INTRODUCTION: Recent data about the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the general population exist for Australia and the USA, but not for the UK. This study aimed at providing such data. DESIGN: Nationally representative random telephone survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 1204 British adults were interviewed. RESULTS: 20% ...

Charlotte Paterson is a general practitioner and researcher at Warwick House Medical Centre in Taunton, Somerset. This is a group practice where, since 1991, complementary practitioners have worked on a private sessional basis in the centre. This collaboration was the stimulus for an ongoing research programme into various aspects of ...

This study examined the frequency of surgical patient use of complementary and alternative medicines prior to surgery. After conducting a literature review on the known effects of alternative medicines, we evaluated their potential interactions with anesthetics. At the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colo, we surveyed 500 elective ...

The recent growth in interest in the use of complementary medicine by the general public has been well reported. Health professionals, particularly nurses and midwives, are incorporating the use of complementary therapies into their practice. The medical profession is involved in the political processes affecting legislation governing complementary medicine and ...

It is estimated that 42% of the American public is using some form of alternative medicine, which reflects the changing needs and values in our society. Unfortunately, Western medicine has failed to see alternative medicine as complementary and integrative with conventional medicine. This is due to the fact that there ...

The documented prevalence of alternative medicine practices in the United States warrants a critical evaluation of this field. Although adequate scientific evaluation is needed, it is doubtful that such research will take place unless other factors are taken into account that remain overlooked. We have previously proposed a conceptual definition ...

Reported are the results of a systematic review of the prevalence of use of complementary/alternative medicine. Computerized literature searches were carried out in four databases. Twelve surveys thus found were selected because they dealt with the utilization of complementary/alternative medicine in random or representative samples of the general population. Data ...

During the 1990s, with the proliferation of managed care and aggressive negotiating postures by insurance companies, the reimbursement paid to physicians decreased drastically. In order to compensate, physicians have had to extend their work week, reduce overhead or seek alternative revenue sources. Developing alternative sources of revenue without having to ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The widespread use of alternative and complementary therapies by the public provides a new challenge to medical education. No standardized curriculum is available for medical educators in this field. Providing an adequate background on these therapies and reliable, useful information to our learners was a task addressed ...

There is a quiet revolution challenging our Western philosophy of reactive, high-tech allopathic medicine, which cures disease by treatments. This trend to a proactive, preventive, Eastern style of medicine is referred to as holistic or alternative and complementary medicine (ACM). ACM is based on the belief that human beings are ...

While it is difficult to find two people who agree on the definition of complementary medicine, the McGrady and Freshley and Carlson articles help substantially in creating a common definition. This information should help to move providers and practitioners to a better understanding of complementary medicine and its inevitable presence ...

A survey was undertaken to explore the attitudes and practices of general practitioners and medical students in the United Arab Emirates with regards to forms of therapy not generally accepted by conventional medicine, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, spiritual therapy and osteopathy/chiropractic. The study found that alternative medicine is in ...

As the use of alternative medical therapies has grown in the United States, so has the controversy surrounding it. Many conventional medicine practitioners and researchers often express strong negative attitudes toward alternative medicine therapies and practitioners. Likewise, many alternative medicine practitioners and activists often express strong negative attitudes toward conventional ...

A recent Government consultation document has recommended proposals to dramatically extend protection for patients in the private sector. It has invited comments on whether these proposals should be extended to the complementary medicine sector. The provision include the creation of a new regulatory body, quality assurance mechanisms and a new ...

Bias expressed by conventional journals against the field of "alternative," "integrative," or "complementary" medicine has been said to drive the appearance of new journals dedicated to this field. We examined two examples of recent articles on complementary and alternative medicine that appeared in two major medical journals in 1998. One ...

The growing use of alternative and complementary therapies in the United States as well as other parts of the world is a trend that the responsible rheumatologist cannot ignore. With chronic musculoskeletal conditions being the leading indication for the use of alternative and complementary therapies, rheumatologists must become experts on ...

There has been a growing trend for people to increasingly turn to complementary and alternative medicine. The increasing prevalence of obesity has combined with this trend to create an expanding market for these modes of therapy to aid in weight management. This article focuses on complementary and alternative modes of ...

