The need for research into health promotion and CAM

The need for research into health promotion and CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) was the title of the third meeting of the MEP CAM Interest Group of the European Parliament held on 11 October 2011 in the Parliament. The meeting was chaired by MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen (Fin). 

CAM can play an innovative rol

To date, health research has mostly focused on studying diseases and the effect of various therapeutic interventions upon them. Comparable progress in understanding how a state of health can be maintained and how, via prevention and intervention, better health can be attained, needs to be made urgently. CAM can play an innovative role in the context of the enormous personal, social and economic cost of chronic disease and health inequalities. CAM is primarily aimed at maintaining and restoring the persons’ own natural systems for maintaining health and fighting disease, and for sustaining health improvement. For these reasons and given its widespread demand among European citizens, research into its innovative contribution to EU health programmes should have a high priority.

Presentations and documents available for downloading:

  • CAM and the Research Framework Programmes
    Ole Olesen, Scientific Officer, Health Research, DG RTD. 
  • The Contribution of Complementary Medicine to European Public Health - Towards a Research Agenda
    Prof. Dr. Dr. phil. Harald Walach, Institut of Transcultural Health Studies, European University Viadrina - Frankfurt (Oder), Germany.
  • Summary of the meeting. 
  • Background document.