Did You Know That:
- In the future, it is expected that the greatest number of practitioners of alternative medicine will be M.D.'s.1
- A recent survey of family physicians in the U.S. found that more than half regularly prescribe alternative treatments or have tried alternative therapies themselves.2
- In Resolution 514, the American Medical Association (AMA) "is encouraging its members to become better informed regarding alternative medicine and to participate in appropriate studies of it."3
- At this writing, thirty-seven or almost one-third of conventional medical schools, including Harvard, Yale, and Johns Hopkins, offer courses in alternative medicine.4
- Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York is one of a growing number of hospitals creating alternative medical clinics on site.
- Dean Ornish, M.D., developed a program that reverses heart disease, a feat previously considered impossible by the conventional medical community. All treatments in Dr. Ornish's program are considered alternative.5
An ever-increasing number of medical doctors are showing a genuine interest in practicing alternative medicine.6 Many of them have come to appreciate that the American health care consumers who use alternative medicine may know something they don't about getting well. Many physicians are recognizing that they can be even better doctors for their patients by integrating unconventional and alternative medical treatments into their conventional practices. Because of this change in the opinions of M.D.'s about alternative medicine, many well-respected medical schools are now offering courses and programs in alternative medicine.
The idea of medical doctors becoming even better doctors for their patients is very good news because conventionally trained M.D.'s are skilled experts in a valuable system of medicine. Add to this expertise in conventional medicine a commitment to compassionately serve the patient as a person, plus an expertise in effective non-invasive treatments of alternative medicine — and the patient has an exceptional physician worth his or her weight in gold.
A doctor who genuinely appreciates and practices high quality alternative medicine is a doctor committed to a holistic approach to health care. Their practice is founded on the following "Principles of Ethics" of the American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA):
1. Physicians render service to humanity with full respect for the dignity of humankind, treating the total person: body, mind, and spirit. The treatment shall be at all times in the best interest of the patient.
2. Physicians continually improve their skill and medical knowledge and make it available to their patients.
3. Physicians recognize that patients have the right to share in making decisions that pertain to their treatment. They guide and educate patients toward this goal and actively encourage patients to share responsibility for their care.
4. A physician has the right to utilize all responsible methods of treatment. The physician has the obligation, however, to determine the efficacy and safety of such procedures and to acquire the skills and training necessary for the delivery of such care.7
These principles are at the very core of a healthy alternative/ unconventional medical practice. It is this group of doctors you can trust to practice high quality alternative medicine.