Press Releases (Pro and Con) About the Formation, Members, Meetings, and Final Report of WHCCAMP

This section is compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:   Frankp@chiro.org

Jump to:    “Pro” Articles          “Con” Articles          Post-Publication Press Releases

   The Final Report of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy
The most interesting findings are that “Chiropractic has the most extensively developed and implemented national education and training standards of any CAM profession” and that “Currently, the chiropractic profession appears to have the most extensive full-time postgraduate CAM education and training, offering residencies in radiology, orthopedics, family practice, and clinical sciences. A typical chiropractic residency program is two to three years in duration and includes outpatient care and inpatient clinical rotations at chiropractic and conventional medical facilities, along with classroom and research experiences.”

“Pro” WHCCAMP Articles

   American Association for Health Freedom
           As you may know, AAHF was instrumental in creating the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy several years ago, in an effort to direct the Federal Government's attention to the advancement and integration of CAM in the U.S. health care system. Language establishing the Commission was included in the legislation we spearheaded which created the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at NIH.

“Con” WHCCAMP Articles

   Institute for Health Freedom
           Was the new commission established to pacify feisty citizens--such as Thomas Navarro's parents--who are demanding immediate access to alternative medicine? Is it a stalling tactic to postpone doing anything about patients' demands for access to treatments not approved by the FDA? Amusingly enough this report was written 2 years before the resease of the WHCCAMP document.

Post-Publication Press Releases

   CAM Panel's Chair Responds in the Washington Post
           Washington Post March 26, 2002 - The article “Alternative Health Panel Under Attack” [March 19] suggests I was “dismayed” by “critics” of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy, which I had the honor to chair. The quoted “critics,” including Stephen Barrett, were repeatedly and cordially invited to present their views to the commission -- and almost all, including Barrett, declined to participate in a collegial scientific inquiry.


   Alternative Health Panel Under Attack
           Washington Post March 19, 2002 - Stephen Barrett, a retired psychiatrist known for posting blistering refutations about alternative therapies on his “Quackwatch” Web site, said he wants the Bush administration to reject the commission's recommendations because they “would promote unscientific practices and waste countless millions of taxpayer dollars.”


   US Alternative Medicine Report Spurs Controversy
           Reuters Health - Controversial from the start, the Commission took several hits during its two-year existence, including, as the final report was drafted, a public airing of dissatisfaction from two panelists. Joseph Fins, director of medical ethics at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell and Tierona Low Dog, a New Mexico-based acupuncturist, wrote a separate statement, included in the report's appendix.


   Government Panel Makes Alternative Medicine Recommendations
           CNN News - A controversial panel is recommending the Bush administration consider more Medicare coverage of alternative remedies. They'd also like to see a national office backing research of them despite some panelists' warning that much of what their own report touts is unproven at best.


   Commission Urges Boost in Funding of Alternative Medicine Research
           The White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy, know by its acronym CAM and established by former President Clinton, said most alternative treatments have not yet been scientifically studied and found to be safe and effective. Therefore, substantially more funding for research is needed to determine the possible benefits and limitations of various treatments, the report said.

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Since 3-28-2002

Updated 9-15-2006