Issues #41 & #42
February 27, 2008 mailing - Issue #42February 27, 2008
Peter Amato and
Steve Szydlowski, DHA, MBA, consulted on the integrative wellness
center that would be associated with the 313 acre Deep Lake sustainable
community and resort envisioned for rural Michigan and reported here in
December 2007. The two, founder and CEO, respectively, with Inner Harmony Group, faced
significant challenges based on the Deep Lake location, population and
weather. This Integrator double-interview guides you through their process in creating a combined integrative wellness center-spa strategy. More ...
February 27, 2008
The ongoing Integrator
discussion of the optimal relationship between the natural products
industry and the natural health and integrative practitioners who use
these products offers two fine new voices here. Patrick Hanaway, MD, is
the president-elect of the American Board of Integrative and Holistic
Medicine and chief medical officer for Genova Diagnostics, one of the
pioneeriing diagnostics firms for integrative practice. The other voice
is from naturopathic medical student Vanessa Esteves, ND (cand. '08)
who offers a straight solution. More ...
February 27, 2008
We know from a
CodeBlueNow! Pulse survey that 69% of voters in red state Iowa think
licensed practitioners like chiropractors, acupuncturists and
naturopathic physicians should be included in basic benefits. Now a
follow-up survey, using the same questions, which CodeBlueNow!
commissioned from Gilmore research, we learn that 75% of blue state
Washington State voters also want these complementary and integrative
medicine practitioners included. The question CBN's CEO Kathleen
O'Connor asks is: Why are the presidential candidates are not reflecting this public opinion? More ...
February 25, 2008
The Integrator previously
reported outcomes of a pilot integrative care mind-body project at
Chrysler. 55% of chronic pain patients reported being pain free
following the combination of somatic muscle therapy, hypnotherapy,
group process and lifestyle counseling. Chrysler is taking the pilot
into two new directions this year. But what led them to this
exploration? Where is it headed? How does it fit with wellness
thinking? As part of the Integrator's
IHPM-sponsored examination of the employer connection, I interviewed
Kate Kohn-Parrott, Chrysler's director of integrated health care and
disability, and Teresa Bartlett, MD, the medical director who directly
oversaw the program. More ...
February 25, 2008
Action abounds.
Here are short notices of activity from the American Botanical Council,
American Board of (Integrative) Holistic Medicine, American Association
of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Bravewell Collaborative, American
Chiropractic Association, Academic Consortium for Complementary and
Alternative Health Care, Hawaii Integrative Medicine Consortium,
American Association for Health Freedom, American Public Health
Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition and ... a taste of CAM
developments in Italy. More ...
February 24, 2008
Your Comments Forum: Additional Perspectives on the Appointment of NCCAM's Inexperienced Director Josephine Briggs, MD
The Integrator exchange
on the appointment of a new overseer of the National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine who has neither professional
experience nor known personal passion for the field she will direct
continues to generate response. Here are comments from policy leader
Marc Micozzi, MD, past AHNA president Sonja Simpson, RN, MS, King
County Natural Health Clinic organizer Merrily Manthey, National Center
for Homeopathy president Nancy Gahles, DC, CCH, RSHom(NA), natural products attorney Debra Bass and acupuncturist Jesse Woodson, LAc. More ...
February 24, 2008
Expanding the Family: More Comments of Holistic MDs and Naturopathic Doctors Co-Convening in 2008
One commentator on this
deepening exchange between naturopathic physicians and holistic
physicians notes that "most of us are quite tribal in our DNA." He
references the emotions ignited when the two guilds chose to co-locate
their 2008 conferences. Here are comments from American Holistic
Medical Association (AHMA)
trustees Roca, Roberts, Gmeiner and Sands, all MDs; from American Association of
Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) board members Alschuler, Guiltinan and
Clark, all NDs; from Bill Benda, MD, who sits on both boards; and one from a
past AHMA president, Manahan, who advocated closer relationships
between the two in his presidency 17 years ago. These are followed by a
quick look at some plans, in development, for their August
get-together. A hopeful exchange! More ...
February 18, 2008 mailing - Issue #41
February 18, 2008
The Integrator Open
Letter to NIH NCCAM's
incoming director, Josephine Briggs, MD, stimulated many comments. Many
asked
me to share any response from Dr. Briggs. On February 9, a response
arrived, not
from Briggs, but from NCCAM's public liaison, Chris Thomsen. The letter
references Briggs'
perceptions and plans relative to her taking over a position of
tremendous influence for the field despite having no background in
complementary or integrative medicine. Here is the letter, some musing
on hope, and on colonization. More ...
