{"id":5266,"date":"2008-04-03T14:45:33","date_gmt":"2008-04-03T18:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"\/gazette\/?p=5266"},"modified":"2008-04-03T14:45:33","modified_gmt":"2008-04-03T18:45:33","slug":"panel-discusses-history-future-of-alternative-therapies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2008\/04\/panel-discusses-history-future-of-alternative-therapies\/","title":{"rendered":"Panel discusses history, future of alternative therapies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\tPanel discusses history, future of alternative therapies\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\tColleen Walsh\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\tHarvard News Office\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

\n\n\n\t\t

The history of alternative and complementary medical treatments can inform the medicine of today.<\/p>\n

That was the message of \u201cSectarian (to Unorthodox to Alternative) to Complementary Medicine: What Historical Perspectives can Tell Modern Medicine,\u201d an afternoon of talks sponsored by the Countway Library\u2019s Center for the History of Medicine on March 26.<\/p>\n

The talks were enhanced by a series of displays at the library on natural medicines, the history of homeopathy and Chinese and botanical medicine. But it was the discussion of homeopathy that took the program\u2019s center stage.<\/p>\n

Developed in the 1700s, homeopathy attempts to cure a patient\u2019s illness using a small dose of a drug that produces similar symptoms in a healthy person. The drug creates a simulated form of the disease that the body then can combat.<\/p>\n

Early homeopathy research led to pioneering empirical medical trials, said Ted Kaptchuk, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School\u2019s (HMS) Osher Center, whose talk led off the discussion.<\/p>\n

In its efforts to be taken seriously by the mainstream medical community, homeopaths, he said, were held to more rigorous standards. This scrutiny, he concluded, was productive, as it led to attempts at increased clarity and methodological rigor.<\/p>\n

Kaptchuk pointed to a study done in 1879-1880, sponsored by the Milwaukee Academy of Medicine, that used the double-blind method, in which neither the researcher nor the patient knows if the patient is receiving the medicine or a placebo \u2014 to test a homeopathic remedy.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Homeopaths] understood you have to control for bias. Can you believe this?\u201d said Kaptchuk, noting that such double-blind experiments didn\u2019t become standard practice in mainstream medical circles until well after World War II.<\/p>\n

Anne Kirschmann, a lecturer in the history department at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and author of \u201cA Vital Force: Women in American Homeopathy\u201d (Rutgers University Press, 2003), examined the role homeopathy played for women in the 19th century. She noted that the homeopathic community was more inclusive of women than traditional medical institutions, and that its progressive attitude linked it closely with many social movements, including the push for women\u2019s rights and other social reforms.<\/p>\n

But over the years, a split between the licensed practitioners of homeopathy and the practice\u2019s lay community \u2014 those who wanted more involvement in homeopathic theory and practice without submitting to the rigors of its academic training \u2014 took shape. Some say the divide conferred a new ambiguity on the technique\u2019s status.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether modern homeopathy can survive as a belief system remains to be seen,\u201d said John S. Haller Jr., a professor of history and medical humanities at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. \u201cHaving moved so far into the world of the nonprofessional healer and having thereby distanced itself from most licensure requirements tied to training, testing, and certification, homeopathy can no longer be seen as anything more than a faith-based system dependent upon anecdotes, beliefs, theories, preconceived notions, testimonials, and opinions. Ultimately this may be what its laity wanted all along.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donald Levy, HMS assistant clinical professor of medicine and director of the Osher Clinical Center for Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital, brought the discussion into the everyday. He talked about the benefits of using a holistic approach in the treating of chronic illnesses.<\/p>\n

As a primary care physician for 25 years, Levy said he found modern medicine effective for emergency care and certain mechanical repairs like broken bones and worn-out heart valves, but that it was less helpful with recurring problems like headaches, chronic pain, and allergies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe modern magic buttons weren\u2019t always the best thing for chronic illness,\u201d he said. \u201cI ran out of options early.\u201d<\/p>\n

