Alternative medicine going mainstream

Rx: Massage.

Maybe not your typical prescription for back pain, but doctors across the United States are moving beyond drugs for the treatment of illness and injury, suggesting patients try yoga, acupuncture, biofeedback and, yes, massage.

Leading hospitals across the country, including the Mayo Clinic, Duke University Medical Center and UC San Francisco are offering services like yoga and acupuncture to patients. In the North Bay, Sonoma Valley Hospital's 4-year-old Integrative Medicine Program is just one example of the trend.

"It helped tremendously," Marianne Cosgrove of Sonoma said of the acupuncture she received for her arthritic knees at her hometown hospital.

"Having it at the hospital made it close by, convenient, and I knew it was medically sound. It wasn't just going through the phone book," she said.

Once known as alternative medicine, integrative or complementary medicine is growing in popularity among patients, physicians and industry experts.

The practices offer homeopathic and non-traditional therapies in combination with traditional ones. For example, a cancer patient experiencing nausea with chemotherapy might get stomach-settling relief with acupuncture, said Dr. Aimee Chagnon, a neurologist and pain expert in charge of integrative medicine at Sonoma Valley, where massage and acupuncture are offered as in-hospital services.

"It's becoming more and more respected," Chagnon said. "Ideally, we're taking the best of both worlds and offering patients complementary medicines."

Other hospitals in the North Bay also blend traditional and alternative approaches.

For example, services ranging from music therapy to hypnosis and acupuncture are offered at Palm Drive Hospital in Sebastopol. Memorial and Petaluma Valley hospitals teach patients guided imagery and breathing/relaxation exercises.

Sutter Medical Center offers free, complementary therapies including guided imagery to low-income breast cancer patients at a twice-a-month clinic. Members of Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa can log on to the Kaiser Web site and download guided imagery podcasts to help them prepare for surgery or deal with stress, sleep problems, pain management and other health issues.

Santa Rosa is also home to the Integrative Medical Clinic. Founded in 2001 by two longtime North Bay physicians, it offers family and internal medicine services as well as acupunture, massage and guidance on using herbs and other supplements.

Several national medical and professional organizations are devoted to the therapies. On the U.S. News & World Report's annual America's Best Hospitals list, all 18 offer some type of integrative medicine program.

It's a movement toward the mainstream for doctors often sidelined by traditional medicine, Chagnon said.

"People have pre-conceived notions about alternative medicine. It's the quack-factor," she said. "They tend to forget that these are real medicines."

Also at Sonoma Valley, a naturopathic physician who emphasizes natural remedies for medical problems treats outpatients. Soon the hospital will add a yoga class for patients who have had a heart attack, stroke or are dealing with Parkinson's disease.

The prescription is alternative, but Chagnon said the results are making these treatments more mainstream every day.

"Massage would help a lot of patients control their pain, particularly for back problems, so as physicians what we're wanting to do is to prescribe deep tissue work," Chagnon said. "We hope that doctors at the same time as they are considering surgery or prescribing drugs, will give equal consideration to complementary medicine."

But while a prescription for a massage may sound like a dream doctor's visit, working through the details can be a headache.

Before you bill your insurance company for such services as deep tissue work, talk to your doctor and your insurance provider, advised Chagnon.

Many providers won't cover these treatments, even when part of a specific medical program like the one Chagnon directs, she said.

"The results are the same a lot of times as prescribing pharmaceuticals, but it's very difficult to cover them on the insurance," Chagnon said. "A doctor might be convinced that the best thing to do is acupuncture, but then, most of the time, the patient can't go because the insurance won't pay."

Chagnon estimates that only 20 percent of the patients she recommends integrative therapies to are able to obtain them because of financial strain.

For some patients, who Chagnon knows will not be able to afford the treatments, she doesn't even suggest that there may be a therapy that could help but is not covered by insurance.

"I think if there might be a way for them to afford it, or if their family can help, then I bring it up," she said. "But for others. It just seems cruel to bring it up."

Patients being treated at hospitals without these programs can still benefit by seeking services via private providers like a neighborhood yoga studio or acupuncturist, Chagnon said.

For the most part, such therapies are not risky but should still be discussed with a doctor before starting, particularly for disease treatment or chronic problems like back pain, Chagnon said.

Also, any remedies such as herbal supplements should be discussed with a doctor to ensure the patient is a good candidate, Chagnon said.

"There are so many patients this might help," Chagnon said. "Even just massage. There are so many different ways to approach medicine with your doctor. You just have to talk about it."

You can reach Staff Writer Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton@pressdemocrat

.com.