Alternative and complementary medicine should have role in new era of health care reform

New Rochelle, NY, 06 feb 2009—With the Obama Administration's call for change comes new momentum for health care reform, which at its core should encompass universal coverage along with evidence-based methods of prevention, chiropractic, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), states an editorial in the January 2009 issue (Volume 15, Number 1) of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The editorial is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/acm

Daniel Redwood, D.C., Associate Professor at Cleveland Chiropractic College—Kansas City (Overland Park, KS) is optimistic that leaders in the health reform movement have learned from past failures and recognize the urgent need to provide access to quality health services to the tens of millions of uninsured Americans.

In addition to an emphasis on preventive care, a new model for health reform should include defined principles, strategies and desired outcomes for CAM, asserts Redwood in his commentary, "The Health Reform Movement: Peril and Possibility in the Obama Era."

CAM encourages a holistic view of health, and new government policies should reflect that view with a shift in both CAM and conventional health research budgets "away from the longstanding emphasis on single intervention therapeutics and toward multifactorial integrative and whole-systems approaches," Redwood writes.

National policy should require training for all health practitioners in prevention and health promotion, including a whole-foods diet, exercise, and stress management, so they can then properly educate their patients. "There is no lack of scientific evidence for these approaches; what is lacking is a deep appreciation of their importance and the will to teach these to the patients who so desperately need them," contends Redwood.

Furthermore, reform efforts should recognize chiropractors as essential providers in the health care system and ensure that their services receive fair coverage and reimbursement.

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The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing observational, clinical, and scientific reports and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols and research strategies. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/acm