Melany has always been driven by a strong sense of fairness and balance. While pursuing a demanding career as a victims' rights attorney, Melany encountered stresses that led her to seek out alternative remedies.

In her efforts to obtain greater harmony and balance in her own life, Melany discovered hypnosis to be a powerful, life changing process. The transformations she achieved through hypnotherapy led her to explore the field in greater depth.

[More]

Background: Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty affecting up to 10% of British children that is associated with a wide range of cognitive, emotional and physical symptoms. In the absence of effective conventional treatment, it is likely that parents will seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to try and help their children. However, little is known about the level of CAM use or the type of CAM used by dyslexic children. Aims: This study assessed: (1) the lifetime use of CAM by dyslexic children, (2) the role of socio-demographic factors in CAM use by dyslexic children, (3) parental attitudes towards CAM use in the treatment of dyslexia, and (4) how parents' understanding of dyslexia affects CAM use. Methods & Procedures: A semi-structured questionnaire-based survey of parents of 148 dyslexic school children was undertaken. The children had been recruited to a university research programme investigating the effectiveness of a complementary therapy for the treatment of learning difficulties. Outcomes & Results: Lifetime use of CAM was 55.4% (82 children). The most popular CAM approaches were nutritional supplements/special diets (63 children) followed by homeopathy (29 children) and osteopathy/chiropractic manipulation (29 children). Socio-demographic factors did not predict CAM use. In total, parents of 101 dyslexic children reported that an interest in CAM for the treatment of dyslexia was based on their preference for CAM for their families more generally. Parents who thought that dyslexia was a 'medical/health' disorder were more likely to have used CAM with their children (p<0.01) than other parents in this survey. Conclusions & Implications: Educational and health professionals should be aware that many dyslexic children use CAM. Parents of dyslexic children should be provided with evidence-based advice to help them make informed therapeutic choices.

Bull L. School of Life Sciences, Roehampton University, London, UK. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2008 May 27:1-12.

OBJECTIVE This paper inquires the hypothesis that Hitler's rise to power was in part due to a hypnotic therapy he had undergone when being treated for hysterical blindness at an army hospital in the town of Pasewalk in October 1918 - as recent contributions have argued. Edmund Forster, his psychiatrist at that time, is supposed to have suggested to Hitler that he would be ordained as Germany's redeemer in times of defeat, thus causing a profound change in his patient's personality. METHODS Following three lines of argument, this paper examines if such an assumption can be made plausible. Firstly, it takes a close look at the main historical source which is the novel THE EYEWITNESS, written in German language by the Czech-Jewish author Ernst Weiss. Then it asks if Forster is likely to have chosen hypnosis as a method of treatment. Finally, it exploits the work of the even lesser known author Alexander Moritz Frey who happened to serve close to Hitler as a medical orderly in WW I, thus trying to validate whether or not Hitler really underwent a change of personality in autumn 1918. RESULTS Although the eventualities of such a hypnotic treatment or a profound change in Hitler's behaviour in that time cannot be disproved, both seem highly unlikely. CONCLUSIONS One should altogether abandon the notion of Hitler having suffered a permanent change of personality in 1918, be it due to psychiatric treatment or to psychological trauma itself.

Theiss-Abendroth P. Psychiatr Prax. 2008 Jul 21.

In the practice of music therapy, the use of the sounds of a live naturally singing voice appears to be the most effective; in some cases, results are obtained whereas there are no results using musical sounds, and generally results are obtained in a much shorter time. Sounds and singing in just intonation are particularly efficient. This practice introduces to a deep understanding of sound therapy. Sketched here are the vocal soundbody relationship and the vocal sound consciousness relationship, which are relevant in this therapy. Finally clinical examples are given (coma states, loss of speech, old persons, states close to death, mind handicapped persons, depression, etc.). Bibliography I. Reznikoff: On Primitive Elements of Musical Meaning, www.musicandmeaning.net, Journal of Music and Meaning 3 (Invited papers), 2005.

J Acoust Soc Am. 2008 May;123(5) Reznikoff I. Université de Paris X, Département de Philosophie, 92001 Nanterre, France, dominiqueleconte@yahoo.fr.

