Americans Spent $34 Billion on CAM

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Continues to be Popular

Jul 31, 2009

Chronic pain especially back pain is among the most common reasons which lead Americans to spend an estimated $34 billion on alternative medicine in 2007.

Allopathic, or traditional medicine practitioners in fact often referred patients with chronic pain such as back pain to seek care from alternative medicine such as chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses Totaled 11%

According to the survey conducted by the (CDC) Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Americans spent 1.5% of the total $2.2 trillion total health care spending on complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) in 2007. This accounted for 11% of the total out-of-pocket medical expenditures.

A decade ago the agency performed the same survey, but the report shows significantly different results and is difficult to compare the results of the two studies. In 2007, half as many adults made visits to CAM providers than they did in 2007, but the expenditures were very different.

Acupuncture Visits Rose in 2007

In 2007, acupuncture visits rose from 27 visits per 1000 adults to 79 visits per 1000 adults. Visits to energy healing therapists and those who teach medication and relaxation techniques fell significantly from ten years ago.

In 2007, two-thirds of the CAM expenditures totaled almost $15 billion and were for over-the-counter herbs and homeopathic remedies (such as fish oil, echinacea, and glucosamine) classes and materials. Americans spent $12 billion on visits to practitioners such as chiropractors, acupuncturists, homeopaths, osteopaths, and naturopaths.

Classes such as stretching, yoga, tai chi, qigong and other meditation-related subjects accounted for $4 billion. Americans spent $2.9 billion on homeopathic remedies and about @0.2 billion on relaxation therapies and techniques.

What are CAM Therapies?

The report found that 38% of adults and 12% of children under age 18 surveyed used CAM therapies in 2007. They made an estimated 354 million visits to CAM practitioners. CAM therapy includes such practices as acupuncture, chiropractic, reflexology, Reiki, aromatherapy, hypnosis, massage therapy, biofeedback, Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), naturopathy, homeopathy, osteopathic manipulation therapy, diet and nutritional therapy, meditation, Tai Chi and yoga.

With Americans continuing to invest significant amounts of time and money in alternative medicine and therapies, the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is working closely with the CDC and other agencies to educate and inform the public and the medical community about the safety and efficacy of CAM. A major focus of NCCAM’s efforts is to ensure the safety and efficacy of these alternative treatments. NCCAM is part of the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Although many allopathic practitioners may not believe in CAM therapies, it is evident that many Americans do. It is important for patients to discuss any chronic conditions, diagnoses, medications, supplements or alternative therapies with their traditional as well as alternative medicine practitioners as there may be serious contraindications to be considered.

Goldstein, Jacob. "Americans Spend $34 Billion a Year on Alternative Medicine." WSJ Blog, July 30,2009.

Fiore, Katherine. "Patients Spend $34 Billion on Alternative Medicines." Med Page Today, July 30, 2009.

The copyright of the article Americans Spent $34 Billion on CAM in Health Field is owned by Kathy Quan . Permission to republish Americans Spent $34 Billion on CAM in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.