Complementary and Alternative Medicine Facts

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Facts

• More than 70% to 90% of physicians consider CAM therapies, such as diet and exercise, behavioral medicine, counseling and psychotherapy, and hypnotherapy, to be legitimate medical practices.¹

• Approximately 80% of medical students and 70% of family physicians are interested in receiving training in multiple areas of CAM therapies.^1-3

• In any given year, 69% of Americans use at least one type of CAM therapy.⁴

• Due to high market demand, at least 67% of health insurers and HMOs, such as Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente, Mutual of Omaha, Prudential, California Pacific, Catholic HealthCare West, HealthNet, and Oxford Health Plans, cover CAM therapies.^5,6

·         Chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal therapies, and mind-body techniques, among other CAM therapies, are offered at 64% of U.S. medical schools.⁷

• Approximately 57% of physicians have referred patients to CAM professionals.⁸

• It has been shown that 56% of Americans believe their health plans should cover CAM therapies.⁴

• Estimates place the size and value of the CAM market at $24 billion, a figure projected to increase at a rate of 15% per year.⁹

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) currently invests about $40 million per year in CAM-related research.¹⁰

• Based on the popularity and growth of CAM therapies in the U.S., the American Medical Association (AMA) ranked alternative medicine among the top 3 subjects (out of 86) for mainstream medical journals to address in the coming years.¹¹ In response, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a highly renowned medical journal, identified alternative medicine as the 7^th (out of 73) most important topic for future publication.¹²

• Chiropractors are licensed in all 50 states, and 12 states require that health plans include chiropractic benefits.¹³

• There are nearly 40,000 doctors of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) throughout the country.¹⁴

• Acupuncturists are licensed in 34 states.¹⁵

• There are currently 21 schools in the U.S. that offer certification in homeopathic medicine.¹⁶

• Naturopathic professionals are licensed in 12 states.¹⁷

References

1. Berman BM, Singh BK, Lao L, et al. Physicians’ attitudes toward complementary or alternative medicine: a regional survey. J Am Board Fam Pract 1995;8(5):361-66.
2. Halliday J, Taylor M, Jenkins A, et al. Medical students and complementary medicine. Comp Ther Med 1993;1:32-33.
3. Furnham A, Hanna D, Vincent CA. Medical students’ attitudes to complementary medical therapies.Comp Ther Med 1995;3:212-19.
4. Kessler W, Goodkind M. (1998, September 23). Americans mingle complementary techniques with traditional medicine. Stanford Online Report. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/report/news/september23/altsurvey923.html
5. Pelletier KR, Marie A, Krasner M, et al. Current trends in the integration and reimbursement of complementary and alternative medicine by managed care, insurance carriers, and hospital providers: 1998 update and cohort analysis. Am J Health Promot 1999;14(2):125-33.
6. The Landmark Report II on HMOs and alternate care: 1999 nationwide HMO study of alternative care. (2000). Retrieved March 18, 2002, from http://landmarkhealthcare.com/99tlrll.htm
7. Wetzel MS, Eisenberg DM, Kaptchuk TJ. Courses involving complementary and alternative medicine at U.S. medical schools. JAMA 1998;280(9):784-87.
8. Blumberg DL, Grant WD, Hendricks SR, et al. The physician and unconventional medicine. Altern Ther Health Med 1995;1(3);31-35.
9. Rauber C. Open to Alternatives. Mod Healthc 1998;28(36):50-57.
10. Jonas WB. Researching alternative medicine. Nat Med 1997;3(8):824-27.
11. Fontanarosa PB, Lundberg GD. Complementary, alternative, unconventional, and integrative medicine: call for papers for the annual coordinated theme issues of the AMA journals. JAMA 1997:(278):2111-12.
12. Lundberg GD, Paul M, Fritz H. A comparison of the opinions of recognized experts and ordinary readers as to what topic a general medical journal should address. Presented at the International Congress on Biomedical Peer Review and Global Communications; September 20, 1997; Prague, Czech Republic.
13. American Chiropractic Association. (2002). Retrieved March 18, 2002, from http://www.amerchiro.org/insurance/policy/states_mandate.shtml
14. AOA-net. (2002). Retrieved March 18, 2002, from http://www.aoa-net.org/Consumers/mgdcare.htm
15. Leake R, Broderick JE. Current licensure for acupuncture in the United States. Altern Ther Health Med 1999;5(4):94-96.
16. National Center for Homeopathy: Education directory. (2001, August 28). Retrieved March 18, 2002, from http://www.homeopathic.org/edudir.htm
17. The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2002, fromhttp://www.naturopathic.org/asked­_questions