Alternative Therapies on the Rise

By 250 News

More than half of Canadians surveyed in 2006 reported using at least one form of complementary or alternative medicine or treatment during the previous year, according to a new report published today by  The Fraser Institute.

The report also shows, people in B.C. and Alberta are more likely to try alternative therapies  while skepticism reigns in Atlantic Canada.  The report says  a national consensus on this issue is highly improbable.


The report, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Canada: Trends in Use and Public Attitudes, 1997-2006, is based on a survey of 2,000 adult Canadians conducted in 2006. It follows up on a similar survey done in 1997.

The survey showed 54 per cent of respondents used at least one form of alternative or complementary therapy in the year prior to the survey, an increase of four percentage points over the 1997 result of 50 per cent.

“This increased use of alternative therapies is another indicator of Canadians’ desire to have more choice and control over their health care options,” said Nadeem Esmail, The Fraser Institute’s Director of Health System Performance and author of the report.

The most commonly used complementary and alternative medicines and therapies reported were massage (19 per cent), prayer (16 per cent), chiropractic care (15 per cent), relaxation techniques (14 per cent), and herbal therapies (10 per cent).

Despite the increased use of alternative medicine, the majority of Canadians still consider medical doctors the main providers of health care with almost half of respondents in 2006 seeing a doctor before turning to a provider of alternative therapy. Additionally, a higher proportion of respondents saw a medical doctor for their condition regarding treatment for eight of the 10 most common medical conditions.

“These results show Canadians retain confidence in physicians. But since many of the most common problems Canadians suffer from are chronic – allergies, back or neck problems, arthritis and rheumatism – they require more than just symptomatic treatment. Consequently, Canadians are looking for alternatives,” Esmail said.
 
What is interesting, he added, is that most alternative and complementary treatments are not covered by government health insurance plans. Yet a large number of people choose those options. The survey also  discovered the majority of Canadians (59 per cent) believe that alternative therapies should be paid for privately, not by provincial health plans.  The support for keeping  those therapies  on a private pay basis was strongest among those who had  used  alternative therapies.

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