Complementary and alternative medicine:  the convergence of public interest  and science in the United States

CAM research is leading to changes in the vitamin cabinet and the clinic

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Correspondence:

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2. Astin JA. Why patients use alternative medicine: results of a national study. JAMA 1998; 279: 1548-1553.
3. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Expanding horizons of healthcare: five-year strategic plan 2001–2005. Washington DC: Public Health Service, 2000. Available at http://nccam.nih.gov/ (accessed Jul 2004).
4. Marcus DM, Grollman AP. Botanical medicines: the need for new regulations. N Engl J Med 2002; 347: 2073-2076.
5. Hypericum Depression Trial Group. Effect of Hypericum perforatum (St John’s Wort) in major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2002; 287: 1807-1814.
6. Wolsko PM, Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Phillips RW. Use of mind–body medical therapies. J Gen Intern Med 2004; 19: 43-50.

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