Levy turned to an integrated approach, one that incorporated lifestyle changes and therapies that enhanced \u201cthe innate ability of the body to heal with minimally invasive procedures.\u201d Effective therapies included acupuncture, chiropractic care, and various forms of massage and body awareness training, as well as techniques for stress reduction.<\/p>\n

Levy also cited the benefits of dietary supplements that could be taken independently or as a complement to other medications. He said, for example, that a combination of a high dose of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), a magnesium supplement, and a preparation of the herb butterbur can be effective in preventing migraine headaches. A rational approach to such therapy, he noted, also considered a patient\u2019s specific health issues, lifestyle factors, and family history, as well as the growing scientific literature in the area.<\/p>\n

Integrating the traditional with the alternative, Levy said, was \u201cpart of the big picture, part of the big thinking,\u201d and can yield gratifying results.<\/p>\n

He also noted that recent trends toward self-care and preventive care are increasingly becoming part of mainstream medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The history of alternative and complementary medical treatments can inform the medicine of today.<\/p>\n

That was the message of \u201cSectarian (to Unorthodox to Alternative) to Complementary Medicine: What Historical Perspectives can Tell Modern Medicine,\u201d an afternoon of talks sponsored by the Countway Library\u2019s Center for the History of Medicine on March 26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105622744,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gz_ga_pageviews":8,"gz_ga_lastupdated":"2020-08-03 14:09","document_color_palette":null,"author":"Colleen Walsh","affiliation":"Harvard News Office","_category_override":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39644],"tags":[6975,9340,11052,16998,23445,29171,30642,33056],"gazette-formats":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-5266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-campus","tag-countway-library","tag-disease","tag-history","tag-medicine","tag-research","tag-science","tag-talk"],"yoast_head":"\nPanel discusses history, future of alternative therapies — Harvard Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The history of alternative and complementary medical treatments can inform the medicine of today. 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That was the message of \u201cSectarian (to Unorthodox to Alternative) to Complementary Medicine: What Historical Perspectives can Tell Modern Medicine,\u201d an afternoon of talks sponsored by the Countway Library\u2019s Center for the History of Medicine on March 26.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2008\/04\/panel-discusses-history-future-of-alternative-therapies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harvard Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-04-03T18:45:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"harvardgazette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2008\/04\/panel-discusses-history-future-of-alternative-therapies\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2008\/04\/panel-discusses-history-future-of-alternative-therapies\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"harvardgazette\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/78d028cf624923e92682268709ffbc4b\"},\"headline\":\"Panel discusses history, future of alternative therapies\",\"datePublished\":\"2008-04-03T18:45:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2008\/04\/panel-discusses-history-future-of-alternative-therapies\/\"},\"wordCount\":790,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Campus\",\"Countway Library\",\"Disease\",\"History\",\"Medicine\",\"Research\",\"Science\",\"Talk\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2008\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2008\/04\/panel-discusses-history-future-of-alternative-therapies\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2008\/04\/panel-discusses-history-future-of-alternative-therapies\/\",\"name\":\"Panel discusses history, future of alternative therapies — Harvard Gazette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2008-04-03T18:45:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"The history of alternative and complementary medical treatments can inform the medicine of today. 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class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<address class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"author wp-block-post-author__name\">\n\t\tColleen Walsh\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-post-author__byline\">\n\t\t\tHarvard News Office\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2008-04-03\">\n\t\t\tApril 3, 2008\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t4 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\n<\/header>\n"},"2":{"blockName":"core\/group","attrs":{"templateLock":false,"metadata":{"name":"Article content"},"align":"wide","layout":{"type":"constrained","justifyContent":"center"},"tagName":"div","lock":[],"className":"","style":[],"backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","ariaLabel":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\t\t<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">The history of alternative and complementary medical treatments can inform the medicine of today.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">That was the message of \u201cSectarian (to Unorthodox to Alternative) to Complementary Medicine: What Historical Perspectives can Tell Modern Medicine,\u201d an afternoon of talks sponsored by the Countway Library\u2019s Center for the History of Medicine on March 26.