PORTLAND, Ore. An ethicist in the Oregon Health & Science University Center for Ethics in Health Care has published new guidelines for conventionally trained physicians whose patients are interested in utilizing complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The guidelines are contained in an article published in the Oct. 15 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The article is part of a series of reports on various aspects of CAM treatments appearing in the journal. Collaborators from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and University of Washington Medical Center also contributed to the paper.

The report comes in response to the exploding popularity of CAM among the general public and its expanding use among patients, health care providers and institutions. According to a national survey conducted in 1997, more than 42 percent of the American public used complementary and alternative medicine, at a cost of $27 billion per year. CAM therapies include acupuncture, herbs, chiropractic manipulation, mind-body interventions and naturopathic medicine. While there is little scientific information on the effectiveness of most CAM therapies, some treatments such as chiropractic manipulation for temporary back pain, appear to be more successful than conventional therapies.

"It is imperative that physicians consider the ethical obligations when tolerating or recommending for or against CAM therapies. CAM should not be dismissed out of hand or accepted blindly," said Karen Adams, M.D., an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine and lead author of the paper. "Many physicians are unfamiliar with CAM therapies. There is also a lack of scientific evidence about most forms of CAM, and some therapies may even be harmful when used alone or in combination with conventional medicine. This provides the potential for serious patient-physician conflict."

To aid physicians in consulting patien
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Contact: Jim Newman
newmanj@ohsu.edu
503-494-8231
Oregon Health & Science University
14-Oct-2002

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