Complementary and Alternative Medicine:
A Second Opinion

INDIANAPOLIS - The number of Americans seeking alternative forms of medicine has mushroomed dramatically in recent years, and it's estimated that patients plunk down more than $30 billion annually for treatments ranging from herbs to acupuncture.

More to the point, more physicians and consumers are exploring complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), an approach that incorporates non-traditional into traditional therapies and treatments. So important is this trend that the Indiana University School of Medicine's Division of Internal Medicine is offering its first symposium on CAM, Saturday, March 24, at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus.

Larry Dossey, M.D., executive editor of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine and author of several books on this emerging field of medicine, is the conference's keynote speaker and will speak about spirituality and health. Other presentations from IU School of Medicine physicians and international CAM experts will focus on the philosophies, diagnostic methods and treatments used by health practitioners in the Eastern and Native American cultures.

"There is intense consumer demand for complementary and alternative medicine, but there is insufficient data to support its efficacy, not to mention its safety," says symposium director Palmer MacKie, M.D., medical director of IU School of Medicine's Integrative Pain Center at Wishard Hospital. "With this growing demand there also is a need for responsible medical education about CAM principles and practices - and education that balances traditional and non-traditional medicine."

For more information about the symposium, call 317-274-8353, or toll free at 800-6222-4989 and request the Division of Continuing Medical Education.

The CAM symposium is supported in part by a values grant from Clarian Health Partners.

Media Contact: Joe Stuteville
Tel: (317)274-7722
Email: jstutevi@iupui.edu

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