prof kerryn phelps president media release

Just saw that nationally respected Dr ( now Professor) Kerryn Phelps is the President of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association, she's a regular on national media ( some recent media is on their website)....all good for STI with the second partnership just announced today.... there' some good information on their website and some valuable statistics in the media release below ( that came out when she was first appointed as President a few months ago)

MEDIA RELEASE - 10.12.09
Professor Kerryn Phelps Announced as the new President
of the Australasian Integrative Medical Association Inc.
Professor Kerryn Phelps was confirmed as the new President of the Australasian
Integrative Medical Association Inc. (AIMA) for a term of 2 years at the Annual General
Meeting in Melbourne last night, Wednesday 9 December 2009.
I am extremely honoured to be asked to represent my colleagues in this exciting, vibrant,
progressive and emerging movement in healthcare. Through Integrative Medicine we will
see true health care reform growing out of the wide angle lens approach this philosophy
offers. I look forward to advancing the healthcare debate in new directions during my
term. Phelps said.
Formed in 1992 the AIMA is an independent not for profit organisation supported by its
membership and governed by a Board of voluntary doctors and academic leaders in the
field of integrative medicine. AIMA supports and promotes the integration of evidence based
complementary medicine and therapies within current mainstream medical
practice. AIMA is the peak medical body representing the doctors of integrative medicine.
Integrative medicine is a philosophy of healthcare with a focus on individual patient care
and combines the best conventional western medicine and complementary and alternative
therapies from many cultures working hand in hand to provide the best possible patient
care. Individual patient care is decided based on what is considered to be best for that
patients individual circumstances, for example a patient with back pain might require
medical assessment and physiotherapy and/or acupuncture and/or chiropractic care.
More than 80 percent of cancer patients use at least one complementary or alternative
treatment as alongside their conventional cancer treatment (not as an alternative to it)[1].
(Grace K. Dy, 2004)
According to a recent survey, one-third of GPs and one-half of pharmacists reported
practising integrative medicine/care, which was defined in the survey as a holistic
approach to health care that integrates conventional medical care with complementary
therapies[2]. (National Prescribing Service Limited, December 2008 (updated April 2009))
Phelps says This is a very robust movement in the US and it is really just taking off in
Australia and given the number of doctors that are interested in practising medicine in this
way, it is set to become the new mainstream.
Phelps has also written the first textbook on integrative medicine which is due for release
mid-2010. The textbook is the first of its kind in Australia and the US and is described as
a revolutionary concept. The text book, for practitioners only at this stage, introduces the
concept of Integrative Health combining medical and complementary therapies with
lifestyle to achieve positive patient outcomes.
For media enquiries please contact Jackie Stricker - 0409 220 011
http://www.aima.net.au/
[1] Grace K. Dy, L. B. (2004). Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use by Patients Enrolled onto Phase I Clinical
Trials. Journal of of Clinical Oncology , 4810-4815 - http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/reprint/22/23/4810.
[1] National Prescribing Service Limited. (December 2008 (updated April 2009)). Complementary Medicines Information Use
and Needs of Health Professionals: General Practitioners and Pharmacists. Sydney: National Prescribing Service Limited
http://www.nps.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/66620/CMs_Report_-_HP_-_Apr_09.pdf.