WHAT: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a component of the National Institutes of Health, in sponsorship with the Steele Memorial Children's Research Center (SMCRC) in Tucson, Arizona are hosting a town meeting on complementary and alternative medicine. National and local medical experts will speak about current developments in complementary and alternative medicine research at the local and national levels.

The EVENT IS FREE and will include an extensive question and answer periods.

WHO: Speakers include Dr. Stephen E. Straus, NCCAM director, and Drs. Fayez Ghishan and Andrew Weil, lead researchers at the Steele Memorial Children's Research Center in Tucson, Arizona -- a pediatric specialty center funded by NCCAM. Three experts will discuss current research in complementary and alternative medicine therapies for arthritis, women's health, and asthma.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 6, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Westward Look Resort, 245 East Ina Road, Tucson, Arizona

WHY: >From meditation to magnets -- the number of Americans using complementary and alternative medicine has sharply risen. According to a recent survey, approximately $14 billion was spent on dietary supplements in 1999. A 1998 survey in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" revealed that 4 out of 10 Americans used complementary and alternative therapies in 1997. The public is vastly interested in learning more about current and on-going research at the national and local level, to determine whether various CAM therapies are safe and effective.