National Institutes of Health
Fact Sheet
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
People have used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for thousands of years without knowingwhether it is safe or effective. CAM therapies and medical systems are widely used and available in the UnitedStates. They include diverse practices such as dietary supplements and botanicals, traditional Chinesemedicine, acupuncture, mind-body medicine, and therapeutic massage.
Today
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Millions of Americans use CAM for health concernsand general wellness and spend tens of billions of dollars each year on such care. In a recentGovernment survey, 36% of adults reported usingCAM in some form.
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In 1999, the National Center for Complementary andAlternative Medicine (NCCAM) was established asthe arm of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) torigorously evaluate the safety and efficacy of CAMtherapies, train researchers to conduct CAMresearch, and provide outreach to the public andhealth care professionals about CAM researchresults. Since its inception, NCCAM has fundedmore than 1,200 research projects to learn about howCAM therapies work as well as their safety andefficacy.
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The following examples illustrate important researchfindings that inform the choices the public andpractitioners are making regarding the use of CAM.
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Using state-of-the-art imaging technology, NIHdocumented the power of the mind to activatecertain parts of the brain to block pain signals,providing important information on how the placeboeffect works.
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In the largest clinical trial to date to test the safetyand efficacy of acupuncture, NIH-supportedresearchers found that acupuncture significantlyreduced pain associated with osteoarthritis of theknee when used as a complement to conventionaltherapy. Other studies demonstrated thatacupuncture provides relief for vomiting and nauseafrom chemotherapy.
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Another NIH-supported study found that acombination of the popular dietary supplementsglucosamine and chondroitin may relieve moderate-to-severe pain in patients with osteoarthritis of theknee.
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NIH also learned that so-called “natural” therapiesmay not always be safe or effective. For example,kava, an herb that has been widely used forinsomnia, stress, and anxiety, has been linked toliver damage. Other botanical products, such as St.John’s wort, which is used for depression, mayinteract with certain drugs and affect how the bodyprocesses a drug, making it less effective.
Tomorrow
NIH is poised to make major discoveries in understandingCAM therapies and to use this information to expand thehorizons of health care.
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We are learning how Americans access and evaluateinformation about CAM and what drives theirtreatment choices. The U.S. public uses CAM andchooses CAM therapies in combination withconventional care. However, surveys show thatpatients are not informing their physicians of theirself-care with CAM, and physicians report their lack of knowledge of CAM. Studies are in progress toevaluate the outcomes and costs of CAM treatmentregimens. Additionally, educational outreach isunder way to facilitate a conversation betweenpatients and their physicians about CAM use.
National Institutes of Health Complementary and Alternative Medicine – 1Updated September 2006
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