Alternative medicine popular with older adults, study shows

This study found that 71% of older adults used some form of alternative medicine in 2000. This appears to be a higher rate than occurs within the general population as a study conducted in 2002 found a lower rate – about 62% – among all adults.

“Many types of alternative medicine have not been tested for safety and effectiveness, and yet a large majority of older adults are using them. This tells us there is a serious need for more consumer education.”

The researchers used data from the 2000 Health and Retirement Survey, conducted by the University of Michigan and funded mainly by the National Institute on Aging. The survey included 848 respondents aged 50 and over.

The survey asked about the use of six types of alternative medicine: chiropractor, acupuncture, massage therapy, breathing exercises, herbal medicine, and meditation. The most commonly used form of alternative medicine was chiropractor, which about 43% of respondents had used. Acupuncture was the least used.

Of those who described their health as poor, 65% said they used some form of alternative medicine they considered preventive or curative – a higher percentage than among any other group. In addition, about 63% of respondents who said they were not satisfied with their health care also tried alternative therapies classified as preventive or curative.

Some of the results will need more research to explain, the researchers said. For example, the findings showed African Americans, widows, and more religious people all tended to use alternative medicine more often than did other older adults.

Although the exact reasons why these older adults used alternative medicine is not known from this research and needs further study, the fact that those who were less satisfied with their health care were more likely to use alternative medicine does suggest some people have issues with the current state of conventional health care.