“Complementary and alternative medicine,” a kitchen-sink description that includes everything from acupuncture treatments to glucosamine supplements, is big business.
To put a finer point on it, Americans spent $34 billion out of pocket on goods and services that fall into the category, according to an analysis out today from the federal government, based on a 2007 CDC survey.
(You can download a full version of the report if you follow the embedded link in the Wall Street Journal article.)
A few key points:
The spending included $14.8 billion on so-called natural products — another kitchen-sink description that includes nutritional supplements such as glucosamine and echinacea but excludes vitamin and mineral supplements
Some 38 million people made visits to acupuncturists, chiropractors and other practitioners, the authors estimate. The total out-of-pocket cost for the visits was $11.9 billion.
Out-of-pocket spending on complementary and alternative medicine accounted for more than 11% of all out-of-pocket spending on health care nationwide, the researchers found. That said, it’s a small fraction of the more than $2 trillion in total health spending, most of which is paid for by insurance.
Born Curious 
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