Understanding the science of cannabis is integral to appropriate regulation and use

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by: Raw Michelle

Cannabis is a plant with demonstrable
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, both aspects that point to
its potential to be used as an anti-cancer drug. Cannabinoids have been
used in tentative studies, demonstrating their ability to greatly
reduce tumours, and cure cancer, in mice.

A controlled substance

The
medical establishment continues to reinvent their justification for the
demonization of marijuana as more and more of the claims made against
cannabis are disproven. The justification currently holding the most
ground is that cannabis is a plant, and cannot be carefully regulated
because of the great chemical variability that is found between
individual plants. Read more...

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Integrative Medicine – UMass Medical School – Worcester

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An evolution in medical practice,integrative medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for every individual.If you have an interest in learningaboutnon-allopathic techniques, or if you already have training in them, the UMass Worcester Family Medicine Residency is the place to be!

We canhelp you get the training to be effective and supervise your use of these techniques. Whileyou are fine tuning your skills inWestern Medicine, you willgain extensive experience inthe practice of integrativemedicine:

Acupuncture: the ancient practice of using tiny needles to change the energy patterns of the body in order to restore balance and health.

Cupping: used to treat muscular joint pain as well as many systemic diseases. Uses hand-pump or heated cups to create local suction on the skin.

Functional Medicine: addressing the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms,practitioners gather extensive personal, medical and social histories. Then, they evaulate the interactions among genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease.

GuaSha: also called "coining". Scraping the skin with a blunt tool (coin, spool or other instrument) to treat local pain or systemic problems.

Hypnosis: each day the human mind controls millions of events through the body. Using hypnosis, "inward focus," you can train your mind to influence many areas of function.

Natural Therapies: using non-prescription compounds such as Western or Chinese herbs, or vitamin and mineral supplements to restore balance and function.

Osteopathic Manipulation: OMT can help people of all ages and backgrounds. The treatment can be used to ease pain, promote healing and increase overall mobility .

"After practicing Family Medicine for a few years, I realized that Western medicine had little to offer many patients. I started looking into non-Western therapies and have become an Integrative Medicine Practitioner.Contact me anytime with questions!"Melissa Rathmell, MD, Director of Integrative Medicine UMass Family Medicine ResidencyTo learn more about Dr. Rathmell,we invite you toread our recent interview with her!

American Academy of Medical AcupunctureAmerican Osteopathic AssociationInstitute for Functional MedicineNew England Society of Clinical Hypnosis

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Integrative Medicine - UMass Medical School - Worcester

Q&A: Deepak Chopra on Bentonville, health and well-being – talkbusiness.net

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The nonprofit Chopra Foundation in California is bringing its Sages and Scientists Symposium to Bentonville this weekend beginning Thursday. Itll be held at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Deepak Chopra, the foundations namesake and the co-founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, Calif., is the organizer of the conference. Chopra moved from India to the U.S. in his early 20s to continue his study of Western medicine. Following a residency in New Jersey, he landed in Boston, where he quickly rose to chief of medicine at New England Memorial Hospital.

Now 73 years old, Chopra is considered a pioneer of integrative medicine, which recommends mixing mainstream Western medicine with alternative treatments. He has written nearly 90 books on the topic, many of them The New York Times bestsellers.

Chopra organized the first Sages and Scientists in 2010 in Carlsbad, where it was held annually through 2014. The most recent Sages and Scientists was in Beverly Hills in 2016.

In a recent interview, Chopra discussed his rationale for choosing Bentonville for this years event, which will attract thought leaders from around the world. The interview has been edited slightly for brevity and clarity.

Paul Gatling: How did you decide on having Sages and Scientists in Arkansas? Whats the appeal of having the event here?

Deepak Chopra: We decided to do it at Crystal Bridges for two reasons. One is Alice Walton was very gracious to give us the venue to do the conference. I have been to Bentonville several times over the years and to Crystal Bridges. And of course Northwest Arkansas has a great tradition of various things: food, culture, music, film and so on. I have a special proclivity to be enchanted by this kind of culture, so we decided to come to Bentonville, Ark., and people are coming from all over the world.

Gatling: Whats your take on Bentonville versus maybe what your preconceived idea of Bentonville was before visiting? I cant imagine youve been to Arkansas too many times.

Chopra: I have, actually. I have been there several times. Over the course of a year I come out at least three or four times. I love the atmosphere. Bentonville, particularly, has grown over the years. I remember it from the late 1980s, and it keeps getting even more culturally, unusually attractive to me. People are unaware of the fact there are direct flights from New York and Los Angeles. Once they come there, they find it very enchanting.

