This renewal application will continue support for Iris R. Bell, MD PhD FACN BCIA at the University of Arizona. Dr. Bell's career has spanned an extensive background in CAM related fields, including biofeedback, nutrition, dietary supplements, environmental medicine, and homeopathy. Her current focus is patient-centered, rather than disease-centered, whole systems of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), one of the NCCAM's 5-year strategic priority areas. At least 36% of the U.S. population uses different forms of CAM. Although many CAM interventions emphasize individualization, many researchers in the area have attempted to apply population-based pharmaceutical drug-oriented, rather than individual-oriented methods to evaluating outcomes. Over the next 5 years, Dr. Bell will build upon her work with a) complex nonlinear dynamical systems and network science as her theoretical foundation and b) classical homeopathy as her model CAM whole system of care. Her objectives include a program of research to understand the nature of global and multidimensional whole person healing patterns within homeopathy as a whole system of CAM. The overarching goal is to develop rational bases for decisions on individualization of patient care in CAM, both toward Waging persons who might and might not benefit from a given treatment and towards finding patient-oriented psychophysiological and questionnaire tools for early determination of effective vs ineffective treatments. She also is in active collaboration to develop a tool for assessing """"""""unstuckness"""""""" and transformative changes in persons undergoing whole systems of CAM treatment. In addition to a highly productive initial K24-supported period of research in which she re-directed her career activities more fully toward CAM, Dr. Bell also received a new NIH/NCCAM funded T32 institutional grant for CAM research training, now in full operation. Her two currently-funded projects, four pending applications as PI/co-PI, and new K24-based study of nonlinear dynamical assessment of blood pressure, heart rate, and electroencephalogram as indicators of individualized homeopathic remedy vs placebo effects in pre-hypertensive patients will provide a valuable setting for practical research experience for T32 trainees and other junior investigators whom she will mentor.
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