| Seeing and hearing the spirited discussions at these community meetings, I was moved to write an editorial on health reform for The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (JACM), on whose editorial board I have served since it was founded in 1995. It appeared in the journal’s January 2009 issue. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publisher of JACM (and 60 other health science journals), has generously granted Health Insights Today permission to post the full text of the editorial as part of this special issue on health reform.
Reforming Our Concepts of Health
Cleveland Chiropractic College’s Kansas City campus provost, Ashley Cleveland, DC, MA, an educator and yoga teacher who is our profession’s first fifth generation chiropractor, asks us to carefully contemplate the deeper meaning of health reform. She calls on us to reconceptualize health reform as a process inside ourselves, not just something out there in the external world. Fundamental change must be about much more than changing our doctors, our medicines, or the coverage in our group insurance plans. As Dr. Ashley writes, “we must provide care not only for all people, but for all parts of the people – for the complexity that is the human being. We need a system that in its theory and practice, its structures and functions, educates people that their lifestyles and behaviors matter not only for their physical health, but also for their mental and emotional health.” Holding this vision clearly in our minds and hearts amidst the coming debate on health care reform will be challenging, and we must rise to the challenge.
The Role of Research
As chiropractors consider the perils and possibilities of health reform, research is our linchpin. To the extent that we can document the benefits of our work with patients, we can offer a convincing case for full inclusion as an essential part of the health care system. Fortunately, over the past generation chiropractic-related research has grown by leaps and bounds, with many studies now demonstrating both efficacy and patient satisfaction. In this era of change, no one has played a more pivotal role than Cheryl Hawk, DC, PhD, Cleveland Chiropractic College’s Vice President of Research and Scholarship. As an author, teacher, researcher and administrator, Dr. Hawk has truly made a difference. In this issue’s Health Insights Today interview with Dr. Hawk, she describes the importance of research for chiropractors and explains the college’s research focus on geriatrics, prevention and health promotion.
A Book Worth Reading
David Servan-Schreiber’s Anticancer: A New Way of Life is exceptional. Diagnosed with brain cancer at age 31, his devastating diagnosis changed the course of his life irrevocably, leading this very conventional doctor to explore many options he previously had scorned. With a combination of conventional and complementary approaches, he survived and undertook major lifestyle changes, eventually co-founding the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and writing this moving and highly informative book. In its pages, he accomplishes something quite difficult, weaving together a compelling personal narrative with an evidence-based, well-referenced anticancer program for both body and mind.
Health Research Summaries
In this issue, we’ve also expanded our one-stop health news summaries, which will be a regular feature of Health Insights Today from now on. Check out this issue’s reports on key research developments in nutrition, exercise, chiropractic, mind-body medicine, and complementary and alternative medicine.
These are exciting times. Work for positive change and enjoy the journey!
Daniel Redwood, DC,
Editor-in-Chief
editor@healthinsightstoday.com |