There are active public campaigns both for and against homeopathy, and its continuing availability in the NHS is debated in the medical, scientific and popular press. However, there is a lack of clarity in key terms used in the debate, and in how the evidence base of homeopathy is described and interpreted. The term 'homeopathy' is used with several different meanings including: the therapeutic system, homeopathic medicine, treatment by a homeopath, and the principles of 'homeopathy'. Conclusions drawn from one of these aspects are often inappropriately applied to another aspect. In interpreting the homeopathy evidence it is important to understand that the existing clinical experimental (randomised controlled trial) evidence base provides evidence as to the efficacy of homeopathic medicines, but not the effectiveness of treatment by a homeopath. The observational evidence base provides evidence as to the effectiveness of treatment by a homeopath. We make four recommendations to promote clarity in the reporting, design and interpretation of homeopathy research.

Relton C, O'Cathain A, Thomas KJ. University of Sheffield, Medical Care Research Unit, School of Health & Related Research, Regent Court, Regent Street, Sheffield S1 4DA, UK. c.relton@sheffield.ac.uk Homeopathy . 2008 Jul;97(3):152-5.

Clinical supervision is regularly given to music therapy students and interns, but the need for professional music therapy supervision has largely not been discussed or explored. In order to better understand prevailing thoughts about professional music therapy supervision, music therapists were surveyed and asked if they participate in supervision and how important they think supervision is for professionals. The results indicated that almost two thirds of professional music therapists do not participate in supervision. Differences in participation and importance ratings were found between several demographic groupings including years of practice and level of education. Two-tailed t tests revealed a significant difference in importance rating between those who participate in supervision and those who do not, with those who participate giving a higher importance rating. However, the majority of all respondents indicated that they felt professional supervision is at least moderately important. These results are explored and discussed, and recommendations are given.

J Music Ther. 2008 Summer;45(2) Jackson NA.

It is well established that source memory retrieval - remembering relationships between a core item and some additional attribute of an event - engages prefrontal cortex (PFC) more than simple item memory. In event-related potentials (ERPs), this is manifest in a late-onset difference over PFC between studied items which mandate retrieval of a second attribute, and unstudied items which can be immediately rejected. Although some sorts of attribute conjunctions are easier to remember than others, the role of source retrieval difficulty on prefrontal activity has received little attention. We examined memory for conjunctions of object shape and color when color was an integral part of the depicted object, and when monochrome objects were surrounded by colored frames. Source accuracy was reliably worse when shape and color were spatially separated, but prefrontal activity did not vary across the object-color and frame-color conditions. The insensitivity of prefrontal ERPs to this perceptual manipulation of difficulty stands in contrast to their sensitivity to encoding task: deliberate voluntary effort to integrate objects and colors during encoding reduced prefrontal activity during retrieval, but perceptual organization of stimuli did not. The amplitudes of ERPs over parietal cortex were larger for frame-color than object-color stimuli during both study and test phases of the memory task. Individual variability in parietal ERPs was strongly correlated with memory accuracy, which we suggest reflects a contribution of visual working memory to long-term memory. We discuss multiple bottlenecks for source memory performance.

Neuropsychologia. 2008 Jul;46(8) Kuo TY, Van Petten C. Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States; School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, A.T. Still University, Mesa, AZ, United States.

Complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies are commonly used by parents for their children who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorders. The use of these therapies is well documented, yet the evidence of the safety and efficacy of these treatments in children is limited. This article describes the current evidence-based CAM therapies for ADHD and autism, focusing on nutritional interventions; natural health products, including essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and other health supplements; biofeedback; and reducing environmental toxins. The CAM evidence in ADHD is addressed, as is the CAM literature in autism.

Pediatr Clin North Am. 2007 Dec;54(6):983-1006; xii. Weber W, Newmark S. School of Naturopathic Medicine, Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Drive NE, Kenmore, WA 98021, USA. wendyw@bastyr.edu Naturopathic care for chronic low back pain: a randomized trial. PLoS ONE. 2007 Sep 19;2(9):e919. Szczurko O, Cooley K, Busse JW, Seely D, Bernhardt B, Guyatt GH, Zhou Q, Mills EJ.

The diverse clinical presentation of refugee children and adolescents after their traumatic experiences requires a treatment model that can mitigate a number of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Refugee populations also require interventions that can adjust to the wide-ranging experiences likely encountered during preflight, flight, and resettlement. There is some evidence that immigration stressors or social stressors, such as discrimination, are associated with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in refugee youth. Therefore refugee youth may benefit from multiple levels of services, ideally integrated. This article focuses on the mental and behavioral health component of services for refugee youth.

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2008 Jul;17(3) Murray LK, Cohen JA, Ellis BH, Mannarino A. Boston University School of Public Health, Center for International Health and Development, 85 E. Concord Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA.