Gatling: How long have you known Alice Walton?

Chopra: I have known her since 1988. I knew Sam [Walton] as well. And I have known the [Walton] family for several years.

Gatling: Sages and Scientists, in general, what was the goal when you first began to organize these events?

Chopra: To bring together luminaries and thought leaders in academia, and also entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, and also thought leaders in business and philanthropy in three areas. No. 1, well-being; No. 2, humanitarianism; and No. 3, a deeper understanding of the nature of reality or what we call the cosmos. We have thought leaders in every field, from machine learning to deep learning to understanding genetics and neuroscience and cosmology. We have the professor from MIT who created the VR for the landing on Mars. She very kindly accepted the invitation to speak about virtual reality and how that will have immense applications, not only for exploring intergalactic space but right here at home with the treatment of illness and disease.

Its going to be amazing, and every time weve done this conference, it has evolved to a new level of understanding. We have 3.5 days. The first day is the future of well-being and then the future of humanity and the future of the cosmos. Its a very ambitious program.

Gatling: You have said Sages and Scientists Symposium is a catalyst for your work to improve global well-being trends? Which trends need the most work? What is most concerning to you as a thought leader in that space?

Chopra: Right now, we know that only 5% of disease-related gene mutations are fully penetrant, which means they predict the disease. So if somebody has the BRCA gene for breast cancer, its almost 100% likely they will get breast cancer. But that applies to only 5% of all chronic illness, including cancers. For those kinds of mutations, there are new technologies emerging.

You may have heard of CRISPR, which is basically gene editing and splicing. Just like you can read a barcode of an item at the grocery store or cut and paste an email, you will soon be able to its already being done you can actually read the barcode of a gene and delete the defective gene and insert the healthy gene. Even that only helps 5% of chronic illness.

So 95% of chronic illness is related to inflammation in the body low-grade inflammation in the body, low-grade depression, anxiety, stress. If you pay attention to things like sleep, stress management, exercise, movement, yoga, deep breathing, healthy emotions and relationships, nutrition and the connection with nature that is why we also chose Northwest Arkansas then you can actually prevent a lot of chronic illnesses.

So the future of well-being is predictable. It requires your participation. Its preventable, and in many cases even reversible. We want to highlight what the future of health and well-being is. Right now, the discussions around health are not really about health. Theyre about insurance. Everybody needs to be covered, but I think people need to realize that a lot of disease is preventable, and they can participate in their own well-being.

Gatling: You are a proponent of alternative medicine. Whats your definition of alternative medicine? An alternative to what?

Chopra: So I dont use that word, even though I have been given that designation. Its integrative medicine, which means you use whatever works. Pharmaceuticals, surgery, radiation they all work in selective cases, and also particularly in acute illness. Integrative medicine means mostly lifestyle and stress management and nutrition and healthy emotions. Even things like good sleep. We have been doing studies on aspects of well-being, and we were among the first to be published in peer-reviewed journals how you can change the activity of your genes toward health and well-being or self-regulation, instead of inflammation.

Gatling: Whats the single biggest barrier thats keeping integrative medicine from the mainstream?

Chopra: There are special interest groups that have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, and thats not going to change unless theres public awareness of what it means to be healthy.

Gatling: How would you say you spend the majority of your time these days? Writing, speaking, traveling, advising, podcasting? What occupies most of your time?

Chopra: Writing and public speaking, but also at the Chopra Foundation. We collaborate with other researchers at places like Harvard and Duke and Scripps [Health] and UCLA on looking at integrative modalities. And we publish a lot of research in peer-reviewed journals.

Gatling: Suicide prevention is something that you are specifically focused on through some of your podcast work. Why are those rates so high in America or around the world?

Chopra: This is an epidemic that has reached a proportion that we never envisioned, and a lot of attention has been brought to it recently because of very successful people, celebrities, committing suicide. It is the second most common cause of death in younger people as well, between the ages of 10 and 30.

We need to do something about it. If you bring awareness to people, if you help them create social networks, both online and offline much in the way of Alcoholics Anonymous without the stigma then we can actually do something about the epidemic. And we need to, for the next generation.

Gatling: What are your thoughts on technology today a necessity versus a necessary evil? Smartphones for example. Good or bad?

