Reasons for using complementary and alternative medicine

Users of complementary and alternative medicine were asked about their reasons for using complementary and alternative therapies. Four of the response options offered had to do with experiences with conventional treatment.
shows the proportions citing each of these four reasons, by type of therapy used. Shows the corresponding results for the other frequently cited reasons for use of these therapies. Forty-five percent of the users of complementary and alternative medicine cited unpleasant side effects of conventional medical treatment as a reason for use of complementary and alternative medicine; a similar proportion 43%said that they had “tried a conventional medical treatment and it didn’t work.” Thirty-three percent reported that a doctor had recommended a complementary or alternative therapy to them, and 17% reported that they had used complementary and alternative medicine because they “couldn’t afford conventional medical treatment.”