Yoga Big on West Coast, Chiropractors Popular in Midwest | WPN World People News

Folks on the West Coast are faithful followers of yoga and meditation. Midwesterners turn to chiropractors or osteopathic doctors for their aches and pains.

And nearly one in every five Americans uses herbal supplements like ginseng, Echinacea, ginkgo biloba and St. John's Wort.

Those are just some of the findings of a new federal government report on complementary and alternative medicine trends in the United States.

The report, derived from national health survey data collected in 2012, shows clear regional trends in the way Americans choose to use complementary medicine.

After looking at data on almost 35,000 people across the country, the researchers found that:

Yoga with deep breathing or meditation is about 40 percent more common in the Pacific and Mountain states than in the country overall.

Use of chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation is nearly twice as high in the "West North Central region" -- from the Dakotas and Minnesota down to Kansas and Missouri -- than the rest of the United States.

People in the Pacific, Mountain and West North Central states are more likely to use massage therapy, compared with the rest of the country.

In general, people living in southern and Mid-Atlantic states have less use for complementary or alternative medicine, the researchers found.

There was one notable exception, however -- in all parts of the country, large numbers of people appear to be using herbal dietary supplements.

Use of such supplements ranges from a high of 28.7 percent of Mountain state residents to a low of 13.1 percent in the South Atlantic states.

Herbal supplements constitute the most popular complementary health trend in the United States, according to the report. About 18 percent of Americans use herbal supplements, more than double that of the next most popular complementary medicines -- chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation (8.5 percent) and yoga (8.4 percent).

The findings are important and will help practitioners of alternative medicine better focus their efforts, said expert in American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA).

It is good to see the CDC putting its attention to where Americans are seeking care in today's marketplace. Listening to our patients is the best way to help them find the healing they need. We applaud this study and are working to create greater dialogue around how we can help transform health care.

Source: HealthDay News