Böcker av Anna Laurie

As cost and dissatisfaction with health care rise in America, so does the popularity of complementary and alternative therapies for the treatment of illness and disease (McCall, 2007). According to the National Institute of Health, complementary health approaches are defined as a group of diverse medical and health care interventions, practices, products, or disciplines that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine ("NIH Introduction to CAM," 2011). They range from practitioner-based approaches, such as chiropractic manipulation and massage therapy, to predominantly self-care approaches, such as non-vitamin/non-mineral dietary supplements, meditation, and yoga. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS, 2007), nearly 40% of Americans utilize complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) methods for overall wellbeing and specific conditions. This survey found that the most predominant approaches were as follows (in order of prevalence): use of nonvitamin/non-mineral natural products, deep breathing exercises, meditation, chiropractic manipulation and massage, and yoga. Present utilization of CAM overall may likely be higher now. A more recent NHIS survey on CAM was conducted in 2012 but is not yet available for public use. Reseachers have begun to interpret and publish results from the 2012 survey data, however, the results of which suggest an overall increase in CAM consumption trends.