The diverse clinical presentation of refugee children and adolescents after their traumatic experiences requires a treatment model that can mitigate a number of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Refugee populations also require interventions that can adjust to the wide-ranging experiences likely encountered during preflight, flight, and resettlement. There is some evidence that immigration stressors or social stressors, such as discrimination, are associated with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in refugee youth. Therefore refugee youth may benefit from multiple levels of services, ideally integrated. This article focuses on the mental and behavioral health component of services for refugee youth.

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2008 Jul;17(3) Murray LK, Cohen JA, Ellis BH, Mannarino A. Boston University School of Public Health, Center for International Health and Development, 85 E. Concord Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA.

The neuropsychological status of pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, commonly categorized as 'psychosomatic' or 'functional' disorders, remains controversial. Activation of brain structures dependent upon subjective alterations of fibromyalgia pain experience could provide an insight into the underlying neuropsychological processes. Suggestion following a hypnotic induction can readily modulate the subjective experience of pain. It is unclear whether suggestion without hypnosis is equally effective. To explore these and related questions, suggestions following a hypnotic induction and the same suggestions without a hypnotic induction were used during functional magnetic resonance imaging to increase and decrease the subjective experience of fibromyalgia pain. Suggestion in both conditions resulted in significant changes in reported pain experience, although patients claimed significantly more control over their pain and reported greater pain reduction when hypnotised. Activation of the midbrain, cerebellum, thalamus, and midcingulate, primary and secondary sensory, inferior parietal, insula and prefrontal cortices correlated with reported changes in pain with hypnotic and non-hypnotic suggestion. These activations were of greater magnitude, however, when suggestions followed a hypnotic induction in the cerebellum, anterior midcingulate cortex, anterior and posterior insula and the inferior parietal cortex. Our results thus provide evidence for the greater efficacy of suggestion following a hypnotic induction. They also indicate direct involvement of a network of areas widely associated with the pain 'neuromatrix' in fibromyalgia pain experience. These findings extend beyond the general proposal of a neural network for pain by providing direct evidence that regions involved in pain experience are actively involved in the generation of fibromyalgia pain.

Derbyshire SW, Whalley MG, Oakley DA. School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. Eur J Pain. 2008 Jul 22.

by Melany Friedlander, JD, CHt

A Survivor's Story

When Joe came into my office last February, he was very distraught. He had already failed the Bar once and his confidence was at an all time low. Each time he took a practice test, he would just freeze up. Joe had all of the classic symptoms of test anxiety. Since there were only two weeks left before the exam, I suggested we try a quick technique called anchoring. I assured Joe that with this simple tool, he could learn to instantly change his anxiety state into a more resourceful state in a matter of seconds. Joe picked an anchor (finger squeeze) that instantly transported him to a time in his past when he felt calm, collected and confident. Every time he fired off the anchor, he was able to quickly access those positive states. Armed with the right tools, Joe managed to tame his anxiety and pass the Bar! Just imagine having access to your most resourceful states - confidence, relaxation, focus, etc. - in a matter of moments. The tools are literally at your fingertips.

[More]

BACKGROUND: Energy medicine (EM) practitioners often claim to be able to perceive an energetic field associated with the body and to be able to use this skill to diagnose illness and guide treatment strategies. If a biofield associated with cells growing in culture is perceptible to EM practitioners, such an in vitro model would be a useful resource for investigating biofield perception that would provide some unique advantages over clinical models. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether EM practitioners can perceive the presence of cultured human cells without visual cues. DESIGN: Three randomized double-blinded pilot studies were used to evaluate the ability of participants to distinguish a flask containing cancer cells growing in culture medium from a flask containing either culture medium or sterile water. Each study consisted of six independent experiments: three with EM practitioners and three with non-practitioners. The number of independent trials for each experiment was estimated by statistical power analyses of the design. Practitioners' feedback from the first two studies was used to revise the protocol for the subsequent studies, with the intent to eliminate potential problems in making this distinction. Labeled flasks ("cells" and "no-cells") were added to serve as references for comparison in the second study and the number of experimental trials was reduced in the third study. SUBJECTS: Eight experienced EM practitioners and nine non-practitioners (laboratory personnel with no EM training). SETTING: A basic science laboratory and office at an academic medical center. OUTCOME MEASURES: In the first 2 studies, we determined the number of correct determinations in a series of 34 trials. In the third study, we determined the number of correct determinations in a series of 10 trials. RESULTS: All participants performed at the level expected by chance. CONCLUSION: While preliminary and inconclusive, these pilot studies found no evidence that EM practitioners can perceive a biofield associated with cancer cells growing in culture. Copyright Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

J Altern Complement Med. 2004 Jun;10(3) Yount G, Smith S, Avanozian V, West J, Moore D, Freinkel A. California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA. yountg@sutterhealth.org

(Note from Tim Brunson DCH: Dr. Treffert is the psychiatrist who worked with Kim Peek, the autistic savant, who was portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the hit movie Rain Main. He is included here due to his work on the concept of the "accidental savant." He is a pioneer in the concept that we all have hidden abilities that are waiting to emerge.)

