Bastyr UniversityMore than 80 million Americans turn to complementary and/or alternative medicine every year.
Source: Institute for Health and Healing at California Pacific Medical Center, March 2002
More than two-thirds of Canadians agree that natural herbal supplements can be as effective as prescriptions or over-the-counter remedies in the maintenance, prevention and treatment of health problems.
Source: Traditional Medicinals Gallup Canada Survey, October 1999
People are using naturopathic medicine in many ways, and with increasing frequency ...
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Care for Adults
Sixty-eight percent of adults have used at least one kind of alternative or complementary therapy.
Source: Harvard Medical School survey, Annals of Internal Medicine, August 2001
CAM Spending
CAM spending rose 12 percent to $30 billion in 2001, and accounted for almost 2.5 percent of the $1.2 trillion in personal health care spending in the U.S.
Source: Nutrition Business Journal, 2002
CAM and Cancer Treatment
At least one-third of cancer patients turn to an alternative or complementary therapy, most commonly in combination with allopathic treatment.
Source: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NIH, June 2001
Seven out of 10 adult cancer patients in Western Washington are using alternative therapies – especially those patients who are female and college-educated, and most commonly the use of dietary supplements.
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 2002. Read full story.
CAM and Women’s Health
Thirty-two percent of women try alternative therapies, such as herbals, for menopause symptoms.
Source: Southern California University of Health Sciences, October 2001
CAM Coverage by HMOs
Two-thirds of HMOs (67 percent) offer at least one form of alternative care. Most HMOs (85 percent) think the relationship between traditional and alternative medical care will grow closer in the future.
Source: National Market Measures survey for Landmark Healthcare, Inc., 1999
CAM in Hospitals
From 1998 to 2000, the number of hospitals offering alternative therapies nearly doubled to 15.5 percent of all hospitals.
Source: American Hospital Association survey, New York Times, April 2002
CAM Integrative Clinics
Over 100 hospital-sponsored integrative clinics have sprung up across the nation, and the number is growing.
Source: Integrative Medicine Consult, October 2001
CAM Supplements
Sales of supplements in the U.S. have nearly doubled in the last half-dozen years, from $8.8 billion in 1994 to an estimated $15.7 billion in 2000.
Source: Washington Post