Is it time to talk about CAM?

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched Time to Talk, a campaign to encourage patients and their physicians to discuss healthcare systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine, such as herbal supplements, meditation, naturopathy, and acupuncture. According to a national survey conducted by NCCAM and AARP, almost two-thirds of people age 50 or older are using some form of CAM, yet less than one-third of these CAM users talk about it with their doctors. The most common reasons survey respondents cited were:

• The physician never asked.
• They did not know they should discuss CAM.
• There was not enough time during the office visit.

The Time to Talk campaign is aimed at addressing the need for this dialogue to help ensure safe, coordinated care. Talking not only allows integrated care, it also minimizes risks of interactions with a patient’s conventional treatments. NCCAM offered these tips for discussing CAM with patients:

• Include a question about CAM use on medical history forms.
• Ask your patients to bring a list of all therapies they use, including prescription, over-the-counter, herbal therapies, and other CAM practices.
• Have your medical staff initiate the conversation.

Click here to read the NIH bulletin.

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