North American naturopathic medicine in the 21st century: Time for a seventh guiding principle - Scientia Critica.

The World Health Organization strategy for global health includes a culturally-sensitive blending of western biomedicine with traditional forms of healing; in practical terms this approach is often referred to as integrative medicine. One distinct element within the systems of North American integrative healthcare is naturopathic medicine; while the basic premise of its fundamental approach to care - supporting healthy lifestyle behaviors - is as old as medicine itself, the early history of organized naturopathy in North America was heavy in theory and light on critical analysis. Dozens of questionable modalities and protocols have been housed under the rubric of naturopathy.

Building bridges: qualitative assessment of a clinical faculty exchange between a naturopathic and an allopathic medical training program.

Research Question: What are the perceived benefits of a clinical exchange experience designed as part of a program to promote acceptance and use of evidence-based medicine (EBM) in naturopathic clinical practice?

Methods: Nine faculty members participated in a focus group (n = 6) or a structured interview (n = 3) to assess experience in the program. Investigators independently analyzed transcribed notes for common experience themes. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION: Six major themes emerged: integrating EBM into naturopathic clinical teaching, strengthening of professional relationships, exposure to clinical experiences outside the usual naturopathic scope, reaffirmation of naturopathic training and profession, observation of clinical and administrative resources and practices, and recommendations for future clinical exchanges.

Reprint of The Herbal Alternatives for Menopause (HALT) Study: background and study design.

We designed a randomized double-blind randomized trial to examine the short and long-term effects of alternative approaches commonly used to manage menopause symptoms. Women were randomly assigned to: (1) black cohosh 160 mg daily; (2) multibotanical (50 mg black cohosh, alfalfa, chaste tree, dong quai, false unicorn, licorice, oats, pomegranate, Siberian ginseng, boron) four capsules daily; (3) multibotanical plus telephone counseling to increase dietary soy; (4) conjugated equine estrogen 0.625 mg +/- 2.

Treatment of vasomotor symptoms of menopause with black cohosh, multibotanicals, soy, hormone therapy, or placebo: a randomized trial.

Background: Herbal supplements are widely used for vasomotor symptoms.

Objective: To test the efficacy of 3 herbal regimens and hormone therapy for relief of vasomotor symptoms compared with placebo.

Design: 1-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted from May 2001 to September 2004.

The Herbal Alternatives for Menopause (HALT) Study: background and study design.

We designed a randomized double-blind randomized trial to examine the short and long-term effects of alternative approaches commonly used to manage menopause symptoms. Women were randomly assigned to: (1) black cohosh 160 mg daily; (2) multibotanical (50 mg black cohosh, alfalfa, chaste tree, dong quai, false unicorn, licorice, oats, pomegranate, Siberian ginseng, boron) four capsules daily; (3) multibotanical plus telephone counseling to increase dietary soy; (4) conjugated equine estrogen 0.625 mg +/- 2.