• Center staff attend first Institute of Medicine Summit on Integrative Medicine
• New Clinic to help Breast Cancer patients and survivors
• Center establishes new Head and Neck Clinic
• New Inflammatory Diseases Clinic
• Professor Lin Yi, renowned expert in the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Breast health lectured at UCLA
• Dr. Malcolm Taw educates Congressional staff on the advantages of integrative medicine in health reform

Center staff attend first Institute of Medicine Summit on Integrative Medicine

Eight Center staffers joined Dr. Ka-Kit Hui to attend the first-ever Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public hosted by the Institute of Medicine, which provided an opportunity for leaders in the field to make the case for a wide range of practices that emphasize prevention, wellness, and delaying the development of serious chronic diseases as well as alleviating chronic conditions that threaten the physical and fiscal health of the nation.

The Summit’s keynote speaker was Senator Tom Harkin, (D-Iowa), a long-time supporter of CAM and the legislative force behind the established of National Center on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institute of Health. Among the delegates were some of the leaders in integrative medicine, nutrition, prevention, public health, healthcare financing and policy-making, including Jeffrey Bland, Don Berwick, Tracy Gaudet, Mimi Guarneri, Mark Hyman, Mary Jo Kreitzer, Arnold Milstein, Bill Novelli, Ken Pelletier, Adam Perlman, Dean Ornish, Mehmet Oz, Vic Sierpina, Ralph Snyderman, Reed Tuckson, and Dana Ullman. Dr. Harvey Fineberg, president of the IOM, opened and closed the summit.

The presentations identified the obvious need for major changes in the country’s healthcare system and the possibility for positive change presented by the Obama administration’s stress on prevention and wellness.

Dr. Ralph Snyderman, M.D., Chancellor Emeritus, Duke University School of Medicine and Summit Chair, stressed that currently, “We have a ‘sick care’ system that is reactive to problems. The integrative approach flips the system on its head and puts the patient at the center, addressing not just symptoms but the real causes of illness. It is care that is preventive, predictive and personalized.”

Other speakers discussed the many issues that must be integral to any transformation of the healthcare system. These included improving our primary care and chronic disease care are delivered; and changing medical education so that medical students are educated in the importance of compassionate care that addresses the biopsychosocial dimensions of health; and evidence-based medicine must be the only acceptable standard.

The summit was sponsored by the Bravewell Collaborative, established by a group of philanthropists dedicated to further health and healing for people and society and advancing the evolution of integrative medicine. The Collaborative was founded by Penny and Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic, and Christy and John Mack, CEO of Morgan Stanley.

New Clinic to help Breast Cancer patients and survivors

Click Here to see our Breast Cancer Clinic page!

Center establishes new Head and Neck Clinic

Click Here to see our Head and Neck Clinic page!

New Inflammatory Diseases Clinic

Click Here to see our Inflammatory Disease Clinic page!

Professor Lin Yi, renowned expert in the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Breast health lectured at UCLA

The Center for East-West Medicine was honored to host Professor Lin Yi in June 2009. Professor Lin Yi is a pioneer in the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine focused on breast health, particularly breast cancer. She is a clinician, educator and researcher, and is a professor and chief physician in the Breast Department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of TCM, a teaching hospital of the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and the preeminent Chinese medicine university and hospital in China.

Professor Lin is an academic leader in this discipline and recognized by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is also the academic leader in this discipline in Guangdong Province. She is the chief editor of six monographs and participated in the editing of nine monographs. Among these were Contemporary Mastology in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine for the Treatment of Common Breast Diseases, and Chinese Medical Diagnosis for Tumor Disease. She has been the recipient of many honors and is acknowledged as a senior Chinese medicine expert by the State Ministry of Health, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the State Ministry of Personnel. She has been honored twice as Outstanding Worker in the national healthcare system.

Professor Lin spoke on the use of TCM in the prevention and treatment of breast disease. At the end of her presentation, Professor Lin led the audience, accompanied by great laughter, through an exercise regimen she recommends to both maintain health and prevent disease.

Dr. Hui and Professor Lin had discussions regarding a collaboration leading to the establishment of an integrative East-West approach to breast health and breast disease at UCLA. Creating a program that will utilize Traditional Chinese Medicine for both the prevention and treatment of breast disease has been a goal of Dr. Hui’s for some time. A collaboration with Professor Lin will enable the Center to develop a program focused on breast health as part of our focus on women’s health. This is part of an overall strategy to establish the field of women’s health using the East-West perspective at UCLA.

Dr. Malcolm Taw educates Congressional staff on the advantages of integrative medicine in health reform

In May 2009, Dr. Malcolm Taw visited Capitol Hill and met with key Congressional staff members currently involved with healthcare reform. Dr. Taw was part of a delegation of the American College of Physicians (ACP), a national organization of physicians trained in internal medicine that is the largest medical specialty organization and second-largest physician group in the United States.

The ACP organized a two-day leadership conference in May. Members from all fifty states were represented and Dr. Taw was invited as part of the Southern California delegation.

After the conference, he stayed an additional day to meet with Congressional staff members to discuss the role of integrative medicine and how this can help with healthcare reform, especially at this pertains to enhancing quality health care, reducing costs, and increasing the possibility that a public option will be a part of the reform.

Dr. Taw met with staff of House and Senate members who are playing leadership roles in healthcare reform. These include Senator Max Baucus, Chair, Senate Finance Committee; Congressman Henry Waxman, Chair, House Energy and Commerce Committee; Congressman Dave Obey, Chair, House Appropriations Committee; and Congressman Wally Herger, Ranking Member, House Ways and Means Health Sub-committee.