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A new survey has revealed that patients who use complementary and alternative medical therapies as well as traditional therapies value both of these services. 79% of people surveyed say using both medical therapies is better than using either one alone.

Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School surveyed more than 830 adults who used both traditional and alternative therapies in the previous 12 months.

Examples of alternative therapies include acupuncture, chiropractics, herbal remedies, and massage. Researchers said of the patients who saw a medical doctor as well as an alternative practitioner, 70 percent typically saw the medical doctor before or at the same time as an alternative practitioner. They found 15 percent of those patients saw a practitioner first.

Researchers concluded that the popularity of alternative therapies is not because of dissatisfaction with conventional therapies. Instead, they believe that patients view physicians and practitioners as a larger group of their health care team.

A majority of the respondents expressed support for a combination of alternative and traditional therapies. The study found that alternative therapies were more helpful in the treatment of headache, neck and back conditions. However, conventional care was considered more helpful in the treatment of high blood pressure.

The Annals for Internal Medicine (2001;135:344-351) reported that researchers also found many respondents did not share their use of alternative therapies with their medical doctor. Most said either they didn't feel it was important for their doctor to know, or their doctor never asked. One third of the respondents felt it was "none of the doctor's business" if they were also using alternative therapies.

Information provided is courtesy of and compiled by the Academy of Anti-Aging Research.