Gastrointestinal & Liver Disease
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Alternative Medicine
When it opened in 1993, the Alternative Medicine Clinic was one of the first in the U.S. to open within a traditional health care organization. Through its post-doctoral fellowship program, it also became the first in the nation to train medical doctors in alternative therapies.
MMRF researchers are studying the effectiveness of treatments such as acupuncture, acupressure, therapeutic massage and herbal therapies for many health concerns. For example, studies have shown positive results in the use of ear acupuncture for treating chronic alcoholism. In addition, a recently published study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine suggests that acupuncture treatment provides significant improvement in a short period of time for patients with musculoskeletal disorders being seen at the Alternative Medicine Clinic.
Alternative therapies may prove effective for treating many of the conditions for which traditional medicine has not yet found answers. MMRF researchers will continue to design studies that will lend themselves to alternative therapies, with respect for both Eastern medical tradition and Western scientific rigor.
The Alternative Medicine Clinic is a member of the Minnesota Consortium for CAM Clinical Research, (MNCAM) which, through a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awarded to the Berman Center for Outcomes and Clinical Research, fosters rigorous, high-quality scientific research in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
Current Research
Outcomes Measures Research
The majority of research conducted at the Alternative Medicine Clinic is outcomes measures research. Alternative Medicine Clinic patients complete forms when they come to the clinic, and at other intervals. These forms allow the practitioners to determine how their patients are doing over a number of months. This research provides feedback on alternative medicine treatment.
An example of outcomes measures research is a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. MMRF Investigators found that nearly half of the patients visiting the Alternative Medicine Clinic sought relief for musculoskeletal (MS) complaints. The findings of their study suggest that acupuncture treatment provides significant improvement of symptoms within a short time period. Although discerning the long-term treatment effects was not the intent of this study, these findings contribute toward a consensus opinion that Complementary and Alternative Medicine therapies can help alleviate the pain and discomfort of MS disorders.
Patricia Culliton, M.A., L.Ac.
Director, Alternative Medicine Division
Ulrich Beyendorff, L.Ac., Dipl.C.H.
Clinic Supervisor, Alternative Medicine Clinic
Debra Canfield
Operations Coordinator, Alternative Medicine Division
©2008 Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation
MMRF Webmaster
Last Modified:
June 6, 2008
