Professor Stephen P Myers, PhD(N'cle), ND(SSNT), BMed(N'cle). Stephen Myers is the Foundation Director of NatMed Research, the Natural and Complementary Medicine Research Unit in the School of Health and Human Sciences at Southern Cross University. In his previous appointment (2001-2006), Stephen was the Foundation Director of the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research (ACCMER), a unique joint venture of University of Queensland (Brisbane, Queensland) and Southern Cross University (Lismore, New South Wales). From 1996 to 2001, Stephen was the Foundation Head of the School of Natural and Complementary Medicine at Southern Cross University, where he still plays an active role. His major contribution to research in complementary medicine has been to lead the academic development of the field as a university academic discipline. The School of Natural and Complementary Medicine was the first academic unit in complementary medicine in an Australian university. He established a four-year undergraduate degree and a fifth year honours research program in naturopathic medicine coupled with Masters and Doctoral research programs. Over the past decade Stephen has worked to aid the establishment of a research culture within the discipline area of Complementary Medicine. He has supervised 11 completed higher degree research students (3 MSc and 8 PhD) and 5 first class Honours research students. Professor Myers initially qualified as a naturopathic practitioner (ND – Southern School of Natural Therapies) and later in western medicine (BMed – Australian MD equivalent – University of Newcastle). He has a PhD (University of Newcastle) in basic and clinical pharmacology having studied the effect of garlic on pharmacologically modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. Professor Myers has been extensively involved with complementary medicine education at an undergraduate and postgraduate level in Australia for the past 25 years. He is actively engaged in research in herbal medicine, nutraceuticals, therapeutic foods and in public health issues in complementary medicine. He has acted as consultant to industry, government and educational institutions on a broad range of issues involving natural medicine. He was co-author of the report “Towards a Safer Choice” in 1995, which reviewed the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Australia for the Victorian, New South Wales and Queensland state governments and was the forerunner to the occupational regulation of Chinese Medicine practitioners in Victoria in 2000. In 2005 he co-authored the report for the Victorian Government on the practice and regulatory requirements of naturopathy and Western herbal medicine. In 1997 he was appointed by the Australian Commonwealth Government to the Complementary Medicine Evaluation Committee (CMEC) which is a statutory expert advisory committee to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). In 2003 he was appointed to the Australian Commonwealth Government’s Expert Committee on Complementary Medicine in the Health System which reviewed complementary medicines and practices in Australia. In 2004 he was awarded the prestigious Lady Cilento Award by the Complementary Healthcare Council which is awarded by the Australian Complementary Medicines industry to individuals who have made a significant and sustained contribution to the field of complementary medicine over many years. Stephen is on the editorial panel of 3 international peer review journals and has written 3 books, 10 book chapters, 60 peer reviewed research papers and 62 papers for the professional press. He has received over $6 million in external research funding since 1993 for research in complementary medicine.
Journal articles
Chinese herbal medicine toxicology database: monograph on radix sophorae flavescentis, "Ku Shen" (with Anna K. Drew, Alan Bensoussan, Ian M. Whyte, Xiaoshu Zhu, and Andrew H. Dawson), Journal of Toxicology - Clinical Toxicology (2010)
The causes of intestinal dysbiosis: a review (with Jason A. Hawrelak), Alternative Medicine Review (2010)
Alterations in the bowel flora and its activities are now believed to be contributing factors...
A combined phase I and II open label study on the effects of a seaweed extract nutrient complex on osteoarthritis (with Joan O'Connor, J Helen Fitton, Lyndon O. Brooks, Margaret I. Rolfe, Paul A. Connellan, Hans Wohlmuth, Phillip A. Cheras, and Carol A. Morris), Biologics: Targets and Therapy (2010)
Background: Isolated fucoidans from brown marine algae have been shown to have a range of...
A forced titration study of the antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects of Ambrotose AO supplement (with Lesley M. Stevenson, Phillip A. Cheras, Joan M. O'Connor, Lyndon O. Brooks, Margeret I. Rolfe, Paul A. Connellan, and Carol A. Morris), BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2010)
Background: Oxidative stress plays a role in acute and chronic inflammatory disease and antioxidant supplementation...
Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial on the potential modes of action of sheaflex70tm in osteoarthritis (with Phillip A. Cheras, Peta-Anne Paul-Brent, Kerry H. Outerbridge, and Gary VL Nielsen), Phytotherapy Research (2010)
Extracts from the seed of the African shea tree Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn have been...
Books
The Australian herbal medicines industry feasibility study: making the functional and fashionable feasible (with Bruce R. Rich and Phillip A. Cheras), School of Health and Human Sciences Papers (2005)
The practice and regulatory requirements of naturopathy and western herbal medicine (with Vivian Lin, Alan Bensoussan, Pauline J. McCabe, Marc Cohen, Sophie Hill, and Genevieve Howse), School of Health and Human Sciences Papers (2005)
Towards a safer choice: the practice of traditional Chinese medicine in Australia (with Alan Bensoussan), School of Health and Human Sciences Papers (1996)
Book chapters
A hierarchy of healing: the therapeutic order (with Jared Zeff and Pamela Snider), Textbook of natural medicine (2006)
The legitimacy of traditional medicine: sorting out anecdotes, empiricism and evidence, Holistic healthcare perspectives (2006)
A review of reviews of the benefits of naturopathy and western herbal medicine (with Alan Bensoussan, Joan O'Connor, Peta-Anne Paul-Brent, Don G. Baker, Hans Wohlmuth, and Phillip A. Cheras), The practice and regulatory requirements of naturopathy and western herbal medicine (2005)
A workforce study of naturopathy and western herbal medicine practitioners in Australia (with Alan Bensoussan, Songmei Wu, and Kate O'Connor), The practice and regulatory requirements of naturopathy and western herbal medicine (2005)
Allergic reactions to herbal medicines (with Hans Wohlmuth), The essential guide to herbal medicine safety (2005)
Conference publications
Effects of exercise training on fibrinolytic function in individuals with peripheral arterial disease (with Jianxiong Wang, Shi Zhou, Roger Bronks, and John Graham), Australian Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport Program and Abstracts. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol. 10, no. 6 (supplement) (2007)
Endogenous fibrinolysis is a physiological mechanism in removal of stable fibrin in blood clot and...
Treatment of peripheral arterial disease with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or supervised exercise program (with Jianxiong Wang, Shi Zhou, Roger Bronks, and John Graham), 5th Annual Conference of the Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness (2006)
Endogenous fibrinolysis is a physiological mechanism in removal of stable fibrin in blood clot and...
A new role of home-based exercise program in peripheral arterial disease patients (with Jianxiong Wang, Shi Zhou, Roger Bronks, John Graham, and Aaron Silk), Australian Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport (2004)
Bovine colostrum supplementation and its effect on muscle histology, strength, performance and body composition in the elderly (with Roxanne Sample, Lauren O'Leary, Shane Rogerson, Sonya M. Marshall-Gradisnik, Shi Zhou, and Robert P. Weatherby), ACMS 2004 Australian Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport (2004)