Multidisciplinary Conference on Manual Therapies If you canft attend the ACC-RAC Conference in Las Vegas this week (Mar 17-20) because of distance, family and practice commitments, then the conference offering below is a must attend alternative. On June 9-10, 2005, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) will sponsor a conference entitled The Biology of Manual Therapies in Bethesda, Maryland. The conference will emphasize research in neuroscience, immunology, endocrinology, biomechanics, and imaging as they relate to manipulation, massage, and mobilization. The cost of the conference registration is only $35. Experts from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research will join academic, patient advocacy, and professional organizations to assess current knowledge and identify opportunities for further research on manual therapies. Manual therapies include a host of techniques that focus primarily on the structures and systems of the body, including the bones and joints, the soft tissues, and the circulatory and lymphatic systems. There is increasing evidence that manual therapies may trigger a cascade of cellular, biomechanical, neural, and/or extracellular events as the body adapts to the external stress. This conference is vital to the future of chiropractic. Researchers, health care practitioners, patient advocates, and the public are all invited to participate. Manipulative and Body-base Therapeutics: An Overview Under the umbrella of manipulative and body-based practices is a heterogeneous group of CAM interventions and therapies. These include chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, massage therapy, Tui Na, reflexology, rolfing, Bowen technique, Trager bodywork, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais method, and a host of others (a list of definitions is given at the end of this report). Surveys of the U.S. population suggest that between 3 percent and 16 percent of adults receive chiropractic manipulation in a given year, while between 2 percent and 14 percent receive some form of massage therapy.1-5 In 1997, U.S. adults made an estimated 192 million visits to chiropractors and 114 million visits to massage therapists. Visits to chiropractors and massage therapists combined represented 50 percent of all visits to CAM practitioners.2 Data on the remaining manipulative and body-based practices are sparser, but it can be estimated that they are collectively used by less than 7 percent of the adult population. For more information on Manipulative and Body-base therapies click on the following link: Body-base therapies Tentative Conference Agenda (Link) Tentative Agenda--Workshop on the Biology of Manual Therapies Natcher Conference Center, National Institutes of Health June 9-10, 2005 June 9, 2005 œ Introduction by NIH and CIHR Staff œ Introduction by Session Chairs œ Historical Perspective Murray Goldstein, D.O., M.P.H. Medical Director for the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation œ Overview: Current Use of Manual Therapies in Canada and U.S. Maria Verhoef, Ph.D. Department of Community Health Sciences University of Calgary Janet R. Kahn, Ph.D., L.M.T. Integrative Consulting Break Session 1: Neuroscience Joel Pickar, D.C., Ph.D, (co-chair) Professor Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research James Henry, Ph.D. (co-chair) Professor and Chair in Central Pain McMaster University Scientific Director Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care Partap S. Khalsa, D.C., Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering State University of New York at Stony Brook Kerstin Uvnas-Moberg, M.D., Ph.D. Professor, Department Of Physiology and Pharmacology Karokinska Institute Summary/Comments by Session Chair--Questions from Audience Lunch Session 2: Immunology/Endocrinology/Other Leslie J. Crofford, M.D. (co-chair) Chair, Department of Rheumatology University of Kentucky Serge Rivest, Ph.D. (co-chair) Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology CHUL Research Center Department of Anatomy and Physiology Laval University Dan Clauw, M.D. Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology Director, Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Program Director, Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research University of Michigan Summary/Comments by Session Chair--Questions from Audience June 10, 2005 Session 3: Biomechanics and Imaging John J. Triano, D.C., Ph.D. (co-chair) Research Professor Department of Engineering University of Texas, Arlington Co-director for Research Texas Back Institute Hermano Igo Krebs, Ph.D. Principal Research Scientist & Lecturer Massachusetts Institute of Technology Helene Langevin, M.D., L.Ac. Research Associate Professor, Department of Neurology University of Vermont David G. Wilder, Ph.D., P.E., C.P.E. Director, Jolt/Vibration/Seating Lab Senior Research Scientist Iowa Spine Research Center Associate Professor Biomedical & Mechanical Engineering Summary/Comments by Session Chair--Questions from Audience Lunch Breakout groups Breakout groups lead by session chairs to discuss research gaps and opportunities. Members of patient advocacy groups and professional organizations are invited to participate in the groups. Other conference attendances will self-assign at time of registration. Attendance at breakout groups limited to 50-75 individuals depending on room. Break Session chairs report back to main body--Q & A from audience Closing Comments--NIH and CIHR Staff For more information or to register for the conference, visit: NCCAM
