Healthcare Perspectives
In December, the Annals of Internal Medicine (AIM) published 3 studies evaluating the effects of multivitamin supplementation on chronic disease prevention. These studies were accompanied by an alarming editorial: "Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements." The authors of the editorial claim that the results of the 3 studies, along with previous trials, indicate "no substantial health benefit" of multivitamins and call for an end to further research on multivitamins for chronic disease prevention in well-nourished populations. While the authors of the editorial are correct in concluding that there is not enough rigorous evidence to support that an MVMM alone will prevent chronic disease or death, it is misguided and scientifically inaccurate to overinterpret this to mean that there is no benefit to taking multivitamins or that this line of investigation should stop.
The United States Census Bureau projects that between 2000 and 2030 the number of Americans 65 years old or older will double. The aging of our population, combined with many other factors, will likely contribute to a corresponding increase in serious illnesses such as cancer.
We now know that minute quantities of reactive oxygen species are essential to life, and that high levels are detrimental. The concept that nutrients also have doses that are beneficial, beyond which they are detrimental, is in keeping with the idea that optimal physiological function is a balance within the cells and the organism as a whole.
Most of the medications and naturopathic medicines are free to patients or provided at very low cost, but they're limited due to limited resources. The malnutrition program is expensive to run, yet vital to providing the basic needs most in the United States take for granted.
Lifestyle choices made in childhood have a tremendous impact on morbidity and mortality not only during the pediatric years, but throughout one's lifespan. Stakeholders have identified the importance of prioritizing multi-tiered approaches to wellness promotion for children. Naturopathic medicine has demonstrated benefit to illness prevention and wellness promotion, but is inaccessible to much of the population, particularly those at greatest risk of poor health. Group-based programs may be a successful and cost-effective method of delivering naturopathic care to greater numbers of families in the community as part of a larger public health effort. We propose a pilot program to evaluate the efficacy of such an approach.
If record attendance from healthcare practitioners from around the world is an indicator of success, this conference hit the mark. Convened by the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine and held in collaboration with Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on Oct 29-31, 2013, the conference featured keynotes from two leaders in the field of integrative medicine: Tracy Gaudet, MD, and Joseph Pizzorno, ND.
