naturopathydigest.com -- Evidence-Based Medicine Made Easy

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Evidence-Based Medicine Made Easy

By Editorial Staff

Evidence-based medicine or best practices are phrases used regularly within the health care professions these days. Some might even say they are the Holy Grail for alternative medicines to gain legitimacy. However, it can be time-consuming to sort through all the data and compare treatments for efficacy, particularly for a busy clinician with patients who all expect solutions right away.

The solution might be as close as your nearest acadmic library or hospital. Natural Standard (www.naturalstandard.com) is a nonprofit "international research collaboration that aggregates and synthesizes data on complementary and alternative therapies." The organization sifts through mounds of scientific data by using a grading scale in order to create information databases that are "evidence-based, consensus-based, and peer-reviewed, tapping into the collective expertise of a multidisciplinary Editorial Board." While these databases are not available to individuals on their home or practice computers, they can be acessed via academic university libraries or hospital systems.

What this means for the average practitioner is that they now have the ability to take advantage of the work Natural Standard has already done. They can now easily and quickly compare efficacy for various treatments in terms of scientific strength and validity. The Web site's mission, in line with this, is to "provide objective, reliable information that aids clinicians, patients and healthcare institutions to make more informed and safer therapeutic decisions." You can download a demo and view examples by clicking on the "Demo" button on the right-hand site of the homepage.

There are three different monographs available, as well as news updates, patient handouts and two comparison databases. As an example of one comparative efficacy chart, Natural Standards gives yoga a B ("Good Scientific Evidence") rating for treating anxiety conditions.

The editorial board features an extensive list of health care professionals including several naturopathic physicians:

Jason Barker, ND, one of a handful of NDs to have completed two years of a postgraduate family practice residency in the Family Practice Residency Program at National College of Natural Medicine. He is the co-author of the book Herbs and Nutrients for the Mind: A Guide to Natural Brain Enhancers.

Deena Beneda-Khosh, ND, a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and current secretary and treasurer of the Kansas Naturopathic Association. In addition, she is a research assistant professor with a joint appointment in the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center in the Program of Integrative Medicine.

Andrew L. Rubman, ND, founder and lifetime member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. He has served as an advisor and lecturer for the White House Commission for Complementary and Alternative Medical Policy and serves as the content provider in naturopathic medicine for the North American Menopause Society.

Michael Smith, MRPharmS, ND, associate dean for research at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. He is the principal investigator for multiple studies, including a prospective controlled study of echinacea published in Archives of Internal Medicine (2000), and studies of alternative therapies in cancer and in pregnancy. He also serves on the National Advisory Group on Complementary and Alternative Medicine and HIV/AIDS, and the International Editorial Board for Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies.