Guidance in the use of Integrated Medicine

1. Healthy Bristol offers a summary of IM approaches for ten common medical conditions where good evidence exists for providing complementary therapies, along with a description of which therapies are indicated. The evidence is categorised and ranges from randomised, controlled trials to case studies. Depending on your patient profile, some of these could be used as a starting point for an integrated medicine practice.
   
   Currently in development
   
   
2. Healthy Bristol, is mapping the routes to setting up an integrated practice and will be available for guidance.
   
   
3. Clearly presented, useful references to evidence-based CAM practice can be found in the following publications:
   
   

• Integrating Complementary Therapies in Primary Care – A Practical Guide for Health Professionals by David Peters, Leon Chaitow, Gerry Harris, Sue Morrison. Published by Churchill Livingstone, 2002.
  
• The Desktop Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine – an evidence-based approach by Edzard Ernst (ed). Published by Mosby, 2001.
  
• To view a variety of publications from the Prince of Wales’s Foundation for Integrated Health, including proceedings from FIH conferences on the evidence for cancer care, women’s health, pain management and mental healthvisit the FIH Website at http://www.fihealth.org.uk/fs_publications.html You can call the Foundation on – 020 6140
  
• The following publication is useful for those seeking to create IM services for cancer patients: National Guidelines for the use of Complementary Therapies in Supportive and Palliative Care, written by Marianne Tavares and published by DoH and the Prince of Wales’s Foundation for Integrated Health. www.fihealth.org.uk/fs_publications.html, in the section headed: “Guidelines”.
  
• The Integrated Health Network is developing care pathways for specific medical conditions (visit the site to see the pilot care pathway in low back pain). www.ihn.org.uk
  
• The Research Council for Complementary Medicine (RCCM) has been commissioned by the DH to provide systematic reviews of the evidence base for the use of complementary therapies in its four priority area: cancer, coronary heart disease, mental health and children’s health. Starting with cancer, the reviews will become available late in 2004 see www.rccm.org.uk
  
  
  4. Department of Health guidance on the use of complementary therapies within the NHS can be found at www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/ResearchAndDevelopment/ResearchCapacity/ResearchCapacityList/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4074845&chk=FNhZcJ
  This offers further links to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (N.I.C.E.) guidelines on Multiple Sclerosis and the evidence for the use of CTs.
  

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INTEGRATED MEDICINE EDUCATION