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MEDICAL: COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE :
MEDICAL: PHYSICIAN PATIENT RELATIONSHIP:
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Dialogue
Lacking Between Patients, Providers

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Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:10:39 -0400
From: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject:  Complementary and Alternative Medicine Dialogue
Lacking Between Patients, Providers

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News

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National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM)

http://nccam.nih.gov/

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Embargoed for Release: Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 12:00 p.m. EDT

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CONTACT:

NCCAM Press Office

301-496-7790

e-mail:

[log in to unmask]

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AARP Media Relations

202-434-2560

e-mail:

[log in to unmask]

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COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE DIALOGUE LACKING
BETWEEN PATIENTS, PROVIDERS

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New survey from AARP and NCCAM finds that although many people 50+ use CAM 
they often do not inform their health care providers

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Despite their high use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), 
Americans over the age of 50 often do not discuss CAM use with their 
health care providers, a survey indicates.

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The results, from AARP and the National Center for Complementary and 
Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health were 
released today.

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Overall, 53 percent of respondents reported that they had used CAM at some 
point in their lives. Among those, 58 percent said they had discussed CAM 
with a health care provider.

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This dialogue is important because, while CAM is a part of health and 
wellness for many Americans, some CAM products can interact with 
conventional medicine.

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CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care interventions, 
practices, products, or disciplines that are not generally considered part 
of conventional medicine. CAM includes natural products such as herbal 
supplements, and manual therapies and mind/body practices such as 
chiropractic care, massage, acupuncture, and meditation.

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Use of CAM among the 50 and older population is widespread. The 2007 
National Health Interview Survey found that 44 percent of people aged 
50-59 use some form of CAM, compared to the average adult use rate of 38 
percent.

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"Older Americans want to lead healthy, active lives, and that means using 
health care safely," said AARP Vice President Elinor Ginzler. "For many 
people, CAM is an important part of staying healthy, but some CAM products 
may make conventional medicines less effective or lead to potentially 
dangerous interactions.  Health care providers and patients need to start 
talking together to ensure you get the full benefit of both CAM and your 
medications."

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Other findings from the AARP/NCCAM survey suggest that if CAM is discussed 
at a medical appointment, it is most likely to be brought up by the 
patient. Respondents were twice as likely to say they raised the topic 
rather than their health care provider. According to the survey, the two 
main reasons that the patients gave for a lack of discussion with their 
health care providers are that the provider never asks (42 percent) and 
the patients did not know they should bring it up (30 percent).

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In the survey, the most frequently cited reasons for using CAM are for 
general wellness (77 percent), to help reduce pain or treat a painful 
condition (73 percent), to treat a specific health condition (59 percent), 
and to supplement conventional medicine (53 percent). Those surveyed could 
provide more than one reason for using CAM.

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"In this survey, we found that 37 percent of respondents have used an 
herbal product or dietary supplement in the past 12 months. Some of these 
natural products can interact with conventional treatments," said 
Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of NCCAM. "As we've learned from 
NCCAM-funded research into herbal and dietary supplements, natural does 
not always mean safe. Thus, an open dialogue about CAM use, particularly 
herbals and dietary supplements, is vital to ensuring safe and coordinated 
care."

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The AARP/NCCAM survey was conducted by telephone interview in October 
2010, with a random sample of 1,013 people aged 50 and older.

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For a complete copy of the survey report, please visit

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http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats/2010/

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NCCAM's Time to Talk campaign encourages patients to tell their providers 
about CAM use and providers to ask about it by offering tools and 
resources-such as wallet cards, posters, and tip sheets-all of which are 
available for free at

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http://nccam.nih.gov/timetotalk/

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AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps 
people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are 
beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not 
endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either 
political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the 
definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation 
magazine with over 35.1 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news 
source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the 
only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic 
community; and our Web site, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated 
charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older 
persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and 
sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of 
Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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The mission of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative 
Medicine (NCCAM) is to define, through rigorous scientific investigation, 
the usefulness and safety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) 
interventions and their roles in improving health and health care. For 
additional information, call NCCAM's Clearinghouse toll free at

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1-888-644-6226

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or visit the NCCAM Web site at

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http://nccam.nih.gov

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About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical 
research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of 
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary 
federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and 
translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, 
treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more 
information about NIH and its programs, visit

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http://www.nih.gov

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This NIH News Release is available online at:

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/apr2011/nccam-13.htm

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