Bodhimed

According to the recently released report by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Americans spent $33.9 billion on CAM (complementary and alternative medicine), roughly 1/3 of what was spent on prescription drugs. In addition, the report states that 38% of American adults used some form of CAM for health and wellness, including acupuncture and herbal supplements.

It is so exciting to have official verification of the trend that seems obvious here in the bubble we live in in Santa Fe. Here it seems everyone has an acupuncturist and a massage therapist that they see regularly. And everyone is very hip to the most common Chinese herbal remedies. You even see Rescue Remedy at the preschool, and homeopathic Arnica in the school office.

But what really makes me smile about the report is the growing tendency it reveals among Americans to take control of their health.  The health care system is so inadequate, people are being forced to take responsibility for themselves rather than rely on their doctor or their health insurance company. At least one-third of Americans are educating themselves about traditional medicine and integrating it into their lives. Americans are becoming proactive, and that makes me hopeful.