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">The talks were enhanced by a series of displays at the library on natural medicines, the history of homeopathy and Chinese and botanical medicine. But it was the discussion of homeopathy that took the program\u2019s center stage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Developed in the 1700s, homeopathy attempts to cure a patient\u2019s illness using a small dose of a drug that produces similar symptoms in a healthy person. The drug creates a simulated form of the disease that the body then can combat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Early homeopathy research led to pioneering empirical medical trials, said Ted Kaptchuk, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School\u2019s (HMS) Osher Center, whose talk led off the discussion.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">In its efforts to be taken seriously by the mainstream medical community, homeopaths, he said, were held to more rigorous standards. This scrutiny, he concluded, was productive, as it led to attempts at increased clarity and methodological rigor.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Kaptchuk pointed to a study done in 1879-1880, sponsored by the Milwaukee Academy of Medicine, that used the double-blind method, in which neither the researcher nor the patient knows if the patient is receiving the medicine or a placebo \u2014 to test a homeopathic remedy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201c[Homeopaths] understood you have to control for bias. Can you believe this?\u201d said Kaptchuk, noting that such double-blind experiments didn\u2019t become standard practice in mainstream medical circles until well after World War II.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Anne Kirschmann, a lecturer in the history department at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and author of \u201cA Vital Force: Women in American Homeopathy\u201d (Rutgers University Press, 2003), examined the role homeopathy played for women in the 19th century. She noted that the homeopathic community was more inclusive of women than traditional medical institutions, and that its progressive attitude linked it closely with many social movements, including the push for women\u2019s rights and other social reforms.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">But over the years, a split between the licensed practitioners of homeopathy and the practice\u2019s lay community \u2014 those who wanted more involvement in homeopathic theory and practice without submitting to the rigors of its academic training \u2014 took shape. Some say the divide conferred a new ambiguity on the technique\u2019s status.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201cWhether modern homeopathy can survive as a belief system remains to be seen,\u201d said John S. Haller Jr., a professor of history and medical humanities at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. \u201cHaving moved so far into the world of the nonprofessional healer and having thereby distanced itself from most licensure requirements tied to training, testing, and certification, homeopathy can no longer be seen as anything more than a faith-based system dependent upon anecdotes, beliefs, theories, preconceived notions, testimonials, and opinions. Ultimately this may be what its laity wanted all along.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Donald Levy, HMS assistant clinical professor of medicine and director of the Osher Clinical Center for Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital, brought the discussion into the everyday. He talked about the benefits of using a holistic approach in the treating of chronic illnesses.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">As a primary care physician for 25 years, Levy said he found modern medicine effective for emergency care and certain mechanical repairs like broken bones and worn-out heart valves, but that it was less helpful with recurring problems like headaches, chronic pain, and allergies.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201cThe modern magic buttons weren\u2019t always the best thing for chronic illness,\u201d he said. \u201cI ran out of options early.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Levy turned to an integrated approach, one that incorporated lifestyle changes and therapies that enhanced \u201cthe innate ability of the body to heal with minimally invasive procedures.\u201d Effective therapies included acupuncture, chiropractic care, and various forms of massage and body awareness training, as well as techniques for stress reduction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Levy also cited the benefits of dietary supplements that could be taken independently or as a complement to other medications. He said, for example, that a combination of a high dose of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), a magnesium supplement, and a preparation of the herb butterbur can be effective in preventing migraine headaches. A rational approach to such therapy, he noted, also considered a patient\u2019s specific health issues, lifestyle factors, and family history, as well as the growing scientific literature in the area.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Integrating the traditional with the alternative, Levy said, was \u201cpart of the big picture, part of the big thinking,\u201d and can yield gratifying results.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">He also noted that recent trends toward self-care and preventive care are increasingly becoming part of mainstream medicine.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n\t\t<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">The history of alternative and complementary medical treatments can inform the medicine of today.