October 22, 2008–Port Townsend, WA

The Townsend Letter, a medical magazine focusing on alternative medicine, was awarded the Legacy Media Award by the American College for the Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) on October 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The award was presented to Dr. Jonathan Collin, MD, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of the Townsend Letter, for outstanding work examining complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) over the past 25 years. ACAM also awarded the Legacy Individual Award at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas to Suzanne Somers for her writing and education of the public about CAM medicine.

The Townsend Letter was established in Port Townsend, WA in 1983 by Collin as a newsletter to publish articles by doctors involved in alternative and naturopathic medicine. The newsletter, then named the Townsend Letter for Doctors, provided the first national forum for CAM doctors to report clinical results using unconventional alternative therapies and diagnostics. It served as a “bulletin board” and forum for a diverse medical community of medical doctors, naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, dentists, and other health professionals to discuss medical alternatives.

In 2008 the Townsend Letter published its 300th issue as a monthly magazine with regular columns on nutrition, herbal medicine, Chinese traditional medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, vitamin and mineral therapy, women’s health, cancer therapies and unconventional therapies. ACAM honored Collin for his editorial achievement of connecting health professionals who work in different disciplines in alternative and naturopathic medicine.

Collin practices adult medicine with emphasis on nutrition and alternative therapies in Port Townsend and Kirkland, Washington. He trained in medicine at the Albany Medical College and in the U.S. Public Health Service. Collin studied alternative medical therapies with practitioner members of ACAM before establishing private practice. His editorial work led to participation in the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment Study of Unconventional Cancer Therapies from 1987-1990. The final report of this study led to Congressional authorization and funding of the N.I.H. Office of Alternative Medicine, preceding the establishment of the Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 1993. During the 1990s, other publications were founded to review and report on CAM and naturopathy. The Townsend Letter remained as a primary forum for practitioners of alternative medicine to report their work. In cooperation with Gale® articles published in the Townsend Letter are now published on the Web at FindArticle.com and can be accessed through most search engines.

For more information and to arrange an interview of Dr. Jonathan Collin, contact Barbara at the Townsend Letter, 911 Tyler St., Port Townsend, WA 98368. (360) 385-6021 or email editorial@townsendletter.com.