Integrative Medicine Experts and Bastyr Grads Discuss Importance of CAM Research

Bastyr University assumed a pioneering role in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) research in 1986 when it founded the Bastyr University Research Center. Just 23 years later, Bastyr has established a rich research tradition. To date, 80 research studies in a range of areas including botanical medicine, nutrition and healthy aging have been completed or are underway. In 2002, Bastyr was awarded a T32 training grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant provides training for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows and is the first such grant to be awarded to a CAM institution. Bastyr was also the first school of naturopathic medicine to receive a grant from the NIH, an $840,000 grant that helped establish research in HIV/AIDS. And this year, the University established the Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center (BIORC), an outpatient clinic that provides comprehensive support and care to those with cancer.

While these developments have made the University a leader in the study of CAM, the question remains: How are Bastyr's research efforts helping improve the health and well being of the human community? In this era of reform, how important is the type of research being done at Bastyr to developing a new, integrative model for 21st century medicine? To get a sense of the significance of Bastyr's research efforts, we put the following question to three professionals working in the field:

How important is research at Bastyr to the integration of natural medicine into the current health care system, and what role do you see the University and its graduates playing in national health care reform?

Wayne B. Jonas, MD, is the president and chief executive officer of the Samueli Institute, a nonprofit scientific research organization in Virginia that investigates healing processes and their applications in promoting health and treating disease. He is widely known for his work as the director of the Office of Alternative Medicine at the NIH in the late 1990s and for his current role as policy advisor on the Wellness Initiative for the Nation (WIN). His experience includes work as an investigator, practitioner, administrator, speaker, peer reviewer, and author of books and scientific articles on CAM topics. 

Dr. Jonas: "Research is essential for the successful integration of natural medicine into the current health care climate. Without research, we are unable to separate 'fads' in health promotion from those things that have durable, lasting value. Research is important to maintain open and critical perspective on our own practices as health care practitioners. Without self critique, you can't improve and get better; quality assurance and quality improvement rise out of this critical perspective. Research is important to deliver good care and understand what works. From a conventional medicine perspective, Bastyr University’s research is frontier. It is focused on wellness and how healing happens, whereas conventional medical research focuses on disease and mitigating degeneration.

"For decades, Bastyr University has been the leading university for teaching natural medicine in the U.S. Over the years, Bastyr has established the core curriculum and core competencies of natural medicine and has established a growing group of trained experts. The University has always been a leader in this field, and I hope they will continue to have a key role in bringing natural medicine to the mainstream.

"There has always been a separation in the health care system between prevention and treatment, and Bastyr University has bridged that gap. Preventative health is often left to public health departments and workplace wellness programs. People who end up in the medical system get disease treatment, but the longterm underlying factors of their illness are not addressed. Many of the same factors that provide wellness also improve function when you have a disease. Bastyr has always taught methods without artificial separation of prevention and treatment."

Timothy C. Birdsall, ND ('85), FABNO, is vice president of the Integrative Medicine for Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), founding editor-in-chief of the MEDLINE-indexed journal Alternative Medicine Review, and appointee to the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the NIH.

Dr. Birdsall: "Right now everyone's talking about integration, but one piece that's missing is data that shows how best to integrate. That means the type of research Bastyr is involved in is forming the foundation for future studies and is really helping determine the next best steps toward integration. That's why I'm excited about what's going on at BIORC – I'm looking forward to seeing the integrative patient management outcomes.

"When we talk about CAM research, trained naturopathic doctors are really the best people for it because they are equipped with the knowledge of how the medicine works and how it should be best applied. Bastyr's naturopathic medicine graduates are ideally suited to lead those research efforts that will define what integrative medicine is, in part, because we have a foot in both worlds. We are trained in western biomedicine, but we speak the language of alternative medicine. Institutions like Bastyr can serve as an integrative medicine conduit and translator for patients and providers.

"From my perspective, Bastyr is well recognized as the leading natural medicine school in the country and probably the world. I travel to a lot to conferences and speaking engagements and, when introduced as an ND, more than half the time the first question people ask is if I went to Bastyr. Clearly, the University has well-respected, scientifically oriented practitioners who can speak the language of medicine and can communicate not only with patients, but with conventional medicine researchers and practitioners. That means we can begin and continue important dialogues about how best to improve health care service in this country."

Emily Telfair, ND ('05), is a private practitioner and a researcher for Pinnacle Care International, a traditionally allopathic health care advocacy group based in Baltimore, MD. With Pinnacle Care International, Dr. Telfair researches and offers independent, objective advice on a broad spectrum of health care treatments.

Dr. Telfair: "Patients deserve to know the research behind natural medicine, and Bastyr is a leader in that effort. We can tell them that we're participating in this contribution to the medical literature that has been underrepresented over time. We know the research is growing, and growing exponentially, and Bastyr is a big part of that. You just have to look through the editorial staffs of the professional CAM journals to see how many people from Bastyr or associated with Bastyr work in that arena.

"Showing where we appear in the literature, that speaks a lot, and it matters with patients who are politically active.

"At an even more basic level, I think the movement toward integrative medicine really starts with the students. This early exposure to research helps them rise to their full potential. By participating in research they're able to get involved with their future colleagues and develop relationships at an earlier time – and really serve as catalysts and drivers for integrative advancement in health care."

Home | Site Map | Search | Contact Us | Jobs | Privacy Policy | E-Newsletter | Press Kit (PDF) | Printer Friendly Bastyr University. Copyright © 2009. All Rights Reserved. Bastyr is a registered trademark of Bastyr University.