The following sources give evidence that the nation is discovering the economic and therapeutic benefits of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM):

In a 1998 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Americans in 1997 made more visits to alternative health-care practitioners than to primary-care physicians.

In 1993, The New England Journal of Medicine reported that one-third of Americans are using commonsense complementary therapies, mostly without approbation from the medical system, indeed, often in defiance of medical advice. 1

The American medical journal, Neurology, reported in November 1993 that when acupuncture treatment is added to the standard protocol for the treatment of stroke victims, average recovery time is reduced by 50 percent, and costs reduced by $26,000 per patient. 2

A study at the Miami School of Medicine found that premature infants treated with daily massage therapy gained more weight and had shorter hospital stays than infants who were not massaged. The cost of care for massaged babies was reduced by approximately $3000. 3

In a study by Michael J. Weintraub of the New York Medical College, a combination of massage techniques in subjects with traumatically induced spinal pain not only led to significant improvements in acute and chronic pain, but also proved to be extremely cost-effective in comparison with other therapies. 4

Both the State of Oregon and Dade County, Florida, have mandated the use of acupuncture before methadone treatment programs for drug addiction. Studies show that acupuncture cuts the cost of drug addiction treatment by 60 percent. 5

In Massachusetts, Jon Kabat-Zinn, using yoga and mindful meditation, has increased quality-of-life while reducing the cost of care for persons living with stress, pain and chronic illness. 6

 

	Through the work of the hospice movement and thinkers such as Michael Lerner and Naomi Remen of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, Americans have begun to change their way of dying and their view of death. 7
	Biofeedback and behavioral medicine markedly reduce costs when integrated into conventional care. 8

Notes

1. D. Eisenberg, R. Kessler, C. Foster, et al. “Unconventional Medicine in the United States: Prevalence, Costs, and Patterns of Use.” The New England Journal of Medicine, 328:246-252, 1993.

2. K. Johansson, I. Lindgren, H. Widner, et. al. “Can sensory stimulation improve the functional outcome in stroke patients?” Neurology, 43:2189-2192, 1993.

3. T. Field, S. Schanberg, F. Scafidi, et al. “Tactile/kinesthetic stimulation effects on preterm neonates.” Pediatrics. 77:5;654-658, 1986.

4. M. Weintraub, “Shiatsu, Swedish muscle massage, and trigger point suppression in spinal pain syndrome.” American Journal of Pain Management, 2:2;74-78, 1992.

5. Statement of Michael O. Smith, M.D., at U.S. Senate Hearing on Alternative Medicine (Subcommittee on Labor/HHS Appropriations). May 21, 1993.

6. For information about programs offered by the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, write to Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Director, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655-0001, or call (508) 856-1616.

7. For information about Commonweal programs, write P.O. Box 316, Bolinas, CA 94924-0316, or call (415) 868-2245.

8. R. Shellenberger, et al. Clinical Efficacy and Cost Effectiveness of Biofeedback Therapy. Wheat Ridge, CO: Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 1989.