Chopra: I actually am a big fan of technology. I also think its part of our human evolution, and by itself its neutral. Neither good nor evil. Its up to us how we use it. You can use it to hack elections. You can use it to create a better world. Its all up to us. We should schedule technology time, just like we schedule other times for exercise, sleep, relationships.

Gatling: How old are you?

Chopra: I am chronologically 73, but biologically I feel very young.

Gatling: Still a practicing physician?

Chopra: I have a group practice in California, and I maintain my license in Massachusetts and also California. But I mostly consult with other physicians who are part of our group practice. Once in a while when I am in California I will see patients that are intriguing to our group. Our group practice [Mind-Body Medical Group] in San Diego has lots of physicians internists, oncologists and others who are trained in internal medicine and in some specialties, but also have expertise in integrative medicine.

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Q&A: Deepak Chopra on Bentonville, health and well-being - talkbusiness.net

Meat industry lying about E. coli contamination

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The meat industry has been misusing data to make it appear that E. coli contamination of meat is decreasing, said Barbara Kowalcyk of the Center for Foodborne Illness, Research and Prevention.

Executives from the American Meat Institute (AMI) have claimed success in the beef industry's efforts to reduce contamination with the dangerous E. coli strain O157:H7. According to the AMI, inspection data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Food Safety and Inspection Service show a 45 percent drop in E. coli prevalence between 2000 and 2008.

Yet Kowalcyk calls this is a misuse of data never intended for "year-to-year comparisons."

"USDA's E. coli ... testing program is strictly regulatory and was not statistically designed to estimate the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef," she said.

Although a 45 percent drop is in fact found in the data, Kowalcyk notes that different facilities were tested and different testing methods used each year. She called the AMI's conclusion as valid as comparing a person who weighed 300 pounds in 2000 to a different person weighing 150 pounds in 2008, then concluding that the average weight of the U.S. population had dropped 50 percent. Read more...

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Integrative Medicine – The Bravewell Collaborative

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Integrative medicine is an approach to care that seeks to integrate the best of Western scientific medicine with a broader understanding of the nature of illness, healing and wellness. Easily incorporated by all medical specialties and professional disciplines, and by all health care systems, its use not only improves care for patients, it also enhances the cost-effectiveness of health care delivery for providers and payors.

A practical strategy, integrative medicine puts the patient at the center of the care and addresses the full range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect a person's health.By treating the whole person, both the patient's immediate needs as well as the effects of the long-term and complex interplay between a range of biological, behavioral, psychosocial and environmental influences are addressed. This process enhances the ability of individuals to not only get well, but most importantly, to stay well.

The defining principles of integrative medicine are:

The patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.

All factors that influence health, wellness and disease are taken into consideration.

The care addresses the whole person, including body, mind, and spirit in the context of community.

Providers use all appropriate healing sciences to facilitate the body's innate healing response.

Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive are used whenever possible.

Because good medicine is based in good science, integrative medicine is inquiry-driven and open to new models of care.

Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.

The care is individualized to best address the persons unique conditions, needs and circumstances.

Practitioners of integrative medicine exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.

Gofor the report, "Integrative Medicine: Improving Health Care for Patients and Health Care Delivery for Providers and Payors"

Gofor the report, "The Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Integrative Medicine"

Goto learn about The Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public and listen to the presentations

Goto read stories from patients who have been helped with integrative medicine

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Integrative Medicine - The Bravewell Collaborative

Complementary and Integrative Medicine – General Internal …

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Overview

Mayo Clinic's Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program offers wellness-promoting treatments that complement conventional Western medical care. We offer a range of services, including resilience training, meditation, massage therapy, acupuncture and herbal medicine.

We work closely with you and your health care team to understand and address your health needs. We will help you integrate alternative medicine therapies and wellness programs into your overall treatment plan. Our goal is to provide exactly the care you need based on what's right for you.

During this consultation, a physician trained in integrative medicine will talk with you, assess your needs and help you develop a treatment plan. Recommendations may include:

A physician and other health care providers who specialize in integrative medicine techniques will help you learn to manage general life stress or situational stress. Learn about stress management.

Resilience education and training will help you develop a resilient disposition and positive strategies to manage stress. Learn about resilience training.

A nationally certified massage therapist works with you and uses techniques based on the therapist's ongoing assessment and your goals. Learn about massage therapy.

You will be treated by a physician trained in acupuncture or a licensed acupuncturist who works under the supervision of a physician. Techniques include acupuncture with manual and electrical stimulation, acupressure and cupping. Learn about acupuncture.

