One-Third of Adults use Alternative Medicine
Reported January 21, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Use of alternative or complementary therapies have increased in the United States, with more than one-third of people using at least one form of alternative medicine. Now, researchers recommend more studies to help determine the safety and efficacy of these therapies.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston compared the results of their own survey taken in 1997 to the National Health Interview Survey taken in 2002.
Results show the total number of Americans using alternative or complementary therapies remained fairly stable at 72 million between 1997 and 2002. However, the types of therapies used have changed. There was a 50-percent increase in the use of herbal supplements and a 40-percent increase in the use of yoga.
Lead study author Dr. Hilary Tindle, a researcher at Harvard Medical School stresses the importance of more studies on alternative medicine. She says: “Other research has shown that 60 to 70 percent of patients who use CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) therapies do not disclose it to their physician. This is especially critical as more becomes known about the adverse effects associated with individual dietary supplements as well as their interactions with prescription drugs.”
Alternative or complementary therapies include treatments such as biofeedback, yoga, hypnosis, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and high-dose vitamins.
SOURCE: Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Jan. 2005