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">That was the message of \u201cSectarian (to Unorthodox to Alternative) to Complementary Medicine: What Historical Perspectives can Tell Modern Medicine,\u201d an afternoon of talks sponsored by the Countway Library\u2019s Center for the History of Medicine on March 26.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">The talks were enhanced by a series of displays at the library on natural medicines, the history of homeopathy and Chinese and botanical medicine. But it was the discussion of homeopathy that took the program\u2019s center stage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Developed in the 1700s, homeopathy attempts to cure a patient\u2019s illness using a small dose of a drug that produces similar symptoms in a healthy person. The drug creates a simulated form of the disease that the body then can combat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Early homeopathy research led to pioneering empirical medical trials, said Ted Kaptchuk, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School\u2019s (HMS) Osher Center, whose talk led off the discussion.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">In its efforts to be taken seriously by the mainstream medical community, homeopaths, he said, were held to more rigorous standards. This scrutiny, he concluded, was productive, as it led to attempts at increased clarity and methodological rigor.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Kaptchuk pointed to a study done in 1879-1880, sponsored by the Milwaukee Academy of Medicine, that used the double-blind method, in which neither the researcher nor the patient knows if the patient is receiving the medicine or a placebo \u2014 to test a homeopathic remedy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201c[Homeopaths] understood you have to control for bias. Can you believe this?\u201d said Kaptchuk, noting that such double-blind experiments didn\u2019t become standard practice in mainstream medical circles until well after World War II.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Anne Kirschmann, a lecturer in the history department at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and author of \u201cA Vital Force: Women in American Homeopathy\u201d (Rutgers University Press, 2003), examined the role homeopathy played for women in the 19th century. She noted that the homeopathic community was more inclusive of women than traditional medical institutions, and that its progressive attitude linked it closely with many social movements, including the push for women\u2019s rights and other social reforms.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">But over the years, a split between the licensed practitioners of homeopathy and the practice\u2019s lay community \u2014 those who wanted more involvement in homeopathic theory and practice without submitting to the rigors of its academic training \u2014 took shape. Some say the divide conferred a new ambiguity on the technique\u2019s status.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201cWhether modern homeopathy can survive as a belief system remains to be seen,\u201d said John S. Haller Jr., a professor of history and medical humanities at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. \u201cHaving moved so far into the world of the nonprofessional healer and having thereby distanced itself from most licensure requirements tied to training, testing, and certification, homeopathy can no longer be seen as anything more than a faith-based system dependent upon anecdotes, beliefs, theories, preconceived notions, testimonials, and opinions. Ultimately this may be what its laity wanted all along.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Donald Levy, HMS assistant clinical professor of medicine and director of the Osher Clinical Center for Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital, brought the discussion into the everyday. He talked about the benefits of using a holistic approach in the treating of chronic illnesses.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">As a primary care physician for 25 years, Levy said he found modern medicine effective for emergency care and certain mechanical repairs like broken bones and worn-out heart valves, but that it was less helpful with recurring problems like headaches, chronic pain, and allergies.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201cThe modern magic buttons weren\u2019t always the best thing for chronic illness,\u201d he said. \u201cI ran out of options early.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Levy turned to an integrated approach, one that incorporated lifestyle changes and therapies that enhanced \u201cthe innate ability of the body to heal with minimally invasive procedures.\u201d Effective therapies included acupuncture, chiropractic care, and various forms of massage and body awareness training, as well as techniques for stress reduction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Levy also cited the benefits of dietary supplements that could be taken independently or as a complement to other medications. He said, for example, that a combination of a high dose of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), a magnesium supplement, and a preparation of the herb butterbur can be effective in preventing migraine headaches. A rational approach to such therapy, he noted, also considered a patient\u2019s specific health issues, lifestyle factors, and family history, as well as the growing scientific literature in the area.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Integrating the traditional with the alternative, Levy said, was \u201cpart of the big picture, part of the big thinking,\u201d and can yield gratifying results.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">He also noted that recent trends toward self-care and preventive care are increasingly becoming part of mainstream medicine.