More than 37% of U.S. households use some form of alternative medicine, according to Thomson Medstat’s 2006 consumer healthcare survey of 23,000 adults, and 42% said at least some of the costs were covered by insurance. The study also found that affluent, highly educated Americans are driving the growth of the alternative market. Nearly half of households earning more than $100,000 per year sought alternative treatments in the past 12 months. Likewise, 49.6% of those with postgraduate degrees used alternative medicine. At the lower end of the income/education scale, utilization dropped to 30% in households earning $15,000-$24,999 per year and to 18.1% among those without a high school diploma. Herbal supplements and massage/chiropractic care were the most commonly used alternative care, followed by mind/body practices, energy therapies, and naturopathy. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said their physicians were aware of their use of alternative medicine use.
