The study was conducted by National Center for Health Statistics
AB Wire
A new study has found that Americans spend $30.2 billion on complementary health approaches yearly, which is a significant portion of total $328.8 billion spent on the health care spectrum.
The new study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) that collected data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey analyzed to form an estimates representative of the US population.
Interestingly, the study found that one in every five Americans aged 4 years and above spent money on at least one complementary and alternative medicine therapy, including massage therapy, tai chi, chiropractic manipulation, homeopathic treatment, hypnosis and energy healing therapy.
According to figures, the amount spent on complementary health is 1% of total healthcare spending in the US and is comparable to expenditures for conventional physician visits and prescription drug use.
The study also found that Americans spent more money on natural product supplements than on visits to complementary approach practitioners or self-care approaches. Natural products include supplements such as acai pills, digestive enzymes, fish oil, and probiotics.
It also says that in 2012 Americans spent $12.8 billion on natural product supplements, which is equivalent to 24% expenditure on prescription drug usage, which is estimated to be $54 billion in the same year.
The cost of supplements and visits to complementary practitioners are not covered under many health insurances. Usually, a visit to complimentary practitioner could cost $100 or more and this is affordable only for families with higher incomes, the researchers said.
The increasing value of alternative healthcare, which is loosely regulated, has resulted in Americans willing to spend billions of dollars.
“You are putting a lot of faith in something you shouldn’t have much faith in,†he said. “They don’t have to test for safety and usefulness as long as they don’t make a serious medical claim.â€
Though labels on concentrated garlic may claim to support heart health, for example, they cannot claim to treat or mitigate heart disease.
The law permits dietary supplementary drugs to be sold without prescription, review or approval from FDI. That said, manufacturers of the supplementary drugs are entitled to provide proof of the ingredients mentioned on the label before putting the product on the shelves.
Executive director and CEO of the National Products Association and former director of Dietary Supplement Programs at the FDA, Daniel Fabricant, was quoted by USA Today saying that dietary supplements do not claim to cure or mitigate disease and are, in fact, regulated just like other drugs.
He added that dietary supplements need the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and compliance with FDA’s adverse event reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
“People are fed up with the type of care they get from primary physicians that are covered by insurance,†Fabricant said. “Across the board, people are looking for ways to stay healthy on their own.â€