The White House Commission on Complementary
and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) Info Page

This section is compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:   Frankp@chiro.org

Jump to:    The Final WHCCAMP Report      Information about WHCCAMP

                     Testimony of the Participants

The Final Report of the WHCCAMP

   The Final Report of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy
The most interesting findings are that “Chiropractic has the most extensively developed and implemented national education and training standards of any CAM profession” and that “Currently, the chiropractic profession appears to have the most extensive full-time postgraduate CAM education and training, offering residencies in radiology, orthopedics, family practice, and clinical sciences. A typical chiropractic residency program is two to three years in duration and includes outpatient care and inpatient clinical rotations at chiropractic and conventional medical facilities, along with classroom and research experiences.”


   Press Releases (Pro and Con) About the Formation, Members, Meetings and Final Report of WHCCAMP
There has been mixed responses to the formation of WHCCAMP; CAM providers were excited, watchdogs felt that the Commission would restrict access, Anti-quack paranoids felt that this report would force CAM down America's throat. Read this interesting collection of articles from a variety of National groups.


   Dr. Veronica Gutierrez Reports on Her Participation in WHCCAMP

General Information about WHCCAMP

   WHCCAMP:   An Interview with James Gorden, M.D.
          This interview with Dan Redwood, D.C. starts: “Named by President Clinton to chair the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy, James Gordon, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, Director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and was the first Chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM).”


   Press Release: White House Announces Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy
President Clinton on March 7, 2000 signed an executive order establishing a White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. The order came just weeks after Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) held a press conference on the Navarro family's battle with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and introduced legislation to ensure patients' access to the medical treatments--including alternative treatments--of their choice.


   Press Release: Drs. Meeker and Rosner Testify before White House Commission on CAM Policy
On October 5, 2000, William Meeker, DC, MPH, director of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, and Anthony Rosner, PhD, director of research for the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research, testified before the newly formed White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy in Washington, D.C. Representatives of the ACA also testified to the commission during the public comment open session.


   The WHCCAMP Home Page
           A growing number of Americans are using alternative approaches to health promotion and medical treatment. People are looking to health care providers to treat the whole person, not only illness. This Commission, which is composed of individuals knowledgeable in both conventional and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), has been charged with addressing: Research on CAM practices and products; Delivery of and public access to CAM services; Dissemination of reliable information on CAM to health care providers and the general public; and (information about) appropriate licensing, education, and training of CAM health care practioners.


   Comments by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)
           Harkin, long-time champion of improved research and freedom to choose alternative therapies, worked through the LHHS Appropriations subcommittee to establish the then Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 1991 to investigate and validate alternative therapies. In 1998, Harkin sponsored successful legislation to elevate the Office to the new National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at NIH to improve research and consumer information in this growing area.

Testimony of the Participants

   Testimony of the Participants Page
           Here are the testimonies from National Chiropractic Associations, and a cross-section of individual chiropractors and medical providers at the various conferences held. You may be interested in accessing all of the Meetings held since July 13, 2000. The full texts are no longer available at: http://www.whccamp.hhs.gov/meetings/

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Since 5-24-2001

Updated 9-17-2006