Rob McCaleb educates physicians about herbs at Harvard
In March, HRF President Rob McCaleb made his annual trip to Boston
to teach physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other health care
practitioners about the research supporting the medicinal use
of herbs at the Harvard Medical School Symposium on Complementary
and Alternative Medicine. The Harvard course is the nation's most
successful continuing education program on complementary therapies,
and attracted more than 600 health practitioners this year. After
four years of teaching at the symposium, McCaleb has observed
a noticeable shift in the attitude of attendees. "In past
years, the voices of many of the doctors were skeptical, negative,
and challenging. Now there is much more openness, and a determination
by doctors to help empower and educate patients and themselves
about natural health care options," McCaleb commented. Andrew
Weil, MD, another faculty member at the symposium, agreed that
as the clinical evidence on herbs grows, physicians have become
more accepting.
McCaleb presented a 1 1/2 hour class called "Botanical Medicine:
Information Resources" at two different times during
the symposium. HRF's new book The Encyclopedia of Popular Herbs
assumed a central place in the discussion, as McCaleb spoke about
the clinical research on herbs, reliable information sources and
resources, and methods for evaluating the quality of information.
Harvard Medical School has already purchased 250 copies of the
book for its programs. According to McCaleb, "The practitioners
at the symposium were impressed with the format of the book because
it includes both traditional information and the latest research,
allowing readers to weigh the evidence within their own belief
systems. Some of their patients are more interested in the longstanding
uses of plants, while others are only convinced by the science
behind the herbs." McCaleb also spent some time comparing
and contrasting the quality of research on herbal medicines and
pharmaceutical drugs, and challenged some common assumptions about
drug approval and research in the United States.
The curriculum for the four-day Harvard course was designed to
give practitioners a basic understanding of complementary medicine
therapies, a scientific evaluation of the efficacy and safety
of these therapies, guidelines for recommending specific techniques
to patients, and an understanding of the legal, ethical, and financial
aspects of various therapies. The course also seeks to foster
better communication about complementary therapies between patients
and conventional health care providers.
- Krista Morien |
