Complementary health care generates discussion
BY SCOTT FITZGERALD
THE SOUTHERN

CARBONDALE - A University of Arizona clinician and educator was in Carbondale on Monday to generate discussion on complementary health care.

Dr. Tieraona Low Dog certainly got an audience to do just that as Matt Baughman of Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Paul Simon Public Policy Institute reported capacity audiences of 200 people each for morning and afternoon panel discussions in SIUC Student Center's Ballroom D.

"We had students from physician assistant and (medical) practitioner programs, doctors and nurses. There was no continuing education certification. Quite a few people from the general public attended also. Everyone is concerned about health care in this country. That's what made the conference attendance all the more meaningful," Baughman said.

Low Dog, who was appointed in 2000 by President Clinton to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, opened the day-long conference with a speech defining what complementary and alternative medicines are.

"It's those practices and products for health and treatment of diseases that fall out of conventional practices of western medical health care," Low Dog said.

Practices such as chiropractic, massage and acupuncture, for example, are not reimbursed through most health plans in the United States.

The growing field of nutrition is now in a tossup between alternative and mainstream medicine, she said.

This is a good time for the medical community and policymakers to define certain practices because universal health care is a key item in this year's presidential race.

"What should we reimburse and what do we need? We need a more well thought out health care system for this country. It's odd that I live in the richest country in the world and not everyone qualifies for health care," Low Dog said.

Baughman said he was impressed with Low Dog's keynote speech to open the conference.

"Dr. Low Dog did an outstanding job on defining complementary health care and how it can be integrated into traditional medicine," Baughman said.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com
351-5076
Copyright, 2008, Southern Illinoisan