Dr. Treffert graduated from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1958, interned in Eugene, Oregon, and then completed a Residency in Psychiatry at University Hospitals in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1962 he joined the staff of Winnebago Mental Health Institute where he developed the Child-Adolescent Unit. In 1964 he was named Superintendent of the Institute, a position he held for 15 years. In 1979 he left that position to divide his time between the private practice of Psychiatry and a position as Executive Director of the Fond du Lac County Health Care Center. During that time he was also Medical Director of the Alcoholism Rehabilitation Unit of St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac. In 1991 he retired from those positions and now combines private practice with writing and lecturing.

[More]

OBJECTIVE: To report the results of a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychological interventions for children and adolescents undergoing needle-related procedures. METHODS: A variety of cognitive-behavioral psychological interventions for managing procedural pain and distress in children and adolescents between 2 and 19 years of age were examined. Outcome measures included pain and distress as assessed by self-report, observer report, behavioral/observational measures, and physiological correlates. RESULTS: Twenty-eight trials met the criteria for inclusion in the review and provided the data necessary for pooling the results. Together, the trials included 1,039 participants in treatment conditions and 951 in control conditions. The largest effect sizes for treatment improvement over control conditions were found for distraction, combined cognitive-behavioral interventions, and hypnosis, with promising but limited evidence for several other psychological interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations for conducting future RCTs are provided, and particular attention to the quality of trial design and reporting is highlighted.

Uman LS, Chambers CT, McGrath PJ, Kisely S. Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, IWK Health Centre, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, and School of Medicine, Griffith University, Australia. J Pediatr Psychol. 2008 Jul 30.

Cancer survivors experience a wide range of symptoms during and following completion of treatment, and some of these symptoms may persist for years or even decades. While pharmacologic treatments relieve many symptoms, they too may produce difficult side effects. Complementary therapies are noninvasive, inexpensive, and useful in controlling symptoms and improving quality of life, and they may be accessed by patients themselves. Rigorous scientific research has produced evidence that acupuncture, massage therapy, music, and mind-body therapies effectively and safely reduce physical and emotional symptoms. These therapies provide a favorable risk-benefit ratio and permit cancer survivors to help manage their own care.

Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2008 Wesa K, Gubili J, Cassileth B. Integrative Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1429 First Avenue (at 74(th) Street), New York, NY 10021, USA. gubilij@mskcc.org

In a 2006 article in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Herman et al argued cogently that adopting a health services research (HSR) paradigm would help resolve some of the issues that the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) community and those researching CAM face with randomized controlled trials. Although the article makes a strong case for HSR and CAM, it fails to discuss some of the work in HSR that is uniquely relevant to CAM or to provide a critique of the view one gets from HSR about CAM. There is within the studies of chiropractic a sufficient body of HSR, which can help to assess what the contribution of HSR has been in the past and also what its limitations are today. It provides a cautionary tale for CAM. This article looks at HSR in relationship to evidence-based practice and will discuss the limitations and dangers of the view of CAM from the perspective of HSR using chiropractic studies as an exemplar.

Coulter ID, Khorsan R. University of California, Los Angeles, USA. Altern Ther Health Med. 2008 Jul-Aug;14(4):40-5.

Rachel Law specialises in stopping smokers, cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnotherapy for childbirth (Hypnobirthing).

"Many clients come to me having spent a lot of time 'putting up' with things; be it depression, excess weight, stress, worries and even physical ailments, believing them to be things that they have no control of. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a truly fantastic treatment and often many clients who've sought my help with one thing also gain huge benefits in other areas of their life."

For more information visit: www.TheHypnoClinic.co.uk

Content on integrative healthcare and complementary and alternative medicine is being taught in hundreds of educational programs across the country. Nursing, medical, osteopathic, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathic, and other programs are finding creative and innovative ways to include these approaches in new models of education and practice. This column spotlights such innovations in integrative healthcare and CAM education and presents readers with specific educational interventions they can adapt into new or ongoing educational efforts at their institution or programs. We invite readers to submit brief descriptions of efforts in their institutions that reflect the creativity, diversity and interdisciplinary nature of the field.

