The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States
In December 2008, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Center for Health Statistics (part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) released new findings on Americans use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The findings are from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual in-person survey of Americans regarding their health- and illness-related experiences. The CAM section gathered information on 23,393 adults aged 18 years or older and 9,417 children aged 17 years and under. A similar CAM section was included in the 2002 NHIS, providing the opportunity to examine trends in CAM use, too.
In the United States, approximately 38 percent of adults (about 4 in 10) and approximately 12 percent of children (about 1 in 9) are using some form of CAM.
People of all backgrounds use CAM. However, CAM use among adults is greater among women and those with higher levels of education and higher incomes. Nonvitamin, nonmineral natural products are the most commonly used CAM therapy among adults. Use has increased for several therapies, including deep breathing exercises, meditation, massage therapy, and yoga.
CAM Therapies Included:
·Acupuncture
·Ayurveda
·Biofeedback
·Chelation therapy
·Chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation
·Deep breathing exercises
·Diet-based therapies
o Atkins diet
o Macrobiotic diet
o Ornish diet
o Pritikin diet
o South Beach diet
o Vegetarian diet
o Zone diet
·Energy healing therapy/Reiki
·Guided imagery
·Homeopathic treatment
·Hypnosis
·Massage
·Meditation
·Movement therapies
o Alexander technique
o Feldenkreis
o Pilates
o Trager psychophysical integration
·Natural products (nonvitamin and nonmineral, such as herbs and other products from plants, enzymes, etc.)
·Naturopathy
·Progressive relaxation
·Qi gong
·Tai chi
·Traditional healers
o Botanica
o Curandero
o Espiritista
o Hierbero or Yerbera
o Native American healer/Medicine man
o Shaman
o Sobador
·Yoga
The most popular natural products are fish oil/omega 3, glucosamine, echinacea, and flaxseed.
People use CAM for an array of diseases and conditions. American adults are most likely to use CAM for musculoskeletal problems such as back, neck, or joint pain. The use of CAM therapies for head or chest colds showed a substantial decrease from 2002 to 2007.
The 2007 NHIS asked selected adult respondents about CAM use by children in their households. Overall, approximately 12 percent of children use some form of CAM. Use is greater among:
·Children whose parents used CAM (23.9%)
·Adolescents aged 12-17 (16.4%), compared to younger children
·White children (12.8%), compared to Hispanic children (7.9%) and black children (5.9%)
·Children whose parents had higher education levels (more than high school: 14.7%)
·Children with six or more health conditions (23.8%)
·Children whose families delayed conventional care because of cost (16.9%)
In December 2008, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Center for Health Statistics (part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) released new findings on Americans use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The findings are from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual in-person survey of Americans regarding their health- and illness-related experiences. The CAM section gathered information on 23,393 adults aged 18 years or older and 9,417 children aged 17 years and under. A similar CAM section was included in the 2002 NHIS, providing the opportunity to examine trends in CAM use, too.
In the United States, approximately 38 percent of adults (about 4 in 10) and approximately 12 percent of children (about 1 in 9) are using some form of CAM.
People of all backgrounds use CAM. However, CAM use among adults is greater among women and those with higher levels of education and higher incomes. Nonvitamin, nonmineral natural products are the most commonly used CAM therapy among adults. Use has increased for several therapies, including deep breathing exercises, meditation, massage therapy, and yoga.
CAM Therapies Included:
·Acupuncture
·Ayurveda
·Biofeedback
·Chelation therapy
·Chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation
·Deep breathing exercises
·Diet-based therapies
o Atkins diet
o Macrobiotic diet
o Ornish diet
o Pritikin diet
o South Beach diet
o Vegetarian diet
o Zone diet
·Energy healing therapy/Reiki
·Guided imagery
·Homeopathic treatment
·Hypnosis
·Massage
·Meditation
·Movement therapies
o Alexander technique
o Feldenkreis
o Pilates
o Trager psychophysical integration
·Natural products (nonvitamin and nonmineral, such as herbs and other products from plants, enzymes, etc.)
