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. --30--eb/sf cmf/sf CONTACT: University of California, San Francisco Bill Gordon, 415/476-2557