The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.

SMJ // Article

Editorial

Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Other Healthcare Reform

Authors: Ismaila Jibrin, MD

Abstract

With the passage of the healthcare bill, even as Americans continue to debate health care reform, several components of this giant monster are under scrutiny. However, one important element of the industry is all but forgotten. It is common knowledge that in 2008, the nation spent $2.3 trillion1 on healthcare which represented 1/6th of America's gross national product of $14.26 trillion.2 What is somewhat elusive is the unknown cost of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which is generic for diverse therapies used either in conjunction with (“complementary”) or in place of (“alternative”) conventional medical therapy. In 2005 alone, the sale of dietary supplements (one form of CAM) amounted to $18 billion and continues to grow. The National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) estimated that 38% of all adults used some form of CAM in 2007.3This is a multibillion dollar industry that has attracted the attention of multinational companies and investors worldwide. It is against this backdrop that the article titled “A Possible Case of Saw Palmetto–Induced Pancreatitis” in this issue of the Journal serves as a timely reminder4 that the broader issue of detailing a safety profile of CAMs and instituting stricter control on their manufacture, marketing, and use is not only a public health imperative but also an economic necessity.

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References

1. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group.National Health Care Expenditures Data. Baltimore, MD, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2010.
 
2. International Monetary Fund. World Economic Outlook Database. Washington, DC, International Monetary Fund, 2009.
 
3.Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin R. CDC National Health Statistics Report #12. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007. Hyattsville, MD, National Center for Health Statistics, 2008. Available at: nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats.htm. Accessed April 24, 2010.
 
4.  Wargo KA, Allman E, Ibrahim F. A possible case of saw palmetto-induced pancreatitis. South Med J 2010;103:684–686.
 
5. FDA website. Available at:http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ConsumerInformation/ucm110417.htm. Accessed April 25, 2010.
 
6. Jibrin I, Erinle A, Saidi A, et al. Saw palmetto-induced pancreatitis. South Med J 2006;99:611–612.
 
7. The regulatory status of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for medical doctors in Europe. Brussels, Belgium: CAMDOC Alliance and IVAA, 2010.