According to an article released by the American Medical Association on November 13, 2000, “a growing number of medical schools, teaching hospitals and physicians are opening clinics that combine conventional medicine and evidence-based alternative medicine.” Chiropractic is one of five alternatives that are listed as “the most researched forms of complementary” medicines used in the clinics.
The article names the following as evidence that alternative care is gaining popularity among MD’s:
- There are more than 20 integrative medicine centers nationally that are associated with medical schools and teaching hospitals.
- A new integrative medicine center opened recently at Duke University.
- A 1997 Harvard University study estimated that 40% of the population has tried alternative medicine, up from 33% in 1993. Money spent on alternative medicine during that period increased 35%.
- Earlier in 2000, 10 schools united to form the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine, including Duke, Stanford University, and the University of California, San Francisco.
- A survey by Consumer Reports found 55% of physicians approve of their patients seeking complementary treatments.
Dr. Martin Sullivan, MD, and director of the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine in Durham, N.C., was quoted as saying, “My bet is in the next five years it will be common for medical schools to have an integrative medicine program.”
The other four alternatives listed as “the most researched forms of complementary” medicines included massage therapy, relaxation therapy, herbal or vitamin supplements, and acupuncture.
