As the worldwide burden of chronic disease continues to rise, disease prevention and health promotion become increasingly important components of public health. Although, traditionally, many complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices have emphasized health promotion, this has not been the focus of the bulk of CAM research. However, CAM practitioners could be seen as a public health resource to increase the population’s access to certain clinical preventive services. In fact, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has identified a need to investigate the role of CAM in promoting health and well-being. As part of the integration of CAM practices into the public health arena, it is important to investigate methods of effective interprofessional collaboration involving both CAM and mainstream professions. It is also essential to identify issues that might be challenging to integration from the perspective of both mainstream and CAM providers, as well as system-wide issues such as insurance coverage and use of electronic health records.

We invite original research papers and systematic reviews, investigating the issues related to CAM practices in the public health arena; outcomes of CAM treatment for chronic disease prevention and/or management (tertiary prevention); development and implementation of integrative care collaborations for disease prevention and health promotion. Explorations of the issue of the mainstreaming of CAM are also welcome.

Approaches may be from, although not limited to, the perspective of health services, clinical, epidemiological, or socioeconomic research.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Preventing accidental falls among older adults
• Health behavior and lifestyle modification
• Integration of CAM practices into public health agencies and other community settings
• Integrative wellness clinics: establishing collaborations and investigating patient outcomes and perceptions of health care providers
• Integrative approaches to obesity management, physical activity, and tobacco cessation
• Integrative approaches to managing polypharmacy
• Integrative approaches to pain management