[Complementary medicine research in Israel between the years 1994-2004]

Alternative and complementary medicine (CAM) is gaining the attention of the medical academic community due to increased public use and ongoing concern of efficacy, safety and quality of CAM treatments. The aim of this work was to review the scope of research that was performed in Israel during the past 10 years. We detected 91 works that focus on clinical research: RCT's, pilot studies, comparative studies, surveys of prevalence & patterns of use, and the attitudes of the medical establishment and of medical students. The results of this work indicate considerable progress in the research of CAM within medical establishments in Israel. We believe that future research will benefit from an upgrading of quality of research that will further focus on cost-effectiveness as well as on possible adverse effects of CAM. This goal can be achieved through appropriate research training of MD's and CAM therapists, and by governmental funding of the research.