Natural therapies may soon be safer, more affordable: the top minds in alternative medicine recently drew up a wish list for the president and Congress. Here's what some of those requests could mean to you - news & notes: latest research, interviews, product reviews, tips and trends

Natural Health, April, 2002 by Kathryn Perrotti Leavitt

QUALITY CHECKS FOR ALL supplements and better insurance coverage of natural therapies are just two wishes that may become reality. They're part of a White House-commissioned report just presented to President Bush that proposes changes to make complementary therapies safer, more accessible, and more affordable. Under development for two years, the report came from the 20-member Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy Commission. "This [report] is very, very important," says James Gordon, M.D., director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C., and head of the commission. "We are laying the groundwork for a program that will transform health care. Over the next five years I expect many of the proposals to become part of the fabric of our health care system."

One of the top requests is for stricter regulation of supplement quality. Currently some companies sell natural products that don't contain the ingredients listed on the labels. The report urges the FDA to step up its initiative to establish quality guidelines to fix this problem and suggests that a government-appointed group spot-check products.

The report also asks that health insurers cover more alternative and complementary therapies so patients don't have to pay out-of-pocket as often for treatments like acupuncture. It calls on states to create more licensing programs for alternative practitioners, which should translate into access to more qualified practitioners. And it asks the federal government to create an alternative medicine information clearinghouse so patients will have access to credible information.

The goal is for Congress to adopt some of the suggested changes as early as this fall. To help decide which changes should be made, read the report at www.whccamp.hhs.gov, and then write your senator, congressman, or congresswoman to register your support.