Pubdate: Wed, 10 Dec 2003
Source: News-Review, The (OR)
Copyright: 2003 The News-Review
Contact:  http://www.newsreview.info
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2623
Author: Stacy D. Stumbo

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Alternative Medicine May Not Be So Alternative After All.

When the Alternative Medicine Outreach Program opened in Roseburg three 
years ago, it was primarily as an avenue to obtain a prescription for 
medical cannabis.

Cannabis, more commonly called marijuana, can be prescribed for therapeutic 
benefit in Oregon in cigarette form or as cannaboid pills. The clinic, 
located at 455 Corey Court in Roseburg, has since grown and serves hundreds 
of patients from as far away as Brookings and Coos Bay.

Donna Eide, the founder and owner of the clinic, said its concept was born 
out of her own medical struggles. She suffers from interstitial cystitis 
and degenerative disc disease. She underwent surgery and was prescribed 
several narcotics to handle her chronic pain.

"I didn't want to take them," she said of the drugs. "And I was surprised 
by their lack of caring."

Her physical problems began when she was in her late 20s. She suffered from 
severe cramping and found it difficult to work in her shipping and 
receiving job.

"You can't be all drugged up and be productive," she said. "So I tried 
cannabis, and it cut down my drug (prescription narcotic) use by 95 percent."

She no longer relied on Oxycodone and methadone just to function. Her 
weight had fallen to 90 pounds, but with improved appetite resulting from 
using marijuana, she has gained 25 pounds.

She decided to gather local like-minded medical practitioners together, and 
created the nonprofit clinic. It offers free nutrition classes, cannabis 
support groups, acupuncture, counseling, and in the future may offer 
chiropractic services and massage therapy. It wasn't marijuana alone that 
changed Eide's life. With the assistance of holistic nutritionist Tammara 
Karr, Eide has maintained a healthy diet and gained weight.

"We're looking at the whole body, not just the symptoms," Karr said. She 
takes offense at people who characterize her work as that of "a holistic 
witch doctor or pagan herb peddler."

What she does is serious business, she said. Karr has been a nutrition 
counselor for 10 years. While pursuing her doctorate, she found she needed 
clinical experience and came on board with AMOP.

"These patients are so angered at what they've been through," she said. 
"They've been disillusioned by the medical field. A lot are on the Oregon 
Health Plan, or they're veterans. What we do works in symphony with 
mainstream medicine."

The linchpin of the clinic's unique approach to treating patients rests on 
the philosophies of Dr. Larry Bogart, a geriatric neuropsychiatrist and the 
clinic's chief of staff. Bogart started his career in general medicine 
about 40 years ago in Africa. When he returned to America, he worked at a 
Veterans Affairs hospital before spending three years employed by 
Kentucky's state penitentiary. Most recently, he worked at the Roseburg VA 
Medical Center before coming to AMOP.

"Each day, I start with a prayer that I treat the patient as I would want 
to be treated," he said. "I put my personal life out of my mind. I get a 
sense of what I believe I'm working with by talking to the patient. The 
patient is the expert about their condition, not me."

Bogart prescribes medical marijuana to cancer patients and individuals 
suffering from chronic pain. He is one of few, if not the only local 
physician to do so. He understands some others practicing medicine disagree 
with his methods.

"There are people who would say I'm a quack," he said. "But I put the 
patient's needs before anything else. I'm not worried about having to watch 
my tail. These people are getting relief from pain, they're not getting 
high. When they take cannabis they don't want to be high, they just want to 
not hurt."

Though not all AMOP patients use medical marijuana, most are pleased with 
the results of their alternative treatments.

Ellen Kellum is a psychiatric nurse at the VA. She began visiting the 
clinic when she ran out of options using conventional methods. She had 
undergone gastric bypass surgery, and although she lost weight, she was not 
prepared for the psychological ramifications of the procedure. She spends 
time with Bogart, whom she knew at the VA, and said treatment has given her 
a new lease on life.

"The doctor really takes time to talk with you," she said. "I go to an 
osteopathic doctor to see me through my medical ups and downs, but I come 
to Dr. Bogart for depression. It's not only the physical differences 
(following the gastric bypass), but every part of your body and mind is out 
of whack. It's hard to deal with it alone."

Adele Osborne is just beginning to see the clouds lift after seeking help 
at the clinic through electro-acupuncture from Paul Robbins. She calls the 
treatment her "salvation from depression."

Since 1995, she has been taking several antipsychotic drugs -- one that 
costs $500 a pill -- to deal with paranoia and disassociative 
personalities. At times, the symptoms were so severe she was afraid to go out.

"Every time (you are prescribed a new drug) you lose another week of your 
life. They send you to hell or they send you to heaven," she said. "Now I 
can make decisions. I can follow through. I feel alive."

Karr said unlike other clinics, AMOP doesn't limit the amount of time a 
patient can spend discussing their problems. The goal, she said, is to 
provide the best treatment to as many people as possible.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart