Middle-aged use alternative medicine

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Oct 25, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Wake Forest University researchers say middle-aged people are more likely than younger or older adults to use complementary and alternative medicine.

"Midlife adults entered adulthood at a time of more widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine in the population and when public health policy was shifting attention toward individual responsibility for health and health promotion," said Professor Joseph Grzywacz and colleagues.

Grzywacz said the study's results came from data for 31,044 people who participated in the 2002 National Health Interview Survey. The survey included questions on 20 types of complementary and alternative medicine, such as acupuncture, chelation therapy, herb or megavitamin use, chiropractic or yoga.

"Some types of complementary and alternative medicine, such as alternative medicine systems, are used primarily for treating existing conditions," Grzywacz said. "Others, such as mind-body interventions, are used primarily for illness prevention and health promotion."

The study appears in the October issue of the Journal of Aging and Health.

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