| Have you been to a practitioner besides your family | | | | physicians (PCP) - primarily chiropractors - |
| physician? Whether chiropractic care, acupuncture, | | | | experienced fewer hospitalizations, underwent fewer |
| yoga or homeopathy, Complementary and | | | | surgeries and used considerably fewer |
| Alternative Medicine (CAM) has become increasingly | | | | pharmaceuticals than HMO patients who received |
| common in the United States, and 72% of adults use | | | | traditional medical care." |
| some form of CAM therapies according to the US | | | | A large national survey of all studies on treatments |
| National Centers for Disease Control and US National | | | | for back pain, the most common cause of disability in |
| Center for Health Statistics. | | | | working Americans, lead by William Meeker, DC, PhD, |
| A recent cover story in The New York Times | | | | and Marc Micozzi, MD, PhD, found that chiropractic |
| Magazine highlighted how chronic pain tends to be | | | | was more effective at reducing pain and restoring |
| under treated because doctors worry about over | | | | function, and was less costly and dangerous than |
| prescribing medications, and being liable for | | | | medical and surgical management. |
| malpractice or even criminal penalties. Many doctors | | | | Another study, in the Journal of Rehabilitation, |
| fear entering the field of pain management at all. | | | | Research & Development examined the |
| Many patients are also concerned about becoming | | | | effectiveness of a wide range of complementary and |
| dependant on medication or about the invasiveness | | | | alternative medicines in the treatment of chronic pain. |
| and dangers of surgery and anesthesia. CAM | | | | This encompassing study examined clinical trials and |
| therapies, which are able to treat pain and help | | | | previous studies done on the therapies. |
| manage diseases without medication or surgery, are | | | | Acupuncture is an effective treatment for |
| rapidly growing services as people search out better, | | | | chemotherapy related pain, dental pain, low back pain, |
| safer approaches. | | | | and probably premenstrual syndrome pain. They |
| So how effective are Complementary and | | | | found massage therapy effective for lower back pain |
| Alternative Medicine therapies? | | | | and shoulder pain, but found less evidence for its |
| One recent study published in the Journal of | | | | treating fibromyalgia, neck pain, headache, and carpel |
| Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics tracked | | | | tunnel syndrome. Yoga in turn has been found to |
| data from a unique organization, the Independent | | | | very effective for carpal tunnel syndrome and many |
| Physicians Association (IPA) where chiropractors | | | | forms of arthritis. For some therapies like reiki, |
| serve as first-contact, primary care physicians. | | | | homeopathy, and therapeutic touch ("laying on |
| This study found patients treated by these | | | | hands"), there are few clinical trials done, making it |
| practitioners reported lower costs and higher | | | | difficult to prove effectiveness. |
| satisfaction rates than those treated by conventional | | | | Still, for the many who routinely seek out alternative |
| medical doctors. One of the co-authors of the study | | | | and complementary treatments, it has less to do |
| James Winterstein DC, said that they found that, | | | | with clinical trials than with their own positive |
| "patients visiting CAM-orientated primary care | | | | experience. |