Sierpina VS, Kreitzer MJ, Weeks J. University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA. Explore (NY). 2008 May-Jun;4(3):221-4.

Hypnotic suggestibility is a trait-like, individual difference variable reflecting the general tendency to respond to hypnosis and hypnotic suggestions. Research with standardized measures of hypnotic suggestibility has demonstrated that there are substantial individual differences in this variable. Higher suggestibility has been found to be associated with greater relief from hypnotic pain interventions. Although individuals in the high suggestibility range show the strongest response to hypnotic analgesia, people of medium suggestibility, who represent approximately one third of the population, also have been found to obtain significant relief from hypnosis. Thus, high hypnotic suggestibility is not necessary for successful hypnotic pain intervention. However, the available evidence does not support the efficacy of hypnotic pain interventions for people who fall in the low hypnotic suggestibility range. However, some studies suggest that these individuals may benefit from imaginative analgesia suggestions, or suggestions for pain reduction that are delivered while the person is not in hypnosis.

Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2008 Apr;12(2):98-102. Milling LS. University of Hartford, Department of Psychology, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117, USA. milling@hartford.edu

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a prevalent and costly problem that eludes adequate treatment. Persistent pain affects all domains of people's lives and in the absence of cure, success will greatly depend on adaptation to symptoms and self-management. METHOD: We reviewed the psychological models that have been used to conceptualize chronic pain-psychodynamic, behavioural (respondent and operant), and cognitive-behavioural. Treatments based on these models, including insight, external reinforcement, motivational interviewing, relaxation, meditation, biofeedback, guided imagery, and hypnosis are described. RESULTS: The cognitive-behavioural perspective has the greatest amount of research supports the effectiveness of this approach with chronic pain patients. Importantly, we differentiate the cognitive-behavioural perspective from cognitive and behavioural techniques and suggest that the perspective on the role of patients' beliefs, attitudes, and expectations in the maintenance and exacerbation of symptoms are more important than the specific techniques. The techniques are all geared to fostering self-control and self-management that will encourage a patient to replace their feelings of passivity, dependence, and hopelessness with activity, independence, and resourcefulness. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial and behavioural factors play a significant role in the experience, maintenance, and exacerbation of pain. Self-management is an important complement to biomedical approaches. Cognitive-behavioural therapy alone or within the context of an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program has the greatest empirical evidence for success. As none of the most commonly prescribed treatment regimens are sufficient to eliminate pain, a more realistic approach will likely combine pharmacological, physical, and psychological components tailored to each patient's needs.

Can J Psychiatry. 2008 Apr;53(4):213-23. Turk DC, Swanson KS, Tunks ER. University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195-6540, USA. turkdc@u.washington.edu

Chiropractic physicians are seeking a higher level of cultural authority within their communities and the United States health care system. This commentary suggests an innovative strategy that might expedite the attainment of professional authority while improving the training of chiropractic students and faculty. The authors propose the founding of integrative medicine centers of excellence by colleges of chiropractic that will employ clinical faculties comprised of allopathic, chiropractic, osteopathic, and naturopathic physicians. Initially, the health care facilities should offer primary care through an integrative medicine model. It is anticipated that these centers of excellence will require both government and private funding in order to develop research programs, provide high-quality patient care, and improve the medical training for students with residents programs.

Lehman JJ, Suozzi PJ. College of Chiropractic, University of Bridgeport. J Chiropr Educ. 2008 Spring;22(1):29-33.

OBJECTIVES: Biofield energy healing involves controversial concepts, and although numerous controlled trials have evaluated the effects, little attention has been paid to the phenomenon from the perspective of the therapists themselves. DESIGN: Qualitative research. SETTINGS/LOCATION: Large Midwest metropolitan area. Interviews were generally conducted in the therapists' place of business. SUBJECTS: Experienced biofield energy therapists from several different disciplines. INTERVENTIONS: In-depth semistructured interviews, tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim, videotapes of demonstrations. OUTCOME MEASURES: We used a grounded theory approach to uncover relevant dimensions and themes related to the process of biofield energy healing. RESULTS: Major overall themes related to the "nature of energy" and the "healer-client relationship." Seven dimensions of the nature of energy include sources of energy, entities with energy, human energy anatomy, descriptions of energy, movement of energy, action of energy, and perception of energy. The dimensions build on one another to describe an energetic world view. The other major theme, the healer-client relationship, contains the central concept of healing facilitation as the goal of the experience. Compatibility and collaboration are critical to that process, as are creating a sense of trust and adhering to ethical standards. Communication underpins the whole process. CONCLUSIONS: The biofield energy therapists share a common energetic world view, wherein they must surrender to a universal energy while simultaneously creating a therapeutic alliance with the client who is also an active agent in healing process. This understanding has the potential to alter our assumptions about research design in biofield energy healing.

