CAM: Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away?
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reported in 2012, 33.2 percent of adults in the United States used alternative health approaches (NIH). John Astin received his PhD in health psychology from the University of California. He researches the field of mind and body medicine. He claims that people seek out alternative medication because they are not satisfied with traditional treatment, they feel as if they have more control over their own health care conditions, or the alternative methods are more compatible with their values and beliefs. He conducted a study on alternative medication which consisted of a written survey that examined the actual use of alternative methods, status on health, as well as values and attitudes toward traditional medicine. He concluded that patients’ dissatisfaction with traditional medicine practices didn’t predict the use of alternative medication, because only 4.4 percent of the 1035 people who were surveyed said that they re...