Need help in setting up a research project

May 25, 2006 9:31 AM

I need your help. I'm a licensed acupuncturist and a herbalist. I have been involved in many out reach programs in the past. My goal was to reach out to as many immigrant groups with no to low health insurance coverage and educating them of available resources. The unique experience came working with the Korean community in New York City. This group tends to have such a high stomach cancer rate and about 70% of the patient population I came in contact with tested positive for H. pylori. The standard of treatment for H. pylori is course of antibiotic drugs. I don't know if you guys are aware but if you don't have health insurance to cover for these meds, it cost about $300 out of pocket expense. So, my thing is this - I wanted to set up a research program using simple herbs that are readily available and in low cost. I know nothing about setting up a research program. What do I need to do and who do I need to talk to? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
posted by haesung to health & fitness (11 comments total)

In the early 90s a post doc in the cancer research lab I was in left traditional academia and went to work with an alternative medicine school, bringing her expertise and grant writing to bear when chasing down monies available for alternative therapies.

From what I can tell there are not various institutions in the US who have a decade or more worth of experience running research programs for alternative therapies. (Bastyr University in Seattle, to name one). I'd see if you can't find one in your area and start knocking on doors and talking to people there.

Ultimately, what you probably need is a collaborator who has more experience with securing grants and the many administrative issues needed.

The other thing I'd suggest is to start talking about your interest with your clients. You never know who they know.
posted by Good Brain at 10:05 AM on May 25, 2006

Make that: "From what I can tell there are now various institutions"
posted by Good Brain at 10:06 AM on May 25, 2006

Most clinical research is performed at academic medical centers associated with a university or medical school. When this is the case, the proposed research needs to be cleared through an institutional review board (IRB) which basically makes sure that the human research subjects are treated in a fair and ethical manner.

Perhaps you can collaborate with a university-affiliated gastroenterologist interested in your project? You could tell this person that you would do all the work, he or she would benefit by being on any potential publication as a result of the research.

Be aware that clinical research usually involves a whole team of professionals, including research nurses and data managers. You will also need statistical analysis by a statistician. Whichever academic center you choose to become affiliated with would likely have a statistician you could also collaborate with.
posted by cahlers at 10:07 AM on May 25, 2006

The first thing you need to determine is the specific outcomes that are most important to you. A true clinical study would require institutional partnership, principles who had American MDs, government approvals, and would not necessarily translate into the people you're concerned about getting the treatments you are advocating, though it might generate valuable information about the effectiveness of these therapies.

If you are looking to go this route you would have to find an advocate in the mainstream medical research community - by finding universities and hospitals who are actively involved in researching alternative therapies, contacting their principles directly and pitching the idea. And if they aren't interested, asking their advice on who else you might contact or how you might proceed. If what you're proposing is a well recognized traditional therapy in a particular system (like Chinese herbal medicine) this fact might bolster your case.

If your main interest is that you have an alternative therapy you believe in the efficacy of and you want to get it to a particular group in hopes of reducing the incidence of a particular disease, is a "research study" necessary? It would seem best to seek institutional partners in local alternative medicine and community health communities. Its a matter of identifying the prospects, getting them information about the alternative therapy, and creating the capacity to deliver this treatment (either giving it to them or showing them how to acquire it themselves). Obviously you will have to be cautious about how any information is presented so that it does not cross the line with FDA regs on herbal therapies. The legal side is a whole other ball of wax I'm totally unfit to address.

The situation you're describing, though, is mainly about a long term impact, so the latter approach would not produce much valid data, probably. You could screen for H pylori after treatment and if it was cleared up that would mean something, but probably only a true clinical apparatus like a hospital or university research program could engage in the sort of long term outcome tracking that could say whether the treatment really reduced rates of stomach cancer. If you did succeed in getting something started with the latter approach, keeping the best possible records would be worthwhile - there are more and more mainstream health organization interested in alternative therapies, and a significant volume of well-organized anectdotal data is worth something in this context - it is, after all, the original foundation of a lot of serious research.
posted by nanojath at 10:12 AM on May 25, 2006

If these people have positive test results for a life threatening infection, couldn't they go to the emergency room?

New York has free health insurance if your income is below $10k through Health Plus.


posted by StickyCarpet at 10:14 AM on May 25, 2006

a life threatening infection

H. pylori is usually involved in things like ulcers (it's the first thing my doctor tested me for when I had stomach problems). Afaik (and IANAD), it's not generally life-threatening, just very painful, except for when it's a contributing factor for stomach cancer.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:22 AM on May 25, 2006

I am a doctor. H. pylori is not usually considered life-threatening. Many people aren't even aware they are infected and spend many years carrying the infection prior to diagnosis.
posted by cahlers at 10:58 AM on May 25, 2006

You might want to start by looking up a medical anthropologist -- many are quite interested in the mixture of biomedicine and alternative therapies, and might be able to help out navigating the funding/ethics review obstacles. Good luck.
posted by docgonzo at 11:24 AM on May 25, 2006

Haesung, you may also get help/info via the National Center for Complentary and Alternative Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They run or sponsor many clinical trials with alternative therapies.
posted by cahlers at 11:44 AM on May 25, 2006

In New York City, the folks at the Mailman School of Public Health are the ones likely to research this sort of thing. Your project sounds just like the kind of thing one of their master's students might want to take on.

If I were you I'd browse around their website, cop some names and email addresses, and put together a short email detailing what you'd like to do, what resources you might bring (i.e. the ideas, the patients), and what kind of a project you'd be interested in facilitating.
posted by ikkyu2 at 5:34 PM on May 25, 2006

Thanks everyone for the advise.
posted by haesung at 5:39 AM on May 30, 2006