A cross-sectional national telephone survey was used to determine whether Christian Scientists (N = 230), a religious group that uses mind/body (including spiritual) healing, self-report more or less illness than non-Christian Scientists (N = 589). The primary outcome measure was the proportion of Christian Scientists and non-Christian Scientists that, during ...

This article briefly describes the current usage of alternative and complementary medicine in the United States and among chronically ill users of rehabilitation services. Definitions of alternative and complementary medicine are presented with a few examples from among hundreds of existing therapies, with a focus on therapies currently used in ...

Complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies are emerging as a significant force that is shaping the delivery of health care in the United States. The physician-scientists of conventional medicine are slowly easing into the process of evaluating and integrating CAM therapies. After all factors are considered, should the role of ...

Whilst a tiny snapshot, it is clear that lay interpretations of complementary medicine vary considerably. You may wish to try this exercise to explore peoples' perceptions of this form of medicine and we would welcome responses to these questions. When practising CM it is easy to assume others share our ...

OBJECTIVE: There is a perception of increasing and widespread use of alternative medicine for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We assessed the usage of alternative therapies among patients with IBD, whether there were similar or contrasting variables that were predictive of such use, and contrasted the use in four different centers ...

Over the past 10 years, Alternative Medicine has become increasingly popular in the patient population, as reflected by the media and confirmed by several studies. Conventional research has demonstrated benefits of some alternative methods, but many others are questionable or useless. Many alternative methods are not licensed or certified and ...

It is popular among modern scholars in the humanities to describe "myths" or "metaphors" that guide our lives and actions. The corporate literature calls these "paradigms." Whatever the terminology, people more or less consciously use these types of mental structures to interpret events, set priorities, and interact with others. The ...

Alternative medicine is experiencing rapid growth; already, an estimated 33-40% of Americans use some form of alternative therapy and treatment. Evidence-based support for its efficacy is lacking, but the variety of alternative therapies continues to increase. This article traces the growth of alternative medicine and its acceptance by traditional practitioners, ...

The authors surveyed 191 allopathic physicians (MDs), registered nurses (RNs), and allied health professionals (AHPs) regarding their opinions toward osteopathic medicine and alternative therapies. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to these healthcare professionals practicing in a rural region of west-central Vermont. Participants responded to six questions concerning osteopathic medicine and ...

In this study, I explore the relationship between medicine and dentistry in Ontario between 1868 and 1918. Examination of the rise of dentistry and medical-dental relations reveals that medicine never came to dominate dentistry to the extent it did other health care occupations. The combination of four factors enabled dentistry ...

Interest in and use of complementary and alternative medicine have increased in recent years, with as much as 40% of the general population having used some form of complementary and alternative medicine in the past year. Although recent national surveys have not adequately assessed the use of complementary and alternative ...

CONTEXT: Although chiropractic is the most commonly used complementary healthcare practice, chiropractors have not been surveyed in depth about their attitudes toward and practice of complementary and alternative therapies apart from spinal manipulation. OBJECTIVES: To examine attitudes among US chiropractors on the role of their profession in complementary healthcare and ...

The state of Israel is well known for its intervention in many aspects of its citizens' lives. Yet alternative medicine, a widely demanded service pertaining to a critical aspect of human life, remains outside the confines of state intervention. During Israel's fifty years of existence not a single law has ...

The prosthodontic management of the child with ectodermal dysplasia is made difficult because of the under-development of the alveolar ridges. This paper describes a case where tricalcium phosphate was placed in sockets immediately following the extraction of the primary incisor teeth to help maintain alveolar bone width, offering a valuable ...

A professional pianist developed career-ending focal dystonia. There is a possible relationship between the pianist's syndrome and his past playing history. Although the patient has derived very little benefit from various treatment modalities, his candor regarding his impairment indirectly led to the establishment of performing arts medicine as a recognized ...

Alternative medicine has a major presence and persuasive attraction in the industrialized western world. The extent to which these practices have clinical efficacy according to biomedical criteria is a matter of ongoing research and debate. It may be that independent of any such efficacy, the attraction of alternative medicine is ...

