Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 16:01:13 -0800
Subject: Open Letter Regarding Anthrax Treatment
Please forward this email to all interested
individuals.
Thank you
Carla Wilson, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac. & C.H. (NCCAOM)
President, Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance
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An Open Letter to Practitioners of Complementary and
Alternative Medicine
Dear friends,
As is true in every corner of America, we have been attentive to the recent
incidents of anthrax exposure that have been reported in Washington, New York
and Florida. We have been in communication with each other as colleagues in the
many useful disciplines of natural health care to discuss an appropriate
strategy and response to these incidents for our entire community.
At this time, each of our organizations have agreed to endorse a common advisory
to practitioners of acupuncture, herbalism and naturopathy:
| to recommend that any of your patients who believe they may have come in contact with or are infected with anthrax should immediately seek standard medical treatment |
| to report any such exposure to your local health department with your
patient |
As you are all aware, there are natural therapies that have much to offer in
terms of enhancing general immune resistance and in dealing with stress in this
time of great anxiety. In addition, your patients may ask you to provide
supportive therapy during or after antibiotic therapy. There are not, however,
any defined natural healing protocols for any form of anthrax infection.
It may also be useful, as a participant in the U.S. healthcare system, to become
acquainted with this emerging public health issue. The Centers for Disease
Control conducted a broadcast entitled Anthrax: What Every Clinician Should Know
to present clinical guidelines and procedures for the early recognition,
diagnosis, treatment, and reporting of anthrax exposure. The program runs about
90 minutes and can be found at http://www.sph.unc.edu/about/webcasts/bioter_10-18_stream1.htm.
Alternately, a free VHS copy of this webcast can be obtained by calling
877.252.1200 from 9am-5pm EDT or by sending an email to info@phf.org.
Feel free to contact any of these organization for further information.
Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Alliance, Olalla, WA
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, McLean, VA
American Association of Oriental Medicine, Catasauqua, PA
American Herbalists Guild, Canton, GA