Evidence-based integrative dermatology.

American recognition for medical pluralism arrived in 1991. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine was established under the National Institutes of Health in 1998. Following this, patients and researchers began exploring use of integrative medicine.

Integrating modern dermatology and Ayurveda in the treatment of vitiligo and lymphedema in India.

Background: Globally, governments have recognized the growing popularity of Complementary and Alternative Medicines and the possibility of their combined use with biomedicine. Decisions within the Government of India have led to a conducive environment for conducting clinical studies, to achieve integration of more than one system of medicine, so that their combined benefits can be brought to bear on chronic, difficult-to-treat conditions.

Aim: To develop integrative dermatology treatment protocols for patients with long-standing skin diseases who have received treatment from many centers.

Evidence-based approaches for the Ayurvedic traditional herbal formulations: toward an Ayurvedic CONSORT model.

This paper considers the problem of evaluating multimodal integrative medicine treatments for complex pathologic conditions. The example is given of evaluation of highly successful treatments of lymphedema using Ayurvedic and Yoga medicine practices together with modern medicine. For a framework to evaluate such a complex intervention, we base our proposal on Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines.