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Women’s Health, Integrative Medicine Focus of Duke Conference

Women’s Health, Integrative Medicine Focus of Duke Conference
Women’s Health, Integrative Medicine Focus of Duke Conference

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DURHAM, NC – Duke University Medical Center will host a national conference Oct. 11-13 on integrative approaches to women's health care issues, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a topic that dominated health news recently. The ensuing confusion from reports criticizing HRT underscores the need for women and their health care providers to understand the many options available in the growing field of health care for women, Duke physicians say.

"Are women confused about HRT? Yes, they are," said Tracy Gaudet, MD, director of the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine. "And this is only one of many women's health issues that are confusing. It's more important than ever for women to know and understand their options."

Women, Wellness and the Transformation of Health Care: Integrating Conventional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Women's Health will take place at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Conference Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Optional pre- and post-conference workshops are being offered, as well as up to 31.25 CME credits for eligible health care providers. The conference is also open to the public.

"This is the first conference of its kind to be held on a national level that will address the full spectrum of women's issues," said Gaudet. "The conference will provide a whole-person perspective of health care that will span everything from mainstream, conventional approaches to all that is available from a complementary or alternative medical approach."

The conference will feature women's health experts from Duke as well as nationally recognized leaders in the field of women's health and integrative medicine. Presentations are designed to be of interest to both a general and professional audience.

Topics will include exercise programs; the link between stress and negative health consequence in women; overcoming pain; developing strength and wisdom to overcome life challenges; changes in the profession of medicine as it pertains to women's health; using women's wisdom to create physical and emotional health and healing; celebrating the female body and spirit through yoga; meditation; women's health care in the 21st century; balancing stress with humor; contraception myths and realities; mother-daughter relationships; food choices and how they affect the heart, mind and body; women as leaders; the power of community for women; mood disorders; lesbian health concerns; integrative approaches to pregnancy and keeping teens healthy.

Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, and Charles Hammond, MD, chair emeritus of the Duke department of obstetrics and gynecology, will be the opening keynote speakers for the conference.

Some of the Duke presenters include Ralph Snyderman, MD, chancellor for health affairs, president and CEO; Diana Dell, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine and obstetrics/gynecology; and Matt Ellis, MD, director of the Duke University Breast Cancer Program.

Other speakers include Cheryl Richardson, bestselling author of Take Time for Your Life and Life Makeovers and a regular guest on the "Oprah Winfrey Show;" Joan Borysenko, PhD, an expert on stress, spirituality and the mind-body connection and co-founder of the mind/body clinical program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; and Lana Holstein, MD, an expert on sexual communication, intimacy and romance and director of women's health at Canyon Ranch, Tucson, Arizona.

The conference is sponsored by the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine, the Duke Office of Continuing Medical Education, the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, the Office of Research on Women's Health of the National Institutes of Health, Duke's Women's Studies department and Duke University Alumni Affairs. The FDA Office of Women's Health, Guidant Corporation and P&G; Nutrition Science Institute are providing additional support.

A full listing of presenters and additional information about the conference is available at www.dcim.org or by calling 800-862-7538. Preregistration is encouraged and available online.

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