Increase in the use of alternative medicine

Study Shows Continued Increase in Use of Alternative Medicine
The following is a press release fromHarvard Medical School.
Study Indicates Alternative Medicine Here to Stay
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Used By Broad Age,Demographic GroupsPress Release From: Harvard Medical School Office of Public Affairs
BOSTON, MA-Will the demand for complementary and alternativemedicine fade or is it here to stay? While U.S. medical schools aredeveloping complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) course work,and managed care organizations are providing some coverage for CAMtherapies, little data existed to answer this question. Until now.A new study by Harvard Medical School researchers, looking at trendsover the past half-century, suggests that CAM is indeed here to stayfor the foreseeable future.
The study, which appears in the August 21 Annals of Internal Medicine,examined trends in the use of 20 different CAMs, covering everythingfrom acupuncture to yoga, among representative sociodemographicgroups across the continental U.S. "The findings really dispel twoideas, namely that complementary and alternative medicine is justa passing fad, and that it is used by one particular segment of society,"said Ronald Kessler, Harvard Medical School professor of health carepolicy, who authored the study through the Harvard Medical SchoolDivision of Research and Education in Complementary and IntegrativeMedical Therapies and the Center for Alternative Medicine Researchand Education at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The use of alternative treatments was independent of gender,ethnicity, and level of education. Regional trends and city versusrural differences were also absent. Most of the 20 therapies havesteadily increased in popularity since the 1960s, with the largestoverall growth rate occurring during the transition from the 1960sto the 1970s.
Data compiled from over 2,000 interviews did show a trend towardsthe use of these therapies in younger respondents; by age 33, 7 outof 10 post-baby boomers (born 1965-79) had used some type of CAM,compared to 5 out of 10 baby boomers (born 1945-64), and 3 out of10 pre-baby boomers (born before 1945). However, in all age groupsthe use of CAMs has steadily increased since the 1950s.
Some individuals reported using alternative therapies for many years.Of those respondents who had tried an alternative therapy, almost 50 percentwere still using it 11 to 20 years later. This persistence is consistent withfindings in a previous study that suggested most CAM therapies are usedat least in part -- as preventative measures or as part of a regularfitness program.
While all therapies showed increased usage over the decades,the study yielded interesting insights into the timing of societaladoption of particular therapies. In the 1960s, four particulartherapies increased markedly -- commercial diet programs,lifestyle diet therapy, megavitamin therapy, and self-help groups.The 1970s showed increased use of biofeedback, energy healing,herbal medicine, and imagery. During the 1980s, massage andnaturopathy increased, while yoga decreased in popularity.The 1990s showed particular increased adoption of aromatherapy,energy healing, herbal medicine, massage, and yoga.
The authors caution that while the data indicates that the demandfor alternative medicine will continue and may well grow, their analysiscannot predict dramatic events that may tip prevalence patterns in onedirection or another.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, theJohn E. Ferzer Institute, the American Society of Actuaries, Friends ofBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Kenneth J. GermeshausenFoundation, and the J.E. and Z.B. Butler Foundation.
Contact:John Laceyjohn_lacey@hms.harvard.edu617-432-0441