February 2014 John Weeks Integrator Round-Up: Organizations

by John Weeks, Publisher Editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports Society for Integrative Oncology gains significant coverage in ASCO PostOn January 8, 2014, the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) sent a note sharing the significant penetration of SIO content into

by John Weeks, Publisher/Editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports

Society for Integrative Oncology gains significant coverage in ASCO Post

On January 8, 2014, the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) sent a note sharing the significant penetration of SIO content into perhaps the most significant vehicle for information about clinical cancer treatment. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) publishes The ASCO Post ASCO's December 15, 2013 issue focused on SIO and its recent 10th International Conference held in Vancouver, British Columbia. The coverage included interviews The Post's senior editor conducted with SIO's president Heather Greenlee, ND, PhD and immediate past president Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN, FAAN for these articles. Click here to read The ASCO Post article highlighting the SIO Conference and here to read the article based on a conversation with Dr. Greenlee. SIO notes that The Post also published a summary of the 'Best of SIO' abstracts from the conference.

Comment: Quite a sign of value that integrative oncology is gaining to see this level of interest from ASCO. My guess is that the Greenlee interview is also the most significant positioning of a naturopathic physician in that journal and for that field.

Foundation for Chiropractic Progress publishes instructive report on 2013 media placements

By far the most significant media campaign associated with integrative health and medicine is that engaged by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. The organization, which is an exemplary consortium of all the chiropractic stakeholders, recently published its 21-page, instructive, 2013 PR Report. Bottom-line: F4CP estimates that its work, in multiple ad placement, public service announcements, and media coverage, was responsible for a total of 20,578,591,775 media impressions in 2013. These "impressions" are defined as the total number of people exposed to an article, public service announcement, print advertorial and/or advertisement.

Comment: For most professions and interests in these fields, this report will be a "read it and weep" experience - regarding all that is possible in visibility creation, but is yet beyond most organization's reach. The report is an example of what can be done when an entire profession, and the industry that supports it, puts its shoulders to the same plow.

Massage groups publish group statement supporting the Entry-Level Analysis Project (ELAP)

The Coalition of National Massage Therapy Organizations (Coalition) has published the following comments in support of Entry-Level Analysis Project (ELAP): "ELAP is a research project initiated by the Coalition in March 2012. The project goals were to use data to define knowledge and skill components of entry-level education and recommend the minimum number of hours schools should teach to prepare graduates for safe and competent practice in the massage profession. After work was completed in December of 2013, the project work group submitted two documents to Coalition representatives, The Core: Entry-Level Analysis Project Report (the Final Report) and The Core: Entry-Level Massage Education Blueprint (the Blueprint). These documents describe ELAP work group data analysis processes, procedures, findings and recommendations for core learning objectives, outcomes, and teaching hours." The documents became available to download from the ELAP site  on February 10, 2014.

International group of medicinal plant researchers endorses ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program

The American Botanical Council (ABC) has announced that the "largest international professional organization of scientists who analyze and research medicinal plants and therapeutic derivatives thereof has endorsed an educational program that advises industry, health professionals, and researchers about the challenges of adulterated herb and botanical products." The organization is the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research, with members from more than 90 countries. The ABC-AHP-  NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program is a coalition of three nonprofit groups: the American Botanical Council, the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, and the University of Mississippi's National Center for Natural Products Research. More than 100 other American and international parties cooperate with the Program. Adulteration refers to the accidental or intentional substitution or dilution of a material with an undisclosed lower-cost ingredient, thereby giving the consumer or user a false sense of the value of an ingredient or product containing such an adulterated ingredient.

Comment: Credit ABC's persistence in building energy around this program. This is among the efforts that counter the kind of anti-industry rhetoric of Congressman Henry Waxman (see People, below) and others.