Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 27, 1994 TAG: 9409290014
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Apparently the Office of Alternative Medicine, or OAM, has no shortage of official titles and budding bureaucracy as it wheels into a fourth year of existence.
The Senate Appropriations Committee recently approved a $6 million budget for 1995 - up from $3.5 million in 1994, or less than 2 percent of the institutes' budget - but the corresponding House committee did not stipulate a dollar amount in its approval package.
One of the OAM's primary mandates from Congress is to award research grants to scientists studying the effects of alternative therapies on various illnesses. Most of the projects are funded for $30,000 - not exactly big bucks - but cover some intriguing subjects.
Current research includes a look at how the ancient Chinese discipline of tai chi might help mild balance disorders (Northwestern University); hypnosis for accelerated fracture healing (Harvard Medical School); and acupuncture for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (Medical College of Virginia).
The other main chore of the OAM is to act as a public and professional clearinghouse for information about alternative therapies. The agency now provides the names and phone numbers of relevant organizations. A 400-page report evaluating the various alternative practices is due to be published in October.
But you don't have to wait for the OAM. An impressive new book, ``Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide'' (Future Medicine Publishing, $59.95) is available in local bookstores and other outlets such as Fresh Fields and Whole Foods.
The volume weighs in at some 5 pounds and 1,058 pages. It covers 43 alternative medical practices from acupuncture to yoga. Some of the more unusual topics include biological dentistry, energy medicine, light and sound therapies, magnetic fields and oxygenation.
Easy to use, the book is divided into a large section on therapies and an even bigger portion on specific health conditions. You can check out the types, causes and treatments for each illness. There are ``Where to Find Help'' and ``Recommended Reading'' segments at the end of each chapter.
The guide is a compilation of writings from 350 alternative practitioners, including a good number of M.D.s (best-selling Drs. Bernie Siegel and Deepak Chopra among them).
While it may be too forgiving at times about the success rate of certain therapies, the book's publisher is to be applauded for breaking much new ground - and putting all this information in one place.
Burton Goldberg, a former Miami developer and businessman, is the man behind all this fascinating reading. It started when he observed a close friend's daughter cured of an emotional disorder by alternative practitioners who adjusted her diet for hypoglycemia - after conventional doctors and talk therapy had failed to prevent her from attempting to commit suicide. Goldberg vowed to help educate Americans about other medical treatment options.
That was 18 years ago. Today, Goldberg, 67, is zealous about alternative medicine and its potential in our wobbly health-care system.
``We don't knock conventional medicine,'' he said in a recent visit to publicize the book and his company's ``Alternative Medicine Yellow Pages'' ($12.95). ``Our emergency rooms and trauma care are unbeatable. They keep you alive.
``But when it comes to degenerative disease, conventional medicine has failed us. Look at our major illnesses: cancer, heart disease, arthritis. You don't have to settle for being sick. This book is about your other medical choices.''
by CNB