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n\t\t<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">The history of alternative and complementary medical treatments can inform the medicine of today.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">That was the message of \u201cSectarian (to Unorthodox to Alternative) to Complementary Medicine: What Historical Perspectives can Tell Modern Medicine,\u201d an afternoon of talks sponsored by the Countway Library\u2019s Center for the History of Medicine on March 26.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">The talks were enhanced by a series of displays at the library on natural medicines, the history of homeopathy and Chinese and botanical medicine. But it was the discussion of homeopathy that took the program\u2019s center stage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Developed in the 1700s, homeopathy attempts to cure a patient\u2019s illness using a small dose of a drug that produces similar symptoms in a healthy person. The drug creates a simulated form of the disease that the body then can combat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Early homeopathy research led to pioneering empirical medical trials, said Ted Kaptchuk, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School\u2019s (HMS) Osher Center, whose talk led off the discussion.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">In its efforts to be taken seriously by the mainstream medical community, homeopaths, he said, were held to more rigorous standards. This scrutiny, he concluded, was productive, as it led to attempts at increased clarity and methodological rigor.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Kaptchuk pointed to a study done in 1879-1880, sponsored by the Milwaukee Academy of Medicine, that used the double-blind method, in which neither the researcher nor the patient knows if the patient is receiving the medicine or a placebo \u2014 to test a homeopathic remedy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201c[Homeopaths] understood you have to control for bias. Can you believe this?\u201d said Kaptchuk, noting that such double-blind experiments didn\u2019t become standard practice in mainstream medical circles until well after World War II.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Anne Kirschmann, a lecturer in the history department at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and author of \u201cA Vital Force: Women in American Homeopathy\u201d (Rutgers University Press, 2003), examined the role homeopathy played for women in the 19th century. She noted that the homeopathic community was more inclusive of women than traditional medical institutions, and that its progressive attitude linked it closely with many social movements, including the push for women\u2019s rights and other social reforms.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">But over the years, a split between the licensed practitioners of homeopathy and the practice\u2019s lay community \u2014 those who wanted more involvement in homeopathic theory and practice without submitting to the rigors of its academic training \u2014 took shape. Some say the divide conferred a new ambiguity on the technique\u2019s status.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201cWhether modern homeopathy can survive as a belief system remains to be seen,\u201d said John S. Haller Jr., a professor of history and medical humanities at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. \u201cHaving moved so far into the world of the nonprofessional healer and having thereby distanced itself from most licensure requirements tied to training, testing, and certification, homeopathy can no longer be seen as anything more than a faith-based system dependent upon anecdotes, beliefs, theories, preconceived notions, testimonials, and opinions. Ultimately this may be what its laity wanted all along.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Donald Levy, HMS assistant clinical professor of medicine and director of the Osher Clinical Center for Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital, brought the discussion into the everyday. He talked about the benefits of using a holistic approach in the treating of chronic illnesses.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">As a primary care physician for 25 years, Levy said he found modern medicine effective for emergency care and certain mechanical repairs like broken bones and worn-out heart valves, but that it was less helpful with recurring problems like headaches, chronic pain, and allergies.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201cThe modern magic buttons weren\u2019t always the best thing for chronic illness,\u201d he said. \u201cI ran out of options early.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Levy turned to an integrated approach, one that incorporated lifestyle changes and therapies that enhanced \u201cthe innate ability of the body to heal with minimally invasive procedures.\u201d Effective therapies included acupuncture, chiropractic care, and various forms of massage and body awareness training, as well as techniques for stress reduction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Levy also cited the benefits of dietary supplements that could be taken independently or as a complement to other medications. He said, for example, that a combination of a high dose of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), a magnesium supplement, and a preparation of the herb butterbur can be effective in preventing migraine headaches. A rational approach to such therapy, he noted, also considered a patient\u2019s specific health issues, lifestyle factors, and family history, as well as the growing scientific literature in the area.