J Altern Complement Med. 2004 Dec;10(6) Warber SL, Cornelio D, Straughn J, Kile G. University of Michigan, Michigan Integrative Medicine, 715 East Huron Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1555, USA. swarber@umich.edu

OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of studying whole systems of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Naturopathic medicine (NM) in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and to determine whether there is indication to support further research. DESIGN: A pilot study using a randomized controlled clinical trial design of whole system TCM and NM versus state-of-the-art specialty care (SC). SETTING/LOCATION: Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW), and practitioner offices in Portland, Oregon. SUBJECTS: One hundred and sixty (160) women 25-55 years of age attending a KPNW TMD specialty clinic. INTERVENTIONS: Whole system TCM and NM, and KPNW TMD clinic SC; the intervention protocols were designed to model the individually tailored type of community care offered in alternative medicine practices in Portland and in the KPNW TMD clinic, using protocols that enhanced similarities among practitioners within each system and permitted full descriptions of the treatments provided. OUTCOME MEASURES: TMD was ascertained using the Research Diagnostic Criteria/TMD; outcomes were self-reported worst and average facial pain and interference with activities (scaled 0-10 where 10 is worst). RESULTS: Of 948 consecutive eligible patients, 160 were randomized to one of three arms; 128 provided endpoint data. TCM and NM demonstrated significantly greater in-treatment reductions for worst facial pain compared to SC (adjusted regression analysis; higher negative values indicate greater improvement, = -1.11 +/- 0.43, p = 0.010 and -1.02 +/- 0.45, p = 0.025 for TCM and NM, respectively, compared to SC) and at 3 months post-treatment (-1.07 +/- 0.51, p = 0.037 and -1.27 +/- 0.54, p = 0.019 for TCM and NM versus SC, respectively). Additionally, TCM provided significantly greater decreases in average pain than SC; NM provided significantly greater decreases than SC or TCM in TMD-related psychosocial interference. CONCLUSIONS: These alternative medicine approaches each resulted in significantly greater reduction of pain and psychosocial interference than SC. Further research on the potential benefits of traditional whole systems of medicine for TMD appears warranted.

Ritenbaugh C, Hammerschlag R, Calabrese C, Mist S, Aickin M, Sutherland E, Leben J, Debar L, Elder C, Dworkin SF. Department of Family and Community Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA. ritenbau@email.arizona.edu J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Jun;14(5):475-87.

ABSTRACT Objectives: Naturopathic physicians' interest in participating in pediatric observational studies or clinical trials is unknown. Complementary and alternative medicine research may need to be conducted in the settings where these therapies are commonly used to fully understand their effects. Optimally, naturopathic physicians will participate in the research of naturopathic medical practice. A survey was conducted to ascertain naturopathic physicians' interest in participating in pediatric research studies and characteristics of those most interested. Design, setting, and subjects: In July 2004, a survey designed to assess pediatric research interests and a one-dollar incentive was mailed to all Washington state-licensed naturopathic physicians with in-state mailing addresses (n = 513). A second survey and one-dollar incentive were sent to nonresponders in November 2004. Surveys were collected through January 2005. Results: From the 499 surveys delivered as addressed, 251 completed surveys were returned (50.3%). Of the 204 naturopathic physicians in current practice who completed surveys, 59 (28.9%) indicated they would not recommend or advertise an observational, open-label, or placebo-controlled trial to their pediatric patients, and 85 (41.7%) indicated they had no interest in being involved with research studies themselves. Of the 204 respondents in practice, 83 (40.7%) would recommend placebo-controlled trials to their pediatric patients, and 52 (25.5%) were willing to recruit for such a trial in the office. Conclusions: Characteristics of naturopathic physicians most interested in active pediatric research involvement included fewer years in practice, greater number of pediatric patients treated per week, and having shared office space.

J Altern Complement Med. 2008 May;14(4):445-8. Weber W, McCarty RL. School of Naturopathic Medicine, Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA.