Interesting idea. One caveat and two extensions to the idea.

First the caveat: How can the skills and capabilities of the alternative practictioners be assessed, validated (need to somehow exclude charlatans and evil-doers) and registered?

The first extension to the idea is to create an insurance program that could be offered to those people who need/want access to the alternative practitioners - those providers are not cheap. Employers offer pet insurance. Why not alternative medical care insurance (in addition to regular medical insurance)?

The sceond extension, relating to the preventation aspects, how might one capitalize on (and simultaneously encourage) prevention by lowering the health costs of those who actively participate in preventative actions and programs. While many companies have lower rates for non-smokers, for instance, why not similar measures for those who actively exercise/watch their weight/avoid drugs and alcohol . . . . I can think of a number of ways technology could be applied for measurement and verification (for those who wanted to participate).

Thank you for your comments John. With reference to the caveat, A great part of the concept for integrative medicineis to prevent the charlatons and quacks from having a unchallanged environment to decieve or cause harm. By having MD's and DO's working in full and open cooperation with the alternative practitioners it would be most difficult for them to foster invalid therapies as part of a medical practice.

Regarding your extensions, I believe that there is a fortune to be made in the near future by new and progressive insurance underwriters. Certainly the cost of insuring a health conscious individual would be considerably less costly. Even people with pre-existing conditions who are taking a proactive role by seeking out preventive healthcare incurring fewer side effects shold be entitled to obtain wellness insurance and be rewarded to their commitment to a healthier lifestyle.

It is not only the pharmaceutical industry that wield so much influence over the medical industry. There are the food companies too. Many of the ingredients -- synthetic sweeteners, the hydrogenated oils etc -- have an adverse effect on people's health and well-being.

I would recommend that education in nutrition and health be the primary focus and starting point of a health revolution. It is the catalyst for change -- in the eating and living habits. There are many institutions out of the mainstream medical schools that offers such education.

I don't think the problem is that the Healthcare community is out of control, but rather that it is too tightly controlled by regulation and licensing laws. The answer is less control, not more.

I am the only one who knows what type of medical care or which experimental medicines are safe enough or too risky for me. Let me choose which doctor, certified or not, that I want to treat me at the price that I want to pay, and let me take full responsibility for my choice. Don't force expensive protection on me. I am not afraid of my own choice. Licensing laws only drive costs up and quality down.

When anyone (whether government licensed or not) is free to dispense medical advice on the open market, people will still largely seek some kind of recommendation/certification in accord with their comfort level and budget. The market will reward those with the best results with more and repeat business and the availability and cost of heathcare will improve. Meanwhile, some will be free to explore new ways of approaching medical problems so the quality of heathcare will be free to evolve rapidly.

For more details on the argument against government control of the medical profession, see Dr. Mary Ruwart's Book online at ruwart.com, Chapter 5, Harming Our Health.

When we can get away from the idea that we can regulate heathcare into perfection (trying to prevent any single (charlatan or evil-doer), and instead rely on the free market to regulate itself, the results for our health will be amazing.

Nate

To elaborate on Nate's point, one easy way to quickly reduce the cost of US healthcare is to allow the immigration of large numbers of foreign doctors. Many of these doctors are highly qualified and score higher than US students in medical licencing exams but are kept out by quota systems instituted by doctors' pressure groups, such as the AMA. Not only would an increased pool of doctors decrease the cost of doctors' services and thus depress healthcare costs, but many immigrant doctors are given citizenship in exchange for working in underserved areas.

Great concept. It is actually being practiced in some forward-thinking health systems. Check out the Center for Integrative Medicine affiliated with Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.http://www.nmpg.com/default.aspx?page=Services/IntegrativeMedicine

THIS IS MY MAIN FOCUS WHEN I SET OP MY WEBSITE(gerrysmiles.com )I believe strongly in ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE and I would like to contact anyone interested in promoting it. Gerry.