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Integrating the traditional with the alternative, Levy said, was \u201cpart of the big picture, part of the big thinking,\u201d and can yield gratifying results.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">He also noted that recent trends toward self-care and preventive care are increasingly becoming part of mainstream medicine.<\/p>\n"}],"innerHTML":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n","innerContent":["\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n","\n\n<\/div>\n"],"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">The history of alternative and complementary medical treatments can inform the medicine of today.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">That was the message of \u201cSectarian (to Unorthodox to Alternative) to Complementary Medicine: What Historical Perspectives can Tell Modern Medicine,\u201d an afternoon of talks sponsored by the Countway Library\u2019s Center for the History of Medicine on March 26.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">The talks were enhanced by a series of displays at the library on natural medicines, the history of homeopathy and Chinese and botanical medicine. But it was the discussion of homeopathy that took the program\u2019s center stage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Developed in the 1700s, homeopathy attempts to cure a patient\u2019s illness using a small dose of a drug that produces similar symptoms in a healthy person. The drug creates a simulated form of the disease that the body then can combat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Early homeopathy research led to pioneering empirical medical trials, said Ted Kaptchuk, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School\u2019s (HMS) Osher Center, whose talk led off the discussion.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">In its efforts to be taken seriously by the mainstream medical community, homeopaths, he said, were held to more rigorous standards. This scrutiny, he concluded, was productive, as it led to attempts at increased clarity and methodological rigor.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Kaptchuk pointed to a study done in 1879-1880, sponsored by the Milwaukee Academy of Medicine, that used the double-blind method, in which neither the researcher nor the patient knows if the patient is receiving the medicine or a placebo \u2014 to test a homeopathic remedy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201c[Homeopaths] understood you have to control for bias. Can you believe this?\u201d said Kaptchuk, noting that such double-blind experiments didn\u2019t become standard practice in mainstream medical circles until well after World War II.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Anne Kirschmann, a lecturer in the history department at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and author of \u201cA Vital Force: Women in American Homeopathy\u201d (Rutgers University Press, 2003), examined the role homeopathy played for women in the 19th century. She noted that the homeopathic community was more inclusive of women than traditional medical institutions, and that its progressive attitude linked it closely with many social movements, including the push for women\u2019s rights and other social reforms.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">But over the years, a split between the licensed practitioners of homeopathy and the practice\u2019s lay community \u2014 those who wanted more involvement in homeopathic theory and practice without submitting to the rigors of its academic training \u2014 took shape. Some say the divide conferred a new ambiguity on the technique\u2019s status.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201cWhether modern homeopathy can survive as a belief system remains to be seen,\u201d said John S. Haller Jr., a professor of history and medical humanities at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. \u201cHaving moved so far into the world of the nonprofessional healer and having thereby distanced itself from most licensure requirements tied to training, testing, and certification, homeopathy can no longer be seen as anything more than a faith-based system dependent upon anecdotes, beliefs, theories, preconceived notions, testimonials, and opinions. Ultimately this may be what its laity wanted all along.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Donald Levy, HMS assistant clinical professor of medicine and director of the Osher Clinical Center for Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital, brought the discussion into the everyday. He talked about the benefits of using a holistic approach in the treating of chronic illnesses.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">As a primary care physician for 25 years, Levy said he found modern medicine effective for emergency care and certain mechanical repairs like broken bones and worn-out heart valves, but that it was less helpful with recurring problems like headaches, chronic pain, and allergies.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">\u201cThe modern magic buttons weren\u2019t always the best thing for chronic illness,\u201d he said. \u201cI ran out of options early.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Levy turned to an integrated approach, one that incorporated lifestyle changes and therapies that enhanced \u201cthe innate ability of the body to heal with minimally invasive procedures.\u201d Effective therapies included acupuncture, chiropractic care, and various forms of massage and body awareness training, as well as techniques for stress reduction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Levy also cited the benefits of dietary supplements that could be taken independently or as a complement to other medications. He said, for example, that a combination of a high dose of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), a magnesium supplement, and a preparation of the herb butterbur can be effective in preventing migraine headaches. A rational approach to such therapy, he noted, also considered a patient\u2019s specific health issues, lifestyle factors, and family history, as well as the growing scientific literature in the area.