Special Symposium: Engineering Applied to Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Sydney, Australia, August 24-29, 2003

0331370 Jaron这个特别的研讨会是2003年国际医学物理与工程科学联合会世界大会的一个组成部分。题为“应用于替代和补充医学的工程：具有降低医疗成本潜力的医疗保健解决方案”，重点是生物医学工程研究如何能够更好地理解和量化替代和补充医学疗法的好处，这些疗法在世界各地以最低的成本实践和实施。从传统的东方医学到使用当地草药，替代和补充医学疗法有可能成为易于应用的疗法，在降低发达国家和发展中世界的保健费用方面发挥重要作用。该研讨会涉及国家科学基金会/惠特克基金会关于降低成本的医疗保健技术的倡议，该倡议于10多年前发起。 研讨会共分三个部分。第一次会议侧重于“西方”技术（功能磁共振成像;毫米波止痛;电场）和研究方法，正在应用于调查传统医学的影响;第二次会议的分析和替代医学的结果评估;第三次会议的工程和定量方法的整合，以研究替代和补充疗法。 专题讨论会发言的摘要将作为世界大会议事录的一部分发表。为了参加特别研讨会，与会者将承诺提供一份完整的论文供出版。IEEE/EMBS杂志已经承诺将就此主题发行专刊。在IEEE/EMBS杂志上发表专题讨论会的记录将提高工程界对替代技术的认识和可见度，并将开发新的研究方法-利用工程原理-以便能够启动创新的科学方法来研究替代医学，并可能了解治疗疾病的新机制。

0331370JaronThis special symposium is a component of the 2003 World Congress of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine. Entitled "Engineering Applied to Alternative and Complementary Medicine: Health Care Solutions with Potential to Reduce Health Care Costs", the focus is on how biomedical engineering research can lead to a better understanding and quantification of benefits of alternative and complementary medicine therapies which are practiced and implemented at minimal cost throughout the world. From traditional oriental medicine to the use of local herbal remedies, alternative and complementary medicine therapies have the potential to be easily applied therapies that can play a significant role in reducing the cost of health care in developed countries and in the developing world. The symposium relates to the National Science Foundation/Whitaker Foundation initiative on Cost Reducing Health Care Technologies, initiated more than 10 years ago. There are 3 sessions in the symposium. One session focuses on "western" technologies (fMRI; millimeter wave pain relief; electric fields) and research methodologies that are being applied to investigate the effects of traditional medicine; a second on analysis and assessments of outcomes of alternative medicine; and the third on the integration of engineering and quantitative approaches to research in alternative and complementary therapeutics. Abstracts of symposium presentations will appear as part of the World Congress Proceedings. To take part in the special symposium, participants will commit to provide a full paper for publication. A commitment already has been received from the IEEE/EMBS Magazine to devote a special issue to the topic. Publication of the proceedings of the symposium in the IEEE/EMBS Magazine will increase the awareness and visibility of alternative techniques among the engineering community and new research methodologies -- using engineering principles -- would be developed to enable the initiation of innovative scientific approaches to research in alternative medicine and possibly understanding of new mechanisms for addressing disease.