Advisory Council Reviews Successes and Challenges at NCCAM

Asthma research is a major program at NHLBI, some of which is being conducted in cooperation with NCCAM. Dr. Lenfant reported that an estimated 12-13 million Americans suffer from asthma. Behavioral medicine is a strong component of asthma treatment because it is widely recognized that self-management and education have a tremendous impact on the condition. Some CAM treatments currently under investigation for asthma include acupuncture, hypnosis, herbal and dietary supplements, and homeopathy.

Dr. Lenfant discussed new clinical trials on the use of EDTA chelation therapy for the treatment of coronary artery disease, research cooperatively sponsored by NHLBI and NCCAM. "This is an issue of tremendous interest," stated Dr. Lenfant. "We hope that these trials will answer some of the questions."

Both Dr. Lenfant and Dr. Straus anticipate great success in collaborative research sponsored by NHLBI and NCCAM. Dr. Lenfant said, "We are glad to have the Center as our colleague, and we believe that what we and they can contribute will be of benefit to the public health." Dr. Straus commented that Dr. Lenfant "has moved forward the robust traditions of NHLBI," and NCCAM is honored to collaborate with him and his colleagues.

White House Commission Update

James S. Gordon, M.D., chair of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) and Stephen C. Groft, Pharm.D., the Commission's executive director, presented an update to NACCAM. The WHCCAMP, established by President Clinton in March 2000, has been charged with making recommendations to the President on a variety of CAM policy and legislative issues ranging from research to practitioner licensing. 

Within a few months, the Commission will release an interim report. Dr. Groft explained that the Commission is working to reach consensus before making policy recommendations. Final recommendations will be sent to the President in March 2002. 

Dr. Gordon described the wide range of written communication and testimony that the Commission has received from all over the United States. Comments have come from conventional physicians, herbalists, patients, and many others. "It is clear that there is a mandate for more education about CAM practices at every stage of training," stated Dr. Gordon. He also stressed the importance of understanding and communication among professionals in CAM practice and those in conventional medicine. More information about the WHCCAMP can be found online at http://whccamp.hhs.gov/. 

Concept Clearances

NCCAM program officers presented four proposed research concepts to the Advisory Council. After discussion by the Council, all were approved: 

• Cranberry and Urinary Tract Infection—Marguerite Evans, M.S., R.D., NCCAM program officer, presented an initiative concept to support basic and clinical research on the role of cranberry in the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections.

• Basic and Preclinical Research on CAM—Neal B. West, Ph.D., NCCAM program officer, presented an initiative concept to increase the amount and quality of basic, mechanistic, and preclinical CAM research.

• Botanical/Drug Interactions in HIV—Morgan Jackson, M.D., M.P.H., director of NCCAM's Office of Special Populations, requested approval of an initiative concept to explore interactions between herbs and antiretroviral medications used to treat HIV/AIDS.

• International Collaborative Research Program—Joana Rosario, M.D., M.P.H., director of NCCAM's Office of International Health Research, presented an initiative concept designed to strengthen international CAM research and increase the number of international research applications to NCCAM.

During the afternoon session, the Advisory Council reviewed proposals for research grants in a session closed to the public. 

NACCAM Personnel Notes 

Dr. Straus announced that Everett R. Rhoades, M.D., and Dana J. Lawrence, D.C., F.I.C.C., will remain on the Advisory Council until new permanent members can be appointed. Dr. Rhoades is associate dean of community affairs and adjunct professor of medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Tulsa; adjunct professor of international health at The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; and director of education initiatives at the Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr. Lawrence is dean of the National Lincoln School of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, Illinois. 

Dr. Straus introduced the following six ad hoc members who sat on the Council for this meeting: 

• Brian M. Berman, M.D., professor and director of the Complementary Medicine Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore;

• Zang-Hee Cho, Ph.D., professor of radiological sciences, psychiatry and human behavior, and ophthalmology at the University of California, Irvine;

• Murray Goldstein, D.O., M.P.H., chief operating officer and medical director of the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation, Washington, D.C., and former Director of the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke at NIH (1982 to 1993);

• Michael Irwin, M.D., professor, department of psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, and research scientist at the Veterans Medical Research Foundation of San Diego; and

• Connie Weaver, Ph.D., professor and head of the department of foods and nutrition at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

The next public NACCAM meeting is scheduled for January 28-29, 2002. Information on the Council, including minutes of previous meetings, may be found on the NCCAM Web site at nccam.nih.gov/about/naccam/.