AMA Doctors Recognize Alternative Medicine - Its About Time!

According to the latest government survey..More than a third of Americans use unconventional

therapies, including acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, and native or traditional healing

methods. Practitioners in this field are self policed, recognized by their own schools and

accreditation groups. Some are licensed and recognized by their states, but most are not.

Tens of millions take vitamins and dietary supplements (from ginseng, aloe vera, and calcium

to fish oil and zinc) as reported by the Council for Responsible Nutrition. This is "fringe

medicine? Vitamins and supplements are the "insurance policy" for a nation of people who

don't "eat healthy" everyday.

Even doctors (mainstream medicine) recommend vitamins and supplements - vitamins for

pregnant women, calcium for osteoporosis, fish oil for heart patients, and more. The problem

lies in the dosages of each...too little or too much, as well as the quality level of each

product. Generally, they are considered safe with little or no interactions, unlike

conventional medicines that take a Physicians Desk Record (monstrously large book) to

illustrate all the interactions and "contraindications" (may cause .......).

Dr. Jeffery White, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Chief at the National Cancer

Institute joins Dr. Josephine Briggs, Director of the National Center for Complementary and

Alternative Medicine ( the Federal Agency created 10 years ago) in the belief that

alternative and nutritional medicine is an "area of opportunity that deserves serious

study".

Many people simply buy OTC (Over The Counter) products to treat simple daily problems -

can't sleep, upset stomach, heartburn, memory problems, and aches and pains. Many of these

products have dubious effects because they are not combined with other elements to complete

the task for which they were bought. This can change only with more education, more

research, more interest in Alternative and Complementary Medicine, something which I hope

this new Administration will augment.