September 2001

Study: Alternative Medicine Joins Mainstream

Philadelphia - Consumers are voting with their feet when it comes to “alternative” medicine.

The results of a Harvard University study suggest that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) - including chiropractic, acupuncture and biofeedback - is being used by increasing numbers of Americans. The study found that CAM use has steadily increased since the 1950s among all age groups, with half of all Baby Boomers using some form of alternative medicine, as well as 70% of post-Baby Boomers who have reached the age of 33.

“It’s not the radical fringe that’s doing this stuff now, it’s you and me,” said Ronald Kessler, an epidemiologist at the Harvard Medical School and Center for Alternative Medicine. He and his research team sought to examine the last 50 years of public participation in alternative medicine by interviewing 2,055 people of all ages about their experiences.

The research appears in the “Annals of Internal Medicine,” which is published by the Philadelphia-based American College of Physicians.

“There’s also a message for conventional medicine because people out there are saying, ‘I don’t trust my doctor as much as I used to,’ and they’re voting with their feet,” he said. “A lot of people feel medicine is stodgy and slow and, ‘I’m not going to wait 10 years while these guys get their act together.’ I think it’s part of the self-help movement, that people want to be in charge of their own destinies.”

Now, the Internet is encouraging use of new alternative medicines, and researchers say that as a result, CAM therapy trends in coming years may start to take hold within months rather than years.

Source: Reuters

Industry News from:
Chiropractic News from: