Complementary and alternative medical treatments are gaining favor among adults in the United States, according to a National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
In the year prior to the survey, 62 percent of adults used some form of CAM therapy, when the definition of CAM therapy included prayer specifically for health reasons. When prayer for health reasons was excluded, 36 percent of adults said that they had used some form of CAM therapy.
The 10 most commonly used CAM therapies during the past 12 months were prayer specifically for one's own health (43.0 percent), prayer by others for one's own health (24.4 percent), natural products (18.9 percent), deep-breathing exercises (11.6 percent), participation in prayer groups (9.6 percent), meditation (7.6 percent), chiropractic care (7.5 percent), yoga (5.1 percent), massage (5.0 percent), and diet-based therapies (3.5 percent)
The use of CAM varies by sex, race, geography, health insurance status, cigarette or alcohol use, and hospitalization. Women were more likely than men to seek alternative or auxiliary treatments. CAM most often were used to treat back pain or back problems, head or chest colds, neck pain or neck problems, joint pain or stiffness, and anxiety or depression.
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