January 2005

Institute of Medicine advisory: Jan. 12 Briefing on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Millions of Americans use complementary and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, massage, and dietary supplements -- often in conjunction with conventional medical treatments. COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN THE UNITED STATES, new from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, looks at what patients and health care providers need to know about both conventional treatments and complementary and alternative therapies to make the best decisions about their use. The report examines issues of safety, effectiveness, and regulatory oversight, as well as the impact of new therapies on the evolution of health care. The report will be discussed at a one-hour public briefing.

DETAILS:

11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 12, in the auditorium of the National Academies' building, 2100 C St., N.W., Washington, D.C. Those who cannot attend may listen to a live audio webcast and submit questions using an e-mail form at http://national-academies.org. (The webcast requires RealPlayer software, available free at http://www.real.com/player. For more information on setup and hardware requirements, see the Real.com site.) Advance copies of the report will be available to reporters only beginning at 9 a.m. EST on Jan. 11. THE REPORT IS EMBARGOED AND NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 11 A.M. EST ON JAN. 12.

PARTICIPATING FROM THE COMMITTEE THAT WROTE THE REPORT:

  • STUART BONDURANT (chair), interim executive vice president for health sciences and executive dean, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.
  • FLORENCE COMITE, associate clinical professor, Yale University School of Medicine; and founder and medical director, DestinationsHealth, New Haven, Conn.
  • DAVID EISENBERG, director, Osher Institute and the division for research and education in complementary and integrative medical therapies, Harvard University Medical School, Boston
  • SUSAN FOLKMAN, director, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, and Osher Foundation Distinguished Professor of Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
  • DAVID NERENZ, senior staff investigator, Center for Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit

    REPORTERS: OBTAIN COPIES OR REGISTER TO ATTEND by contacting the National Academies' Office of News and Public Information at tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail [email protected].