• 79% of patients think conventional medicine combined with CAM is better than either one alone
• 70% of CAM patients go to their medical doctor first or concurrently with their CAM treatment
• 15% of medical patients go to their CAM provider first
• Patients think CAM is more helpful than conventional medicine for headache, neck and back conditions
• Patients think conventional medicine is more helpful than CAM for hypertension

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) largely comprises the healing arts of acupuncture, chiropractic medicine, herbal medicine, homeopathic medicine and massage therapy. From 1990 to 1997, CAM usage in the U.S. increased approximately 47%, to 629 million CAM users by 1997. Expenditures for CAM services also rose by an estimated 45%, which totaled $21 billion. By 2002, approximately 1 in 3 adults were CAM patients. No word yet on whether or not they were insured.

-KA Morgensen, DC

From Perceptions about Complementary Therapies Relative to Conventional Therapies among Adults Who Use Both: Results from a National Survey. David M. Eisenberg, et al. Annals of Internal Medicine, 4 September 2001.135(5):344-51.