title: Integrative medicine and gastrointestinal disease.
abstract: Common disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract account for about 50 million visits per year to physicians trained in traditional allopathic or osteopathic medicine. Sometimes patients turn to more alternative treatments because standard medical therapy is either not producing the most desired result or may have side effects, or patients may see complementary or alternative therapies as more natural. In the United States, the overall expenditure for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is in the tens of billions of dollars per year. Because physicians need to be aware of the latest evidence for different complementary and alternative therapies used for gastrointestinal disorders, this article focuses on the most common and most studied CAM therapies for selected common gastrointestinal disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Fahey Building Room 260, 2160 South First Avenue, Maywood, IL 60153, USA. cnelso@lumc.edu
authors.forename: Aaron J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Michelfelder
authors.forename: Kit C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bading
mesh_terms: D000529:Complementary Therapies; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000628:therapy; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000628:therapy; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D008517:Phytotherapy