July 16, 2012
The social patient network CureTogether reported in February the results of study among 227 people who rated 31 treatments for bipolar disorder. It is one of the first such studies that blend social media, patient-stated outcomes with integrated therapy options.
“Patients rate regimented sleep, reduced alcohol, and exercise as helpful for their symptoms, as well as yoga, mindfulness meditation, and Lamictal*.” (more…)
May 31, 2011
Integrators at Work: Jeremy McCarthy, Starwood Hotels
Jeremy McCarthy manages the worldwide spas of Starwood Hotels, where he works, as his Twitter bio says “…at the intersection of wellness, positive psychology and hospitality.”
He also writes a very insightful personal blog, The Psychology of Wellbeing
in which he draws on wide range of current developments in personal health, wellness and healing approaches and the science behind them. (more…)
March 30, 2011
French Hospital MC
San Luis Obispo, CA
As the following example illustrates, the public is increasingly being presented with examples of the use of integrative medicine practices with conventional treatments for conditions like cancer in sessions like this hosted by a local hospital like French Hospital Medical Center.
Of interest in this presentation is the participation of a medical oncologist from a conventional cancer treatment center, a naturopathic physician (ND), a chef/nutritionist, as well as a survivor.
January 17, 2011
“TIME,” as it were, to pick on the general media’s approach to informing the public about where things stand in improving health, and in particular the actions individuals might take to strengthen their own well being.
Last week Time.com presented: “5 New Rules for Good Health,” (Jan 3, 2011) They are neither rules nor are they particularly new. At best they are reminders and observations of a few trends and possibilities.
October 29, 2010
The Truth is In There: Mining for Integrative Medicine Outcomes
Consumer and practitioner demand may accelerate CAM inclusion in the inpatient settings, and hospital leadership should be … prepared to engage their constituencies regarding its place within the healthcare delivery construct.
June 17, 2010
Genomic testing (and personalized medicine?) runs afoul of the FDA
Image by http://www.3dscience.com
The Chicago Tribune reported this week that the FDA is preparing to define home genetic testing kits as “medical devices” and as such will be subject to regulation.
The FDA alerted five of the most prominent companies providing these services, including 23andme and Navigenics that, in effect, they have circumvented regulatory procedures by making DNA test kits available without submitting them to FDA procedures. (more…)
November 14, 2009
And Its Confluence with Integrative Medicine, Outcomes and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act
In the last 24 months, the rapid of adoption of social media elements by organizations of all kinds has started to gather up hospitals, where Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and flickr are becoming the engagement tools of choice.
Apart from reaching hospitals via those social media paragons, consumers have long been using web-based online support groups or patient communities, some designed for mutual support (“Pregnancy & Parenting Support”), others organized around research or clinical trials (“The Children’s Inn at NIH”), all of them completely patient-centric.
The rationale for these actions is by now simple to understand: the number of people using social media sites is huge and growing. The children of Baby (more…)
Getting2IH&W 