Complementary and Alternative Medicine

 
The use of complementary and alternative medicine to cure sicknesses, disease, mental health and to maintain an overall sense of well-being is growing amongst healthcare workers. According to Pamela Jo Johnson, a MPH and PhD from Allina Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis, nearly 76 percent of all healthcare professionals use a form of complementary or alternative therapy. The most common use for these therapies amongst healthcare workers, is to alleviate anxiety and to maintain a sense of well-being.
 
Many recent studies also show an increase in the use of complementary or alternative therapies amongst the general population as well. A health study done in 2007 revealed that about 40 percent of adults used alternative medical treatments, and a 2008 study done by the American Cancer Society has found that about 60 percent of cancer survivors had done the same. Complementary or alternative therapies can be administered by a practitioner or they can be self-administered. These therapies include, biologically-based methods such as diet based therapies and vitamins, energy methods such as reiki, manipulative and body-based methods such as massage and Pilates, mind-body methods such as hypnotism and yoga, and whole medical methods such as acupuncture and naturopathy.
 
If you would like more information on complementary or alternative therapies, please call our confidential helpline at (866) 677-7212.