f a c t s / s t a t i s t i c s - o f - a l t e r n a t i v e - m e d .

According to CNN one-half of all medical schools now offer courses in alternative medicine.

 

The World Health Organization estimates that between 65 to 80 percent of the world's population (about 3 billion people) rely on traditional (alternative) medicine as their primary form of health care.

 

 

In 1993, American consumers spent almost $1.5 billion dollars on herbal remedies-ten times more than was spent on over-the-counter sleeping pills from grocery stores and drug stores.

 

 

Worldwide, only 10 to 30 percent of people use conventional medicine, 70 to 90 percent use alternative medicine.

 

 

Approximately $22 million of U.S. government money has already been spent on alternative medical research since 1992 at the National Institutes of Health and Public Health Services.

 

 

The American Medical Association (AMA), in Resolution #514, "is
encouraging its members to become better in-formed regarding alternative (complementary) medicine and to participate in appropriate studies of it.

 

Almost one-third of American medical schools-among them Harvard, Yale, John's Hopkins, and Georgetown Universitities-now offer coursework in alternative methods.

 

Mutual of Omaha says it saves about $6.50 in covering non-standard (alternative) treatments.

 

74 percent of the American population desire a more natural approach to health care.

 

Of the one out of three Americans who say they have used alternative medicine techniques, 84 percent said they would use it again.

 

Traditional chinese medicine has been chosen by the World Health
Organization for worldwide propagation to meet the heath care needs of the twenty-first century.

 
The U.S. government sponsors the use of acupuncture in drug
rehabilitation programs.

 

There are five homeopathic hospitals in Great Britain run by the British National Service.

 

One out of three drugs prescribed in Germany is an herb.

 

One out of every ten Americans is under the care of a chiropractor.

 

In 1991, Americans made more visits to unconventional healh care
providers (425 million) than to conventional doctors (388 million).

 

One out of three Americans were using unconventional medicine in 1991.

 

Americans spent almost $13.7 billion on unconventional health care in 1991.

 

75 percent of that $13.7 billion (above) was out of pocket.

 

12 percent of Fortune 500 companies offer alternative medicine as part of their health care compensation packages.  That percentage was expected to increase to 18 percent by the end of 1996.