What is Natural Standard?

Austin Regional Clinic Unveils Alternative Therapies Database

Austin, TX — March 20, 2007 — Austin Regional Clinic (ARC) unveiled a new medical resource for complementary and alternative medicine that is available to the whole community. ARC doctors started using the Natural Standard database last month and have been so pleased with the wealth of information available on the site, that they wanted to be able to offer it to their own patients and the whole community. The Natural Standard database can be found on the ARC web at www.austinregionalclinic.com/special/natural_standard.htm

“More and more of our patients want to incorporate complementary and alternative therapies into the regimens that we prescribe to them. We wanted to help guide patients in making these decisions. Natural Standard provides a reliable reference to help them with their choices. It grades the effectiveness of herbs and vitamins for various conditions and even warns of interactions between herbal remedies, over the counter medicines and prescription medicines. It is one of the best online resources to date for such information.” Said ARC Medical Director Russ Krienke.

Natural Standard offers evidence-based information about complementary and alternative therapies and includes contributors from more than 100 eminent academic institutions, including Harvard Medical School, Mayo Clinic, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University, Kaiser Permanente and many more. It is an international research collaboration that aggregates and synthesizes data on complementary and alternative therapies. Using a comprehensive methodology and reproducible grading scales, information is created that is evidence-based, consensus-based, and peer-reviewed, tapping into the collective expertise of a multidisciplinary Editorial Board. The mission of this collaboration is to provide objective, reliable information that aids clinicians, patients, and healthcare institutions to make more informed and safer therapeutic decisions. Natural Standard is widely recognized as one of the world’s premier sources of information in this area.

ARC doctors recommend that their patients always inform them of any alternative therapies they are using so that they can review possible interactions and offer more complete and correct treatments. "Natural Standard enhances ARC's commitment to integrated quality care by responding to patient requests for effective alternative therapies to complement their prescribed treatment," says Dr. Norman Chenven, ARC CEO and Founder.

Aside from the Natural Standard database, ARC doctors also use the UpToDate Evidence-Based Medical Resource and the McKesson Pediatric Advisor. Both of these resources are also available on the patient education page of austinregionalclinic.com.

About Austin Regional Clinic –

Austin Regional Clinic is a multi-specialty group practice committed to providing a diverse range of health care services throughout the greater Austin area. Founded by three physicians in 1980, it now provides healthcare to over 200,000 Austin area residents in 18 locations, including both primary and specialty care. It is unique to the Austin area because of the widespread locations, convenient services and quality assurance programs. ARC Patients enjoy such conveniences as same-day appointments, daytime urgent care, an after hours clinic, and nursing services through the night. Most ARC offices also offer on-site radiology and lab services and some offices offer specialty programs such as a travel clinic, weight loss programs, and nutrition counseling. Established patients can also request future or same-day appointments from the ARC web site.

More information about ARC is available via Internet at http://www.austinregionalclinic.com/

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