The results of this study provide much food for thought. As the nation's use of CAM services and products grows, certain trends are beginning to emerge:
[Editor's note: while DC doesn't necessarily agree with the term "CAM" as it applies to chiropractic, for the sake of clarity, this article uses this term, as it was used in the study itself.]
Continued Use of CAM
Determining the number of people who have ever utilized a particular form of CAM is important, as this tells us how many have tried it. Knowing what percentage of people have used that form of care in the previous year gives us an idea of the current user base. Comparing these two figures ("ever used" vs. "used in the last year") gives an idea of the conversion factor (as one would use in a sales model) for those people who "tried it" and are currently "users." Thus, if 1,000 additional people were to try a form of alternative care, the "conversion factor" is the percentage who would become current users.
| Therapy | Ever Used (Tried It) | Used in Last Year (User) | Conversion Factor |
| Acupuncture | 4.0% | 1.1% | 27.5% |
| Biofeedback | 1.0% | 0.1% | 10.0% |
| Chiropractic | 19.9% | 7.5% | 37.7% |
| Homeopathy | 3.6% | 1.7% | 47.2% |
| Massage | 9.3% | 5.0% | 53.8% |
| Megavitamin Therapy | 3.9% | 2.8% | 71.8% |
| Naturopathy | 0.9% | 0.2% | 22.2% |
| Yoga | 7.5% | 5.1% | 68.0% |
| Condition | Percentage Who Used a CAM Treatment |
| Back pain or problem | 16.8% |
| Head or chest cold | 9.5% |
| Neck pain or problem | 6.6% |
| Joint pain or stiffness | 4.9% |
| Arthritis, gout, lupus or fibromyalgia | 4.9% |
| Anxiety/depression | 4.5% |
| Stomach or intestinal illness | 3.7% |
| Severe headache or migraine | 3.1% |
| Recurring pain | 2.4% |
| Insomnia or trouble sleeping | 2.2% |
While chiropractic easily has the largest percentage of U.S. adults who have ever tried it, only approximately a third of those are current users.
Chief Complaint
Knowing why people seek CAM is important in understanding which forms of care are most likely to be utilized. The table above lists the top 10 conditions that caused people to seek CAM. Most of these complaints play right into what chiropractic is most known to be effective for. And while some in chiropractic have tried to shed the "back pain specialist" designation, some studies indicate that this is the leading complaint for almost two-thirds of our patients. This study clearly shows that the vast majority of CAM users are seeking relief from musculoskeletal complaints.
Use by Those Hospitalized
Interestingly enough, individuals who have been hospitalized in the past year are more likely to use CAM (including chiropractic care) than those who have not. Thus, the notion that people who have been hospitalized are less inclined to use CAM is obviously incorrect.
Motivations for Using CAM
This is always one of the key questions: What motivates people to try or use CAM? The answers have changed over the past decade. Of those people who used a particular form of CAM in 2002, here are the reasons they gave for why they used it:
According to these results, the top reason why people use chiropractic is because they don't think medicine would help (39.6%) or they believe that mixing chiropractic with medicine would be effective (52.9%).
Interestingly enough, more than 30% felt that it would be interesting to "try" chiropractic. Chiropractic scored the lowest in this area, perhaps because it is better known than most of the other CAM therapies. Only 10% sought chiropractic care because medical care was seen as too expensive.
More than 20% of those who used chiropractic were suggested to do so by a medical professional. While a "suggestion" isn't the same as a referral, this statistic is encouraging.
Trends for the Future
Overall, the results of this study provide much food for thought:
- A market penetration of almost 20% is better than most of us probably anticipated. This means that one out of every five people in your community have at least tried chiropractic care. The conversion rate of 37.7% means that in order to add one new patient to every DC's practice, 172,413 people will have to try chiropractic. This sets the terms for our future growth.
- The vast majority of our patients are seeking relief from back pain, neck pain, headaches and other neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Like it or not, this is clearly the foundation of your chiropractic practice. Going beyond this will require a re-education of the American public.
- Even though patients are seeking CAM because they don't think medicine will help them, they are still consciously "mixing" CAM care with their medical care. Liberated from the bygone era of medical authority, most consumers are making their own health care decisions, based upon the information provided to them by others and the media.
| Therapy | Medical Care Wouldn't Help | Medical Care Too Expensive | Therapy Combined With Medicine | Suggested by Medical Professional | Thought Trying It Would Be Interesting |
| Acupuncture | 44.20% | 7.4% | 56.2% | 4.8% | 51.6% |
| Biofeedback | 22.9% | 8.0% | 61.0% | 62.7% | 45.5% |
| Chiropractic | 39.6% | 9.5% | 52.9% | 20.2% | 31.8% |
| Homeopathy | 36.7% | 19.4% | 43.1% | 14.2% | 45.8% |
| Massage | 33.9% | 12.6% | 59.6% | 33.4% | 44.1% |
| Megavitamin Therapy | 27.5% | 13.5% | 55.0% | 38.3% | 37.7% |
| Naturopathy | 53.1% | 28.3% | 62.4% | 16.5% | 43.9% |
Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email
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