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We are very proud of the leading edge medical practice that is taking place at the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine. However, letting everyone know about what is going on is not always easy. With this newsletter we will be able to do so. So here goes…
Results of Our First National Integrative Medicine Study
We are proud to be part of the Bravewell Collaborative, more specifically part of the 8 leading clinical centers for Integrative Medicine, as chosen by the Bravewell Collaborative, www.bravewell.org. These same centers form Bravenet, which is a PBRN (practice-based-research-network) with Duke University Clinical Research Institute as the coordinating hub. The purpose of Bravenet is to advance Integrative Medicine by providing scientific evidence in a real world context on the effectiveness, safety, cost and associated patient satisfaction. Bravenet’s first project was to assess patient characteristics of those choosing Integrative Medicine in clinical settings. Nearly 3,000 patients across the country were surveyed. We are proud to say that, of these, most were collected from the Alliance Institute and in the shortest time. We collected data from 582 patients here.
Why Patients Choose Integrative Medicine:
The most common reasons given for choosing Integrative Medicine were as follows:
1. 93% of patients chose Integrative Medicine because they wanted to improve health and wellness now to prevent future problems.
2. 90% wanted to try new options for healthcare.
3. 79% of patients wanted a place where they could receive care from a multidisciplinary team.
4. 86% of patients wanted to receive objective medical advice on nonconventional approaches.
5. 84% of patients felt they wanted to be in a place that acknowledges the connection between mind, body, spirit and community.
The good news for Cincinnati is that the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine obviously meets the above criteria. In fact, we are proud to say that we have pioneered many of these approaches. Thank you once again to all of you who made our first study possible. As you are aware, the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine (AIIM) will continue to utilize safe and effective treatments that work, while making people aware of those that do not.
Upcoming Studies:
In the next few months we are going to be starting a new Bravenet project to see how patients with chronic pain fare using Integrative Medicine. We hope to enroll at least 50 patients in the study, which will last for 6 months. If you know of anyone who has suffered from chronic pain for more than 3 months, please suggest to them that they consider an Integrative Approach to help alleviate their pain.
What’s Happening in Washington?
We were proud to be able to take part in the Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public on 2/25/09-2/27/09. This summit was put on by the Bravewell Collaborative, together with the Institute of Medicine, a prestigious government organization that seeks to give objective advice on medical matters. Both the speakers and audience consisted of luminaries in the field of Integrative Medicine. Harvey Feinberg, the president of the Institute of Medicine, began the proceedings, followed by a keynote address by Ralph Snyderman, former chancellor of Duke University.
Dean Ornish, M.D., a cardiologist and originator of the Ornish Diet, presented an excellent talk on the state of the science of Integrative Medicine:
- Dr. Ornish initially began by showing studies such as pomegranate juice reversing heart disease. However, he went on to say that this is not Integrative Medicine. It is important for people to understand that Integrative Medicine is about synergy of different therapies and lifestyle approaches to both wellness and illness.
- He went on to talk about how research has shown that curcumin, a well known antiinflammatory and anti-cancer agent, is 2000% more bioavailable when given with black pepper. It is interesting that in Ayurveda, or traditional Indian medicine, these two products are usually used together and in fact are commonly part of traditional Indian diets. Because of our scientific background, we tend to want to use only one chemical at a time, however in natural medicines; chemicals often occur in combination and in many cases do better when used in combination.
- Dr. Ornish then went on to review an optimal lifestyle program, which includes nutrition, stress management, moderate exercise and psychosocial support. He showed scientifically how cognitive therapy increases brain size and how lifestyle changes can modify our gene expression. He showed studies where patients on a lifestyle and meditation program turned off their cancer genes. This is something we had felt for a long time but had not seen in scientific research. The results are now in and are readily available.
- He also talked about telomeres, which are little hairlike filaments on the end of chromosomes, which relate to longevity. The enzyme associated with telomere length is called Telomerase. Telomere shortening (and decreased telomerase activity) has been shown to occur in patients with life stress, indicating that life stress impacts a person’s longevity. In his talk, Dr. Ornish showed how Integrative Medicine with lifestyle and dietary approaches can actually increase Telomerase activity. This is consistent with what we are seeing. People actually look younger and feel younger. In reality, they are actually going to live longer if they adopt the Integrative Medicine lifestyle changes that we endorse.
- Dr. Ornish also showed data on how patients who adopted the Ornish Program could actually reverse illness. He initially showed how patients utilizing this program could reverse cardiovascular disease. More recently he has shown that patients who have prostate cancer (but refused surgery or chemotherapy) could actually shrink their tumors and lower their PSA levels by adopting his program. The primary determinant of improvement was the degree of lifestyle change!
If you would like to view information on the IM summit on Integrative Medicine, you can look this up online at http://www.iom.edu/?ID=52555.
And then in Congress:
Simultaneously in Washington, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on “Integrative Care; a Pathway to a Healthier Nation.” This took place on 2/26/09 and if you would like to view it online it can be seen at http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2009_02_26/2009_02_26.html.
These hearings, held by Senators Harkin, Mikulski and Kennedy, interviewed well known physicians in the field of Integrative Medicine. These included Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Andrew Weil. Senator Harkin initially established the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine in 1992, after seeing excellent results when a fellow senator and friend got better while using Alternative Medicine when conventional medicine could not help him. The Office of Alternative Medicine became the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 1998. (http://nccam.nih.gov/). This center has been responsible for doing studies on Integrative Medicine. We would advise all of you to look at this website for responsible information about alternative therapies.
The good news about these hearings is that the committee members enthusiastically endorsed the comments of the Integrative Medicine physicians. We are hopeful that some of the ideas will trickle back into government policy. In fact, Senators Tom Harkin and Max Baucus are planning to give employers sweeping new authority to reward employees for healthy behavior, including better diet, more exercise, weight loss and smoking cessation. We are planning to do our part in helping Cincinnati respond to these positive changes until “Wellness and Prevention programs become a mainstream part of the benefits offered by large employers.”
Finally
The good news for all of you reading this newsletter is that all of this is happening here under one roof in Cincinnati at the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine. We are proud to be part of the rapidly unfolding potential of Integrative Medicine.
We believe that research is now starting to show what we have always believed:
That when patients adopt healthy lifestyle changes and utilize Integrative Medicine treatments, not only do their symptoms go away, but they simultaneously improve their long term health.
Almost inadvertently, as their other diseases are going away, their cancer genes are being turned off, and their longevity genes are being turned on.
What a great way to treat people – a real win, win situation. They come in for one problem, and automatically a few others go away!
We look forward to giving you more information on this as we find out about it. In the upcoming newsletters you will hear from our colleagues at the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine. They will talk about the benefits they are seeing utilizing Integrative Medicine.
Wishing you all the best in health.
Yours Sincerely,
Steve and Sandi Amoils, M.D.s
Medical Directors
Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine
Upcoming Events at the
Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine
I. Two chances to experience our "Time Out" Program. This program has proven effective in reducing pain, blood pressure and anxiety, and in improving your energy, sleep, immune system and relationships.
a) June 20, Saturday, 10-11 a.m.; (1 hour introduction - great way to see what it's all about); $15
b) July 11, Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; (4-hour session); $175
II. Integrative Approaches to Nutrition. Learn how to lose weight and improve body composition; lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels; reduce fatigue and establish the right eating habits. July 9, Thursday, 12-1:30 p.m. Complimentary.
Call 513-791-5521 to register for any of the above events.
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