Heart Dis. 2000 Jan-Feb; 2(1): 16-30.

Alternative medicine for the conventional cardiologist.

Sinatra ST.

University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.

Today's cardiologist faces a daily dilemma concerning how best to refer patients for diagnostic procedures and how to select surgical and/or pharmaceutical interventions based on those test results. But the evaluations they order and the treatments they select may actually create unnecessary risks for the patients that are out of proportion to the benefits they experience. Continuing technological advances, although necessary, add to the complexity of the decision-making process. As increasing numbers of our patients are turning to alternative therapies, a paradigm shift is required in medicine to evaluate the efficacy of these therapies and effectively incorporate them into the conventional medical model. In this review, alternative treatment options are highlighted, with emphasis on understanding the psychoemotional component of heart disease and the use of modern "nutriceutical" agents. Accepting complementary therapies as equally judicious treatment interventions requires a shift in perspectives that may allow for more integrated care strategies for those who have been seeking a more expanded approach to heart disease.