Participants are invited to join a lively exchange of ideas at the First European Congress for Integrative Medicine (ECIM) at the International Congress Centre (ICC) in Berlin on 7-8 November 2008. The theme of the congress is ‘The future of optimal patient care’; it will be presided over by Prof. Dr. Stefan N. Willich from the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics at the Charité University Medical Center in Berlin, who will be joined by internationally renowned scientists and medical practitioners, as well as by health policy officials and individual patients. Leading practitioners such as Prof. Gustav Dobos, Prof. Eckhart G. Hahn, Dr. George Lewith, and Prof. Umberto Solimene will present their innovative views on mainstream and complementary medicine.

The general public’s interest in complementary treatment methods is on the rise. Integrative medicine combines conventional Western medicine with complementary methods of treatment such as naturopathy, homoeopathy, and acupuncture. By overcoming the ideological divides between these systems, integrative medicine has the potential to provide the best possible medical care to each individual.

Discussions at the congress will concentrate on adjuvant (i.e. supportive) cancer therapy during follow-up care, as well as palliative treatment for patients with cancer, chronic pain, or atopy (a predisposition to allergic reactions). Other key topics will include the prevention and monitoring of cardiovascular disease and inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders. On 9 November, congress participants and other experts will make themselves available to patients and members of the general public to answer questions and to provide information about treatments.

ECIM’s partners include the Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schmerztherapie, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie, the International Society for Complementary Medical Research, and the Karl and Veronica Carstens Foundation.

For further information and to register for the congress please visit www.ecim-congress.org.