Combining Therapies
Blending Conventional & Alternative Medicine Is Very Common
In the past, going back a couple decades, they were usually in opposite camps. Conventional (or allopathic) medicine was on one side. It was the preference of mainstream America. On the other side of the fence was alternative medicine, a broad category of modalities seen by many as unconventional, kooky, or worse. It was the medicine of those who were quirky and those who were desperate.
Although different in many ways, both of these medical camps had one big thing in common. They wanted to help their patients. Over the years, they have found ways to work together to provide better care. The combination of these two treatment paths is called complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
CAM treatments are growing in popularity and credibility. It's no longer weird to take a blood pressure pill and then go off to yoga class.
More and more, doctors are integrating what were once considered alternative therapies into their treatment and maintenance plans.
Statistics
Who's Trying?
Here are some statistics from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) that demonstrate the prevalence of CAM therapy in the U.S.
- 62% of adults used some form of CAM therapy during the 12 month period.
- When the use of prayer specifically for health reasons was excluded from the definition of CAM therapy, the number dropped to 36%.
- In 1997, it is estimated that Americans spent somewhere between $36 billion and $47 billion on CAM therapies.
- $12.2 billion to $19.6 billion was paid out-of-pocket to professional CAM health care providers.
- For 26% of adult CAM users, a conventional medical professional suggested the therapy.
- 28% of adult CAM users felt conventional medical therapy would not help them.
In the NHIS, some groups of people were more open to utilizing CAM therapies than others. Here are some examples.
- Women utilized CAM therapies more than men.
- People with a higher amount of education tended to utilize CAM therapies more.
- Blacks were the ethnic group that utilized CAM therapies the most (71.3%). Other groups followed - Asians (61.7%), Hispanics (61.4%) and whites (60.4%).
- Seniors in the study did use CAM therapies.
- 64.8% from 60-69 years of age.
- 68.6 % from 70-84 years of age.
- 70.3% from 85 years of age and older.
- Patients who were released from the hospital in the past year tended to utilize CAM therapies more.
(Sources: National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.)