You will learn how meditation can relax and rejuvenate the mind and body. It helps many people refocus and gain happiness and inner peace. Learn about meditation.

Appointments for Complementary and Integrative Medicine services are available to established Mayo patients. You will need a referral from a physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Sara E. Bublitz, L.Ac., acupuncturist

Susanne M. Cutshall, R.N., C.N.S.

Liza J. Dion, massage therapist

Alexander Do, L.Ac, acupuncturist

Nikol E. Dreyer, massage therapist

Debbie L. Fuehrer, L.P.C.C., clinical counselor

Amber E. Hammes, L.Ac., acupuncturist

Jennifer L. Hauschulz, massage therapist

Molly J. Mallory, L.Ac., acupuncturist

Crystal R. Narveson, massage therapist

Nancy J. Rodgers, massage therapist

Susan J. Veleber, L.Ac., acupuncturist

The Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic was created in large part to address the challenges people face every day in deciding if or how to use integrative and alternative medicine. Mayo Clinic physicians conduct dozens of clinical studies every year to learn which treatments work, and they share that information with their patients and colleagues.

By identifying effective therapies and bringing them into clinical practice, physicians in the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program help Mayo Clinic maintain its leadership position in providing excellent health care mind, body and spirit.

Read more about the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Research.

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Fratellone Medical Associates

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I entered a noble profession, made so by the efforts of my parents and my commitment to healing. I have followed generations of men and women who unselfishly sought to do their best for mankind. Much has been done in conventional medicine. More than twenty years ago a new door was opened the field of integrative medicine. The possibilities in helping mankind are endless. Never has the outlook for the combination of conventional and integrative medicine been better, thus making treatment options endless.

- Patrick M. Fratellone MD RH (AHG) FIM

Follow along as Dr. Fratellone blogs the importance of quality nutritionals and botanicals in your diet. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out.

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Dr. Fratellone knows the importance of research and sharing his knowledge, take a look at the books, magazines, papers and more that he has been published in.

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Get healthy eating ideas and additional personalized information surrounding healthy living directly from Fratellone Medical Asociates.

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Headed by Executive Medical Director Patrick Fratellone, MD RH (AHG) FIM,Fratellone Medical Associates is a collaboration of health care practitioners dedicated to integrating the highest standards of conventional, complementaryand alternative medicine.

Dr. Fratellone may well be one of the most outstanding complementary cardiologists in the nation.

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Integrative medicine – US News

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What is integrative medicine?

Integrative medicine is the practice of medicine that focuses on the whole person and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.

It combines state-of-the-art, conventional medical treatments with other therapies that are carefully selected and shown to be effective and safe. The goal is to unite the best that conventional medicine has to offer with other healing systems and therapies derived from cultures and ideas both old and new.

Integrative medicine is based upon a model of health and wellness, as opposed to a model of disease. Whenever possible, integrative medicine favors the use of low-tech, low-cost interventions.

The integrative medicine model recognizes the critical role the practitioner-patient relationship plays in a patient's overall healthcare experience, and it seeks to care for the whole person by taking into account the many interrelated physical and nonphysical factors that affect health, wellness, and disease, including the psychosocial and spiritual dimensions of people's lives.

Many people mistakenly use the term integrative medicine interchangeably with the terms complementary medicine and alternative medicine, also known collectively as complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM. While integrative medicine is not synonymous with CAM, CAM therapies do make up an important part of the integrative medicine model.

Because, by its very nature, the components of integrative medicine cannot exist in isolation, CAM practitioners should be willing and able to incorporate the care they provide into the best practices of conventional medicine.

For example, CAM therapies such as acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and guided imagery are increasingly integrated into today's conventional treatment of heart disease, cancer, and other serious illnessesand scientific evidence supports this approach to health and healing.

Coordinating all of the care given to a patient is a cornerstone of the integrative medicine approach. Your primary care physician should work in tandem with such practitioners as your integrative medicine physician, integrative health coach, nutritionist, massage therapist, and acupuncturist.

Developed by experts at Duke Integrative Medicine, part of the Duke University Health System, the Wheel of Health is a guide to integrative medicine and health planning that represents Duke's unique approach to integrative medicine. It illustrates nine key areas of health and wellness and underscores the interrelatedness of body, mind, spirit, and community in the experience of optimum vitality and wellness, as well as in the prevention and treatment of disease.

