Middle-agers more likely to turn to alternative therapies

Sympatico Dec 9 2005 7:59AM GMT


Provided by: MediResource
Written by: ALYSSA SCHWARTZ
TORONTO (MRI) - It's thought people become more closed-minded as they age, but when it comes to trying complementary and alternative medicines, middle-agers might be the most open of all, a new study has found.

In a report published in the Journal of Aging and Health, researchers found that more than a third of adults in the U.S. had tried some form of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM), but that people between the ages of 45 and 54 were more likely to have done so than their younger or older counterparts.

"This study provides the first estimates of notable age-related differences in whether CAM is used to treat an existing health condition or for illness prevention and health promotion," said the study's lead author, Dr. Joseph G. Grzywacz of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in a statement.

The researchers looked at data from 31,044 adults who participated in the 2002 U.S. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which included questions on some 20 CAM interventions, including acupuncture, naturopathy, chelation, herbal products, massage, chiropractic services, yoga and meditation. For each, subjects were asked whether they used it for prevention, treatment, both, or not at all.

Overall, 37% of those included in the survey reported using some form of CAM. The researchers noted that the various modes of CAM were most popular among middle-aged participants, although they noted that younger and older adults were more likely to use CAMs to treat disease, while middle-agers tended to turn to the practices in order to prevent disease.

"A greater percentage of midlife adults, principally those aged 45 to 54, used at least one CAM modality within each of the major categories in the past year than did younger or older adults," the researchers wrote.

They chalked this difference up to changing attitudes and visibility of alternative health practices.

"Most of the individual CAM modalities queried in the NHIS gained greater popularity in the late 1960s through the 1970s, when current midlife adults were in middle to late adolescence. CAM therapies, therefore, were widely available (relatively speaking) as these individuals entered adulthood and began making their own decisions about health care and health self-management. By contrast, older adults in 2002 would have already established strategies for health management because they would have been in their mid-30s or older when CAM became more common," they said.

If you do decide to use a complementary or alternative treatment, talk to your doctor about it first. For example, some herbs and natural supplements may interact with your medication or can be dangerous for people with certain medical conditions.

As well, look for evidence that supports any treatments you are considered and seek out appropriately certified experts for treatment in the area that interests you.

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