Another Voice / Health care
New surgeon general should back alternative medicine
Updated: 11/29/08 6:22 AM
Alot of my patients are fed up with drugs. They’re tired of having no choice but to take a pill for every problem. They ask me, “Can’t we try something more natural first?”
I got my M. D. 25 years ago. And since then, I’ve prescribed a lot of drugs. I’ve also studied homeopathy and nutrition, so I can give my patients something more natural.
For me and my patients, drugs are not the only answer. And my patients are not alone in wanting a choice besides medication.
Barack Obama should heed this complaint and appoint a surgeon general who takes alternative medicine seriously.
The public is far ahead of medical experts and politicians on alternative medicine. A Harvard Medical School survey done 10 years ago found that more than 40 percent of Americans used some form of alternative medicine. It’s probably higher today. The study found that Americans spent as much out of pocket for alternative treatments as they did for conventional health care.
Front-line doctors — those of us who spend all day seeing patients — are also interested in alternatives. An American Psychiatric Association official told me that when they asked their physician members what they wanted to learn, alternative medicine was high on the list. Your average doctor wants alternatives to drugs — as long as they’re backed up by good research.
But doctors find it hard to learn about alternatives. We’re required to get continuing education every year, but who pays for that education? According to the New England Journal of Medicine, 90 percent of the money comes from drug companies. When I go to these conferences, most of the teachers are researchers who openly disclose that they take drug company money. So, big surprise, all we learn about are the newest, the latest and, of course, the most expensive drugs.
The same Harvard study asked respondents if they’d stop taking a supplement if research showed it didn’t work. Most said no. They don’t trust the experts. And like many of my patients, they want an alternative to drugs.
Our next president can repair some of the mistrust of our health care system by appointing a surgeon general who uses both conventional and alternative medicine. He could even consider a naturopathic doctor.
The U. S. has four naturopathic medical schools turning out physicians trained in nutrition, oriental medicine and homeopathy. A lot of my patients see me and a naturopath, and they like us both.
The surgeon general is the nation’s most visible doctor, with his own bully pulpit. By appointing a doctor who uses alternative medicine, Obama can send an important message: Drugs are not the only way to treat the sick.
Most of my patients would love it. They want a doctor who is ready to treat them with every good alternative.
Ed Gogek, M. D., is a psychiatrist in Prescott, Ariz.