·Naturopathy
·Progressive relaxation
·Qi gong
·Tai chi
·Traditional healers
o Botanica
o Curandero
o Espiritista
o Hierbero or Yerbera
o Native American healer/Medicine man
o Shaman
o Sobador
·Yoga
The most popular natural products are fish oil/omega 3, glucosamine, echinacea, and flaxseed.
People use CAM for an array of diseases and conditions. American adults are most likely to use CAM for musculoskeletal problems such as back, neck, or joint pain. The use of CAM therapies for head or chest colds showed a substantial decrease from 2002 to 2007.
The 2007 NHIS asked selected adult respondents about CAM use by children in their households. Overall, approximately 12 percent of children use some form of CAM. Use is greater among:
·Children whose parents used CAM (23.9%)
·Adolescents aged 12-17 (16.4%), compared to younger children
·White children (12.8%), compared to Hispanic children (7.9%) and black children (5.9%)
·Children whose parents had higher education levels (more than high school: 14.7%)
·Children with six or more health conditions (23.8%)
·Children whose families delayed conventional care because of cost (16.9%)
CAM practices are as diverse in their foundations as in their methodologies. Practices may incorporate or base themselves on traditional medicine, folk knowledge, spiritual beliefs, or newly conceived approaches to healing. Jurisdictions where CAM practices are sufficiently widespread may license and regulate them. The claims made by CAM practitioners are generally not accepted by the medical community because evidence-based assessment of safety and efficacy is either not available or has not been performed for many of these practices. If scientific investigation establishes the safety and effectiveness of an alternative medical practice, it may be adopted by conventional practitioners. Because alternative techniques tend to lack evidence, some have advocated defining it as non-evidence based medicine, or not medicine at all. Some researchers have noted that the evidence-based approach to defining CAM is problematic because some CAM is tested, and research suggests that many mainstream medical techniques lack solid evidence.
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The term alternative medicine, as used in the modern western world, encompasses any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine".
In 2002, the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) Section staff of the National Library of Medicine classifies alternative medicine under the term complementary therapies. This is defined as therapeutic practices which are not currently considered an integral part of conventional allopathic medical practice. They may lack biomedical explanations but as they become better researched some, such as physical therapy, diet, and acupuncture, become widely accepted whereas others, such as humors or radium therapy, quietly fade away, yet are important historical footnotes. Therapies are termed as Complementary when used in addition to conventional treatments and as Alternative when used instead of conventional treatment.
In 2002, the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) Section staff of the National Library of Medicine classifies alternative medicine under the term complementary therapies. This is defined as therapeutic practices which are not currently considered an integral part of conventional allopathic medical practice. They may lack biomedical explanations but as they become better researched some, such as physical therapy, diet, and acupuncture, become widely accepted whereas others, such as humors or radium therapy, quietly fade away, yet are important historical footnotes. Therapies are termed as Complementary when used in addition to conventional treatments and as Alternative when used instead of conventional treatment.
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Types of COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
A study published in 1998 (Astin JA) indicates that a majority of alternative medicine use was in conjunction with standard medical treatments. Approximately 4.4 percent of those studied used alternative medicine as a replacement for conventional medicine. The research found that those who used alternative medicine tended to have higher education or report poorer health status. Dissatisfaction with conventional medicine was not a meaningful factor in the choice, but rather the majority of alternative medicine users appear to be doing so largely because "they find these health care alternatives to be more congruent with their own values, beliefs, and philosophical orientations toward health and life." In particular, subjects reported a holistic orientation to health, a transformational experience that changed their worldview, identification with a number of groups committed to environmentalism, feminism, psychology, and/or spirituality and personal growth, or that they were suffering from a variety of common and minor ailments - notably anxiety, back problems, and chronic pain.
