SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 1996--A new UCSF
Program in Integrative Medicine promises to combine the traditional
knowledge of ancient Eastern medicine, lifestyle and nutritional
changes, and other "alternative" treatments with the latest
laboratory breakthroughs in a comprehensive effort to educate
doctors, treat patients, and search for the most effective therapies.
          "The UCSF Program in Integrative Medicine will incorporate all
promising approaches -- from yoga, meditation, herbal medicine and
other non-conventional therapies to the most recent discoveries about
the disease process at the molecular level -- into a single, rigorous
search for the best treatments for breast cancer, heart disease and
other ailments," said Haile T. Debas, MD, dean of the UCSF School of
Medicine.
          "UCSF discoveries in cell biology and genetics played an
instrumental role in changing our understanding of the disease
process and in developing powerful new treatments.  Under the UCSF
Program in Integrative Medicine, we propose to focus on complementary
therapies in our scientific inquiry and to measure the results by the
same standards," Debas said.
          One in three Americans now use non-conventional therapies, making
about 425 million visits annually to alternative medicine
practitioners despite the lack of clinically proven benefit or
knowledge of toxicity.
          The UCSF Program in Integrative Medicine will be dedicated to
developing clinical trials to test the effectiveness and safety of
non-conventional treatments and providing the best use of the
therapies in combination with conventional treatments.  It also will
be an important site in the training of medical students, residents,
and practicing physicians.
          A task force including some of the nation's leading authorities
on integrative medicine is advising Debas on the development of the
UCSF program.  The task force meets today (December 4) to discuss the
program components and structure.
          Co-chairs of the task force are Dean Ornish, MD, UCSF assistant
clinical professor of medicine; Ellen F. Hughes, MD, PhD, UCSF
associate clinical professor of medicine; and Laura J. Esserman, MD,
UCSF assistant professor of surgery.
          Ornish, president and director of the non-profit Preventive
Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, has published clinical
research results demonstrating -- for the first time -- that
comprehensive diet and lifestyle changes may begin to reverse
coronary heart disease without cholesterol-lowering drugs or coronary
bypass surgery.  He is the author of "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for
Reversing Heart Disease" and three other best-selling books.
          Hughes is the faculty sponsor of a UCSF School of Medicine
elective course in non-conventional therapies called "Complementary
Paths of Healing."  She also coordinates ongoing efforts to include
case studies and other information about integrative medicine in the
regular medical school curriculum.
          Esserman is co-director of the UCSF Breast Care Center and a
member of the UCSF Institute for Health Policy.  The Bay Area Breast
Cancer Center is being developed by the UCSF Cancer Center and the
California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute.  Funded through
a $4.3 million grant from the US Department of Defense, the center
will provide a "one-stop" patient-focused breast care program.
          A director has not yet been named for the UCSF Program in
Integrative Medicine, which will be located at UCSF/Mount Zion.
Several key components have been identified for the program, which
has been under discussion for more than a year.  They include the
following:

      -- Breast cancer -- Esserman leads an integrated approach to
breast cancer treatment at UCSF that includes conventional and
non-conventional services such as psychotherapy, meditation, yoga,
and dance and art therapies.  As part of the Bay Area Breast Cancer
Center, researchers at UCSF and CPMC plan to study the effect of
alternative mind-body and spiritually-oriented approaches to the
treatment of breast cancer.
          -- Heart disease reversal -- Ornish plans to establish a heart
disease reversal demonstration project at UCSF as part of a
nationwide demonstration network.  Patients using the program will be
treated and evaluated at UCSF.
          Esserman and Ornish also will work together to establish other
clinical programs involving integrative care.
          -- Prostate cancer -- Ornish and Peter R. Carroll, MD, chair of
the UCSF Department of Urology, plan a program to study extension of
the heart disease model of reversing disease through diet and
lifestyle changes to treatment of prostate cancer.  Ornish is
principal investigator of the first randomized, controlled trial to
determine whether the progression of the cancer can be reversed using
his techniques.
          Other projects that might be included in the UCSF Integrative
Medicine Program include a study of Tibetan medicine in treating
breast cancer and a study of Chinese herbal medicine in controlling
hot flashes associated with menopause.
          -- Education -- Hughes will oversee the development of the
education component of the UCSF Integrative Medicine Program.  UCSF
medical students already receive exposure to non-conventional
medicine through Hughes's course, a class in homeopathic medicine,
and a class called "Healers Art," which stresses the social,
emotional, and spiritual aspects of being a physician.
          Hughes expects to include integrative medicine in all aspects of
medical education -- the first two years of medical school,
subsequent studies in clinical settings, and experience as residents
and practicing physicians.  Some aspects of the philosophy may
continue to be taught as elective or required courses while others
will be incorporated into case studies, clinical care, and continuing
education, she said.
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      CONTACT:
      University of California, San Francisco
      Bill Gordon, 415/476-2557