Alternative Medicine Industry Growing

For many, the phrase “alternative medicine” conjures of images of quacks prescribing strange potions to treat health problems. Other people know that the broad phrase is better defined as a wide range of health care practices, therapies, and products which offer an alternative or complimentary component to conventional treatments.

The U.S. government’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine exists in order to do scientific research on alternative medicine options and to offer their findings to the health care industry and the public. NCCAM reports that 38% of adults and 12% of children utilize some type of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). Practices such chiropractory and massage therapy are a couple of the most popular. Lower-back pain, which is an extremly common, yet condition which is hard to treat, is the main reason people seek relief through chiropractory, making the chiropractic industry worth nearly $10 billion a year.

NCCAM puts yoga, hypnotherapy and tai-chi into a mind-body classification, which focuses on utilizing the mind in order to affect the body and health. The idea that the mind is an important component of healing goes back more than two millenia to traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medical practices.

Acupunture, a practice which involves stimulating points on the body with needles, is a central component of ancient Chinese medicine which strives to achieve a balance of the body’s yin and yang. A recent survey found that 3.1 million Americans had tried acupuncture treatment.

Movement and energy therapies, such as light therapy, and therapies which are based on natural products were also part ofNCCAM’s research. The use of natural herbs, vitamins, and minerals in order to promote health and treat specific health problems is a popular practice that continues to gain popularity. The herb Echinacea is regularly prescribed for the treatment of urinary tract infections and to help bolster the immune system. Ginger is often utilized to relieve arthritis pain and to treat post-surgery nausea.

As health insurance costs continue to rise, a growing number of Americans are inquiring about CAM services as a solution to their health problems and, according to NCCAM, an increasing number of health professionals are now considering these options in conjunction with more conventional medicines and treatments.

Some polls have shown that those who have higher incomes and more education are more likely to seek and utilize CAM, and more women use such therapies than men. Pain is the main reason that people consider these alternative methods.

Source: Bay Net