Americans Spent $33.9 Billion Out-of-Pocket on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Americans Spent $33.9 Billion Out-of-Pocket on Complementary and Alternative
Medicine

BETHESDA, Md., July 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Americans spent $33.9
billion out-of-pocket on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) over the
previous 12 months, according to a 2007 government survey(1). CAM is a group
of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products such as
herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic, and acupuncture that are not
generally considered to be part of conventional medicine. CAM accounts for
approximately 1.5 percent of total health care expenditures ($2.2 trillion(2))
and 11.2 percent of total out-of-pocket expenditures (conventional
out-of-pocket: $286.6 billion(2) and CAM out-of-pocket: $33.9 billion(1)) on
health care in the United States.

Approximately 38 percent of adults use some form of CAM for health and
wellness or to treat a variety of diseases and conditions, according to data
from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)(3). The CAM component of
the NHIS was developed by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National
Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) part of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. The data provide estimates of the cost of CAM use, the
frequency of visits made to CAM practitioners, and frequency of purchases of
self-care CAM therapies.

"With so many Americans using and spending money on CAM therapies, it is
extremely important to know whether the products and practices they use are
safe and effective," said Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of NCCAM. "This
underscores the importance of conducting rigorous research and providing
evidence-based information on CAM so that health care providers and the public
can make well-informed decisions."

Of the $33.9 billion spent on CAM out-of-pocket, an estimated $22.0 billion
was spent on self-care costs -- CAM products, classes, and materials -- with
the majority going to the purchase of nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products
($14.8 billion) such as fish oil, glucosamine and Echinacea. U.S. adults also
spent approximately $11.9 billion on an estimated 354.2 million visits to CAM
practitioners such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, etc.

To put these figures in context, the $14.8 billion spent on nonvitamin,
nonmineral, natural products is equivalent to approximately one-third of total
out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs, and the $11.9 billion spent on
CAM practitioner visits is equivalent to approximately one-quarter of total
out-of-pocket spending on physician visits.

"These data indicate that the U.S. public makes millions of visits to CAM
providers each year and spends billions of dollars for these services, as well
as for self-care forms of CAM," said Richard L. Nahin, Ph.D., MPH, acting
director of NCCAM's Division of Extramural Research and lead author of the
cost of complementary and alternative medicine analysis. "While these
expenditures represent just a small fraction of total health care spending in
the United States, they constitute a substantial part of out-of-pocket health
care costs."

Inclusion and development of the 2007 NHIS supplement was supported, in part,
by seven NIH components: NCCAM; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute;
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; National Institute of
Mental Health; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development; Office of Dietary Supplements; and Office of Behavioral
and Social Sciences Research.

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is a component of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NCHS's mission is to provide
statistical information that will guide actions and policies to improve the
health of the American people. The CDC protects people's health and safety by
preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by
providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy
living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international
organizations. The complete data set can be found under "Questionnaires,
Datasets, and Documentation" at www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine's (NCCAM)
mission is to explore complementary and alternative medical practices in the
context of rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and disseminate
authoritative information to the public and professionals. For additional
information, call NCCAM's Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit
the NCCAM Web site at nccam.nih.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for
conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare
diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov

NOTES:

(1) Nahin, RL, Barnes PM, Stussman BJ, and Bloom B. Costs of Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Frequency of Visits to CAM Practitioners:
United States, 2007. National health statistics reports; no 18. Hyattsville,
MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2009.

(2) Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
National Health Expenditure Data for 2007. U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. Available at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/02_NationalHealthAccountsHistorical.asp#TopOfPage.
Accessed June 25, 2009.

(3) Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin RL. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use
Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007. National health statistics
reports; no 12. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2008.
Media note: For the full report and downloadable graphics visit -
http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats/costs/.

SOURCE National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National
Institutes of Health

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National
Institutes of Health Press Office, +1-301-496-7790, nccampress@mail.nih.gov;
or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health
Statistics Public Affairs, +1-301-458-4800