In a survey performed by the U.S. government, more than 23,000 adults were surveyed to ascertain what their use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is, including nonconventional medicine named as "herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic treatment and acupuncture." In 2007, 38% of the participants said they used CAM, which didn't differ much from the same survey that was conducted in 2002, where 36% of adults said they used it. The use of alternative therapies went up the most drastically with meditation, massage therapy and yoga. The majority of CAM users also sought it out for their musculoskeletal issues, i.e., arthritis and back and neck pain. This survey also was able to get an idea of how many children are being exposed to CAM. It was found that parents were five times more likely to give their children CAM, such as "echinacea, fish oil/omega 3/DHA, combination herb pill, flaxseed oil or pills, and prebiotics or probiotics (foods containing supplements)," if they themselves used them. Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council, says, "People are using these products to enhance wellness. The dietary supplement increase reflects consumer trends toward improving and increasing their sense of wellness and their own self-empowerment with respect to their health." I couldn't have said it better! In a survey performed by the U.S. government, more than 23,000 adults were surveyed to ascertain what their use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is, including nonconventional medicine named as "herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic treatment and acupuncture." In 2007, 38% of the participants said they used CAM, which didn't differ much from the same survey that was conducted in 2002, where 36% of adults said they used it. The use of alternative therapies went up the most drastically with meditation, massage therapy and yoga. The majority of CAM users also sought it out for their musculoskeletal issues, i.e., arthritis and back and neck pain. This survey also was able to get an idea of how many children are being exposed to CAM. It was found that parents were five times more likely to give their children CAM, such as "echinacea, fish oil/omega 3/DHA, combination herb pill, flaxseed oil or pills, and prebiotics or probiotics (foods containing supplements)," if they themselves used them. Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council, says, "People are using these products to enhance wellness. The dietary supplement increase reflects consumer trends toward improving and increasing their sense of wellness and their own self-empowerment with respect to their health." I couldn't have said it better! Explore Alternative Medicine
Yes, Alternative Medicine is more respected by conventional doctors when treatments like this work better than the usual standard cancer fighting techniques.
Randy
http://www.allnaturalcures.biz
Let me let you in on a little secret. If Alternative Medicine actually worked, it would be known as “medicine.”
The only good news about this survey is that the most prevalent forms of Alternative Medicine used are “deep breathing exercises, meditation, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, massage and yoga.” Most of these are simple stress-relief activities, which is okay (as long as they are complimentary and not alternatives to actual medical treatment). Counting these practices as CAM is highly misleading and serves to improperly inflate CAM usage numbers.
On the other hand, Chiropractic and Osteopathic manipulations, sadly, are utter nonsense, so that’s sad to see.
I use lots of CAM therapies for fibromyalgia and chronic myofascial pain. I’m fortunate to have a rheumatologist who does acupuncture and Chinese herbology, and both of those have helped me far more than pharmaceuticals. I also take a lot of supplements, including Omega 3-6-9, rhodiola, theanine, 5-HTP, magnesium, geranium extract, and sometimes DHEA.
Meditation techniques got me through 30+ hours of unmedicated labor as well, including 3 hours of pushing.
I think it is fairly ignorant to say that alternative medicine, if it worked, would be considered ‘medicine’. This is plainly ignoring the role that ‘western medicine’, pharmaceutical companies, and western doctors have traditionally played in keeping alternative medicine supressed and impotent. This also ignores the fact that so many western drugs come from traditional sources and plants that have been used for thousands of years in ‘alternative medicine’. This also ignores the fact that acupuncture and herbs are considered regular old ‘medicine’ in China and many other parts of the world. In England, Germany, and most of Europe homeopathy is considered a standard part of regular medicinal practices. Open your mind a bit and you will see that many of these practices work.
jh
bodaweightloss
Grow a brain, and you’ll see that none of these methods work any better than placebo. Why not just rub spiny anteaters all over your body to cure disease? That has the same amount of evidence backing it up as acupuncture does.
And hey, “western doctors” are suppressing that “cure,” too, since none of them have ever suggested it as a possibility to me. Right?
While you’re leaning on false arguments to prop up your silly beliefs, why not take the time to actually look into the history of acupuncture. Your so-called ancient Chinese secret really isn’t all that ancient, and the oldest forms of it don’t look anything like what you likely know as acupuncture today. But you aren’t interested in reality if it contradicts your beliefs, are you?
Maybe you should reconsider who is really the ignorant one in this discussion….
Tom, why are you being so angry? You need some meditation stress relief! 38% of the population is a sizable minority who find this type of therapy appropriate and helpful. You happen to be in the other half who think it is all nonsense. I have seen otherwise, I have seen people destroyed by ‘medicine’ and healed through alternatives. And here in Asia traditional chinese medicine is much more respected than western medicine, are you saying over a billion chinese are wrong too?!
Why am I so angry? Because bogus treatments like acupuncture and homeopathy cost people their lives. The correct question is: why aren’t you angry?
38% of the population finds alternative treatments appropriate? First off, no. If you’d read my comment above, you’d understand that I don’t agree with the numbers that came out of this study. Including people who use “deep breathing exercises, meditation, … massage and yoga” as users of CAM is highly dishonest. Without looking at the intent of these people, how do we know if they got a Swedish massage to work out a tight shoulder (which is not CAM, but physical therapy), or if they engaged in reflexology to cure heart disease (a purely nonsensical approach). See the difference? That’s why the study is not useful.
You have seen people destroyed by medicine? Yup. Me too. The misuse or abuse of medicine, or even the appropriate use in some cases can cause severe problems. There are certainly risks associated with real medicine. On the flip side, those risks are balanced by actual benefits. CAM, on the other hand, has no benefits. CAM is, in effect, all risk and no upside.
You’ve seen people healed through CAM? Wonderful. I could parade out people who’ve seen Mary and Jesus on common food items, but that doesn’t make them right. Unless you’ve got some form of actual proof, all you are doing is deluding yourself. Period.
Am I saying that over a billion Chinese people are wrong? What I am saying is that anyone who uses CAM to treat any actual diseases is 100% wrong because the methods they are using are 100% bogus. Is that definitive enough for you? If that means that I’m calling a substantive portion of China “wrong,” then so be it. Reality is not a democracy. Facts are true, no matter how many people disagree with them.
If you’ve got some actual proof to “set me straight,” then by all means show it to me. Otherwise, you should admit that your beliefs are based on nothing more than blind faith and tenuous anecdotes. And that, Elaine, is not what anyone should base their health and lives upon.
I liked your article, would like to see more of the same
I don’t normally comment on blogs but your post was a real
eye opener. Thank you for a great read….