The widepsread use, in the United States and other western countries, of alternative medical practices often derived from traditional systems of health has intensified the need to evaluate their safety and effectiveness. These practices tend to generate polarized attitudes of either acceptance or rejections. Opponents reject them because, they claim, ...

The use of complementary or alternative medicine has greatly increased in developed countries during the last few years. In such countries, laws have been passed and regulations made to protect both the public and the practitioners. There are a growing number of research units in universities, journals, and associations of ...

BACKGROUND: Clinically relevant questions remain about who uses alternative medicine, which treatments they use and why. METHODS: The random digit dialing survey method was used to ask Florida residents about their lifetime use of 11 different alternative therapies. The response rate was 54% (n=1,012). RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of respondents had ...

CONTEXT: A prior national survey documented the high prevalence and costs of alternative medicine use in the United States in 1990. OBJECTIVE: To document trends in alternative medicine use in the United States between 1990 and 1997. DESIGN: Nationally representative random household telephone surveys using comparable key questions were conducted ...

There is no question that the past few years have seen a tremendous surge in interest in what has come to be known as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Health plans contemplating adding CAM benefits face a daunting challenge. How should a plan define CAM benefits? How should a plan ...

BACKGROUND: Complementary, alternative, unconventional, and integrative medicine are types of natural medicine that have been known and practiced ever since the recording of history, and in particular in the Old World. This has been rediscovered in many countries, including the New World and especially in the United States. In this ...

Alternative" surgery in the trauma discipline essentially means nonoperative or a selective approach to the injured victim. Such an approach is a critical part of the trauma management options. However, it is unlikely that the term "alternative surgery" will be liberally used to depict this growing trend of nonoperative, selective, ...

Complementary or Alternative Medicine (CAM) is being used with increasing frequency in the United States. This paper describes what CAM is, and catalogues mainstream medical Web sites. These online resources contain extensive information on CAM, and will provide a means to stay current with this sometimes-new yet often ancient area ...

In Germany, alternative medicine is presently very popular and is supported by the federal government. When deliberating on the essence of alternative medicine we should simultaneously reflect on the intellectual and moral basis of regular medicine. To provide an epistemological demarcation of the 2 fields, the following 12 theses are ...

OBJECTIVE: This article reports some of the findings from a national study of occupational therapy practice conducted by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) as part of its fiduciary responsibility to ensure that its entry-level certification examination is formulated on the basis of current practice. METHOD: The ...

OBJECTIVE: Complementary and alternative medicine use is increasing worldwide, and the expenses are high while its effectiveness is still in debate. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the utilization of complementary and alternative medicine in Israel. METHOD: Four-hundred and eighty patients in two primary care clinics have participated ...

Ever since Harvard's David Eisenberg, MD, published his groundbreaking findings in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1993 (for example, that there were more visits to complementary or alternative medicine practitioners in 1990 than to all general practitioners and family practice physicians combined; and 83 million adults were spending ...

We investigated the withdrawal of temazepam in a single general practice using two alternative prescribing policies: an alternative benzodiazepine; or an alternative group of drugs recommended for short-term management of insomnia, including sedative antihistamines and chloral hydrate. The study showed that temazepam prescribing in general practice can be reduced or ...

OBJECTIVE: The conceptual revolution concerning the role of Helicobacter pylori in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease has raised the larger question of how to integrate this new information into the management of patients with dyspepsia. The aim of this research was to critically evaluate current knowledge about dyspepsia and ...

Three major reports have been published within the past year on the status, use and development of complementary medicine within the UK. The NHS Confederation has undertaken a survey of usage within NHS services in Leicestershire, the Foundation for Integrated Medicine has explored how such services might be improved, and ...

As reimbursement continues to decline, healthcare managers are now forced to seek out and establish alternative means for ensuring optimal patient care delivery via maximized equipment uptimes, minimized downtimes, increased productivity and decreased expenses. And, while our benchmarking survey documented manufacturers' service contracts as the "best practice" for repair of ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to establish the degree and determinants of the use of complementary therapies by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and their reasons for seeking them. METHODS: The first phase was a cross-sectional survey of 134 patients with IBD (98 with Crohn's disease, 34 ...