Consumers are adding alternative therapies to their doctors orders, says Consumer Reports

Three of four adults use some form of alternative therapy for general health, says a reader study published in the September issue of Consumer Reports and online at Consumer ReportsHealth.org.

The survey says readers haven't given up prescription drugs in favor of alternative therapies for the most common health problems. But they're still turning to chiropractic, deep-tissue massage, yoga and other alternative therapies as add-ons for discomfort from conditions such as back pain, neck pain and osteoarthritis.

The survey also suggests that meditation, deep-breathing exercises, and yoga, are being used to treat a range of conditions including anxiety, headache and migraine, depression, and insomnia.

In addition, the report indicates that doctors are more open to alternative therapies than most people assume.
Some responses from the survey:

Prescription drugs helped the most for nine of the 12 conditions Consumer Reports Health asked about. They include allergies, anxiety, cold and flu, depression, digestive problems, headache and migraine, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome and osteoarthritis.
Meditation and yoga proved effective for treating anxiety and depression, almost equaling the effectiveness of prescription drugs.
Yoga did about as well as meditation for insomnia but it significantly outperformed meditation for headaches and migraine and especially for back pain.
For back pain, yoga, deep-tissue massage and Pilates all rated about the same as prescription medication.
Chiropractic therapy outperformed all other alternative treatments.
Meditation was helpful to almost a third of those few who tried it.


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