Barbara Mikulski: “I rise to cosponsor Senator Harkin's amendment to establish the Center of Alternative Medicine. I helped him establish…”

“I rise to cosponsor Senator Harkin's amendment to establish the Center of Alternative Medicine. I helped him establish the Office of Alternative Medicine in 1993 at NIH. Why did I do that? One, because I want everyone who is sick in the United States of America to have access to all possible means of treatment that are safe and have efficacy. At the same time, I wanted to prevent quackery. I also was aware of the Harvard study by a Dr. Eisenberg that said one out of three Americans was using alternative or complementary medicine, but we were not aware of scientific investigation to establish its efficacy or its safety. Yet, many of us have enjoyed those practices. Some years ago, I had some very severe illnesses. Western medicine was of limited utility for me and I turned to acupuncture. Acupuncture helped me get well and has helped me stay well. I am pleased about that. But there are many other modalities out there being utilized by the American consumer. I want to make sure they are safe. I want to make sure they have efficacy. I want NIH to investigate it, and then I want them to validate it. I believe there is merit in this. I am puzzled why NIH wants to continually try to submerge this Office of Alternative or Complementary Medicine. The hallmark of NIH is to have an open mind and to pursue scientific investigation. I believe Senator Harkin is on the right track. Though this amendment might not be germane, it is certainly relevant to the American people.”