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More than $47 billion is spent each year on complementary and alternative therapies and products. Yet many of us are surprised to learn that 96% patients who use alternative treatment also use mainstream medicine, according to Harvard research. Less than 5% use alternative medicine in lieu of mainstream medicine, reflected in a Stanford study.
This suggests that most consumers using alternative medicine seek an integrative approach to mainstream and alternative treatment in combination.
Physicians report growing interest in complementary therapies. One survey found that over 90% of doctors consider diet, exercise, and stress reduction to be viable aspects of treatment. Other surveys have found 50% of physicians (particularly primary care physicians) have referred patients to acupuncture and chiropractic. In managed care organizations, 65% offer complementary therapies according to a survey by Landmark Healthcare.
What does the best integrative care look like? New programs are developing across the country in networks and hospitals. Some have withered in the face of economic storms, but others have thrived. Even people who track these trends are surprised by the breadth and diversity of integrative programming. Complementary therapies are included in extensive healthcare networks nationwide. Acupuncture is provided in academic and integrative medicine centers; chiropractic, in pain management, spine care, and sports medicine; and therapeutic massage in neonatal care, palliative cancer care, and workplace stress reduction.
These many applications seem remarkable in light of the fact that 10 years ago, most of these programs would not have been provided in major healthcare institutions.
Another powerful indicator of this trend is the expansion of the Medline database since 1996. CAM on PubMed now includes more than 180,000 citations on complementary and alternative medicine. The total commitment in CAM research at the NIH for 2000 was $161 million, including more than $100 million to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) for fiscal year 2002. Courses on complementary medicine are now offered in at least 73 medical schools in the U.S.
In the context of growing interest, Integrating Complementary Medicine into Health Systems is intended to offer a comprehensive overview of this emerging field and provide additional information and resources.
