Ever tried bee pollen for allergies? St. John’s Wort for depression? Acupuncture for HIV-related pain in the feet and hands? In some form, 42% of Americans use “alternative medicine.” There is no clinical proof that they work, but testimony of believing consumers and practitioners abounds. Early on, regular “Western medicine” could offer little to those suffering from AIDS, so Eastern or alternative modalities became common — and still have legions of faithful followers.
In 1992, President Clinton ordered the creation of the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) at the National Institutes of Health to undertake clinical trials, and study results are just coming in. Recently Congress ordered NIH to upgrade OAM to a full-fledged center and provided a $50 million budget to speed its activity.
The re-named National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) now has the same standing as the other 18 institutes, but they face a peculiar challenge: How should the respected, credible NIH test unconventional therapies often dismissed by mainstream scientists? NIH’s approach sounds simple: NCCAM will observe the same high standards as the other institutes.
Of course, that sword cuts two ways. Anything less than rigorous science will be labeled bogus by the research establishment. However, if popular remedies are shown to be worthless, the public may conclude that there is a conspiracy against alternative medicine and press Congress to reduce or abolish NCCAM funding. Either way, they walk a major PR tightrope.
This writer believes avidly in genuine data, and NCCAM’s expanded work — including establishing an AIDS study center — can make a serious contribution to the improved quality of life for people living with HIV disease.
(For information on NCCAM’s mission, see the journal Science, vol. 282, 18 Dec 1998.)
— Sandy Bartlett, Community Information/Education Coordinator, AIDS Services of Austin
ASA Info Line: 458-AIDS
E-mail: ASA@fc.net
This article appears in 1998.