WEDNESDAY, July 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Many older adults are turning to alternative medicine to help them deal with the pains of aging — but they don’t necessarily think that’s their doctor’s responsibility.
About 40% of older adults use at least one alternative medicine practice to relieve bodily pain or mental tension, whether it is chiropractic care, massage therapy, meditation, yoga or another option. unconventional, according to the University of Michigan National Health Poll. Aging.
But only 18% of those who tried an alternative medicine practice actually discussed it with their health care provider.
The findings suggest that primary care doctors should bring up the topic during exams, said Dr. Rachael Maciasz, a general internal medicine physician at Michigan Medicine who worked with the survey team on the report.
“As research continues to show the importance of the mind-body connection in health and more rigorous studies are performed to determine the effects that integrative strategies can have on various conditions, it is important that patients and providers keep lines of communication open,” Maciasz said in a Press release on the report.
Almost everyone surveyed said they believed the mind had an impact on health, with 82% saying it had a major impact and 14% a minor impact.
Respondents reported trying alternative medicine to treat or prevent pain, insomnia, digestive problems, to relax or manage stress, to treat a physical injury, or to combat depression or anxiety.
About 38% of people aged 50 and over found alternative medicine very beneficial, while 54% said it was somewhat beneficial.
Those who engage in such practices tend to pay for them out of pocket, depending on the results.
Only 15% said their health insurance covered them, 19% said they had no coverage, and two-thirds were unsure of their coverage.
About 84% said they would be likely to try alternative medicine if health insurance covered it. Of those who stopped using such a practice, more than a quarter cited cost as one of the reasons.
More information
The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health has more on integrative health.
SOURCE: University of Michigan, press release, July 22, 2022
