Introduction
The New Zealand Centre for Evidence-based Research into Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ENZCAM) is based within the Health Sciences Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
The Centre was established in 2005 with the aim to research the efficacy and safety of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), with a particular focus on CAM in the New Zealand setting. The centre acts as a focal point to develop novel research ideas in the field of CAM and foster partnerships with researchers both within New Zealand and overseas.
CAM is a group of health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered part of conventional medicine. What is considered to be CAM changes continually, as those therapies that are proven to be safe and effective become adopted into conventional health care and as new approaches to health care emerge. Complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine. Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. Examples of CAM include acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal medicine, homoeopathy, and osteopathy.
The need for such a Centre in New Zealand was one of the key recommendations made by the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (MACCAH) in their advice to the New Zealand Minister of Health in June 2004.
NEWS
Dr Elad Schiff, from Israel gave a presentation on 17 March 2010 on Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Israel, click here to download a pdf of the presentation