Press Release

October 6, 2006
Contact: Kaylyn Dines
(973) 972-3000
dineskd@umdnj.edu

UMDNJ Hosts Integrative Medicine Conference for Health Care Professionals

NEWARK — Physicians, nurses, health practitioners, complementary and alternative medicine providers, and the public are invited to attend an Integrative Health Options Conference on Fri., Oct. 20, and Sat., Oct. 21, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 185 South Orange Avenue, Room B556, Newark.

“More than 62 percent of Americans use some form of complementary or alternative medicine each year,” Dr. Cynthia Y. Paige, an assistant professor of family medicine at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School and the conference chair. “This workshop will be instrumental in educating health care providers about this growing realm of health care.”

The Integrative Health Options Conference will address common medical issues including: hypertension, obesity, infertility, cancer, arthritis, inflammation, and stroke. Additionally, attendees can participate in Reiki training, a Japanese healing technique for stress reduction and relaxatio n. Participants can also experience other therapies such as yoga, acupuncture and massage.

The conference will also offer health professionals an opportunity to identify ways of providing care that combines complementary and alternative health modalities with conventional Western medicine. In addition, workshops will present techniques for identifying treatment and research protocols that can improve health options, outcomes, and overall patient satisfaction.

The Integrative Health Options conference is being co-sponsored by the Department of Family Medicine at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, the Institute for Complementary & Alternative Medicine at the UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions, and Eastern School of Acupuncture in Montclair. Several nationally recognized complementary and alternative medicine professionals will facilitate the workshops.

To register for the conference call Carol Perry, of the Department of Family Medicine at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, at 973-972-0144 or e-mail her at perryca@umdnj.edu. Student discounts are available. Media coverage at the conference is welcome. To arrange interviews, call Kaylyn Dines at 973-972-7276. For additional information, visit http://www.integrativehealthoptions.com/.

UMDNJ is the nation’s largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,500 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and a school of public health on five campuses. Annually, there are more than two million patient visits at UMDNJ facilities and faculty practices at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a statewide mental health and addiction services network.