Alternative Medicine becomes mainstream

NATURE IS THE SUPREME CHEMIST...

1997 will be remembered as the year that the trickle of Alternative Medicine into the mainstream turned into a tributary. ABC's well-known "20-20" reported on the effects of St. John's Wort, increasing an already high level of interest in the power of herbs. Newsweek's focus on "Leaky guts and disease" zeroed in on an ever-rising concern about intestinal permeability; their report included information about glutamine and how it plays a role in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal wall. CNN broadcast research (shortly before Thanksgiving!) showing that vitamins C and E were instrumental in maintaining normalcy of arteries in response to a fatty meal. Other programs have featured a variety of other nutrients, emphasizing why they have become popular. The rising number of programs reflects a rising interest in holistic, natural approaches.

Additionally, The New England Journal of Medicine reported a clinical trial in July of 1997 suggesting that vitamin E may play a role in slowing the progression of some Alzheimer's symptoms (NEJM 1997;337(17):1216-1222). They also reported that plasma total homocysteine level was the strongest modifiable predictor of overall mortality among patients with coronary artery disease (NEJM 1997;337(4):230-236), and that levels can be decreased and even normalized with administration of folic acid, vitamin B-6, and betaine (vitamin B-12 and other nutrients have been named in other studies) (NEJM 1997;337(22):1632). Then, in an unprecedented article about the effects of Chinese herbs on the immune system, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finished the year with a December review article on, "Complementary Medicine: a review of immunomodulatory effects of Chinese herbal medicine" (AJCN 1997; 1303-1312).

In recognizing the surging demand for information on alternative therapies, the American Medical Association (AMA) approved the report of the Council on Scientific Affairs on Alternative Medicine during their 1997 Annual meeting (AMA House of Delegates 1997 Annual Meeting: Report 12-A-97:1-20). Albert Barrocas, MD, posed the question in the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Journal in December of 1997: "Some complementary and alternative treatments, such as Chinese medicine, have been in existence thousands of years longer than the medicine I practice, so why are they called, "nontraditional"?" And, finally, in the same issue, Polly Fitz, MA, RD, stated: "If we hold too tightly to traditional methods, however, we risk disenfranchising a large segment of the population who practices alternative medical therapies. The current interest in unconventional treatments is an opportunity for us to step outside the box, find new truths, and see new ways of serving the public".

The interest in alternative and complementary medicine has indeed "hit mainstream". Traditional organizations which have previously overlooked the benefits it has to offer are taking a second look now. Now, more than ever, many people are ready to agree with Gordon Craig, chief of the natural products branch, National Cancer Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, who says, "Nature is the supreme chemist".