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Most Popular Complementary / Alternative Therapies

By Cathy Wong, About.com

Updated: August 10, 2006

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Most Popular Complementary / Alternative Therapies
TherapyNumber of Times Ever Used
Prayer for health reasons110,012
Herbs and nutritional supplements50,613
Chiropractic40,242
Deep breathing exercises29,658
Meditation20,698
Massage18, 899
Yoga15,232
Diet-based therapies13,799
Progressive muscle relaxation8,518
Acupuncture8,188
Megavitamin therapy7,935
Homeopathic treatment7,379
Guided imagery6,067
Tai chi5,056
Hypnosis3,733
Energy healing therapy/Reiki2,264
Biofeedback1,986
Naturopathy1,795
Folk medicine1,393
Qi gong950
Ayurveda751
Chelation therapy270
Based on data from 31,044 people in the United States.Source: Barnes PM et al. "Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults: United States, 2002". Advance Data. 27.343 (2004):1-19.
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