While hundreds of CAM therapies can be used in conjunction with conventional treatments, the key to making the most of integrative medicine is to pursue only those therapies proven to be safe, effective, and appropriate for a patient's individual health status. Evidence-based CAM therapies often used in tandem with conventional medical care include the following:

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the insertion of hair-thin, stainless steel needles into the skin at specific locations to manipulate the flow of energy in the body. The National Institutes of Health states that acupuncture is proven to treat pain, nausea, and vomiting. Other conditions for which acupuncture appears promising include asthma, menstrual cramps, and osteoarthritis.

Conventional medicine asserts that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system, which releases chemicals that change the perception of pain and influence the body's internal regulation system. Chinese medicine says it restores the body's proper energy flow, which stimulates its natural healing abilities.

Certain biofield therapies

Biofield therapies are techniques that seek to tap into and manipulate the body's own healing energy. Biofield therapies fall under the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine's category of energy medicine, and they include reiki, healing touch, qigong, and polarity therapy.

Many biofield techniques involve gentle touch aimed at promoting mental, physical, and physical well-being. The goal is to facilitate unrestricted energy flow throughout the body; promote balance, peace, and relaxation; and stimulate the body's healing energy. Studies have shown some types of touch therapies to be beneficial to patients ranging from premature infants to chronic pain sufferers to cancer patients.

Guided imagery

A visualization technique that teaches people to focus on positive mental pictures, guided imagery is based upon the belief that the mind can affect the body's functions. It is used to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and help the mind effect positive changes in the body.

Proponents suggest that stimulating the brain in this way can affect the endocrine and nervous systems, which can lead to improvements in immune system function. There is also evidence that guided imagery can lower blood pressure. The best available research indicates that guided imagery is a valuable relaxation technique and is useful as a complementary therapy. At least one major health maintenance organization is now offering visualization tapes to all presurgical patients.

Hypnotherapy

A state of focused attention during which consciousness is altered and distractions are blocked, hypnosis enables people to focus deeply on one thing and is a means of promoting relaxation and reducing pain and stress.

The health-promoting benefits of hypnotherapy are widely accepted. Hypnosis can divert patients' attention away from pain by inducing a state of deep relaxation. It has been proved to alleviate nausea and vomiting. There are even documented cases of hypnotized patients undergoing surgery without anesthesia.

Some scientists believe that hypnosis causes the brain to release natural painkillers, while others think hypnosis works through the unconscious mind and the power of suggestion.

Mindfulness techniques

Mindfulness refers to moment-to-moment awareness that enables people to engage fully with the present moment, the fullness of life, and their own inner resources for healing, adapting, and growing. Through practices such as meditation, participants develop skills that enable them to relax deeply and truly experience what is going on both inside and outside themselves.

Mindful eating and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) have proved to be effective tools in whole-person medicine.

Yoga

Yoga, which means "to yoke" or "to unite," is an ancient practice designed to unify the body and mind, the individual and the universal. While Westerners typically think of hatha yoga, which stresses physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation, there are actually many types of yoga, most of which can be practiced by people of all levels of health and fitness.Overall, the practice seeks to balance and integrate mind, body, and spirit; to enhance energy flow; and to stimulate the body's natural healing processes by teaching people how to release tension, relax, strengthen weak muscles, and stretch tight ones.

A number of other CAM therapies have proved to be effective complements to conventional medical treatments, including massage and reflexology; biofeedback and relaxation training; movement therapy; and dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, and herbal preparations.

More information about CAM therapies is available at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

or in The Duke Encyclopedia of New Medicine: Conventional and Alternative Medicine for All Ages (2006).

While people turn to integrative medicine for many reasons, studies show that the majority do so because they consider it to be more aligned with their values, beliefs, and philosophies about health and life than a strictly conventional medical approach is.

Some prefer the customized, personal care that comes with integrative medicine's whole-person perspective. Others believe it is only logical to incorporate health strategies into their lives from the widest array of proven approaches possible. They think an integrative approach will allow them to achieve or maintain the best health possible.

Studies conducted at Duke Integrative Medicine show that patients who participate in integrative medicine programs realize more profound health benefits than those who don't. Such programs can be one-on-one learning with a single health coach, or they can be an "immersion" into a healthful lifestyle. An immersion program may involve several days of on-site living, during which patients participate in a number of medical and therapeutic sessions, are surrounded by a team of integrative medicine experts, and work with a health coach during and after the program.

