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More Patients Seeking Treatments Not Traditionally Taught in Medical School

Posted on: Friday, 6 May 2005, 21:00 CDT

May 7--Judging by the numbers, alternative medicine doesn't seem so alternative after all.

Spooked by safety concerns surrounding pharmaceuticals and squeezed by rising prescription drug costs. Americans forked over roughly $36 billion on alternative medical therapies in 2004.

And last year, Americans spent an additional $20 billion on dietary supplements, which include minerals and herbs, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, a San Diego-based research firm.

Alternative medicine is a broad term that includes acupuncture, herbal medicines, homeopathy and massage therapy.

Mary Romaine, a Jacksonville acupuncture physician, has seen a 50 percent increase in business in the past year.

"People in Jacksonville are starting to read more about acupuncture and get educated and so their horizons are a little wider," she said.

Alternative medicine has entered the mainstream said Piper Wilson, a Jacksonville-based acupuncture physician.

"I am hearing more physicians talk about it, I am hearing more lay people talk about it and try it," Wilson said. "More and more people are being educated about what it is."

Consumer interest in alternative medicine is a "reality [and a] call for mainstream medicine to become more involved," said Rebecca Pauly, associate professor and chief of the Division of Internal Medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Romaine, who also operates a Chinese herbal pharmacy that includes 120 varieties of herbs, sees patients for whom pharmaceutical drugs aren't working or who are suffering from drug-related side effects.

"The people that come to me want a better quality of life," she said. "They don't want a lot of toxic, western drugs going through their system. They want herbs that tend to be safer."

Romaine said her Chinese herbs, which she gets from California and New Mexico, treat a host of illnesses.

"I have a pharmacy that does almost everything that western medicine does," she said.

Romaine uses acupuncture to treat pain, headaches, low back pain and fibromyalgia.

Romaine said she is not opposed to western drugs, adding, "there are times when that's what the patient needs."

Pharmaceuticals are more suitable treatment options for patients suffering from advanced diseases.

Melissa Smith, a Jacksonville-based acupuncture physician and traditional Chinese herbalist, is noticing growing demand for traditional Chinese herbs.

"It's very effective at treating western medical conditions that MDs themselves don't have many options for," Smith said.

Chinese herbs have a long history of treating migraines, depression and certain dermatological conditions with success, she said.

Historically, people have considered Chinese medicine as a last option, but that is starting to change, Smith said.

Vincetta Niesz, a 56-year-old Jacksonville retiree, cut back on the number of pharmaceuticals she takes to treat several medical conditions, including chronic pain, because of side effects.

"Traditional drugs have caused problems for me in a variety of ways," Niesz said. "I have had bad reactions that made me feel sicker than before I took the drugs. I had conditions that were just not being helped by traditional medication and doctors."

But since turning to acupuncture and Chinese herbs six months ago, Niesz "found relief from one condition that was going on for at least five years."

Alternative medical services account for just 2 percent of annual health care spending, which topped about $1.4 trillion in 2004, said Grant Ferrier, editor of Nutrition Business Journal.

But converts like Niesz are expected to fuel 8 to 10 percent annual growth in the alternative medicine industry, Ferrier said.

Consumers today are more proactive in their health care decisions and are looking for alternatives. Consumer interest is also nudging doctors and medical students to explore alternative medical therapies and offer such treatments.

And high-profile drug recalls like that of Vioxx have fueled safety concerns.

"Consumers are becoming suspicious of pharmaceutical companies and products," Ferrier said. "Consumers are wary of how pharmaceuticals are developed and tested."

A lack of standardization in the preparation of alternative medical products, however, can raise safety issues, Pauly cautioned.

Patients also don't tend to tell their physicians they're taking alternative medicines, which can result in dangerous interactions with prescription drugs, she said.

Ferrier said alternative and conventional medicines each have their strengths.

"Alternative medicine is much better for health maintenance and disease prevention," he said. "Conventional western medicine is probably more advanced in terms of disease curing. Ideally, the American patient should have access to both."

While some HMOs and insurance plans now cover acupuncture and chiropractor visits, for many patients such as Niesz, it remains an out-of-pocket expense.

"I had to make a commitment to it," she said.

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Source: The Florida Times-Union

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