Results of United States CAM Research

Posted by Anthony Lee Jun 13, 2009

In 1999, the United States government launched an effort to research the many treatments under the category of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It founded the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), one of the National Institutes of Health, to carry out this mission. For the next decade, the NCCAM granted approximately $2.5 billion total to fund studies of different CAM treatments, including but not limited to ginkgo biloba, saw palmetto, and echinacea. Overall, very few treatments showed promise in studies.

I can imagine how this news could ignite the debate between conventional medicine and CAM. Supporters of conventional medicine might consider CAM research to be a waste of time while CAM proponents may feel dismayed by the news. This is an issue I've been interested in for a while, enough to have written an article about CAM. For me, I am on the side of conventional medicine but am open to CAM if the same rigorous study designs are applied to gather evidence. If something in CAM is proven enough, it can become an accepted treatment within conventional medicine. As an example, I am aware of acupuncture's benefits for chronic pain and nausea and am willing to accept that.

From this point forward, I can't say where things will go. Will funding for CAM research be restricted? Will the NCCAM be abolished and shut down? I don't know. But if the debate between the two schools of thought continues, I won't be surprised.