If you're considering supplementing your conventional medical care with a complementary or alternative therapy, or if you're already practicing a nonconventional therapy, you should speak with your doctor. First, he or she may be able to recommend a qualified practitioner. Second, if your doctor is kept informed of your CAM therapies, he or she can provide medical oversight and consider those therapies when moving forward with your overall healthcare strategy.

Because integrative medicine practitioners include physicians of every specialty as well as doctors of osteopathic medicine, mental health professionals, mind-body specialists, and practitioners such as massage therapists and acupuncturists, their educational and accreditation requirements vary widely, as does the regulation of their fields.

Don't hesitate to ask about a practitioner's training and experience. Those worth their salt will have nothing to hide and should be happy to refer you to the professional organizations that trained, licensed, or certified them if you have additional questions about their qualifications.

Experts recommend that prospective patients look for practitioners who fundamentally believe in integrative medicine's mind-body-spirit-community philosophy. A useful litmus test for screening CAM practitioners is to ask about their willingness to collaborate with conventional healthcare professionals.

Patients should avoid practitioners who automatically advocate all CAM therapies or discount all conventional medicine practices. Likewise, use caution with conventional medicine practitioners who instantly write off integrative medicine or automatically advocate all mainstream medicine therapies.

Experts also suggest that prospective patients take a cue from what many of us do when choosing a conventional practitioner: Talk with people whose opinions you respect. Ask friends, family members, and coworkers to share their experiences and make recommendations.

Additional recommendations about choosing integrative medicine practitioners are available at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine or in The Duke Encyclopedia of New Medicine: Conventional and Alternative Medicine for All Ages (2006).

Many health insurance providers do not cover the complementary and alternative therapies that are often used in integrative medicine. Some cover select treatments such as including acupuncture, as well as some mind-body therapies.

Patients should speak with their insurance representatives before pursuing these treatments and be clear about exactly what type of CAM treatment they are considering as part of integrative medicine. Patients whose policies do not cover CAM therapies may wish to discuss self-payment options with prospective caregivers.

Patients who have health care reimbursement accounts through their employers will find that many integrative medicine therapies are covered by these plans.

More information on integrative medicine is available at these websites recommended by the U.S.News & World Report library.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Founded in the early 1990s, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is an office of the National Institutes of Health. The center investigates integrative therapies through scientific research, then makes its findings available through its publications and website. The site boasts a wealth of information for professionals and the general public. Topics range from herbs and botanicals, massage, and mind-body medicine to how to pay for treatment and talk with your doctor. Interested users may also sign up for an E-mail newsletter and an RSS feed with the latest updates. MedLine Plus

An online service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, MedLine Plus offers an overview of complementary and alternative medicine. Drawing from government, academic, and professional sources, MedLine Plus has compiled articles giving an overview of the integrative medicine field, descriptions of various treatments, links to government clinical trials, and a discussion of how integrative medicine might be used for particular groups: women, children, and seniors. Center for Integrative Medicine

This research and care center, based at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, investigates and practices integrative medicine, with a particular expertise in traditional Chinese medicine. The website's complementary and alternative medicine index contains informative articles about conditions, treatments, and herbs. The center, located in Baltimore, also runs clinical trials. Osher Center for Integrative Medicine

The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine is a multidisciplinary program at the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine. Its goal is to combine alternative and traditional medical practices to treat all aspects of a patient: "biological, psychological, social, and spiritual." Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Part of the National Cancer Institute, this office focuses on the scientific study of complementary cancer treatments. People living with cancer may be interested in the site's list of clinical trials or the publication "Thinking about Complementary and Alternative Medicine". The booklet addresses such topics as choosing a doctor, managing care, and finding trustworthy sources of information.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Integrative Medicine Service

Duke Integrative Medicine

Duke Integrative Medicine is committed to transforming the way health care is delivered in the 21st century. Informed by rigorous academic research and education, our expert providers integrate the best of Western scientific medicine with proven complementary therapies to address the whole personbody, mind, spirit, and community. Our innovative model of care is focused on healing and provides personalized, comprehensive support across time. Last reviewed on 1/28/10

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ERIE presents: Integrative Medicine and Ayahuasca Shamanism with Dr. Joe Tafur – Video

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ERIE presents: Integrative Medicine and Ayahuasca Shamanism with Dr. Joe Tafur
ERIE presents: Integrative Medicine and Ayahuasca Shamanism: Exploring the intersection between traditional spiritual healing and scientific knowledge, Decem...

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ERIE presents: Integrative Medicine and Ayahuasca Shamanism with Dr. Joe Tafur - Video