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industry news and legislative updates
New Health Care Survey Shows Need for Conservative, Drug-Free
Options, Says American Chiropractic Association
This
story adapted from a November 19, 2004 press release published on
The American
Chiropractic Association’s website
www.amerchiro.org
A new survey showing that nearly half of all Americans are concerned
about the safety of the medical care they receive was released Nov. 17
by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, and the Harvard School of Public Health. The
survey comes five years after a groundbreaking Institute of Medicine
(“IOM”) report found that hospital-based medical errors were the
eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Despite the
increased focus the 1999 report placed on improving health care
quality, 40 percent of those recently surveyed believe the situation
has actually worsened in the past five years. More disturbing is the
fact that one-third of those surveyed say that they or a family member
has experienced a
medical error at
some point in their life.
"Americans too often choose to pop a pill or seek out elective
surgery to treat health problems that could just as effectively -- and
more safely -- be managed by less invasive and/or non-drug options,"
commented American Chiropractic Association (“ACA”) President Donald
J. Krippendorf, DC. "Even over-the-counter pain relievers can have
dangerous side effects - such as liver damage, internal bleeding or
even death - that many consumers are unaware of. It is time for a
paradigm shift toward safer and more natural health care."
"If more patients
with musculoskeletal complaints were encouraged to utilize
scientifically supported interventions, such as those frequently
utilized by doctors of chiropractic, many unnecessary hospital stays,
surgeries, dangerous medications and the adverse effects they
sometimes cause could be avoided -- along with the increased health
care costs they generate," added Dr. Krippendorf.
Chiropractic care is one of the safest health care options available
today. It boasts high patient satisfaction ratings and has been shown
to be more effective than medication at treating conditions ranging
from back pain to headaches, according to the ACA.
Recent studies pointing to chiropractic's effectiveness include a
March 2004 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological
Therapeutics that found chiropractic care to be more effective than
conventional medical care at treating chronic low-back pain in
patients' first year of symptoms. In addition, a July 15, 2003 report
from the medical journal Spine found that manual manipulation provides
better short-term relief of chronic spinal pain than does a variety of
medications. Another recent study conducted by the Duke University
Evidence-Based Practice Center found cervical or neck manipulation, as
provided by doctors of chiropractic, appropriate for both tension-type
headache and "cervicogenic" headache--a sub-category of tension
headache that is associated with specific neck symptoms. In addition,
it noted that "cervical spinal manipulation has a very low risk of
serious complications" which may be "one of its appeals over drug
treatment."
For more information about chiropractic care, visit the American
Chiropractic Association's Web site at
www.acatoday.com
NEWS FROM the
National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (“NCCAM”)
NCCAM's Office
of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs has developed "Applying
for NCCAM Clinical Trials Grants: Points To Consider,"
http://nccam.nih.gov/research/instructions/poc.htm a policy
document outlining important issues that applicants for phase II and
III studies must consider. Visit
http://nccam.nih.gov/research/announcements/active.htm to read
more announcements about active NCCAM funding.
Research Centers
Grants Available
NCCAM announces
the final year of funding for research centers for CAM. Letters of
intent are due
January 15, 2005.
Receipt date is
February 15, 2005.
Grants will be for two types of centers:
InnerDoorway Acquires Alternative Medicine
(This
news story courtesy of the Collaborative for Healthcare Renewal
Foundation Newsletter) Visit http://www.thecollaboration.org/news/nf77.html#5
InnerDoorway,
Inc. recently announced its acquisition of
consumer magazine Alternative Medicine, which publishes ten issues a
year on holistic health and wellness. Available through bookstores,
supermarkets, and by subscription, the magazine also has a substantial
website. Its average paid circulation stands at 125,000.
In addition, InnerDoorway publishes three peer-reviewed professional
journals: Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine; Integrative
Medicine: A Clinician's Journal; and Advances in Mind-Body Medicine.
"There are important synergies between Alternative Medicine and other
parts of our portfolio," says
CEO Ram Capoor.
"This gives us a unique opportunity to take fresh research information
published in the peer-reviewed journals and present it in a consumer
format."
The company plans to invest resources in circulation and distribution
of Alternative Medicine and predicts rapid growth. "People today seek
health information on the Internet, but the evidence shows they
combine it with print publications," Capoor says. "We are also
interested in exposing more practitioners to the magazine and hope
they will display it in their waiting rooms. Our model is to embrace
both the consumer and the practitioner." For more information:
www.innerdoorway.com or
www.alternativemedicine.com.
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