The impetus that is driving the trend to complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) is patient demand.  According to a recent report in the American Medical News:

"The reasons hospitals choose to offer CAM services is quite revealing”… "Patient demand (85 percent) is by far the primary rationale in offering these services." Seventy percent of respondents said they find alternative medicine to be clinically effectively. Many hospitals (58 percent), including faith-based organizations, also said that caring for the "whole person" was part of their organizations' missions.  It appears that most hospitals and doctors are not including CAM in their healthcare because they feel that it is beneficial for patients, but because patients are demanding it.

Thirty-eight percent of surveyed adults said they have used some form of complementary and alternative therapy, according to the report. Interestingly, the most common form of “non-traditional medicine” was praying, followed by natural products, deep breathing, meditation, chiropractic care, massage, yoga, and diet, usually to treat back or neck pain, joint paint or stiffness, and anxiety or depression.  It should be noted that these ailments are the most common complaints cited for doctor visits.

An additional component to the increase in the demand for CAM is the changing demographics of America.   More and more patients have different backgrounds than the traditional American middle class.  Healthcare providers need to adapt to their patient’s varied expectations. "Every physician needs the appropriate knowledge and tools to address culturally-related beliefs and behaviors, such as traditional diets or use of alternative medicine, when treating their multicultural patients," Elena V. Rios, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association and president of the National Hispanic Health Foundation, said in a press release.  Many patients have a natural distrust of modern medicine, so if you ignore this internal bias, you may be losing patients and not be aware of the cause. It might be very surprising that nearly half of the surveyed doctors (48 percent) reported that half of their patients do not trust the U.S. healthcare system.

This suggests that there may be communication gaps concerning spiritual and cultural aspects of CAM.  It may be a placebo effect, or it may be a true physiological response to treatment.  Either way, patients respond to treatment better when they are relaxed and have confidence in their healthcare provider and the treatment that they receive.  By providing patients, especially patients who predisposed to mistrust modern medicine, with an understanding of their culture and expectations you will attract and retain more patients and obtain better clinical results.

Keep in mind that emphasis on outcome based treatment is paramount in cost containment in the healthcare field today, this connection cannot be overlooked.  As the government gets more involved in the payment for healthcare, the government will dictate treatment based on cost effectiveness.  You need to be in the forefront of the healthcare trends to maintain an edge in the competition for patients and to keep government officials off your back.