February 18, 2008
In August of
2008, a small piece of interdisciplinary history will be made. The
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the American
Holistic Medical Association will co-locate their annual conferences at
the Arizona Biltmore. An earlier Integrator article focused on
the decision of the AHMA board. This offers views of naturopathic
medical leaders about this post-tribal, inter-disciplinary venture into
ND-MD co-conferencing. More ...
February 18, 2008
Most
integrative practitioners and consumers have some awareness that
various forms of certification of product quality are increasingly available to natural
products firms. Integrator
adviser Michael Levin looks into the dependability of such
certification. He begins with a comment from Alan Greenspan on trust,
then goes down the rabbit hole into issues surrounding United States
Pharmacopoeia, Concumerlab.com and the major supplement manufacturer
Leiner. It's a fascinating and sobering journey. More ...
February 18, 2008
Services as a
job fair is not typical Integrator purpose. But in the last month I
received notes announcing openings from 3 prominent organizations in
the community - plus a need from an expanding integrative clinic
operations. The positions are with the Samueli Institute, American
Botanical Council, Yoga Alliance and a Corvallis, Oregon-based
hospital-sponsored integrative medicine operation that has been
reported here. More ...
February 6, 2008
My open letter
to Josephine Briggs, MD, who was appointed to direct the NIH NCCAM
despite having virtually no experience in complementary or integrative
medicine, produced a dozen, printable responses. Here are comments
from Harvard Associate Professor Michael Cohen, JD, naturopathic
medical leader Bruce Milliman, ND, Integrated Healthcare Policy
Consortium chair Sheila Quinn, holistic medicine pioneer Bill Manahan,
MD, nurse-coach Linda Bark, RN, natural product consultant Michael
Levin, publicist Rhonda Benfield, Georgetown law professor Sherman
Cohn, JD, Kaiser Permanente physician Lydia Segal, MD, Healing
Quest TV producer Judy Brooks and some who preferred to remain
anonymous. This piece concludes with an excellent report from CAM entrepreneur Taylor Walsh
on Briggs' comments at her first NCCAM meeting, February 1, 2008. More ...
February 6, 2008
Running into a
buzz saw. That may be the best description of what happened to the
MD-led integrative medicine educators when they told some CAM educators
that they were about to publish an articles in Academic Medicine on competencies in integrative medicine. The CAM educators, organized now as the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care, decided to conduct a formal, researched response which was published this fall in Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Here is a short report on a complex exchange between these educators, plus a response from Ben Kligler, MD, lead author of the Academic Medicine article.More ...
February 6, 2008
Bill
Benda, MD uses the fresh face of a naturopathic medical student,
working a conference booth as a nutraceutical company representative,
to launch a reflection on the slippery slope of product and practice
relationships. In this column, originally written for Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal,
Benda suggests educators and for the industry need to step up to avoid the patterns of the past. More ...
February 4, 2008
Are you a
clinician, researcher, integrative clinic leader, CAM network manager
or professional association leader who wishes a crash course on
employer-think to explore an d network possible relationships with
employers? Are you an employer, union leader or government manager who
is curious about how complementary, alternative and integrative
medicine (CAIM) might enhance the health and productivity of your work
force or members? If so, the March 31-April 2, 2008 meeting of the
Institute for Health and Productivity Management offers an exceptional
immersion for both stakeholders. Cathy Baase, MD. corporate medical
director for Dow Chemical and I will be co-moderating an interactive,
CAIM track at the state of the art of development. Take a look at what
we've assembled. More ...
February 4, 2008
The uptake of
complementary, alternative and integrative medicine into US medicine
has suffered from a lack of economic alignment with the disease focus
of major stakeholders. The exception to this rule is the progressive
employer. Smart employers recognize that a healthy employee produces a
myriad of measurable economic benefits to the company. So it is with
particular pleasure I welcome the not-for-profit Institute for Health
and Productivity Management, an organization of large employers
exploring health-enhancing employee strategies, as an Integrator
sponsor. Here is background on the relationship. Join us in Orlando,
March 31-April 2 for the first in a series of special gatherings to
explore shared interests, values and benefits. More ...
For earlier articles, please click below:
Issues #39 & #40 - Dec-Jan '08
Issues #37 & #38 - Nov 2007
Issues #35 & #36 - Oct 2007
Issues #33 & #34 - Sept 2007
Issues #30-#32 - July-Aug 2007
Issues #28 & #29 - June 2007
Issues #26 and #27 - May 2007
Issue #25 - April 2007
Issues # 23 & #24 - March 2007
Issues #21 and #22 - Feb 2007
Issues #19 and & 20 - Jan 2007
Issues #17 and #18 - Dec 2006
Issues #15 and #16 - Nov 2006
Issues #13 and #14 - Oct 2006
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