The IOM - an important think tank

The Institute of Medicine is one of the most influential think tanks in the country. This February (Feb 25-27, 2009) the IOM led a summit, sponsored by the Bravewell Institute
The Bravewell Collaborative evaluating integrative medicine (also referenced as CAM or Complimentary and Alternative medicine)

http://www.bravewell.org/

http://www.iom.edu/?ID=52555

For those who are trying to integrate "CAM" or Complimentary and Alternative Medicine into a traditonal practice, there is often the feeling of being alone, and isolated.

Evidence based medicine is important to our care of patients, and yet, those of us who have practiced long enough know the limits of evidence based practice.

A study in the March 2007 issue of Palliative Medicine, documented in an enormous sample of patients, that those patients who continued aggressive treatments that were failing, lived a shorter period of time, than those patients with the same illnesses who entered Hospice.

In essence - there is growing evidence support for safe, low cost, holistic methods in cases when high cost high side effect methods are not working.