How Chiropractic Helps / Complimentary Medicine in the United States
submitted by Dr. Gary Farr - Contact the author here. Last Updated April, 18, 2002	Save Money! Check out our special offers here.

Complimentary and alternative methods of treating human illness is growing by leaps-and-bounds. Look at some of the data documenting its growth:

• 80 percent of medical students want training in CAM therapies (Jonas; NIH Office of Alternative Medicine, 1997)
   

• 70 percent of family physicians want training in CAM (Berman; JABFP, Sept./Oct. 1995)
  69 percent of Americans use unconventional medical therapies. (Haskell; Stanford University National Survey, September 1998.)
   
• 67 percent of health maintenance organizations offer at least one form of complementary alternative care. (California-based Landmark Healthcare report.)
   
• 64 percent of US medical school offer courses in CAM. Of the 123 courses reported, 84 (68%) were stand-alone electives, 38 (31%) were part of required courses, and one (1%) was part of an elective, Thirty-eight courses (31%) were offered by departments of family practice and 14 (11%) by departments of medicine or internal medicine. (Wetzel, Eisenberg and Kaptchuk; JAMA September 2, 1998)
   
• Harvard Medical School has held four CME courses on CAM.
   
• Complimentary Alternative Medicine centers exist at Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, UCD, UCLA, UCSF, UMD, and UT.
  60 percent of physicians have referred patients to CAM practitioners (Jonas; supra).
  56 percent of Americans surveyed believe their health plans should cover alternative therapies (Haskell; supra)
   
• 29 health insurers and HMOs cover CAM therapies, including Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska, Blue Cross of California, California Pacific, Catholic HealthCare West, HealthNet, Kaiser Permanente, Mutual of Omaha, Oxford Health Plans, and Prudential (Pelletier, Stanford University; Modern Healthcare September 7, 1998.)
   
• The CAM marketplace is currently valued at $24 billion or more, with an annual growth rate close to 15% (Rauber; Modern Healthcare September 7, 1998.)
   
• There are 17 student chapters of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association among the 27 US Veterinary Schools (Journal of the AHVMA, Fall 1996).
   
• Eight states have passed health freedom (practice protection) bills for MD/DOs.
  Naturopaths (ND) are licensed in 11 states. Acupuncturists are licensed in 34 states (scope of practice varies widely).
   
• Chiropractors (DC) are licensed in all 50 states and 11 of them mandate that health plans include chiropractic benefits.
   
• In December, 1995, the AMA passed the following resolution: "Unconventional Medical Care in the US." The AMA encourages the Office of Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health to determine by objective scientific evaluation the efficacy and safety of practices and procedures of unconventional medicine; and encourages its members to become better informed regarding the practices and techniques of alternative or unconventional medicine. (Policies of House of Delegates - I-95; H-480.973; BOT Rep. 15-A-94, Reaffirmed and Modified by Sub. Res. 514, I-95.)