Authors have speculated on the socio-cultural and psychological reasons for the appeal of alternative medicines among that minority whose use them in lieu of conventional medicine. There are several socio-cultural reasons for the interest in these treatments centered around the low level of scientific literacy among the public at large and a concomitant increase in antiscientific attitudes and new age mysticism. Related to this are vigorous marketing of extravagant claims by the alternative medical community combined with inadequate media scrutiny and attacks on critics. There is also an increase in conspiracy theories towards conventional medicine and pharmaceutical companies, mistrust of traditional authority figures, such as the physician, and a dislike of the current delivery methods of scientific biomedicine, all of which have lead patients to seek out alternative medicine to treat a variety of ailments. Many patients lack access to contemporary medicine, due to a lack of private or public health insurance, which lead them to seek out lower-cost alternative medicine. Medical doctors are also aggressively marketing alternative medicine to profit from this market.
In addition to the social-cultural underpinnings of the popularity of alternative medicine, there are several psychological issues that are critical to its growth. One of the most critical is the placebo effect, which is a well-established observation in medicine(van Deventer MO (May 2008). "Meta-placebo: Do doctors have to lie about giving a fake treatment?"). Related to it are similar psychological effects such as the will to believe, cognitive biases that help maintain self-esteem and promote harmonious social functioning, and the post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy. Patients can also be averse to the painful, unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous side effects of biomedical treatments. Treatments for severe diseases such as cancer and HIV infection have well-known, significant side effects. Even low-risk medications such as antibiotics can potentially cause life-threatening anaphylactic reactions in a very few individuals. More commonly, many medications may cause minor but bothersome symptoms such as cough or upset stomach. In all of these cases, patients may be seeking out alternative treatments to avoid the adverse effects of conventional treatments.
Authors have speculated on the socio-cultural and psychological reasons for the appeal of alternative medicines among that minority whose use them in lieu of conventional medicine. There are several socio-cultural reasons for the interest in these treatments centered around the low level of scientific literacy among the public at large and a concomitant increase in antiscientific attitudes and new age mysticism. Related to this are vigorous marketing of extravagant claims by the alternative medical community combined with inadequate media scrutiny and attacks on critics. There is also an increase in conspiracy theories towards conventional medicine and pharmaceutical companies, mistrust of traditional authority figures, such as the physician, and a dislike of the current delivery methods of scientific biomedicine, all of which have lead patients to seek out alternative medicine to treat a variety of ailments. Many patients lack access to contemporary medicine, due to a lack of private or public health insurance, which lead them to seek out lower-cost alternative medicine. Medical doctors are also aggressively marketing alternative medicine to profit from this market.
In addition to the social-cultural underpinnings of the popularity of alternative medicine, there are several psychological issues that are critical to its growth. One of the most critical is the placebo effect, which is a well-established observation in medicine(van Deventer MO (May 2008). "Meta-placebo: Do doctors have to lie about giving a fake treatment?"). Related to it are similar psychological effects such as the will to believe, cognitive biases that help maintain self-esteem and promote harmonious social functioning, and the post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy. Patients can also be averse to the painful, unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous side effects of biomedical treatments. Treatments for severe diseases such as cancer and HIV infection have well-known, significant side effects. Even low-risk medications such as antibiotics can potentially cause life-threatening anaphylactic reactions in a very few individuals. More commonly, many medications may cause minor but bothersome symptoms such as cough or upset stomach. In all of these cases, patients may be seeking out alternative treatments to avoid the adverse effects of conventional treatments.
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NCCAM classifies complementary and alternative therapies into five major groups:
· Whole medical systems cut across more than one of the other groups; examples include Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.
· Mind-body medicine takes a holistic approach to health that explores the interconnection between the mind, body, and spirit. It works under the premise that the mind can affect »bodily functions and symptoms«.
· Biologically based practices use substances found in nature such as herbs, foods, vitamins, and other natural substances.
· Manipulative and body-based practices feature manipulation or movement of body parts, such as is one in chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation.
· Energy medicine is a domain that deals with putative and verifiable energy fields.
o Biofield therapies are intended to influence energy fields that purportedly surround and penetrate the body. No empirical evidence has been found to support the existence of the "putative" energy fields on which these therapies are predicated.
o Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies use verifiable electromagnetic fields, such as pulsed fields, alternating-current or direct-current fields in an unconventional manner.
· Whole medical systems cut across more than one of the other groups; examples include Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.
