"Alternative Medicine" Turns Mainstream

The above headline comes from the June 20, 2000 PRNewswire.  In that article they state that "Latest Research From InterSurvey Reveals Two-Thirds of Americans Have Tried At Least One Form of Alternative Treatment or Therapy".  The term Alternative Medicine from a chiropractic standpoint is not accurate.  Chiropractic is not a form of medicine therefore it can not be referred to correctly as an "alternative medicine".  However many authors and researchers inside the medical field continue, as in this story to use that term.  According to the research, herbal medicines, chiropractic service and massage are the most popular forms of what they called "alternative medicine".  

The survey showed that slightly more men went to chiropractors than women.  Of those in the survey, a full 37% had been under chiropractic care.  This represents the highest number yet published in similar studies and continues to show a steady growth in the number of people seeking chiropractic care.

According to the research, 62% of those who used "alternatives" did so because of the recommendation of a friend.  Other reasons listed in the article were: traditional medicine was not working (sited in 28 percent); looking for a complement to a health routine (23 percent); recommendation from a doctor (amazingly mentioned by 22 percent of those in the study); and information from the printed press or Internet source (listed by 20 percent).