A recent nationwide government survey in the US revealed that nearly 36% of adults above 18 years of age opt for complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). In short, CAM can be defined as specific medical/health care systems, products and practices that do not fall under group of conventional medicine.The results of the survey indicate the increased dependence of Americans on CAM approaches to treat and prevent diseases as well as enhance the quality of their lives. The data from the survey also helps ascertain who uses CAM, the more popular CAM approaches being used, the reason for their popularity as well as the basic relationship CAM shares with health characteristics of individuals with chronic health conditions.
When compared to the previous surveys on CAM, the most recent one had more choices of CAM products and therapies and surveyed a larger group of people in person for clear and concise answers. Thus, this can be considered as the most reliable and comprehensive survey on CAM in the US till date.The survey revealed that CAM usage was higher among specific population groups including educated individuals, women, former smokers and individuals who had been hospitalized during the last one year. The survey also pointed out that African Americans tend to use CAM more than Asians do, provided the prayer and megavitamin therapy are included in CAM's definition.These results tend to prove the fact that more individuals today opt to place their personal health in their own hands.
Only 12% of the survey respondents indicated that they had consulted a doctor or a licensed CAM practitioner before taking these medicines/therapies. The issues for which these individuals primarily sought out CAM approaches include back pain, neck pain, cold, stiffness, joint pain, depression, anxiety, etc. The most common CAM therapies opted by these individuals also include self-prayer (43%), prayer by others (24%), natural products (19%), deep breathing exercises (12%), and prayer groups(10%), together with meditation (8%), chiropractic care (8%), yoga (5%), massage (5%) and diet based therapies (4%).While most of the survey respondents (55%) indicated that they used CAM in combination with conventional medicines for better results, some believed that it would be worth trying an alternative option (50%). Over 26% of these adults claimed to use CAM because their doctor suggested them to do so. And 13% opted for CAM owing to high costs of conventional medicines.These findings on CAM would set the base for further research on these alternative medicines/therapies, and create a knowledge bank for individuals, so that they can weigh the pros and cons of CAM before opting for it themselves.