· Mind-body medicine takes a holistic approach to health that explores the interconnection between the mind, body, and spirit. It works under the premise that the mind can affect »bodily functions and symptoms«.
· Biologically based practices use substances found in nature such as herbs, foods, vitamins, and other natural substances.
· Manipulative and body-based practices feature manipulation or movement of body parts, such as is one in chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation.
· Energy medicine is a domain that deals with putative and verifiable energy fields.
o Biofield therapies are intended to influence energy fields that purportedly surround and penetrate the body. No empirical evidence has been found to support the existence of the "putative" energy fields on which these therapies are predicated.
o Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies use verifiable electromagnetic fields, such as pulsed fields, alternating-current or direct-current fields in an unconventional manner.
BuiltBy: TSsoft
BuiltBy: TSsoft
[Acupressure] [acupuncture] [alexander_tech] [apitherapy] [ayurveda] [applied kinesiology] [aromatherapy] [aston-patterning] [atkins_diet] [aura_therapy] [auriculotherapy] [Bates_method] [behavioral_therapy] [bhakti_yoga] [biofeedback]
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[electroacupuncture] [elimination_diet] [energy_medicine] [fasting] [feng_shui] [geriatric_massage] [gerson_therapy] [guided_imagery] [hatha_yoga] [highfiber_diet] [holistic_medicine] [homeopathy] [hydrotherapy] [hypnotherapy]
[immuno_augmentation_therapy] [infant_massage] [iridology] [journal_therapy] [juice_therapies] [kampo_medicine] [Kegel_exercises] [Kirlian_photograpy] [Kneipp_wellness] [labyrinth_walking] [lacto_ovo_vegetarianism] [light_therapy] [Livingston_Wheeler_therapy] [lymphatic_drainage]
[macrobiotic_diet] [magnetic_therapy] [massage_therapy] [McDougall_diet] [meditation] [metabolic_therapy] [mind_body_medicine] [movement_therapy] [music_therapy] [native_American_medicine] [naturopatic_medicine] [neural_therapy] [nutrition] [Ornish_diet]
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[radiesthesia] [radionics] [reflexology] [reiki] [ralaxation] [Rosen_method] [shamanism] [shiatsu] [somatics] [sound_therapy] [south_beach_diet] [spinal_manipulative_therapy] [sports_massage] [stone_massage] [Tai_Chi]
[therapeutic_touch] [Tibetan_medicine] [Titan_therapy] [urine_therapy] [veganism] [vegetarianism] [Wigmore_diet] [Yoga] [zone_diet] [NEWS] [result]
[botanical_medicine] [breath_therapy] [cell_therapy] [chakra_balancing] [chelation_therapy] [childhood_nutrition] [chinese_massage] [chiropractic] [page1] [craniosacral_therapy] [crystal_healing] [cymatic_therapy] [dance_therapy] [detoxification] [diets]
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[immuno_augmentation_therapy] [infant_massage] [iridology] [journal_therapy] [juice_therapies] [kampo_medicine] [Kegel_exercises] [Kirlian_photograpy] [Kneipp_wellness] [labyrinth_walking] [lacto_ovo_vegetarianism] [light_therapy] [Livingston_Wheeler_therapy] [lymphatic_drainage]
[macrobiotic_diet] [magnetic_therapy] [massage_therapy] [McDougall_diet] [meditation] [metabolic_therapy] [mind_body_medicine] [movement_therapy] [music_therapy] [native_American_medicine] [naturopatic_medicine] [neural_therapy] [nutrition] [Ornish_diet]
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[radiesthesia] [radionics] [reflexology] [reiki] [ralaxation] [Rosen_method] [shamanism] [shiatsu] [somatics] [sound_therapy] [south_beach_diet] [spinal_manipulative_therapy] [sports_massage] [stone_massage] [Tai_Chi]
[therapeutic_touch] [Tibetan_medicine] [Titan_therapy] [urine_therapy] [veganism] [vegetarianism] [Wigmore_diet] [Yoga] [zone_diet] [NEWS] [result]