A growing number of Americans are resorting to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), particularly people who have a hard time paying for the costs of conventional care, a new study reports. This study regarding CAM trends is published in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.
According to researcher Dejun Su, PhD, a sociologist at the University of Texas - Pan American, “The rising cost of health care is outpacing inflation and salaries, and there’s a good possibility that that is linked to increasing CAM use."
Complementaray and alternative medicine, which often includes practices and techniques including yoga, massage, herbal medicine, and meditation, has been growing in popularity for a number of years. In 1990, nearly one-third of Americans had utilized some type of CAM. By 2002, the percentage of people who had used CAM had almost doubled. This trend, the report finds, remains on the rise.
This study compared data from the 2002 and 2007 National Health Interview Surveys, which are performed every year by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, in order to monitor the health care situation of Americans as well as their access to health care.
Over one-third of people who stated they used CAM in 2007 also reported that they had a medical need they couldn't pay for or had delayed in seeking out medical care. Su suggests that this is can be partly attributed to the greater affordability of CAM, including provider-based CAM practices, as compared to conventional practices.
News, articles, and views on the field of alternative health including naturopathy, herbal supplements, holisitc medicine,
homeopathy, magnetic therapy, energy healing, acupuncture, and others.
News and discussions regarding the use of, history of, and research on alternative medicines and therapies.
Showing posts with label alternative medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alternative medicine. Show all posts
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
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
Nearly 40% of Americans Use Alternative Medicine Therapies
In the United States, a growing number of patients are turning to alternative and complementary medicine as part of their health care. According to the National Institutes of Health, almost 40 percent of American adults have used some type therapy that isn't considered traditional. More than 40 U.S. universities, including Stanford, UCLA, Duke and The George Washington University have integrative medicine centers.
With more Americans turning to alternative medicine, the U.S. government founded The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine as part of the National Institutes of Health. "Our job here at the National Institutes of Health is to bring really good science to these really interesting practices," says Dr. Josephine Briggs, the center's director.
Practices that are considered outside mainstream medicine, include the use of dietary supplements, meditation and yoga, as well as acupuncture, reiki - or therapeutic touch - and massage therapy. A survey by the NIH in 2007 indicated nearly four in 10 Americans use one of these practices, generally to treat pain.
Source: VOA News
With more Americans turning to alternative medicine, the U.S. government founded The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine as part of the National Institutes of Health. "Our job here at the National Institutes of Health is to bring really good science to these really interesting practices," says Dr. Josephine Briggs, the center's director.
Practices that are considered outside mainstream medicine, include the use of dietary supplements, meditation and yoga, as well as acupuncture, reiki - or therapeutic touch - and massage therapy. A survey by the NIH in 2007 indicated nearly four in 10 Americans use one of these practices, generally to treat pain.
Source: VOA News
Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Alternative medicine is any health practice that replaces, or isn't compatible with, "Western" medicine. Complementary medicine may involve alternative health practices, but is taken along side contemporary healing approaches. Alternative medicine implies using only non-traditional therapies and methods.
Alternative medicine includes a wide range of practices and therapies. Some of them are based on Ancient Chinese beliefs, like acupuncture and the use of natural herbal supplements. Others focus on Ayurvedic therapies including changes in diet, practicing yoga, and the emphsis of the connection between body, mind, and spirit. Body, mind and spirit healing is also defined as "holistic health", and it can be either alternative or complementary.
Other examples of alternative medicine and therapies include massage, meditation, energy healing (crystals and gemstones), magnetic (biomagnetic) therapy, naturopathy, exercise practices like Tai Chi, and aromatherapy, among others. Many people employ a form of alternative medicine when they take vitamins or natural herbal supplements without the direction of a physician. For example, many people who contract a cold use Cold-Eeze or Zicam, nutritional supplements, instead of going to see a doctor. With no traditional, or Western, medical advice, users of these supplements practice alternative medicine.
Alternative medicine users can often point to the fact that certain alternative practices have thousands of years of anecdotal evidence, suggesting that they are successful. The Western medical establishment generally opposes such practices, but as complementary medicine has continued to advance, there are now exist medical schools that teach alternative practices. Many physicians are now beginning to embrace complementary medicine and therapies because they provide more options for addressing a number of health conditions.
Many people turn to alternative health practices when the traditional Western medical community can offer them no treatment or cure for a particular condition. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some therapies may help improve quality of life for some of these people. Western doctors acknowledge many of the more established methods and therapies of alternative medicine, and recommend them for patients who they cannot treat with traditional medicine. While many physicians continue to remain skeptical, alternative medicine is often looked upon as a treatment of last resort.
Alternative medicine includes a wide range of practices and therapies. Some of them are based on Ancient Chinese beliefs, like acupuncture and the use of natural herbal supplements. Others focus on Ayurvedic therapies including changes in diet, practicing yoga, and the emphsis of the connection between body, mind, and spirit. Body, mind and spirit healing is also defined as "holistic health", and it can be either alternative or complementary.
Other examples of alternative medicine and therapies include massage, meditation, energy healing (crystals and gemstones), magnetic (biomagnetic) therapy, naturopathy, exercise practices like Tai Chi, and aromatherapy, among others. Many people employ a form of alternative medicine when they take vitamins or natural herbal supplements without the direction of a physician. For example, many people who contract a cold use Cold-Eeze or Zicam, nutritional supplements, instead of going to see a doctor. With no traditional, or Western, medical advice, users of these supplements practice alternative medicine.
Alternative medicine users can often point to the fact that certain alternative practices have thousands of years of anecdotal evidence, suggesting that they are successful. The Western medical establishment generally opposes such practices, but as complementary medicine has continued to advance, there are now exist medical schools that teach alternative practices. Many physicians are now beginning to embrace complementary medicine and therapies because they provide more options for addressing a number of health conditions.
Many people turn to alternative health practices when the traditional Western medical community can offer them no treatment or cure for a particular condition. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some therapies may help improve quality of life for some of these people. Western doctors acknowledge many of the more established methods and therapies of alternative medicine, and recommend them for patients who they cannot treat with traditional medicine. While many physicians continue to remain skeptical, alternative medicine is often looked upon as a treatment of last resort.
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