recently, and evaluative research on CAM practices has lagged behind research on conventional medicine. Now, CAM and mainstream medicine are on converging paths as research funds become available and health systems search ...References1. Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, Appel S, Wilkey S, Van Rompay M, et al. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997: results of a follow-up national survey. JAMA. 1998;280:1569-75. [PMID: 9820257] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Kronenberg F, Fugh-Berman A. Complementary and alternative medicine for menopausal symptoms: a review of randomized, controlled trials. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:805-13. [PMID: 12435217] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Ernst E. The risk-benefit profile of commonly used herbal therapies: Ginkgo, St. John's Wort, Ginseng, Echinacea, Saw Palmetto, and Kava. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:42-53. [PMID: 11777363] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Deyo RA, Shekelle PG. A review of the evidence for the effectiveness, safety, and cost of acupuncture, massage therapy, and spinal manipulation for back pain. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:898-906. [PMID: 12779300] LinkGoogle Scholar5. Institute of Medicine. Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States. Washington, DC: National Academy Pr; 2005 [In press]. Google Scholar6. Harris RP, Helfand M, Woolf SH, Lohr KN, Mulrow CD, Teutsch SM, et al. Current methods of the US Preventive Services Task Force: a review of the process. Am J Prev Med. 2001;20:21-35. [PMID: 11306229] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Stuart Bondurant, MD; Harold C. Sox, MD, EditorAffiliations: From Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057.Disclosures: None disclosed.Corresponding Author: Customer Service, American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Bondurant: Georgetown University Medical Center, 4000 Reservoir Road NW, Building D, Room 120, Washington, DC 20007.Dr. Sox: American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEffectiveness of Acupuncture as Adjunctive Therapy in Osteoarthritis of the Knee Brian M. Berman , Lixing Lao , Patricia Langenberg , Wen Lin Lee , Adele M.K. Gilpin , and Marc C. Hochberg Acupuncture versus Placebo for the Treatment of Chronic Mechanical Neck Pain Peter White , George Lewith , Phil Prescott , and Joy Conway A Clinical Prediction Rule To Identify Patients with Low Back Pain Most Likely To Benefit from Spinal Manipulation: A Validation Study Maj John D. Childs , Julie M. Fritz , Timothy W. Flynn , James J. Irrgang , Maj Kevin K. Johnson , Maj Guy R. Majkowski , and Anthony Delitto Mainstream and Alternative Medicine Linda L. Isaacs Metrics Cited byKnowledge about, attitude toward, and practice of complementary and alternative medicine among nursing students: A systematic review of cross-sectional studiesFamiliarity with Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Multimodal Curriculum in Medical EducationA case-control, mono-center, open-label, pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of therapeutic touch in preventing radiation dermatitis in women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant radiation therapyDevelopment and Preliminary Validation of the Questionnaire (the First Edition) Based on TCM for Detecting Health Status in ChinaComplementary and Alternative MedicineAcupuncture research: getting to the pointWhat Should Students Learn about Complementary and Alternative Medicine?Strengths, Weaknesses, and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Health System of Hong Kong: Through the Eyes of Future Western DoctorsCAM – are we making progress?Research ethics in CAMWest meets east in rheumatologyMainstream and Alternative MedicineLinda L. Isaacs, MDThe interaction of dietary supplements with antithrombotic agents: Scope of the problemA Context for Thinking About Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Ethics 18 January 2005Volume 142, Issue 2Page: 149-150KeywordsComplementary and alternative medicineHealth careMotivationPatientsPrimary care physiciansRandomized trialsResearch designResearch fundingResearch quality assessmentSystematic reviews ePublished: 18 January 2005 Issue Published: 18 January 2005 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...