Kerri Diamant is from Taiwan. Coming to America as a young girl not only gave her a language barrier but a health barrier as well. Diamant grew up around Eastern Medication, so when her mother became ill with colon cancer they didn’t know what to do.
Doctors gave Diamant’s mother medicine, they took out part of her mother’s colon and they did as much as they could to keep her alive, but were not successful. The one thing they didn’t do in their efforts was talk to Diamant and her mother about diet, exercise, or any other form of natural healing that would have been so beneficial.
“I researched and called so many people… I felt so alone. I really feel the world could benefit by us researching and expanding a number of options,” Diamant said. She wished there were an easier way for people to know about alternative therapies and that is what AlterMed Research Foundation is here to do.
With this passion, Diamant went to Lisa Corbin, the Medical Director of Integrative Medicine at CU Hospital, to present a plan she had for a non-profit group, AlterMed Research Foundation.
Kerri came to Corbin talking about how NIH funds some research on integrative and alternative medicine, but there’s not enough funding. She wanted to fund studies to show these medicines or therapies work and educate doctors on how to use them.
“Kerri had a passion and vision that she never waivered from. She’s such a passionate person and reminds me of why I’m doing what I’m doing,” Corbin said. Now, nine years later, the organization has grown and been able to fund over six powerful studies, which concluded with groundbreaking results.
AlterMed raises money to fund studies to better understand the correlation between complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and conventional medicine.
Their website contains beneficial information including this clip on meditation.
Along with the information on the website, I had the chance to interview some of the AlterMed Research Foundation’s board members. Each professional’s advice on how to live a healthy, long life changed how I eat and exercise already.
Read about how you can change your life and save yourself from a chronic illness in my next article.