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">Integrating the traditional with the alternative, Levy said, was \u201cpart of the big picture, part of the big thinking,\u201d and can yield gratifying results.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;\">He also noted that recent trends toward self-care and preventive care are increasingly becoming part of mainstream medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n"}},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":66106,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2000\/07\/hms-to-explore-complementary-medical-practices\/","url_meta":{"origin":5266,"position":0},"title":"HMS to explore ‘complementary’ medical practices","author":"gazetteimport","date":"July 13, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"In a move that taps its faculty's depth and breadth of expertise to expand academic inquiry into complementary medicine, Harvard Medical School (HMS) has established the Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies. David M. Eisenberg, director of the Center for Alternative Medicine Research and Education\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Campus & Community"","block_context":{"text":"Campus & Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1568,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2008\/02\/history-of-women-in-medicine-fellowship-material-due-march-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":5266,"position":1},"title":"History of Women in Medicine fellowship material due March 1","author":"harvardgazette","date":"February 28, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine (FHWIM) is offering two fellowships to support research conducted at the Center for the History of Medicine and its Archives for Women in Medicine, located at Harvard Medical School\u2019s Countway Library.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60063,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2006\/03\/countway-reveals-buried-treasures\/","url_meta":{"origin":5266,"position":2},"title":"Countway reveals ‘buried’ treasures","author":"harvardgazette","date":"March 9, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"There is something about the physical manifestations of history that communicate both intellectual heft and inspirational authority. Which is why Longwood's Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine \u2014 the largest academic medical library in the nation \u2014 has launched a new campaign to ensure that the artifacts in its vast\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Campus & Community"","block_context":{"text":"Campus & Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58896,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2005\/01\/one-third-of-us-adults-use-complementary-and-alternative-medicines\/","url_meta":{"origin":5266,"position":3},"title":"One third of U.S. adults use complementary and alternative medicines","author":"harvardgazette","date":"January 12, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"The continued widespread use of individual and multiple CAM therapies underscores the need to rigorously evaluate the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of these approaches, according to the study's lead author Hilary Tindle, Harvard Medical School (HMS) research fellow, and co-author David Eisenberg, director of the Division for Research and Education\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":120104,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2012\/10\/the-narrative-of-cancer\/","url_meta":{"origin":5266,"position":4},"title":"The narrative of cancer","author":"harvardgazette","date":"October 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Medical experts are coming to see cancer not as a disease of cells or even of genes, but as an \u201corganismal disease,\u201d Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of the Pulitzer Prize\u2013winning cancer history \u201cThe Emperor of All Maladies,\u201d told a Harvard Medical School audience on Oct. 11.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/cancer_mukerjee_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/cancer_mukerjee_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/cancer_mukerjee_605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":129882,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2013\/02\/saga-of-a-civil-war-surgeon\/","url_meta":{"origin":5266,"position":5},"title":"Saga of a Civil War surgeon","author":"harvardgazette","date":"February 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A lecture series on medicine in the Civil War continues at Harvard Medical School with a look at Zabdiel Boylston Adams, a descendant of an iconic American founding family who served heroically as both a doctor and an infantry officer.","rel":"","context":"In "Arts & Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts & Culture","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/arts-humanities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/adams_warren_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/adams_warren_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/adams_warren_605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105622744"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5266\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5266"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gazette-formats?post=5266"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=5266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}