CAMLAW: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Law Blog : Complementary, Alternative, & Integrative Medicine Law, Regulation, Ethics & Policy (Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Medical Spa Information, Holistic Health Attorney, and Legal Resources)

Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD(hc), friend and colleague, pioneer in the holistic medicine movement, and author of Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer, a critical work in holistic health care, has written some important, new books offering new approaches to personal health. Check out Sound Mind, Sound Body and Stress Free for Good, both of which received outstanding reviews.

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The dark legacy of MDs vs. DCs is repeating itself, with an assault by medical school professors at Florida State's new medical college against a proposed chiropractic school.

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The Institute of Medicine's Report on Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States highlighted five ethical values to be held in balance during clinical decision-making.

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Guest columnist Laura Stevens discusses proposed Utah legislation that will allow parents to make medical decisions for their children involving CAM therapies that are reasonable and prudent, without fearing retaliation in the form of an abuse and neglect proceeding or action by a state child welfare agency.

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For years we've been warned of developments that may strip us of our very humanness, including the implantation of tiny chips in the 'third eye' region that track, monitor, diagnose, regulate, and control our physiology (or maybe even that of others).

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Many Americans take herbal supplements to boost their health, but they may not realize that continuing to do so prior to surgery could have life-threatening results.

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The quick rise and fall of a medical technology called "body scans" suggests potential long-term, financial pitfalls in marketing CAM therapies that lack third-party reimbursement and general medical acceptance.

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"Our medicines are no farther away than the shelves of the grocery and the sidewalks so that we can use for a brisk walk," said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, in a press release announcing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005

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Some may find support for the claim that CAM and conventional care are subjected to a "double standard" for proof of safety and efficacy in a new Minnesota report that 20 people died and four people were seriously disabled in 99 different hospital incidents in 15-month period.

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A coalition of hypnotherapists declared this January 4 to be official World Hypnotism Day, with the aim of encouraging the public to learn more about the benefits of hypnosis and hypnotherapy.

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"Vending machines are getting their own color-coded safety guide as part of a campaign started ... by the vending industry to fight childhood obesity," reported the Washington Times.

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Newsweek reported that the new model for "nutritional genomics" suggests that just as drug effectiveness varies by individual and interacts with genes, so too do the effectiveness of nutritional strategies.

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The IOM today released its report on U.S. CAM Use, noting that health care should strive to be both comprehensive and evidence-based and calling for conventional medical treatments and complementary and alternative treatments to be held to the same standards for demonstrating clinical effectiveness.

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A study released in the England Journal of Medicine today noted that although patients often disagree with medical recommendations for religious reasons, most physicians intuitively navigate the tension between patient preferences and medical judgment.

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The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute will convene a conference this week to evaluate the risks of interactions between dietary supplements and prescription blood-thinning medications which are used by four million Americans to ward off heart attack or stroke.

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Should hospitals care what their patients eat in the hospital cafeteria after a procedure? Once the tubes and carefully monitored, insurance-reimbursed pharmaceuticals are poured into the veins, is it okay to slather corn syruppy tomato sauce on a Chicken McNugget?

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A new study published in the American Journal of Medicine by colleague Mark Hall, JD, Professor of Law and Public Health at Wake Forest University School of Law, found that "there is little evidence these [patient protection] laws have much impact on providers' economic concerns."

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How do you know whether a physician is properly certified as a holistic and integrative medicine doctor? The answer isn't easy, because the field is new, and lots of providers would like to claim the title.

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Although students often ask yoga teachers and studios for health advice, legal and ethical rules can affect the way such questions can be answered. This post, which appeared in Yoga Journal's on-line newsletter for yoga teachers, explains how to understand some of the legal implications of requests by yoga students for health advice. Notably, the suggestions also may be helpful for other health care professionals who are asked questions at the boundary of their legally authorized scope of practice, and the practice of medicine or other professions such as psychology.

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The New York Times reported a 150% rise in the cost of malpractice insurance for physicians generally. Although malpractice lawsuits against complementary and alternative medicince providers generally have been several multiples lower than those against primary care physicians (according to a 1998 article in JAMA by colleague David Studdert and others), such lawsuits (the article noted) are bound to increase as does "claims consciousness" among patients and clients.

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Many have asked for resources concerning professional liability insurance for complementary medicine providers. Here are some resources.

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Audio coverage of the policy report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use by the American Public will be available through a live audio webcast that will begin at 11:00 am EDT on January 12th.

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Here are some up-to-date links to resources in the CAM, Legal, and Holistic Health community.

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