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By R. Barker Bausell
352 pp, $24.95
New York, NY, Oxford University Press, 2007
ISBN-13: 978-0-1953-1368-0

JAMA. 2009;301(3):332-333.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Why would the evidence basis for integrative medicine, also known as "alternative," "unconventional," "New Age," "complementary," "complementary and alternative," or "integrative" medicine be questioned? Have not some of the methods been used, the botanicals been recommended, and the holistic approach been preferred for decades or even longer? Medical schools in the United States, and their main teaching hospitals, often have departments or sections of integrative medicine. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In fact, a National Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Public Health will be held in Washington, DC, on February 25-27, 2009.

Integrative medicine comprises a variety of approaches to diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease. These include homeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic, botanicals, acupuncture, aromatherapy, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, and Ayurveda.¹ When the tenets of these systems have been proven, they are readily absorbed into mainstream medicine. On the other hand, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Lawrence Charles Parish, MD, Reviewer
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
larryderm@yahoo.com

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